Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

No one could’ve seen it coming; no one was prepared. How could they be? How could he be?

But then again, All Might knew of the warnings, he knew of the inevitable reality he would end up facing should he accept such a power, and he knew that facing off against the most dangerous and evil villain in the history of quirk existence would most likely lead to his ultimate defeat, and possible death.

And yet, All Might didn’t waver. He didn’t cower away. He stood tall and brave, wearing his trademark smile and declaring his premature victory as he gave literally everything he had just to defeat such evil. Despite his fears, despite the looming threat of death as punishment for his failure, All Might succeeded as the victor in the end.

But at the cost of something much greater than his pride. Achieving such an enormous win unfortunately resulted in the Symbol of Peace becoming critically wounded to the point of losing his whole stomach and his respiratory system becoming severely damaged. It was a miracle the man was even alive with such grave injuries, but it wasn’t just his injuries that had turned All Might’s world upside down.

It was the realization that he would now become limited in his use of One For All, he wouldn’t be the same hero he was before, and if he continued to use his quirk as he had, before eventually, All Might would be no more.

Upon arriving at the hospital shortly after All For One was defeated, Shouta was anything but calm as he barked angrily at the receptionist demanding to see his husband, wanting to see for himself if the love of his life was okay. He was told to wait in the lobby since All Might was undergoing surgery and it would most likely be a while before he would be able to see him. Shouta reluctantly took a seat in the waiting room, trying his best to stay calm and to think positively. He didn’t care if he lost precious hours of sleep, he would camp out in that damn lobby if he had to.

After what must’ve felt like ages but was only a couple of hours, the doctors came out and approached the ever anxious man and told him the news. They explained how Toshinori’s stomach had been completely destroyed and they had to remove what was left of the mutilated organ, and his respiratory system had been severely damaged; they also explained that he would need to undergo future surgeries later on due to the severity of Toshinori’s condition.

The doctors informed Shouta that All Might had to take some time off from hero work for a minimum of 2-3 months so he could fully recover, and even after that, there may be some restrictions put on him while on hero duty.

While Shouta was shocked by the news, all he cared about at the moment was seeing his husband; he would deal with the aftermath of the past events later. The nurses escorted the man into the recovery ward of the hospital and once they reached Toshinori’s room, Shouta couldn’t contain himself as tears spilled down his face upon seeing the heavily battered and bandaged body of the Symbol of Peace.

Shouta quickly went over to Toshinori’s bedside and nearly collapsed beside the man as he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, being mindful of his injuries and the numerous wires he was hooked up to.

”Oh, Toshi!” The Erasure Hero sobbed out as he held onto his husband for dear life, afraid that if he let go he would disappear. “I saw everything, I had no idea if you had survived or not, and even when they said you’d won, I was so afraid you wouldn’t make it! Oh god, Toshi!”

Toshinori grimaced, he couldn’t stand hearing the broken sobs of his beloved as he continued to cry and wail into his shoulder. All he could was tentatively wrap his heavily bandaged arms around the smaller man’s waist, whispering soft words to him.

”I’m so sorry, my love..." Toshinori whispered. "I didn’t mean to worry you.” He didn’t know what else to say that would make the situation less tense, not that it was any better to say nothing, at all. After a short few minutes, Shouta pulled away slightly so he could look Toshinori in the eyes; his own eyes puffy and bloodshot.

”Don’t be sorry, love.” He murmured while placing a gentle hand on his cheek. “All that matters is that you’re alive. You’re alive, and you’re here. And no matter what, no matter the outcome, we’ll always be together. That’s a promise.”

It was just those simple words and the tone behind them that resulted in Toshinori unravelling and falling forward into Shouta’s shoulder; his battered body trembling with violent tremors. Now, it was Toshinori’s turn to cry and apologize.

Shouta carefully sat beside the large man and pulled him as close as he could with the wires holding him in place, and simply held the broken, crying man to his chest; his hand rubbing gentle, soothing circles on his back.

“Shh, shhh it’s okay, my love. You’re okay. We’ll get through this, I promise. I’m gonna help you through this. You’re not alone, I’m gonna be by your side through thick and thin. No matter what, we’re a team.” Shouta’s voice was gentle, so gentle and so full of love that it was almost too much for Toshinori to handle. Shouta continued to assure him that he wouldn’t have to face his pain and sadness alone; he would be right there beside him to hold him close and comfort him, to help him through his struggles and hardships and to be a supporting pillar in his life.

No matter what, Shouta would always be Toshinori’s hero, and in turn, he would be Shouta’s.

It felt like an eternity before they eventually pulled apart, evidence of intense crying on both of their faces, but they couldn’t care less.

”Where are the boys?” Toshinori asked while looking around and searching for any sign of his sons. “Hizashi has them, he’s at our house watching over them until I get back. They’ll most likely be asleep before then.” Toshinori nodded, understanding his reason for not bringing the boys with him; he didn’t want them to see their father in such a critical state, especially Izuku.

Speaking of...

”Toshi...?” His voice was hushed and it sounded unsure. Toshinori sat up as best as he could, given how much his body ached from even the slightest movement.

Shouta was silent for a beat before finally speaking, again. “Look. I know this is probably not the best time to bring this up, and I know that we agreed to wait until the time was right to discuss it with Izuku, but I...”

He didn’t even have to finish that sentence for Toshinori to understand what he was referring to, and although the timing was a tad bit inconvenient given the circumstances, Toshinori touched Shouta’s cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

”I understand, Shou.” Toshinori smiled, softly. “But are you absolutely sure that you’re okay with this?”

Shouta nodded. “I am. We can’t hold this off any longer, not after what happened today. Who knows how much time you'll have before you won’t be able to use One For All, anymore?” He paused for a bit to catch his breath, his hand resting on top of the larger hand on his stubbled cheek. “But it doesn’t have to be right this second. For now, you need to rest; you’re in no shape to be moving around.”

Toshinori took hold of Shouta’s face and pulled him in for a chaste kiss; their lips barely moving as they felt each other’s warmth through the simple touch. After breaking the kiss, Toshinori smiled at the man while still holding his face in his hands. “Of course, dear.”

With visitation hours almost over, Shouta kissed the man one last time before urging him to get some rest and promising to come by first thing in the morning.

Things were going to get a whole lot more exciting for the hero duo, and not in a fun way.

The next day, Toshinori felt ten times better than he did the previous night thanks to the high dosage of pain medication the doctors gave him, as well as Recovery Girl's quirk, which really took the edge off of the pain. Although it made him feel even more drained due to his stamina being almost nonexistent.

Toshinori was transferred from the main ICU to one of the more private hospital suites two floors above. The hospital staff were all aware of All Might’s situation, and made sure that none of his fans or the public tried to barge in and see him; only those who were on the hospital guest list, which included All Might’s husband and children, would be allowed to see the man in his current state.

Not wanting to reveal his current state to the public out of fear of the truth behind his quirk being revealed, Toshinori requested that all the news stations refrained from releasing any coverage of All Might’s battle against All For One or his life-changing injuries. Thankfully, the news reporters were very cooperative and complied with the Pro Heroes request, and told the man that they would just come up with a plausible coverup story that would explain why the Symbol of Peace was on hiatus from hero duties, and that the other Pro Heroes would take care of keeping the city safe until he was back to full health.

Now all that was left to do was for Toshinori to keep acting as if nothing had happened, and to tell Izuku and Hitoshi the news.

After school let out the third day of Toshinori’s recovery, Shouta came into Toshinori’s hospital suite with both boys in tow; a look of worry and anticipation on both of their faces.

”Dad!” Izuku and Hitoshi cried out in unison as they rushed over to the man who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Toshinori smiled and held his arms open as his boys practically threw themselves into their father’s chest; both of them hugging onto him for dear life.

Toshinori wrapped his arms tightly around the boys’ frames, feeling the front of his hospital gown becoming soaked with tears.

”Papa told us about your fight with that powerful villain, I was so scared you had died, Dad!” Izuku cried out.

”Please don’t leave us, Dad! We can’t lose you!” Hitoshi was just as overwhelmed with relief and sadness as he held on tighter to the man’s torso.

Toshinori hugged his boys close, whispering softly to them, assuring them that he was okay and that he wasn’t going to leave them. They stayed that way for a moment longer before the boys pulled away and allowed the man to adjust himself on the bed, again.

Izuku gazed up at his father and asked in an innocent voice, ”How long are you gonna be here for, Dad? When are you coming home?” His eyes were full of curiosity and hope that his beloved dad would get to come home with them soon, and they could go back to how they used to be.

Toshinori gave him a sad smile before saying, “I’m not too sure, Bunny. As soon as the doctors say I’m well enough, they’ll let me go back home.” He couldn’t help but frown at the sight of his boy’s face fall in disappointment. He took a quick sip of water before speaking, again.

”Actually, boys. There’s...something I need to talk to you two about, and it’s very important, so I need you both to listen carefully. Especially you, Izuku.” He eyed the boy with a serious look, to which he stared back at the man with a look of surprise, but he nodded yes, regardless.

Shouta took the hint and pulled out 2 chairs for the boys to take a seat beside the hospital bed while he sat on the opposite side. He took a deep breath, looked Izuku and Hitoshi in the eyes and began to tell them about One For All.

”Izuku. Hitoshi. Do you know what makes All Might so powerful?” He asked, vaguely. Izuku and Hitoshi looked at each other in confusion as if they’d been asked a trick question. It was the green-haired boy who spoke up, his voice slightly timid. “W-Well, yeah. It’s because you have such an amazing quirk! No one knows about where your power even comes from or what it’s called. It’s considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world!”

Toshinori chuckled softly at his son’s innocent response. “Well, of course, that’s just common knowledge. But what I meant was do you know specifically what makes my quirk so powerful?” Now more confused than before, Izuku wracked his brain with trying to solve something so vague.

”I’ll tell you.” The man adjusted himself so that he was sitting cross-legged and facing the boys. “There’s a major difference between my quirk and the quirks of many others, and that is, my quirk was passed down to me by another, much like an Olympic torch.”

That was not what Izuku and Hitoshi were expecting to hear; the mossy-hair boy looked stunned, even more so than his brother. “Wha-? Really?! Your quirk was-was passed down to you?!”

”Correct.” Toshinori stated before covering his mouth as he fell into a slight coughing fit. After composing himself, he continued to explain.

”Many people have speculated that my power is either super strength or a boost of power, but in truth, no one really knows what my power really is, and I’ve always avoided answering question about my power during interviews. The reason for this, is because All Might, the Symbol of Peace, has to come off as a natural-born hero. But the reality of it all, is that my quirk was given to be by my predecessor.”

The boys both stared at their father in astonishment upon hearing the truth. Who would’ve thought that All Might’s power was never his own. Was that even possible?

”I have the ability to transfer my powers to another person, and in turn, once they’ve refined and perfected it, they are able to transfer it onto another worthy candidate, and so on and so on. This quirk has been in the possession of many other powerful heroes before me, and I am currently the eighth holder of this power. And it’s name, is One For All.”

Izuku looked at the man in amazement and wonder upon learning the name of All Might’s, his father’s quirk. “One...For All…?” He smiled to himself as he repeated the name. It was actually a pretty fitting name; had a nice ring to it.

”I know this all may be quite confusing to the two of you right now, but there is a reason why I’m telling you this, mainly why I’m telling you this, Izuku.” His attention turns straight to the 9-year-old, who begins to feel a bit uneasy having all eyes on him.

“M-Me?” He asks, nervously.

”That’s right, my boy! I believe that you are worthy of inheriting my power; I want you to be the next torchbearer of One For All.”

Izuku’s eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of his head, and Hitoshi looked just as shock. “Wh-What?! You-You want ME to take on your quirk?!” Toshinori nodded once. Izuku sputtered his words, trying to process why his father, why All Might, would want to give someone like him his quirk.

The man’s voice softened a bit when he saw his boy becoming flustered. “Izuku. I know what you’re thinking, and before you say anything, yes, I believe you are worthy of inheriting my quirk.” He smiled while placing his large hand on the boy’s shoulder.

”You remember that day, when Hitoshi was attacked by the Sludge Villain?” Izuku nodded, his eyes remaining as big as saucers. “And you remember when I told you that putting another person’s safety before your own made you a hero?” Another nod. “Well, I meant what I said.” Toshinori took hold of both of Izuku’s shoulders and gave him a big smile.

”You may be Quirkless, Izuku, but back then, you were more of a hero than anyone else on the scene! A person who springs into action like you did is someone I believe is qualified to be a true hero. Which is why, my boy, you are the perfect person to accept my quirk!”

Toshinori took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking again, his voice softer, this time. “Of course, this all depends on you, Izuku.” The boy gave him a perplexed look, not understanding what he meant.

”While I do want you to be the next holder of One For All, I can only do that if you’re willing to accept my power. I don’t want to force you into something that you don’t want to do; I want you to be able to decide for yourself if this is the path you wish to follow.”

Toshinori smiles softly while petting Izuku’s unruly green curls, hoping that he didn’t make the boy feel too pressured. “If you decide that you don’t want to take on my quirk, then that’s perfectly fine, my boy! I won’t get upset, and your Papa and I will support you in whatever else you choose to do.”

Izuku was silent, as were the other three in the room with him. He thought, and thought, and thought some more; taking the time to process everything the man had just told them, told him.

”You really think that I’m worthy of taking on your quirk, Dad?” His voice was as soft as a whisper, but loud enough for the man to hear.

“That’s right, Izuku.” Toshinori replied.

”Does this mean...that I’ll be able to be a hero, just like you? I’ll be able to save people, and become the greatest hero in the world?”

”If that’s what you want to do, Izuku, then yes. You don’t have to follow in my footsteps just because you’ll have my quirk. You can be the kind of hero YOU want to be.”

Izuku was silent, again. A minute passes before he speaks up.

”I’ve always dreamed of being a hero that protects people who need me and wearing a brave smile while doing it. I’ve always looked up to you, and now, I get the chance to do that...” Everyone in the room remained silent while waiting for the boy to give his final answer.

’He’s told me so much; he’s told me his greatest secrets and has offered me the chance to make my dreams a reality! Do I have any reason at all not to accept such a life-changing request? No! Not at all!!’

Feeling like a jolt of electricity had surged through his body, Izuku looked at his father with so much confidence despite the tears brimming his eyes.

”I’LL DO IT!!”

Toshinori couldn’t help but to laugh at his son’s response. “You’re quick to answer, my boy. But I expected nothing less.” He then reached over and pulled Izuku in for a hug, ignoring the aching pulsing through his body.

Hitoshi and Shouta both shared a smile as they watched the two hug one another. “That’s awesome, Izu. You’re gonna be a great hero, someday.” Hitoshi praised the boy, feeling nothing but pride for his little brother.

He didn’t feel at all jealous or angry for their dad not offering him the chance to inherit his quirk; he already had a quirk of his own that, with the help of Eraser Head’s training, would become quite useful when he became a Pro Hero. Izuku had been Quirkless his whole life, and now he’d been given the chance of a lifetime to change that. He deserved to have a chance at becoming a hero and living his dream.

”When do I get to train, Dad?” Izuku asked, his voice filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Toshinori chuckled while letting Izuku pull away and sit on the bed across from the large man.

”I’m happy to see you so eager to get started, my boy, but unfortunately, I’m in no condition to train you, just yet.” He motioned to his heavily bandaged torso.

Izuku let out a soft “Ohh” in a sheepish voice, feeling silly for thinking they would start training him, right away. The man patted Izuku in the head in reassurance before speaking. “Now, now. Don’t fret, my boy. Just because I’m unable to train you at the moment, that doesn’t mean we won’t start preparing you for my quirk.”

Izuku tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Preparing me?”

”That’s right. Right now, your body isn’t ready for the power that One For All produces; One For All comprises the physical strength of many people into one, including my own. If I were to give you my quirk with your body the way it is now, you wouldn’t be able to handle the overwhelming force of it. To put it lightly, your limbs would most likely pop off.”

This statement made Izuku flinch in fear, trying his best not to visualize what that would look like. Shouta was quick to comfort and reassure the boy, all while shooting Toshinori a slightly annoyed glare. The man laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head.

”I mean, of course, that’s not going to happen to you, my boy. I’m sorry for scaring you.” Izuku pulled himself together and smile at the man’s words.

”So, how am I going to get ready for your quirk?” Izuku was curious as to how his dad was going to train him in his current state. What training would he be put through to prepare for such a power? It was almost frightening to find out.

”For the time being, your Papa will be teaching you some hand-to-hand combat, as well as some self-defense techniques, and once your physically ready to accept my quirk, I’ll be the one to train you on how to use it; and I'll even consider having Gran Torino assist me in training you.” Izuku beamed up at the mention of All Might’s former teacher helping to train him.

Toshinori smirked at his boy’s excitement. “With all of the training you’ll be undergoing, by the time you enter your third year of junior high and the entrance exams for U.A. rolls in, you’ll be more than ready.” Izuku’s eyes widened when he heard his father mention U.A.

”Wait, you-you mean it? I’ll be able to get into U.A.!?” Although he had no reason to be thinking about high school when he was only in 4th grade, Izuku was still determined to get accepted into the same school both of his dads went to, it was a school where some of the greatest heroes in existence went to study.

”Absolutely, my boy!” Toshinori grinned. “As of this very moment, we’ve got 6 years to get you ready. That’s more than enough time for us to get you in tip-top shape. And I should be back to my usual self by the time the real training begins...well, as much of my old self as I’ll be able to manage.” Toshinori muttered, his voice sounding slightly deflated. He was so caught up in explaining how he would mold Izuku into the perfect vessel for One For All, he’d nearly forgotten about the possibility that his injuries would become a hindrance to his hero work.

Only time would tell what will become of All Might 6 years from now. For the time being, all of his focus would be on Izuku.

”Oh, that’s reminds me.” Toshinori stated, forgetting to mention something else, something just as important.

”Listen very closely, Izuku; you too, Hitoshi. Everything that I’ve spoken about; my injuries, the existence of One For All, the ability to pass my power onto another, all of it, it is to be kept between us.” Toshinori’s voice held a layer of seriousness, implying the grave importance of keeping the nature of his quirk confidential.

”Under no circumstances can you boys tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about what you’ve heard, today. The only ones who know about One For All are your Papa, Gran Torino, Mr. Nedzu, and a couple of other Pro Heroes and close friends. If the truth about One For All were to get into the wrong hands, it could cause other Pro Heroes, and even villains, to seek out my power and exploit it for themselves, and possibly cause you both to get hurt. You must promise me that you will not tell anyone. Do you understand?”

Hitoshi was quick to comply to his demands, but Izuku seemed...uncertain. Like he was having a difficult time with accepting those terms.

He glanced up at Toshinori with a worried look before saying, “Not even Kacchan...?” His voice was timid and soft, like he would get in trouble for even making that suggestion.

Toshinori shook his head. “Not even Kacchan.”

Izuku’s eyes grew wide again, he felt an uneasy feeling forming in his chest. He didn’t want to keep secrets from his best friend; how was he supposed to explain to Katsuki how he suddenly got a quirk when he’d been Quirkless all his life? Shouta seemed to understand what Izuku was thinking and spoke up.

”Izuku, I understand that you trust Katsuki, it’s not that we don’t think he’s trustworthy. We just cannot take any risks with something like this. This is to protect not only you, but your father as well.” He gave the boy a soft smile before continuing. “And if he does ask about where this mysterious quirk came from, you can just say that it happened overnight. It’s actually quite common for some children to manifest their quirks late, just like a growth spurt.”

He then got down to Izuku’s level. “You have to promise us that you will keep this to yourself. Don’t tell anybody about One For All, or where it comes from. Understand?”

Izuku felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to keep secrets from Katsuki and lie to him, but he also didn’t want to cause any trouble for his dads and brother. He’d been given this opportunity to inherit his father’s power, and the last thing he wanted to do was completely throw it all away from him opening his mouth.

Toshinori, no, All Might, was counting on him. He couldn’t let him down.

Looking up at the two men, Izuku finally nodded his head; a hint of reluctance on his face. “I understand. I won’t tell anyone.” A wave of relief washes over the men as they both share a content smile.

“Excellent, my boy!” Toshinori praises with his trademark smile. “Now that we’re all on the same page, we can begin your training to prepare you for One For All. But don’t think it’ll be easy.” He gave a slightly mischievous grin while smiling at the boy. Izuku wasn’t intimidated, though, as he flashed his own smile at the man; his feelings from earlier being replaced with excitement for what was to come.

”Bring it on!”

Chapter Text

No time was wasted in starting Izuku on his training. Just like they’d discussed before, Shouta would teach Izuku some basic offensive and defensive techniques while Toshinori was still recovering, with Hitoshi acting as his training partner. They would have him start off with basic warm-up exercises, including push-ups, sit-ups, etc.

Then, they would move on to hand-to-hand combat and self-defense. To make it fair, neither of them would use their quirks on Izuku since they were merely training to help improve his physical strength.

It wasn’t anything too rigorous and intense just yet, but for someone who has never once done anything outside of his normal physical routine, the exercises were rather taxing on his body. Regardless, Izuku ignored the burning and aching sensations pulsing throughout his body and continued to push himself harder.

’If I want to be a hero just like Dad, I have to become stronger. Strong enough to carry 10 people on my back, strong enough to lift a 3 ton truck off of a civilian, strong enough to deliver a Detroit Smash in a single blow! Can't stop now, not when Dad is counting on me!'

”Y’know, when you're all hyper-focused like that, you tend to mumble more.” Hitoshi chided in a lighthearted manner, making Izuku blush with embarrassment. Hitoshi smirked while patting the boy on the back. “Zu, you know we’ve got plenty of time to get you ready, right? There’s no need to push yourself so hard.”

Shouta smiled and made his way over to the boys. “Your brother’s right, Izu. This is only the basics, and we’re just testing your physical strength and reflexes. Once you’ve become accustomed to the routine, we’ll move on to more advanced techniques, and after that, once you’ve received One For All, the real training will begin.” Shouta punctuated the last part of that statement with a wink, which was meant to be a playful assurance, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on Izuku who looked like he was about to vomit.

”Hey, now. C’mon Izu, calm down. There’s no need to panic, it’ll all be okay.” The man’s words went from teasing to more comforting; he knew that Izuku was probably stressed with having such an important task ahead of him, and the last thing he needed was to have any unwarranted dread hanging over him. Shouta wrapped the boy in a hug, petting his unruly curls.

”Izuku, listen to me. Even when you do inherit your father’s quirk, he’s gonna work with you so that you’ll gradually become more accustomed to the flow of his power. He isn’t gonna make you carry an army on your shoulders or plow some bad guy with one hit.” His statement had a playful but comforting edge to it, and it seemed to be working as he felt the boy’s body relax under his touch.

”It’s like Hitoshi said earlier, we’ve got plenty of time to prepare you. It would be different if we only had a year or less, but that’s not the case, is it?” Izuku shook his head against his Papa’s shirt. “Now, no more worrying.” Shouta smiled at his son who looked more calm than before. “Now, I think this is a perfect time to take a quick breather. Take a few minutes to get a drink and stretch and then we’ll get back to it.”

”Yes, Papa!” Both boys answered in a chipper voice, Izuku seeming to have completely forgotten his previous stress and dread.

’Papa and Toshi-nii are both right. I shouldn’t push myself so hard when we’ve only just started my training just days ago. It’s like Dad said, we’ve got 6 years before I start high school, and even if I slacked off for a brief period, it can’t take that long for my body to get used to One For All’s power.’

Izuku followed his brother outside of their training studio and went to sit under the shade; the breeze feeling so amazing on their flushed skin.

’I just hope Dad is doing okay.’

Toshinori was released from the hospital 2 months after that fateful day, and while it felt good to be back home with his family and he was eager to return to working as a hero, the recovery process was anything but finished.

On top of only being able to work as All Might for a few hours a day, Toshinori was put on a very strict diet which consisted of liquids and blended food since he could no longer digest solid foods; he was also made to see a physical therapist to help with his mobility and range of motion after being out of commission for so long.

And, of course, there were the surgeries. Surgery after surgery after surgery; it felt like Toshinori’s whole life was nothing but surgeries, and it was really starting to take a toll on him. But despite the seemingly never-ending doctor’s appointments and the ever-growing list of medications he had to take to maintain his health, Toshinori refused to give up.

He had a duty to fulfill, not just as the Symbol of Peace, but as Izuku’s mentor and father. The people needed him, as did his family, so no matter how much his body would change due to the after-effects of the numerous surgeries, he would remain as the #1 hero until he could no longer keep the torch lit. And soon, he would be able to pass on his power, his legacy, onto his son, who he knew would make an excellent successor.

Plus, he had Shouta by his side to support him and help him through even the most excruciating parts of his recovery. When he felt like he was about to give up and throw in the towel, Shouta would be there to encourage him and push him to keep going, no matter the circumstances.

By the time the man had reached full health and he no longer required treatment, Toshinori was finally free to continue his duties as All Might, though he still had to refrain from going all out with his hero work.

He was still required to continue his physical therapy. He was put on several types of medication to help with his blood pressure and iron since he’d started coughing up blood whenever he got too excited or surprised. On his days off, he would join in on Izuku’s training, but he would only give pointers and advice on which muscles he needed to focus on strengthening and use cardio and swimming exercises for the rest.

Surprisingly, even though Izuku was forbidden from telling Katsuki about One For All or about getting picked to be All Might’s successor, he WAS allowed to at least tell the boy that he was doing self-defense training and it was also a way to better improve his strength and stamina, since him being Quirkless left him more susceptible to getting picked on and he needed a way to protect himself should he ever be alone.

Katsuki seemed to believe him, since he would often ask to join him in his training, to which the hero duo had no issue with, so long as One For All wasn’t brought up or mentioned.

As time past, Toshinori’s health started to decline more rapidly and he started to grow increasingly more weak due to the after-effects the multiple surgeries had caused. This resulted in the man becoming almost unrecognizable, having lost nearly all of his muscle mass and appearing like a walking deadman. It was unsettling, to put it lightly.

But despite the rapid changes to his body, Toshinori refused to let his declining health bring him down; he was still able to take on the form of All Might thanks to One For All’s power, allowing him to maintain his status as the Symbol of Peace while also keeping his fans from getting suspicious.

But not everything was all rainbows and sunshine for the Yagi family. To Toshinori’s shock and disbelief, he learned from a close friend of his that All For One had survived his fatal injuries from All Might, and had gone into hiding somewhere. This meant that there was a chance All For One would come back to seek revenge on the Symbol of Peace, but when that would come to pass, it was anybody’s guess.

Regardless of the potential return of the villain, Toshinori refused to let his fears keep him from molding Izuku into the perfect vessel for One For All, and if the time does arrive when All Might would have to face off against All For One again, he would make sure that the despicable man never saw the light of day, again; not just for him or for his family, but for the people of the entire world that he’d sworn to defend.

By the time Izuku had finished the first stage of his training, he’d made remarkable progress. He gained more muscle than he’d ever imagined, and his strength and stamina were nearly perfect. Plus, it was an awesome ego booster for the normally timid boy.

It was the morning of Izuku’s first day of middle school, and he was currently standing in front of the mirror in the family’s training studio; wearing nothing but a tank top and gym shorts as he stared in amazement at how much he’s toned up. Hitoshi and the two heroes stood off to the side watching the boy with pride.

”You’ve come a long way, my boy! You’ve worked exceptionally hard and it definitely shows, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of you!” Toshinori’s praise made Izuku smile with joy as he stared at his reflection; seeing just how much his body had changed in the last 3 years. Izuku felt his heart warm at how much he’d made his family proud, despite others telling him to give up.

”I couldn’t have done this without you guys helping me.” Izuku wiped a stray tear from his face. “I never would’ve come this far if it weren’t for you guys. I promise I won’t let you down.”

The large man’s smile faltered slightly at his son’s depreciating comment. “My boy. You came as far as you did because of your own perseverance and dedication, and you could never disappoint us. You’ve earned this, so don’t talk yourself down, like that.”

Hitoshi smirked at him with his arms crossed. “Yeah, Izu, you need to have more confidence in yourself. You’ve pushed yourself harder than any kid I know, and they’ve had their quirks all their lives. You’re more of a hero than any aspiring heroes out there, and you did all of this with your own efforts. So, have more faith in yourself, Zu.”

Izuku stared at his dad and older brother in awe before looking over to Shouta who shared the same proud look on his face as the others. Quickly wiping the flow of tears from his eyes, Izuku smiled a big toothy grin. “You’re right! I’m gonna be the best hero I can be!”

”Excellent!” Toshinori bellowed in his All Might voice, having transformed into his hero form. He then proceeded to pluck a single strand of his golden blonde hair from his head, much to Izuku’s confusion. “Now then, my boy, once you receive my quirk, we can begin the real training. It won’t be easy, but with how much progress you’ve made, I have no doubt that you’ll succeed.”

Izuku smiled up at the man, his eyes sparkling with excitement and confidence. “I’m ready!” Toshinori flashed his trademark smile while holding out the hair to Izuku.

”Eat this!”

.....Come again?

Izuku may or may not have been overdramatic in his response, but in his defense he had every right to be. And who could blame him? He’d just eaten a piece of his father’s hair!

”Aw c’mon, Izuku. It couldn’t have been THAT bad, right? I mean, it could've been worse, at least he didn't make you eat his boogers.” Hitoshi teased playfully, unable to help himself as he released a string of laughter after seeing the boy’s reaction. "Toshi-nii! Don't say that, that's disgusting!!" Izuku gagged, making the older boy laugh even harder.

”Honestly, my boy, it doesn’t really matter what you eat so long as it contains my DNA.” He rubbed his head while giving the boy a sheepish but amused smile while watching him gag. After pulling himself together, Izuku started to pat himself like he was feeling around for anything out of place.

”Uhh, um, Dad? I, uh, I don’t feel any different than I did before eating that hair. Am I supposed to feel some sort of transformation, or something?” Toshinori laughed despite the boy’s confusion. “Well, of course not! You still need time to digest it. You’ll start to feel something in a few hours, but even so, we’ll begin training you on how to properly use One For All when you return home.”

”Oh, I see.” Izuku felt a little disappointed with having to wait to test out his new quirk, but at the same time, he knew that these things take time, and he shouldn’t be so hasty.

”Now then, you should start getting ready for school. You don’t wanna be late for your first day, now don’t you?” Izuku quickly went to go get changed before following Hitoshi out the door as they made their way to Aldera Middle School. “Have a good day, boys!” Shouta called out before they left his line of sight.

”So, when’s the ‘real’ training begin?” The dark-haired man asked while moving his fingers in quotations when emphasizing the word ‘real’.

Toshinori deflated back into his true form after he started to fall into a coughing fit. ”It’s as I said before, when he returns home, I’ll start him on his training regimen. And with the help of Gran Torino, the boy will be able to wield One For All as if it were second nature to him.” The erasure hero laughed softly before walking over to the taller man and planting a kiss to his boney cheek.

”I have faith in you, you’ll be a great teacher. Heh, maybe you should consider teaching at U.A., after all.” A smile pulled on Toshinori’s lips and he wrapped his lanky arms around the man’s torso before pulling him closer. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, Izuku will be my only student.”

Shouta laughed while nuzzling into his chest. “Fair enough.”

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly to Izuku, middle school was somewhat similar to grade school (as far as getting picked on by his peers for being ‘Quirkless’ goes).

His older brother Hitoshi went to the same school as him, but with him being a year above Izuku, it didn’t really help with keeping his classmates from teasing him.

That’s where Katsuki came into play, he was put in the same class as Izuku, much to his relief and dread; relief because the explosive boy would put an end to any bullying and taunting done to his friend, even if it meant having to activate his quirk in the process, and dread because despite being technically labelled as Quirkless, Izuku worried about possibly slipping up and accidentally revealing his secret to the boy.

But after the first couple of weeks, he slowly realized that there was no need to worry about Katsuki discovering his secret. Quirk usage on school grounds and generally in public was forbidden, and only those with the authorization were allowed to use their quirks in public or while fighting off villains. This meant that Izuku wouldn’t have to worry about using his new quirk in front of his friend.

Not only that, but after Izuku began training his new quirk, which was more overwhelming than he’d originally anticipated, he noticed that Katsuki hardly ever came by for training, anymore. When asked about that, Katsuki merely told the boy that he had started his own quirk training in order to prepare for U.A.’s entrance exams, which would most definitely involve using his quirk.

Because of this, they didn’t spend as much time hanging out together after school, but perhaps it was for the best. Izuku was far too focused on learning to control One For All, and he only had 3 years before the entrance exams.

”No, no, no! You’re doing it all wrong, again!!”

Gran Torino scolded the boy who was sprawled out on the floor gasping for air, having just been slammed down by the elderly man’s Jet Kick, nearly causing all of the air to leave his body from the impact of the blow. They were in the middle of sparring when Izuku made another(yes, another) attempt at using one of All Might’s signature moves to take down is teacher, which would’ve most definitely resulted in him breaking his arm(again!).

Gran Torino was not amused.

”How many times have I told you about not concentrating all of that power into only one part of your body?! It must’ve been quite a few times since I can’t even recall the number! At this rate, you’re gonna end up losing all functionality in those arms of yours.” He tapped the ground with the end of his cane, impatiently. ”When it comes to normal combat you’re not half bad, but when you try to combine that with your quirk, you turn into a complete mess.” Gran Torino scolded with a scowl while he continues to tap his cane on the floor. “Your movements are too stiff and rigid, and your awareness to your surroundings needs some improvement. You’re too busy trying to analyse and predict your opponent’s moves, but all that’s going to do is get you killed faster.”

6 months had passed since Izuku began his quirk training, and when he tried to use a Detroit Smash on the first day, he ended up breaking his arm in the process, which resulted in him needing treatment from Recovery Girl.

When asked what it felt like upon using One For All the first time, Izuku described the sensation like an egg inside of a microwave and the egg exploding. While it was a strange image to picture, Toshinori went along with it, explaining how he should ‘reduce the power and shorten the cooking time so the egg doesn’t explode'. Izuku took his father’s words to heart and has been keeping that mental image in his mind since then.

This process continued to repeat itself for some time, with Izuku continuing to use One For All at a more reduced rate but still resulting in him breaking an arm, or at least a finger or two. Eventually, Recovery Girl had had enough of seeing the boy show up at her office with yet another injury caused from his quirk and thoroughly scolded Toshinori for not training his son properly and for putting too much pressure on the boy; she went on to say how she didn’t approve of Toshinori praising him whenever he pushed himself too far. She also went on to scold Izuku for being too reckless with his power and for trying to pull off such dangerous stunts without learning how to use his quirk, properly.

She informed them both that she would not treat anymore of Izuku’s self-inflicted injuries if he continued to abuse his powers in such a manner.

Though it seemed harsh, Recovery Girl meant well. She explained that she didn’t want Izuku to think he could just hurt himself all willy nilly and think she would always be there to fix him up. She further explained to Toshinori how he needed to find a different teaching method that wouldn’t involve Izuku becoming injured while using his quirk. The man was humble enough to admit that he wasn’t exactly the best when it came to teaching, especially with to teach Izuku how to use One For All when All Might had no issues with using it and it came so naturally to him.

And so, he finally decided to enlist the help of Gran Torino and entrusted his former teacher with training Izuku on how to properly use One For All. While he was a bit worried about his old teacher being too rough with Izuku, if there was anyone he knew who understood his power, it was Gran Torino. Once Izuku got a better handle on his quirk, Toshinori would step back in and take over with helping the boy to polish his skills.

And that was how Izuku ended up in his current situation.

“You can’t keep injuring yourself every time you use that power of yours. In a real life battle against a villain, you’re most likely not going to get any aid from other comrades if you get hurt, and you’ll end up being more of a hindrance than any form of help to others. You would only get in the way with the way your using this power.” Izuku sat up and frowned while staring at the floor, feeling embarrassed and ashamed for disappointing his teacher.

Gran Torino was trying his best not to sound too harsh and to not tear down the boy’s confidence, but it felt like Izuku just wasn’t getting it, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating to see the boy attempting to copy his father’s moves, knowing full well he’s not capable of doing so without hurting himself.

He huffs out a sigh and crouches down to the boy’s level, wanting to try and get to the root of the issue.

”Let me ask you something,” Izuku looked up at his teacher with a curious gaze. “Why do you want to be a hero?”

He raised an eyebrow at the man’s question. “Oh, w-well, I wanna be a hero because it’s always been my dream.” He smiled hoping his answer was satisfactory. Gran Torino shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose.

”Well, obviously that’s a no-brainer. What I mean is, why specifically do you want to be a hero? What is it that inspires you?” He asked, being more specific with his wording. Izuku perked up with a response. “Well, my Dad inspires me, of course! He’s the reason that I want to be a hero, so much. All Might is such an amazing hero and I’ve always looked up to him-”

“And THAT right there is your problem!”

Izuku nearly falls back on the ground from Gran Torino jabbing him in the chest with his cane. ”Huh?!” The boy was perplexed at his statement.

”Your admiration, loyalty and respect for All Might is the reason you’re having such a hard time controlling your quirk. You keep thinking of this quirk as something unique, when in reality, that shouldn’t be the case. You’ve seen the way All Might uses his powers in action, so instead of trying to imitate your old man, find a way to make this power an extension of yourself.”

He gets up and makes his way out the door saying how he was going to run and get them some food, leaving Izuku there to ponder over his words.

”I need to make this power an extension...of myself...” Izuku got up and began pacing around trying to figure out what his words meant.

”He keeps saying I’m too rigid and stiff, but what does he mean to be ‘stiff’? Maybe, the opposite of loose? He said that I keep thinking of One For All as something unique, but what is that even supposed to-” Just then, he stopped pacing. It felt as if something had suddenly clicked in his brain. Like a switch had been flipped.

”That’s it!”

Izuku quickly grabbed his notebook and began scribbling over the pages, his eyes dazzling with elated realization, like he’d just cracked the code to a lost treasure.

”All this time, I’ve thought of this quirk as something more special than it really is, when really it should be an extension of my body!” His face was glowing like a light bulb by the time he’d finished.

Just outside stood Gran Torino who had just been standing outside the front door of his apartment the whole time, a proud smirk on his face upon hearing his ward finally figure it out.

’Guess I was wrong, Toshinori. Seems you’ve picked the right person to be your successor, after all.’

A few days pass with Izuku take Gran Torino’s lessons to heart by practicing his techniques with this new mindset.

Unfortunately, it was much more difficult trying to put it to practical use than he’d intended. While he was on the right track, Izuku was still struggling with trying to make his quirk feel as natural as breathing. Realistically, Izuku had to catch up with Katsuki and Hitoshi, who’ve had their whole lives to learn their quirks. Izuku has only had a few months to really get a grasp on what it felt like to wield such power, now he just has to make it his own.

He’d even spent an entire evening trying to make himself jump along the walls of the old alleyway near Gran Torino’s apartment by concentrating the flow of One For All’s power through his arms and legs, which resulted in him smacking into the brick walls several times.

”I know that I’ve still got a long way to go with my training, but I feel like I’ve made hardly any progress...” Izuku slumped in his seat while sighing dramatically. A soft chuckle could be heard as Gran Torino came over and patted the boy on the shoulder.

”All challenges start like that at first, that’s just how it is. But I wouldn’t say you haven’t made any progress.” He hopped into the seat across from Izuku with his cane sitting in his lap. ”You’re most definitely a stark contrast from that overzealous lunkheaded dad of yours when it comes to wielding this power. He was able to manage just fine from the get-go, so I had to adjust my teaching methods with him. In fact, the only thing he had going for him was that body of his.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up and a smile broke over his face. “You used to be a teacher at U.A. didn’t you, Gran-Pa Torino?” Gran Torino smiled at the boy, thinking it was endearing seeing the boy so enthused by wanting to hear stories from his father’s days as a student. “That’s right, sonny. Though I only taught at that school for a year, and I only did it because of a promise I made to an old friend...”

It was easy to tell that this friend meant very much to the old man just from the tone in his voice. “I see. So, was this friend also a friend of Dad, too?” Gran Torino glanced at the boy sitting across from him. Oh, this poor child. ‘You’ve seriously never brought up your old predecessor to your boys, Toshinori? Then again, I’m sure you have your reasons.’

”Yeah...they were...” That was all he decided to say, for now. Now wasn’t the best time to bring up Nana, especially when Izuku should be focussing on his training. Plus, it wasn’t his place to talk about his old friend; he would leave Toshinori to do that.

”So, are you ready to get started, Gran-Pa Torino?” He got up from his seat with his fists clenched and a big grin on his face. Gran Torino chuckled at the child while pointing to the fridge. “We’ll do all that in a bit, but for now, how ‘bout some of those frozen taiyaki I got us? Be a sport and heat some up.”

”Oh, uh, sure thing!” Izuku went to reach for a plate, not bothering to argue with the man for having taiyaki when it was still morning as he grabbed a few frozen taiyaki and set them in the microwave to defrost. While the frozen pastries were warming up, Izuku busied himself with trying to formulate a strategy plan that could help him with being able to use his quirk.

Once the microwave was finished, he pulled the pastries out and set them on the table for them to enjoy, but as Gran Torino goes to bite into the sweet, he ends up rattling his teeth from biting into the still-frozen snack.

”WHAT ARE YOU TRYIN’ TO DO, BREAK MY TEETH?!” He yelled out while Izuku stared in confusion at why the food didn’t heat up like it was supposed to.

“I-I thought I set the temperature to ‘defrost’!”

Still grumbling from having his snack ruined, Gran Torino gets up to examine the microwave and finds the issue. “Look here, boy!” He pointed a stubby finger to the large saucer sitting in the microwave.

”You crammed them onto a plate that’s way too big!! You’ve gotta use a smaller plate so they can spin, otherwise only one part gets heated up! Has that lunkhead of a dad of yours never taught you to use a microwave?!”

Izuku stared in bewilderment at the short fuming man. “O-Oh no, I know how to use one, but the one we’ve got back at home is a little different. Sorry about that-”

Just then, something clicks. Just like before. And this time, he feels like he’s found the key to all his problems.

”THAT’S IT!! I’VE GOT IT!!” He picks up one of the frozen taiyaki pastries and holds it out to the puzzled man. ”This taiyaki is ME!!”

....

”I thought you were Izuku....”

”Wha-! N-No, no, that’s not what I mean. What I meant was, I figured it out! This whole time, I’ve been focusing only on where and when I needed to use my power, like it was an on-off switch! You’ve told me before about how I shouldn’t be concentrating all of my power into one part of my body; at first, I didn’t get what you meant by that, but it makes so much sense, now!”

Gran Torino’s aged eyes widened when he saw green sparks starting to form around Izuku’s body, the sparks appearing to almost jump off of his figure, and glowing magenta vein-like markings appearing in criss-cross patterns around his body.

”That heat, which was only reaching one part of me, I’ve got to make it spread all through my body! Just like the taiyaki!!”

A proud smirk formed over Gran Torino’s lips. ‘So, you’ve finally figured it out, sonny. About time.’

”Well done, boy! Though I gotta say, comparing your power flowing through you to a taiyaki heating up in a microwave is a little strange.” Izuku glanced up at the man with a grin. “Dad was the one who gave me the inspiration!”

Gran Torino got into his fighting stance with his cane gripped tightly in his hand like a sword, a grin on his face. “Can you move like that?”

”I’m not sure...!” He replied, the sparks bouncing and popping wildly around his hair, face and body.

”Well then, why don’t we find out?” Gran Torino grinned mischievously at his ward, who shared the same confident smile as he did when this had all began.

”Bring it on!!”

2 Years Later...

”Toshi-nii! You look so good in that uniform! So grown-up!!”

Hitoshi stood in front of the full-length mirror staring at his U.A. High School uniform; the grey clashing nicely with the teal, and it surprisingly complimented well with his indigo hair. Izuku was beaming at him with wondrous adoration.

”You really think so?” Hitoshi asked, sheepishly. The boy nodded his head furiously, that grin on his face becoming contagious as Hitoshi found himself smiling back at him.

“Yeah, Toshi-nii! I wish I could go with you to U.A., though.” He glanced down at his feet sheepishly. Hitoshi laughed softly before ruffling Izuku’s hair, playfully. “You will, Zu. Just one more year and you’ll be walking down U.A.’s halls, in no time.”

The younger of the two looked up at his brother with big, wondrous eyes. “You mean it, Toshi-nii?”

”Yep!” Hitoshi winked at the boy with a smirk. “Now, c’mon. Let’s get going before we’re late.” They went to get their shoes on and started to make their down the sidewalk towards their destinations.

”You’re so lucky, Toshi-nii. It only takes you a few minutes to get to school now, while I still have to take the train.” He pursed his lips out in a playful pout, making Hitoshi laugh at how dramatic his little brother was being. “Trust me, Izuku, if I had a flying quirk, I would give you a lift to school, everyday.”

”No you wouldn’t, Toshi-nii!” Izuku replied with a mischievous grin. Once they reached the street that lead towards U.A.’s front gates, Hitoshi turned to the younger teen and petted his hair with a smile. “Alright, little brother, this is where we part ways for now. You gonna be okay getting to school on your own?”

The mossy-haired teen smiled at his brother’s thoughtfulness and nodded his head. “I’ll be just fine, Toshi-nii. You have a great day, okay? And if you see Papa at school, tell him I said hi for me?” The older teen chuckled. “Sure thing, Zu.”

Hitoshi proceeded to turn and make his way for the school gates, but not before looking over his shoulder and glancing at the younger. “If you need anything, text me, okay Zu?” Izuku nodded happily before waving his brother goodbye and heading in the opposite direction for the train station, his face glowing with excitement.

’He’s right. Just one more year, and I’ll be walking on the grounds of U.A. campus with a proud smile on my face. All I have to do is pass the entrance exams and it’ll be smooth sailing from there.’ He looked up at the sky with a content smile, his eyes sparkling.

”I hope you’re watching over me, Mom. I promise I’ll do my best. I’m gonna make you proud.”

Although Izuku’s resolve was firm and absolute in his mind, it didn’t take much to shatter his confidence, especially when the topic of being a Quirkless loser became a major factor in knocking him down a peg or two.

”Alright everyone, listen up! You’re all third-years now, so it’s time that you all start thinking seriously about your futures!”

Izuku sat in his seat scribbling in his notebook while his classmates all groaned in annoyance at their teacher’s nagging. He didn’t feel worried about his future, since his future was already planned out and he was fairly confident in keeping his grades up until graduation.

”Now, normally, I would pass out these future career forms and have you all write down your top 3 choice schools, buuuuut...” The homeroom teacher spun around and threw the forms in the air, the papers raining down like confetti.

”Who am I kidding? You ALL want to get into the Hero Course!”

All the students cheered out, their quirks activating from the excitement. Well, almost everyone. Even though Izuku’s gotten much better with handling his quirk after figuring out how to activate it without breaking his limbs, he didn’t want to risk revealing his secret by showing it off in school. Plus, it was technically against school rules to use their quirks.

”Alright, alright. Everyone settle down. I know that you all have wonderful quirks, but please refrain from using them while in school!”

Just then, the sound of Katsuki’s booming voice broke through like lightning. “Hah! Sensei, I’m nothing like these losers and their subpar quirks, so don’t lump me in with them!” Izuku couldn’t help but cringe at his words. Even though they’ve patched things up and had managed to mend their fractured friendship, that didn’t put a stop to his superiority complex. While Izuku admired his confidence, he just wished Katsuki would try to get along with others like he does with him.

”Get over yourself, Bakugou! You’re not any better than the rest of us, y’know!” One of the students defended while cowering away from Katsuki’s retort. “Shut the hell up, you extra!!”

Rather than putting an end to the class disturbances, the teacher seemed to perk up at Katsuki’s previous comment. “Oh, that’s right. Bakugou, you’re planning on applying for U.A., aren’t you?” The rest of the class gasped in sheer disbelief and possible horror at what they’d just heard.

While the students all muttered to each other about how ‘U.A. was the top national school in the country’ and how ‘it was nearly impossible for a regular person to pass the exam’, Izuku tried to suppress a grin from forming.

”Oh, Yagi. Aren’t you planning on applying for U.A., too?”

Izuku felt like he was about to vomit when the teacher revealed his choice school in front of everyone.

Then it happened. Excluding Katsuki, all of the students erupted into a roar of laughter and snide jeers and remarks.

”That’s right! He can’t be a hero without a quirk.”

”He’ll be a Quirkless loser for the rest of his life, while the rest of us will get to be Pros!”

”What can he even do?! All he has is that stupid notebook of his! He’s such a stalker, I swear!”

It was starting to become harder and harder to ignore their comments, and it didn’t help that the teacher did hardly anything to stop them, either. Either he didn’t think there was something wrong with their behavior or he just didn’t care. As much as their words hurt Izuku’s feeling, he knew something they didn’t:

He’s not a Quirkless loser anymore, and he was gonna make them eat their words when he became the #1 hero.

But then, his savior intervened.

”ALL OF YOU EXTRAS, SHUT THE HELL UP!!” Katsuki bellowed angrily at his classmates who cowered back into their seats like terrified dogs; the angry scowl prominent on his face. ”If there’s at least ONE person who is more likely at getting into U.A. besides me, it’s Deku! He’s more of a hero than any of you pathetic losers, so shut your goddamn mouths about him, you hear me?!”

Izuku felt his heart warm and a blush forming on his face. Even with his arrogant, almost egotistical tendencies, at least Katsuki knew who his real friends were. It felt nice having at least one person on his side.

”Alright, Bakugou, that’s enough. Please, have a seat so we can resume the lesson.” Katsuki did as he was told, but not before sending the other students one last glare and then looking over to Izuku and giving him a reassuring smile, which made Izuku feel a lot better.

