After Raiden and Nejire finished their date, the two slowly made their way back through the streets together.
Neither of them seemed in a hurry to return.
They simply walked side by side beneath the city lights, occasionally talking, occasionally remaining silent while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere left after everything they had experienced that day.
And honestly—
Both of them looked unusually happy.
Their hands remained intertwined for most of the walk back, and every now and then Nejire would swing their joined hands slightly while humming to herself.
Raiden noticed it.
But decided not to comment on it.
Mostly because he was pretty sure she would tease him to death if he did.
Eventually, little by little, the towering structures of U.A. became visible again in the distance.
At that point, both of them exchanged a glance and silently let go of each other's hands before entering the dorm area.
The decision had been mutual.
For now, they did not want to raise suspicions with Mirio and Tamaki.
Not yet, at least.
Not until they officially started dating.
And after talking about it briefly during the walk, both of them had agreed on something else too.
They wanted a couple more dates first.
Just to make sure things continued feeling this natural.
Still—
The moment they arrived near the dorm entrance, both of them froze slightly.
Tamaki and Mirio were already there.
Sitting outside on the stairs.
Drinking tea.
And very obviously staring directly at them.
Both of them wore smiles that could probably be seen from an entire mile away.
Raiden immediately frowned slightly.
Mostly because he genuinely had no idea how they could possibly suspect anything.
After all, he himself had not even expected today to become a date.
So naturally, he turned toward Nejire with a raised eyebrow.
Nejire immediately lifted both hands defensively.
"I just told them I was going to look for you because I needed to tell you something, that's all!" exclaimed Nejire, looking equally surprised.
"So they still shouldn't know anything," muttered Raiden while continuing to walk beside her.
Both of them silently agreed to maintain complete ignorance.
Mostly to avoid the unbearable embarrassment that would come if Mirio started teasing them.
Unfortunately for them—
The second they reached the stairs, Mirio spoke first.
"Were you two… responsible for that?" asked Mirio while lifting an eyebrow dramatically.
At that moment, both Nejire and Raiden looked at each other in genuine confusion.
"I don't understand," answered Raiden bluntly.
Mirio stared at him for a second before speaking again.
"I'm talking about the giant shapes in the clouds all around Japan," he exclaimed while pointing upward dramatically. "There's literally news coverage everywhere right now. Giant moving cloud animals have apparently been seen across the skies of Japan."
At those words, Raiden and Nejire finally understood what he meant.
There was a brief silence.
Then both of them looked away awkwardly.
"Aaah… yeah, that was us," admitted Raiden while scratching the back of his head slightly.
"We were experimenting with our powers," added Nejire quickly. "Turns out we can use them in more versatile ways than we thought, so we started trying different things and… maybe got a little carried away."
"A little?" repeated Mirio while trying very hard not to laugh.
Tamaki quietly sipped his tea from the side.
"…There was a giant whale visible from Tokyo," he muttered.
At that point, Nejire completely lost it and started laughing loudly again, while Raiden covered part of his face in embarrassment.
And seeing the two of them react like that—
Mirio and Tamaki exchanged one silent glance.
Because now they were absolutely sure something had happened during that "totally normal" outing.
The days that followed passed surprisingly fast.
Partly because all of them were busy.
And partly because neither Raiden nor Nejire seemed particularly interested in slowing things down.
They ended up going on several more dates over the following weeks.
Some of them were completely normal.
Well... as normal as two future top heroes could manage.
There were simple outings to cafés.
Walks through the city after patrols.
Movie nights that often ended with Nejire talking through half the film because she became curious about every little detail.
There were even moments where they simply sat together on rooftops after classes, talking about nothing important while watching the city below.
Of course—
Not all of their dates could be called normal.
One particularly memorable outing ended with the two of them somehow standing near the summit of Mount Fuji.
What had originally started as a simple training session somehow transformed into an artistic competition.
Using their powers, they began sculpting enormous figures out of ice, stone, clouds, and condensed energy.
By the end of the day, they had created enough giant sculptures to make a small mountain village believe a group of ancient spirits had descended from the heavens.
Neither of them regretted it.
As the weeks passed, life slowly settled back into a routine.
Training.
Patrols.
Classes.
Mentorship.
Dates.
And before any of them truly noticed—
The time for the Sports Festival arrived.
The famous U.A. Sports Festival.
The moment where first-year students could begin making names for themselves.
The moment where future heroes took their first steps into the spotlight.
And it was an event Raiden remembered very well.
After all—
He had won it.
And earning that victory had been anything but easy.
Just remembering the battles, the pressure, and the attention afterward made him shake his head slightly.
At the time, it had felt like the entire world was watching.
And now it was someone else's turn.
This year, however, things were different.
Following the attacks on U.A., security measures had increased dramatically.
As a result, the four Yonkou had been assigned security duties during the event.
Honestly, the situation felt a little funny.
There were already dozens of professional heroes stationed around the stadium.
Many of them were highly experienced.
Yet the school had still decided to deploy the four strongest students as an additional layer of protection.
That decision alone made one thing very clear.
U.A. was expecting the possibility of another attack.
Or at the very least—
They were refusing to take chances.
The four of them were assigned to different sectors surrounding the enormous stadium.
Mewtwo floated above his designated entrance, calmly observing the incoming crowd.
Thousands of spectators slowly entered the venue.
Families.
Students.
Reporters.
Hero enthusiasts.
People from all over the country had gathered to witness the festival.
For the most part, everything proceeded smoothly.
