MHA: Guardian of the Golden Throne

Her heart was pounding, adrenaline coursed through her veins, her lungs begged for more oxygen, and the spectators' applause and congratulatory words made her feel invincible. She had arrived first, and when she found her uncle Toshinori in the audience, his face smiling and his eyes overflowing with pride, she felt fulfilled and incredulous that she had succeeded in all this.

But when Melissa turned to the stage, her thoughts and euphoria died down completely. Izuku, her master, for the last two weeks, was indeed smiling proudly, but there was not a single ounce of pride in his eyes. There was only calm, attention, and analysis of every single action, performed not only by her, but also by all the students.

«Shield-san…! You were incredible.» Ochaco said, arriving shortly afterwards with a ragged breath «It gnaws at me, but congratulations on positioning yourself first!»

«To think that I would rank so low in the rankings despite my quirk...» Ida said in shock, just behind

Seeing her friend approaching, followed by a frustrated Ida, something ignited in her head. Her head retraced the entire race and, suddenly, she understood why Izuku didn't have an ounce of pride like his uncle Toshinori. She had faced the challenge to the fullest extent of her ability, taking advantage of Izuku's teachings, but her victory seemed… empty all of a sudden. She had won the preliminaries, but the festival was not over yet. Furthermore, reviewing her positioning before the minefield, she understood that the final obstacle had been a mere stroke of luck.

Had it not been for the minefield, I could neither have caught up nor overtaken Todoriki-san and Bakugou-san, who were in the lead. I probably wouldn't have positioned myself first without using One For All. She reasoned to herself as she watched Izuku Ah, now I understand. Izuku doesn't expect me to win the Festival; he wants me to learn from the challenges and opponents I'll face.

At that moment, Melissa understood the smile she had initially seen as soon as she entered the stadium after winning the race: it was personal satisfaction at a job well done. Satisfaction that he trained her well.

Now that Melissa had realised this and met Izuku's gaze, he looked at her with amused satisfaction, as if he had read her analysis in her head. Melissa saw a hint of pride in Izuku. That acceptance gave her a strange feeling: calm euphoria at the victory she had achieved in her mind and a burning desire for Izuku to keep watching her and… notice her. Melissa smiled, satisfied, with a sweetness never expressed before.

In the stands, Japan's No. 1 Professional Hero, All-Might, suddenly felt the need to beat a certain Guardian of the Golden Throne to a pulp.

*****

There was no need to look at the screen to check on the participants anymore. Izuku, turning around, saw many others re-enter the stadium, all battered and exhausted by the three obstacles. He noticed Katsuki, dissatisfied and furious about his positioning on the ranking; Shoto, staring at Melissa, determined to get revenge for the defeat; and Mineta... who had earned a slap from Momo for sticking to her with his sticky spheres.

Let's hope his hormones stabilise quickly; otherwise, that young man will seriously risk his life. He thought, tired, massaging his eyes.

Melissa saw Izuku and finally understood his true intentions. Her eyes now shone with understanding, and she was embarrassed that she hadn't understood it sooner. Noticing it, Izuku barely raised his left lip, amused. It took you too long to figure this out, Shield-san. But better late than never.

Putting aside his personal thoughts about his classmate, Izuku again slammed his spear to the ground. The familiar dry sound silenced the students and drew their attention to the stage.

«And it's over!» Midnight exclaimed with satisfaction «And here are the results of the race!»

The positioning of students up to 42nd place appeared on the big screen. They were all from the Heroic Department, except for some of the Generic and Support Studies Departments.

Hou, did the pervert come in 41st? He wondered, then turned his gaze to an exhausted Mei. Not bad, perverted miss.

«These 42 students are the ones who earned the right to participate in the final selections!!» Midnight said congratulatively «I feel sorry for the others who didn't make it, but don't despair. You will be able to show your worth during the sports competitions that will be held later.»

The giant screen lit up again, and the roulette from before spun again, until it stopped again.

«And now, for the second event of the Festival! Even though I already know what it's about, the suspense is killing me…»

The roulette stopped, and the game of the second event appeared on the screen. Reading what it was, Izuku raised his left eyebrow in disbelief.

««Human cavalry battle?»» asked Mineta and Denki in unison.

«But that's not a game you can play individually. Ribbit! How will it work?» Asui asked uncertainly

Midnight immediately explained the rules: the 42 students must divide into groups of 2 to 4, forming a horse and a rider. The rules are those of the traditional game: steal your opponent's bandana and defend yours. Each bandana will have a score, calculated based on its performance in the steeplechase.

«So, based on the people who make up the various teams, horse and rider have different point values!» Mina exclaimed

«Don't anticipate what I would have explained!» Midnight exclaimed in annoyance, snapping her whip, then cleared her throat and composed herself «Ahem! Anyway, the points are 5 for 42nd place, 10 for 41st, 15 for 40th, and so on. But 1st place is worth ten million points!!!»

The statement was a bolt from the blue. The students turned to Melissa, whose eyes were wide with worry, and she was petrified. Izuku, on the other hand, chuckled, observing how her choice to give her all to finish first had serious consequences.

«Those who reach their peak will always find themselves faced with new hardships. And all of you who have enrolled in this school will often hear its motto: Plus Ultra.»

Plus Ultra, huh? Crossing all boundaries reflected Izuku, worried Continuing to challenge one's limits is not a bad thing, but the methods used can lead to oblivion or obscurity.

Midnight's tone was so serious that Izuku also listened attentively.

Izuku's eyes had never left Melissa, and now he noticed his student shaking, understanding how being a point of reference is a burden not easy to bear.

«The race will last 15 minutes, exactly the same time you will be given to do the various teams. The group's total score will be the value of the bandana worn by the rider alone and cannot be worn below the neck.» Midnight continued to explain

«And even if the bandana was stolen from you, that doesn't mean you're disqualified. You can continue racing until time runs out. Quirks are permitted, but it is not permitted to directly hit the knights. And with that, start forming the teams: you have 15 minutes!»

With those last words, all the students began looking for teammates, choosing above all those they had known since the beginning of school and therefore knew their quirk… except Katsuki, who, as always, didn't care about the others.

Melissa remained composed and calm. Making a local mind, she approached the people she wanted to recruit.

«I still wonder…» Midnight began, approaching Izuku «what have you taught her in these two weeks to digest the pressure of being first so quickly?»

«I assume, Midnight-sensei, that early-stage students who reach the second stage usually recover more slowly.» he said, finding the teacher's assent «Over these two weeks, I haven't just taught Melissa how to fight or strengthen her muscles and stamina. I taught her to think with a cold mind.»

«For doing it in just two weeks, you did a really good job.»

«Good work comes from the student's ability to absorb the teachings of the master, Midnight-sensei.» Conservai is the Martial Ka'tah, which requires concentration and, above all, a calm and cold mind. By far, the most difficult to use for young people who want to show their worth. And Melissa, as smart and disciplined as she is, hasn't gotten past that point where she wants to prove herself, at least in my eyes.

*****

In a prefabricated building outside the arena, many Professional Heroes who had been unable to enter the arena or because they were on guard duty at the request of the UA observed how the students composed the teams and described the purpose of the Festival and, in this case, the battle of human chivalry: to be able to cooperate even with heroes belonging to rival agencies, thus achieving victory.

While her colleagues Kamui Woods and Death Arms were having these philosophical discussions, Mt Lady was instead staring at someone in particular who had appeared on screen, her eyes filled with predatory greed.

I absolutely need to capture that rich guy!!!