Maybe the school year wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

”Why in the hell do you keep letting them push you around like that, Deku?”

They were currently sitting on the roof of the school while enjoying their lunch; Katsuki was still fuming from the remarks and condescending comments their classmates had made, earlier. “I know you’re able to stand up for yourself, otherwise all that training we’ve been doing together would be for nothing.”

”Kacchan, I’m not gonna hurt somebody just for saying mean things to me. That’s not what my training was for; it’s purely for self-defense.” He insisted while munching on a rice ball. Katsuki merely scoffed.

”Exactly, Deku! That would’ve been the perfect opportunity to put your self-defense training to good use. And I never said anything about hurting anybody!!” He spat out in defense. Izuku merely giggled at his reply. “Kacchan, that’s not how it works.” He took a quick sip of his milk before continuing. “And besides, Dad and Papa told me that I can only use my combat skills in self-defense if someone physically attacks me first, and all those guys did was verbally taunt me.”

Huffing out a frustrated sigh, Katsuki leaned back against the railing. “Still, those asshole extras were wrong, y’know. Even if you don’t get into the hero course at U.A., there’s still a chance that you can get in.” The blond spoke in a soft voice, which was a rarity that Izuku often enjoyed. “You’re a hell of a lot smarter than those loser, so you have just as much of a chance at getting accepted as I do. So, just ignore those punks and keep doing your own thing, okay Deku?”

Izuku nodded at his friend, feeling like all of the weight their sniding comments had left suddenly fell off of his shoulders, and all that was left was Katsuki’s AND Hitoshi’s reassuring words and praises.

”You’re gonna be an awesome hero someday, Kacchan.” He finally said after some time passes. Katsuki glanced at him and flashed a smile of his own before responding. “Same to you, nerd.”

After several months of Izuku continuing to train and improve his usage of One For All, as well as studying for the written portion of the exam, the day finally arrives.

The day of the U.A. Academy Entrance Examination.

Izuku hurried around the house trying to gather everything he needed before leaving for the school. “Now now, my boy. You’re gonna do just fine!” Toshinori, who was in his hero form, spoke in an attempt to assure Izuku that he had nothing to worry about. “Remember, you’ve been preparing for this day for years, so you should be more than ready to pass. And you will!”

As much as he appreciated his father’s encouragement, it did little to snuff out his growing anxiety. “I know, Dad, I know. I’m just, nervous, is all. This exam will make or break me, and I can’t afford to fail!”

Toshinori sighed before deflating back into his skinny self and walking over to the stressed teen and wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Izuku. I have faith in you, you’ve worked so hard, I know that you’re gonna do great. So try and have more faith in yourself, my boy. Don’t be so hard on yourself, and just relax.” He pulled away and kept his hands on the teen’s shoulders, smiling softly down at him. “We’re all proud of you, son.”

The tears fell before Izuku had time to stop them, feeling the welling anxiety in his chest slowly dissipating, he wiped at his face and smiled up at the tall man. “Thanks, Dad!”

”Alright, my boy, you should get going! You don’t wanna be late, do you?” The man informed him while changing into his hero form, making the boy chuckle. “I will! But, there’s something I need to do, really quick.”

Izuku quickly ran up the stairs and into his bedroom where he spotted the photograph of his mother, the late Inko Midoriya, neatly placed in a picture frame sitting on a small, beautifully crafted shrine in the corner of the room; the hero duo had made the shrine for him to honor his mother, and as a way for Izuku to feel more at peace, knowing she was in a better place.

He went over to sit on his knees in front of the picture; the smile on the woman’s youthful face filling him with happiness and hope as he clapped his hands together and closed his eyes while he silently prayed to his late mother, a smile on his face.

”Today’s the day, Mom. I’m gonna take the entrance exam for U.A., and I’m gonna do my best. Please watch over me, Mom. I promise I’ll make you, and everyone else, proud.”

He opened his tear-filled eyes, smiling at the photo one last time before getting up and heading downstairs and out the door towards the school.

It was time to go beyond, plus ULTRA!

When did Izuku’s legs suddenly felt like noodles?

He stare in awe at the breathtaking site of U.A.’s main building. Even though it wasn’t the first time he’s been on U.A. campus grounds, especially given the fact he practically lives on the property, it’s an entirely different feeling coming here as a potential student. And on the day of the exam, his body was buzzing with nervousness.

”Hey, Deku!”

Izuku almost jumped at the sound of his childhood nickname being called out. He turned around and saw none other than Katsuki walking towards him with a playful smirk; a cream colored scarf wrapped around his neck due to the late winter season.

”Oh, hey Kacchan!” Izuku tried to put on a smile, but it felt more like a grimace with how nervous he was. “Glad to see you were able to make it, nerd. I was worried you were gonna bail on me at the last second.” The blond made an attempt at lightening up the mood with his teasing, which Izuku appreciated. But still, he felt like he was going to be sick with nerves.

”Hey, Deku. Just try not to think about it too much, alright?” His voice took on a more reassuring tone as he placed his hand on the teen’s shoulder. Izuku smiled and gave the blond a silent nod. Katsuki waved at him before heading towards the building.

”Yeah. Kacchan’s right. I’ve got this!” He tugged on the straps of his backpack and went to move when he found himself about to collide with the ground...or at least, he almost did.

The next thing he knew, he was floating.

Floating?

When did he start to float?!

”Oops! Sorry about that!” The sound of a girl’s bubbly voice caught his ears when he was placed back on his feet, no longer floating.

He looked at the girl who was responsible for his sudden weightlessness. She had big brown eyes and round, rosey cheeks which were framed by short, chestnut brown hair that was styled in a graduated A-line bob with the front longer than the back. She wore a typical middle school girls’ uniform with a winter coat, scarf and black tights.

”Heehee, that was my quirk. I’m sorry for using it on you without permission, but it’s bad luck to trip and fall on the day of an exam.” She smiled at him, which made him blush red like a tomato. ‘Oh, wow! She’s really cute!’

”Anyway, good luck on the test!” She replied cheerfully before waving at him and quickly following the other students. After getting his bearings back together, Izuku took a deep breath and headed inside.

He managed to find Katsuki in the large auditorium which was quickly becoming cramped, and sat beside him. He was even kind enough to save the mossy teen a seat.

”Wow, there’s so many people here.” He observed in awe. “There’s gotta be at least over a thousand people here!”

After everyone filed in and took their seats, Present Mic made his grand entrance and waltzed over to the podium where he greeted the examinees in his trademark radio hosts persona.

“I’M HERE TO GO OVER THE GUIDELINES FOR THE PRACTICAL PORTION OF THE EXAM, SO I HOPE YOU LOVELY LISTENERS ARE READY TO GET STARTED!!!”

Izuku's eyes were sparkling with admiration and astonishment as he stared at the Pro. ’No way!! It’s Uncle Mic! I knew that he was a teacher here, but I didn’t know he was going to be in charge of the exam. This is awesome!! Maybe after the exam is over, I could go talk to him. I wonder if Papa is here, too.’

Present Mic explained how each student would be sent to an assigned testing location in the form of a makeshift cityscape, and the goal of the practical would be for the students to take down ‘villains’, which were actually robots, in any manner they preferred in order to score points. Each robot would be worth a different amount of points and whoever got the highest number of points would pass.

”I see. So, this is to make sure students from the same school don’t cheat by trying to help each other out, huh?” Katsuki mused in a low voice. Izuku nodded his head at him. “Makes sense, and it’s also why we’re assigned consecutive I.D. numbers to different locations...”

Izuku felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about Katsuki seeing him use his quirk during the test. And even if they both managed to pass, what were the chances of them getting put in the same class?

”Hey.” The mossy teen looked over at his friend who flashed him a smile. “Good luck, nerd.” Katsuki held out his fist to him, to which Izuku smiled and bumped their fists together. “You too, Kacchan.”

”S-So big...” Izuku felt his knees rattle and a cold sweat roll down his face as he and everyone else at the testing site with him stared at the ‘city’.

While he did his best to get his breathing to even out, he spotted someone in the crowd who looked familiar. He realized that it was the girl from before. ‘It’s her! We’re at the same testing site!” He started to move his wobbly legs as he started to walk towards her. ‘I should thank her for earlier...’

But he didn’t get a chance to when he felt a firm and rather aggressive hand grip onto his shoulder, stopping him.

”You there! What do you think you’re doing?! Planning to bother that girl before the exam begins?!” Izuku turned around and stared at the fairly tall teen with dark cropped hair and glasses; his stance and overall demeanor making him practically radiate with confidence.

”W-Wha-! Oh! N-No, no, that’s-that’s not-!”

”You were muttering the entire time during the pre-test presentation, and to be frank, it was quite rude and distracting! If you think of all of this as some sort of joke, then there’s no place for you here!”

”Sorry...” He mumbled out an apology while wringing his hands nervously, feeling everyone staring at him and snickering at him for being called out.

And then...

((BEGIIIIIIN!!!))

Everyone looked around in confusion before they realized that Present Mic had just announced the commencement of the exam. Like a rampaging stampede, all the students ran into the faux cityscape and made their way down the streets to find targets. Izuku ran as fast as he could and found himself in what appeared to be a downtown area.

Then, out of nowhere, a large robot came crashing through less than a meter away. Izuku yelped in surprise when the robot, which turned out to be one of the one-pointer robots, came towards him at full speed. He took a deep breath and allowed his body to relax as he focused on the flow of One For All’s energy, allowing it to course through his entire body.

’Remember the frozen taiyaki! Visualize the heat spreading evenly throughout your body!’ Green sparks began to dance around his limbs and torso, the shimmering magenta veins criss-crossing all over his body alongside the green sparks, the power flowing like warm water as he opened his eyes and got into his fighting stance. As the robot came closer and closer, he clenched his fist and landed a blow to the robot’s front.

”DETROIT...SMAAAAASH!!!” He yelled out while sending the robot flying in a mangled heap. Izuku huffed out and watched in amazement at what he was able to do with such a powerful blow. He felt a big smile spread over his face.

“I did it! I DID IT!!”

Now that he’d gotten a taste of what using his quirk outside of sparring sessions was like, Izuku felt his confidence skyrocket and any worry and dread evaporate from his mind. ‘This is great! Now, I have a chance at catching up with the others! I can do this! I’ve got this!!’

((6 MINUTES, 2 SECONDS REMAINING!!))

The sound of Present Mic’s voice ringing out from the intercom across the testing site jolted Izuku out of his thoughts, prompting him to sprint down the streets; his speed becoming increased thanks to him activating 20% of One For All as he managed to find a hoard of robots and ran in to claim more points.

Punch after powerful punch; kick after debilitating kick. Izuku felt like his entire body was being crushed from the overwhelming pressure the strain One For All’s power was exerting, but he didn’t care, and in all honesty, he couldn’t get enough. It was almost addicting how amazing it felt unleashing such power!

Izuku was panting out of breath by the time he’d earn his 10th point, but at the rate he was going, there wouldn’t be any enemies left, and if he didn’t earn more points by the end of the test, he would fail. ‘I’ve gotta find more! There has to be more!’

Suddenly, the entire ground began to rumble and shake like an earthquake, and everyone, including Izuku, stared in horror at the source of the rumbling.

”It’s the zero-pointer!!!” Someone shouted in terror as they all stared at the gigantic behemoth; it must’ve been at least several hundred feet tall!

As if all of the bravery and confidence had just left his system leaving behind a cloud of immense fear in its wake, Izuku turned on his heels and followed the crowd in a frenzy as they ran for safety from the zero-pointer.

”People tend to show their true colors when faced with impending doom.”

Tears trailed down Izuku’s face as he ran and ran and couldn’t stop running, feeling completely ashamed with himself for his cowardice.

’I can’t give up now! Not after everything Dad, Papa and Gran-Pa Torino have taught me!’

The green sparks surrounding Izuku started to bounce erratically, zigzagging and whipping around and the magenta veins becoming angrier-looking the more panicked and distressed he became. Though he hadn’t noticed it at first due to all of his focus being on escaping the monstrosity, small cuts began to form on his arms and legs caused by the involuntary emotional strain One For All was enduring.

”Oww.” The pained cry caught Izuku’s attention, and as soon as he looked over his shoulder at the source, his eyes grew wide upon seeing that the kind girl from before had tripped and fallen down.

'It’s bad luck to trip and fall on the day of an exam.'

It was like everything had stopped. Like time itself had ceased to function. Any and all rational thinking had been cast out. Behind him, the other students were running for their lives, and the girl was on the ground desperately trying to get back up before she was crushed. And as for Izuku...

“When there’s nothing left to gain!”

One For All: Full Cowl - 15% - 20%

“Rising to the challenge when in the face of imminent peril...”

20% - 25%

“...is surely the mark...”

30% - 40%

“Of a true hero!!”

50% - 60% - 70%

”DETROOOOIT SMAAAAASH!!!!!!”

One For All: Full Cowl - 100%

It was like watching a scene out of an action movie. The goliath zero-point robot was demolished in a single blow, and the one responsible for such an impressive feat?

...

......

”Oh...ohhhh...OOOHHHHH!!!”

((1 MINUTE, 5 SECONDS REMAINING!!))

He was falling...

And falling...

And falling!

”AAAAAAHHHHH!!!” It felt as though he’d been hit by a truck, his entire body throbbed and ached as he continued to fall closer and closer to the earth.

’What was that?! I somehow managed to leap high in the air and punch that robot using 100% of One For All’s power! But the drawback. The drawback!!’

If he thought breaking his arm as a result of concentrating his power into it was bad, Izuku was in a whole new world of pain. It felt like he’d broken every bone in his body, and if he hit the ground just right, he was going to die...

Or so he thought.

Just before he came within 20 feet of the earth, he felt a hand slap him hard on the cheek, and suddenly, he’d stopped falling, and instead...

Was floating.

”Huhh?! Wha-Huh?!” He looked over and saw the girl, the one he’d saved from getting crushed, had just used her floating quirk to stop Izuku from falling, with her perched on a piece of broken robot parts as she carefully eased them both close enough to the ground before her trembling fingers touched together, and she released her quirk.

Izuku plopped on the ground safely, as did the girl who was now vomiting from the excessive use of her quirk. Izuku was in far too much pain to care about anything else, even as Present Mic announced the conclusion of the practical exam.

Before he passed out from the pain, Izuku recalled seeing through blurred vision a few students surrounding him and looking over his mangled body, muttering to one another about how incredible his quirk was. He even caught a glimpse of Recovery Girl hurrying over to his side and using her quirk to heal him.

Despite being annoyed at Izuku for hurting himself while using his powers yet again, it didn't keep the heroine from worrying over the boy. This was the first time he'd ever injured himself all over his body and to such a degree, she could only hope it wouldn't leave any permanent damage. Though she had to admit, what he did to the zero-pointer was quite impressive.

That was it. The exam was over.

One Week Later...

”Zu, would you stop worrying, already? How many times do I have to tell you? I'm sure you did just fine.”

Hitoshi was sitting in the living room scrolling through his phone while Izuku was busy pacing back and forth while muttering to himself about how he’d flunked the exam and he’d let everyone down.

Hitoshi, not wanting to see the boy get all worked up, thought of a plan.

”Hey, Izuku. What time is it?” Hitoshi asked the teen with a slight smirk. The younger turned and looked at him confused before responding.

“O-Oh, um, it’s almost 4-” And suddenly, he’d fallen under Hitoshi’s control thanks to his brainwashing quirk, his eyes going from emerald to milky white.

”Walk into the living room.” The older of the two commanded, watching the teen with a careful gaze as Izuku moved robotically on his own and did as he was instructed. "Good. Now, sit down on the couch." Izuku did as he was told and sat down beside Hitoshi. “Now, lean back.” He leaned against the cushions, still staring into nothingness with his mouth hanging open.

Once he had the teen where he wanted, he released his hold on Izuku’s mind and watched him blinked a few times. Smirking at the mossy teen, Hitoshi placed a hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair gently.

“You’ve been freaking out about whether you passed the exam or not for days now, you need to stop stressing so much and just relax. I know you're worried about your results, but with how much you've been training for this, I have no doubt that you got in.”

Izuku frowned and glanced down at his hands. “I know, Toshi-nii. It’s just…I...I couldn’t… I tried to get more points...I tried to d-do my best; to do everything Dad and Papa and Gran-Pa Torino taught me, but I ended up falling behind..." Hitoshi's playful smirk instantly fell once he saw tears brimming in the younger's large emerald eyes.

"It all became t-too much too fast, I panicked...and I ended up getting badly hurt after using too much of my power... I...I-I...” Izuku whimpered as tears finally spilling over; bringing his hands up to try and cover his tear-soaked eyes as he started to cry and sob. Hitoshi didn't hesitate as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him into a comforting embrace.

The older teen continued to hold the smaller boy close to his body while he stroked his back; his T-shirt becoming soaked with his tears, not that Hitoshi minded.

He hated seeing the younger boy so upset, and like the awesome older brother he was, Hitoshi would always be there to support his little brother, even if it was something as simple as offering a hug.

Nothing was too good for Hitoshi's little brother.

Ever since the day of the exam, their parents hadn't been home, very much. With Shouta it was understandable, him being a teacher at U.A. meant he was busy with reviewing the results of the examinees, including Izuku and Katsuki, as well as preparing for the new school year. When he did come home, he would at least make sure to have dinner made and check on the boys before they went to bed. But with Toshinori...

For some odd reason, neither of the boys had seen much of the Symbol of Peace, Izuku believed that perhaps he was pulling all-nighters with his patrols, but it seemed highly unlikely, and just bizarre for the man to just be home like he usually was.

”Are you worried about Dad?” Hitoshi’s voice broke the comfortable silence. Izuku merely nodded against the older boy’s shirt. He stroked Izuku’s hair while humming out a response.

”I’m sure he’s fine, Zu. Try not to worry about it too much. And please, stop worrying about the exam results. I can only take watching you pacing around like a spazz for so long.” His comment managed to force a giggle out of the younger boy who nuzzled his face against Hitoshi’s chest.

After a few minutes of the two hugging, Hitoshi got up to go and check the mail, leaving Izuku laying on the couch as he stared blankly at the TV screen.

’Dad. Papa. Gran-Pa Torino. Kacchan. I tried, I really did. Dad, I did what I thought was right! I hope you know that-’

“Izuku! Izuku! Look!” He was torn from his lingering thoughts as Hitoshi came running back into the living room holding an envelope out to the younger boy.

”It’s here, Zu! The letter, it’s here!”

Izuku silently took the letter and stared at it with a slight frown; the stamp that had U.A.’s insignia on it which seemed to almost shimmer in the light held the contents of the letter safely inside. “What are you waiting for?! Open it!” Hitoshi sat back down beside his little brother and waited for him to open it.

Deciding not to waste anymore time, Izuku tore open the envelope, only to reveal a disc-like object rather than a paper letter. He stared at the disc completely puzzled before a holographic screen beamed on, surprising him.

Izuku’s eyes grew large upon watching the screen. There, in plain view, was All Might!

((This is a projection!)) All Might’s bellowing voice greeted on the hologram. ((I apologize for the confusion, my boy! I understand you must have been wondering where I’ve been for the past few days, but rest assured, there was a reason for my absence.))

Izuku didn’t understand what was going on as he stared at the projection of his father, who was wearing a rather flashy yellow pin-striped suit. ‘Why is Dad the one giving me my results?! I thought this was from U.A. What is going on?!’

((Your Papa and I have been discussing quite a few things in regards to training the new generation of heroes, and after much deliberation, we've an agreement. Starting this April, I’ll be teaching Foundational Hero Studies at U.A.!))

Izuku was completely beside himself, and Hitoshi looked just as surprise. “No way. Dad’s gonna be a teacher at U.A.?” Not expecting a verbal response to his rhetorical question, he continued to listen to the hologram.

((Anywho! I’m getting a bit off track here, so I’ll get to the point! You did very well on the written exam, but even if you manage to pass the written portion, failing to obtain a sufficient amount of points during the practical portion of the exam unfortunately results in failure...))

It felt as though Izuku’s heart had been ripped out of his body. He curled into himself and began to tear up again, feeling his older brother place a gentle hand on his back.

’I failed...!’

((However! There’s more to it!)) Izuku quickly lifted up his head and looked back up at the screen. There’s more? ((It would probably be better if I showed you. Please watch, carefully!))

All Might held out a remote control and pressed a switch on it, revealing another screen on the wall.

A screen within a screen. Screenception.

He watched in surprise as he saw an image of the sweet girl he’d saved during the exam.

((Umm, excuse me? Um, so, that boy with the curly green hair and freckles...))

Izuku’s eyes grew even bigger when he realized she was describing him. ((Is there any way you could give him some of my points? Even just a few would be fine!))

’No way... She tried to give up the points she earned...?’

((You see, um, I noticed that he seemed to be struggling to get enough points to pass, and then he jumped in front of that zero-point robot to save me. That boy…he... He saved my life!))

Izuku felt more tears well up after hearing those words. ‘She was willing to give up her hard-earned points for me! She didn’t have to-’

((I’m afraid we aren’t able to give him any of your points.)) Present Mic spoke while patting the girl on the head. ((But I don’t think there’s any need to worry, my dear listener!)) And then, the video feed ended, switching back to All Might as the focal point.

((You see, Izuku, this exam wasn’t just revolved around earning villain based points! A hero school that rejects those who do the right thing, is no hero school, at all! In this line of work, you risk your life protecting those in need, and you put your money where your mouth is!!))

Izuku began to tremble at his father’s words, more tears streaming down his face.

((There are two ways that U.A. evaluates you during the exam: villain points, which are obtained from taking down a villain, and rescue points! Points obtained from rescuing a fallen comrade while displaying heroic bravery, in the process!))

”No way...!”

((For you, Izuku, you’ve obtained 10 villain points and 60 rescue points! For a grand total of 70 points!))

Izuku's jaw dropped. “70 points?!”

((And while we’re at it, for Ochako Uraraka: 28 villain points and 45 rescue points, for a grand total of 73 points!))

Izuku couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t. Hitoshi hugged his brother closer while smiling from ear to ear as they both watch All Might smiling fondly at the camera, almost as if he were smiling directly at Izuku.

((Izuku Yagi, you’re in! Congratulations, my son! Welcome to your hero academy!))

”You did it, Izu!!!” Hitoshi exclaimed happily while getting up and grabbing hold of Izuku’s arms and pulling him in for a crushing hug.

”I did it, Toshi-nii! I really did it!!” Izuku cried out as tears of joy spilled down. “I knew you could do it!” Hitoshi then placed his hands under the younger boy’s arms and lifted him up and proceeded to spin them both around in circles. The sounds of joyful laughter filling the home as the two brothers celebrated.

”Now, you’ll be the one who’ll get to wear a snazzy uniform.” Hitoshi stated with a playful smirk, recalling what the boy had said to him on his first day of high school. Izuku giggled at his older brother before snuggling close to him.

’Thank you. All of you. Thank you for believing in me. I promise, I’m gonna do my best!’

Chapter Text

The night after Izuku received the acceptance letter for U.A., Toshinori and Shouta took the boys out to celebrate; they reserved a table at a fancy restaurant in the more private section for VIPs so they could have some privacy.

”Congratulations, Izuku! You’ve done an excellent job at getting in!” Toshinori praised while holding out his glass for a toast, to which all 4 of them toasted for Izuku’s accomplishment. “I knew you could do it, my boy. I was actually one of the judges who was observing you and the other students during the practical, along with your Papa of course, and I’ve gotta say, I was surprised by how well you were able to handle your quirk.”

Izuku blushed while averting his gaze, feeling a tad bit sheepish at finding out his dads were watching him throughout the whole thing. “Hehe, y-yeah. I surprised myself, honestly.”

”However, I was also surprised by how you’d taken down that zero-pointer with that incredible move.” Shouta pointed out while taking a sip of his wine.

“We were informed by Recovery Girl of your condition after the exam was finished. She was rather annoyed with how you’d managed to injure yourself again while using your quirk.” Shouta sounded concerned but also unimpressed by the boy’s reckless actions, and Izuku couldn’t blame him.

”That’s right, my boy, I could tell you’d used more than the recommended percentage of your power to take down that zero-pointer, and what it did to your body afterward. I thought we’d made it very clear that you were to only use no more than 20% of One For All’s power, otherwise the drawback was going to have serious consequences. And sure enough, it did.” Toshinori’s voice held a heavy tone of disappointment, but not so much that he wasn’t at least impressed by the boy’s feat.

”I know. I’m sorry for getting hurt like that.” Izuku apologized, feeling ashamed for making his parents worried for his health and safety.

Prior to the day of the exam, Gran Torino and All Might had warned Izuku about only sticking with 20% of his power to avoid any injuries to his body; even though he was successful in learning to control One For All without breaking his limbs, he was still not ready to use more than the 20% limit. The results of going past his limit were quite obvious in the end.

”If it’s any consolation though, I hadn’t intended on using 100%, it kinda...just happened...” He tried to defend himself, but he felt terrible about it. “I-I’m not trying to make up excuses for my actions or anything, I swear! I’m being honest! When I saw that girl had tripped and fell, something inside of me just snapped. I don’t know, but I felt this overwhelming sense of wanting to protect her, but I guess I got a little bit out of control...”

Toshinori let out a sigh while giving the boy a reassuring smile, knowing that he had meant well. “Izuku, we understand what you’re saying. You did the right thing by saving that girl; that was how you were able to score so many points. We just wished you’d put more thought into your actions before executing them.” He tapped the rim of his glass while gazing at his son.

“Imagine that your body is this glass and One For All is the water in the glass; if the water inside begins to get sloshed around in a fast, tight circle, the glass may not be able to handle the force from the liquid, and if the water continues to move around on the inside, the glass will crack and eventually break.”

Izuku stared at the glass and then at Toshinori, his eyes wide with understanding. “In other words, if you use more power than your body can handle, you won’t be able to withstand it for long, until eventually you’ll break down and crumble from the pressure. This is why we’re only having you start off at 20%. That’s the maximum your body can handle for the time being.”

The mossy teen nodded in understanding, thinking back to when he’d destroyed the zero-pointer with a single punch and how much pain he was in after using 100%; he was unable to even move, let alone try and use the same move again with how much pain he was in. It would be unwise to try using more than 20% if he ever wanted to have any hope of becoming a successful Pro Hero.

Toshinori chuckled. “I wouldn’t stress too much about it, my boy. Once you start training in the hero course, you’ll learn how to maintain your powers and gradually increase how much you can handle; all in due time. For now, let’s focus on celebrating your success!” He exclaimed with a hearty smile, the others laughing along with him. Izuku felt good about making his family proud of him, even if he kinda went against their warnings about overusing his powers. Nevertheless, he couldn’t wait for the first day of his high school career.

’This will be the start of my journey to becoming a hero!’

Spring finally arrived, as did the beginning of the new school year.

Hitoshi is a second-year at U.A. now, with Izuku being a first-year. Although he’d barely managed to get a passing score during his practical exam, thanks to all the training Hitoshi had received from Shouta and with the aid of his own capture weapon, he was successful in managing to earn a spot in the Class 1-B hero course, which is now Class 2-B for him. Izuku would be attending the hero courses Class I-A this year. Izuku was beyond excited to start the new school year with his brother by his side.

”Izuku, umm, your tie is a bit...off?” Hitoshi pointed out with an amused grin, noticing the boy had tied his tie wrong, making it larger than it was supposed to be.

”Oh! Um, haha, I-I guess I did, huh?” Izuku laughed nervously, his cheeks heating up. “I guess I’m just a little bit nervous about today.”

The older of the two smiled and patted his little brother on the head. “You’re gonna be just fine. You know that Papa will be at the school too, right? And now, Dad’s gonna be teaching in the hero course, as well.” Izuku’s eyes sparkled, remembering the man’s words on the acceptance letter. He’d mentioned that he would be teaching the next generation of heroes, so there was the possibility of All Might getting to be one of Izuku’s teachers.

Only time would tell, though.

”Welp. You ready to get going?” Hitoshi beckoned towards the door while slipping on his shoes. Izuku quickly came over to do the same before the brothers walked out of the house and made their way towards the front gate. It felt so nice getting to walk to school by Hitoshi’s side, and not having to part ways after a short while.

They walked past the gates and towards the main building. It feels like it’s been a long time since he’d set foot on campus grounds, and now Izuku was an official student of the top hero academy in all of Japan. The feeling was so surreal, almost unfathomable. They continued making their way through the massive lobby and towards the first flight of stairs, with Hitoshi acting as the guide so Izuku wouldn’t get lost.

“Okay, Zu, your class should be somewhere down this hall. If you need anything or if you have any questions, just let me know, okay?”

Izuku couldn’t help but giggle at his brother. Even after all these years, Hitoshi wasn’t afraid of acting like the older brother to his little brother in front of others.

“I’ll be just fine!” He beamed with a toothy smile. “Take care, Toshi-nii!” Izuku made his way down the hall while the older smiled and headed upstairs to find his own class.

After walking down the hall for a few moments, Izuku finally found his destination: Class 1-A, the top hero course in the school, or any school for that matter.

Izuku swallowed the nervous lump forming in the back of his throat as he stared up at the massive door leading into his new classroom. ‘Only the students with the highest scores of any of the examinees will be here, including the elites. There’s a good chance that Kacchan got in, too.’ Izuku shivered, hoping that that wasn’t the case. It was going to be quite difficult to explain to his best friend how he managed to get into the hero course without a supposed quirk.

”Well, here goes nothing...” He grabs the handle and slides open the massive door, peeking inside to see who all was there when...

”I demand that you remove your shoes from that desk at once! Such an insult to those who’ve been here before us, how could show such disrespect?!” The boy with the glasses who’d called Izuku out shouted at an all-too familiar blond teen who had his feet propped up on his desk.

”Hah! Like I care, four-eyes! I don’t take orders from some elitist extra!!”

Izuku froze where he stood. ‘Kacchan?! He’s here, too?! This isn’t good!’

”So, which school dumped your elitish-looking ass here, extra?!” Katsuki spat out with a sneer. The glasses-wearing boy sputtered out a response. “M-My name is Tenya Iida, I’m from Somei Private Academy! A pleasure to meet you!” Tenya greeted, politely. Katsuki merely scoffed. “Hah! Somei?! You really ARE some elitist extra!!”

Suddenly, Katsuki notices Izuku standing in the doorway and gives him a smirk. “Yo, Deku!” He gets up from his seat and makes his way over to the mossy teen. “Whatcha just standing there for? Get your ass in here, already!”

Izuku tentatively shuffled into the class, not bothering to close the door behind him as he began wringing his hands nervously while looking anywhere but at the blond. “I knew you would be able to pass, Deku! I told you you had nothing to worry about, didn’t I?” Katsuki flashed him a toothy grin, and all Izuku could do was laugh, nervously. “Hehehe, y-yeah. I-I guess you’re right, K-Kacchan.”

”So, did you end up using support gear for the practical? I’m surprised they even let you bring your own gear. But then again, others brought their own equipment so I guess it wouldn’t be THAT strange.” Izuku just laughed and nodded his head, deciding to just go along with his friend.

‘This isn’t good. If Kacchan sees me using my quirk while in class, he’s gonna know I lied to him all this time. What do I do?!’

”Izuku?” He heard someone call his name and looked around the room to see who it was, when his eyes landed on a head of red and white hair and a noticeable scar covering his left eye. A smile pulled against his lips upon seeing the boy sitting in the back of the class.

”Shouto!” Izuku exclaimed, feeling a swell of excitement form in his chest upon seeing the dual-quirk user; it’s been so long since the last time he’d seen Shouto, he was worried that they wouldn’t get to see each other again. But then again, it makes sense that someone with a powerful quirk like his who also happens to be the son of the #2 hero would attend an elite school like U.A.

Shouto smiled softly while making his way over to the boy, not paying any mind to Katsuki who stared in confusion, probably wondering how he knew Izuku, and from where.

”It’s so good to see you again, Izuku.” Shouta replied in a hushed voice. Izuku smiled back at him. “I know, it’s been a long time, huh?”

”So, how did you get into the hero course?” The two-toned teen questioned, and Izuku suddenly felt all the color drain from his face upon realizing that he’d told Shouto that he was Quirkless before.

’Crud! I completely forgot! Shouto has no idea about One For All, just like Kacchan. How am I supposed to explain to both of them how a Quirkless kid got accepted into the hero course?!’

”Uhh hehe, umm funny story, huh. I, uh, well, it’s uhh...” He luckily didn’t get a chance to finish his stammering when yet another familiar face popped in and recognized Izuku.

“Hey! It’s you!”

Izuku looked at the door to see Ochako smiling at him cheerfully. His face lit up, instantly. “It’s you, the nice girl from before! Umm...Uraraka, right?” He blushed while smiling at her. ‘Wow! She looks so cute in that uniform!’

”Yeah, that’s me! Ochako Uraraka, it’s nice to meet you, officially!”

”Haha, thanks! I’m Izuku, Izuku Yagi!” The nervous feeling Izuku was experiencing seemed to fade away, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid Katsuki and Shouto for long; sooner or later, they were going to find out, and when they did...he had no idea how he was going to go about explaining himself!

”So we’re doing orientation and guidance sessions today, huh? I wonder what our homeroom teacher’ll be like? Gosh, I sure am nervous-”

”If you’re here to chit-chat, then this isn’t the place for you.”

Both Izuku and Ochako turned to see a man laying in a yellow sleeping bag on the ground. Izuku thought he looked and sounded familiar, but he wasn't too sure if it was who he thought it was.

”This is the Hero Course, this is not a place for those who aren’t interested in learning.” He then hopped over to the front of the class. “My name is Shouta Yagi, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” As soon as those words left Shouta’s mouth, Izuku couldn’t help himself.

“NO WAY! IT’S PAPA-hmph!”

Izuku quickly covered his mouth before he could finish that sentence, his face becoming so red he thought he would turn into a tomato.

’Oh gosh, what the heck am I doing?! I can't call him Papa at school, he's the teacher! I have to address him as such! The others must think I'm crazy! How embarrassing!!’

Shouta cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention before continuing where he left off. “Anywho, we’ve got a lot to do and little time to get it all done if we just stand around gawking at each other.” Izuku was so taken aback by his father’s apathetic tone, but then again, he is a teacher at U.A., and just because they’re father and son, doesn’t mean Izuku would be treated any differently from the others. Plus, this is probably how the man normally is outside of the home.

”Here.” Shouta reached into his sleeping bag and handed everyone a set of gym clothes. “Get changed into these and head out to the P.E. Grounds.”

Without another word, all 20 students quickly got changed and made their way for the P.E. Grounds. Once they all arrived, Shouta walked up to the front and glanced around at the students with tired eyes. “For your first day here, you’ll be put through a series of 8 physical tests to evaluate your quirks. I call it: The Quirk Apprehension Test.”

Everyone looked at the man in confusion, and it was Ochako who voiced everyone’s thoughts. “W-Wait, hold on! What about orientation? And the guidance sessions?”

”If you want to become heroes, this is the quickest way to use your quirks to gauge your potential.” The man said in a flat voice. “The best thing about U.A.’s freestyle educational system, is the freedom for the teachers to teach their class however they see fit.”

The 1-A students all looked at one another perplexed while Shouta explained the details of his Quirk Apprehension Test.

“All of the physical tests you did in middle school, which includes the softball throw, the standing long jump, the 50-meter dash, endurance running, grip strength, side-to-side stepping, upper-body training and seated toe touch, all of these things are what you’ll be tested on here. But the only difference here is, you’ll all be using your quirks for each test.”

Izuku stiffened up after being told this, feeling like his insides were twisting up in knots. ‘Crap! There’s no way I’ll be able to get out of this one! But, I can’t! Not with-’

”Bakugou. How far could you throw a softball in middle school?” Shouta asked him while tossing him a softball.

“67 meters.” The blond answered in a gruff voice.

”Good. Now, stand in the center of that circle and try throwing the ball with your quirk. I don’t care how you do it so long as you stay within the circle. Give it all you got.”

Unsurprisingly, Katsuki didn’t need to be told twice to give it his all as he threw the ball with an explosive boom following the projectile, leaving behind a massive wave of dust in the wind.

“Holy crap, that was awesome.” A boy with spiky red hair stated. Izuku, on the other hand, felt his stomach sink to his feet.

Shouta held up a speed gun and showed the results of Katsuki’s quirk-enhanced ball throw: 705.2 meters.

”Knowing our limits is the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you’ll become. And that’s what this Quirk Apprehension Test is going to be about.”

Aside from Izuku, the rest of the students were all excited and thrilled to get to use their quirks at school, when before, it was against the rules.

“Sweet! We get to use our quirks for real? Awesome!!”

”705.2 meters?! That’s insane!”

”This is gonna be so much fun!!”

Shouta, unfortunately, was not amused by his students' enthusiasm. “Fun, you say? Awesome, you say?” Then, it felt as though the man had taken on a whole new aura, and it was not pleasant to look at. “You think that training for 3 years to become heroes is going to be ‘fun and awesome’?! Is this some sort of game to you, now?! Alright then, how about this."

Izuku paled upon seeing his father’s gaze, it was almost like looking at a completely different person.

”The student with the lowest score on all 8 tests will be deemed unworthy of becoming a hero, and will be promptly expelled.”

Never in his entire life had Izuku wanted to disappear than in this very moment.

Izuku had to try and steady his breathing as the other students whined and complained about getting kicked out for getting the lowest score, overall.

’What am I going to do?! This isn’t good! If I use my quirk with Kacchan AND Shouto watching, they’ll know I’ve been lying to them! And if I get the lowest score out of everyone here, I’ll be expelled!! Papa can’t be serious. This isn’t fair!!’

”Sensei, it’s only the first day and you’re threatening to expel whoever gets the lowest score?! That’s not fair!!” Ochako voiced Izuku’s thoughts in a whiny voice. Shouta looked like he couldn’t care less about his students distressed expressions. “Natural disasters, rampaging villains, highway crashes and pileups. The world is full of many things that would be considered ‘unfair’. As heroes, we’re the ones who correct all of that unfairness.”

Shouta glanced at Izuku who looked ready to faint, and while he hated causing his little boy so much distress, he was doing this for Izuku's own good. He’ll understand.

”If you were all hoping this would be smooth sailing, then you’ve got the wrong idea about what U.A. is all about. For the next 3 years, you’ll be put through the wringer. That’s Plus Ultra. Give it your all, kids.”

And with that, they all got started on the tests. The 50-meter sprint being the first test, each student raced down the track line, 2 students per round. Unfortunately, even with his ability to increase his speed, Izuku came in dead last. Shouta watched him with stern eyes.

Next was the grip strength test. While Izuku was still apprehensive with using One For All, he was actually able to get a pretty decent score, only coming in second to that of Mezou Shouji.

Then the standing long jump. Again, Izuku was dead last.

Then the side-step test. Same as before.

Then it was time for the ball throw. Ochako had managed to send her ball flying into space with her zero-gravity quirk, earning her the infinity symbol, which didn’t seem possible.

Then, it was Izuku’s turn.

His heart was beating like a drum against his chest, he felt a cold sweat roll down his neck and he felt like he was going to be sick.

”Poor Yagi. He’s not doing so well, huh.”

”So far, he’s got the lowest score out of all of us.”

”How strange. That immense strength he used to take down the zero-pointer during the exam was superb. What’s got him so green around the gills, now?”

"...Why does his last name sound so familiar...? ...Is he related to Sensei? Though they don't look anything alike, maybe they just share the same last name..."

Not even bothering to listen to the others talk, Katsuki stared at Izuku with curious and worried eyes. ‘Deku. What exactly are you planning to do? At this rate, you’re gonna end up getting kicked out. Come on, Deku, I know you’ve got this!’

Izuku took a deep breath in and exhaled while looking straight ahead. ‘I’ll try throwing the ball as far as I can manage. As long as I don’t activate One For All while doing it, it should be okay.’ He readied himself and prepared to throw the ball, but right as he was about to make the throw, something stiff and heavy wrapped around his arm and waist.

With wide eyes, Izuku turned his head and saw that Shouta had used his capturing weapon to stop him; his dark tired eyes glowing red and his wavy black hair flowing upwards. Shouta looked anything but pleased.

”Yagi. Your performance thus far has been pathetic. You may as well leave now if this is the best you can do.” Shouta said in a disappointed tone; ignoring the excited murmurs of some of his students behind him as they recognized him as the underground hero Eraser Head.

Izuku couldn’t help but flinch at his father’s harsh words; he hated seeing the man so angry, and the fact that he was the cause of his anger made him feel even worse.

Taking in the hurt look on his boy's face, Shouta sighed and quickly walked over and stood at an angle in front of the boy so the others wouldn’t be able to tell what he was saying; even going as far as to use his capture weapon to surround them, giving them some privacy. After deactivating his erasure, Shouta’s gaze softened a bit.

”Izuku, I don’t know what you're so afraid of or why you haven’t been utilizing your quirk during these tests, but I really wish you would put some more effort into this.” Though his words held some weight to them, he used the same tone of voice he did when they were back home. Izuku glanced down at the ground as tears of shame threatened to spill from his eyes.

Shouta sighed softly before speaking again. “Does this have something to do with Katsuki?”

He hit the nail right on the coffin judging from the way Izuku lifted his head and stared wide-eyed at him. Placing both hands on the boy’s shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze, Shouta spoke again.

”I know that your father and I told you to never tell anyone about your quirk, but do you remember what I said to do if someone ever asked you about your quirk and how you got it?” Izuku slowly nodded his head. “And what’s that?” Shouta insisted.

”I got it late, from a growth spurt. Like a late bloomer.” His voice sounded so tiny, almost pitiful.

Shouta smiled at him. “That’s right. That’s all you have to say. Should Katsuki ask about your quirk, all you have to tell him is you were late with getting it. Now, I’m going to release you, and when I do, you’re gonna give it another try. And I want you to give it your all.” He gave the boy a soft smile, hoping he didn’t scare Izuku with his threat of expulsion.

Izuku gave a brave smile and nodded. “I will, Sensei.” It felt so strange addressing the man by anything other than Papa, but he’d have to get used to it.

Switching back to his teacher persona, Shouta released Izuku and sauntered back over to his previous spot. ”Alright, Yagi. Give it another go, and don’t keep me waiting.” His voice was back to sounding uncaring and stern, but Izuku knew that his Papa meant well.

Izuku took his stance in the center of the ring, his heart less heavy and his thoughts not as muddled and foggy as before.

‘Papa’s right. I’ve come too far and worked too hard to just throw all of this away. I’ve got to give it my all, I can’t give up!’

With a deep and steady breath, he allowed One For All’s power to flow through him, the familiar tingles from the green sparks dancing to life around his limbs; the familiar pulsing heat building up from deep inside of his core. Those familiar magenta lines appearing over his skin as the warmth from One For All's power intensified.

One For All - 5% - 10% - 15%

With his arm behind him and his grip on the ball firm, Izuku readied himself to throw the ball.

’I got my quirk late. I'm a late bloomer. Just like Papa said. Kacchan will understand, I’m sure of it.’

One For All: Full Cowl - 20%

With the flow of power at the right percentage, Izuku lets out a yell as the ball prepares to leave his hand.

“SMAAAASH!!” And the ball goes flying, the force from the throw leaving behind a wave of energy in its wake. Izuku stood there and stared in amazement; the green sparks still dancing along his skin.

He looked behind him and saw everyone, including Shouta…and Katsuki, all staring at him in shock at what they just saw. Shouta held up the speed gun and displayed Izuku’s results: 705.3 meters.

”Sensei!” Izuku cried out with a smile on his face. He clenched his fist as tears of joy brimmed his eyes. “I did it! I can do this!” He was rewarded with a proud smile from the man.

”Well done, my boy.”

Everyone seemed impressed by Izuku’s quirk, if their reactions were anything to go off of.

”Woohoo! Now THAT’S what I call a heroic record!”

”It’s the same as before during the exam. Such strength!”

”How stylish, if I do say so myself!”

Izuku felt good hearing his classmates praise him and his quirk, but his victory was cut short as soon a he saw the look on Katsuki’s face: he was shocked, confused, but most of all,

He. Was. Livid.

Izuku has seen the boy mad and frustrated before, but never had he seen Katsuki so enraged before, and he knew why that was the case. But he didn’t have time to do anything about it when Shouta called out to everyone.

”Get ready for the next event. We’re far from done.”

With the remaining events, Izuku continued to demonstrate his impressive strength and speed, a vast improvement in comparison to his previous performance. But as good as it felt to finally allow himself to let loose, Izuku could tell that Katsuki was glaring daggers at him.

He was not looking forward to talking to Katsuki after this.

Once the events were over, the 1-A students gathered around their teacher as they all waited anxiously to see their results, especially Izuku.

’The student with the lowest ranking score gets expelled. I did poorly in the first few tests, but I’d managed to get a few decent scores after the ball throw test. Still, there’s no guarantee I’ll be safe from expulsion if my other results are subpar.’

”Oh, by the way, I lied about expelling someone.”

...

...?

Shouta gave a big, goofy grin as he spoke. “It was just a logical ruse meant to bring out the best in all of you.”

”WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”

Izuku, Ochako, and Tenya yelled out in unison, the three of them completely beside themselves with being tricked like that on the first day.

”It was pretty obvious it was a lie. I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out.” A tall girl with long, dark hair tied into a messy ponytail huffed out in disbelief at how gullible some of her classmates were.

”Anyway, that’s it for the Quirk Apprehension Test, we’re done here. Go get changed back into your uniforms and head back to the classroom. Your forms about the curriculum will be on your desks, so look over them, carefully.” And with that, Shouta walked away, leaving his students to look over their results for the Quirk Apprehension Test.

As he walked down the pathway, Shouta spotted someone hiding behind a tree and smiled when he saw that it was his husband in his hero form wearing that gaudy yellow suit. “Hmph, well, someone’s being a bit of a stalker, huh?” Shouta snickered, but Toshinori looked anything but amused.

”Eraser Head, what you did was not funny. Are you trying to give our boy a heart attack on the first day?” There weren’t many things that set the man off, but this was definitely one of those rare things that grinded his gears. Shouta at least had the decency to look ashamed.

”Yeah yeah, I admit I may have gone a little far with my little trick; I hadn’t intended on scaring him, but I also have my reasons for doing so, All Migh-”

”Not to mention, you once expelled an entire class for not having potential, and now all of a sudden, you decide to cut these students some slack?!”

The Erasure Hero sighed while rubbing his temple. “I only said that so they could push their quirks to their limits and give it their all. If I felt that one of them just didn’t have a chance at being a hero, then yes, I would’ve expelled them. But they all did remarkably well, including Izuku, so there’s no need to worry.”

”Still,” All Might wasn’t as upset as before but he was still annoyed with his husband’s cruel trick. “Izuku looked about ready to faint, the poor boy. You’d better apologize to him when we get home.” Shouta gave a soft smile before walking closer to the large man and reaching up to press a kiss to his lips.

“I will.” All Might sighed and shook his head before kissing back. “I swear, you can be a real handful.” This caused the smaller man to choke on a laugh. “Says the overgrown child.” After that, they walked back to the faculty room, hand in hand.

Meanwhile, the 1-A students had just finished looking over their results and were heading to the changing room; Izuku hung back and purposefully walked slowly behind the others.

‘I’d managed to get ranked at #12, but if the threat of expulsion had been real, I would’ve surely been expelled if it hadn’t been for Papa stepping in and encouraging me to push myself harder. I’ve got to stop worrying about what others think and focus on bettering myself so I can become a hero-’

Izuku yelped as he felt someone grab him roughly by the arm. He looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw Katsuki glaring at him.

“I wanna have a word with you. Now.”

Katsuki’s voice dripped with venom before he practically dragged Izuku away from the others and leading them to a secluded spot around the corner. He released his iron grip on Izuku’s arm, the boy rubbed the spot where Katsuki had grabbed him before glancing up tentatively at the ruby-eyed teen.

”So, Deku, how the hell did you suddenly get a quirk, huh?!” Izuku couldn’t help but flinch at the blond’s words. Taking a steady breath, he looked the explosive teen in the eyes and said, “I, uh, I kinda got my quirk out of nowhere. It just, uh, sorta happened overnight. I guess I was a bit of a late bloomer, y’know? Hehehe...” He really hoped that that would be enough for Katsuki and he would somehow believe him.

Unfortunately for Izuku, that was not the case.

Katsuki glared even harder at him, his scowl becoming more prominent. “There are many ways to piss me off, Deku. But if there’s one thing in this world that I absolutely cannot stand, it's a liar. And that’s exactly what you are! A goddamn liar!!" He spat out, making Izuku shrink against the wall as he stared up at the boy in terror. “You’ve pretended to be Quirkless this whole time, and right when you get into U.A. you decide to finally show your true colors?! You think I'm stupid or something, Deku?!”

”N-No, no! Kacchan, that’s not it, at all! Please, I-I swear-!”

”Bullshit!” Katsuki inched closer to the frightened boy till their noses were practically touching. “Even if that were true, why the hell would you keep this from me?! You’ve made a complete fool of me this whole time; lying about being Quirkless so you could be babied by others. You think you’re better than me, Deku?! ‘Cause you’re NOT!!” He barked out, gritting his teeth as he seethed with rage for being lied to and betrayed by his supposed best friend.

”To think that I actually wanted to be friends with you, again. I can’t stand liars, and right now, I can't stand you! I’m gonna make you regret ever crossing me, Deku! You hear me?!” Katsuki shoved him roughly before walking away, muttering angry curses under his breath.

