[17:Aloft! Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder!]
(A/N: Happy Valentine's Day. Or as I call it, Saturday. Also, this fic has reached 100,000 views!)
"How did we let this happen?" Nezu asked himself as he saw the extravagant and extreme entrance by Eleanor.
"Nezu, what do I do?" Midnight asked through an earpiece as Eleanor was giving her little speech.
"Just continue as normal. There's not much we can do." Nezu responded.
"Okay." Midnight said as she focused again.
Back with Nezu, he looked through the responses for what Eleanor did. Various posts on social media showed video from the stands of the flyover, Eleanor's parachute and gliding, and the pyrotechnics. And of course, the response from international viewers, specifically American viewers. "This will certainly be one of the more unique sports festivals we've had this year."
Back in the stadium, Eleanor finished her speech. "...we only need the courage to try!" She lifted the mic in the air as she finished. Claps and cheers filled the stadium. After she finished, she set the mic back on the stand and walked down the stairs.
'...huh, that American flag looks weird. The stars aren't lined up in even rows like I…' Eleanor thought to herself as she walked past the parachute. Even with the flag being a bit cut off because of the canvas it was one, she could see the rows of stars weren't equal, which meant one thing in her mind. '...no way it's what I think it is. I'll think about it later.'
Eleanor got back with her class, but before they could barrage her with questions, Midnight started. "Let's get started! We'll decide the first game!" A screen projected behind her, going through choices like a slot machine before it landed on one event. "The obstacle course! A vicious 4-kilometer track around the outside of the stadium! The only rule is you can't leave the course! Besides that, there are no rules! Now, take your place, contestants!"
'Yup, totally random. So, that's the only rule? Alright, that's cool.' Eleanor thought to herself as she purposely lined up behind all the other contestants.
"Begin!" Midnight said, and immediately, it was chaos as everyone bumped into each other.
'Just need a bit of patience, I'm not going to risk anything, I need to be absolutely sure.'' Eleanor thought to herself as she pulled out her tablet. She took manual control of the Osprey still in the air and flew it outside the exit of the tunnel. She was going to wait a bit for the tunnel to clear up, so she could blast through easily.
"Look at all of them, but what's going on with Eleanor? She's just standing there!" Present Mic commented as the event started.
"She's waiting. And she's going to win this thing in record time." Aizawa said as he noticed the Osprey hovering near the exit of the tunnel.
As Eleanor was waiting, she felt a chill in the air. 'Shoto used his ice, just a few more moments.' She could see the tunnel covered in ice and some contestants frozen in place by their feet. Though there were still many in the tunnel, she could see an opening. She put her tablet back into her coat.
'Go time.' Eleanor started running fast. In just a few seconds, she already reached the entrance. The power of her legs crushed the ice beneath her, making ice shards spew all over the palace with each step through the tunnel. She weaved between students, uncanny agility on display for someone going so fast. In just seconds, she cleared the tunnel.
She took out her tablet again and controlled the Osprey to hover down and open the ramp. As soon as she could, she jumped onto the ramp. Multiple drones came from her carrier rigging, forming a shield around the Osprey. The Osprey flew up and followed the course, easily flying over all the other contestants.
Eleanor smiled as she waved down below.
"That's not fair!"
"Is that allowed?"
Several people shouted at Eleanor for how easily she skipped everything, but also for the speed.
"Whoa, she's flying over everything and everyone! These obstacles… aren't an obstacle for her!" Present Mic commented.
"Eleanor! I'm not letting you win this!" Bakugo shouted as he used his explosions to blast himself up into the air, but just when he thought he could do something, a blue, transparent shield blocked his attack.
"Think fast, chucklenuts!" Eleanor said.
Bakugo couldn't react before a flashbang from a drone exploded in front of him, disorienting him and making him lose control as he fell down to the ground, with erratic blasts.
Eleanor chuckled. "A classic trick from the book; gets them every time."
Her Osprey left no chance for the others to win. Not because of speed, but because flight made everything obsolete. She flew over the robots, over the ravine, and over the minefield.
She controlled the Osprey to hover down and jumped off. She put her tablet back into her coat and sprinted through the tunnel of the finish line.
"And cruising into first place is Eleanor Hayes! She left everyone else in the dust! This must be a record for this event!" Present Mic said.
Eleanor was broadcast on all the screens of the stadium. In Nezu's own little place, he looked through the current ratings and views. Current national and international views remained on average compared to years before, but after Eleanor's entrance, the American viewership reached a new high as viewers tuned in to see her.
"She's treating it like the Olympics from the past. Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to represent your country, but maybe she might've been a bit excessive." Nezu said to himself, but higher viewers and ratings meant more money, so it's not all bad.
/\\//\\//\
Now what do I do? It's going to be a while before anyone else crosses. I guess I'll look pretty for the camera. Not like it's hard, though. Oh, yeah, my Osprey, I don't think I need that anymore. I'll recall it like I did the aircraft for the flyover. I remember some of them being stuck on the robots, but after that, it was all clear. The furthest ahead was Shoto, and then it would've been Bakugo, but he sabotaged himself by going after me, and he took a flashbang. He'll recover. Let's see how the rest turns out.
(10 minutes later)
"Here come the rest of the contestants! It's become a battle for second place!" I heard Present Mic say as he was commentating.
Finally, they're here. Did Midoriya do his minefield sled move thing?
"Shoto's close in with Midoriya! And look at this, Bakugo is having trouble catching up! He is still in a haze it seems!"
Heh. The flashbang is still affecting him. That's what happens when you take it point-blank, while looking directly at it. Ah, great, now he's gonna be extra mad and stuff. Why can't I time-travel into the future when he gets better? Oh, well, the angrier he is, the easier it'll be to beat him.
I heard Shoto's ice and a metal grating sound. "Look at this! Midoriya is using the part from the robots as a sled on Shoto's ice! And here they are! It's a photo finish, but Shoto barely gets 2nd place, followed by Midoriya! Let's take a look at the winners!"
Alright…that's different. Eh, not like it matters too much. Only first place matters because of the points in the cavalry battle. Hmm…what should I do in that one? I'll think about it later.
"Eleanor." Shoto came up to me after his second palace finish.
"What's up, Shoto? Did you have something to say to me?"
"I remember seeing what you did at the USJ when the villains attacked. I didn't see the attack, but I saw the effects of it. The only one I think of that can cause that kind of damage is All Might. You're a lot stronger than you look."
"Okay?"
"I'm going after you."
"Uh, look, I appreciate the attempt, but I'm not interested in you. At all. You're the historian of the class, and my classmate. The most we'll ever be is friends and acquaintances."
"No…that's not what I meant."
"Oh, what a brutal rejection by Eleanor! Shoto should've kept it to himself." Oh, that's a bad way to interpret what Shoto said.
I had to focus so hard to keep a straight face. I had to close my eyes and take in deep breaths. This misunderstanding is going to be a highlight—or lowlight— for sure. Oh, I'm definitely laughing at this later on.
Now to wait for the next event.