The crowd remained orderly, and security checks advanced without incident.
Still, Mewtwo continuously scanned the area.
Every movement.
Every suspicious gesture.
Every unusual behavior.
Nothing escaped his attention.
On another side of the stadium, Nejire floated gracefully above the incoming spectators.
Her cheerful appearance made her seem approachable, but anyone paying attention would notice how seriously she was observing everything below.
Her eyes constantly moved across the crowd, searching for anything out of place.
Every now and then she descended to help security personnel or answer questions from excited visitors before returning to her patrol route.
Meanwhile, Tamaki had transformed parts of his body, growing large wings across his back.
He moved through the air above the stadium in wide circles, silently watching over the surrounding areas.
Though he looked nervous whenever people recognized him, his focus never wavered.
Every rooftop.
Every blind spot.
Every possible approach route.
He checked all of them.
Again and again.
And then there was Mirio.
Unlike the others, Mirio could not remain airborne through flight.
So instead, he positioned himself at one of the highest observation points overlooking the entire stadium.
Armed with nothing more than a pair of binoculars and an impossibly optimistic smile, he continuously monitored the event from above.
From there, he could observe nearly everything happening around the venue.
And if something suspicious appeared—
He would be the first one to dive directly into the problem.
For now, however, everything remained peaceful.
The spectators continued entering.
The stadium gradually filled.
The atmosphere became increasingly lively.
And as the cheers of thousands of people slowly echoed through the massive structure—
The Sports Festival was finally about to begin.
The four of them watched the beginning of the Sports Festival from above the crowd.
Even after participating in previous editions themselves, they had to admit that the atmosphere was incredible.
The roar of thousands of spectators echoed throughout the massive stadium, shaking the air with excitement.
For many of the first-year students, this would be their first opportunity to show the world what they were capable of.
And none of them intended to waste it.
The opening event turned out to be a race.
Simple in concept.
Not so simple in execution.
After all—
This was U.A.
The moment the starting signal sounded, the first years exploded into motion.
Students rushed out of the stadium entrance at full speed, activating their Quirks immediately and trying to gain every advantage they could.
From above, Mewtwo observed the mass of moving students carefully.
Most of them were still figuring out how to use their powers efficiently in a competitive environment.
Others, however, stood out immediately.
The first was Shoto Todoroki.
The dual-Quirk user instantly covered the ground ahead with ice, creating a massive frozen path that propelled him forward while simultaneously obstructing everyone behind him.
The strategy was effective.
Very effective.
In a matter of seconds, he had created a considerable lead over most of the competitors.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
However—
Not everyone intended to let him dominate the race.
Katsuki Bakugo reacted almost immediately.
Instead of using large explosions, he compressed them into smaller, more controlled bursts.
Each explosion acted like a miniature rocket, launching him forward with incredible acceleration.
Todoroki attempted to trap him by expanding the ice field further.
But Bakugo adapted.
Instead of slowing down, he began weaving through the frozen terrain with surprising precision.
From his position high above the stadium, Mewtwo noticed something interesting.
Bakugo was using movement patterns remarkably similar to the ones he had been forced to develop during their training sessions.
Small adjustments.
Rapid changes of direction.
Explosive bursts used not only for speed but also for mobility.
The kid had learned.
And he had learned quickly.
"Looks like the training paid off," Mewtwo muttered quietly to himself.
Still—
The biggest surprise came from another student.
Izuku Midoriya.
The green-haired boy activated his Quirk throughout his body and began navigating the course using a combination of enhanced movement and parkour.
Rather than relying purely on speed, he adapted to every obstacle in front of him.
Walls became platforms.
Debris became stepping stones.
Open spaces became opportunities.
The result was impressive.
Little by little, he climbed through the rankings until he reached third place.
Several spectators who had barely noticed him at the beginning suddenly began paying attention.
The race continued deeper into the obstacle course.
Eventually, the path widened.
And waiting ahead were dozens of massive green robots.
The same type commonly used during entrance examinations.
Most students immediately slowed down.
The machines represented a serious obstacle.
Not for the leaders.
Todoroki froze entire sections of robots at once.
Bakugo blasted directly through weak points with concentrated explosions.
Midoriya used speed and agility to navigate between them while destroying only what blocked his path.
All three managed to push through with remarkable efficiency.
Yet another surprise emerged shortly afterward.
Eijiro Kirishima.
Unlike the others, he was not among the fastest competitors.
He had never been.
But he compensated in the simplest way possible.
He went straight through everything.
Ice walls.
Robots.
Debris.
Obstacles.
It didn't matter.
Covered in hardened crimson armor, Kirishima charged forward like a human battering ram.
The frozen terrain shattered around him.
Robot parts flew in every direction.
Anything standing in his way simply broke.
From above, several of the Yonkou exchanged amused looks.
That approach was about as Kirishima as it could possibly get.
As the race continued, more and more familiar faces began standing out.
Students who had trained under the guidance of the four Yonkou performed particularly well.
Some displayed better control over their Quirks.
Others demonstrated impressive improvements in stamina, power, or creativity.
The results of months of training were becoming visible.
And the audience was noticing.
By the final stretch, the race had become incredibly close.
Todoroki maintained his lead for most of the course.
Midoriya continued pushing from behind.
Several other students had managed to close the gap.
But in the final moments—
Bakugo exploded forward.
With one last perfectly focused burst of propulsion, he launched himself ahead of the competition and crossed the finish line first.
The stadium erupted in cheers as Katsuki Bakugo claimed victory in the first event of the Sports Festival.