Izuku just stood there against the wall, trembling like a leaf as tears started to leak from his saddened eyes. This wasn’t how he wanted things to turn out. He made a promise to his parents that he’d keep One For All and how he got it a secret from everyone, including Katsuki. And now, he was paying for it.

”Oh, Kacchan...” Izuku slid down to the ground and began sobbing, softly. It took him a long time to finally get his best friend to like him again, and in a matter of seconds, he’d managed to cause Katsuki to hate his guts, all over again.

This was the price he had to pay for being chosen as the successor to All Might, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Chapter Text

By the end of the school day, Izuku was engrossed in his ever-restless thoughts. The conversation between him and Katsuki had left him feeling a multitude of emotions, the majority of which were quite unpleasant and mentally taxing.

He was one of the last ones in the classroom while everyone else had already left for the day; purposefully meandering so he didn’t have to face the world, or rather, so he didn’t have to face Katsuki, again.

As Izuku slowly loaded his backpack with his things, he didn’t notice the figure making their way over to him from behind. It wasn’t until a sudden chilly feeling caused goosebumps to prick his skin that Izuku realized he wasn’t alone.

”Hey, Izuku.” The soft and ever-patient voice of the two-toned teen sent a wave of relief crashing over Izuku frazzled mind as he felt himself relax, even allowing a smile to pull at his lips.

”Oh. Hey, Shouto.” He sighed the name while smiling up at the boy. Not too much has changed about Shouto, appearance-wise; the only real noticeable difference was how much taller he’d gotten, Shouto looked to be as tall as Hitoshi.

”You did really well during the Quirk Apprehension Test, today. That quirk of yours was pretty impressive.” Shouto praised in a hushed voice, that same smile on his face. Izuku didn’t sense any animosity or resentment in his tone or demeanor, but he was certain that the dual-quirk user was at least curious about how someone who was supposedly Quirkless suddenly possessed one.

Izuku felt himself internally shutter at the inevitable future in which Shouto confronted him in the same manner as Katsuki. Maybe not as violently as Katsuki, but the two-toned teen will most definitely be seeking out answers from the mossy teen in the days to come, and he dreaded what the icy teen would do as a result.

”Well, I’ve gotta get going, got some things to take care of at home. It was good seeing you again, Izuku. See you in the morning.” Shouto smiled gently at the boy before walking towards the door and out of the classroom.

Once he was sure Katsuki was gone, since Katsuki was one of the first ones to book it for the door, Izuku made his way down the stairs and out of the main building. Even after the light-hearted conversation with Shouto, it didn’t keep the dark cloud from looming over Izuku’s head.

’I wanted so bad to tell Kacchan the truth in that moment. If he at least knew the reason why I hadn’t told him about my quirk and I didn’t mention being given it by Dad, then at the very least Kacchan would possibly understand and not be as angry. Then again, I doubt that would’ve been enough. He looked so hurt, so angry, so...betrayed. I betrayed his trust. Oh, Kaccha-’

”Yagi!” Izuku jumped at the sudden sound of his name being called, he jumped even more when a firm hand grabbed him on the shoulder. He glanced up and was relieved and kinda surprised to see that it was Tenya who had spoken to him.

”O-Oh! Hey, Iida! I didn’t s-see you there!” He felt embarrassed for being so stuttery and on edge, but he remembered the way Iida had spoken to him in front of the other examinees and how embarrassed he felt afterward. In all honesty, the elite boy made him feel nervous.

”I was impressed with your incredible strength and speed, Yagi. It was exactly the same as your performance during the exam.” Tenya stated while making a chopping motion with his hand, which was a bit humorous to the shorter boy. “Still, Mr. Yagi sure had us fooled with that trick of his! At first, I thought to myself that this was how it was like to be at the top, but...for our own instructor to lie to us like that-”

”Heyy!!” Both boys turn to see Ochako. “Hey guys, wait up!” She quickly ran over to them with a big smile. “You guys heading to the station? I’ll join you!”

”You must be the infinity girl.” Tenya stated rather bluntly, making both Ochako and Izuku stare at him, perplexed. “Wh-Wha?! I’m Ochako Uraraka! And you must be Tenya Iida and, umm...Deku, right?”

Izuku’s eyes grew large with shock. “Huhh?!”

”Oh, umm, that Bakugou guy, he called you Deku, right? It sounds like a mean thing to call someone, but I mean, if it’s your name-”

”No no, I mean, my real name is Izuku, but uhh, Deku is kind of a nickname Kacchan gave me…” He felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. Katsuki used to call him Deku as a way of reminding Izuku of how useless he was being Quirkless and just as a way to be a bully to him, but after they patched things up and became friends again, the name lost its insulting edge and became more of a title of endearment, even though it literally means ‘useless’.

”That seems like a very derogatory thing to call someone. Quite disrespectful, if you ask me!” Tenya seemed more offended by the name than Izuku was, which he found a bit hilarious, but could he really blame the guy?

”Oh, I’m sorry, De-ah I-I mean, Izuku!” Ochako apologized, swiftly. “But you know, the name Deku, it kinda reminds me of the word ‘Dekiru’, which means ‘you can do it’. I really like it! Has a nice ring to it, y’know?”

Izuku’s eyes seemed to sparkle at her rephrasing of the name Deku, and he actually liked her description of its other meaning. “I-I like that, too.” He smiled as they proceeded to walk to the station, but not before someone else called Izuku’s name.

”Izu!” All three of them turned to see someone running over to them. Izuku smiled widely upon seeing his older brother making his way over to them. “Hey, Toshi-nii!” Izuku greeted the older teen who came over and smiled at the younger boy.

”How was your first day, Zu? Hope it wasn’t too stressful.” Hitoshi joked playfully, Izuku laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Nah, not really. Though, uh, Papa is my homeroom teacher now, and he kinda pulled a really mean trick on us..” Izuku was so caught up in his conversation with his brother that he’d completely forgotten that they weren’t alone.

”O-Oh, umm,” He turned to face his friends who looked at him in confusion. “Uraraka, Iida, this is Hitoshi. He’s my older brother. Toshi-nii, these are my new friends.” The indigo-haired teen smiled at Izuku’s friends and held up his hand. “I’m Hitoshi Yagi. It’s nice to meet you guys.” He then brought his attention back to Izuku. “I was gonna see if you wanted to walk home together, but I see you already have company.” He chuckled before ruffling the boy’s green curls.

”See you back home, Izu.” Hitoshi walked past the 3 Class 1-A students and made his way down the sidewalk towards their house.

”I didn’t know you had an older brother, Deku! That’s so cool, you guys go to the same school!” Ochako exclaimed excitedly. Tenya nodded with a calm grin. “Indeed. Having two siblings attending the same school and aspiring to be heroes is quite admirable. Which reminds me,” Tenya turned and looked at Izuku. “Is it true that All Might and the underground Pro Hero Eraser Head are your parents?”

Izuku was stunned at the straightforward question, but he also wasn’t surprised to find out that his fellow classmates were most likely aware if. “The reason I asked was because, well, I’ll be honest, the first time I saw you at the exam grounds I thought you looked familiar, and when I did some research that’s when I remembered where I saw you from. I apologize if I was being too invasive.” Tenya adjusted his glass, hoping he didn’t come off as being intrusive or overbearing.

Izuku nodded with a sheepish grin. “Y-Yeah, it’s true.”

Ochako looked like a kid in a candy store, her eyes glittering with glee. “No way! All Might is your dad?! And our homeroom teacher, too?! That’s so awesome, Deku!” Izuku felt himself relaxing and gave his friends a smile. “Yeah, it is.”

They continued on their way down the sidewalk before Izuku informed them that his house was actually not far from the school, and so they parted ways once they reached the street leading to the Yagi residence.

Even with his heart heavy with sadness and guilt, Izuku felt a small sliver of happiness from making such great friends.

Later that evening, Izuku and Hitoshi were both busy with going over their new school schedules when the hero duo returned home after a long day of going over the new curriculum for the school year. Shouta asked both boys how their first day was, while also apologizing to Izuku for his lying about expelling someone, his voice filled with genuine sincerity. Izuku assured him that he wasn’t upset about it anymore, and that he understood why the man did what he did.

Afterward, when the four of them are sitting at the dining table enjoying some dinner, Shouta both couldn’t help but notice how Izuku seemed to be out of it; the upset look on his face ever-present.

”Izuku?” Shouta asked with worry.

The boy looked up, his face unreadable. “Yeah?”

”Is something wrong, son? You’ve barely touched your food.” He motioned with his eyes at the meal in front of Izuku, which was starting to get cold.

Izuku gazed at the table and then back to his Papa, his eyes glassy. “Oh, uh, n-no. No, nothings wrong, really. I-I’m fine.” He tried to sound convincing, but the shakiness of his voice said otherwise.

”Rough first day of school, my boy?” Toshinori interjected himself, wanting to know what’s gotten the boy looking so down.

Izuku shook his head and made an attempt at pulling off a half-hearted smile on his face; he didn’t want his parents to find out how Katsuki had spoken to him and practically threatened him after homeroom. It was bad enough that he’d basically ruined their friendship, he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire by placing a hit on Katsuki with his dads and older brother out for blood.

”No, really guys. I’m fine! Just a little tired, is all. It’s nothing serious, I promise.” After a few moments of tense silence, Izuku looks to both men and asks in a hushed voice, “May I be excused?”

The two men shared a look before Shouta nodded his head, still concerned for the boy. “You want me to wrap your food up in case you get hungry later?” Izuku replied with a simple ‘yeah’ before making his way upstairs and towards his room.

Throwing himself on the bed, Izuku rolled onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was feeling several different emotions at once, but all of them were making the clutching feeling in his heart feel worse.

The sudden knocking on his door caused Izuku to jolt upward before a voice called out asking to come in. “Come in!”

In came walking Hitoshi who had a troubled and worried look on his face. “Hey, Zu. You doing okay?” He asked while taking a seat on the edge of the bed; his brows furrowed with concern.

Izuku sat with his legs criss-crossed and his back hunched. ”Yeah, Toshi-nii, I’m fine.”

Hitoshi looked unconvinced. “You sure? You’ve been really quiet and withdrawn since you came home. I would’ve expected you to be chattering a mile a minute about how awesome it was to be in an actual U.A. classroom. And plus, Papa’s your homeroom teacher. That right there is exciting on its own.” He turned his body so he was facing the younger teen a bit more.

”Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? If there’s something that’s bothering you, you can always talk to me. Did something happen at school?” He tried to keep his voice leveled and calm, not wanting to sound too overprotective. But he couldn’t help it, especially when it came to Izuku.

Izuku sighed and gave him a soft smile. “I promise it’s nothing, Toshi-nii. I’m just really tired from the first day. Papa’s little trick kinda put a lot of strain on me, as did the others. I promise you that I’m okay.” He waited for Hitoshi to respond, feeling a sheet of cold sweat covering his body hoping the older teen would just take the hint and leave the younger boy alone about it.

Finally, Hitoshi nodded his head and smiled at the boy. “Alright, Izuku. I’ll take your word for it.” He stood up and went to leave, but not before turning and looking at the boy with a reassuring smile. “If you need anything, even if it’s just to vent or to get your feelings off of your chest, you know where to find me.” Izuku beamed at his brother and nodded as he watched Hitoshi leave his room while closing his door gently behind him.

Izuku proceeded to flop back down onto his pillows, burying his face into the plush cushioning. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally exhausted as opposed to being physically exhausted. Not bothering to turn his bedroom light off, Izuku snuggled further into the pillows and ended up falling asleep like that.

Today was just the start. Tomorrow, the real challenge would begin.

The next day began with the students start the school day off with normal classes, such as English and Math. When it came time for lunch, the students were provided with top-of-the-line food for dirt cheap, courtesy of the cook hero: Lunch Rush. Izuku was quite fond of him, having met him a couple of times as a kid.

Then it was time. Afternoon class had finally arrived, and Izuku was nothing short of ecstatic to get to see his father in action as a teacher at U.A.

”SALUTATIONS, STUDENTS!!” All Might’s booming voice rings out as he proceeded to make his grand entrance into the 1-A classroom. “I HAVE...entered the classroom, like a normal person!”

Izuku smiled from ear to ear. ‘It's Dad! He's here!!’

All Might practically skipped to the front of the class while wearing his silver age hero costume. Most of the students, including Izuku, were all staring in awe as they saw the Symbol of Peace himself waltz into their classroom.

”It’s actually All Might!”

”He’s really gonna be teaching us? This is so exciting!!”

”He’s such a stark contrast to the rest of us.”

All Might froze in place in front of the podium with his body twisted in an awkward pose like he was in the process of doing some sort of dance move.

”Welcome to Hero Basic Training! This class will be putting you through all sorts of special and unique training to help mold you into model heroes!” He then reached for something behind him and while standing in a triumphant pose, held up a flash card with the word ‘BATTLE’ written on the front in English letters. “There’s no time for dilly-dallying! Today’s activity will be Battle Training!!”

Everyone in the room looked excited to finally get to do practical training to become heroes. Izuku, however, was mostly nervous, but he too felt a buzz of excitement with getting to finally start some actual hero training.

”And, of course, what better way to start your training than to do it...in these!!” All Might pressed a button on a remote control, which resulted in the wall on the students’ left side pulling apart, only to reveal several panels sliding out. The students, including Izuku and Katsuki, stared in amazement as numbered cases were revealed.

”In accordance with the Quirk Registry and the Special Request Forms you all filled out and submitted prior to being admitted, you all get your very own hero costumes!!”

The whole class cheered with excitement.

“Yeaahh! Our own hero costumes!!” A redheaded boy by the name of Kirishima exclaimed while pumping his fist in the air. The rest of the class were just as ecstatic.

Students are required to fill out a Quirk Registry and Bodily Specification Form prior to starting school. Then, a support company affiliated with U.A. prepares costumes for all the students. Students attach request forms, and their specifications are then transformed into efficient, cutting-edge costumes.

As Izuku quickly got changed, he felt himself smiling as he recalled back when he’d first seen the precursor to his new costume...

3 Weeks Earlier...

”You got accepted into U.A.? That’s wonderful, Izuku dear! Congrats!” Granny Nori congratulated the boy with a proud smile while taking a sip of her tea.

Izuku blushed at the woman’s praise while he smiled at her. “Thank you, Granny. It really means a lot to me.”

”I wasn’t too sure what your quirk was, but I suppose that’s none of my business.” >Granny Nori mused. “Whatever extraordinary power you have, deary, I’m sure you’ll use it to be an outstanding hero, some day.” She assured in a sincere tone, which helped to put Izuku’s mind at ease when he was afraid she would nag him to explain his quirk.

”So, have you got everything you need for the first day?” She inquired, her voice laced with curiosity.

Izuku set his teacup down and pondered for a moment. “I think so...oh, well, there IS one thing I’d forgotten to do!”

Granny Nori stared at him, wondering what the boy could’ve possibly forgotten to do. “I still haven’t gotten my Hero Costume Specification Form turned in, but I guess I kinda forgot, haha.” He laughed nervously, having just stopped himself from revealing to the woman that he used to be Quirkless.

Luckily for Izuku, despite having been registered by City Hall as Quirkless, Toshinori informed him that he could update his registry a couple more times. He explained that since kids get quirks that end up evolving or changing overtime, they’re allowed to update their registries to match their current quirk status. The same applies for someone like Izuku who was deemed Quirkless at first, but then somehow ended up getting a quirk.

”Oh! Oh dear, that reminds me!!” Granny Nori quickly got up from her spot on the sofa and made her way down the hall towards one of the rooms. “Dear, oh dear, I swear I feel like I’m getting more senile with each passing day. It’s ridiculous, I tell you!”

Chuckling softly, Izuku decided to check and see what’s gotten her so worked up. He peeked inside the room to see Granny Nori rummaging through various boxes and storage bins strewn around what appeared to be an extra guest room. “Um, Granny Nori, I don’t mean to speculate, but perhaps your tendency to forget certain things could possibly be an after-effect from your quirk.” He stated, sheepishly. “I mean, it’s just a guess, but your ability to peer into another person’s memories could possibly result in your own memory being a bit...scrambled?”

Granny Nori stopped what she was doing and looked over at the teen before a string of jovial laughter sounded out in the room. “Well, my boy, you sure do know a thing or two about quirks, don’tcha?” She smiled at him with a hint of pride. “Inko would be so proud of you if she were here today.” She reminisced with a thoughtful expression before returning to her task, which didn’t take long before she found what she was looking for with an audible, “Aha!”

With Izuku’s aid of getting her off the floor, she held up what appeared to be some sort of jumpsuit that appeared to be way too small for someone his age. “Here it is! This is for you, dear!” Izuku didn’t know what to make of it at first. Granny Nori understood his confusion and began to explain.

”This was one of the outfits your mother had made for you while she was pregnant with you, though she never got the chance to dress you in it. It was one of the few things I'd managed to save from the wreckage after the fire.” She smiled softly at the lovingly-made article of clothing.

“I had meant to give this to you along with the photo the last time you were here, but it’s as you said, my quirk may be why I’m so forgetful, hahaha!” Granny Nori handed the suit to Izuku, who looked at it carefully while rubbing his thumb gently over the green fabric.

He felt tears brimming in the corners of his eyes, he smiled down at the outfit his late mother had put so much effort into making. Even if it were made for when he was much younger, and despite it not being anything too flashy or gaudy, it was the thought that counted most.

The costume symbolized the love his mother felt for him, and he planned on using it for his costume.

”Thank you so much, Granny. I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

”After you’ve changed, come out in ranking order at Ground Beta!!”

”Yes, sir!!” And with that, all 20 students got ready and changed into their brand new hero costumes.

”Looking good as a hero is just as important as acting as a hero!” All Might proclaimed while he waited for his students to arrive. “Look alive, everyone!! Because from this day forward...”

Like an army of highly-enthused and confident recruits, Class 1-A walked through the entrance to Ground Beta wearing their hero costumes.

”You’re all Heroes!!!”

All Might flashed his students, especially Izuku who stood in the crowd with a proud grin, his trademark hero smile. “Now then, my wards, shall we get started?”

Everyone gathered around and waited for All Might to proceed with their battle trial instructions. “Oh, Deku! Is that your costume? It looks really cool!” Uraraka complimented Izuku on the hero costume his mother had made him.

He’d sent in the handmade costume to the support company explaining how he wanted to keep the design of the costume relatively the same with a few minor adjustments. This resulted in Izuku’s costume coming with the addition of a mask with a respirator over his mouth, and a red belt, black elbow and knee pads and white gloves; his beloved red boots completing the look.

What seemed to stand out most about Izuku’s costume was the fact the a pair of what one could only assume to be bunny ears stood up on top of his head but was actually meant to resemble All Might’s trademark hairstyle, and his respirator had some strange design on it, but was meant to resemble All Might’s trademark smile.

”T-Thanks, Uraraka! Umm, your costume looks really n-nice, too!” He stuttered while he stared at her rather form-fitting suit. “Haha, I guess I should’ve been more specific with my costume design, huh? It feels so puffy and curvy. How embarrassing!”

All Might was about to go on with explaining how the exercise would go when he caught a glimpse of Izuku’s costume, and the not-too-subtle comparison the boy’s costume had to All Might’s style. He felt a blush forming on his face as he tried to muffle his laughter. ‘My boy! As flattered as I am that you made me your inspiration for your costume, did you REALLY have to make it so obvious?! Though I’ve gotta admit, it’s rather cute!’

”Sensei! These grounds look rather similar to the one used during our practical entrance exam! Does this mean we’ll be doing another cityscape exercise?” Izuku stared at the student dressed in a rather shiny, full-body suit with a helmet before he realized it was Tenya. ‘Whoa! Iida’s costume looks sooo cool!’

”Nope! Today, you’ll be moving on to step 2: Indoor Anti-Personnel Battle Training!!” The man declared, proudly. “The most common types of villain attacks occur outdoors. However, the more heinous and deadly villains are more likely to appear indoors!”

As All Might explained why villains may feel compelled to cause trouble indoors, Izuku could feel Katsuki glaring at him, making him feel antsy.

”Now then, you’ll be splitting into Villain teams and Hero teams, and you’ll be facing off in two-on-two indoor battles!!” Everyone expressed the same shocked reaction when a girl who had an uncanny resemblance to a frog spoke up for them. “So, no practical training, then? Ribbit.” All Might was quick to respond.

”Practical experience is all I need to teach you the basics!!" All Might went on to explain, while reading off of some sort of script, how the villain team would be hiding a nuclear weapon in a hideout and the heroes would have to either capture the villains or the weapon, while the villains would have to either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until time runs out.

He then proceeded to explain how he would draw lots to decide the hero and villain teams and then draw lots to decide which hero teams would face off against the villain teams. He drew the lots and the following teams were formed:

Team A - Izuku Yagi and Ochako Uraraka

Team B - Shouto Todoroki and Mezou Shouji

Team C - Momo Yaoyorozu and Minoru Mineta

Team D - Katsuki Bakugou and Tenya Iida

Team E - Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido

Team F - Rikidou Satou and Kouji Kouta

Team G - Denki Kaminari and Kyouka Jirou

Team H - Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui

Team I - Mashirao Ojiro and Tooru Hagakure

Team J - Eijirou Kirishima and Hanta Sero

”Awesome! We’re on the same team!!” Uraraka exclaimed cheerfully, while Izuku smiled happily. “Yeah!”

”Now that the teams have been formed, we’re moving on to the next stage...!” All Might stuck both hands into 2 boxes, one with the word ‘Hero’ on it and the other with the word ‘Villain’ on it. He pulled out 2 balls with the letters of the corresponding team letters on them, deciding which teams would go first.

”The Hero Team will be Team A, and the Villain Team will be Team D!!”

Izuku’s entire body jolted, realizing he would be facing off against...

”Kacchan...”

”Alright! The Villain Team will go in first! The timer will start in 5 minutes when the Hero Team infiltrates the hideout. The rest of us will observe vis CCTV in the monitor room. Iida! Bakugou! The two of you need to adopt a villain mind-set! This is a practical, so go all out, and don’t hold back! But, I will intervene if things get out of hand.”

The Villain Team made their way into the building where the nuclear weapon was located. Iida prepared himself by trying to get into the villain role. “Practical or not, I very much detest having to act as a villain...”

Meanwhile, Katsuki wasn’t thinking about the practical, but rather, about giving Izuku a piece of his mind for lying to him. His face was twisted in an enraged, hate-filled scowl as he thought of all the ways he would make the mossy teen pay for making a fool of him.

’That little asshole’s been punking me this whole time! I’ll make you pay for this, Deku!!’

Outside, Izuku and Ochako were busy studying the blueprints for the layout of the building. Izuku was trying his best to not let his nerves get to him and to focus on the battle trial exercise, but his fear of having to face Katsuki was causing his anxiety to skyrocket, and the fact the blond teen was acting as a villain in this scenario made it even worse.

”Deku?” Ochako said, her voice sounding worried for her partner. “You okay? You seem nervous.”

Izuku shook his head to try and clear his thoughts while flashing her a smile. “I’m okay, just a bit worried...about facing Kacchan...” He turned his head averting her gaze. “...We’d better...be on guard...”

Ochako tilted her head in confusion before responding. “Deku...did Bakugou bully you?”

She noticed the way his body twitched. He looked back at her. “Yeah...kinda. But that was back when we were kids. We’ve patched things up soon after that and became close friends, again...or at least...we did, before I screwed it all up...” Ochako didn’t have time to question him on what that last statement meant before Izuku stood tall.

”He may be better than me in every way possible, but that doesn’t mean I won’t put up a fight. I’m gonna do my best, to not lose to him!” Ochako gave a curt nod while grinning. “Yeah! We’re a team, Deku! We can do this!”

They waited for the trial to start, with Izuku clenching his fists. ‘Kacchan. I know you’re angry with me right now, and you probably want nothing to do with me, anymore. But you and I share the same goal: to become the best heroes we can be! I won’t lose to you!’

And with that, the Battle Trial begins!

Chapter Text

All Might and the rest of the Class 1-A students watched the monitors to observe the first teams’ Battle Trial run, with All Might holding a clipboard and pencil so he could grade the students’ progress.

”Watch closely, everyone! Try to learn from this exercise and take note of how the heroes and villains conduct themselves.” All Might stared at the screen with attentiveness as he watched Izuku and Ochako carefully enter the building.

’My son. Even though I am your father, I am also your teacher. There’s no favoritism when it comes to your grades, and I have to treat you the same as the others. Surely, you’ll understand.’

”Alright, we made it in.” Ochako looked around the narrow halls. “There’s quite a few blind spots, so we’d best be cautious.”

They walked down the small hallway with Izuku taking the lead and checking to see if the coast was clear while Ochako followed close behind and checked the rear.

’I have a pretty good hold on One For All, even at 20%. But when it comes to Kacchan and his explosion quirk, I have a feeling I’ll be outmatched; not to mention, this narrow space will make it difficult to keep damage to a minimum.’

He looked around the corner to check the hall, and once he was sure it was safe to proceed, they continued down the hall. ‘I’ve gotta remember my notes from my notebook: scope out my surroundings when indoors, in tight and narrow spaces, in general.’

As Izuku rounded the corner, he was met with a sneak attack when Katsuki suddenly leaped out and went to attack him with an explosion.

“WAAAAAHHH!!!!”

Izuku was barely able to dodge the attack while pushing Ochako out of the way; part of his mask becoming destroyed, partially exposing his face.

”He managed to graze me! Uraraka, are you okay?!”

Ochako nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks!”

Izuku watched Katsuki with wary eyes. “He was sure to come straight for me. I knew it!”

Katsuki regained his stance and shot Izuku a snarling glare, his mouth twisted in a menacing sneer. “Nice dodging, Deku, but don’t think it’ll be enough to save you!”

Meanwhile, back in the basement monitor room, the others watched in complete shock at Katsuki’s rather erratic display.

”That was a low move to make, even for Bakugou! A sneak attack, like that?! So unmanly!”

”Yeah, but Curly-Green sure can dodge!”

Katsuki didn’t waste anytime as he ran at top speed, ready to land a punch on the boy. “Don’t worry, Deku! I’ll make sure to only mess you up enough so you can still walk-!!” But he never got the chance to land the attack, as Izuku grabbed hold of Katsuki's arm and repositioned himself. With almost inhuman strength, the familiar green sparks jumping to life, he threw the blond over him and slammed him down onto the ground, successfully countering his right hook.

”Nice one, Deku!” Ochako cheered.

Katsuki gasped and groaned while he stared in astonishment at Izuku. “Kacchan...you always start with a right hook. I’ve seen it plenty of times while we trained as kids.” Izuku’s voice was heavy with emotional strain, but he refused to waver. “I’ve been analyzing heroes all my life, and writing down notes on them. Heroes I thought were awesome! And Kacchan...” He shot Katsuki a determined glare, his eyes glassy with angry tears as the glowing magenta patterns formed around his face and body.

“You’re one of those people who I thought was awesome, and I STILL think you are!!”

Katsuki was fuming. Even if it weren’t for his quirk, someone would probably be able to see steam coming from his head with how enraged he was.

”You spout crap like that...with that smug look on your face...? Thinking that you’re better than me! IT PISSES ME OFF, DEKU!!!!!”

Tenya, feeling frustrated with Katsuki for running off on his own without a clear-cut plan, tries to radio him in with his micro transceiver.

((Bakugou! Come in, Bakugou! Update me on the situation! What’s happening, down there?))

He had to brace himself for Katsuki’s bellowing voice responding to him. ((JUST SHUT UP AND KEEP WATCH OF THE DAMN WEAPON!! I’LL HANDLE THIS, MYSELF!!!)) Tenya didn’t get a chance to warn his partner to not let his emotions get the better of him before Katsuki cut off his transceiver, severing any communication between the two.

”Hey, how come we can’t hear anything? These cameras don’t have any sound to them.” Kirishima asked curiously, sounding worried about what was going on on the screen.

“They’re using micro transceivers given to them as a way to communicate with each other, along with the building blueprints and...” All Might held up a roll of white tape. “Capture tape! Using this to tie up the opponent is proof of capture during these trials!”

The students nodded in understanding. “So, they only have 15 minutes, but the heroes don’t know where the weapon is?” Ashido asked. “That’s right!”

”Jeez. The heroes are at a great disadvantage, huh.”

”Worry not! It’s just as Eraser Head said. Together, everyone.”

He yelled out ‘Plus ULTRA!!!’ with everyone else following suit. But even with his attempts at encouraging his students, even All Might couldn’t help but to worry, especially when he sees Katsuki lung forward, attempting to land a kick right at Izuku.

”Uraraka! Run on ahead!” He shouted before taking the hit; Ochako shooting him a worried look before quickly making her way down the hall.

“Worry about yourself, Deku-!”

Katsuki watched with wide eyes and then realized what Izuku had planned: he took the hit on purpose so he was within range to tie him up with the capture tape. But he wasn’t going down that easily.

”Damn you!!” He lunges another right hook at Izuku’s head, the green-haired teen just barely managing to dodge out of the way. He’d activated One For All at only 5%, enough to give Izuku a boost of speed for him to move out of the way.

Izuku got up and quickly regained his posture, his teeth gritting as more green sparks danced around him. ’If I act fast, I can pin Kacchan down using about 10% of One For All’s power, but with such a small space to do it in-’

”WHAT ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE FOR, DEKU?!” Katsuki ran in with intense speed and proceeded to land an explosive attack on him, only for Izuku to dodge again. Katsuki wasn’t letting up and neither was Izuku; the blond was relentless with his attacks, which made it difficult for the mossy teen to plan out his next move.

’Damnit. Kacchan isn’t giving me any breathing room, here. I can’t just keep dodging his moves, I’ve got to try and subdue him. But that’s gonna be nearly impossible with him coming at me, like this!’ Izuku stood up straight, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest and his breathing becoming uneven. His whole body was trembling but he wasn’t going to give up just yet. Izuku tried to concentrate the flow of his power and increase the percentage...but there was a problem.

”W-Wha-?!” Izuku glanced at his hands and his eyes grew wide when he saw the sparks becoming increasingly erratic, and Izuku was unable to increase One For All to 20%. In fact, it seemed as though it wasn’t responding to its host.

”My quirk! I-I can’t-!”

Izuku didn’t even get to finish his sentence when suddenly, an explosion erupted in the small space, sending Izuku flying until he hit his back against the hard metal walls.

“If you’re not gonna use that quirk of yours to fight me, then I’ll just take you down, right here!!” Another explosion was released, but before it could hit its target, Izuku quickly jumped out of the way and proceeded to run down the halls to create some distance between them. This made Katsuki very angry.

”GET BACK HERE, DEKU!!”

Izuku ran and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, all the while the sparks were getting more out of control. ‘What’s going on?! I can’t get One For All to 20%, like I usually do! It’s like I’ve completely lost control of it, or I can’t maintain the flow of power, correctly! But, why?!’

Izuku was far too panicked to notice what was happening to him. Just like during the exam when he and the other examinees were running away from the zero-pointer, the sparks around Izuku’s body began to become unstable and erratic; causing small cuts to appear all over his body. Those same cuts began forming all over Izuku’s arms, legs and torso, as if his body were wrapped in piano wire. The magenta veins became thicker and looked more agitated with pulsing energy.

”Stop running, you coward!! Get back here and face me!!” Katsuki yelled out while he followed the panicking boy. Izuku hid behind a corner and tried to get his breathing under control, but the overwhelming fear and anxiety he was feeling wasn’t helping with that or the unstable green sparks.

“What’s wrong, Deku? Too afraid to face me now that I know about that flashy quirk of yours?!” Katsuki’s voice was becoming more taunting than angry, but the anger was still prominent in his tone. “Did you have fun tricking me this whole time, Deku?! I bet you got a real kick in hiding this quirk from me!! You’ve played me for a fool all this time, well guess what?”

Katsuki slammed his fist hard against the wall, causing the walls to echo and reverberate the sound off of each other. A big crater had been left where the blond slammed his fist into the wall as he continued his search for the scared boy. “I’m gonna show you which of us has the ultimate quirk, and I’ll show you what happens to liars like you!!!”

Izuku took a few deep breaths as he tried his best to calm down; Katsuki’s hurtful words were most definitely not helping.

’He came right at me when we first started, he completely ignored Uraraka. He’s made it very clear he’s got a bone to pick with me. He’s not even listening to Iida at this point, there’s no teamwork between those two. This is purely Kacchan rampaging on his own.’

His calming breaths were dong wonders to ease the erratic sparks, but they were still causing small, shallow cuts to form on his skin, not that Izuku noticed or even cared. ‘Uraraka went on ahead of me, so this will give me a chance to take Kacchan on one-on-one. If she can locate the weapon and give me an idea of where she is, we might have a chance at winning this. That is...if I can actually beat Kacchan in my current state.’

Ochako had successfully located the weapon and Tenya, who was guarding it.

’All I’ve gotta do is wait for Deku. In the meantime...’ She watched with amusement as Iida monologued to himself in a somewhat dramatic villain’s voice. Unfortunately, Ochako began to sputter with giggles at watching Iida take his villain role far too seriously, but in a humorous way.

”Huh?” Tenya looked to see who was there, and spotted Ochako behind one of the pillars.

“Oh uh, haha.” She laughed nervously upon being caught.

”So, you’ve arrived, Uraraka?” Tenya stood tall. “Well, unfortunately for you, I’m well aware of what your quirk is capable of: the ability to affect the gravity in people and objects by making them float. Luckily, I’ve prepared for your arrival!! BEHOLD!!” He spun around at the space around him. “I’ve cleared out any objects on the floor, affectively snuffing any chance for you to attack me!! You’re powers are useless against me, Hero!! BWAHAHAHA!!!”

Ochako wasn’t sure whether to feel embarrassed or afraid of Tenya. “Oh, man. He’s really taking this seriously.”

((Deku. We’ve gotta problem.))

Izuku heard Ochako call in from her transceiver. “What’s wrong, Uraraka?”

((Iida spotted me, sorry. I’m trying to inch away from him, buuut...))

”Where in the building are you?” Izuku got up and checked around him for any signs of Katsuki. “5th floor? Okay, you’re right above me. Just hang tight, I’m gonna try to get as close to you as I ca-”

”There you are!!”

Izuku flinched as soon as he heard Katsuki call out to him; his face was twisted in a manic smile, making him look like a true villain. No. It was more like looking at a wild animal that was out to kill. Like he was out to kill. It was actually scaring Izuku to no end.

”Since you’ve apparently been stalking me and my quirk for all these years, you must have a pretty good idea of how it works. I secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from the palms of my hands and make it blow up. These gauntlets aren’t just for show. They fill up with the fluid overtime, until the right moment...” Katsuki went to pull the pin on his grenade gauntlet, and Izuku became horrified when he realized what was about to happen.

All Might stared in horror, the realization having dawned on him as well as he quickly tried to intervene. ((Bakugou! Stop, at once! You’re gonna kill him!))

Katsuki didn’t listen, the manic smirk on his face making it quite apparent of his intentions. “Relax! He won’t die if it doesn’t hit him, directly!!” He then pulls the pin and detonates the explosion from his gauntlet, and with no room to escape or dodge and with his quirk being unresponsive, all Izuku can do is brace himself.

The explosion destroys a large portion of the building, the ground shakes and vibrates from the shock wave of the blast.

”What the hell?! Isn’t this supposed to be just practice?! He’s taking this way too far!!”

Meanwhile, Tenya was stunned for a moment by the blast as he staggered back a bit; Ochako wasn’t fairing much better. “Wh-What in the world is Bakugou doing down there?!” While Iida was distracted, Ochako took the opportunity to quickly go for the weapon by making herself float, but to no avail as Tenya used his quirk to run toward the weapon and sweep it away to another area of the room. Ochako collapsed on the ground in the previous spot where the weapon just was.

”Bwahaha! You’ll have to do better than that to get this out from under me, Uraraka!!”

She gritted her teeth in frustration. “Deku...I’m counting on you...!”

”No way...they actually let him have something like that for his costume?!” Izuku had managed to barely get out of the way of the explosion unscaved, but not without what was left of his mask and part of his sleeve getting blown off.

Back in the monitor room, the rest of Class 1-A watched in horrified astonishment as they witnessed the blond use such a dangerous and reckless attack on the mossy teen in such a small space. They didn't like where thevsituation was headed.

”All Might, shouldn’t you stop them? This looks pretty bad!” Kirishima insisted.

All Might didn’t want to stop the battle just yet, however...

((Bakugou. If you use a move like that again, I will end the match, immediately, and the Villain Team will automatically lose.)) Katsuki growled in frustration before turning his attention back to Izuku.

Izuku radioed in to his partner to get an idea of her location. "You’re by the pillar near the window? Okay, got it! Wait for my signal, Uraraka-"

”YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME, DEKU!!!” Katsuki came right after Izuku by using his explosions to propel himself closer to the startled boy at neck-breaking speed.

Izuku’s eyes grew wide with fear, he didn’t know what to do with his quirk acting like it was. ’This isn’t good! I can’t dodge! I’ve gotta counter his move, just have to time it right!’

”Now!!” Izuku went to grab the blond, ignoring the way his green sparks were becoming erratic and frenzied again, but wasn’t able to counter as Katsuki changed tacks and redirected himself behind Izuku, followed by another explosion right at his back.

”GAAHH!!” The boy cried out in pain, but Katsuki wasn’t done with him. “Too slow, Deku! Here, your favorite move...an explosive Right Hook!!”

Katsuki slammed into the boy’s right arm, a sickening crack following soon after. Izuku released a gut-wrenching scream as the impact sent a shockwave of pain up to his brain and back down to his arm again. It didn’t stop Katsuki from grabbing hold of his broken arm and spinning them around before he threw him hard onto the ground on his back.

”AAAHH! Ack...GYAAAHH!!”

Izuku writhed on the ground while cradling his broken arm; tears of pain trickled down his face. Even if he weren’t hurt, it wouldn’t do him any good; his quirk was still unresponsive to him and the sparks seemed to only grow more unstable. It was almost as if they were sentient.

Izuku could barely concentrate on anything due to the intense pain. And from the way he was sneering at him, Katsuki was far from being finished.

”Jeez! What is Bakugou’s problem!?”

”He’s taking this training exercise way too far! We're not actually supposed to hurt each other!”

”I agree. Sure, he’s supposed to take on the role of a villain, but still. If he keeps this up, he'll end up doing some serious damage.”

”Izuku. Please, don’t let Bakugou beat you like this. You can do it, I know you can.”

”Poor Yagi. He’s not getting a chance to use his quirk, at all. I hope he’ll be okay.”

”Guys, look! I think something's wrong with Yagi’s quirk. It looks like it’s acting up!”

All Might took note of the student’s observation and looked to see what was wrong, and sure enough, he saw it. The sparks were becoming increasingly more jumpy and unstable; the cuts becoming deeper and more visibly prominent, the deep pink veins were pulsing rapidly like they were in sync with his heartbeat. While it was unsettling seeing the boy’s quirk doing this to him, what really upset All Might was seeing Katsuki pounding his boy into the ground and treating him like a slab of meat.

”All Might! You need to do something!! He’s gonna end up killing Yagi if you don’t stop this!!” Kirishima exclaimed at the man.

”No!” All Might retorted back. He didn’t want to end the exercise too soon. He wanted to give Izuku a chance to try and turn the tides on his own. ‘I don’t want to step in and end the battle, right away. I have to give him a chance. But still...I can’t stand to see Izuku get hurt like this! And the things young Bakugou's saying...’

Although the students were unable to hear what was being said, All Might was able to hear. He could hear everything that Katsuki was saying. So far, he wasn’t liking what he was hearing, but it wasn’t just the volatile things the blond was saying, but rather the context behind his angry words that were making All Might feel uneasy.

’Young Bakugou...I should’ve known better. You’re no fool, my boy. I had instructed Izuku to keep One For All and its origins a secret from others, including you. It was to protect him and our shared quirk...but I should’ve known better than to assume you would be fooled. My carelessness and my fear of the truth getting out has caused so much strain between the both of you.’ All Might cringed at his own stupidity and selfishness.

’My boy. Forgive me. It’s my fault that you’re hurting so much. I forced you to keep One For All a secret from Bakugou in order to protect you, and you’re the one suffering because of it!’

”GET UP, DEKU!!!”

Katsuki swiftly kicked the boy in the ribs, causing him to cry out in pain. Katsuki stepped back and was ready to unleash another explosion on the battered boy. With what remained of his strength, Izuku scrambled to get up and stand on shaky legs, but not before running for a nearby wall where he was essentially cornered by the blond.

”WHY WON’T YOU USE YOUR QUIRK, DEKU?! YOU’RE MOCKING ME, AREN’T YOU!? JUST LIKE YOU’VE BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME!! THINK YOU WERE TOO GOOD TO TELL ME THE TRUTH?! YOU'RE SUCH A COWARD!!!” Katsuki bellowed, his voice filled with rage and hurt.

Izuku trembled; the pain was unbearable, his quirk unresponsive and essentially tearing his body apart and he was feeling a multitude of emotions swirling inside of him: sadness, fear, anxiety, hurt, but most of all...

Guilt.

The guilt was so overwhelming, it felt like he was being crushed by the weight he was feeling from hurting his friend and betraying his trust. ‘I’m so sorry, Kacchan. I never intended for this to happen.’ Izuku stood up straight, his lips formed into a deep grimace as he looked up at his best friend with tear-filled eyes.

”You’ve looked down on me, haven’t you?! You thought you were better than me because you had a powerful quirk! And to think, that I ever saw anything in you other than a pathetic, weak, cowardly loser who will NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING!!!” Katsuki took a step closer, like a predator lurking toward its prey. “I would never wanna be friends with a nobody like you! I’ll teach you to never look down on me again, Deku!”

With tentative hands, Izuku reached for his transceiver and radioed in to his partner, who was still struggling with trying to retrieve the weapon with Tenya maneuvering it out of her reach, thanks to his super speed quirk.

“U-Uraraka...”

((Yes, Deku! I’m here! What’s up?))

“O-On my si-signal, you’re g-going to grab hold of th-the pillar o-on the side you sp-specified, w-wait for a-an opening to take hold of the w-weapon!” Izuku began to make his way over to Katsuki, his arm pulsing with excruciating pain, but he ignored it as he readied himself.

‘There’s not much time left. I have to give Uraraka an opening to take the weapon...I’m the one who should take on Kacchan’s wrath, but she doesn’t deserve to go down with me and risk a failing grade for my mistakes.’

”All Might!! You need to put an end to this!!” Kirishima was frantic as he watched in horror at what Katsuki was planning to do.

All Might gripped the microphone tightly in his hand. Part of him wanted to put a stop to this, immediately, but another part of him wanted to give Izuku this chance. But his fatherly instincts were too hard to ignore.

After several agonizing seconds passed; no longer able to let this go on, All Might finally called out to them on the microphone.

"Both of you, stop!! That’s eno-!"

“NOW, URARAKA!!!” Izuku screamed into his transceiver as Katsuki propelled himself over and went to send another explosive hit on the boy.

With his teeth gritted and his fists clutching tightly, Izuku gathered what little bit of One For All’s power he could still control and unleashed a Detroit Smash upwards, just as Katsuki’s explosion collided into him. It managed to blow a hole into the ceiling above, which also blew a portion of the ground on Ochako and Tenya’s floor.

”Now’s my chance!” Ochako grabbed the destroyed pillar and unleashed her Comet Home Run which sent debris flying at Tenya. With the boy trying to block the onslaught of rapidly hailing debris, Ochako managed to float past him and successfully took hold of the weapon, much to Tenya’s dismay in his failure.

The blond’s body shook with anger and adrenaline as he stared in anger at the mossy teen. “Damn you! This was, this was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?! You were mocking me this entire time-!”

Katsuki paused his angry ranting when the smoke cleared and he got a better look at the boy. The enraged scowl on Katsuki's face morphed into a look of horrified shock upon seeing the mangled state that was Izuku. The boy’s arm was completely charred and mangled, his face was covered in scorch marks and his entire form was decorated in thin, intricate cuts. But it was the look of immense pain and sadness on the boy’s battered face that made Katsuki jolt.

”K-Kacc-han...I..I’m so...I’m so sorry. I didn’t...I never meant...for this t-to h..ha…ngh, ugh!” Izuku had no energy left to speak or even stand as he collapsed onto the ground, falling unconscious from the pain and strain on his body.

It took nearly all of All Might’s willpower to not scream out his little boy’s name as he stuttered out a shaky, ((Ah, t-the Hero Team Wins…!))

Without another word, he quickly called in for medical assistance before he rushed out of the basement and made his way over to his son.

Izuku was escorted by two mini transport bots on a stretcher as they carried his badly injured form to Recovery Girl’s office; All Might watched with worried eyes as his son was taken away. As much as he wanted to accompany Izuku and be there for him while he was treated, he still had the other students to tend to.

And there was something of grave importance he needed to take care of, and it involved Katsuki.

He turned and saw a devastated Katsuki, having just lost to his former friend, and having seen the gut-wrenching state Izuku was in.

’As angry as I am with the way young Bakugou behaved during the trial and for his deplorable actions, I really can’t be upset with him, and I can't blame him for feeling so angry, either. After all, this whole thing was my fault.’

Huffing out a frustrated sigh, All Might made his way over to the blond and placed his hand on his shoulder. He barely even flinched. Bending down to the boy’s level, All Might whispered in his ear, “Young Bakugou, I need you to come with me for a moment. There’s something very important I need to discuss with you.”

Before Katsuki could respond to the man’s request, All Might stood nice and tall and in his usual hero persona, turned to the rest of the 1-A students. “We’re going to take a quick 10 minute break so we can relocate to a new building! Afterward, we’ll resume with the Battle Trial exercise and move on to the next teams!” With that, All Might quickly ushered Katsuki out the side door and towards a more secluded area of the partially destroyed building.

’It’s time that Young Bakugou learned the truth. It won’t change the pain Izuku has gone through, but at the very least, I hope it’ll bring some peace of mind to him, and to young Bakugou.’

Once he was certain they were alone, All Might turned to face a very annoyed-looking Katsuki who stood there with his arms crossed, minus the gauntlets.

“Okay, All Might. What the hell is it you wanted to talk to me about? Were you aware of Deku’s quirk?! And if you’re about to spout the same bullshit he told me yesterday, then I don’t wanna hear it!”

”I will explain everything to you in due time, young Bakugou. But before I do, there’s something that you need to be aware of, and it is of grave importance.” Katsuki was shocked by the seriousness of the man’s tone, which was such a stark contrast to his boisterous and cheerful persona.

”What I am about to tell you is very confidential and is only known by a select few, and very soon, you'll become one of those few. Under no circumstances are you to divulge this information to anyone. No matter what. Do you understand, Bakugou?” Katsuki was silent for a second before he nodded his head; still taken back by the sudden change in tone from the man.

”Alright. I’ll tell you everything, Bakugou.” All Might kept the explanation brief and to the point; not wanting to spend too much time in telling the boy the truth. In a matter of 5 minutes, he had told Katsuki about One For All, the ability to transfer said quirk from one person to another, his battle against All For One and the devastating injuries he sustained as a result of his victory, his declining health and limited use of his powers, his decision of making Izuku his successor, and finally, he told Katsuki about how Izuku obtained One For All and how he was made to never reveal this secret to anyone. Including Katsuki.

By the time All Might had finished, Katsuki stood there in complete shock. His eyes wide with horror and his mouth hanging open; barely able to get a single word out.

”Now you know, Bakugou.” All Might placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder, his voice soft and soothing. “I was careless in my decision to keep this from you, and as a result, I’d caused a great deal of pain to befall on both of you. I was afraid of this secret getting out to the public, but I was foolish in thinking you weren't trustworthy. The fault is my own, and I sincerely apologize for everything that transpired.”

His voice held an immense weight of sadness to it. Katsuki stared up at him, his expression practically screamed 'What have I done?!', and he was unable to form a single word.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, Bakugou, but at the very least, please, don’t take your anger out on Izuku. I was the one who instructed him to keep this from you, but I was wrong to do so, at least, with you.”

All Might proceeded to leave the room to return to the other students and resume the remaining Battle Trials, but not before looking over his shoulder at a very quiet Katsuki. “Take some time to think all this over. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I assure you, Izuku had only the best intentions in mind.” He offered a reassuring smile before leaving the room, Katsuki slowly following behind with a shadow cast over his eyes.

Once the final Hero and Villain teams had finished their trial, all 19 students stood before All Might as he congratulate them on a job well done and looked forward to watching them grow into outstanding heroes before quickly dismissing them and quickly making his way to Recovery Girl’s office.

Not only was he worried for Izuku, but he was almost out of time before he reverted back into his true form.

’She messaged me a short while ago informing me of his condition. It seemed to be pretty serious. My boy, just hang in there. Daddy's coming-!’

”All Might.”

Toshinori turned to see Katsuki standing there still in his hero costume, an unreadable expression on his face. “You’re going to go see Deku?” His voice was low and calm, almost a whisper. The man nodded his head. “I was going to check up on him-”

”Let me come, too.” The man was not expecting the blond boy to offer to accompany him after their earlier discussion; he’d expected him to possibly feel some sort of resentment towards the hero.

”Are you sure, Young Bakugou?” All Might chose his words carefully, not wanting to make it sound like he didn’t want Katsuki to tag along.

”I thought about what you told me, and while I'm still pissed at you for keeping this from me, I understand why you did it, and why you had Deku keep this a secret from me. I just...I don’t feel right leaving things the way they are. I want the chance to clear things up with him.”

All Might had never felt more proud of the explosive teen than in this moment. “Alright. Go change out of your hero costume and meet me at the nurses office.” Katsuki nodded and headed for the changing room, while Toshinori made his way to Recovery Girl’s office.

