Switcheroo \BnHA Various x Reincarnated!OC\

23 - In the Lead... Or Not

The countdown hits 0 and hundreds of feet rush through a tunnel barely wide enough for 10 teenagers to stand shoulder to shoulder. The first "obstacle"... Renka thinks as her head leans to one side, dodging a sharp elbow that almost crushed her eye.

The first stage for the freshmen is an obstacle race spanning the outer ring of the circular stadium, a course of about 4 kilometres. And when 11 classes are placed in a narrow space where time is of essence, you get a not-so-pretty picture: unceremonious shoving and squeezing, yells and protests. Chaos.

Yet for some, predicament becomes opportunity. Blue petals flutter serenely as though untouched by the heated atmosphere, attaching themselves to Renka's legs and forearms. The small body leaps into the air, propelling forward using shoulders of students in front. Essentially leapfrogging over them... but not first without giving a little present. Those she pass find themselves mysteriously losing strength, unaware of the small, white petals on their skin.

"Whew!" Because she was somewhat dizzy from lack of air after being smothered between several sizable teens, immense relief filled her when she lurches into an open space moments later. A cursory glance reveals her position near the head of the mob; only several students she doesn't recognise and Red Velvet are ahead.

Feet never stopping their movements, she's about to overtake several highflyers when a burst of cold slams into the group.

"Sh*t! That Class A b*stard!!!" a student from General Studies cusses, image be damned. Midnight, the umpire this year for the freshmen, had said that anything goes as long as they stay on course, but who knew they'd get sabotaged this early into the game?

Todoroki Shouto had froze the tunnel mouth he just emerged from, and the feet of everyone behind him... Or at least those who couldn't react in time.

Aoyama Yuuga struck a pose as his Naver Laser sent him flying in the opposite direction of the tunnel. Momo created a flexible pole and vaulted over ice and people alike. Renka jumped to dodge the initial cold wave, then landed on a path made of petals she had on standby.

"Not all opponents can be shut down with brute force. Quit running into things without a plan," Aizawa's words echo through Renka's mind. Every line the quiet man spoke is locked safely in her heart. Anyone could tell Aizawa cared for his students despite all the talk about expulsion. No uncaring teacher will watch their pupils so closely, make time out of a busy work schedule to help those falling behind or give advice, albeit in the form of barbed words.

Aizawa in the commentators' room with Present Mic, her parents in front of the television at home and Fiore eyeballing the screen at the audience stands.

I won't let you down! Renka sprints, carefully regulating her breaths for maximum oxygen intake. The petal path she made is short, just about a meter long, but petals at the tail will detach and rejoin the head once she runs over them. Never staying on the ground long enough to be frozen by Red Velvet's ice or be taken advantage of by other competitors.

Before long, she reaches an intersection where the lane widens, like a cone attached to funnels at both ends. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Mineta Minoru throwing caution to the wind and bounding towards Shouto with dark indigo balls in hand.

"Have a taste of my killer move!! GRAPE—"

WHAMM!!!

The unsuspecting grapehead is sent rolling by a huge hunk of metal, exiting the scene as quickly as he entered.