Once Katsuki arrived, he saw Toshinori standing outside the office. Before the boy could say anything, Toshinori spoke first. ”Bakugou, I need you to wait out here for a moment so I can have a chance to speak to him. I’ll let you know when you can come in and see him.”

Katsuki hummed in response as they arrived at the nurses office, where a very annoyed and angry Recovery Girl sat waiting for the man of the hour to arrive. Katsuki stood just outside the room while the two heroes spoke.

”Toshinori! Have you lost your mind?! The year’s just started and already this poor boy has ended up in my office TWICE, now! Why didn’t you prevent this?!” The shrill voice of the heroine echoed off the walls just as All Might deflated back into his true form. He could feel Katsuki shocked gaze on his back upon seeing his true form, but he paid no mind to it as his focus fell on the angry heroine.

”My apologies, Recovery Girl..." The lanky man said, sheepishly, running a large hand down his neck. Recovery Girl huffed in annoyance. "I’M not the one you should apologize to!” She turned her gaze to Izuku who was laying on one of the beds with his right arm in a thick cast and his left arm heavily bandaged.

“This poor child had first AND second degree burns on 20% of his body, and he had a severe transverse fracture on his right humerus bone. I had to give him an IV drip and wrap him in a weighted blanket just to use my quirk on him; he was in so much pain and could barely handle the affects of my healing. He has hardly any stamina left, now!” She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before gazing up at Toshinori, her expression more calm, this time. “I understand that he’s your son, Toshinori, and you only want what’s best for him, but you’ve got to stop indulging him.”

The man sighed while running a hand down his bony face. “I know, you’re right. I was sympathizing with him too much, and I ended up hesitating. I should’ve stopped the trial before it got out of hand.” Recovery Girl gave the man a sympathetic look while she glanced over to the unconscious mossy teen.

”I’ve managed to heal most of his injuries with my quirk along with additional emergency first-aid, but now, all that’s left to do is to let his body heal on its own. But Toshinori, there’s something very important I need to discuss with you, it’s about Izuku’s quirk.”

Toshinori raised a nonexisting eyebrow at the woman’s vague words. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”

”Do you see these cuts on his body?” She pointed out the shallow lines decorating the boy’s arms and around his neck and abdomen.

“These exact same cuts were present on his body after the practical portion of the entrance exam. At first, I thought this was another side effect from over-usage of his quirk, but after seeing them again, and in larger quantities and more aggressive patterns, I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

”What exactly do you mean? I don’t understand.” Toshinori was starting to become worried for his son; he didn’t want the boy to undergo any type of drawback or after-effects from such a powerful quirk like One For All.

“Did you notice anything off about the boy while observing him during his trial?” The man pondered this for a moment, trying to recall anything out of the ordinary about Izuku. Then, something clicked.

”Now that you mention it, I noticed that his quirk appear to be acting...erratically? I think. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it was like his quirk was acting on its own, only it looked as though he was having a hard time with controlling it.”

Recovery Girl hummed at his response. “Did he appear to be in any sort of emotional distress, at all? What was his behavior like during this time?”

"Hmmm...he seemed like he was afraid, like he was fearful of his life. He seemed more panicked, and with the things Young Bakugou was saying to him, I imagine that must've added to his stress.”

Recovery Girl tapped her pen against her desk with a hum before hopping off of her stool and walking over to Izuku’s beside to check on his IV. “I think I may have an idea as to what the cause of these cuts could be, but right now it’s just speculation. Give me time to come up with an answer, and hopefully we’ll be able to prevent this from happening again.”

Just then, a moan came from the mossy teen as he began to wake up. Tired green eyes slowly opened and looked around the room. Toshinori was immediately by his child’s side.

”Izuku! My son. How are you feeling? How's the pain?” His large hands gingerly brushed the top of the boy’s cast, a pang of guilt welling up inside of him for having caused this to his little boy.

”D-Dad...” Izuku’s voice was hoarse and raspy, like it hasn't been used in a while. With both Toshinori and Recovery Girl’s aid, they helped the boy to sit up by propping up so he could get a drink of water to help soothe his throat. Recovery Girl checked the boy’s vitals before stepping aside to give the father and son some time alone.

”I’m so sorry, love.” Toshinori whispered with a pained look on his face, he brought his hand up to brush a piece of hair out of the boy’s face. “I should’ve ended the trial before it got so out of hand, but instead, I allowed it to continue so you could have a chance.” Izuku glanced at him with a knowing look.

”I-It’s not your fault, Dad.” His voice was so small as he spoke. “I-I wasn’t able to use my quirk like how I usually do. I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry, Dad, I tried my best, I r-really did, but..I-I-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as a pair of lanky but strong arms wrapped around the injured child in a comforting hug. Izuku melted into his father’s touch while leaning his head against his shoulder. “None of that, now. All I care about is that you’re safe. You did very well, my boy, and I'm so proud of you.”

They pulled away after a short while, and Toshinori glanced back at the blond who was still standing outside the door, patiently waiting to be let inside. The man looked back to his son with a smile before he spoke. “Izuku. There’s someone who would like to see you, if you’re up for another visitor.”

Izuku perked up, feeling a swell of excitement form in his chest at the thought of someone coming to check on him. ‘Maybe it’s Uraraka, since I ended up passing out after the trial. Or maybe it’s Shouto-’

The moment Izuku’s eyes landed on the one and only Katsuki Bakugou as he entered the room, he felt his stomach drop.

”Ah! Uh, umm...” He couldn’t even form a coherent sentence in front of the boy, his nerves had become shot. But despite his nervous wariness, he couldn’t help but notice the softness of the boy’s features; his brows were still furrowed, but not in a way that made him appear angry, he just seemed more calm. In fact, he dare say Katsuki looked to be almost...guilty?

“Young Bakugou had requested to see you after you’d woken up. Is that alright with you, my boy?” Not even paying attention to the fact that Toshinori was in his true form in front of the blond, Izuku was shocked at the fact Katsuki himself had asked to see him, even after everything that’s happened.

Part of him was terrified of being left alone with the quick-tempered boy, but strangely enough, he also wanted him to stay.

He wanted to someday get a chance to speak with him one-on-one about the whole situation, and if he turned this opportunity down now, he may never get the chance again.

After several long seconds pass, Izuku slowly nods his head and whispers, “Yes. T-That’s fine.”

The lanky man smiles softly and presses a tender kiss to the boy’s forehead before standing back up. “I need to go review the clips of the battle trials and grade your performances. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” Izuku nodded with a small smile before watching the man leave. Recovery Girl smiled and proceeded to follow Toshinori out the door, much to Izuku confusion and slight panic.

She kept her voice soft and patient as she spoke, “I think you two could use some alone time. I won’t be too far, so just buzz for me if you need anything." Before anyone could answer her, she was gone. Leaving only Izuku and Katsuki in the room.

”Hey, Deku.” Katsuki finally said after what felt like an eternity of him being silent, he kept his voice calm and soft as he spoke. Izuku didn’t respond, but instead chose to keep his gaze trained to his cast. It felt a bit awkward with the both of them in the room together, especially after their rather intense fight.

”Uh, um, h-hi, Ka-acchan.” Izuku sounded so small and frail, he couldn’t help it, though. He was preparing himself for whatever onslaught of cruel and hurtful retorts the blond would throw his way...but none of them ever came.

Not being able to take the silence anymore, Izuku gathered as much strength as he could muster and looked at the relatively calm blond teen. “K-Kacchan. Listen, I, uh...I just-”

”Don’t.” Katsuki interrupted abruptly, causing Izuku to flinch a bit.

His demand may have sounded harsh to any normal person, but to Izuku, he didn’t sense any harshness or anger in his voice. Grabbing a nearby stool and sitting beside the boy’s bedside, Katsuki stared at the mossy teen with a knowing gaze.

”You don’t have to say anything, Deku. All Might told me everything.” Izuku didn’t need him to further explain himself to know what those words meant, his mouth fell open and his eyes grew wide with worry and slight fear. But Katsuki was quick to put his fears to rest.

“Don’t worry. Your Dad made me promise not to tell anyone, and even if he hadn’t, I wasn’t planning on telling anybody. Your secret is safe with me, Deku. I promise.”

Even with the reassurance of his quirk being kept between the both of them, Izuku still couldn’t get himself to relax. But even so, he was able to find his voice to respond. “Oh, uh...I...I see.” He still refused to look Katsuki in the eyes, too afraid that if he made eye contact, he would start crying within seconds.

”Look, Deku...” Katsuki started, sounding unsure of what to say, like he was struggling to find the right words to say to his friend. ”I’m sorry.” He replied softly, a hint of guilt lacing his voice. “I’m so sorry...for everything.”

Katsuki chewed on his bottom lip and began wringing his hands together. “I had no idea, not that I could’ve known, but...even if it was just a practical, I took it way too far, and I could've killed you. I just...” He looked up at Izuku, who was staring at his cast with large, glassy eyes. ”I messed up. Badly. I was an idiot. I took all of my anger and frustration out on you, and I jumped to conclusions; thinking you'd lied to me-”

”But I DID lie to you, Kacchan!"

Izuku found his voice, and he was staring right at the blond, saddened and pained emerald eyes staring right into guilt-ridden crimson ones.

“I...I wanted to tell you. I really did. But, I-I...” Izuku wasn’t able to say anymore as tears started to stream down his face, and a broken sob ripped from his throat. Katsuki’s eyes grew wide as he saw his best friend curl into himself as much as his cast and the IV would allow him to, his entire body trembling with each sob and whimper that spilled out. “I’m so-sorry, Kacchan! I-I never, I didn’t mean for this..please, Kacchan. I-I-!”

As if he were moving on instinct, Katsuki got up from his seat and clambered onto the bed beside Izuku. Careful of the boy’s cast and IV drip, he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy’s frame and pulled Izuku halfway into his lap while hugging him to his chest. Izuku froze for a split second before relaxing in his embrace; the arm that wasn’t in a cast slowly came up and wrapped around Katsuki’s waist, more tears streaming down his freckled cheeks.

”I’m so sorry, Kacchan. I-I’m so-”

”Shhhhh...” Katsuki whispered softly while he continued to hold the broken, sobbing mess that was Izuku; allowing his hand to gently stroke his back. "You have nothing to apologize for, Izuku. This is my fault, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Whether it was a slip of the tongue or it was intentional, Izuku wasn’t sure. All he knew, though, was it felt so nice to hear Katsuki address him by his real name, and in such a soft, soothing voice. Izuku nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck and closed his wet eyes, enjoying the boy’s calloused hand rubbing tenderly up and down his back.

"Kacchan..." His voice was hoarse from crying. "Did you...did you mean what you said? About not wanting to be friends, anymore?" His voice cracked with another sob threatening to escape. Katsuki felt his breath hitch, he hadn't even realized just how detrimental his words had truly been until now.

Wrapping his arms a bit tighter around Izuku's frame, he whispered in a low voice, "No, Deku, I didn't... I didn't mean any of it. I was just mad, that's all. I'm so sorry." And he meant it. No matter how angry or upset Katsuki felt towards the smaller teen, he could never bring himself to hate Izuku.

They both stayed like that for a moment, the only sound in the room was Izuku's soft sniffles. Katsuki continued his gentle stroking and even began to card his fingers absentmindedly through the boy's green curls.

”Hey.” Katsuki spoke up after a few minutes of comfortable silence passes. “I know that I messed up and acted like a complete ass, but if you’ll let me, I want to make it up to you.”

It didn’t take long for Izuku to agree as he nodded his head, still resting his face against the boy’s shoulder. Katsuki let out a soft chuckle while still holding the boy. “I’ll talk to the others and tell them that this was all just a big misunderstanding. And who knows, maybe we can look back at this moment, and we’ll be able to laugh at how stupid this whole thing was."

He felt his heart warm when he heard Izuku’s soft giggles, which Katsuki never realized how much he’d missed. “Sounds good to me.” Izuku replied in a hushed voice, a smile pulling on his lips. “Thank you, Kacchan.”

With a smirk of his own, Katsuki brought his hand up to ruffle the boy’s green curls, playfully. “Anytime.”

They had a lot of work to do to repair their already fragile friendship, and although the both of them had a lot of things they needed to sort out, as long as Izuku had his best friend by his side, they would be able to get through anything.

Unbeknownst to the two boys who were still sharing this intimate moment together, a figure was standing around the corner watching them comfort one another. A pair of heterochromatic eyes watching them with sadness and worry.

Chapter Text

Shouta was sitting in the Faculty room looking over some assignments when he spotted the lanky form of his husband shuffling into the room. All Might’s true form and injuries were common knowledge to the teaching staff and faculty members of U.A., but it was One For All and its true origins that were only known by a small handful of people, including Eraser Head(which was a no-brainer) and their children, Mr. Nedzu, Recovery Girl, Present Mic, Detective Tsukauchi, Gran Torino and now, Katsuki was the newest one to be informed.

Speaking of...

Shouta smiled upon seeing the familiar lanky form of his husband. ”Hey there, love. Did you just finish up with the students’ training?” He said as he stood to plant a tender kiss to Toshinori’s bony cheek. The latter smiled back and nodded before taking hold of the smaller man’s hand. “Could I steal you away for a bit? I’ve got something important I need to talk to you about, and you should probably bring your laptop.”

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Shouta didn’t question the man as he allowed him to lead them down the hall and into the conference room; Shouta’s laptop in tow.

”So, what could be so important that you had to bring us all this way, and what do you need my computer for?”

Toshinori took a seat in one of the chairs, insisting that Shouta do the same. Running a hand down his face, he looked at the man with a tentative gaze. “There’s something I need to tell you, and it involves Bakugou.”

Shouta looked puzzled. “Bakugou? What about him? Is everything okay, Toshi?”

Without further delay, Toshinori instructed the man to check the email he’d sent him, which contains all the video recordings of Class 1-A’s Battle Trials for him to grade later. Paying close attention to Izuku’s trial against Katsuki, Shouta watched with horror as Izuku was beaten, pounded on and essentially tossed around like a rag doll, even nearly getting blown up with Katsuki’s grenade gauntlet attack; the child was visibly in so much pain and distress it was almost hard to watch. With only a few minutes left on the clock, Izuku was able to gather himself together and use his quirk to blast a hole into the ceiling, giving Ochako a chance to capture the weapon and claim their victory.

To say that Shouta was furious with what he saw would be an understatement.

Just as he was about to shoot up from his seat and storm out of the room in search of the blond, Toshinori stopped him. “Now, now, Shouta! Shouta. I understand that you’re upset, but I’ve already spoken to Bakugou about this and reprimanded him.” Shouta shot him a glare, but Toshinori continued, anyway. “Which actually leads into the other thing I needed to speak to you about.”

Shouta kept a hard, fixed gaze on the man before huffing out a frustrated breath and plopping back in his seat. “I told Bakugou the truth, about One For All.” The smaller man’s eyes grew wide with shock.

“I had to, Shouta. It was the only way Bakugou would understand. This entire thing between the two of them was all because he was under the impression Izuku had tricked him this whole time.” Toshinori frowned, feeling shameful of himself. “It was my fault for assuming that the boy would be untrustworthy with such an important secret, and because of that, poor Izuku ended up suffering as a result. But Bakugou understands how important this is and has promised to keep this to himself. He insisted on seeing him so he could apologize.”

Shouta’s face softened once he saw the look on the man’s face. Despite his anger towards the blond, Shouta understood why Toshinori did what he did, and he also understood why this would cause Katsuki to become so enraged with him. It also further explains why Izuku was acting so strange the night before.

”Toshi.” He sighed, placing his hands on the lanky man’s shoulders. A calm smile on his face. “I understand why you told him. I trust your decision, and as long as Bakugou understands what he did was wrong and as long as Izuku is okay with this, that’s all I care about.”

A sigh of relief escaped Toshinori’s lips as he smiles at the man. “Now that that’s settled, there’s something else you need to know.” Shouta waited silently, hoping that it wasn’t more bad news.

”It’s about Izuku’s quirk...”

After the two boys had reconciled, Recovery Girl came to check Izuku’s vitals one last time before she released him, but not before instructing him to come by and see her the next morning so she could heal the last of his injuries. As they made their way back to the classroom, Katsuki offered to carry Izuku’s bag for him, to which the mossy teen thanked him; it was the least Katsuki could do after what he did to the boy. As soon as they entered the classroom, they were bombarded by several Class 1-A students; all of who seemed overly ecstatic to see Izuku.

”Yagi, my man! I have no idea what you guys were talking about, but that was one badass battle!”

”You’re really good at dodging, Curly-Green!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!”

”We were all fired up after watching your battle! I was for sure all pumped up!”

Izuku just stood there in astonishment with how much his classmates were both happy for him during his match. But in the midst of his classmates giving him reassurances, they then turned to Katsuki and gave him a verbal shredding.

”What the hell was your problem, Bakugou?! Were you trying to kill the little dude, or something?!”

”Yeah! This was supposed to be a training exercise, not an actual full-fledged battle for blood!”

”I’m starting to worry if Yagi is even safe being around you...”

Hearing his classmates chastising Katsuki, Izuku quickly came to his defense. “Hey, guys! C’mon, this whole thing was just a big misunderstanding! I swear!” They all turned and looked at Izuku. A boy by the name of Kaminari was the first to speak up. “How was what Bakugou did a misunderstanding, exactly?”

”W-Well, you see, we, uh, we had a bit of a disagreement about something silly, and uh, I said some things I shouldn’t have...” Katsuki quirked an eyebrow at his friend’s choice of words, but chose to not interrupt him. “Long story short, we had a brief falling out, but we made up, so...there’s no need to come after Kacchan, guys! We’re fine, now. I promise!”

They looked at Izuku, and then at Katsuki, and back at Izuku again before Kirishima spoke up with a lighter expression. “Well, okay, dude! If you guys are cool now, then that’s all that matters, right?” He gave a toothy grin, his sharp-looking teeth appearing to almost sparkle. Izuku smiled back at him with a nod.

”Oh, my name’s Eijirou Kirishima, by the way! We were all talking about the Battle Trials before you arrived.”

”I’m Mina Ashido! Nice to meetcha!”

”I’m Tsuyu Asui, but you can call me Tsu.”

”The name’s Rikido Satou!”

While some of the students introduced themselves to Izuku and chatted about how well he did, Ochako came up to him with a worried look on her face. “Oh, Deku! Your arm. Is it not healed up, yet?” She asked while patting on her arm, mirroring his own.

”Oh no, not quite. My stamina was pretty low, so Recovery Girl could only do so much…” It was at that moment that he spotted Shouto, who flashed him a soft smile, though it didn’t seem to reach his eyes, which were glazed with worry for the boy. Izuku shot him a smile in return before making his way to his desk to gather his things, with Katsuki’s help, of course.

”So Yagi,” A rather short boy with grape-like hair said in a nasally voice. “Is it true that All Might is your dad?! And Eraser Head?!” All eyes were on Izuku at that point, aside from Katsuki, Shouto, Ochako and Tenya, since they were already aware of this fact.

"I overheard two of the teachers talking about All Might and Eraser Head and how their son, Izuku, was in the hero course! So? Is it true?!" The short boy's eyes were practically beaming with enthusiasm, wanting to know if his theory was right. Swallowing down the nervous lump forming in his throat, Izuku let out a nervous laugh before replying.

“Uhh, y-yeah...?"

And like a spontaneous hail storm, almost every student in the room rained down on the boy with more questions and boisterous statements.

”No way! That’s so cool!!”

"I knew it! I knew that Yagi-Sensei was your dad!"

"Well, duh. Of course, he is. They share the same last name, doofus."

”You’re so lucky, Yagi! I wish All Might was MY dad!!”

"I thought I recognized you on the first day of school, I remember seeing you on TV a few years back. I may have even seen you in a couple of magazine articles."

”So, what’s it like? Having All Might as your dad, and all? Is he just as heroic and charismatic at home as he is on TV?”

”Did he train you himself, or did you have your own special instructor to help train you?”

"Is Eraser Head as scary at home as he was on the first day of school? I'd be so terrified if my dad were as intimidating as him, haha!"

Izuku could barely get a word in edgewise with their questions coming in like a tidal wave, but thankfully, Katsuki took note of his friend’s situation and stepped in. “Hey! All you extras, back the hell off! He doesn’t wanna answer your stupid questions, so back off!!” He growled at them, acting almost like a guard dog. As much as Izuku appreciated his friend’s consideration, he didn’t wanna come off as stuck-up and too important to answer any of their questions.

”Kacchan, it’s okay. That won’t be necessary.” He smiled at the blond who nodded and backed off before Izuku turned to his classmates. “I mean, All Might and Eraser Head are my dads, so living with them is really no different than anybody else living with their parents. And as for my training, he and Papa trained me in basic combat skills but I had someone else train me in learning how to better use my quirk.”

They all seemed satisfied with his answers, especially Mineta, who’d first initiated the slew of questions. After that, Izuku followed the rest of the class out of the building and towards the gate, Katsuki walking by his side while carrying their bags.

”Izuku.” The boys turned and looked behind them at the sound of Izuku’s name being called, and saw Shouto quickly walking over to him. “Hey, Shouto. What’s up?” Izuku smiled at him. Shouto looked at Izuku with an unreadable expression before speaking.

”Could I speak with you in private, Izuku?” He gave Katsuki a side-glance before turning his attention back to the mossy teen. “It’ll only take a few minutes, if that’s okay.” Izuku looked up at the two-toned teen for a bit before turning to Katsuki with a smile.

”Kacchan, it’s okay. You can go on ahead without me, I’ll be fine.” He assured the blond, who had a skeptical look on his face.

”You sure, Deku?” Katsuki sounded concerned with leaving the boy alone with the dual-quirk user, even though there wasn’t a need to be.

Izuku nodded with a soft smile. “I’m sure, Kacchan.” But even with the reassurance, Katsuki didn’t feel right making him carry his things with his arm in a cast and sling. “I’ll just wait outside the gate for you when you get done, Deku. It’s cool.” He gave a thumbs up before walking away from the boys, leaving them alone to talk.

”So, what was it you wanted to talk about, Shouto?” Izuku asked calmly, but part of him was feeling nervous with what the teen was about to say.

”Well, for one, I’m really glad you’re okay. I was really worried about you during your battle trial, and I was especially worried with the way Bakugou was treating you. But as long as he doesn’t try anything like that again, I guess there’s no reason to worry, right?” Izuku felt a slight blush appear forming on his cheeks; even though he’d heard similar responses from his other classmates earlier in the day, there was just something about the way Shouto said those words that made him feel cared about, like the boy was genuinely worried for him, which felt nice.

”But what I wanted to talk to you about was...well, I’m sure it’s not any of my business, and I understand if you don’t feel comfortable telling me; I mean, I’m sure you have your reasons. But I was just curious: how did you get a quirk if you were Quirkless?”

Shouto’s voice wasn’t malicious-sounding or aggressive, and his question didn’t sound too demanding or antagonistic, either; it was just like if someone were to ask what time it was. But regardless of the tone in his voice or in the question asked, Izuku felt that same swell of nervous anxiety building up inside of him. He knew that Shouto wouldn’t get too angry with him if he told him the truth or even just part of the truth or just outright lied, Shouto didn’t seem like the kind to get enraged. Regardless, Izuku was having an internal battle with himself on what exactly to say.

’I could always just go with the lie I tried on Kacchan, but maybe I should give it more depth. Even though Dad had already told Kacchan about One For All, that doesn’t mean I have permission to just tell anyone. What should I say?’

After a few silent and somewhat awkward seconds pass, Izuku finally lets out a sigh and looks up at the boy. “It’s...a bit hard to explain, but I-”

”That’s okay, Izu. Just take your time, I’ll listen.” The gentle reassurance in Shouto’s voice made Izuku feel less anxious, but he knew there was no getting out of this. Finally, he spoke.

”The truth is, and you’re probably not gonna believe me, but...I got my quirk late.” He closed his eyes and winced as he waited for the two-toned boy to respond in anger at his ridiculous lie...but Shouto never did.

”Really?” He sounded more intrigued and genuinely curious than skeptical and unconvinced. Izuku decided to use this to his advantage and went along with it. “Y-Yeah. Uh, I know I told you that I was Quirkless, which was true, at least, it was initially. But then, for some reason, I just woke up one day and, boom, a quirk.”

”No kidding?” Shouto’s eyes appeared to almost glow with curiosity, it was actually kinda funny. Like watching a child gazing at his favorite cartoon character and then seeing them in real life. Izuku nodded with a tentative smile. “How old were you when you got your quirk?”

Izuku was surprised with how well this was actually going, and so he decided to keep it up. ‘I suppose there’s nothing wrong with telling him only half the truth, as long as I don’t mention One For All or having it given to me.’

“I was about 11 or 12 when I first got it. When I told my parents about it, they took me to the doctor and she informed us that it’s likely I’d always had a quirk but I was just late with showing any signs. Kinda like how some young kids don’t reach developmental milestones at the same rate as others.”

Shouto nodded his head and placed his hand under his chin in a thinking-type gesture. “I can see how that would work. In fact, I think I’ve read about something like this online. Although it’s just as rare as kids being born with no quirks, it’s still something that can occur.” Izuku beamed up at him. “Y-Yeah, you’re right! Now that you mention it, I actually read this article one time about a woman in Thailand who didn’t get her quirk until she was 17 years old! Isn’t that crazy?”

”Yeah, it is.” The taller boy smiled at Izuku before his face fell into a neutral gaze. “I understand how you got your quirk, but that doesn’t explain why Bakugou was antagonizing you during the Battle Trial. What was that even about, anyway?” Izuku flinched a bit. He knew that Shouto would bring that up, but he didn’t let up on his lie, and decided to add on to it, while sprinkling in a dash of the truth.

”Yeah, about that...I, uh, I actually never told Kacchan about getting my quirk, or at least, not in the beginning...” He feigned sounding bashful and sheepish about the confession, which seemed to work. “Why is that?”

”The truth is, even though my quirk is considered to be very powerful, I didn’t have very good control of it in the beginning. In fact, I was so bad at learning to use it that I would often end up breaking my fingers or my arms if I tried to use it.” Shouto’s expression turned horrified. “That’s awful!”

Izuku frowned. ”Yeah. And because of this, I was really embarrassed about telling Kacchan, especially with the fact that I’d gotten it late, so I just never told him. On the first day of school, after the Quirk Apprehension Test, Kacchan confronted me about it and when I tried to tell him, he got really mad at me and said he didn’t wanna be friends with someone who was a liar.”

Izuku’s eyes dropped and became half lidded, making him appear ashamed with himself, which wasn’t a complete lie. He still felt awful for lying to his best friend, even if it was for his own good. Shouto frowned before placing a comforting hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Izu. I hope everything’s okay between you two.”

Izuku smiled back up at him, appreciating his kind words. “It is! Like I said, we patched things up after talking about it, and everything’s fine between us now! So, there’s no need to worry!”

”That’s good to hear, Izu.” Shouto smiled gently at him before reaching his hands out to take hold of Izuku's, giving them a gentle squeeze. “I appreciate you telling me, I imagine it must’ve not been easy for you, with your quirk and all. If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay?” He gave Izuku a heartfelt smile, to which he grinned back at him while nodding. “You got it, Shouto!”

After that, Shouto bid him farewell before walking past the gate and down the sidewalk towards the station. Izuku followed him off of school grounds where he spotted Katsuki leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. As soon as the blond spotted the mossy teen, he smiled while pushing himself off of the wall. “You ready to get going, Deku?” He asked with a smirk. “Sure thing, Kacchan! And thanks for waiting for me.”

”Don’t mention it, nerd.” The two of them walked down the pathway leading towards the Yagi home, the boys talking about the Battle Trials and how amazing each of their attacks and moves were until they reached the large house.

“I’ll message you later, okay Deku?” Izuku smiled and gave him a thumbs up before turning and heading for the front door, which swung open and there stood a smiling Hitoshi waiting to greet the younger boy.

”Hey Izu! Welcome home!” The older boy wrapped his arms around the Izuku’s shoulders in a hug before stepping to the side and letting him in. But instead of following Izuku inside, he stepped outside the house and closed the door behind him before making a B-line straight for Katsuki, who was standing there with a look of slight nervousness on his face.

Hitoshi stopped walking when he was a good 2 feet away from the explosive teen, his face hard with a firm scowl.

“Dad told me about what happened with your class today, and about Izuku's devastating injuries. And he also informed me of who was responsible for those injuries."

The venom in his voice made Katsuki’s spine shiver, and he rarely ever got unnerved or phased by anything. But he was about to learn that he should never mess with someone’s little brother, especially when they’re the little brother of Hitoshi Yagi.

”I’m not gonna baby Izuku when it comes to hero training, nor am I gonna get upset every time he comes home with a new injury; that’s just part of being a hero-in-training. But don’t be mistaken, Bakugou. Just because the two of you are classmates in the Hero Course, doesn't mean you can treat him like your own personal punching bag, nor does it mean you can take all of your pent up anger and frustration out on him.”

”I know that.” Katsuki replied, trying not to sound arrogant or condescending, especially while speaking to a pissed off Hitoshi.

The indigo-haired boy glared at him before walking a bit closer to him until Hitoshi was less than half a foot from the blond. “Well you better, because if I EVER find out you pulled some shit like this again, I will not hesitate to brainwash you, and make you walk straight off a cliff. You got that?!” He hissed in his face, but Katsuki didn’t so much as flinch as he gave a curt nod.

“Yeah, I got it.” There wasn’t a trace of hesitance or reluctance in Katsuki’s voice; he knew that he’d messed up and that he was walking on very thin ice at the moment, so whatever threats the older boy felt the need to spew at him, he would take them like a man until he was back in his good graces.

Hitoshi’s face softened up a bit before he gave a nod of his own. “Good.” He said before turning on his heels and heading back inside the house.

Katsuki shrugged his aching shoulders and turned to walk back towards the station and on his way home. Hopefully tomorrow, he’ll be able to have a clean slate with everyone.

Back inside the house, Hitoshi found Izuku sitting on the couch, his hand grip exercise tool in his left hand while he absentmindedly watched some sort of comedy show on TV. The older boy chuckled before plopping down on the couch beside the younger.

“You’re all wrapped up like a mummy and you STILL can’t take a break, Izu?” While Hitoshi’s comment was meant to be light-hearted, it also held a hint of concern for his younger brother; he didn’t like seeing the boy pushing himself so much, especially after being inflicted by such terrible injuries.

Izuku smirked at the boy. ”I know, Toshi-nii, but just because I’m hurt, that doesn’t mean I should get lazy with my training. I’ve gotta stay in top shape if I ever wanna be a hero!” Hitoshi grinned. “I get that and I don’t disagree, but you can at least take a short time to rest and recover, can’t you? I mean, your arm is in a cast, for crying out loud!” Just then, as if right on cue, All Might and Eraser Head walk into the living room, still in their hero costumes.

”Good evening, my boys! I am he-Ack!” All Might bellows cheerfully before sputtering into a coughing fit and then reverting back into his true form. With Shouta patting him on the back, Toshinori manages to regain his composure before he turns and smiles at the younger boy still sitting on the couch.

”As happy as it makes me to see you so committed to your training even after school hours, your brother’s right, Izuku.” Toshinori shuffles around and plops down on the small loveseat beside Izuku and Hitoshi. “Resting and recuperating are just as important as keeping up with your hero training, son. Don’t forget that you were badly hurt after the Battle Trial, and I’m pretty sure Recovery Girl told you to take it easy for a couple of days.”

Izuku laughed nervously, feeling a blush burning his cheeks. Reluctantly, he set down his hand gripping tool and slouched against the couch cushions; an amused smirk on Hitoshi’s face.

”Your father and I were in the process of reviewing the footage from your Battle Trials, and I had just finished grading yours, Izuku.” Shouta stated, Izuku whipping his head around to look at the man with an anxious expression; worried that he’d done terribly since he got hurt and he had little to no control of his quirk(which he still thought was odd).

Shouta gave Izuku a reassuring smile before continuing. “Although you could use some improvement in your close-quarter battle training techniques as well as making split-second decisions in the heat of battle, overall you did very well, Izuku. I understand this was your very first experience in a scenario against a villain in combat, but you’ll improve with time. So I wouldn’t stress about it too much.”

A sigh of relief escaped the boy’s lips as he relaxed into the couch. But Shouta wasn’t done yet. “With that in mind, I did notice how you seemed to be struggling with activating your quirk, let alone using it in short-range hand-to-hand combat.”

Izuku, suddenly feeling his anxiety bubbling up in his chest, began to stutter out an explanation, his voice sounding hysterical and distressed. “I-I’m sorry, P-Papa! I have no idea what went w-wrong. I-I know you told me to p-put more effort into my training, a-and I-I tried my b-best to use O-One For All, I really d-did-!”

Shouta quickly took hold of Izuku's hands, stopping him from throwing himself into a panic. “Hey hey, calm down, Izu, none of that, now. There’s no need to explain yourself, Izu. I get it.”

Izuku just stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth slightly gaped open.

“Your father already told me about that, too. From what I could tell, it seemed as though you were trying several times to draw out One For All’s power, but it just wouldn’t do as you wanted it to. And from what I’ve been told, Recovery Girl is looking into this as we speak; she’ll speak with us about what could be causing this strange anomaly to occur, and once we do find the cause, we’ll be able to come up with an appropriate solution.”

Izuku frowned while staring at his sling; he felt powerless and ashamed, like he’d wasted all the time and effort his parents and mentor had spent training and preparing him. Just when he was finally making progress with using his powers without injuring himself and he’d gained some confidence to use them, this roadblock interrupts that progress. Shouta tried to assure him that this wasn’t his fault, but Izuku felt like he’d let the hero duo down.

Sensing his little brother’s self-loathing and deprecation, Hitoshi placed a hand on top of his head and gently ruffled his curls while smiling at the boy. “Everything will be fine, Zu. This is probably not as big of a deal as it seems, and it’ll be an easy fix once you figure out the cause of it. Try not to let it get to you.”

Toshinori beamed at the two boys. “That’s right, Izuku! This could very well just be a small setback that can easily be overcome. We’ll keep pushing you to do your best, and that’s all that we ask of you, Izuku, is to do your best.” Shouta sat on the loveseat next to Toshinori, giving the boy a soft smile of his own. “Regardless of what could be causing you to lose control of your quirk, just know that we’re always proud of you, Izuku. No matter what.” His family’s words of encouragement had done the trick in cheering him up as Izuku felt the tension in his shoulders ease up.

”Thanks guys.” He sighed out, feeling weightless with relief. Shouta nodded at him. “I’ll go over your evaluation with the rest of the class in the morning, but don’t tell anyone that I pretty much already told you about your grade.”

Izuku smiled, understanding what his Papa was saying; he didn’t want to express favoritism for Izuku to the rest of the class, even though they all know he’s Eraser Head’s son. “I understand, Papa.”

The four of them spent the rest of the evening watching TV and talking about their day at school before Shouta got up to get started on making dinner, leaving Toshinori and the boys to relax in the living room. Izuku allowed his head to rest against Hitoshi’s shoulder, which the older boy didn’t mind; even resting his cheek against the smaller boy's curly hair.

Hitoshi often enjoyed the close contact from the younger boy, and he wasn’t shy or embarrassed about showing him affection. No matter how big Izuku got, Hitoshi would always be there for him.

Izuku was still feeling uneasy about having to continue his training with the fear of his powers becoming inactive on him at any moment. Hopefully Recovery Girl found a solution to this occurrence, soon. If there’s one thing Izuku hates, it’s postponing his hero training.

’It’s like Dad, Papa and Toshi-nii said: this is most likely something that can easily be resolved, and once it does get resolved, I’ll get to go back to training and catching up with the rest of the class. Including Kacchan.’

Meanwhile, in a fairly normal-looking bar in a rather rough area of Kamino Ward, a young man with powder blue hair and a creepy-looking disembodied hands covering his face, was reading the newspaper, more specifically, an article discussing All Might’s temporary leave from his agency to go teach at U.A.

”Hmmm, so All Might's teaching at U.A., now?” The young man stated in a raspy voice while tossing the newspaper on the counter. Behind the bar stood another man who was dressed in a typical bartender outfit, with his entire body from head to toe made out of what appeared to be black mist or smoke.

”Indeed. It seems to be drawing quite a bit of attention with the press.” The misty man stated in a calm voice. The hand-covered man then began scratching compulsively at his neck, a sinister sneer forming on his lips from behind the hand.

”Well then, I wonder what would happen...if villains were to kill the Symbol of Peace?"

Chapter Text

The next day, as students make their way onto school campus, they’re each being nagged and harassed by reporters asking what they think and how they feel about All Might being a teacher at U.A. The news of All Might becoming a teacher at U.A. spread like wildfire and caused shocked across the entire country. Reporters from every corner of Musutafu swarmed the prestigious hero academy for several days. Not even an introverted recluse like Shouta is safe from the aggressive tactics of the press.

”Please, sir! We just want one comment about All Might! If you could just-Ah! Why in the world do you look like that?! You’re a mess!!”

Shouta just waved them off and glared at them. “I’ve got nothing to say to you people, and All Might’s not even here. You’re disrupting our classes, so buzz off.” He turned his back to the reporters and began walking down the walkway towards the main building, which only triggered the reporters to demand to speak with All Might.

”We just want a quick interview with All Might, and then we’ll leave!”

”Why do you look so messy?! And you call yourself a teacher of U.A.?!”

”That man looks kinda familiar...have I seen him somewhere...?”

Just before the main reporter could even set foot within the campus, a large metal door slammed shut in the woman’s face, beeping with a click, indicating the gate had locked itself. “Wha-What the hell?!” She screamed out in shock.

”It’s the U.A. Barrier.” One of the male reporters explained. “The entire facility locks down if someone without a Student I.D. or a Visitor’s Pass tries to enter. And I heard the security is even tighter around the campus with more sensors. Looks like we’re not getting in.”

The woman became furious with frustration with not being allowed to get any answers. “The absolute nerve! We have a right to speak with All Might, and these people think they can shut us out?!” The other reporters murmured in agreement. As the woman continued to rant about not getting what she came for, a mysterious figure with powder blue hair watches from afar; a mischievously sinister grin on his face.

”Great work yesterday. I’ve already looked over your grades and evaluations, and from what I saw, you all did very well.” Shouta stated to the class while patting his hand on a stack of papers. He then looked directly at Katsuki with a stern gaze.

”Bakugou.” Shouta began, his voice firm but calm. “While I was rather impressed with your quick-thinking and ingenuity, I do have one think to say. To put it lightly...you need to get over yourself and grow up." He noticed the way Katsuki flinched at his harsh words, but he didn’t stop. “You’re wasting your talent by acting like a child during training.”

If Toshinori hadn’t explained to him why the blond had acted the way he did during the Battle Trials, he wouldn’t have hesitated to suspend or even expel him on the spot, but after finding out the truth behind Katsuki’s tirade, he decided to let it go and simply scold him for his childish behavior in class. That should hopefully put him in his place, and surely he won’t make another attempt, again.

Letting out a sigh, Katsuki nodded his head and muttered out a “Yessir...”, his eyes becoming heavy with shame and remorse. With that out of the way, Shouta then turned his attention to Izuku, whose arm had been fully healed and was no longer in a cast or sling after he’d paid a visit to Recovery Girl’s office earlier that morning.

”Yagi,” Shouta started, his voice losing some of its edge and sounding more fatherly. “I’ve reviewed the tapes on your end, and although I’m pleased to see you making more of an effort in your training, I did notice that you seemed to be struggling with controlling your quirk.” He took note of the way Izuku’s face turned into a grimace, despite trying his best not to get offended by his father’s words. “All I can say to that is, try to overcome this and keep practicing, and if it continues to persist, we can always put you through specialized training. Understand?”

Shouta didn’t want to embarrass his son in front of the class or make his situation a big deal, but Izuku knew that he meant well. And after their conversation from the previous night, Izuku didn’t feel as bad about it as he had before.

With a determined smile, Izuku gave the man a curt nod. “Yes, Pa-ah, I-I mean, yes, Sensei!”

Shouta gave him a subtle smile before resuming with homeroom. “Now then, onto Homeroom business. For today, you’ll be choosing a Class President, as well as a Vice President.” Within an instant, the entire class roared with excitement as students waved their arms in the air, hoping to be picked for the role.

Izuku always thought it would be cool to get to lead a classroom as Class President, but in a well-renowned school like U.A., it’s so much more than mundane tasks. As much as he’d always wanted to be a leader, the role of Class President was a bit...nerve-wracking.

”Everyone, quiet down!” The whole class became silent and turned to look at none other than Tenya Iida, who had a stern, hard look on his face. “Class President is a role that involves leading the many, with a weight of immense responsibilities! Not just anybody can be chosen, ambition is not the same as ability. I say we vote for who our Class President should be!”

Everyone, including, just stared at him.

Kirishima was the first to speak up. “Hey, man! This is just a role for a classroom, not Congress!”

”Plus, we don’t even know each other that well, yet. So how are we supposed to know who’s best suited for the role?”

”Simple!” Tenya stated. “We’ll all take a vote! Whoever has the highest number of votes will be Class President!” He turned to Shouta, who had slipped into his trusty yellow sleeping bag, preparing to take a nap. “Will you permit this, Sensei?”

”Do whatever you have to, and get it over with...” Shouta mumbled out.

It didn’t take long before everyone had placed their vote and looked at the results: Izuku ended up with the highest number of votes, followed up by Momo who had the second highest. Everyone else either had only 1 or no votes.

”What?! How did I get 4 votes?!” Izuku was shocked, trying to figure out who would’ve picked him and why.

”Yagi would make the perfect choice for Class President!” Mineta exclaimed. “After all, he’s the son of All Might! Who else would be better suited for the job?”

Izuku’s eyes grew wide.

”Yeah, that’s true!” Kirishima chimed in with a toothy grin. “If anybody should be Class Pres, it should be Yagi! He’d make a great leader, just like his dad!”

”It’s actually really cool that All Might’s son is in our class! You should totally take the job, Yagi!” Kaminari exclaimed.

Others were murmuring in agreement, but Izuku felt anything but flattered or elated. He felt his face grow white and a cold sweat rolled down his face. He hated it when people compared him to All Might, and it didn’t help that his classmates only chose him as President because he’s the son of the #1 Hero.

Izuku was never one to gloat or boast about having All Might as his father, he's never liked the attention that came with it and fears that other would look down on him for thinking he's better than them. Being chosen as Class President in his class just for this reason alone is a sure fire way to gain attention, and not the kind he prefers.

Not wanting to keep everyone waiting, he reluctantly stood up and started walking to the front of the class, followed by Momo, who had been made Vice President.

”Alright then,” Shouta replied, still in his sleeping bag. “Your President is Yagi, and your Vice President is Yaoyorozu.” She glanced down at the trembling boy with a skeptical and slightly concerned look, but nonetheless kept to herself.

Izuku felt like he was about to faint, but he had to keep it together. After all, he was the Class President...and the son of All Might.

During lunchtime, the cafeteria was jam-packed with students from every department; from the hero courses to the Support and Business Departments, everyone would come together to enjoy the food made by Lunch Rush.

Izuku, on the other hand, had other things on his mind.

”I don’t know if I can really be President...” He frowned while staring at his untouched bowl of ramen.

”Of course you can, Deku!” Ochako replied cheerfully while biting into some rice. Tenya nodded in agreement. “Yagi. The bravery and decisiveness you displayed during the Entrance Exam make you perfectly qualified for the position. That’s why I voted for you.”

Izuku nearly choked on his miso soup. ‘One of those votes was Iida?!’

”But I thought you would’ve wanted to be President too, Iida. I mean, you definitely fit the role, with your glasses and all!” Ochako giggled, not caring about how straightforward she sounded.

Tenya cleared his throat before speaking. “It’s as I said before, ambition is not the same as suitability. If I didn’t think you were cut for the job, I wouldn’t have voted for you, Yagi. Plus, as the son of the Symbol of Peace, this is a great opportunity for you to build your reputation as a well-established leader among the student body.”

Again, Izuku merely smiled nervously while his insides started to twist into anxious knots.

‘Great, even Iida thinks that I’m only cut out for the job because All Might is my Dad. I guess natural leadership skills and charisma doesn’t matter as long as your related to a famous person...’ Izuku felt dejected, the compliments his friends and classmates were spewing at him felt like a kiss and slap at the same time.

’Of course, the only reason anyone would pick me to be Class President is because I’m All Might’s son. Why else would they pick me? It’s not ‘cause I’m the most qualified or even-'

But the boy's internal depreciating monologue was disrupted, when out of nowhere, a blaring sound of sirens rang out throughout the entire cafeteria, as well as the whole building.

((SECURITY LEVEL 3 HAS BEEN BROKEN. ALL STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST EXIT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION. I REPEAT, SECURITY LEVEL 3 HAS BEEN BROKEN. ALL STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST EXIT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION.))

Within seconds, everyone did the exact opposite and began running for the exit in a stampede of panic and disarray.

”Wha-ah! H-Hey! E-Everybody, just-just calm dow-ah!” Izuku tried to talk over the roar of panicked screams and yelps but was cut off by falling to the ground and nearly getting trampled on. Even after he managed to pick himself back up, he then found himself squished between the wall and a few other students.

’This isn’t good! Not good, at all! I can’t get anybody to listen to me... Some Class President I am...’ Izuku felt tears of frustration prick his eyes and a deep grimace forming on his face, when suddenly...

”EVERYONE! LISTEN UP! EVERYTHING IS FINE!! THERE AREN’T ANY VILLAINS, IT’S JUST THE PRESS!! THERE’S NOTHING TO PANIC ABOUT, WE’RE FINE!! PLEASE BEHAVE IN A MANNER BEFITTING THIS GREAT INSTITUTION!!”

Everyone, including Izuku, all looked up to see Tenya somehow floating(?) above the sea of students and instructing them to remain calm. That seemed to do the trick, as everyone went from panicked to orderly within seconds as they continued heading for the exit, walking rather than running. Tenya huffed in relief that he was able to bring back some peace and order to the students.

Izuku stared at the boy with wide eyes, surprised by how easily Tenya was able to defuse the situation, something he, as Class President, was unable to do. Though he felt terribly for his failure at keeping everyone from panicking, he also felt something blooming in his chest. A smile appeared on his face as he followed the others outside.

’I know what I need to do.’

After the police arrived to escort the trespassing media group off of campus grounds, the students returned to their classes with no further interruptions. Izuku and Momo stood at the front of the class preparing to name off the remaining members of the Student Council.

”Class President, if you’ll please.” Momo stated. Izuku took a deep breath before looking ahead of the class with determination. “Before we proceed, there’s something I’d like to address…” He then turned his gaze to Tenya before gesturing his hand to him.

“I think Iida would be better suited for the role of Class President!”

This was a big surprise for the class, for Momo, and for Tenya. Adjusting his glasses, Tenya said, “I-I’m honored that you would suggest that I be President, Yagi. But if I may ask, why not take the role for yourself?”

”As flattered as I was that you all thought I was best suited for the job, I don’t want to take on such an important position just because All Might is my father. The role of a leader shouldn’t be decided based off of someone’s parentage, and honestly...it made me feel a bit...uncomfortable, to say the least.” Some of the students expressions fell heavy, looking ashamed for their comments.

Izuku flashed Tenya a smile. “Besides, you were able to take action and keep everyone calm during that crisis with the press. You were quick with your thinking, you were self-assured and you handled the situation like a true leader. Because of this, I believe that you’re the correct choice for the job!”

Tenya was stunned, his mouth hanging open from a loss for words. He quickly regained his composure and stood up tall and saluted, his face practically glowing with pride.

“I humbly accept!! You can count on me!!”

With that, the rest of the class went without any further incidence or disruptions. Izuku was busy looking over his notes after class when he sensed a presence behind him. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw a few of his classmates standing behind him with looks of guilt written all over their faces; the group consisted of Kirishima, Kaminari, Mineta, Tenya and Ochako.

”Hey, dude.” Kirishima was the first to speak up, his voice laced with remorse. “We’re really sorry about all that stuff we said earlier. We didn’t mean to make you feel like we only cared about you ‘cause of your dad.”

”Yeah, that was pretty crappy of us.” Kaminari stated, sounding just as guilty.

”We’re sorry, Yagi...” Mineta said with his head hanging low.

”It was completely insensitive and callous of us to compare you to your father, and I am no better.” Tenya stated before bowing in front of Izuku, much to his shock. “We hope that you can forgive us, Yagi.”

Izuku was overwhelmed by their apologies as he waved his hands around and trampled on his own words. “W-Wait, hey, guys! It’s okay, really! I’m not upset about it, I promise.” He gave them a reassuring smile, hoping that they believed him. “I know you guys didn’t mean anything by it, so don’t worry about it, okay?”

They all stared at him for a bit before smiling. “Sure thing!” Kirishima exclaimed while pumping his fist up in the air. “We should totally hang out sometime after school. We can train together or something, it’ll be fun!” Kaminari offered, to which the others all hummed in consideration. For the rest of the period, the class talked about various things, including the events that took place during lunch.

Speaking of...

Outside of the school gates stood Principal Nedzu and the rest of the teachers as they looked at the giant deteriorated U.A. Barrier, which had been turned into a pile of disintegrated rubble.

”This was not the work of just any ordinary reporter, nor the work of a Pro Hero, even.” Nedzu stated in a calm voice. ”Someone has instigated this entire affair. Perhaps…we’re witnessing the precursor to a war being waged by an individual with sinister intent.”

A few days passed after the press broke through the U.A. Barrier due to the mysterious breach, classes went on like normal.

Shouta went through his normal Homeroom business before announcing Class 1-A’s next hero training.

”For today’s training, myself, All Might and another instructor will be supervising. We’ll be preparing you for disaster relief, from fires to floods.” Shouta then held up a flash card similar to the one All Might showed the class, but this one had the word ‘Rescue’ written in English letters.

”Rescue Training!!” The class exclaimed in unison. Even Izuku couldn’t contain his excitement. ”Whether you wish to wear your hero costumes or not is up to you. They might not be well-suited for this sort of training activity.” Shouta explained as he pressed a button on a remote, revealing the wall of cases containing the students’ hero outfits.

”The location of the training site is a bit far from the main campus, so we’ll be taking a bus. Go ahead and get ready.” The students all got started with getting into their outfits, which Izuku ended up having to wear his P.E. clothes since his hero costume had been badly damaged and was being repaired by the school’s support company.

’Rescue Training! This is perfect! This is my chance to be the best hero I can be! I can do this!!’

Once everyone was finished, they boarded the bus and made their way to the training site. “Hell yeah! I’m so pumped up for this!” Kirishima yelled out in excitement.

While the other 1-A students conversed with each other about the rescue training, Izuku remembered the specialized training he’d done just a few days ago; his finger gingerly tracing over his right wrist where he could feel a slight bulge under the fabric of the glove...

3 Days Earlier...

”So, uh, what exactly are you gonna have me do?”

Izuku was standing there awkwardly, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts and sneakers while Recovery Girl placed an EEG cap on top of his head; the electrodes poking out of every inch of the strange contraption, as well as a clamp around his pointer finger and a few sticky adhesive pads stuck to his chest and back, which also had wires attached to them.

They were located inside of Gym Gamma, or TDL as the U.A. faculty prefer to call it; the entire inside of TDL was huge and spacious, plenty big enough for the test Recovery Girl planned to put Izuku through. Along with Recovery Girl and Izuku, there was also Shouta and Toshinori who were standing off to the side, watching the boy with careful eyes. Next to the hero duo was what looked to be a travel-sized EEG and vital signs monitor perched on a portable table with a stool for Recovery Girl to sit on.

Standing next to Recovery Girl was a woman named Asahi Kondo. To Izuku's surprise, the woman looked relatively young; she had to be at least 20 or 21 years old. Asahi was wearing rather plain-looking clothes, making her look like a normal civilian. Izuku wasn’t sure if she was a Pro Hero or not, having never seen her before. She’d apparently been invited by Recovery Girl to help with testing out Izuku’s quirk instability. Her quirk possibly could have something to do with the test, but what her quirk was, was Izuku’s guess.

”We’re going to see what exactly is causing your quirk to act up, dear. And Miss Kondo here is going to be helping me. And don’t worry, she’s already been informed about your quirk.” She explained while she looked over the wires and headset to make sure they were in place.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked over to the woman, who held up a finger to her lips, a smile pulling on her mouth. “Don’t worry, kid. My lips are sealed!” She winked at him before holding out her hand to him. “I’m happy to be working with you, Izuku!”

He smiled politely and took hold of her hand for a friendly handshake. ”This equipment is going to help me see how your vitals and brain activity reacts during the test. Just act like you normally would during hero training, okay?” Recovery Girl said while giving the boy a friendly smile.

Izuku nodded, not trusting his voice as he watched both women walk over to the side where the two men and the equipment were. Suddenly, Izuku saw all four adults seemingly vanish in the background as the inside of Gym Gamma was turned into what appeared to be Ground Beta.

”What? Wh-What’s going on? How did I...?” Izuku spun around, confused by how he got there.

{“Izuku? Can you hear me?”}

Izuku was startled by the sound of Recovery Girl’s voice coming from out of nowhere, even though he couldn’t see her. ”Y-Yes!” He stammered out, wondering what was going to happen. Where was Recovery Girl’s voice coming from, and where was she? In fact, where was Asahi and his parents?

Unbeknownst to him, they were still there; they hadn’t left, but Izuku didn’t know that.

{“Good. We’re about to get started in just a bit. Just use your quirk like normal, and don’t worry about damaging anything, alright?”}

He nodded his head and braced himself for anything. Meanwhile, the hero duo watched the boy in anticipation while Recovery Girl sat on the stool, watching the monitor carefully while Asahi stood beside her, her gaze fixated on Izuku. “So, what exactly is the purpose of this?” Shouta pointed out, feeling uneasy about what the heroine’s intention was.

Recovery Girl glanced at the man from the corner of her eye. ”This is to see if my theory about the child’s quirk abnormality is correct. Now, watch.”

Suddenly, they heard the boy yelped in surprise as he started backing away. But then he stopped, a look of recognition flashed in his eyes as he began to activate One For All and proceeded to use his powers to destroy...something. Something the hero duo couldn’t see.

”This is just like during the Entrance Exam, I was able to take these bots down in one hit!” Izuku stated, a burst of confidence coursing through him as he proceeded to take down more ‘bots’.

Luckily, the four adults were far enough away from the action to not worry about getting hit by the boy’s quirk, but close enough that they were still able to observe what was happening. But it didn’t help Toshinori while he watched the monitors and saw how the boy’s heart rate seemed to be going up.

”What’s happening? What is he doing? Is he okay?” Toshinori asked in a slight panic while Recovery Girl merely examined the boy’s heart rate and brain activity. “Relax, you two. It’s just my quirk.” The hero duo turned to Asahi whose eyes were staring intently at the boy, as if she were in a trance, her hands moving around like she was trying to manipulate water.

”My quirk is called Illusion. I’m able to create illusions of people and animals, different environments and situations, and I’m even able to affect a person’s senses to fit the scenario my illusions create."

Shouta hummed in understanding. “So does that mean he’s unable to hear us talking right now?”

Asahi nodded once, not turning her gaze away. “Correct. The only reason he was able to hear Recovery Girl before was because I hadn’t manipulated all of his senses, yet. But now, all of his senses are within my control. To Izuku, the illusions he’s seeing, hearing and feeling are as real as he is, but to a person watching from the outside, he looks like he’s playing pretend or just acting crazy.” She continued to maneuver her hands around, making her look a lot like a mime. “Right now, he thinks he’s fighting against the battle bots he and the others fought during the entrance exam back at Ground Beta, but he’ll only be able to move as freely as my illusions will allow him, so we don’t have to worry about him walking out of bounds or smacking into a wall.” Asahi’s eyes almost seemed to be glowing as she used her quirk to create more battle bots for Izuku to fight.

”Those sensors hooked up to him will allow Recovery Girl to see how his brain activity, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., respond to these illusions; they’ll also allow her to see how his body reacts when his quirk starts to act up. The body has different ways of reacting to certain emotions, and this is the best way to see what exactly is causing his little quirk problem. And don’t worry, if things get out of hand, if he starts to become overwhelmed or if his quirk starts to malfunction like before, I’ll put an end to the test. But for now, all we can do is watch and see how he reacts to my illusions.”

They watched as Izuku’s continued to use One For All to destroy the invisible bots, but Izuku looked like he was in his element. The green sparks danced around his limbs like normal, as was the magenta veins as they pulsed to life against his skin.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. His heart rate looked normal albeit a bit elevated but mostly due to the increased adrenaline, and his brain waves were sparking to life on the EEG, but they didn’t look too erratic or unstable. All in all, everything looked relatively normal while he used One For All.

And then, the real test began.

Suddenly, Izuku’s was staring up in horror as another zero-pointer appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to make its way over to the boy, presumably intending to crush him. Izuku turned on his heels and started to run away.

’Crap, crap, crap! I was only able to defeat the zero-pointer the first time because I was at 100%! There’s no way I’ll be able to take it down at only 20%. What do I do? What do I do?! Think! Think!!’

Sweat was beginning to pour from his face and his breathing was becoming haggard and uneven as he continued to run away. The green sparks still dancing around his body from One For All being activated. Even though he wasn’t in any real danger, the illusions made it hard to tell what was real or not.

”What’s happening?! What is he running from?!” Shouta shouted, staring in shock and horror at his son running in panic.

“I’m creating illusions of things Izuku has experienced in his life that have caused him immense anxiety and fear, and right now, he thinks there’s a zero-pointer battle bot chasing after him.” Asahi stated nonchalantly, her gaze still transfixed on the scene with her hands raised in the air. “These aren’t just your typical cookie-cutter illusions, they're tailor-made to fit each person’s emotional stability and what they’ve experienced in their lives.”

”What the hell is that supposed to mean?! How do you even know what Izuku’s gone through?!” Toshinori bellowed out, morphing into his hero form.

Asahi merely rolled her eyes. “Whenever I make physical contact with another person, like in the form of a handshake, I’m able to take a mental recording of that person’s life and what they’ve gone through, and I’m able to create illusions based off of those experiences. In other words, it’s as if he’s reliving these past experiences all over again, and I’m the only one who can control what he sees while under the influence of my quirk.”

Sensing his husband becoming perturbed, Shouta grabbed hold of his hand, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Toshi. She won’t let anything bad happen to him. All we can do, for now, is just wait.” Reluctantly, Toshinori sighed and nodded in agreement. This was all just a test, nothing more. Toshinori mustn’t take his anger out on the woman, she was here to help, and he had to let her do her job.

The green sparks around Izuku’s arms and legs suddenly started to pulse and jump uncontrollably, but they didn’t appear to be causing any physical harm to him, so Recovery Girl didn’t intervene, just yet. She DID, however, take note of the change in his brain activity. The increased Cortisol being released into his brain indicating the boy was experiencing a Fight or Flight response. But, it wasn’t enough to tell her what was causing his quirk abnormality.

Just then, Izuku had stopped running and was panting out of breath; sweat dripping from his face and his legs trembling.

”Is it over...?” He whispered to himself, hoping he didn’t have to face anymore robots or giant machines out to kill him. He looked around, seeing the broken remains of the bots he’d destroyed with his quirk. This all felt so familiar to him, like he’d been here before.

But he didn’t have time to think about that when the environment around him changed, and he found himself in a dimly lit hallways and winding pathways. It, too, looked oddly familiar.

”Wait...th-this is-”

”DEKU!!”

Izuku jumped at the sound of someone yelling out his name, or rather, his nickname. A shiver ran down his spine as he knew of only one person who would call him by that name and with such an angry tone.

Izuku’s eyes widened upon seeing the angry blond stomping down the hall right towards him, his face twisted in an enraged scowl.

”K-Kacchan...!?” He stuttered out as he felt himself taking a step back, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest and his stomach felt like it had sank down to his feet.

”You thought you could lie to me about not having a quirk and get away with it?! You made a complete fool out of me, Deku!!” Katsuki bellowed out as he got closer. He had on his hero costume, which only made him look even more intimidating.

The mossy teen’s breath hitched and he froze in place. “Wh-What? But, K-Kacchan, I-I thought you understood-!”

”SHUT THE HELL UP, DEKU!!” Katsuki angrily slammed his fist against the wall, an explosion from the slam causing a hole to form.

“You thought I would understand?! Understand that you lied to me?! I can’t stand liars, and right now, I can’t stand you!!”

Izuku was shaking like crazy, he could hardly move he was so scared. “P-Please, Kacchan! Just h-hold on a sec-!”

”I’m gonna make you regret EVER lying to me, you damn nerd!!!” Katsuki held up his hand and prepared to send an explosive blast right at Izuku. Letting out a scream, he just barely managed to dodge the blast.

Except it wasn’t real. It was just an illusion. But to Izuku, it was all too real, and all too terrifying.

Izuku’s heart rate was becoming erratic and his brain waves were fluctuating at an unhealthy rate. But the most alarming thing the adults noticed was that the green sparks were beginning to grow rapidly unstable and the magenta veins appeared to be pulsing more. As much as Recovery Girl wanted to end the test early, she needed to see if Izuku’s quirk would still be able to work while under immense stress.

”STOP RUNNING AWAY AND FIGHT ME, DEKU!!” Katsuki screamed out before releasing another explosion. Izuku cried out in fear and managed to dodge the blast before tumbling to the ground.

“You think you’re so much better than me, Deku?! I’ll make you pay for crossing me!!” Katsuki growled out, his ruby eyes filled with rage and hatred. Deciding to not keep the angry teen waiting, Izuku got back up to his feet and tried to activate One For All; his hands were trembling like leaves on a tree, and he could hardly concentrate.

’I don’t understand! I thought we worked things out, already! He’s the exact same as he was from before! Kacchan...he can’t stand me...he hates me!!’

Tears were streaming down Izuku’s face as he tried to concentrate on One For All’s power, trying to get it to flow through his body, but just like before, it wasn’t listening to him. One For All had stopped working. Another yelp escaped as Izuku ended up having to dodge another ‘explosion’, unable to use his quirk against his best friend’s assault. He tried again, this time intending to activate more than 20% of One For All’s power, but to no avail.

”WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!” Izuku cried out in frustration before running away from the manic boy, who was still screaming curses and hurtful words at him.

By this time, cuts were beginning to form around Izuku’s arms and torso; the magenta veins becoming visibly thicker as they started to glow and pulse, angrily.

Losing his footing, Izuku tripped and fell hard on the ground, but he didn’t even bother with getting back up, instead choosing to sit hunched over on his knees, curling himself into a tight ball while cradling his head around his arms. His body was shaking like crazy and his back heaving with breathless sobs; the sparks only growing more agitated the more he cried.

“Make it stop! Please, please make it stop! Please!!”

On the monitor, Izuku’s vitals were all over the place, and Toshinori and Shouta couldn’t stand to see their little boy being tormented by whatever the illusions were doing to him. Taking in the child’s heart-wrenching distress and the increased instability of One For All, Recovery Girl looked over to Asahi with a deep grimace.

”Miss Kondo, that’s enough. Please, stop your quirk.” She said in a firm voice. Asahi ceased her illusion quirk immediately without a word, her body becoming lax.

The illusions all disappeared, and Izuku returned to reality with his senses back to normal, but he remained a crying, sobbing mess balled up on the ground. The cuts on his body didn’t look to be as serious as before, but it was still unnerving to see Izuku in such a state. Sighing softly, Recovery Girl hopped off of her stool and proceeded to slowly walk towards the crying child, with Toshinori, Shouta and Asahi close behind her. Recovery Girl allowed Toshinori and Shouta to crouch down beside their son so they could comfort the child.

”Izu...” Toshinori whispered, his heart sinking upon seeing the boy flinch before slowly lifting his head, his puffy eyes meeting Toshinori’s.

He saw the relief wash over Izuku’s face as he tried to wipe his tears away, only for more to follow. Toshinori gently pulled the boy closer to him. Izuku allowed the man to wrap him in a protective embrace while he buried his face into his broad chest and continued to cry and sob. Toshinori hugged the boy close while whispering softly to him, his hand coming up to thread through the wild green curls.

”Shhh shh, it’s okay, Izu; you're okay, baby. You’re safe. It was all just a test. It’s over now, you did great.” Toshinori pressed a gentle kiss to the boy’s sweaty forehead, fighting to keep his own tears at bay.

Izuku managed to calm down after a while and melted into the warm hug, relief washing over him after having endured such awful memories.

Meanwhile, Shouta, who silently joined in comforting the mossy teen, glared up at Recovery Girl as she looked over the data she collected from the test. “So, are you satisfied? Was this enough for you?” He asked in a low, stern voice. She gave a curt nod.

”Yes. I've finally got the answers I need. I know exactly what's causing this."

”We’re here.”

Izuku and the others boarded off the bus and followed Shouta as they made their way inside of the giant, dome-shaped structure. Izuku gasped at the breathtaking site before him.

”Holy crap! This place is HUGE!!”

The training site looked more like a giant amusement park, making it hard to tell if they were here to train or to have a fun time. Then, someone in an astronaut-like outfit cam over, standing in front of the students.

”Downpours, landslides, flash floods, every type of disaster you can think of, and us heroes have to be prepared to face all of it. I built this place myself to help prepare you for these possible scenarios, and I call it: The Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ, for short!”

Izuku was beaming with an ecstatic grin. “It’s the Space Hero: Thirteen!” Izuku exclaimed with glee. He’d met Thirteen only one other time, back when Shouta had first started teaching; he was very young at the time, but he still remembered the friendly Space Hero very well.

”Thirteen. Where’s All Might?” Shouta asked looking around for any sight of the man.

“Oh, yeaaah about that...” Thirteen proceeded to subtly explain to the Erasure Hero how All Might had ‘reached his limit’ during his morning commute, and was currently resting in the break room.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head. “Why am I not surprised?” He looked at Thirteen with a frown before nodding his head. “Fine, we’ll start without him. I’m sure he’ll show up near the end. Thirteen, you can start whenever you’re ready.”

”Can do! But first, I have a few things I’d like to bring to your attention students.” They turned to the 1-A students who were all eagerly awaiting to hear what the Space Hero had to say.

”As I’m sure you’re all aware, my quirk is called Blackhole. It can suck in and tear apart just about anything you can think of.”

Izuku perked up and chimed in with a gleeful smile. “And you’ve managed to save so many lives from all sorts of disasters with your quirk!” Thirteen gave the boy a thumbs up. “Correct! However...” Their tone turned more serious. “My quirk is also capable of killing, and I have no doubt there are some of you with quirks that are just as capable of causing harm as they are at providing aid.”

The air around the class became heavy with a serious tension, Thirteen’s words sinking in like water on a cloth.

”In our super-powered society, usage of quirks is heavily monitored and restricted. And while this would imply that this system is a stable one, it is not always full proof. Never forget that one slip up of one’s uncontrollable power can be the difference between life and death.”

Thirteen paused for a moment to allow the students to take in their words and ponder over them. “With Eraser Head’s physical training, you were able to discover your hidden potential. With All Might’s battle training, you experienced the potential dangers your respective quirks can cause onto others. And in rescue training, you’re going to learn how to utilize your powers to save people!”

Izuku was starting to get pumped up, this was something he had been waiting for since starting school, and he was excited to finally gain some experience in rescuing people, something he’d apparently not a stranger to.

”Remember class, the goal of this training exercise is to use your quirks to not cause harm to others, I want you all to leave here today with a more broad understanding that you are meant to help people, not hurt them. Thank you all for listening! That is all!!” Thirteen concluded while taking a bow. The others all clap and cheer for them, feeling pumped up about getting started.

Shouta cleared his throat to grab the students’ attention. “Alright. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started. First off-”

But suddenly, he was cut off when a hissing sound came from the central plaza. He looked behind him and saw a mist-like substance swirling around, getting bigger and bigger until he saw something appearing from inside the gaping hole the mist created.

Shouta’s eyes widened upon seeing a hand emerging from inside the black mist, followed by a person with a disembodied hand covering his face.

”Huddle up and don't move!!” Shouta yelled out to his students in a panic. Izuku and the others all stared in confusion. “Hey. Are those more battle bots? Like from during the entrance exam?” Kirishima asked, trying to get a better look at the mysterious figure standing from inside the mist as more of them began emerging one by one from the blackness.

”Thirteen! Protect the students!” Shouta ordered the Space Hero while pulling on his yellow goggles. “This isn’t part of the exercise! Those are Villains!!”

Izuku felt a shiver run down his back as he started in horror at the villains, the main one just standing there with his back hunched with more hands gripping his body. Then, the mist began to speak with glowing slits for eyes.

”Hmm...Thirteen and Eraser Head, is it...? Based off of the staff schedule I received the other day, All Might is also supposed to be present, but he’s not...”

Shouta gritted his teeth in a scowl as he glared at the man covered in hands. “Of course. That whole incident with the press breaking in was this piece of scum’s doing.” This seemed to invoke a reaction out of the powder blue haired man as he appeared to be staring up at the Erasure Hero.

”Where is he...?! Where is All Might...?!" His voice was raspy and gritty, like it hadn’t been used in some time, making the villain’s overall presence all the more unsettling and sinister. ”We’ve come all this way...and I even invited everyone to come play...All Might...the Symbol of Peace...is he here...?!”

He then began to violently scratch at the side of his neck before saying, ”Well...if All Might isn’t here right now...I wonder if a few dead brats will get his attention? Shall we find out?!”

Chapter Text

”No way!! Those are actual villains?! Who’d be dumb enough to break into a hero school?!” Mineta cried out.

Class 1-A looked on in horrified shock and confusion, trying to wrap their heads around the situation. “Sensei, how did they even get in here?! I thought there were sensors all over campus!” Momo stated, sounding slightly panicked. Thirteen looked back to her. “There ARE sensors all over campus...!”

Shouto looked on at the villains as they came out of the mist in droves. “Have they infiltrated the USJ, or are there villains all over the main building, too…?” He asked, not speaking to anyone in particular. “Whatever the case may be, it has to be one of the villains’ quirks that’s causing the sensors to not work.” He turned and looked to his other classmates.

”Think about it, this place is far away from campus, and they picked a time when there wouldn’t be very many people; they’ve been waiting for this chance. This sneak attack is too well-organized to be orchestrated by a bunch of dumb villains.”

Shouta turned back to Thirteen with his goggles on, his capture weapon gripped tightly in his hand and his hair flowing upwards, indicating he’d activated his erasure quirk. “Thirteen! Begin evacuating the students and try getting in contact with the school. There’s a chance an electric-type quirk-user is causing the interference.” He then turned his attention to Kaminari. “Kaminari. Try using your quirk to get a signal. Understand?”

He nodded his head and said, “Yessir!”

”B-But, Sensei! You can’t fight them all by yourself! There’s way too many of them, and there’s no way you can cancel out their quirks at once!” Izuku called out, fear beginning to well up in his chest at the idea of his father getting seriously hurt by the hoard of villains. Shouta looked over his shoulder at the boy, and in a calm but firm voice said, “No good hero has only one trick up his sleeve.”

He gave Izuku a quick smile before calling back to Thirteen. “Get the students out of here! Leave this to me!” Without another word, he leaps forward with his capture weapon in both hands, jumping straight into the fray.

”Hah! Does this guy have a death wish, or something?” One of the villains exclaimed arrogantly, preparing to use his quirk on the erasure Hero. “I dunno who this guy is, but this guy looks pretty easy to take down! This’ll be easy-huh? Wh-What the HELL?! What happened to my quirk?!” Before they could figure out what was happening, the capture weapon had wrapped itself tightly around 2 of the villains, and forced them to headbutt each other, knocking them out.

”Holy crap! That’s no ordinary hero, it’s Eraser Head!! He can cancel out a person’s quirk just by looking at them!” A Villain cried out before being taken down by Shouta. Even those with quirks that weren’t transformation or emitter-type didn’t stand a chance against the Erasure Hero and his speed and hand-to-hand combat.

”You’re very miscalculated if you thought I didn’t have backup counter-measures for something like this.” Izuku watched in awe as his Papa took down each villain with ease; he’d seen Shouta fight off villains before, but never against this many at once. It was honestly an amazing thing to witness. If only this weren’t a life or death situation he was in, otherwise he would’ve started taking notes.

The mist villain observed the action, closely. “Eraser Head is adept in close-quarter combat, even without that weapon of his, and those goggles make it difficult to tell whose quirk he’s cancelling. Not even a mob of us can subdue him, it seems.” The villain with the hands began to furiously scratch at his neck, groaning in displeasure and frustration. ”I hate Pro Heroes...ordinary villains are no match against someone like HIM...”

Thirteen ushered everyone away from the fighting, making sure that none of the students got left behind. “C’mon, everybody! We need to evacuate-!”

”I will not allow that.”

A calm but ominous voice that could only belong to the mist villain rang out as a wall of the black substance suddenly surrounded everyone, only the slits of his eyes could be seen. Shouta looked back and cursed to himself at his own carelessness, having not taken into account that the mist villain was able to teleport to any location in the blink of an eye, making him possibly the deadliest of all.

Izuku stared wide-eyed at the glowing eyes of the mist villain, his stomach churning with fear.

”Greetings, students. We are the League of Villains. My apologies for the sudden intrusion, but we’ve come here to this esteemed hero school on a mission, and what that mission is, you may ask? Why...we’re here to end the life...of All Might, the Symbol of Peace.”

Izuku jolted at those words, a cold sweat rolling down his face and his eyes growing wide with disbelief. ‘Dad...’

”You see, we were told that All Might would be here today...but it seems...that he is not. Could it be that his schedule had been altered...? Well...no matter...” Suddenly, the black mist started to draw closer to the Class 1-A students, forcing them to huddle closer together to avoid touching the mist. ”My role remains the same.”

Thirteen was preparing to activate their quirk when suddenly, Katsuki and Kirishima came up from behind and attacked the villain. “Betcha didn’t see us coming!!” Kirishima exclaimed proudly, Katsuki standing next to him with an arrogant smirk. Unfortunately, The Mist Villain was hardly phased by their sneak attack as he reverted back into his default state.

”Indeed. That was close. Though you may be students, you are most definitely the best of the best.” The Mist Villain sneered.

”Both of you, get back!!” Thirteen called out, but before anybody knew what was happening, they were enveloped in the black mist. Some of the students managed to grab hold of their classmates and pull them to safety, but it was too late.

”Begone. Writhe in agony and torment...until you breathe your last breath.”

And just like that, they were gone.

...

.......

............

”Wahhh?! The flood zone!!” Izuku cried out in shock as he fell from the warp hole and plunged into the water. He looked around in confusion while underwater.

’That mist guy, he teleported us? It must be his quirk! These guys are here to kill All Might, to kill Dad! Just what the hell is going on?’

Before he could get his thoughts together, a shark-type villain emerged from out of nowhere and was about to attack and possibly kill him, when Tsuyu intervened, with Mineta held close to her.

”Yagi!” She called out before her long tongue wrapped around Izuku’s waist and swimming back up to the surface and onto a boat.

”Thank you for saving me, Asui.” Izuku thanked the frog girl, water droplets dripping from his hair. “No problem, and call me Tsu. But I don’t think we’re in the clear just yet. Ribbit.”

Izuku clicked his tongue in frustration. “They knew our schedule...! They caused that media uproar in order to infiltrate the school and gain our intel. It’s just like Shouto said, they’ve been waiting for this moment...and they’re planning to kill All Might!”

He felt his chest tightening, scared about his father being the main target for those sinister villains, especially the ring leader. Something about him didn’t sit well with Izuku.

”But, but that’s impossible!!” Mineta whined with a determined scowl. “There’s no way those guys can kill All Might! As soon as he gets here, he’ll plow them in the dust! Wham! Pow!” He made punching motions with his fists, much to Izuku’s annoyance.

”Mineta...” Tsuyu started. “They most likely found a way to kill him, otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered with coming here.” Izuku breath hitched, but Tsuyu didn’t seem to notice. “I wouldn’t put it past these guys. After all, that one guy promised to kill all of us just to lure All Might here.” Izuku felt his heart squeeze in his chest. “Who’s to say that we’ll even be able to hold our own until he gets here? And even if he does show up...who says he won’t be killed as soon as he arrives-”

”Please, just stop!!” Izuku cried out, a mix of fear and anger in his voice.

Mineta and Tsuyu stared at the boy in shock at his sudden outburst. Despite her expression remaining unchanged, remorse flashed over Tsuyu’s eyes upon realizing what she’d just said. “I’m sorry, Yagi. I tend to just say what comes to mind. Didn’t mean to upset you. Ribbit.”

Izuku looked at the frog girl, and despite feeling upset by her remarks, smiled at her in understanding. “It’s alright, Tsuyu...” Their lighthearted conversation was cut short when the same Shark Villain emerged from the water with an enraged scowl.

”That damn brat!” Soon after, several more fish-like villains popped up from the water, surrounding the boat. “You’re dead!!”

”AAAHHHH!!! A WHOLE SCHOOL OF THEM!!!!” Mineta cried out in fear, cowering away from the side of the boat. Meanwhile, Izuku was muttering to himself, trying to figure out why the villains wanted to kill his father, and what their motivation for such a thing would be. Then, a flash of realization crosses his eyes as he looks up to his other two classmates.

”If there’s even a slim chance that they’ll beat All Might, then…” He clenched his fists and lifted his head with a look of unwavering determination. “Then we have to fight to win!!”

”Hmm...I can’t seem to get ahold of Shouta, or Thirteen...”

Toshinori was still sitting in the break room staring at his phone with a puzzled look. He lowered his head feeling guilty for his current predicament. “No matter the circumstances, I put my hero work before my teaching, and as a result, I pushed myself to my limit... How careless of me.”

He gets up to stretch a bit before peering out the window where he could see the USJ in the distance. “What am I gonna tell the students when I arrive at the end of the exercise...? Well, there’s no point in dwelling on it, after another 10 minutes, I should be good to go...” He mutters to himself before morphing into his hero form. “No! I’m going, now!!” He declares proudly while blood spewed from his mouth.

”Hold on, All Might!” He looks over and sees Principal Nedzu stroll into the break room, carefree and cheerful as usual. A had a tablet in his hands(paws?), looking over a news article about 3 incidents resolved in less than an hour by none other than All Might, himself.

”Rushing into battle the moment you hear there’s trouble is so like you! You haven’t changed one bit!” Nedzu clambered onto the couch across from Toshinori, still smiling. “Your injury and its after-effects have limited you in your hero duties, and you’ve become even busier with training young Izuku in learning to control One For All. The whole reason I recommended that you become a teacher here was because of your stubbornness when it comes to both of those aspects. I really wish that you would take it easy, once in a while.”

Toshinori reverted back to his lanky true form as he watched his boss prepare some tea for the both of them. “Even for today, you can only attend a portion of the class. Never forget, All Might, that while I offered you the position to work here, you also accepted it. Please do try harder to prioritize your role as a teacher. There are plenty of hero agencies out there that can handle these common villains.”

The man let out a huff while drawing his gaze to the small table between them. “I know...you’re right, sir...that’s why I was just about to leave for the USJ.” Nedzu placed a cup in front of the man before pouring himself a cup. “What good would that do for you, now? You’d just end up having to return to the school, shortly after, correct? In the meantime, why don’t we enjoy some tea and snacks while I tell you about my theories on education?”

While Nedzu started to drone on about his opinion on hero education, Toshinori couldn’t stop thinking about his husband. ‘It didn’t even go to voicemail...the fact that I can’t get through to him is really worrying me. I hope everything’s okay over there...’

”HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK WE COULD FIGHT OFF A BUNCH OF VILLAINS, YOU IDIOT?! WE’RE CLEARLY OUTNUMBERED, AND THESE GUYS MIGHT EVEN BE STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL ALL MIGHT!! THERE’S NO HOPE FOR US BUT TO HIDE AND WAIT!!”

Mineta cried out in a whiny, nasally voice, but his pessimistic comments did little to deter Izuku. “Mineya. Listen carefully, alright? Those guys are clearly better suited to aquatic combat, right?” Tsuyu turned to look at him. “This means whoever’s in charge must’ve known about USJ’s variation of environments, including the flood zone.” She pointed out, resting her pointer finger on her chin.

”Precisely! Their intel told them about our location, that much is true. But there’s one other point they failed to consider.” He then points to Tsuyu. “For example, that warp guy sent you, Tsuyu, here, to the flood zone!” Her blank, unfased stare was making Izuku a bit nervous, which only prompted Mineta to get impatient with the silence. “Just get to the point, already!!”

”In other words, they have no idea what any of our quirks are! If they had any intel on our powers, they would’ve sent you to a place like the fiery zone. They may have us outmatch as far as numbers and experience, but we’ve got an advantage over them with this fact!” Izuku was feeling confident in his deduction, hoping that his theory would put his teammates at ease. Tsuyu seemed convinced as she decided to go along with his plan, whatever his plan may be.

”Well, I can pretty much do anything a frog can; I can jump really high, climb walls and swim pretty fast. My tongue can stretch up to 20 meters, I can spit my stomach out to clean it, and I can secrete a ‘poisonous’ substance, but really, it just stings a little. But those last two are a bit useless for this situation, so just ignore them.” She explained in a monotone voice, ignoring Mineta muttering the word ‘secrete’, like it was meant to be some sort of sexual innuendo.

”That’s pretty impressive, Tsuyu!” She gives him a curt nod. “Thanks. And call me Tsu.”

”Right, right. Sorry. Um, well, my quirk enhances my speed, mobility, strength and agility. But despite how strong my quirk is, I can only use a small percentage of it, otherwise, I’ll end up hurting myself from the immense flow of power.” Izuku explained, sheepishly. He didn't wanna go too far into detail about his quirk out of fear of accidentally describing All Might’s quirk.

Mineta pulled off one of the purple balls off of his head and sticks it to the wall. “These suckers are really sticky, if I’m feeling good, they can stay stuck all day. Immediately after pulling one off, a new one will grow in its place. But if I pull off too many at a time, I’ll start to bleed. I can bounce off of them without getting stuck, but they’ll stick to anyone else...”

Izuku and Tsuyu just stared at him, their faces unreadable. This sent Mineta into a crying frenzy, regretting ever describing his quirk.

”I KNOW, MY QUIRK IS STUPID AND USELESS AGAINST MULTIPLE ENEMIES!! JUST ADMIT IT AND SAY IT, MY QUIRK IS COMPLETELY USELESS!!! THIS IS WHY I SUGGESTED WE WAIT FOR THE PROS TO COME AND RESCUE US!!!!”

Izuku was startled by his sudden outburst and tried to pacify his teammate. ”N-No no, it’s a great quirk! We weren’t judging or anything, we’re just trying to figure out how we can use it in this situation!”

Suddenly, their conversation is cut off by the boat being split in half. “I’m getting tired of waiting around. Let’s finish this!” One of the villains yelled out from the water. Before anybody could stop him, Mineta yelled out and started to wildly throw his sticky balls into the water towards the villains. Izuku gawked at him in utter disbelief.

”What did you panic like that for?! Damn it, now they know what your quirk is!!” Izuku looked over the edge of the boat to see what the villains were doing, but was surprised to see that they were avoiding Mineta’s purple sticky balls. ‘This is good! If I time this right...’

Mineta continued to whine and cry while Tsuyu just stared at him expressionless when Izuku proceeded to climb onto the ledge, catching the short boy’s attention. “Wh-Wh-What do you think you’re doing, Yagi?! Are you crazy!?” The mossy teen merely glanced at him, emerald eyes glistening with determination despite the growing anxiety swirling around in his stomach.

”On my signal, Mineta, you throw as many of your balls as you can, and Tsuyu, you use your tongue to catch me and get us out of here. Okay?” Before either of his teammates could respond or react, Izuku leaped off the boat towards the villains waiting below.

They were cackling and muttering to each other about how stupid the boy was for jumping like that and how as soon a she landed in the water he was dead, but little did they know, Izuku wasn’t illprepared.

Ignoring the swell of fear and anxiety starting to build up, Izuku concentrated on One For All’s power, allowing the warmth to spread through his body; the familiar tingles from the green sparks kissing his skin, the glowing magenta veins forming over his body and a strange but soothing sensation pulsing through his wrist. Or rather, a pulsing sensation from the device around his wrist...

3 Days Earlier...

”His quirk is affected by his emotional state.”

Recovery Girl had brought everyone back to her office so she could treat Izuku’s injuries as well as explain to the hero duo what has been going on with his quirk.

”His emotional state?” Shouta asked while giving her a confused expression. “What does that mean?”

Recovery Girl skimmed over Izuku’s brain scans and the notes she’d taken during the test. “It means exactly that. Based on these results, as well as the video feeds from his performance during the entrance exam, the Battle Trial and the test I’ve just conducted, his quirk becomes unresponsive when he’s experiencing feelings of immense stress, fear, guilt, anger, sadness, and so on and so forth. Mostly, it seems that it’s negative emotions that affect his quirk.”

Izuku quirked an eyebrow at the heroine, rubbing a nervous hand up and down his arm. “I don’t understand. This has never happened to me while I was training with Gran-Pa Torino, and I would get plenty stressed out.” Recovery Girl flashed the boy a sympathetic grin. “Yes, but the stress you felt while training your quirk may not have been the same as the stress you felt during both the entrance exam and the Battle Trial, and of course, there’s the test Miss Kondo had helped me conduct.”

He turned his gaze to the illusion quirk user. “That reminds me, how were you able to do that? Was that your quirk?” Asahi smiled and nodded. “Yep! My quirk allows me to create illusions based off of a person’s life and their experiences once I’ve made physical contact with them. Or, I can just make my own illusions from memory if I want to spice things up!”

Before Izuku could start gushing over Asahi’s quirk, Recovery Girl cut him off by clearing her throat. “Now, I understand that this is all a bit confusing and even overwhelming, but I assure you that this issue with your quirk is not permanent. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.”

”What do you mean?” Izuku inquired.

”Unlike your father’s powers, your’s seem to be more intertwined with your moods and they only respond when you’re feeling a sense of emotional clarity. For example, during the illusion test, as well as during the first portion of the entrance exam, you appeared to have no problem with using your powers. What were you feeling during that time, Izuku?”

He pondered for a moment before answering. “Well, at first, I was feeling a little nervous. But once I got a feel of the environment and got my bearings, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Like I could do anything.” Recovery Girl smiled. “That’s good! That means your were in a state of positive emotional stability and clarity.” She skimmed over her notes some more before looking back up.

”What about when the zero-pointer appeared, and also, during the Battle Trial? How were you feeling then?”

Again, he paused to think about it. ”...I was...I was feeling...afraid. I felt like I had to get away, as fast as I could. I was scared, really scared. But then, I saw Uraraka fall. And it was in that moment that all of my fear had seemingly faded away, and all I thought about was ‘I have to save her! I have to help her!’, and I was able to use One For All just fine. And during the Battle Trial...Kacchan was really mad with me after he found out that I had a quirk. I felt so bad for making him so upset and angry; I knew I had hurt him, and I wanted so badly to tell him the truth, but I felt that if I did, I would’ve let Dad and Papa down.”

”Oh, Izu...” Shouta stood up and walked over to the bed where Izuku was sitting and rested his hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze; Toshinori got up from his seat and plopped down beside the boy, wrapping his arm around the boy’s waist.

Recovery Girl clicked her tongue. “It’s just as I’d expected. It’s feelings of fear, sadness, anger and guilt primarily, that seem to affect your quirk; I’m sure there are other aspects of negative emotions that affect it, too. And not only does it cause your power to become inactive, but the overwhelming flux of energy and power seems to cause it to lash out on your body, which would explain where those cuts are coming from.”

”What do you mean?” Izuku was curious about Recovery Girl’s theory, wanting to know more about this strange phenomenon.

”Think of your body as a pipe and the power within you as water inside the pipe. If there’s too much stress on the pipe, it can cause the flow of water to become blocked. Because the water has nowhere to go due to the openings being blocked off, the pressure will increase, resulting in the pipe beginning to crack until it eventually bursts.”

“So you’re saying, that One For All’s power flow inside of my body, is just like the built-up water inside of a pipe?” Izuku asked, tentatively. Recovery Girl nodded. “Your power has nowhere to go due to the immense stress your emotions are putting on your body, which is why those cuts have been appearing. Your power is trying to find a way to escape before it bursts out.”

Toshinori was stunned. “I...I had no idea that was even possible. I mean, something like that would’ve happened if his body wasn’t prepared. But this...”

Izuku chewed on his bottom lip and began to wring his hands, sheepishly. “So...is there a way to fix this?” He asked, nervously, feeling like his question was too trivial. Recovery Girl flashed him a smile. “Of course there is, dear! I have just the thing.”

She searched for something in her desk and beckoned for Izuku to come closer. He does, and watches as Recovery Girl softly grabbed hold of his right wrist and fastened a band around it.

”What’s this?” He asked, examining the strange band around his wrist. It was a plain-looking strap similar to a watch band, but this one was transparent and appeared to be made of a very thin material. In the center of the band was a rectangle-shaped face; the band itself was actually flexible and quite comfortable. At first glance, it looked like it could be a regular wrist watch or a pedometer, but there was something about it that made him feel...safe.

”This is a stress-relief band made by the Department of Support, and it was made with your powers in mind. It’s water-proof, ware-proof, tear-resistant and it's sturdy against all forms of heat and cold. When your body begins to undergo feelings of stress, the device will counter this by releasing Oxytocin through the skin and into your bloodstream, and your pulse will also help it to spread throughout your body, allowing you to feel more relaxed and calm.” Izuku smiled while staring at his new accessory.

”Wow, that’s awesome. Thank you so much, Recovery Girl!” He smiled from ear to ear.

“Not a problem, deary. I want you to become the best hero you can be, and if this will help you reach that goal, then I'm happy to help.”

He proceeded to slip on his T-shirt, his new stress-relief wrist band wrapped snugly around his wrist, before Recovery Girl began explaining to him the details of his new device.

“Now make sure to have this on at all times, even when you go to sleep. Not only will this device help to alleviate your stress, but it’ll also record data on your vitals as well as any abnormalities in your hormone levels. I'll receive the data info via cellphone so that I can record it in my notes. I want to help better improve not only your training to become a hero, but also your quality of life.”

Izuku nodded with a smile, a warm feeling swelling in his chest. “I will, Recovery Girl. Thank you so much for this.”

’I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!!’

Just before Izuku could make contact with the water, he holds his hand out with his middle finger drawn back while concentrating the flow of One For All at a maximum of 20%, and then...

”Delaware SMAAAAASH!!!”

Izuku flicks his finger, causing a powerful shock wave to explode through the water’s surface, much like a massive cannonball. Judging by the reaction from the villains, none of them were expecting such a power to come from the boy.

”TSUYU! MINETA!” Without skipping a beat, Tsuyu leaps out and catches Izuku with her tongue while holding Mineta in her arm; the shorter boy begins to toss purple balls wildly at the whirlpool caused by Izuku’s smash attack, all while crying about how awesome Izuku’s quirk is in comparison to his own.

The villains end up getting stuck to Mineta’s purple balls which causes them to become stuck to each other before getting dragged into the center of the water and washing up.

”We won our first challenge. You guys are pretty cool, and your quirks aren’t too bad, either. Ribbit.”

While Mineta continued to cry and whine, Izuku smiled to himself and clenched his fist in victory, feeling proud of himself for finally being able to overcome his stress problem.

’Finally. I can be of use to everyone! And my quirk won’t act up on me, anymore. We can win this! We can win against the villains!’

”Damn it, you bastard!!” A muscular-looking villain spat out with his entire body encased in ice, courtesy of Shouto Todoroki.

He and Tooru Hagakure were warped together and ended up in the landslide zone by the Mist Villain, but despite the separation, Shouto had no trouble subduing the villains in the vicinity with his ice quirk. But even after claiming his victory against the group of villains, something wasn’t settling right with Shouto.

’So far, from what I’ve gathered after fighting off these thugs, there’s only about 4 or 5 villains who are extremely dangerous, while the others are nothing more than fodder; a way to distract us… If their objective for infiltrating the USJ is to kill All Might, they must have some sort of trick up their sleeves, and whatever it is...it’s not to be taken lightly, even by the Pros.’

”Alright, here’s the deal.” Shouto stated while slowly making his way over to the frozen bulk of a man before him, acting as cool and stoic as ever. “At this rate, your body is beginning to experience symptoms of hypothermia, and within a few minutes, your skin will start to rot away due to frostbite.” He stated in a cold, uncaring tone, causing the frozen man before him to gasp in fear.

”But luckily for you, I’m planning on becoming a hero, and heroes don’t torture others like this, so here’s what you’re going to do:” He sat on the ground with his legs crossed, much to the man’s confusion, and glared up at him.

‘Izuku...please be okay.’

”You’re going to tell me exactly what your plan is; how are you going to pull off killing All Might? Tell me everything.”

”Alrighty! That’s all of ‘em!” Katsuki huffed out, his left arm stripped of its grenade gauntlet. “Take about a bunch of amateurs. I thought these guys were supposed to be villains!”

Katsuki and Kirishima were sent to the collapse zone, together, and just like Shouto, they were able to hold up their own against the seemingly dangerous hoard of villains sent their way, and with little to no effort, were able to pound them into the dust.

”Okay, now let’s hurry over to the others! If we’re here, then that must mean the others are still in the facility, and I’m worried about those who aren’t able to fight like we are.” Kirishima explained, his skin going from rock-hard to soft and fleshy, again.

Katsuki scoffed before turning his back against the red-haired teen. “Do whatever you want, but I’m gonna blast that warp guy into the ground!”

”What?! Dude c’mon! This isn’t the time to be acting all immature and proud! We’re the ones who attacked that mist guy first, instead of letting Thirteen suck him in with their blackhole quirk. We have a responsibility to fulfil as both heroes, and as men!”

Katsuki was getting irritated with his classmate and began to yell. “Would you shut up, already?!” Kirishima scoffed, but didn’t say anything. With a calmer voice, Katsuki spoke, again. “Look, that warp guy is the reason why these thugs keep coming. If we take him out first, then these assholes won’t have anyway of getting out of here. And there IS a way to beat him! I’m sure of it!”

With his back turned, Katsuki didn’t see one of the villains get back up and make his way towards him with a knife, but he found himself kissing the ground instead when the blond manages to slam him down with an explosion.

”Besides, I doubt they’ll be much of a threat if all they’re sending are these losers. We’ll be just fine.” Katsuki stated, hardly even phased by the attempted sneak attack. Kirishima was impressed by his calm demeanor and his reflexes and maneuverability.

”Wow dude, you sure are a lot more calm than you were during the Battle Trial, haha!” Kirishima’s lighthearted compliment seemed to trigger Katsuki’s anger as the blond glared daggers at him.

“I’M ALWAYS CALM, HAIR-FOR-BRAINS!!!”

But Kirishima was unaffected by his friend’s sudden mood change. “Aha, there it is!”

With a smirk, Kirishima activated his quirk by hardening his arms, bumping his fists together to get himself pumped up. “Alright, man! If you’re gonna go all out in beating this guy, let me come with. You’re gonna need someone you can trust by your side, plus, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you have all the fun!”

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Katsuki shook his head and readied an explosion. “Whatever, Shitty hair. Just don’t get in my way!” Then, they charged through the building, heading straight for the central plaza.

’Deku, you better not get yourself hurt or killed out there. You’re supposed to become a hero alongside me, so don’t you go doing anything stupid. You got that, nerd?’

”Phew. That was a close one, huh?” Mineta huffed out while being dragged through the water by Tsuyu, a smile of relief on his features. “Gotta say, though, that worked out better than I thought it would...”

Izuku, Tsuyu and Mineta emerged from the water and onto a shallow area near the central plaza after they’d managed to escape the aquatic villains near the wreckage. But they were far from safe, and they knew it. Which was why Izuku was busy thinking to himself about the worse-case scenarios that could’ve turned his plan against him, resulting in their defeat or worse.

’Luckily that actually worked, but there was no guarantee that I could’ve pulled that off even with the stress-relief device. Plus, if they’d been smarter about it, they would’ve had a few of their men hide beneath the water’s surface to avoid the attack. Still, we’re lucky that wasn’t the case. This plan was completely last-minute, and we’ve gotta be more careful from here on out-’

”Hey Yagi, could you please not do that? It’s kinda creepy. Ribbit.”

Realizing he’d been muttering to himself this whole time, Izuku’s face turned as red as a fire truck as he sputtered out an apology.

”So, what should we do now?” Tsuyu inquired once they reached the shore. “I’m not sure...but for now, I think we should stick to the shorelines and make our way to the exit.” Izuku explained, feeling his body beginning to calm down thanks to the stress-relief device. “If possible, we need to avoid engaging in combat and try calling for help, we mustn’t fight if there’s no need for it.”

Just then, he noticed Shouta in the distance; he was still fighting off the hoards of villains still trying to subdue him. While he was impressed by his father’s endurance, he also knew that Shouta wouldn’t be able to keep up the fighting for long.

”Sensei...Papa...he’s holding his own out there, but there’s too many of them. He’s not going to be able to fight them all off. He knew that, but he jumped in to protect us, anyway...”

”Yagi, are you really that stupid, or something?!” Mineta chastised him, referring to Izuku’s earlier analysis. Tsuyu just stared at him with an unreadable expression.

”No, I’m not saying we should jump in all at once.” He glanced over at the fight ensuing in front of them, at his Papa struggling to keep everyone at bay.

”We need to wait for an opening, and when the opportunity comes up, we do everything we can to back him up and help him.”

Meanwhile, Shouta had managed to subdue the majority of the villains, and was now in the process of fighting against the creepy villain covered in hands. But even he was proving to be a challenge for the seasoned Pro Hero with how quickly he was evading his attacks.

The powder-haired man even managed to grab hold of Shouta’s capture weapon, but he wasn’t prepared for the man to use that to his advantage as he roughly yanked on the weapon, pulling the man forward and ramming his elbow into his gut. “So, you’re the boss of this whole operation, huh?” He asked with his elbow digging into the villain’s stomach, but that also seemed to be ineffective judging on the villain’s raspy cackling.

”I’ve been noticing a pattern in your attacks, mister Eraser Head." The man stated in an impressionable but condescending tone of voice. ”Although it’s hard to tell with you jumping around like that, but your hair falls back down in between short intervals.”

Shouta didn’t have time to respond when the villain grabs hold of his elbow; his skin pale and dry-looking. ”It happens every time you finish a certain move, and your max duration between each becomes shorter and shorter.” Suddenly, the skin and fabric around Shouta’s elbow begins to crumble and decay, a searing pain shooting through his arm and his entire body as the villain’s gaze becomes more sinister.

”You’d better be careful and not overdo it, mister Eraser Head!”

Despite the pain and initial shock, Shouta manages to break free from the man’s hold by punching him in the face, jumping back to create distance.

‘My elbow...it was disintegrating...!’ Be barely manages to dodge out of the way as 2 more villains try to attack him. The Decay-Villain merely cackles while propping himself up on his hands and knees.

”You’re out of your element, huh? This sorta style of fighting isn’t your specialty; your quirk isn’t best suited to close-quarter group battles. You’re better at quick sneak-attacks. And yet, you jumped into this fight knowing the odds would be against you, just to make those brats feel safe. You’re so cool!”

Then, a mist warp gate opened up behind Shouta, but before he could react, a monstrosity unlike anything he’s ever seen emerged.

”Oh, and by the way, Hero, I’m not the boss here.”

”SENSEIII!!!" Mina and Ochako cried out to their teacher.

The Mist-Villain chuckled as he watched the students’ faces morph into shock and horror upon seeing their teacher being ripped apart by their very own quirk from behind.

Thirteen had instructed Tenya to leave the USJ and head back to the school to gather the teachers for help, much to the Class President's dismay and persistence in staying to aid his teammates. Thirteen didn't bother to be discreet with their plan, since their opponent was well within earshot of it. Feeling confident that they would be able to beat the Mist-Villain, they proceeded to try and suck the villain in with their blackhole quirk, but their plan backfired. Horribly.

”Thirteen. While your actions and heroic display are admirable, a disaster relief hero such as yourself...could never measure up to even an ordinary villain when it comes to fighting. Now, you’ll be torn apart by your own power.”

Thirteen’s space suit was ripping away from their body, being sucked in by the blackhole he’d created. ‘Damn! He’d managed to warp my power. I’m done for...!’

Ochako, Mina and the others could do nothing to help their teacher; Ochako was fighting the urge to cry, wanting to be brave.

”Iida! What are you doing?!” Satou exclaimed. “They told you to run, so run!!”

Tenya didn’t want to leave his classmates and injured teacher behind, but he also wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he became the reason for their failure and possible demise. ”Tch! Damn it all!!”, was all he could muster out as he ran at top speed right for the exit, but was instantly stopped by the Mist-Villain opening up another warp gate.

”Foolish child. It would not serve us if you went and got assistance from your teachers. Now, begone-” Mezou lunged forward and wrapped his tentacle-like appendages around the warp gate, keeping it from warping Tenya. “Get going! Now!”

Tenya wasted no time as he ran right past Mezou and the others, running as fast as possible for the exit.

‘Everyone’s counting on me, I can’t let them down. Just hang on, everyone! Please, just hang on!!’

Izuku could do nothing; he couldn’t speak, couldn't move, he could hardly even breathe.

He felt like his body had become frozen in time, like the rest of the world was moving without him. He felt his throat closing up and his eyes watering as he watched Shouta, his father, being held down in the terrifyingly strong grip of the monstrosity that’d emerged from the warp gate. It crushed Shouta’s arm in its grip; twisting it like a pretzel, and Shouta was left motionless, his body mangled and bloody.

He looked like a corpse.

The Decay-Villain let out a sickly, menacing cackle as he watched the giant monster with a glint in his crimson eyes. ”I would like you to meet my newest pet: The Anti-Symbol of Peace, Nomu.”

A tear rolled down Izuku’s cheek, and his body began to tremble.

’Papa...!!!’

Chapter Text

’Damn! I’ve got to get help! Everyone’s counting on me! Just a little closer, and I’ll be outside!’ Tenya was so close to reaching the exit; just a few more feet and he was in the clear.

But fate seemed to have other plans in store.

The Mist-Villain sent another warp gate in place of the one Mezou had interfered with, and with Tenya running at full speed, he was sure to end up running right into the villain’s clutches; sabotaging the students’ chances of escaping.

”I will not allow you to leave!” The cool but sinister voice of the Mist-Villain rang out from his black mist cloud; no hint of mercy in his tone as he advanced towards the Class President. Ochako, the normally cheery and air headed girl, felt a swell of angry determination as she bolted right for the Mist-Villain, ignoring the desperate calls from her classmates.

”Uraraka-chan, stop! What are you doing?!” Mina cried out, but Ochako just kept running.

”There it is!” She exclaimed. Just before the Mist-Villain could swallow up Tenya in his mist, he felt something, or someone, touching him. And to his shock, he realized that someone had grabbed hold of his metal-plated collar, his actual body.

”I knew you had a physical body somewhere in that cloud of mist!” Ochako’s brows were furrowed and she gritted her teeth as the pads of her fingers glowed pink from her touch, activating her quirk. Before the Mist-Villain could do anything or retort back, his body, mist and all, became weightless.

”Iida!! Go, now!!” Ochako cried out as she threw the villain into the air with all her might, with was followed up by Sero using the tape from his elbows to catch him and send him flying across the central plaza.

“Do it, Iida! GOOO!!”

That was all Tenya needed to close the gap between himself and the doors, pushing past the giant metal entrance and while running at his maximum speed, escaped the USJ and made his way for the school.

After regaining his balance, the Mist-Villain watched as the student managed to escape, putting the League of Villains’ plan in jeopardy. ”This isn’t good...if he calls for help...it’s all over... Damn.”

”Heh...while I would say that cancelling out quirks is a pretty neat power, it’s really not that special. In comparison to my Nomu’s insane strength, you may as well be Quirkless.”

Shouta groaned in pain, barely able to move his head, let alone his entire body as Nomu’s hand crushed his arm even more; blood dripping onto the ground. Before Shouta knew what was happening, he yelled out in agony as Nomu used his other hand to slam down onto his other arm, pinning him down with its immense weight.

With blood trickling down his forehead and eyebrows, Shouta moaned in pain while trying to use his erasure on Nomu, but to no avail. ’Damn it...this thing snapped my arm like it was a twig. And no matter what part of his body I look at, my quirk seems to be ineffective on him. Which means...’

Nomu roughly grabbed hold of Shouta’s head, lifting it off the ground. ‘This is just his base strength!’ He then slammed his head hard into the ground, enough to form a small crater beneath; twisting his head around for good measure.

”This is bad, really bad! Yagi, what do we do now?!” Mineta whimpered while covering his mouth to try and keep quiet. Tsuyu wasn’t faring much better as she watched her teacher being tortured in front of her and her classmates; the fear and shock present in her eyes.

But it was Izuku who was worse off out of all three of them.

With his mouth hanging open, tears rolling down his face and his entire body shaking from both terror and anxiety, he was at a loss on what to do; how to help his comrades, his teachers,

His father.

The sound of bones crunching, Shouta’s agonizing screams of pain, it was more than the boy could take.

’Papa! Oh, Papa! What am I gonna do?! If I jump in to try and save him, that thing will crush his head, killing him, and our cover will be blown. But if I don’t do anything, it’ll keep torturing Papa and will possibly go after the others! But, I can’t just leave him like this! What do I do?! What do I do?! Think! THINK!!’

Suddenly, a warp gate opened behind the Decay-Villain, and the Mist-Villain emerged from within it.

”Tomura Shigaraki.” The Mist-Villain greeted in a calm voice, but there was a subtle hint of urgency.

”Ahh, Kurogiri. Well? Is Thirteen dead?” The Decay-Villain, whose name turned out to be Shigaraki, asked with gleeful excitement; like a child asking their parent if they brought them anything from the store.

”They’re incapacitated, for the moment...but unfortunately, I was only able to warp some of the students away from the main area...and one of them even managed to escape...”

”Really?!” Shigaraki’s mood went from 0-100 in the blink of an eye, going from confident and downright condescending to irritable and disturbing as he began to scratch and scrape at the skin along his neck. His movements becoming more and more unstable, to the point that Izuku and the others thought he was having a mental breakdown as his body started to tremble with anger and he groaned in frustration.

”Hnnnngh...hrrrrnnnnnghh... Kurogiri...if you weren’t our way of getting out of here, I would turn you into dust!”

Finally, Shigaraki stopped his compulsive scratching and pulled his hands away, traces of blood and dry skin flakes imbedded under his untrimmed fingernails. He glared at Kurogiri from behind the hand covering his face.

”At this rate, we won’t stand a chance against a bunch of Pros, even with Nomu...it’s game over...for now.” He turned his back towards Kurogiri and started to slowly walk away.

”We’re leaving, Kurogiri.”

Izuku, Tsuyu and Mineta were beyond confused.

’What? After all that, after what they did to Papa, they’re just going to leave? Just like that?!’

Izuku refused to believe that these evil individuals would go through the trouble of infiltrating the top hero academy in the country, send in dozens upon dozens of low-level villains to act as fodder while the big baddies sought out defeating the teachers and any problematic students, just to turn tail and run. There was just no way.

’Something’s not right. Didn’t these guys wanna kill All Might? Why come all this way only to leave? If they leave now, U.A. will only be in even more danger... That Shigaraki guy said, “Game Over, for now”...what is this guy planning?’

”Hmph, and here I was looking forward to tearing the Symbol of Peace to shreds with my bare hands. Huh...oh well...there’s always next time...” Shigaraki started walking away, well, more like sauntering. But he stopped, suddenly.

”Oh, but before we do,” He said, like he’d forgotten something, but the psychotic glint in his red eyes sent shivers down Izuku’s spine.

”Let’s wound All Might’s pride, by leaving some dead kids behind!”

Everything was in slow motion. Time seemingly frozen.

Seconds turning into milliseconds as Shigaraki practically teleported from where he was to being less than a couple of feet away from Izuku and the others; invading their personal space.

Izuku was frozen; unable to move. He could do nothing but watched in alarm as Shigaraki’s hand drew closer and closer to Tsuyu’s face.

”I’ll make sure this hurts!”

Just then, the memory of Shouta’s elbow being disintegrated by the villain’s touch flashed through Izuku's mind; the devastating results this man’s quirk has on the human body. And soon, it would be the same for the sweet frog girl.

He tried to move, tried to scream, tried to beg the man to stop and spare her. But he could do nothing.

Right as Shigaraki’s hand was mere centimeters from her startled face...he paused.

He didn’t use his quirk. But, how?

”Heheh...you really are a cool hero...” Shigaraki turned his head, with his hand and met the glowing crimson eyes of the Erasure Hero.

”Mister Eraser Head.”

Izuku’s eyes widened at those words. Looking over to his Papa, and sure enough, the man had cancelled out Shigaraki’s quirk, just in time. Though bloody, beaten and barely able to move from the excruciating pain, the Erasure Hero had managed to save Tsuyu; putting his student’s life above his own. Like a true hero.

But the much needed reprieve was short lived as Nomu slammed his head back into the dirt; ceasing his erasure.

Using this moment as an opportunity while the villain’s attention was on Shouta, Izuku rushed in to attack him. With One For All at his 20% maximum level, Izuku ignored his own fears and focused on getting Shigaraki away from Tsuyu.

”LEAVE HER ALONE!!” He cried out before preparing to punch the man; his teeth gritted with anger at the villains for hurting his Papa and classmates.

”Nomu-”

Shigaraki didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as Izuku attacked him head-on.

“SMAAAAASH!!!” He yelled out, his voice sounding as powerful as his punch; the green sparks dancing around and colliding with the magenta veins, his stress-relief strap humming softly against his wrist.

The dust cloud formed from the blast made it difficult to see; Izuku couldn’t tell if his hit did as much damage as it should have. But he knew that his hit connected, judging from the solid mass touching his knuckles.

But something didn’t seem right.

As the cloud of dust finally dispersed and Izuku felt satisfaction from actually landing a hit on the sadistic man, he looked up in shock as he was met with the looming presence of Nomu. He’d managed to step in and take the hit to protect Shigaraki. And worse yet, Izuku’s smash did nothing.

’What?! But-But, how?! So fast...he stopped my attack, but he-! No, my quirk. It didn’t even harm him!’

”My, my. That was some move you did, just now...and with a ‘smash’, too...? Sounds awfully familiar...you a fan of All Might, by any chance?” Shigaraki asked in an almost taunting manner. Before Izuku could respond or even move, Nomu grabbed hold of his arm in a painfully tight grip.

Izuku whimpered, his stomach sinking from the anticipation of meeting the same fate as his Papa, and judging by the strength of this monster and the lack of remorse or mercy from Shigaraki, this was not going to end painlessly.

”Whatever...you’re of no use to me, anyway.” Shigaraki quickly descended back onto Tsuyu as she quickly stuck out her tongue and wrapped it around Izuku’s waist in an attempt to pull him away from the monster.

”Kill him, Nomu.”

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the pain. But before anything could happen, the doors to the entrance of USJ burst open with a bang.

Light from the outside filtered in, like heavenly light descending from the skies above and onto the earth below. A figure standing in the doorway, his face and front side silhouetted, making it hard to tell who it was.

But as soon as Izuku and the other students heard the familiar booming heroic voice that could only belong to All Might, a flood of relief washed over everyone, while the villains were met with dread in its place. More tears brimmed in Izuku’s eyes, but not from fear, but from relief, as he thanked Iida for successfully getting help, and for that help to come in the form of his father.

”FEAR NOT!” All Might bellowed his trademark catchphrase, but it held a heavier tone of seriousness to it.

”I AM HERE!!”

Ochako and Mina were crying with relief upon seeing All Might making his grand entrance; the others were smiling from ear to ear, relieved with their struggle finally coming to an end. Thirteen was still unconscious and gravely wounded, but alive.

”I had a feeling that something just wasn’t right; a gut-feeling you could say, so I cut my talk with the Principal short and came as quickly as I could.” All Might explained calmly while slowly making his way towards the top of the stairs. “And I happened to run into young Iida on the way here. He gave me a quick rundown of the situation…” He clenched his fists angrily at the thought of his students being terrorized by villains.

’You kids must’ve been so scared...and my colleagues, my husband, they did their best to protect the students...!’ He then brought his hand up to his shirt collar, looping his finger under his tie before yanking it roughly, causing it to rip.

Izuku stared at his father in shock and relief, but he could also sense the fury radiating off of the Symbol of Peace, fury towards the League of Villains for what they’ve done.

’Dad...he’s not smiling. I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face, even on his worst days. He must be really angry...!’

Shigaraki let out a low cackle. ”Well, well...the man of the hour has finally decided to show himself...” The other low-level villains were murmuring to one another about All Might, having never actually seen the man in all of his glory in person before.

Wasting no time, All Might leaped from the top of the steps, and at neck-breaking speed, knocked out every villain standing in his way with a single blow before reaching his unconscious and injured husband.

He reached his hand out and gently grazed the man’s back, grimacing at seeing his beloved in such a state.

”Shouta...I am so sorry, my love.” All Might whispered sadly while scooping the man up into his arms and carefully slinging him over his broad shoulder before turning his attention to Shigaraki and Nomu.

An enraged sheen glistened in All Might’s azure eyes as he zoomed right past the giant and retrieved his son and students and placed them near the base of the stairs, but not before knocking Shigaraki back by his speed; the sudden motion causing the hand covering his face to fall off.

”Everyone, take Shouta and head for the entrance, hurry!” All Might ordered, the angry scowl ever present on his normally smiling face. Seeing his father express anything outside of happy and cheerful made Izuku shudder slightly, feeling thankful for not being the source of his anger.

Shigaraki slowly saunters over to the disembodied hand, his legs wobbly and unbalanced as he groans in displeasure.

”Ohhhhhh....ahhhh....nnnngghhh...no good, it’s no.....I’m so sorry...” He mumbled out while bending down to pick up the hand slowly and carefully, as if he were holding an injured animal; it was such an unsettling thing to witness, seeing the crazed man’s mood change so drastically at the drop of a hat.

After gingerly inspecting the hand with a careful touch, he slowly placed it back on his face, but not before glaring at All Might through his bangs, a manic grin creasing his features.

”Beating people down while playing the hero...hahaha...talk about government-sanctioned violence... You’re fast, All Might, but not as fast as I’d expected... So...is it true...? Are you growing weaker...?!”

All Might ignored him, and instead turned his attention to Nomu. Izuku noticed and tried to stop him; knowing full well that he had already reached his limit hours ago. It explained why he didn’t show up till the very end.

”Dad! Wait, hold on! There’s no way you’re gonna be able to defeat that brain guy! My attack wasn’t strong enough to hurt him; he didn’t even flinch! There’s no way you-”

”Izuku.” All Might cut him off.

Izuku was worried he’d made the man even angrier by talking back to him, but he felt himself relax slightly when he saw the familiar brave smile spread over his face as he held up a peace sign over his eyes. “Fear not, my boy. Your old man’s got this!” He assures the boy, hoping to put the child’s mind at ease.

All Might turns back to the villains and narrows in on Shigaraki.

”CAROLINA...” He bellows with his hands in a criss-cross position.

”Nomu-”

”SMAAASH!!!” All Might yelled out while performing a cross-chop move right at Shigaraki, but Nomu steps in and takes the brunt of the attack, barely getting a scratch.

Despite his confusion, All Might moves out of the way just in time before Nomu can grab hold of him; quickly moving out of the way. “No effect, at all?!” He exclaimed before slamming another punch into Nomu’s side, still no effect.

Shigaraki sneered, tauntingly. ”You’re wasting your time, All Might. My Nomu’s got Shock Absorption. The only way you’ll really be able to do any damage to him...is for you to rip him apart, piece by piece... That is, if Nomu will give you the chance to.”

Despite learning this nugget of information, All Might was not deterred.

”Oho! Is that so? Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated!!” He stated cheerfully, feeling a bit more confident with taking down the giant freak as he quickly maneuvered behind Nomu and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist and performed a backdrop slam, causing a massive explosion in the process.

”Whoa! All Might seriously did that?! He’s so strong! It’s like he’s in a league all of his own!” Mineta exclaimed in excitement, helping to carry Shouta by holding onto his legs while Izuku carried the bulk of his weight by supporting him on his back.

”True. But he’s a bit of a noob when it comes to teaching. Ribbit.”

Even with his classmates’ lighthearted conversation and their impressionable reactions, Izuku was finding it difficult to relax. ‘Dad’s already reached his limit for today, and yet he’s still pushing himself to the max just to protect us. These guys are here to kill him, and all we’re doing is putting him in even more danger than before; what if one of us ends up as a hostage? I can’t keep speculating, all I can do is trust that Dad’ll be okay...but...’

He grimaced. ‘Kacchan and I, we’re the only ones who know the truth about his secret!’

Tsuyu, Mineta, Ochako, Mina and the others watched on in astonishment and awe, while Izuku felt like he could hardly breathe; his gut insistently telling him that something was very wrong.

And it was times like these that Izuku hated being right.

”Ughhh! Hgn-ngh, Gahh!!”

Those were the only noises All Might could muster out due to the immense pain he was in, and the cause of this pain, was Nomu digging his large fingers into his ribs; Kurogiri had created a warp gate for Nomu to enter and exit through after All Might slammed him into the ground, his arms still wrapped tightly around his waist, resulting in the beast coming up from behind the man and performing a sneak attack.

He dug in so hard that he was tearing into the flesh, causing red to blossom over All Might’s cream colored dress shirt. To make matters worse, he was digging his fingers right into All Might’s scar. That area had become very sensitive and tender over the years; even just barely grazing over it would cause him to wince in pain.

”So, you really thought that you could immobilize Nomu by ramming him into the concrete? Too bad for you, Nomu is as powerful as you are.” Shigaraki bragged with a sneer. ”Well done, Kurogiri! You really came through for me.”

All Might cursed under his breath for being careless; he didn’t even consider Kurogiri as a potential threat and chose to save him for last.

Big mistake.

He tried to break free from Nomu’s iron grip, but it only caused the beast to dig his fingers into his flesh even harder; forcing a pained yell to escape. He wasn’t going anywhere, at this rate.

”I’m not very fond of having someone’s blood and viscera inside of my gate, but if it’s your’s, then I’ll gladly make an exception.” Kurogiri declared with glee. “You see, Nomu’s job is to pin you down after getting past your blinding speed. And my job is to close the warp gate on you with half of your body inside of it. This will result in you being cut in half.”

All Might tried not to show how scared he was by keeping that smile plastered, but he couldn’t stop his body from trembling, both from the pain and from the fear of his impending death.

‘Damn it! I can’t let this be how I go! Not now, not here, and not in front of my students, or my son! Gotta break free! Gotta try and get out of this!!’

”Tsuy-Tsu!” Izuku called out to his classmate, whose eyes widened with surprise and delight.

“Hey, you finally got it right, this time! What is it, Yagi? Ribbit.”

”Take Sensei for me...!” Tsuyu didn’t get a chance to ask what his reason for handing off his father was before she quickly took hold of his torso and watched Izuku running towards All Might and the villains.

’No! I can’t let them kill Dad!’ He started picking up speed after activating his powers; the familiar sparks jumping to life as he ran as fast as his legs would allow him. ‘I’ve still got so much to learn from him!!’

”DAAAAAD!!!!”

All Might flinched at the sound of his son’s voice calling to him. ‘No! Izuku, don’t!’

Kurogiri chuckled before opening another warp gate. “Foolish boy.” Izuku was a few feet from away from the gate, with no time to change his speed or stop.

”DEKU!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!”

The booming voice and sudden explosion came out of nowhere as Katsuki attacked Kurogiri head-on and pinned him to the ground by his metal plated collar; just in time before Izuku could touch the warp gate, which had dispersed the moment Kurogiri was subdued.

But he wasn’t the only one to sabotage the villains’ plan.

A sudden cold breeze nipped the back of Izuku’s neck, and upon turning his head his eyes grew wide when he saw the right side of Nomu’s body encased in ice; this allowed All Might the chance to slip out of the monster’s clutches. There was only one person who could pull off creating ice like that, but Katsuki and Shouto weren’t alone.

”Gyahhh!!!” Kirishima barreled down onto Shigaraki with a sneak attack, hoping to catch the villain by surprise, but he missed. Thankfully, All Might had managed to escape from Nomu, bloody and hurt, but alive.

”Crap! I almost had ‘im! For a skinny dude, he’s pretty quick!” Kirishima said, his arms and hands hardened like a rock from his quirk.

”Hah! I thought you guys would be tougher than this! Guess I was wrong, nothing but a bunch of clowns!!” Katsuki taunted with a sneer, still holding down Kurogiri with more strength than the villain thought he could possess. That’s what he got for underestimating one of the top students of Class 1-A.

”I was informed that you people were here to kill All Might. But filth like you could NEVER bring the Symbol of Peace down!” Shouto was the calmest of the 3 of them, but his words were just as sharp as Katsuki’s.

Tears started to trail down Izuku’s face, and a smile pulled on his lips at the site of his friends and classmates; he’d never felt happier to see them than in this moment.

“Kacchan...! Shouto...! Kirishima...! You guys...!!” He was so happy and overwhelmed he could hardly form a sentence, but his friends could sense the gratitude in the few words he could utter out. Katsuki and Shouto both flashed him a smile while silently thanking the gods above for Izuku being okay.

”Well...this isn’t good... Kurogiri is our only way of escaping, and you pinned him down like it was nothing...” Shigaraki stated, sounding both impressed and annoyed.

Despite the circumstances, Katsuki couldn’t help but feel a sense of pleasure from taking down such a powerful villain, deciding to take this time to taunt him and even flex his own brilliance. “You really thought I wouldn’t figure it out?! You slipped up, big time!”

Sensing the collective confusion among the villains, Katsuki scoffed before explaining his earlier statement, a hint of cocky arrogance sprinkled over his words.

“When I attacked you the first time, you said, ‘That was close’. Now, why would someone whose quirk supposedly turned their entire body to turn into that misty crap say something like that? And if your body did turn into mist and physical attacks didn’t work on you, you wouldn’t be worried about us sneaking up on you!” He grinned with satisfaction after seeing the slight flinch from Kurogiri. Looks like he hit the nail on the coffin.

”The parts you use to create those warp gates are limited, and you need to hide your real body in that mist stuff. I’m right, aren’t I?!” Kurogiri grunted and tried to move his head, only for Katsuki to press his hand down even harder. “Don’t even think about trying to break free! I won’t hesitate to blast you to Kingdom Come if you try anything funny!!” He spat in Kurogiri’s face, ignoring Kirishima’s statement on how ‘unheroic’ and ‘unmanly’ it was to threaten people like that, villain or not.

But Katsuki couldn’t care less if he sounded unheroic; anybody who hurt Izuku or All Might would be met with his merciless wrath.

Meanwhile, Shigaraki was talking to himself about how the League of Villains’ power paled in comparison to such strength, and from mere children, no less. After he finished monologuing to himself, he returned to his senses and spoke. Much to everyone’s shock, Nomu broke free from his icy bonds, resulting in his frozen body parts breaking off as well. But that seemed to do little to phase the giant.

”Everyone, get back!!” All Might ordered in a slight panic. “What the hell is going on?! I thought Shock Absorption was his power...!” He watched Nomu grow new limbs in place of the old ones; there was no way that something like this could be real.

”You’re an idiot if you thought that was Nomu’s only quirk.” He sounded so proud, so smug, it was honestly sickening. ”He also has Hyper-Regeneration. He can withstand anything you throw at him, even at 100%. So, go ahead and try to take him down, but Nomu will prevail, in the end!”

It happened so fast, if a person blinked they would’ve missed it. All Might was only given a split second to react before throwing himself into Nomu’s path, taking the brunt of his attack to spare Katsuki, which sent him flying into the side of the downpour zone.

”Waahh!! Ahh-K-Kacchan!!” The mossy teen cried out, terrified for his friend, but his horror was replaced with bewilderment at the sight of his friend. Unscathed.

”K-Kacchan, you’re...! How did you get out of the way in time?!”

”I-I didn’t...!” Katsuki sounded a bit shaken up, but he was pretty good at hiding it.

All Might started to cough up blood; he was running out of time before he would revert back to his sickly true form. He had to finish this, and quick!

”Ahhh...going to such lengths to save a comrade... That’s how it is, isn’t it...?” The powder blue-haired villain croaked out, pointing his finger at Izuku, making him flinch. ”Just like...uh...that kid, even if he would’ve failed, he came at me with everything he had... Tell me, how is it that heroes are revered and admired for beating down others in the name of justice...?!”

He threw his arms out, his voice going up an octave as he continued to rant. ”It’s people like you that really pisses me off...heroes and villains are no different from one another because of our lust for inflicting violence, and yet we’re still placed in different spectrums...?! In the end, you’re no better than the villains you fight! Violence breeds more violence, and I’m gonna show that to the whole world by killing you!!”

To an outsider looking in, they would look at Shigaraki and see him as someone who’s deeply disturbed and insane, but to All Might himself, he saw so much more than an insane individual. He saw someone who was trying to masquerade his sadistic desires and warped perception on heroes with genuine idealism and a sense of justice for all villains.

”You’re talking a bunch of crap!” All Might spat out, gritting his teeth with anger. “In all of my years as a hero, I’ve come across villains with the same passion as yours, the same idealistic views. But there’s one key difference between you and them...” He glared at the villain, blood starting to trickle down his chin.

”You take pleasure in doing this! You actually enjoy what you’re doing here!!”

It didn’t take long for him to get a response from the man, but it wasn’t(and was, at the same time) what he’d expected or wanted to hear for a response. Shigaraki let out a menacing cackle and sneered at the man. ”Hehehe...you got me. Guess I’m not a very good liar!”

All Might didn’t like the gleam in his eyes; he told him that this was a villain not to take lightly, despite his childishness. He could hear Izuku and his other students discussing possible strategies to help him take down Kurogiri again, but he would not allow it.

“GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!!” He bellowed, holding his arm out to keep the kids back.

”Things would’ve been way worse if I hadn’t stepped in. It wouldn’t be beneficial for you to fight these guys by yourself.” Shouto pointed out in a calm voice.

Izuku nodded his head in agreement. ”Shouto’s right, Dad! You’re hurt really bad! Please, let us help-”

”I greatly appreciate your assistance, Todoroki!! But I promise, I’ll be just fine! And I appreciate your concern for me, Izuku my boy! But don’t worry, just sit back and watch how a Pro handles villains like these!!”

Shigaraki cracked his knuckles before turning to his adversaries. ”Nomu. Kurogiri. You two take care of him. I’ll deal with these kiddies, myself... I want to finish this and go home, already...!” But neither Shigaraki or Kurogiri had a chance to jump into the fray as All Might rushed in at neck-break speed and rained down a barrage of punches against Nomu.

Having barely jumped out of the way in time, Shigaraki watched the fight in irritation. ”I thought I told you...Nomu has shock absorption...you saw it, yourself...” This did little to deter the Symbol of Peace.

”Indeed! But ‘absorption’ is not the same thing as ‘negation’! So he must have a limit to how much force he can absorb!” All Might’s fists slammed and bashed into the giant’s firm torso faster than the naked eye can see. Izuku notices blood oozing from his father’s mouth, and realizes he’s pushing himself to the max, going at full power and beyond.

”Before I finish this, allow me to give you a tip bit, villain...” All Might draws his fist behind him, and with all of the power and strength he can muster up, lands a devastatingly powerful punch right into Nomu’s gut.

“THIS IS HOW A HERO GOES BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!!!!!!”

Even after passing well-beyond his limit, the blow All Might had delivered was enough to send Nomu flying in the air, crashing through the glass dome of USJ. Shouto, Kirishima and the others stared in astonishment; amazed by the sheer force All Might’s punches inflicted on the freak, but Izuku and Katsuki both knew that the man’s time was up, and there was no way he would be able to do much more.

But did that stop All Might?

”So then, villain...how about we finish this?” He asked, still smiling through the pain. Shigaraki was seething with rage, his body trembling from the anger of Nomu being defeated.

”Nomu...! How DARE you do that to my Nomu...?! Nomu...Nomu’s not weak...! He can’t be...he can’t...!”

Shigaraki gripped onto his hair and started to tug on it roughly, one of his hands reaching down to furiously scratch at his neck. ”If only Nomu were still here...he was doing so well, taking those hits...! If only...if only!!” The site of the sadistically evil villain suddenly throwing a temper tantrum like a child was a bit disturbing, to say the least. But none of the other students dared to rush in, not with how erratic Shigaraki was starting to become.

”Well?! What are you waiting for?! If you think you can take me, THEN BRING IT ON!!” All Might was barely holding on, even with his brave words and heroic smile.

He knew just as well as Izuku and Katsuki did, that if he so much as jostled himself, he would revert back to his true form. He was doing everything in his power to bide as much time for his students to escape as he could; hoping, praying, that his words alone would intimidate Shigaraki and Kurogiri enough to make them back off.

”C’mon, guys! Let’s leave this to All Might! He can handle this on his own. Let’s go find the others!” Kirishima called out while walking away. Shouto followed soon after. Katsuki was fixing to turn and leave with the others, but he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Izuku. He was muttering to himself, his body trembling like a leaf.

”This is revenge for Nomu.”

Kurogiri and Shigaraki both rushed toward All Might, but he couldn’t move even if he wanted to, and even as one of Kurogiri’s warp gates opened up before him. All he could do was brace himself and hold out a bit longer before reinforcements arrived.

’Please...! Get out of here, quickly! Everyone…!!’

One For All: Full Cowl - 10% - 15% - 20%

”Yagi! No, what are you doing?!” Kirishima’s voice called out, but he wasn’t referring to All Might. The last thing he ever expected was to see Izuku out of the corner of his eye leaping forward and straight into the warp gate.

With One For All activated and burning determination gleaming in his eyes, he rushed in a full speed and prepared to land a smash onto Kurogiri.

”STAY AWAY FROM ALL MIGHT!!!!” He screamed out while inching closer to his target, refusing to back down even as Shigaraki’s hand reaches out through the gate, advancing towards Izuku’s face.

But then...

BAM!!

The sound of a gun firing rings loudly through the giant space, followed by a bullet going through Shigaraki’s hand, ceasing him from touching Izuku.

Suddenly, everything seems to just stop.

More shots are fired, but at other areas of the USJ; possibly at any stragglers still around. Izuku, All Might and everyone else all turn and see who was responsible for the shots.

”Sorry for the delay. We rounded up as many people as we could.” All Might smiled upon hearing the familiar voice of his boss, Principal Nedzu. He’d never felt such a swell of relief than in that moment in his entire career as a hero. ”Class President of Class 1-A, Tenya Iida!! Reporting for duty!!!” Tenya announced, loudly. And standing alongside Tenya, was a total of 11 Pro Heroes, including Nedzu, who all charged in at once to take down all of the remaining villains and rescue the students. Meanwhile, Shigaraki proceeded to escape through Kurogiri’s warp gate, but not before having a hail of bullets rain down on him, courtesy of Snipe, and nearly being sucked into Thirteen’s blackhole, despite still being seriously injured.

”You better enjoy this victory of yours while you can, Symbol of Peace...because the next time we meet...I’ll make sure you’re dead, for real.”

The villains barely managed to escape after Shigaraki’s declaration, and finally, it was all over.

While the Pros all checked up on the students, Izuku had fallen to his knees; tears welling in his eyes as he stared intensely at the ground. “I...I couldn’t...do anything...” He whimpered, feeling ashamed with himself for failing to stop Shigaraki or Kurogiri.

A pair of large hands grabbed onto his shoulders as All Might fell to his own knees in front of his son; the steam from his body mixing with the dust clouds as he began to revert back to his true form.

”That’s not true, Izuku.” He replied, giving his shoulders a gentle but firm squeeze. Izuku looked up to see his father smiling at him. “If you hadn’t stepped in and given me those precious few seconds, I would’ve been dead.” He then pulls the boy into a hug, ignoring the pain he was in as he held onto his child for dear life. "You saved me, Izuku, and your Papa. I'm so proud of you!"

Izuku was at a loss for words as he wrapped his arms around Toshinori's neck, more tears trickling down his face. "Thank you, Daddy! I'm...I'm so glad you're okay!" He cried out, a smile spreading across his face.

It was over. They were safe, and alive...

For now.

Back in a fairly normal-looking bar in Kamino Ward, a warp gate opened up and out came a blood-covered Shigaraki as he crawled onto the floor; moaning in pain. Kurogiri followed out of the gate, shortly after.

”Ohhhh...They got us...I got shot, in both arms and legs...” He splayed out on the hardwood floor in a pitiful heap; groaning and whining like a spoiled child. ”Nomu...they got Nomu...our cannon fodder were all taken out...and those damn kids were stronger than expected...!”

Shigaraki lifted his head so he could glare up at the flat screen TV perched on the counter; the screen displaying nothing but static. ”Master! You were wrong...! The Symbol of Peace...he’s in perfect health!!”

There was a slight humming noise coming from the screen before a calm, older man’s voice spoke up. ((No, Tomura. I wasn’t.))

Shigaraki didn’t try to move his body, not wanting to make the bleeding worse, so he remained laying on the floor with his head craned up at an angle so he could see the screen. ((We may have underestimated him, but this is just a mere setback; we merely got ahead of ourselves. Anyhow...what of our creation, Nomu? Were you able to retrieve him?))

Kurogiri was the one to answer after retaking his normal form, suit and all. “Forgive me, sir, but we were unable to retrieve him. All Might sent him flying, and unless I can ascertain the exact coordinance to his location, I’m afraid no amount of warping will help us to track him down. I just couldn’t spare the time, in that moment.”

The man on the screen merely hummed in response, sounding disappointed. ((And after all that time and effort we put into making him as strong as All Might...hmmm... Well, that’s too bad.))

”Strong...right...that reminds me. There was one kid back there...that boy, he was just as strong and fast as All Might...his power almost seemed like an exact copy.” Shigaraki stated, lamenting on the moments before Izuku was able to land his attack on him.

((...Oh? A boy, you say?)) The man on the screen sounded intrigued, especially with the idea of a person, a child, being just as powerful as All Might. ”Yeah...ngh, if it hadn’t been for that pest, we might’ve actually succeeded in finally killing All Might...! But that brat...that stupid brat...!!”

((Calm yourself, Tomura.)) The man said calmly, like a parent consoling an ill-mannered child. ((There’s no use getting all worked up about it, now. We’ll use this as a learning experience so we won't make the same mistake, again. Gather stronger troops, but please, take all the time you need, Tomura. There’s no need to rush, especially when creating the perfect world!)) He encouraged Shigaraki, whose gaze softened up, but only slightly while he mused over the man’s words.

”Ah, that reminds me.” Kurogiri chimed in, catching both Shigaraki and the mystery man’s attention. ((What is it, Kurogiri? Did you remember something?))

”Yes. Shigaraki mentioned that boy earlier; the one with powers almost identical to All Might’s.”

((Yes?))

“I may be mistaken, so please take this with a grain of salt, but I believe I remember that same boy referring to All Might...as his father.”

Chapter Text

After the remaining villains were apprehended and taken into police custody, the students were all sent back to wait in the classroom before Detective Tsukauchi could get witness statements from them. Izuku was given permission to head straight to the nurse’s office to check on Toshinori and Shouta; with the Erasure Hero being in such critical condition, Izuku wouldn’t be able to speak to him, leaving only Toshinori, whose injuries weren’t as serious.

”Dad!!” Izuku cried, hiding his face in the plush covers of Toshinori’s bed. “I was so scared! I thought you were gonna die! I’m-I’m so sorry!” The boy continued to cry and sob even after Toshinori weakly pulled him into a hug. “It’s not your fault, Zu. You did everything you could; this was my own doing, I was careless, and I put you, the other students and the teachers at risk. I’m sorry, Izuku.” He whispered, sadly.

A moment later, Hitoshi practically glided across the tile floor before quickly walking into the office as soon as he spotted his Dad and brother. “Dad! Izuku!” He called in a panic before throwing his arms around the two, hugging them tightly.

"We heard what happened at USJ, and I remembered that Class 1-A was doing Rescue training there, today. I was so worried. And-And then, they told me what happened to Papa, and I tried to get here as soon as I could....!” The indigo-haired teen trailed off, his voice sounding strained, like he was trying to hold back a sob, but that didn’t keep his tears from falling.

Smiling sadly, Toshinori carefully sat up and pulled both boys towards his bandaged chest and hugged them tightly. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Hitoshi. I promise your Papa is okay. His injuries are serious, but not life threatening. Recovery Girl said she was barely able to heal him due to the severity of his wounds.” Toshinori couldn’t keep the sadness from his voice, feeling guilty for not being there for his husband like he was supposed to, otherwise this never would’ve happened.

But still, he knows he can’t dwell on it; all he can do is move forward and try not to overdo it.

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day and for the next day, allowing the students to rest and recuperate from such a spontaneous event. This also gave Toshinori and Shouta some time to get some well-needed rest, especially Shouta.m The following day, classes resumed like normal, but Class 1-A was NOT expecting to see Shouta return to teaching so soon; especially not while he was still wrapped up like a mummy.

”Sensei! Forgive me, sir, but don’t you think it’s a little soon for you to be back after the USJ incident?! You’re still hurt!” Tenya exclaimed, and the rest of the class, including Izuku, all hummed in agreement.

”My welfare isn’t my biggest concern, because we’ve got other things to worry about. And by we, I mean you.” The class went silent, an air of uneasy nervousness lingering. As if he knew what the students were thinking, he told them something that nobody saw coming.

”The U.A. Sports Festival is just around the corner, and you’ve got a lot of preparations to make before then.”

”WHAAAAT?!” The class exclaimed in unison, baffled by their teacher’s nonchalant statement.

”Is it really a good idea to have a Sports Festival so soon?! I mean, we just had villains infiltrate the school, didn’t we?!” Kaminari pointed out.

”This is necessary, in order to demonstrate to the public that U.A.’s Crisis Management Protocols are sound...at least, that’s the jist. Unlike the past few years, there’ll be five times more Pro hero and Police security present during the festival.” He kept his voice firm and serious, hoping that his students were aware of how important this event was.

”This is the greatest opportunity you’ll get, we can’t just cancel it because of a few villains.”

The class was silent for a bit, everyone was trying to process this information and understand the weight behind it.

”The U.A. Sports Festival isn’t just some ordinary high school event, it’s one of Japan’s biggest events ever! The Olympics were once the world’s Sports festival, but over time, it has become a shell of its former self due to the emergence of quirks. In Japan’s case, what’s taken the place of the Olympics...is U.A.’s Sports Festival!! Everyone in the country will be watching.”

The class let out a collective gasp at the news when Yaoyorozu chimed in, calm as ever. “The nation’s top Pros will also be watching. They’ll be there as scouts seeking out potential sidekicks for their agencies after they graduate.”

”Precisely.” Shouta replied, calmly. “Obviously, this’ll give you valuable experience and popularity if you’re picked by a big-name hero, but your time is limited.” Everyone shuttered at the last phrase.

”This event only happens once a year, so you have 3 chances to grab the attention of the Pros and make futures for yourself. If you ever wish to become heroes, then don’t squander this opportunity!”

After 4th period was over, the class was excused for lunch break. They were all talking about the Sports Festival and how excited they were about showing off their powers. Izuku was talking animatedly with Ochako and Tenya, his own excitement beaming on his face when he noticed Shouto staring intensely at the floor while walking.

Suddenly feeling worried for his friend, Izuku went to go check on him. “Shouto...?”

No reply. He tried again. “Hey, Shouto!”

That got his attention as he jolted slightly before looking at the mossy teen with a hard stare.

”Oh...Izuku. Sorry, I didn’t hear you the first time.” He said, sheepishly.

”That’s okay, Shouto!” He smiled widely at the dual quirk-user, innocent and honest as ever. “You looked like you were spacing out or something. Everything okay?”

Shouto turned his gaze back to the floor, his mouth forming into a hard line. “Yeah...”

”Nervous about the Sports Festival?” Izuku pressed on, still smiling. “You’re gonna do great, Shouto! You’re really strong, and your quirk is so powerful. I’m confident that you’ll do great!!”

Shouto glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye, taking in his glowing face. If it weren’t for the swirling vortex of thoughts running through his head, Izuku’s smile would definitely make him feel better. But all he could think about was the Sports Festival, but more specifically, about his father Endeavor being present to watch his son. That was something he wasn’t looking forward to.

”Yeah, I know... Thanks, Izuku...” He tried to return the smile, but it looked more like a grimace trying to imitate a smile. Before Izuku could say anything else, Shouto walked past him towards the cafeteria, wanting to create as much distance as possible.

He still felt worried for his friend, but Izuku didn’t let it bother him too much. ‘He’s probably just nervous. I mean, it is the Sports Festival, one of the greatest events in the whole country. All of Japan will be watching it. So it makes sense that he’s nervous.’ Letting a smile tug on his lips, Izuku quickly caught up with his friends so they could eat together.

”What?! Just 50 minutes a day?!”

After school, Izuku was sitting in his room working on homework when Toshinori had called him to come downstairs, wanting to talk to him about something important.

”Yes. My time limit has gotten even shorter after the incident at USJ. I can barely maintain my muscle form during regular classes, let alone practical exercises.” He said from his spot on the couch, his voice somber.

Izuku frowned. “I’m sorry, Dad...” He stared at the coffee table, feeling ashamed for making his father push himself beyond his limits.

“Don’t apologize, my boy! I swear, you and I are so much alike!” Toshinori blurted with blood spraying out of his mouth.

After getting his composure under control, Toshinori wiped his mouth and continued. “This wasn’t the only thing I wanted to talk to you about, Izuku. There’s also the Sports Festival.” Izuku perked up, feeling a swell of excitement blooming in his chest. “You’ve been making great progress with managing your quirk and not going beyond your limit, but in all honesty, my time as the Symbol of Peace...is quickly running out.”

Izuku grimaced, biting his bottom lip. “Yeah...”

Toshinori hummed softly. ”And while there are some with villainous intent, there are also those who have started to become aware of my dilemma. So do you know what that means for us, for you?!” Izuku didn’t get a chance to answer his father’s seemingly rhetorical question before the man cut him off.

”I granted you my power, so that you could succeed me, Izuku!! The Sports Festival...it’s an event the entire country’ll be watching; all eyes will be on the first-year students, including you, the son of All Might!!” Toshinori’s voice was filled with passion unlike anything Izuku had seen or heard, but it was also a bit...intimidating.

”You, the next All Might, my fledgling hero...I need you to tell the world...THAT ‘I AM HERE!!'”

Izuku smiled, despite the swirl of nerves twisting in his gut. “I will! I won’t let you down!”

And so, for the next 2 weeks, everyone threw themselves through the wringer preparing themselves both physically and mentally for the big day.

2 Weeks Later...

Civilians and the media press were slowly filing in after passing the security checkpoints, some of them annoyed with the long wait time, but nonetheless just as pumped up for the action. Just outside the main building were various stands with vendors selling an assortment of food and drinks fitting for a high school festival. Among the crowd of regular guests were also numerous Pro Heroes from all over the country that were selected to take on security duty alongside the police during the festival. Not only would this guarantee the safety of both the students and guests but it would also give the Pros a chance to scout out potential new recruits.

Meanwhile, Class 1-A were all in the prep room getting themselves ready for the big show; a mix of nervousness and excitement hanging heavy in the air.

”Izuku.” The former heard someone call his name, and upon turning his head he saw Shouto standing behind him with an unreadable expression on his face. “Oh, uh, h-hey Shouto! What’s up?” Izuku tried to give him a friendly smile, but the way Shouto was staring at him, the gleam in his eyes; a stark contrast to the way the two-toned boy normally looked at him, it was a bit unsettling and only made him feel more nervous.

”I know that you and I have been friends for some time; our friendship is something I’ve always cherished and valued.” Shouto spoke in a stern voice, which didn’t, at all, match his words. “But make no mistake. Us being friends doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you or separate you from the rest of the competition. I’m going for the top, and I will beat you.”

This caught the rest of the class’ attention, taking note of Shouto’s suddenly antagonistic tone and Izuku’s stunned expression. Kirishima came up to try and defuse the situation. But before he could say anything, Izuku chimed in.

”Shouto...I don’t know...where this side of you came from, or why you felt the need to say that to me, but I get it.” He clenched his fists, ignoring the stares he was getting from the others, including Katsuki and Shouto. “We’re all wanting to achieve the same goal, and I’m not just referring to us or Class 1-B, but everyone: the Support course, the Business course and even the Gen Ed Department. We all want the same thing!”

Izuku lifted his head and shot Shouto a determined glare, hoping that this did the trick in masking the hurt he felt from the boy’s earlier remark.

”And I’m no different. I’m gonna go for the top, too! And I’ll give it everything I’ve got!!”

Izuku’s speech managed to rally Kirishima and the others as they all cheered and pumped their fists in the air, declaring that they would give it their all, too. Meanwhile, Shouto simply clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.

Soon after, it was time. Time for the students to show the world what they were made of. It was time for Izuku to show the world that...

”I am here!”

((IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! U.A.’S SPORTS FESTIVAL!! THE ONE TIME EVERY YEAR WHERE OUR FLEDGLING HEROES COMPETE IN A RUTHLESS BATTLE ROYALE FOR THE TOP!!)) Present Mic yelled out spastically from his seat in the press box. ((FIRST AND FOREMOST...YOU KNOW JUST WHO I’M TALKING ABOUT!! THE OUTSTANDING YOUNG STARS WHO BRUSHED OFF A MERE VILLAIN ATTACK WITH THEIR INCREDIBLE QUIRKS AND SHEER WILLPOWER! YOU KNOW ‘EM, YOU LOVE EM’! THAT’S RIGHT!! IT’S THE FIRST-YEARS OF THE HERO COURSE!! CLASS 1-A!!!!!))

Right on cue, Class 1-A walked out into the open, prompting a wave of roaring cheers to erupt from the thousands of spectators. Izuku felt his stomach twisting up, but swallowed back the lump forming in his throat and smiled on.

Soon after, Present Mic announced the rest of the first-year classes, including the rival hero course to Class 1-B, Classes C, D and E from Gen Ed, Classes F, G, and H from the Support course, and finally Classes I, J, and K from the Business course. The other students were all whispering and murmuring to one another about how they were only there to make Class 1-A look better, sounding less motivated than the others.

”Hey, Deku! Isn’t your brother in the Hero course? I don’t see him anywhere.” Ochako pointed out, looking like she was trying to spot him among the sea of students.

”Oh, yeah he is! But he’s a second-year, remember? So, he’s most likely at the Second-Year Stage.” Ochako blushed red like a tomato. “That’s right! Sorry, I forgot!” She laughed sheepishly, embarrassed by her forgetfulness.

Once all of the first-year students were gathered, the referee for the first-year stage, the 18+ Only Hero: Midnight, walked onto the stage wielding a flogger while flaunting her curves. “And now, for the Athlete’s Oath! Your student representative is...from Class 1-A, Katsuki Bakugou!”

Izuku watched in surprise as Katsuki casually made his way onto the stage. “Why Kacchan...?”

”It’s probably ‘cause he placed first in the entrance exam.” Sero replied. The students from the other courses glared at the blond while murmuring about how he only got first in the hero course entrance exam.

((...Athlete’s oath, huh... All I’m gonna say is...I’m gonna take first place.))

Izuku and the other Class 1-A students could only gawk in horror at their classmate as the rest of the students all booed him and started spewing hateful slurs at him. Izuku especially was in disbelief at what Katsuki just said, but then again...

’Kacchan...while he may have gone a bit too far with his declaration, the old Kacchan back in middle school would’ve been smiling while saying that. But now, he’s pushing himself, telling himself he can’t lose... But, that means he also plans to take the rest of us down...including me.’

'But make no mistake. Us being friends doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you or separate you from the competition. I’m going for the top, and I will beat you.'

’That’s right. It’s just like what Shouto said before, Kacchan is gonna reach for the top, even if it means taking me down, too... Well then, all that’s left to do, is give it my all!’

“Now with that said and done, it’s time for the first event!!” Midnight exclaimed, smacking the air with her flogger.

It was officially time for the Sports Festival to begin!

The first event was an obstacle course in which students from all 11 courses race against one another in a 4 kilometer lap around the stadium. As long as they didn’t go out of bounds, the students were free to do whatever they wanted in order to reach the finish line. The first barrier consisted of various zero-pointer robots that the students all had to either evade or defeat in order to proceed. Having already faced off against the bots twice(the second time including during his quirk assessment test with Asahi Kondo and her Illusion quirk), Izuku was no stranger to those hunks of metal and was able to easily bust through them.

The second barrier involved the students crossing a tightrope over a sheer drop. Although he was a bit hesitant, he managed to make the wide jump onto the other side thanks to his increase in speed from One For All.

And for the third and final barrier, the students had to cross a giant minefield without getting blown up(not actually blown up, but definitely scared shitless). At first, Izuku wasn’t sure how he would be able to cross without setting off an explosion, but just before either Shouto or Katsuki could clear the minefield, he intentionally set off one of the explosions to give him a boost in momentum, allowing him to pass the others and reach the finish line in first place.

((OUTSTANDING!! THE FIRST ONE TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE AND RETURN TO THE STADIUM...IS NONE OTHER THAN CLASS 1-A’S IZUKU YAGI!!! I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS FROM THE SON OF ALL MIGHT!! THIS IS TURNING OUT TO BE QUITE AN EXCITING FESTIVAL!!))

((His relations to All Might weren’t the only factor in his victory.)) Izuku smiled, recognizing Shouta’s voice even from all the way inside of the press box. ((With quick-thinking, perseverance and a tab bit of recklessness,)) The boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head at that comment. ((he was able to clear the obstacle course using his own skills and willpower.))

He appreciated his Papa for not making his being All Might’s son a big deal or the focal point to his victory, but Izuku knows that everyone around him sees him as just that: the son of All Might.

”What do you guys think? If you ask me, just having a hero who’s related to All Might would make him a prime candidate for any top-named hero agency.”

”I agree, I agree. But even the greatest heroes of all time may not have children with equally gifted quirks, and I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, especially when it comes to quirks. He may be powerful like All Might, but who’s to say he’ll be an All Might 2.0 after graduating?”

”What are you saying?! You saw the way he conquered those obstacles! I mean, he plowed through those battle bots like they were paper mache! Any agency out there would be on their knees begging for a chance to snatch him up!”

The students of the business course continued to squabble about Izuku’s quirk and possible future role as a hero, meanwhile, Toshinori, who was sitting among the crowd in his true form as a spectator, had been watching the whole thing. And he had to restrain himself from shouting from his seat how proud he was for his little boy.

Way to blow his cover and reveal his secret.

After the last few students cleared the course and returned to the stadium, Midnight announced that the top 42 from the qualifying round would move on to the next event, which would be the Cavalry Battle.

The Cavalry Battle consisted of each participant forming groups of 2-4 members, and the goal of the battle was to snag the opponents’ headband while guarding their own. Each student would be assigned a point value based on their ranking from the previous event; with the 42nd placeholder being worth 5 points, the lowest value, and each consecutive students’ value would go up by 5s. And the #1 placeholder would be worth...

Ten million points.

Everyone zeroed in on Izuku, and it was terrifying!

Izuku was used to having all eyes on him; since he was a child, he’s known what it was like to be the focal point of everyone’s attention, good or bad. Some of them would merely shoot him a side-glance, others would full-on gawk and stare at him like they were at a zoo.

It died down somewhat once he entered middle school, but then the gossiping started up; people whispering and murmuring behind his back about how ‘lucky he is to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, as a parent'. While he enjoyed having people talk about him and actually notice him, especially as someone who was once looked down on and ridiculed for being Quirkless, it got to the point where he felt like that was all they cared about; they didn’t care about Izuku or what Izuku was like, they never saw him as Izuku, they only saw him as ‘the son of All Might’.

While Hitoshi did initially get a taste of what Izuku went through in his life for the first few years living with his new family, he wasn’t that much of an attention-seeker and preferred to keep to himself, and he would purposefully go out of his way to insure that people didn’t recognize him as All Might’s son; not because he was ashamed of his parents or because he hated the media attention, but because, well, he just didn’t think it was that big of a deal; All Might was his father, so what?

It could also be because Hitoshi wasn’t introduced to the world in the same manner as Izuku was after being made a Yagi; all it took was a mere web article for Hitoshi to be recognized as All Might and Eraser Head’s second adopted son and their eldest child, but even then, he wasn’t starved for attention, and he could tell that Izuku hated being ogled by the public, and would go out of his way to chase off any pesky paparazzi so his little brother could breathe.

Even now, that’s all anybody sees him as: the son of All Might, All Might’s successor, the next All Might, the next Symbol of Peace.

Midnight went on to explain how each team’s points would be determined by its members, with the rider wearing a headband displaying the total number of points per team. The team with the most points wins first place, with the other top 3 teams joining the top team to the final event.

After the rules of the Cavalry Battle were explained, each participant scattered off to seek out partners, and each one of them veered away from Izuku the moment he made eye contact with him and instead choosing to try and snag his points for themselves near the end.

Just when Izuku thought he would be alone to fend off the rest of the teams, Ochako kindly volunteered to join his team, much to Izuku relief. Then, a girl from the Support course by the name of Mei Hatsume also joined his team; she stated that by partnering with the first place-holder would mean getting publicity for her top-of-the-line inventions or ‘babies’, as she phrased it. She also points out how her inventions will bring an advantage for them to stay on top, to which Izuku happily accepts.

Then he searches for his final partner, and to everyone’s surprise, he chose Tokoyami as their 4th member. With his quirk, which can be used both offensively and defensively, and his straightforward thinking, Izuku believes that he would make a promising choice.

Feeling flattered for picking him, Tokoyami happily accepts with a smirk, successfully forming their team with a total of ten million, three hundred and twenty-five points.

Once the other teams have formed, the Cavalry Battle officially begins.

As expected, everyone goes after Team Yagi, but thanks to both Mei's gadgets and Ochako’s quirk, they’re able to evade everyone while also landing safely back on the ground. While their team setup is compatible for both evading and deflecting, Izuku has several other teams to watch out for, and as the leader of his own team, he has to make clever, split-second decisions to ensure that his team comes out on top.

But his team’s not the only one being targeted. Besides his team, the rest of Class A isn’t doing so well. The reason? Because Class B’s own Team Monoma, with Neito Monoma as their rider, has stolen some of the headbands off his opponents, putting him at second place. And one of those headbands belongs to Katsuki.

Bad move.

With a change in plans and a sudden shift in his mood making him scarier than before, Katsuki is now focused on getting his headband back while also planning to steal Team Monoma’s AND Team Yagi’s, in the process.

And then there’s Team Todoroki, or more specifically, Shouto, himself.

Ever since the start of the Sports Festival, Izuku’s noticed the fiery determination in the boy’s eyes, the way he marches on and refuses to back down in order to win, even if it means bringing everyone in his wake down. Choosing Yaoyorozu, Tenya and Kaminari as his team members, he’s ensuring that he has the best team setup in order to defeat Team Yagi.

But the way he’s staring intently at Izuku, it’s pulling him back to a time when the boy had venomously declared them to be rivals, explaining how because their fathers are rival(even if it’s one-sided), that they must be rivals, too. It’s the exact same glint in his eyes from before that Izuku sees now.

But he refuses to be intimidated. Not here, not now.

But before he can command his teammates on what to do next, Shouto creates an ice ring around them, trapping them. But Izuku is no fool. Knowing that he hasn’t used his left side since the start, he can easily evade Team Todoroki by keeping to his left and protect their headband. Shouto catches on to this and tries to come up with an idea, until Tenya blows everybody away by pulling out his trump card, which came in the form of a Super Move called Recipro Torque, and successfully steals Team Yagi’s 10 M+ headband.

With less than a minute left, Izuku becomes desperate and orders his team to charge them head-on in order to retrieve their headband; knowing full well the risks in doing so. Kaminari’s electricity will cause Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow to become weakened, but Izuku insists and they charge.

’This isn’t just for me! This is for my teammates, too! Uraraka! Hatsume! Tokoyami! They’re all putting their faith in me, so I can’t let them down!!’

One For All: Full Cowl - 15% - 20% - 21%

”I won’t let them win!!!” Izuku yelled out while reaching his hand forward to steal back his headband, staring right at a wide-eyed Shouto as he brings his left hand out in front of him and activates his flames so he can block Izuku’s attack, only for Izuku to smack his arm away. In that moment, Shouto realizes what he’s doing and instantly extinguishes his flames, stunned and appalled with himself for being so careless.

’My left side! Wha-What was I thinking?!’ Shouto thinks to himself in disgust, but he has no time to berate himself as Izuku manages to steal back their points in the midst of Shouto’s shock, and with less than 20 seconds remaining.

”Yes! I got it!!” Izuku is ecstatic for actually getting their points back...but there’s a problem.

”G-Guys! Guys, look!” Hatsume exclaims, and to everyone’s horror, the headband has only a pitiful 70 points.

”Damn it! We’ve been tricked!!” But Izuku doesn’t have much time; he has to steal back more points if he wants his team to stay in the top 4.

”We’ve gotta get another headband!! Everyone, charge forward! Hurry!!!”

((10!))

’I can’t give up!’

((9!))

’Not after I’ve come so far!’

((8!))

’Everyone...’

((7!))

’Is counting on me!!!’

It’s like time is moving slower and slower with each passing second. Izuku frantically trying to gain more points for him, and for his team. He’s close. So, so close...

((TIME’S UP!!!!))

The buzzer sounds and everyone stops in their tracks. Izuku is mortified with himself for failing his team, for letting them down, for not being good enough.

((NOW, LET’S SEE WHO OUR TOP 4 TEAMS ARE, SHALL WE?!)) Present Mic announces cheerfully, which was the opposite of how Izuku was feeling.

((IN FIRST PLACE, TEAM TODOROKI! IN SECOND PLACE, TEAM BAKUGOU!)) Izuku could hear Katsuki shouting with anger and frustration, which was very typical of him.

’Kacchan should feel lucky...at least he’s still in the competition...’

((IN THIRD PLACE, TEAM TETSUTETSU! AND FINALLY, IN FOURTH PLACE…))

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. ‘Here it comes...’

((TEAM YAGI!))

His eyes fly open and he looks around in shock and disbelief. “What..?! But-But, how?! We didn’t-”

”Deku!” Ochako exclaimed, excitedly. He turns and looks at her and Hatsume, who both point at Tokoyami. The bird-faced boy casually pointed his thumb behind him, gesturing to Dark Shadow who had another headband in his mouth.

”Todoroki was shaken up by your first attack, which left his guard down for a moment. I tried to snag the ten million point headband back, but was unable to. But, I did manage to get another one.” Izuku is stunned when he sees the 675 points displayed on the headband, reducing him to tears.

While Izuku is crying with happiness for getting to stay in the competition, Shouto is too focused on his own thoughts.

’I swore that I would never use my flames in battle, but I got careless, I was too desperate to fend off Izuku, so I… No. There’s no excuse! Not even for something like this!!’

((THESE 4 TEAMS WILL PROCEED TO THE FINAL EVENT! WE’LL MOVE ONTO THE AFTERNOON PORTION OF THE FESTIVAL AFTER A ONE-HOUR LUNCH BREAK! UNTIL THEN, PLUS ULTRA!!!))

Everyone made their way towards the cafeteria for lunch, the students all congratulating one another for doing well and giving it their all, when Ochako, Tsuyu and Tenya noticed that Izuku wasn’t in line with them.

Instead, he was standing in the entrance of the student waiting area with Shouto staring intently at him.

“Uhh, you-you wanted to speak to me, Shouto...? About what...?”

Endeavor was walking down the corridor and making his way down the stairs when a familiar voice rang out in the narrow space. “Hello there, Endeavor!!” Feeling his eyebrow starting to twitch, Endeavor turned and saw the one person he was hoping to avoid running into. All Might stood at the top of the stairs with his hands on his hips, smiling like always.

”It’s been so long since we’ve talked last! 10 years ago, I believe? I spotted you and figured I should say hello! We should grab some tea and catch up, some time!”

Endeavor scoffed at the man. “Is that so...? Well, if you wanted to say hello, then there’s nothing more for us to discuss. Now, get out of my sight, All Might.” The Flame Hero sneered before descending down the stairs. But All Might was quicker as he bolted down the bottom of the stairs and blocked Endeavor’s way.

”Why are you in such a rush?! Come now, there’s no need to be a party pooper!!” The man’s voice was cheerful and jolly compared to the annoyed scowl on Endeavor’s face. “Your son Shouto certainly pulled of quite an impressive victory! He even managed to take first place without using his left side. Guess someone’s been raising him, well.”

That last line seemed to rub Endeavor the wrong way as the flames of his beard flickered angrily. “What is that supposed to mean?!” He snarled, but All Might ignored him by asking him a question.

”Actually, Endeavor, I’ve been meaning to ask you... You got any tips or advice for teaching the next generation of heroes?” The man sounded genuinely curious, not wanting to instigate anything, but Endeavor must’ve not caught on as he scoffed at the man and pushed his way past the Symbol of Peace.

“As if I’d ever tell you! That damn happy-go-lucky attitude of yours...it really pisses me off!” He spat out while making his way down the next flight of stairs.

”Oh, uh, my apologies for that...” All Might muttered out, but Endeavor wasn’t done yet.

”Know this much, All Might. I’ll mold that boy into the ideal hero who will surpass you. That’s the whole reason...I created that boy!” His statement made even All Might shudder as his flames grew angrier and more erratic by the second. “He’s in that ridiculous rebellious stage right now, but make no mistake, All Might. I’ll make him outdo you and surpass you! Mark my words!!” All Might didn’t get a chance to retort back as he watched Endeavor walk down the stairs, leaving him all alone.

”I swear, that man hasn’t changed one bit... I sure hope that Shouto boy will be alright.”

”Haha um, th-the cafeteria will be packed if we don’t hurry...” Izuku laughed nervously, feeling very uncomfortable with how intensely Shouto was staring at him; almost glaring at him. But, why?

”I underestimated you, Izuku.” Shouto finally spoke, his voice calm but filled with emotion at the same time. “You overwhelmed me, to the point that I broke my pledge.” He motioned to his left arm; Izuku stared at his left hand which was shoved in his pocket and then back up at Shouto’s stern face.

”Shouto...” Izuku said breathlessly, feeling a swell of sadness for the boy.

He knew what Shouto was referring to. He remembers what Shouto had told him about his family abuse and how his father, Endeavor, made him train to the point of becoming physically sick. And even though his mother, Rei, had tried to protect him and be supportive of her youngest son and his dreams, she too became a victim to her husband’s cruelty, and as a result, she snapped and threw scalding hot water on her son’s face, permanently scarring him both physically and emotionally.

He knew that Shouto didn’t like using his flames, and he also knew how it made him feel during training when Shouta would tell him to put more effort into using his quirk. And to participate in the Sports Festival where not only every person in the country, but also every top Pro Hero, including Endeavor, would all be watching him, observing him, and seeing what he was capable of.

The whole thing must be causing him immense stress, something Izuku is all too familiar with. He sympathises with the boy, feels sorry for him. But judging by the way Shouto is glaring at him, the last thing he wants is any form of compassion from the mossy teen.

”I remember the day you told me that you got your quirk late.” Shouto broke the silence, causing Izuku to jolt. “At first, I thought it was a little strange, but at the same time, I understood why you would keep something like that a secret; I mean, you have your reasons, as everyone does. But the more I watched you during training, the more your quirk seemed...familiar to me. And today was no different.”

”Wh-What do you mean...?” Izuku felt a cold sweat roll down his face.

”Uraraka, Iida, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu...none of them felt the pressure coming off of you that I did. I’ve experienced it before, back when I saved All Might from that thing back at the USJ...”

Shouto clenched his fist and looked right at Izuku. “What I’m trying to say is...your quirk, it’s a lot like All Might’s.” Izuku gasped softly, his stomach doing flips. “I already know that All Might isn’t your real father, neither is Eraser Head, but how is it that you have a quirk that is almost identical to All Might’s when the two of you aren’t even related biologically...? Could it be that he actually is your real father and you were born through a surrogate, making you All Might’s illegitimate child?”

Izuku wasn’t sure if he should feel offended or sorry for Shouto. But then again, if it kept him from learning the truth about One For All, he didn’t care what the dual quirk-user thought.

Taking Izuku’s silence as his refusal to answer him, Shouto sighed. ”If you don’t want to tell me, then I won’t pry. Anyway, that’s not even the point I was trying to make...” Shouto’s eyes became half-lidded, like he was reminiscing or lamenting.

“Izuku...I know that the two of us have reconciled already, and I told you before that my friendship with you is something I cherish. That won’t ever change. But...my aspirations haven’t changed, either.”

Izuku was confused at first, unsure about what Shouto was talking about, but then, it clicked.

”My goal in life was always to reach for the top, to become the greatest hero in the world, and the only way to do that would be to surpass All Might, and by extension...you.” Izuku shuttered at the way he said ‘you’.

Izuku's lips curled into a grimace. ’He sounds the exact same way he did back when we were kids...! He said our friendship wouldn’t be affected by this, but why do I have a feeling he’s not being completely honest?’

”Endeavor...my father...he’s gone all out in order to make a name for himself, but even after achieving fame, he still sees All Might as a roadblock and an eyesore. He felt that if he couldn’t outmatch All Might on his own, then he would do it by making his child do it for him.” Shouto clenched his fists tightly, his teeth gritting in anger. “That piece of human filth, he only sees me as a tool for his own ambitions! He wants to be at the top; he’s worked tirelessly and has managed to bring himself up to the position of #2. But it’s not good enough for him, and as long as All Might has the title of #1, he’ll never be satisfied.” Shouto’s eyes shine with a fiery passion that Izuku has only ever seen in Katsuki’s eyes, and it’s a little scary, given the context.

”But I refuse to be a tool for that bastard, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of reaching the top. Which is why I refuse to use my left side. Not using my flames against you was a way for me to get back at that egotistical son of a bitch. By reaching the top...without using his quirk...I’ll have denied him of everything.”

”Sh-Shouto! Just hold on a sec!” Izuku tried to bring back some sort of peace between them; he didn’t like where Shouto was going with this, so he tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand, especially before the final event.

“Look, I get it! I really do! You and I, we’re reaching for the same goal, we both want to surpass All Might, but, that doesn’t mean we have to see each other as arch rivals like our dads... Even though we’re two very different people, we’re also kind of the same, too... I...I’ve always hated it when people would point me out and say things like ‘It’s the son of All Might!’ or ‘He’ll become the next All Might.’. Aside from my family and a few close friends, nobody ever calls me Izuku; it’s always just All Might’s son. But, that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop reaching for my dreams! I’ll become a great hero-”

”You seriously think we’re anything alike? Don’t make me laugh.”

Izuku was startled by the sudden question, especially the way Shouto said it; his voice was hard, firm, and filled with so much malice and hate.

Malice and hate towards Izuku.

”Wh-What? Shouto, I-I didn’t mean to-”

”You and I are nothing alike, so don’t you dare try and compare yourself to me!” Shouto snarled at the boy, his face twisted in an angry scowl that Izuku has only ever seen on Katsuki’s face.

“You seriously think you know what I’ve gone through?! Bullshit! Have you ever been forced by All Might to train your quirk to the point of crying and vomiting?! Did he ever forbid you from playing and interacting with your brother because he thought that he was inferior?! Have you watched All Might beat Eraser Head right in front of you just for trying to protect you?! Have you had boiling water poured on your face for just looking like the man who abused you and your family, by the same person who was supposed to protect and love you?! Well?! Have you?!”

Something must’ve snapped within Shouto, otherwise he wouldn’t be shouting and acting all defensive like this. Izuku has never heard the usually calm and collected boy yell like that before, and he was so shaken up by his angry words and harsh voice that he was on the verge of breaking down crying. That is, until an unexpected visitor stepped out of the shadows and quickly walked over.

"Hey, asshole! Knock that shit off, right now!!” Both of them looked to see Katsuki marching over to them, a scowl of his own plastered on his features.

”K-Kacchan...!” Izuku was both relieved and worried to see Katsuki. What was he going to do? And how much of their conversation did he hear?

”What do you want, Bakugou? And what are you even doing here? Were you listening in on our conversation?” Shouto interrogated the blond, taking the words right out of Izuku’s mouth.

Katsuki was unamused.

”This area is open to all students, dumbass, so I can be here if I damn well please!” He barked back before standing in front of Izuku, acting like a human shield, or a human guard dog.

”You need to back the hell off and leave Deku alone before I make you. Unless you wanna start the final event off with a broken nose, in which case, I’ll happily do the honor of providing you.” Katsuki sneered, small explosions popping over his hands indicating that he wasn’t playing around. Shouto scoffed before walking away from the two, shoving his hands in his pockets.

”Either way, I’ll rise above you using only my right side.” Shouto muttered out before walking away, leaving Izuku and Katsuki standing there.

”You alright, Deku?” Katsuki asked, his voice losing its angry edge once the dual quirk-user was gone.

”Y-Yeah, I’m fine... Thanks, Kacchan.” Izuku replied. “Uh...how much of that did you actually hear...?”

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. “Enough to hear that Icyhot bastard talking shit to you." A low growl escaped the blond's lips. "That stuck-up asshole has some nerve. Who the hell does he think he is?!” The blond gritted his teeth, seething with anger. But he quickly calmed down when he noticed Izuku turning his back towards him, like he was trying to shield himself away from his friend.

”No, it-it wasn’t his fault, Kacchan. I...I’m the one who overstepped, I shouldn’t have provoked him like that. I...I just...” Izuku curled his lips inward while he fought to try and keep his tears from spilling over.

’I upset Shouto. I didn’t mean to, I was just trying to help. I...I just wish that-’

Izuku was pulled from his thoughts and back to reality when he suddenly felt Katsuki’s arms wrap around his waist from behind, hugging him tightly.

“Don't let that asshole get to you, Deku." He whispered gently into Izuku's ear. "He's the one with daddy issues, so don't listen to him, okay?” He nuzzled his face against the side of Izuku's neck, his blond spikes tickling the skin there. “Show Icyhot who he’s dealing with... I’ll be rooting for you.”

Izuku was shocked by his best friend’s encouraging words, despite the same boy wanting to claim first place for himself, but he also feels himself melting into the embrace; a warm feeling blooming inside his chest. Letting a smile tug on his lips, Izuku allowed himself to lean against the blond’s body while resting his hands on top of his arms still circled around his frame; the tears finally spilling over.

“Thanks, Kacchan. I’ll do my best.” He whispered, basking in the warmth radiating off of Katsuki’s body.

At one point, he could’ve swore that he felt Katsuki’s soft lips press against his neck, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe he just imagined it.

They stayed like that for a short while, enjoying the intimate closeness and warmth before finally pulling away. Katsuki clapped the boy on the shoulder while flashing him a grin. “C’mon! Let’s go get some food before the cafeteria gets too packed, I’m starving!” Izuku giggled softly before following his best friend. He felt a lot better after that, but he still couldn’t help but feel bad for Shouto.

’I want to help him, I really do. But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want it… All I can do is give it my all, and show him what I can do!’

Chapter Text

((I HOPE YOU’RE ALL HAVING A SPECTACULAR TIME, BECAUSE WE’LL BE MOVING ON TO THE FINAL EVENT!! THE REMAINING 16 MEMBERS OF THE 4 WINNING TEAMS WILL BE COMPETING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER IN A ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT!! HOW EXCITING!!!))

The 16 students all stared in surprise at the announcement of the final event for the Sports Festival. Izuku swallowed down the lump forming in his throat, trying to stay calm.

’This is it. This is what will make or break me, in the end.’

Midnight held up a box with the word ‘Lots’ on it in English letters. “We’ll decide the matchups for the tournament event based on drawing lots. After that, we’ll move on to the recreational festivities and then the tournament itself!” After the lots were drawn, the giant screen displays the pairings of the tournament event:

Izuku Yagi vs. Juuzo Honenuki

Shouto Todoroki vs. Hanta Sero

Ibara Shiozaki vs. Denki Kaminari

Tenya Iida vs. Mei Hatsume

Mina Ashido vs. Yosetsu Awase

Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu vs. Eijirou Kirishima

Ochako Uraraka vs. Katsuki Bakugou

Izuku analyzed the matchups and took note of the first-round pairings of the tournament event.

’If I win my first match, I’ll go up against Shouto in the second match! But first, I’ve gotta beat this Honenuki guy...’ He looked over and saw his opponent standing a few feet away; aside from his somewhat creepy-looking face, he seemed friendly enough.

Still, Izuku knew better than to underestimate someone’s strength and ability based on appearance alone; All Might taught him that.

Meanwhile, Shouto was doing his known analyzing and brainstorming. ‘So soon... You better give it your all, Izuku, because I’m taking you down!’

After that, they were all sent to go enjoy the recreational festivities until it was time. Some students participated in the activities, while others used the time to psych themselves up and prepare for the tournament event, and others tried to relax and take a breather.

Before they knew it, it was time.

An arena had been made just for the tournament event, courtesy of the Pro Hero and Modern Literature teacher Cementoss. Izuku stood in the corridor near the entrance to the stadium, trying to focus on keeping his breathing nice and calm. His wrist strap was putting in the works to regulate and maintain his stress levels in order to keep his quirk from malfunctioning.

Izuku suddenly jumped when he hears Toshinori call his name from behind.

”Oh! Hey, Dad!” Izuku stammered, his nervousness suddenly flooding back.

Toshinori was wearing a baggy, navy blue suit which would most likely fit him once he transformed into his muscle form. “You’ve come a long way to get here, my boy! I’m very impressed! You’ve worked very hard and now it’s finally paying off.” His words were meant to be encouraging, but the frown on Izuku’s face wasn’t the result he was expecting.

”Mmm, well...I wouldn’t say that... I...I’ve only come this far because I’ve had others helping me... If you or Gran-Pa Torino hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have gotten to the level I’m at now; if it hadn’t been for Recovery Girl and that Asahi lady, I wouldn’t have been able to use my quirk, properly... And even now, I feel like I’ve only managed to make it this far, because of others... I’ve hardly done anything for myself-”

”Even NOW, I’m having to drill my advice into that thick skull of yours!! Without doubt plaguing your mind, you may as well be the ruler of idiots!!” Toshinori exclaimed while coughing up blood, but not before smacking Izuku over the head in a chopping motion.

”Think about the type of hero you want to be as! You really think he’s never once felt a sense of doubt and regret in his mind?! It’s moments like these when you’re feeling anxious and afraid,” He then morphed into his muscle form, taking on the appearance of All Might. “That you should be smiling, even if it’s fake! Remember what you’ve had to go through to get to this point, because I’ll be watching you every step of the way!”

Swallowing hard, Izuku nods and stands straight. “Yes! I’ll do it!”

All Might lets out a bellowing laugh before clapping his son on the shoulder. “That’s my boy! Now, give ‘em hell!”

With that, Izuku walked out onto the stadium and onto the arena, where he could see his opponent walking opposite him. They both reached the arena on opposite ends until they were about 5 feet apart and just stared at one another; the crowd cheering and whooping for them.

((FOR OUR FIRST FIGHT, HE’S ONE OF THE TOP STUDENTS IN HIS CLASS, WITH A POWERFUL QUIRK AND A CLEVER MIND! FROM CLASS 1-A OF THE HERO COURSE, IZUKU YAGI!! VERSUS...! ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO GOT IN THROUGH OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATIONS! FROM CLASS 1-B OF THE HERO COURSE, JUUZO HONENUKI!!))

Izuku looked at his opponent, who appeared to be fairly calm, almost relaxed. He had some idea of what his quirks was like, but nothing much to go off of aside from what he’s seen; he doesn’t even know if it has a weakness or what it could be.

((THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: IF YOUR OPPONENT IS INCOMPASITATED, STEPS OUT OF BOUNDS OR SURRENDERS, YOU WIN! DON’T WORRY ABOUT MESSING UP THE ARENA OR GOING ALL OUT, THIS IS A COMPETITION, SO GIVE IT YOUR ALL! HOWEVER, IF ONE OF YOU GOES TOO FAR AND PUTS THE LIFE OF YOUR OPPONENT AT RISK, THE MATCH WILL CEASE AND YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED! WITH THAT SAID AND DONE, LET’S GET STARTED!!))

Both boys ready themselves for the start of the match, Izuku preparing to release his power so it’ll flow through him while also taking the time to observe his opponent.

((READY...! SET...! START!!!))

Right off the bat, Izuku watches Honenuki like a hawk as the beige-colored boy immediately activates his quirk to soften the ground around Izuku, but he quickly avoids the ground by leaping in the air above the softening quirk-user.

’Okay, this is good! From this angle, I should be able to use a Delaware Smash to knock him down!’ He holds out his hand and prepares to flick his finger at his opponent below, who’s still shocked by Izuku’s evasion.

’Here goes nothing!’ Izuku concentrates the flow of One For All’s power threw his body.

One For All: Full Cowl - 5%

“Delaware...SMAAAASH!!” He flicks his finger, releasing a powerful shockwave right at Honenuki, hoping it’s enough to knock him back, pushing him out of bounds. But he manages to dodge before the blow could hit him.

”Huh, missed me.” The beige-colored boy snickered. Gritting his teeth, Izuku leapt in the air again in order to avoid the ground beneath his feet which had turned soft from his opponent’s quirk.

It’s rinse and repeat; Izuku activates an attack and aims it at Honenuki, the latter dodges with effortless timing, Izuku lands on the ground opposite his opponent only to leap in the air again to avoid getting caught in the quicksand-like substance.

((WELL, ISN’T THIS A BIT OF A HUMOROUS SIGHT! IT’S A LOT LIKE WATCHING TWO GERBILS OR RABBITS PLAYING IN A CAGE!! ALTHOUGH WATCHING YAGI BOUNCE AROUND LIKE THAT IS MAKING ME DIZZY! WHAT WILL HE DO, FOLKS? WILL HE CONTINUE THIS STRATEGY UNTIL HIS OPPONENT GETS TIRED, OR WILL HE RUN OUT OF STEAM AND GET CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE? THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!))

Izuku lands back on the ground, panting and sweaty as he glares at his opponent who just looks at him in amusement.

’Damn it! I can’t keep dodging him like this. But if I stay in one spot, he’ll trap me and I won’t be able to move. There has to be some way to keep him in place and land a hit, but not with the way he’s avoiding my attacks... Think. Think! There’s got to be something!’

”Y’know, you really should pay more attention to your surroundings.” Honenuki said casually. “Otherwise...”

Izuku blinked a couple of times before looking down and staring in wide-eyed horror as he saw that from his shins down, he started to sink into the softened ground.

”Crap! Ugh, ngh I’m stuck!!” He tries to pull himself out, but he can’t get out. He’s trapped.

((HOLY MOLY!! YAGI’S IMMOBILIZED!! HOW WILL HE GET HIMSELF OUT OF THIS PICKLE?! WILL THIS BE THE END FOR YAGI, SO SOON INTO THE MATCH? IF HE IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING, HE’LL BE FORCED TO SURRENDER, DECLARING HONENUKI THE VICTOR!!)) Izuku stared up at the audience with wide eyes. Panic starts to set in as he desperately tries to free his legs, but this only causes him to sink further into the ground. Shouta watched on in nervous anticipation; feeling thankful for the bandages covering his face, hiding the look of panic from his colleague.

’Izuku...you can’t give up now. C’mon, son, I know you can do this!’

Meanwhile, Honenuki takes his time with sauntering over, watching his opponent with a neutral gaze. “It’s no use. You’re not gonna be able to break out. Once my quirk is activated, anything I touch turns soft. In this case, the ground is like quicksand, and just like quicksand, once you’ve stepped in it, you won’t be able to get out.” Honenuki stops when he’s less than a foot away and simply stands there.

”Let’s make this easy for both of us, huh? Just say you surrender and this’ll be over much quicker.” Despite the underlying arrogance in his tone, Izuku could also pick up a hint of empathy in his voice, like he felt sorry for him.

But Izuku wasn't a quitter. He refused to give up, not after the match had just started. ‘He has to have a weakness, he just has to! But what could it be?!’ Just then, he paused, and noticed something.

’Wait a minute...’ He looked at Honenuki’s feet. Then, something seemed to click.

’Back during the Cavalry Battle, he used his quirk to trap us so they could steal our points, and he did this by making contact with the ground. But we were able to free ourselves thanks to Hatsume’s jetpack. Maybe...maybe I can get myself out of this, after all!’

”Hey. You awake over there, curly-cue?” Honenuki asked while stepping closer to the boy, only to have his legs grabbed and yanked out from under him, causing him to trip. The instant he lands on his back, Izuku uses another Delaware Smash, this time aimed vertically towards the softened ground; the pressure of the shock wave is strong enough to release Izuku from the ground, freeing him.

”Sweet! It worked!” Izuku exclaimed, feeling relief wash over him now that he could move again. Honenuki stands back up on wobbly legs, but before he has any time to react, Izuku rushes over using 15% of his power to increase his speed, grabs him by the arm and front of his shirt.

Honenuki tries to activate his quirk again to soften the ground, but Izuku doesn’t give him the chance to as he roughly shoves him forward and just before he touches the edge of the arena, grabs him by the arm and throws him over his shoulder and slams him hard on the ground, out of bounds.

”Honenuki is out of bounds!” Midnight declares loudly. "Yagi will advance to the next round!"

The audience cheers, and Izuku is panting and trembling in disbelief that he actually managed to win.

((WHAT A WAY TO START OFF THE TOURNAMENT EVENTS! EVERYONE, GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THESE TWO! YOU FOUGHT WELL, BOYS!!))

Honenuki, who was still lying on the ground flat on his back, let out a groan from both the pain in his back and from losing. He then sees Izuku standing in front of him reaching his hand out to him, a friendly smile on his face.

”Here, let me help you up.” He said, softly. The boy happily takes hold of his hand so Izuku could help pull him back onto his feet. “Sorry...” He apologized sheepishly, avoiding Honenuki’s gaze.

“No worries. It was a close match, and you’re pretty strong.” Honenuki said, calmly. “You won fair and square, so no hard feelings, ‘kay?” Honenuki gave him a friendly smile.

Izuku looked him in the eye and smiled back; relieved that the boy wasn’t angry at him. “Okay! Thanks, Honenuki. You’re really strong, too.”

Honenuki smirked while giving him a thumbs up. “Good luck with your next match, Yagi!” He then turned and made his way off the arena and toward the corridor; the crowd cheering him on and congratulating him.

’Well, at least he’s a good sport about it; I guess not everyone from Class 1-B hates our guts. And with a quirk like his, he’s gonna make an excellent hero, for sure…’ Izuku felt his smile fall into a frown. ‘But I have a feeling my match with Shouto won’t go as smoothly.’

Shouto was silently walking down the corridor towards the stadium for his match, and as soon as he rounds the corner, a scowl creases his face at the sight of his father, Endeavor.

”Shouto. Your performance and behavior have been disgraceful.” The Flame Hero scolded, his buff arms crossed over his chest. Shouto merely scoffed and walked past the man, giving him the cold shoulder(no pun intended).

This didn’t sit well with the fiery man.

”If you had used your flames from the start, you would’ve won the Obstacle Race and Cavalry Battle easily.”

His fists clenched, tightly.

Shouto gritted his teeth. “This rebellious attitude of yours is childish and a waste of time, so stop playing around and focus on your duty of surpassing All Might!”

He was starting to seethe with rage, his face contorting into an angry scowl.

”You get it now, boy?! Your siblings pale in comparison to you! You are my greatest creation!!!”

Shouto stopped walking, but he didn’t turn to face the man. “Do you have literally anything else to say...? Anything that isn’t the same bullshit you've spewed at me for all these years?! I will earn my place at the top using only Mom’s quirk, and I will NEVER use your goddamn powers in battle!” He continued towards the stadium, but his father scoffed at the boy.

”Fine. Be that way. But mark my words, boy. That defiance of yours may work for you in high school, but once you’re out in the real world, you’ll reach your limits!”

If expressions could kill, anybody who saw Shouto’s face would most likely freeze to death.

He. Was. Pissed.

”Deku! Over here, Deku!” Ochako called the boy over as he entered the reserved seating area for Class 1-A. Izuku sat between Ochako and Tenya in the front, while Katsuki, Kirishima and Kaminari sat behind them.

Not a second passes after Izuku sits down when everyone hears Present Mic’s voice ringing out through the intercom.

((SORRY FOR THE WAIT, FOLKS! AND NOW, FOR THE NEXT MATCH!! HE’S PULLED OFF AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE TO GET THIS FAR, AND WITH A RATHER UNIQUE QUIRK AS ANY I’VE EVER SEEN! FROM THE HERO COURSE, HANTA SERO!! VERSUS…! ANOTHER ONE OF THE STUDENTS TO GET IN THROUGH OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND SON OF THE FLAME HERO: ENDEAVOR!! FROM THE HERO COURSE, SHOUTO TODOROKI!!))

Sero merely grinned at his opponent who still had that same scowl on his face; the anger from earlier still pulsing through his veins. ‘I’ll show you, you bastard. I don’t need your quirk! I’ll PROVE IT!!’

((READY…! START!!!))

Sero acted like he was stretching his arms out, only to quickly wrap Shouto up in his tape. He then proceeded to spin him around like a lasso. But Shouto was unfased.

”Too easy!” The next thing Sero knew, he was swept up in a wave of ice which covered over half of the entire arena. Everyone, including Present Mic, was speechless.

With the tape frozen solid, Shouto was able to break out of his bonds easily, while Sero...

”...A-A-A lit-t-ttle bit m-m-m-uch, do-do-don’tcha th-th-th-think...?” The boy could barely speak, he was so cold; his limbs were encased in the giant ice wall, making movement impossible.

”Tell me, Sero... Can you move...?” Midnight asked, shivering just as much, if not harder, with barely any clothing on to keep her warm. “N-N-No...I-I-I-I can’t...”

”Sero is unable to move! Todoroki advances to the next round!”

The crowd didn’t clap, or cheer, or anything. They were stunned by the boy’s sheer strength and power. The most some of them were able to do was a timid “You did good, kid" or “We don’t mind”. Shouto calmly walked over to Sero, who was still frozen in place, and used the heat from his left hand to melt the ice around his opponent.

”I’m sorry, Sero...I overdid it.” He said without looking him in the eye. “I didn’t mean anything by it... I was just a little angry, that’s all.”

As everyone else watched in shock and awe at the display before them, Izuku couldn’t help but feel something different; his heart clenching while he watched Shouto.

’Shouto...he was so angry before. But now, even while watching him melt the ice...he looks so sad.’

The next match, which was Kaminari against Shiozaki, ended in the same manner as the match between Sero and Shouto: quick and breathtakingly spectacular, at least on Shiozaki’s part.

”Shiozaki will advance to the next round!”

Despite winning the match will hardly any effort, Shiozaki was humble in her victory, even apologizing to Kaminari for losing and told him he would be a great hero.

Ochako had been watching the match when she heard the familiar sound of Izuku muttering to himself while he jotted down notes at a mile a minute. “The match is already over and you’re already taking notes, Deku?” She pointed out, despite feeling just slightly creeped out by his strange muttering habit. He quickly stopped and turned beet red.

”O-Oh, yeah! It’s, uh, it’s just something I’ve always done, I guess...” He smiled sheepishly at her, who returned the smile before he opened up the pages and showed her his notes. “I’ve even compiled notes on everybody in our class. Including you, Uraraka! On your zero-gravity, I mean! See?” He flipped to the page where he’d written down painfully detailed notes on her quirk and how he believed it worked, and even going as far as to do a full-body sketch of her in her costume.

If it were anybody else and it were under normal circumstances, Ochako would’ve found this to be creepy and borderline stalker-ish, but because it was Izuku, who was by far the most honest, naive and innocent people she’s ever met, and because she already saw him as a good friend, she didn’t mind, even thought it was endearing.

”That’s awesome, Deku! You’re so smart!” She beamed at him. He smiled back at her. “Haha, thanks!”

The next match was about to begin; Tenya Iida against Mei Hatsume.

Because she was in the Support Course and her quirk wasn’t very suited for combat, she was given permission to use her equipment in the match. But it seemed that Tenya thought that because she was permitted to use special gear, he too had on gear. When Midnight pointed out that unless he submitted a permission form prior to the start of the school year, students in the hero course were prohibited from using support gear of any kind.

Realizing he’d been misinformed, Tenya apologized for his ignorance. But he also asked that he be granted permission to at least use the gear as a way to show respect to Hatsume for her brilliant performance during the Cavalry Battle. The long-winded explanation resorted in Midnight granting him permission.

Just what Hatsume was hoping for.

Despite his quirk, he failed to realize the gear he had on could also go play against him and he ended up playing cat and mouse with Hatsume shamelessly showing off her inventions to the crowd, specifically to the Support Company Executives, for 10 minutes straight while poor Tenya tried to push her out of bounds, but failing miserably...until she decided to walk out of bounds on her own, resulting in her losing the match.

Not that she seemed to mind.

”Iida advances to the next round!”

Tenya was beyond mortified, but at least it was an easy win, if not too easy.

The next matches came and went in a somewhat similar fashion; it was only at the end of Kirishima and Tetsutetsu’s match that things got a little bit more interesting with the two reaching a stalemate. Midnight declared that they would resolve the draw in an arm wrestling contest before moving on to the next match.

It all practically went by in the blink of an eye before it was nearly time for Ochako’s match with Katsuki...

And she was scared.

Izuku and Tenya found her in the Class 1-A waiting room sitting at the table with a troubled look on her face. They both tried to console her and assure her that she would be okay, even if it was Katsuki. Izuku even tried to offer her the notes he’d taken on Katsuki’s explosion quirk, hoping it would help her to get an idea of what she was up against and to help boost her self-confidence. She thanked him, but politely declined.

”I’ll be alright. I can do this.” She smiled bravely and gave a thumbs up. “I’ll see you in the final round, Deku!” She exclaimed before walking out of the room.

And then, it was time.

((WE’VE ARRIVED AT THE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND! THIS YOUNG MAN WAS QUITE FAMOUS IN HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS, AND SEEMS TO HAVE CARRIED THAT FAME WITH HIM IN HIS FIRST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL!! FROM THE HERO COURSE, KATSUKI BAKUGOU!!)) Katsuki had a somewhat strange scowl on his face, making him look like a ravenous dog. Maybe he was doing that for show. Who knows?

((VERSUS...! ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES!! FROM THE HERO COURSE, OCHAKO URARAKA!!))

Ochako was scared beyond belief, but she kept her fears hidden behind a brave face, trying to match Katsuki’s scowl, but all she could manage was a frown.

”So, you’re the girl who can make things float. Isn’t that right, Round Face?” He asked with a glare.

”Huh?! R-Round Face...?!” Ochako stammered, feeling suddenly self-conscious of her appearance, and also intimidated by her opponent.

“If you’re gonna withdraw, now’s the time to do it. Otherwise, don’t think I’ll go easy on you, even if you’re a girl.” Katsuki stated in a low voice, his eyes shimmering like a vicious predator waiting to strike its prey.

Ochako shot him a glare of her own while stating, “You’re not gonna scare me away that easily, Bakugou! No way am I backing out, now!”

He scoffed. “Pfft, fine. You had your chance.” They readied themselves for the match to start.

The moment Midnight initiated the match, Ochako ran as fast as she could towards Katsuki, while keeping herself as low to the ground as possible. ‘All I have to do is touch him, and I’ll send him floating out of bounds! Just gotta-’

Katsuki didn’t hesitate to blast her with an explosion, the sound of her crying out causing the crowd to gasp in horror.

”Damn! Is he seriously going all out on her?!”

”Yeah...and on a girl as his opponent...? Talk about an all-time low...”

Katsuki waite3d to spot her before he attacked when he saw something coming towards him from the dust cloud. “TOO EASY!” He slammed his hand down, but realizes it was only her jersey. By the time he realizes this, Ochako is behind him and on the verge of touching him before he counters her sneak attack with another explosion.

((WOW, SHE MADE HER JERSEY FLOAT TO DISTRACT HIM!! TALK ABOUT A LAST-MINUTE DECISION IN A PINCH!!))

She slams onto the ground hard, but gets back up without hesitating and charges again; refusing to give up. But neither is Katsuki.

Again. And again. And again. The more times Katsuki blasts her away just before touching him, the harder it becomes for some people to watch; even the most seasons Pro Heroes are finding this match almost too unbearable to see.

”Hey! Is it really okay for this to continue on?! At this rate, he’s gonna seriously hurt her!”

”This is...I don’t think I can keep watching this.”

”I don’t like this! That poor girl!”

”Hey, kid! If you’re really striving to become a hero, this is not the way to go about doing it!! You know you’re at an advantage, so why don’t you just blast hero out of bounds?!”

”This is despicable, even for a fledgling- hero!! You’re a disgrace!!”

On and on, the crowd, both civilians and Pros, all shout and boo at Katsuki for his performance, but he refuses to acknowledge them.

((Despicable, you say? Disgraceful, you say?)) It wasn’t Present Mic saying that...but Eraser Head, instead. And from the tone in his voice, he was not playing around.

((If that’s how you really feel about this match, then you may as well leave. I’m surprised that some of these ridiculous comments are actually coming from Pro Heroes. He clearly recognizes the strength and power of his opponent, especially one who has made it this far. It’s because of this that he’s keeping his guard up. He is doing everything in his power to win; he refuses to let his guard down even for a split second. I even dare say...that he sees her as a worthy opponent. Which is precisely why he’s relentlessly attacking.))

That got everyone to shut up, while also helping to open everyone’s minds and look at the match from a different angle.

Izuku couldn't help but smile at his Papa's words. 'I get it. Kacchan wouldn't be going all out like this if he didn't think she was worth the effort... And Papa sees that, too. Still...I hope she'll be okay.'

Ochako was panting, sweating, shaking from exhaustion. But she still refused to quit. The shine in her eyes practically screamed, “Come at me! I won’t back down!”

”Hah...huff... Well...looks like there’s nothing much left...” She said, vaguely. “Thank you, Bakugou...” Katsuki tilted his head slightly, confused.

Then, he saw her touch her fingertips together. “Thank you for keeping your eyes on me, and not letting down your guard.”

Katsuki, Present Mic, Eraser Head, pretty much everyone in the crowd, including the Pros who had been booing Katsuki not too long ago, all saw it. Several huge chunks of the arena all floating in the air right above them, and the moment Ochako touched her fingers together, they all came hailing down like a meteor shower.

As the rubble came crashing down, she ran as fast as her legs would allow her towards Katsuki; sweat trickling down her face like rain droplets.

‘This is it! I’m gonna win!! I’ll advance to the top with Deku-’

Katsuki released a massive explosion towards the sky, right at the falling chunks of rock. This caused the rubble to disintegrate into dust. Everyone, including Izuku, were besides themselves with shock.

”I knew you would pull some shit like this.” He said nonchalantly, like this was nothing to him.

Ochako, meanwhile, was trembling like a leaf, a look of utter terror flashing in her eyes. “.....No way....he did that...in one hit...?!” She watched her brilliant strategy, her last-resort move, crumble into dust around her, much like the rubble did, just now.

Katsuki’s calm, unreadable expression then took on a terrifyingly cocky smirk as he prepared to charge her. “Now then, this match can start for real, Uraraka!!” He sneered, tauntingly. But he stopped when he saw her fall to the ground in almost slow-motion, landing in the dirt flat on her face.

”Ugh, nn, ngh my...my body. It...It won’t...” She trembled from sheer exhaustion, a pained groan escaping her lips as she tried desperately to crawl toward Katsuki, who got in his fighting stance in case she pulled anything else. But that wouldn’t be necessary.

Izuku was shocked to see his friend struggling to continue, knowing full well what was happening. “Uraraka...her weight limit. She went beyond her limit, and now she can barely move...!”

Midnight stepped in before Katsuki could do anything further, checking on Ochako to see if she was seriously hurt. Before she passed out from fatigue, she shakily whimpered out, “...Daddy...” before everything went black for her.

”Uraraka is unconscious and unable to move! Bakugou advances to the next round!”

((ALRIGHT! NOW THAT THAT DRAMATIC EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER IS OUT OF THE WAY, and I secretly hoped that she would win...WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!! WE’LL PROCEED AFTER A SHORT BREAK!!)) Present Mic couldn’t help the hint of disappointment in his voice, much to Shouta’s annoyance. ((We’re not supposed to be picking favorites, here.))

Izuku made his way to the break room to rest up when he ran into Katsuki. “Oh, ah, hey Kacchan!” He said, feeling nervous for some reason. Maybe it was the way the blond performed during his match that got his nerves all buzzed up, but either way, it wasn’t like he had any reason to feel afraid of his friend. “Uh, great job out there! You-You really had the crowd on the edge of their seats, huh? Haha..”

Katsuki stared at him, his expression unreadable. “Yeah...thanks. You did pretty good, yourself.”

Izuku fiddled with his hands, nervously. “Well, uh, I’m gonna go get ready for my next match. So, uh, I guess I’ll see you around-”

”You don’t have to hide things from me, Deku. I know it was you.” Katsuki said, vaguely. Izuku looked at him, understandably confused.

”That stunt that Round Face pulled, that was something you told her to do, wasn’t it?” He didn’t sound angry or irritated, but Izuku could still sense what sounded like mild annoyance in his tone; an almost ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’ sort of tone. Now understanding what the blond was saying, Izuku shook his head, his green curls tousling around as he did this, and smiled at the boy.

”Actually, Kacchan, that was all Uraraka’s doing.” Katsuki’s eyes grew a little wide, but he stayed silent. “I’ll admit, I did try to give her some pointers; not to help her beat you, of course, but just to give her an idea of how to approach your quirk. But she didn’t want any help. She came up with that plan all on her own.”

Katsuki stared at him for a second before a grin pulled on his lips and he nodded.

”Well, my match is about to start. I’m gonna go get ready.” Izuku pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “Talk to you later, Kacchan!” He turned on his heels and started to walk down the hall before Katsuki stopped him by grabbing hold of his wrist.

“Hey, Deku.” Katsuki called out. Izuku turned his head and looked at his friend. He was about to ask him what was wrong before he saw Katsuki flash him a smile. Not a grin or smirk, but a smile; his grip around Izuku’s wrist, the one with his stress-relief strap, was firm but soft.

”I’ll see you in the final round.” Izuku wasn’t expecting that out of the blond, but it made his heart warm as he felt a smile curling over his lips. “You bet!”

”Geez, dude! Talk about playing the anti-hero!”

”It was a bit of a strange pairing, but your performance was quite impressive, to say the least.”

”Yeah. But, did you really have to go so hard on Uraraka-chan? I mean, seems to me like you were enjoying what you were doing. Ribbit.”

Katsuki was getting irritated with his classmates’ nagging remarks before he snapped and lost his temper. ”JUST SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTHS, ALREADY! YOU DAMN EXTRAS!!” He barked before plopping in his seat near the end of the row.

”But still, man. Did you really have to go so hard on a fragile girl? And on Uraraka, at that.” The others continued to agree and add their own comments before they heard Katsuki loudly scoff.

“You dumbasses. That girl, she’s anything but fragile.”

”Damn! Looks like I lost, huh?”

Izuku was half expecting to find Ochako in the waiting room even though she was escorted on a stretcher to be treated by Recovery Girl, though her injuries weren;t that serious. Not physically, anyway. However, he wasn’t expecting to see her acting all cheery and happy-go-lucky after her devastating loss.

”Uhh...” It was all he could say, not sure of what to say.

”I honestly thought I’d be able to make it to the end, but I guess I got carried away... Damn, oh well...” Izuku had a troubled look on his face. “Uraraka... “ He then noticed the bandage on her cheek, suddenly feeling worried for his friend. “Are you hurt...?”

”Oh, this? No, I’m okay! Recovery Girl healed me, but she didn’t wanna drain too much of my stamina, so I’m still a bit banged up. But it’s nothing I can’t handle!” She then started to pout, but in a more cutesy kind of way as opposed to actually being upset. “Man, that Bakugou sure is strong! He seriously wiped the floor with me!! If I wanna become a great hero, I’ve gotta shape up and get better!!” She kept up the lighthearted self-deprecating assessment of herself before Izuku cut her off.

”Uraraka... Are you okay...?” He said this in a genuinely concerning tone; there was something about the way she was talking that made him think otherwise.

“I’m perfectly fine! Promise!” He was unconvinced, but didn’t press the issue.

Meanwhile...

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were going at it in their arm wrestling contest before Kirishima dominated the match and won, resulting in him advancing forward. Tetsutetsu was devastated, but accepted defeat like a champ, even congratulating his rival on a job well done.

((THE STALEMATE BETWEEN KIRISHIMA AND TETSUTETSU HAS FINALLY CONCLUDED! KIRISHIMA WILL NOW ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND!! WITH ALL OF OUR CONTENDERS PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR, WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE SECOND ROUND, WHICH WILL BE STARTING SHORTLY!!))

”Well...looks like I’m up next.” Izuku opened the door to leave when Ochako stopped him. “Deku, hey. Good luck out there! I’ll be cheering for you. So, do your best!” She gave him a friendly smile, which he returned to her. “Thanks, Uraraka.”

He left the room and made his way down the hall, and even after Ochako had tried to assure him that she was okay, he felt his heart squeeze in his chest as the sounds of her sobbing and whimpering rang throughout the hall.

He was so focused on his match with Shouto that he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of Endeavor rounding the corner.

”Ohh. So, it’s you. I thought I recognized you. All Might’s boy.” Endeavor was towering over the mossy teen in all of his fiery, intimidating glory. Izuku could barely make a sound, let alone speak he was so shaken up. He remembers the last time he saw the Flame Hero; back at the dinner party his parents took him and Hitoshi to. Even after all of these years, his very presence was making Izuku feel overwhelmed.

”I must say, boy, you made quite a showing for yourself. That fat-headed dad of yours has avoided telling me what your quirk was for all these years, and now I see why that was the case.” Izuku flinched, that same fear he felt when he thought Shouto was about to call him out welling up in his chest. He felt sick.

”Yes. Such incredible speed and strength, the way you handled yourself against the others in the Cavalry Battle, and that incredible wind pressure with just the flick of a finger. Such a breathtaking power...such a powerful quirk...!” It was a bit strange to hear the usually loud and prideful man talk like that. But then he pointed his finger right in Izuku’s face.

”Yes. A power such as yours, it is a quirk truly worthy enough to rival that of All Might’s power!” Izuku took a step back and turned to walk away from the man.

”I-I don’t know what you’re getting at... I-I need to get going now...” He started to walk away, feeling like he was about to vomit from the nerves. ‘The way he talks, it doesn’t seem like he knows about One For All... In any case, he’s the last person I want finding out...’

Even as Izuku tried to distance himself from the Flame Hero, his words still echoed off the narrow hall, ringing in his ears and refusing to stop.

”My Shouto, he has a duty to surpass All Might, your father. And his match with you will most definitely prove to be the catalyst to his success. By beating you, there will be no stopping him from beating All Might! So you better do your best to not give him a disgraceful match!”

Just then, Izuku stopped. The man’s words, it caused something to stir within him: the remarks from the crowd about him being nothing more than the son of All Might, everyone basing his success on his connection to his father...and the words Shouto spoke to him, and the pained look on his face.

”That was all I wanted to say. I know it’s almost time. Excuse me...” Endeavor went to leave. But before he could get too far...

”I...I am not All Might...” Endeavor stopped walking and turned to face the boy, who was still standing there with his back to him, unmoving. He grunted, but before he could say anything, Izuku turned his head to look at him, and was surprised to see the normally timid and mousy boy glare at him with intensity unlike anything he’s ever seen.

”And Shouto isn’t YOU.”

Endeavor could only glare at him as he watched Izuku walk away, heading toward the stadium.

There, waiting on the arena, stood Shouto. A look of unwavering determination glowing on his face, but Izuku wasn’t afraid. He refused to back down now, not after coming this far.

”This is it.” He said, calmly. Izuku gave a curt nod. “It is.”

((THE TIME HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! THE START OF THE SECOND ROUND OF THE TOURNAMENT EVENT!! BOTH OF THESE TWO ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR CLASS AND HAVE SHOWN GREAT POWER IN THEIR FIRST MATCH, BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM WILL ADVANCE ONTO THE NEXT ROUND!! IZUKU YAGI VERSUS SHOUTO TODOROKI!!))

’I won’t let him win!’

((START!!))

Shouto wasted no time in creating a giant wave of ice and sending it straight for Izuku, much like he did with Sero. But Izuku was prepared to counter it with a Delaware Smash; the flick of his finger caused the ice to crumble and shatter into tiny chunks and pieces.

((WHOOAAA!! HE SMASHED THE ICE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!))

Izuku felt the green sparks jumping to life on his skin; the familiar buzzing feeling pulsing to life with One For All’s power coursing through him. ‘Just as I expected. He was going to try and freeze me with a giant ice attack...! But, I don’t know if my 20% limit will be enough to hold him off...’

Shouto wasn’t even phased by his ice getting destroyed, he simply created more, preparing to capture his opponent in it, only for it to get crushed by another smash counter-attack.

”I’m not gonna stop! I’ll keep making more ice if I have to until your subdued!” Shouto proclaimed while he watched Izuku with glaring eyes.

This process continued on for nearly 5 minutes, Shouto sending wave after wave of ice at Izuku, and the latter smashing through it with seemingly little effort. But the more he broke through his opponent’s ice attacks, he noticed a change in the intensity and power Shouto was producing. At this rate, Izuku wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.

Unless...

”You trying to turn this into an endurance test, now?! In that case...I’ll end this, right now!!” Suddenly, a wave of ice even bigger than the one from before came right for him. Izuku blasts through the ice attack, stumbling backwards after losing his footing. But Shouto doesn’t give him time to regain his balance before he charges forward and leaps onto the broken pieces of ice and descends onto Izuku at neck-break speed.

Izuku manages to dodge using a small amount of power to keep from landing funny, but not before Shouto sends another wave of ice his way. With no time to dodge or block, Izuku braces himself and blasts the ice away with another powerful smash. But there was something different about this one.

((HOLY COW!! TALK ABOUT AN INTENSE CLASH OF POWER!! TODOROKI’S THROWING ICE AROUND LIKE IT’S NOTHING! MEANWHILE, YAGI’S NOT DOING A BAD JOB AT COUNTERING!! IF YOU’RE NOT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT AT THIS POINT, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YA!!))

Shouto managed to block the incoming smash and stopped just in time before he could cross the boundary line; his arms covered in remnants of ice and frost. “That was one powerful attack you pulled off just now. Was that too close for comfort?” He says in an almost taunting and condescending manner.

Izuku was trembling and panting, the sparks were dancing along his body more erratically, the magenta veins glowing and shimmering with energy and power.

But, there was something else Izuku didn’t seemed to notice. At least, not right away.

”You’ve done remarkably well with countering and dodging my attacks. But if that’s all you’re planning to do, then you’re not going to last long. You must be reaching your limit by now.”

He points out to the cuts forming around his arms and hands; thin stripes of blood trickling down and dripping onto the ground. These were the same cuts that would only appear whenever Izuku’s quirk would malfunction. But, there was something off about it.

Izuku glanced up at the two-toned boy, and noticed something.

”It’s as I’d expected. Every Pro in the audience can see it. They can see that I’m more than just the son of the #2 hero.” Izuku flinched at the last part of that sentence. “It’s thanks to you, Izuku…” He noticed Shouto wasn’t looking at him, but rather, he was looking to his left, toward the audience. “By the look on my father’s face, I’d say I’ve managed to knock him down a peg or two.”

’That’s it! There it is!’

”Now then, let’s end this.” Without even looking at his opponent, Shouto creates ice from his feet and sends it barreling in Izuku’s direction.

”KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME!!"

Shouto has hardly any time to react when Izuku suddenly charges forward. This time, he not only smashed through the ice, but he was coming right for Shouto with a follow-up smash attack. Shouto didn’t have time to dodge, so he instead chose to block, creating an ice wall to catch himself before he went out of bounds. The sparks were becoming more and more erratic as they danced and jumped all over the place, cutting deeper and deeper into his skin as the cuts and magenta veins seemed to almost blend in together. But the cuts weren’t the only thing decorating his skin.

Toshinori, of course, was both concerned and confused as he watched the match from his seat in the audience. ‘What’s happening?! This is just like before, during the Battle Trial and during Recovery Girl’s quirk assessment test. But...his quirk...it’s not acting up. In fact, he seems to be using One For All just fine. But then, how is it even happening-no. Oh god, no! Don’t tell me...!’

One For All: Full Cowl - 40% - 45% - 50% - 55%

”Why are you going so far just to win?! Why put yourself through so much pain if you-”

”You’re shivering, Shouto.” Izuku stated, his voice trembling from the strain his quirk was putting on his body; dark purple bruises started to splotch over his skin alongside the piano wire-thin cuts. “Our quirks, they’re just another aspect of our physical functions. So there’s a limit to how much of that heavily-generated cold your body can stand, right?” He lifted his head and glared at the boy; a determined shimmer in his emerald eyes.

60% - 65% - 70%

”But, you can remedy this issue...by using the heat from your left side. I’m right, aren’t I?!” Tears started to trickle down his face, the pain becoming more unbearable the higher his power increased. But he ignored it.

”Everyone here has been giving it their all! They’re going beyond their limits so they can get that much closer to victory! So they can become #1 someday! Even I’M giving it my all, pushing myself to my limits, so why aren’t you?!”

75% - 80% - 85% - 90%

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, Izuku stood up and flashed Shouto a determined glare.

”If you really think you can win with only half of your power, THEN GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT ME!!!”

”What do you think you’re trying to do, Izuku...?” Frost starts to form around Shouto’s right side, but he doesn’t care. “You’re starting to piss me off...!!”

He quickly advanced toward Izuku, ice forming around him with each step he takes, but it’s not enough to deter his opponent. Even with painful-looking slits and cuts and ugly bruises covering his skin; his hands appearing to turn an almost purplish color, as if he were wearing gloves. Izuku rushed forward and prepared his attack.

91% - 92% - 93% - 94% - 95%

Izuku brings his fist behind him and readys himself. Shouto stares with wide eyes, being unable to step out of the way in time before...

”SMAAAASH!!!” Izuku lands his first blow on Shouto, who goes flying; bouncing hard against the ground before he stops.

((UNBELIEVABLE!! I COULD PRACTICALLY HEAR THE SOUND OF ICE CRUNCHING AFTER THAT POWERFUL PUNCH, OR WAS THAT THE SOUND OF RIBS CRACKING?! EITHER WAY, THAT WAS INSANE!!))

”Incredible. He finally managed to land his first hit on Todoroki!”

”Although Yagi’s the one who looks battered and beaten...to think he’d actually launch an offensive attack, now...!”

Shouto was shivering even harder, but he ignored it and prepared another ice attack. Izuku was unphased as he zipped across the arena; the cuts getting worse and worse, to the point where they were turning into gashes. And the bruises were becoming more and more prominent as they traveled up his arms; the gashes becoming worse.

Cementoss took note of the situation and contacted Midnight via micro transceiver.

((Midnight. Shall I put an end to this? Yagi’s pushing himself too far, and those injuries don’t look natural. He’s most likely too hopped up on adrenaline to feel any pain, but those wounds are serious, and there’s no way a single session from Recovery Girl will be enough to fully heal him… Just say the word, and I’ll end this match.))

Shouta, despite not being a ref, was also wearing a micro transceiver and could hear the conversation between Midnight and Cementoss. ‘Izuku... You know what’ll happen if you keep this up, and yet you’re still going for it... ‘ He curled his lips inward, dreading the outcome once the match concluded. ‘Regardless of what Cementoss said earlier, you’ve gotta be in immense pain...and it’s only going to get worse. If this is you going beyond your limit, I’m afraid of what the next battle will bring you...’

”Why are you going so far...?” Shouto was genuinely curious.

He’d never seen the boy so determined, so focused, and it was honestly scary. But to see him hurt and bleeding like that, for a moment, part of him wanted to stop fighting.

”I want to live up to his expectations...!!” Izuku cried out. “I wanna be the kind of hero who can smile, even in the hardest of times...!! I...I wanna be a really awesome hero!!!”

Suddenly, something flashed through Shouto’s mind; an old memory from when he was a child. A memory he never thought would ever resurface.

From a time...when he was actually happy.

”That’s why I’m giving it my all!! I’m pushing myself to my absolute limit, even if it tears me apart!!” Izuku manages to land another punch to his stomach, but it’s not as powerful as before; only knocking him back a few feet.

”I can’t even begin to understand what you’ve gone through, Shouto, and I’m not even gonna try and pretend that I do...!” His voice was trembling slightly from both exhaustion and sadness. His heart squeezed tightly inside his chest at the memory of Shouto telling him about his past surged through his mind. But he also remembered the vow he made to Shouto that he would win, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

”But even so...” He said through gritted teeth, a pained glint in his eyes. “The idea of you becoming the #1 hero without using your full strength, and your declaration of doing all of this just to spite your father, IS A BIG, GODDAMN JOKE!!”

Shouto was feeling a multitude of emotions coursing through him, but the main thing he was feeling, was rage.

”Shut up...” More frost covered his right side, even covering over his clothes; his body shivering more violently from the cold and from the anger swelling inside of him.

'Mommy...!! Mommy, I hate this! I don’t wanna be like Dad! I don’t wanna be like someone...who bullies you!!'

The memory of Shouto as a child and a kind, gentle woman with long while hair suddenly flashed through his mind. A memory he thought he'd suppressed and forgotten.

'But, sweetie, you still wanna be a hero, don’t you?' The memory of her smiling down at him while she stroked his hair flashed across his mind. 'It’s okay, Shouto. You...'

Izuku rushed toward Shouto, preparing to strike him again. Shouto ends up landing a few feet away after taking the blow to the face; he tried to pull himself up, but was shaking too much.

”IT’S YOURS!!!”

He shot up and stared at the mossy teen with wide eyes. “IT’S YOUR QUIRK, NOT HIS!!!”

'It’s okay, Shouto. You...You don’t have to be a slave to your bloodline. You can become a hero that YOU want to be.'

...

....

Warmth.

He felt warmth course through him. Inside, and out.

((WH-WHAT’S THIS?!))

Izuku, as well as everyone in the audience, stared in awe as flames emerged from Shouto’s left side. An intense heat radiated off of him that was oddly comforting to Izuku. It was then that he realized what he did.

Toshinori watched in shock and disbelief at what he was witnessing, not just from Shouto, but from his own son. ‘My boy...could it be...you were trying to help your friend...?’

Izuku was pulled out of his trance when he heard a low chuckle coming from Shouto. “You say that you wanna be a hero...that you wanna win... And yet, here you are, going out of your way to help your enemy. So, which one of us is the real joke...?”

Despite his opponent’s harsh words, Izuku felt himself smiling, just as Shouto was. Finally, he could fight his opponent at full strength. Now, it was time for him to go all out.

Somewhere in the crowd, Endeavor was also smiling from ear to ear.

”SHOUTO!!!” He bellowed while walking down the steps so he could get closer to the action. “So, you’ve finally accepted your power. Excellent!!” The flames around his face were flickering madly as he watched the match with craze-filled eyes. “Now, my ambitions will be realized! You, who carries my blood, shall surpass me!!”

Ignoring his father, Shouto allowed his flames to melt the frost covering his right half as he glanced over to Izuku, who was still smiling.

”That’s amazing...” He said to himself, completely engrossed by Shouto’s flames, his full power.

”What are you smiling about?” Shouto started to slowly walk toward Izuku, both his flames and ice radiating off of his body, colliding against each other in a breathtaking sight; a marriage of opposites, the union of yin and yang.

”With those injuries, and in your current state, you must be out of your mind to want to keep fighting...” His face was no longer creased with an angry scowl, it was much more calm, relaxed, content, even.

”Let’s do this.” And with that, both boys charged at each other.

96% - 97%

”Midnight!” Cementoss leapt from his seat at the end of the arena and quickly activated his quirk, with Midnight doing the same, hoping to stop the boys before they ended up killing each other.

But it didn’t stop them. Izuku prepared to land one final blow, while Shouto prepared to do the same, knowing this would be the last. And this time, he really was going to give it all he had, flames and all.

’I’m gonna give it all I’ve got...!’

98% - 99%

’Come at me…with all your might!!!!’

One For All: Full Cowl - 100%

The explosion was so powerful that it nearly blew the audience members away, and by the time it ceased, everyone was at a loss for words.

Even Katsuki.

((That...what the hell even WAS that...?! Eraser Head...just what in the world are you teaching your homeroom class...?!)) The dark-haired man merely shrugged. ((All he did was apply heat to the air he’d cooled down previously, which caused it to expand, resulting in an explosion. It’s basic chemistry.))

The dust cloud caused by the explosion was thick, making it difficult to tell who had won, or if the boys were still standing. But by the time it finally dispersed...

”Yagi...is out of bounds!” Izuku was leaned up against the wall near the entryway to the corridor before he collapsed to the ground. Shouto, on the other hand, was standing there in the arena, part of his jersey torn off.

”Todoroki will advance to the next round!”

Shouto didn’t know how to feel. He won, but he didn’t feel happy; he wasn’t sure what he should be feeling. But regardless, he knew one thing for sure...

Meanwhile, the crowd was murmuring among themselves while they too simmered in a slew of mixed emotions.

”That Yagi kid... He provoked Todoroki, only to get himself beaten, in the end.”

”I was really hoping he would’ve taken down Endeavor’s kid, but I guess even the son of All Might isn’t invincible.”

”I don’t get it. Did he want to win, or did he want to lose?”

”Well, whatever the case, you can’t deny that the kid’s got one hell of a quirk!”

”That’s right! Winner or loser, that kid is still an incredibly gifted young hero!”

Chapter Text

Shouto walked off of the arena and made his way down the corridor, but not before watching the Medic Bots carry an unconscious and badly hurt Izuku away on a stretcher to receiver treatment from Recovery Girl. As he entered the dim and narrow corridor, he spotted Endeavor standing before him; his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face.

”Well done, boy!” He exclaimed, for a split second, he almost sounded like a real father congratulating his child before reverting back to the prideful, egotistical man he was.

”Your flames are just as powerful as I remember, but your control of them is very rusty; it’s still too dangerous to use in close-quarter combat scenarios.” Shouto just stared at him blankly while slowly walking towards him. ”Now that you’ve abandoned all of that childish whining, you’ve finally reached your true potential; an upgraded version of me! Once you graduate, come back to my agency! I can finally step aside and let you take the reigns of my legacy-”

”Who said that I was done with my ‘childish whining’?”

Endeavor was stunned by his son’s response; he wasn’t expecting something like that, especially not after witnessing Shouto’s performance.

The boy looked down at his left hand, staring at it with a troubled expression. “Things aren’t going to change so suddenly after just one life-changing event... To tell you the truth, father, in that moment, in that split second...” His left hand balled into a fist as he looked up at the Flame Hero. “It was the first time in a long time that I actually forgot about you.”

He proceeded to walk past the silently stunned man, refusing to look back. “I don’t know if what I did was good or bad, right or wrong...but either way, I need some time to think about some things.”

And with that, he walked down the corridor, away from his father. His mind was racing at a mile a minute, multiple thoughts running through his head as he made his way toward the break room.

’.....Izuku.’

”He has a severe fracture in his right hand, as well as deep lacerations and bruising on 50% of his body, along with some minor burns. His left leg suffered a Greenstick fracture, but luckily it's not too serious. Thankfully, the worst injury he sustained was just in his hand, but if the match hadn't ended when it did, it could've ended up being far worse for him.”

Recovery Girl explained Izuku’s condition to a very worried and worried Toshinori while they listened to the pained groans and whimpers of the mossy teen. His arms were wrapped in a tight sling to keep them from moving while the rest of his body was covered in dark purple bruises and deep, painful-looking gashes and cuts.

Recovery Girl sighed in annoyance before she continued. “I’m not gonna be able to revert his body back to the way it was before; my healing can only do so much without leaving too much permanent scarring, and he will most definitely leave here today with some permanent scarring. First, I’ll need to extract those bone fragments before they become imbedded in his joints. The healing will have to come later.”

She then looked Izuku in the eye, giving him a stern gaze. “You’re very lucky that I’m obligated to provide treatment to any and all injured participants during the Sports Festival, otherwise, I would send your little butt straight to the nearest E.R.” She scolded him sternly while keeping her voice calm. “I thought I made it very clear that I would no longer heal anymore of these self-inflicted injuries, young man. You cannot keep relying on others to come and help you when you pull outrageously dangerous stunts like this! What do you think will happen when you’re all alone with no backup and this happens again?!" She paused to take a deep breath before her voice could get too shrill with anger and worry. "...Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to you.”

She sat in her seat in silence for a moment, allowing her words to sink in as she watched Izuku stare blankly at the wall; his eyes slightly widened. Noticing the look of shame and guilt on his face and the wetness glazing his eyes, Recovery Girl sighed softly while resting a hand gingerly on his knee; her eyes and voice gentler this time.

”I don’t mean to sound harsh and uncaring, deary, but you have to understand. This recklessness and disregard for your physical health will only do you more harm than good. If this keeps up, if you continue to go to such lengths just to win, you’ll come closer to ending your hero career before it ever had a chance to start.” She saw how his eyes widened just slightly, but enough to tell her that her words hit him that time. She gave him a small smile. “If it makes you feel any better, your wrist strap appears to be doing wonders for you; I’ve been checking the data that I receive from it and so far it’s doing what it’s supposed to, which is good!”

Patting his knee softly, she then turned her attention to Toshinori, her glare returning along with her stern voice. “And as for you, Toshinori, you have GOT to teach this boy how to better regulate his powers! I understand that he’s still young and he has a long way to go before he can use his full strength, but for the love of all that is good, don’t let him push himself to this point, again!” Her voice held a weight of desperation to it, almost like she was begging him to do better.

Before Toshinori could respond, she pointed her finger at him. “And don’t even THINK about praising him for this! It will only encourage him to do it again!”

”R-Right! I understand!” Was all Toshinori could stammer out. He looked to his son, who was still staring blankly at the wall. His eyes dull and devoid of emotion, or at least, on the outside.

”Son-”

The man was cut off when the door bursts open and a group of students, consisting of Ochako, Tenya, Katsuki, Tsuyu and Mineta, barged in at once, loudly exclaiming, “YAGI!” and “DEKU!” simultaneously.

Toshinori jumped at the sudden intrusion, not expecting to have visitors come to see Izuku. He was about to excuse himself so as to keep his identity hidden, but aside from Katsuki, none of the students seemed to recognize him; all of their attention was on Izuku and they paid him no mind. ‘Geez, they gave me a scare!’

Izuku moved his head slightly as he saw his friends and classmates walk over to him; circling around his bed. “Ah...h-hey guys... Uh, the next match...isn’t it-”

Tenya was the first to speak up, cutting off Izuku. “Due to the massive destruction done to the arena, they’ve allowed us to take a break while repairs are being done.”

Ochako was the next to speak. “We were so worried about you after your match with Todoroki, and we just had to come and see you!”

”That was sooo scary, Yagi! I don’t see how any of the Pros are gonna wanna take you on as a sidekick after that stunt you pulled!” Mineta stated, not even bothering to filter his words. Tsuyu poked him in the face with her tongue, but it was Katsuki who shot him a glare and spoke up.

“Watch your mouth, Balls-For-Brains, before I blast your ass back to the stadium!” He threatened with a snarl before turning his attention back to his friend, his face softened up while he ignored Mineta’s whines of protest.

“That was freaking insane, Deku! I was certain you were gonna pulverize Icyhot with that last attack, but guess the bastard’s stronger than I thought...” He trailed off, unable to find the right words to finish his sentence before he and the others were shooed out by Recovery Girl.

”Alright now, everybody out! And keep your voices down! I understand you’re worried, but you need to leave now! He’s being prepped for surgery.” They shared a stunned and horrified look on their faces and began to ask more questions before Recovery Girl closed the door on them, bringing back the peace and quiet, only for it to be broken by a choked sob.

”I...I’m so sorry...” Both adults turned their attention to Izuku, who was trembling slightly with his lips curled inward to try and suppress a sob; he turned his head to the side, away from his father and Recovery Girl, hoping his bangs would shield his tear-glazed eyes.

”I...I couldn’t live up...t-to your expectations...” His voice strained, trying to prevent a whimper from escaping, but to no avail. “I just...I couldn’t stand to see Shouto hurting like that; I-I just wanted to help him...!”

Toshinori’s heart squeezed in his chest when he saw tears rolling down his face; Izuku’s teeth gritting from the pain and sadness. “I let you down... I could’ve won...if I had just...just kept my mouth shut, and not stuck my nose into his business... I...p-please...please, forgive me...!” He sobbed, finally letting his emotions free.

Even Recovery Girl couldn’t help but feel sorry for the child, despite her earlier annoyance and irritation. Izuku truly felt guilty for letting his opponent win when he knew his future was counting on him winning. Now, he knew exactly how Ochako had felt after losing her match; the shame and guilt of letting a parent and/or mentor down after having worked so hard. It was too much to bear.

No longer able to stand listening to his little boy cry, Toshinori bent down beside the bed and leaned over Izuku, being careful so as to not lean too much of his weight onto him; his large hands gently cupped the boy’s face, making Izuku turn his head back towards him while using his thumbs to wipe away the tears.

”Shhhh, don’t cry, baby. Please, don't cry." He whispered, softly pressing a kiss to his temple before resting their foreheads together. “I know you probably don’t wanna hear this, but your match with Shouto, it was just an unfortunate outcome...one that couldn’t be avoided.”

He gave Recovery Girl a side glance. Expecting to see a glare on her face, he was surprised to see a sad smile on her face, prompting the man to continue as he turned his attention back to Izuku; his face still being held by Toshinori’s large, lanky hands.

”As for ‘sticking your nose into someone’s business’, I wouldn’t call that a bad thing.” Izuku cracked open his eyes to look up at his father, still crying. “That desire to reach out and help others with their personal problems, even during a competition, is one of the principal qualities of a hero. And although I shouldn’t be praising you for this, given the circumstances...” Toshinori smiled softly while wiping away the stray tears on Izuku’s freckled cheeks. “I’m so happy that you possess those qualities.”

Despite the swirling torrent of sadness and guilt coursing through him and the unyielding flood of tears leaking from his emerald eyes, Izuku felt his heart swell with warmth at his father’s words.

He still felt awful for basically allowing Shouto to win and for making the Pros see him as a pushover, but he took Toshinori’s words to heart and decided that feeling sorry for himself and dwelling on things he couldn’t change was a waste of time. It wasn’t over for him; he still had two more chances to make an impact and to secure his future as a Pro Hero.

His only hope, is that things wouldn’t be different between him and Shouto.

Once the surgery was done, Recovery Girl was able to heal Izuku just enough so he could at least walk on his own. His right hand was in pretty rough shape; the joints in his fingers warped and gnarly-looking with jagged scars wrapped around his hand. With the gashes and lacerations on his body not fully healed yet, there's no telling if those will leave visible scars, too. Before dismissing him, Recovery Girl scolded Izuku one last time by telling him to consider the state of his hand as a warning.

The father and son pair walked in comfortable silence before they parted ways to go to their designated spots in the stadium so they could watch the rest of the tournament.

The next match was between Kirishima and Katsuki, with the latter struggling(yes, actually struggling) to land a hit against the hardened skin of his opponent.

Izuku watched from the railing at the top of the seats when he heard Tenya call his name. “Yagi! How did your surgery go? Are you feeling better?” The tall boy asked with a smile.

Izuku returned the smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.”

They both leaned against the guardrail watching the match before Izuku spoke up. “So, how did you beat that Shiozaki girl? I thought she would’ve been a challenge for you.” He asked, hoping he didn’t come off as being doubtful. Tenya gave a small smile before answering. “It was rather easy, actually. The moment the match started, I increased my recipro-burst and managed to grab hold of her, pushing her out of bounds. But if you’d rather watch the parts you missed, you can watch the video replay, later.”

”Oh, okay.” The boy smiled, feeling happy for his friend. “So, you’re in the top 4, now?”

”That’s right. And I’m going to make great use of your fight with Todoroki, and hopefully I can follow in your example.” He stated. While Izuku was flattered by his friend’s words, he also felt a little worried about Shouto. Hoping that the boy was doing okay after their match.

Just then, a thought popped into his head. “Oh hey, Iida. That reminds me. Do you know if your brother Ingenium is watching the Sports Festival? I bet he must be super proud of you!”

”Oh, yes, well, he gave me a call earlier, but-...wait, how did you know Ingenium was my older brother?!” Tenya asked, looking confused and perplexed. He didn’t remember ever telling any of his classmates about his family, let alone about his older brother. Not that he was ashamed of them, but there were certain things he preferred to keep to himself.

Realizing how he came off and how creepy he must’ve sounded, Izuku’s face turned a shade of red as he began to sputter out a response.

”O-Oh, uh, well you see, I uh, he-he’s actually one of my favorite Pro Heroes, and I-I’ve actually heard and seen a lot about him and his agency! And when I saw you during the entrance exam and the first day of school, I th-thought you looked similar to him, so I, uh, I guess I got curious and did-did some research.” The more he spoke, the more red his face became; he hoped Tenya didn’t think badly of him. “S-Sorry about that-”

”Oh no, it’s quite alright!” The taller boy reassured, a smile on his face. “I mean, I can’t blame you for being curious. After all, I did the same thing with researching you and your relationship with All Might and Eraser Head, so I would be a hypocrite if I got angry at you.” Tenya’s smile became softer at the mention of his older brother.

”I didn’t get a chance to talk to Tensei for long, he was busy with work. But to tell you the truth, I’m happier with that. Knowing that he’s out there doing what he loves and keeping the people safe, it makes me feel proud to be his younger sibling.” He said, his tone more calm, which was odd for someone like Tenya.

”He sounds like an awesome older brother! I feel the same way about Toshi-nii.” Izuku responded with a smile. “I hope I can meet Ingenium sometime, I’ve only ever seen him on TV or online. He seems like a really cool guy!” Tenya turned to look at the shorter boy, nodding slowly with a smile. “Indeed.”

Suddenly, the sound of Present Mic’s excited yell caught the boy’s attention as they turned back to the match to see Katsuki punching Kirishima in the face with intense speed, all the while releasing explosion after explosion. This resulted in Kirishima getting knocked flat on his back.

((KIRISHIMA IS KNOCKED OUT! BAKUGOU ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!! WE NOW HAVE OUR TOP 4 CONTENDERS ASSEMBLED AND READY TO MOVE ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!!))

”Well, guess it’s my turn now.” Tenya proclaims while turning to leave. “I’ll return shortly.” Izuku doesn’t get a chance to wish him good luck before Tenya vanishes from his line of sight.

((THE NEXT ROUND TO KICK OFF THE START OF THE SEMI-FINALS CONSISTS OF TWO PROMISING YOUNG HEROES WHO BOTH HAIL FROM ELITE HERO FAMILIES! TENYA IIDA VERSUS SHOUTO TODOROKI!!))

Izuku watches the arena intently, taking note of Shouto’s body language and demeanor. He appears to be less on edge, but he doesn’t look very relaxed, either. Izuku feels a frown pull on his mouth.

’Shouto...’

He barely has time to blink before Present Mic initiates the start of the match and gasps in shock at the neck-break speed of his fellow classmate and friend as Tenya leaps forward towards Shouto.

”RECIPRO...BURST!!”

Shouto just barely manages to block Tenya’s powerful kick by creating a small barrier of ice, but it’s not enough to cause his opponent to yield before he follows it up with another kick, straight to Shouto’s back.

The boy slams hard on the ground, a pained groan leaving his mouth. The audience is shocked by the surprisingly powerful attack on Tenya’s part and the sudden decline in maneuverability and strength on Shouto’s part. Even Endeavor is beside himself with enraged bewilderment while watching his son get kicked around like a sack of potatoes.

Tenya wastes no time as he grabs the back of Shouto’s jersey and runs as fast as he can toward the boundary line. ‘I only have 8 seconds left before my engines stall! I just need to toss him out of bounds like this, and I’ll win! I can do this-!’

The boy suddenly stops running, stops moving, in fact. But, why?

”Wh-What?!” Tenya looks down and his eyes widened upon seeing the cause of his sudden stillness: the muffler in his left engine has become frozen solid.

”N-No way!! When did you-!!!”

”When you kicked me, that’s when.” Shouto replied calmly before grabbing hold of Tenya’s wrist and covering his opponent’s entire body minus his head, neck and shoulders in ice, freezing him in place.

”Although I knew this was coming, I still wasn’t able to dodge that Recipro attack...but I expected no less from you.” The dual quirk-user explained calmly while gazing at his left hand.

”Iida is unable to move! Todoroki advances to the final round!”

The crowd cheers with excitement, all except Endeavor, who stared at his son in furious confusion. He’d expected Shouto to utilize his flames after his match with Izuku and after his apparent resolution. Guess he was wrong...

Tenya, still frozen and unable to move, gritted his teeth in frustration, angry at himself for losing after coming so close to winning, and for having let Tensei down.

”Nghh khhh...brother...”

Meanwhile, somewhere in Hosu City, a Pro Hero laid in an alleyway, motionless and covered in blood. A cellphone laid beside the hero with the police precinct on the line frantically requesting backup for the fallen hero, only for someone to stomp his foot onto the phone, crushing it to pieces.

”Fame...money...glory...that’s the only thing that drives these so-called ‘heroes’...” The man sneered in an eerily calm voice; chuckling to himself as he watched the hero bleed out on the ground before him.

”There’s not a single one of you imposters who’s worthy enough...no...” The man, the villain, licked his nonexistent lips as he lets out a sinister cackle; his eyes growing wide with sadistic lust.

“There’s only one hero who’s allowed to kill me...mmmmm... And that hero...is All Might.”

”DAMN IT!! YOU’RE PISSING ME OFF!!!”

Katsuki was yelling in frustration as he tried to attack Tokoyami, only for the bird-face boy to block his attacks using Dark Shadow, but it begins to take a toll on him. “How unbecoming!”

The crowd watched in anticipation as the two fought in the second round of the semi-finals; both wanting desperately to win and move on to the final round.

((THE TENSION BETWEEN THESE TWO IS UNREAL! TOKOYAMI MANAGED TO ADVANCE TO THE SEMI-FINALS WITH HIS FRIGHTENINGLY POWERFUL QUIRK, BUT NOW HE’S FORCED TO STAY ON THE DEFENSE THANKS TO BAKUGOU’S RELENTLESSLY FEROCIOUS ATTACKS! WILL TOKOYAMI FIND AN OPENING TO LAND A COUNTER-ATTACK, OR WILL HE BE FORCED TO STAY ON-GUARD UNTIL HIS OPPONENT TIRES OUT?!))

Class 1-A watched their classmate as he struggled to block Katsuki’s explosions without getting hit and without depleting all of Dark Shadow’s energy.

”I don’t get it! Tokoyami was able to take us down easily!” Mina exclaimed while shaking her fists animatedly.

”Could it be because Tokoyami is getting tired, or is it something else...?” Yaoyorozu ponder.

Ochako and Izuku were one of the only ones who knew exactly what was going on and why Tokoyami wasn’t attacking. “It’s just like during the Cavalry Battle, he can’t attack when there’s too much light, and Bakugou’s quirk is creating nothing but that.” Izuku hummed in agreement. “He may still have a chance if Kacchan hasn’t figured out his weakness.”

Tokoyami was getting more and more fatigued, not having any breathing room to replenish Dark Shadow’s energy, and with Katsuki getting more creative with his attacks, Tokoyami wouldn’t stand a chance.

But, he wasn’t done yet.

While still in the air, Katsuki released another explosion, which Tokoyami managed to block while Dark Shadow reached out to grab hold of him. But Katsuki managed to move out of the way in time and come up from behind and prepare another attack.

With no time to react, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were blinded with a Stun Grenade attack; the explosion making it hard to see what was happening.

Once the smoke cleared, everyone in the audience was shocked to see Tokoyami pinned down with Katsuki straddling him; his hand gripped tightly onto Tokoyami’s beak while he used the other to produce a blinding light. This causes Dark Shadow to whimper and cower away from the intense brightness.

”You knew, this whole time...” Tokoyami said in disbelief, a hint of frustration laced in his deep voice. Katsuki just grinned down at him mockingly as he held the light closer to his opponent.

“Heh, maybe next time you’ll think twice about opening that mouth of yours and telling others about your quirk! But, this was kind of an unfair matchup, so I would be pissed too, if I were you.”

With his one weakness literally inches away from his and Dark Shadow’s face and no way for him to get out of this situation, Tokoyami reluctantly but humbly accepted defeat.

”Tokoyami has surrendered! Bakugou advances to the final round!”

((WITH THE END OF THE SEMI-FINALS, IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR THE FINAL SHOWDOWN! BAKUGOU AND TODOROKI OF CLASS 1-A WILL FACE OFF IN THE FINAL ROUND!!!))

Class 1-A were all discussing their thoughts on Katsuki’s match and how some of them were unaware of Tokoyami’s weakness being light, while others thought it made sense, given the nature of his quirk.

”I wonder...how Kacchan and Shouto’s match will turn out…?” Izuku said quietly. Tenya hummed before saying, “All we can do is watch closely so we’ll have an idea of how to exact revenge for our losses, next time!” He stated with confidence, but then, his body began to vibrate, grabbing the attention of both Ochako and Izuku as they stared at him in panic.

”Oh, don’t worry. It’s just my phone.” Tenya explained while pulling his phone from his pocket. Noticing that the call is from his mother, Tenya excuses himself to answer her call.

”Hello, mother? Forgive me, I lost my last match-”

((That’s not what I’m calling about, Tenya!))

Tenya flinched at his mother’s sudden harsh tone, but stayed silent and waited for her to continue. ((...I’m sorry, Tenya, I didn’t mean to shout... Now Tenya, I need you to stay calm and listen to me carefully, okay?))

”Stay calm? What do you mean? Mother-?”

((It’s Tensei, honey. He...your brother, he was attacked by a villain.))

In one of the waiting rooms, Shouto sat at the table, staring at his hands, intently.

'IT’S YOUR QUIRK, NOT HIS!!!'

The words Izuku spoke to him played in his mind on loop, and he couldn’t get the image of the boy’s pained face out of his head. And his mother. The look of terror on his beloved mother’s face that day when she scarred him, it, too, flashed through his head and refused to leave him be.

’Until I fought him, I hadn’t neve thought about before...nor did I want to. Mom...I-’

Shouto’s thoughts were disrupted by the door being violently kicked open by none other than Katsuki, but the instant he saw that someone else, specifically his next and final opponent, was already in the room.

”Huhh?! What the-why are YOU here?! Wait, crap, this the wrong room! Hnngh, damn it all!” Shouto didn’t know how to respond to Katsuki’s annoyed rant, so he just looked back to the table, avoiding looking at the irritated blond. But this only seemed to make him more annoyed.

”Hey! Just ‘cause I got the room wrong, doesn’t mean you have to give me that attitude! And what’s with that look on your face, huh?!” No response. Gritting his teeth, Katsuki slammed his hand down on the table with an explosion.

”I’M TALKING TO YOU, ASSHOLE!!!”

A few seconds passed before Shouto finally decided to speak.

“Izuku.” This caught the blond’s attention. “That sounds just like the sort of thing he would say. He has a way of pulling a person’s problems out into the open, and making them blow up... You two seem awfully close. You’re both childhood friends, right? Has he always been like that?”

Katsuki was silent for a moment before he scoffed. “Like I’m gonna tell you, Half ’n Half. Seeing as you’ve been spending a lot of time hangin’ around him, you oughta know what he’s like, already.” Shouto shot him a look and was about to retort to Katsuki’s statement, but chose to answer differently.

”It’s true, we’ve...kind of known each other for a while, but I’ve only ran into him a few times as a kid, so I don’t know a whole lot about him to really understand what his mentality is like. But from what I’ve gathered so far, he seems like a very caring person-”

Katsuki cut him off by kicking the table away rather violently, causing Shouto to jump in his seat slightly and just stare in silent shock at what his opponent-to-be just did.

”You’re really starting to piss me off with this wishy-washy, back-and-forth bullshit of yours!!” Katsuki bellowed, suddenly feeling his anger spike and his temper flare.

“One minute you're all stuck-up and arrogant, acting like some snot-nosed brat and you berate Deku to the point of tears, then the next you’re all pitiful and sad, and you suddenly wanna be all buddy-buddy with him again?! What the actual hell is your problem?!” He goes as far as to grab Shouto roughly by the front of his jersey and yanks him forward until their noses almost touch; Shouto’s expression is a mix of fear and bewilderment.

”Deku gave everything he had during this entire thing, probably even more than any one of us; he's given over 100% of his all just to stay at the top! Meanwhile, you’ve spent over 2/3 of this damn festival using only half of your quirk while whining and complaining about your stupid problems, and all because you’re too much of a damn coward!”

Katsuki’s face contorted into an enraged scowl, with his voice matching how he felt. He’d never felt so compelled to defend his best friend like that, and it honestly felt good. So he kept the fire inside of him burning.

”When our match starts, you better come at me with full strength. Don’t even think about holding back or wussing out. If Deku, who has had his quirk for less time than we have, was able and willing to go all out till the end, then you better do the same! Don’t you dare make a fool of me or him by half-assing it!” Katsuki shoved him away and left the room while grumbling.

Shouto was at a loss for words. He’d seen Katsuki get angry and loud like that before, but this must have been the first time he’d seen him so passionate. Not just passionate for himself, but also, for Izuku.

It was as if he had taken Izuku’s loss more personally than Izuku did.

With his mind racing with more thoughts than he realized could actually fit, Shouto slowly made his way down the hall and towards the stadium.

The time had finally come.

((WE’VE REACHED THE FINALE AT LAST! TWO OF U.A’S FINEST GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN THIS EPIC FINAL SHOWDOWN, BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM WILL WALK AWAY THE WINNER!! FOR OUR FINAL MATCH, TODOROKI VERSUS BAKUGOU!!!))

Katsuki stared at his opponent with animalistic intensity; hungry for the victory, while Shouto just looked at him with an unreadable expression, devoid of any feeling or emotion.

((START!!!!!!))

Right off the bat, Shouto unleashes a giant wall of ice much like the one he used during his match against Sero, though noticeably weaker. But he’s no fool to think it would be enough to hold Katsuki back, and just as expected, the latter destroys the ice with a powerful explosion.

Katsuki rushes forward, and before Shouto can counter with another ice attack, Katsuki uses another explosion to propel himself into the air above Shouto and grabs hold of the left side of his shirt and hair, trying to invoke a response from the boy.

”DON’T YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU SCUM!!” Katsuki bellowed before throwing him roughly across the ground.

Shouto catches himself with an ice wall, preventing him from falling off of the arena. He creates more ice to surround his opponent, but Katsuki isn’t deterred. He reaches out and activates another blast, trying to force Shouto to use his flames, but to no avail.

In the crowd, Endeavor watches the match with a mix of confusion and frustration. “Why aren’t you using it?!” He growls out.

Katsuki and Endeavor seem to be sharing the same thoughts as Katsuki yells out, “YOU THINK I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO USE IT?! HUH?!”

Shouto just gazed at him from behind his bi-colored bangs, expressionless. This only served to fuel Katsuki’s growing rage. ”How long are you gonna keep fooling around?!” Katsuki’s palms popped and crackled with angry explosions, his patiences running dangerously thin.

“I want an overwhelming victory! Beating some half-assed guy who won’t use his full power is meaningless to me!! How am I supposed to prove myself to the world if I defeat you so easily?! DON’T YOU DARE STAND IN FRONT OF ME IF YOU’RE NOT GONNA BE BOTHERED TO FIGHT!!!”

Shouto couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t do anything even as Katsuki was bolting right for me; explosions propelling him at neck-break speed. ”STOP STANDING THERE AND FIGHT MEEEE!!!!!”

’I’m sorry, Bakugou. After my fight with Izuku, I don’t know what’s right or what’s wrong.’

Katsuki was advancing closer and closer, and Shouto was just standing there. ‘I don’t know what to do! I’m so confused-’

”DON’T GIVE UP, SHOUTO!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!”

Izuku shouted from his place in the audience; the passion and determination ever present in his voice, encouraging Shouto to not give up, to not let all of this be for nothing.

Katsuki felt a swell of confusion and minor offense, but chose to ignore it as he began to spin in a spiral motion using his explosions.

’He’s right.’

His flames roared to life, the entire left side of his body enveloped in that same breathtaking fire; the heat acting as both a source of comfort and a source of emotional release. An excitingly satisfied grin spread across Katsuki’s face as he prepares to unleash one of his super moves: Howitzer Impact.

Just as both of their attacks are about to clash, the memory of his mother and the horrified look on her face flashed in Shouto’s mind, causing him to extinguish his flames, leaving himself exposed to Katsuki’s full-scale explosion.

((HOLY COW!! NOW THAT RIGHT THERE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS WHAT WE CALL, THE HUMAN HOWITZER!!! BY LEAPING INTO THE AIR AND USING EXPLOSIONS TO SPIN IN A CIRCULAR MOTION, BAKUGOU IS ABLE TO CREATE A TORNADO, AND BY USING THE OXYGEN FROM SAID TORNADO, HE’S ABLE TO FUEL HIS INCOMING EXPLOSION FOR A SPECTACULARLY BANGING FIREWORK SHOW!!))

When the smoke finally clears, Katsuki’s eyes widened at what he sees: Shouto lying unconscious on a broken heap of ice, out of bounds.

’He...He didn’t use his flames?!’ Katsuki’s brows furrowed and his teeth gritted in a snarling scowl as he ran towards the unconscious form that was Shouto and grabbed hold of him. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! THIS ISN’T HOW I WANTED TO WIN, YOU BASTARD!!!” His voice cracked as he screamed, the feeling of being cheated out of a genuine, fair win was too much to bear.

Suddenly, Katsuki fell unconscious as well due to Midnight’s quirk, falling to the ground beside Shouto, splayed out on the crumbled ice.

”Todoroki was thrown out of bounds! Therefore...Bakugou wins!!”

((AND THAT CONCLUDES THE TOURNAMENT!! THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR’S SPORTS FESTIVAL IS, KATSUKI BAKUGOU OF CLASS 1-A!!!!!!))

The Award Ceremony was both conventional and...over the top?

All Might showed up to the ceremony to award the winners their metals and give them words of praise and encouragement.

In third place was Tokoyami. Although Tenya also qualified for third runner-up, he ended up having to leave due to a family emergency. Second place went to Shouto, who All Might assured that despite his refusal to use his left side, he understood the boy had his reasons and praised him for his maturity over the course of the year thus far.

Katsuki, who was so irate and belligerent that he ended up having to be restrained and gagged, took first place. All Might proceeded to bestow the blond with his gold metal, but ended up hanging it by his mouth. Close enough.

And with that, the U.A. Sports Festival had concluded. Everyone across the country watched the event unfold before their eyes; some very satisfied with the outcome, others displeased and a bit turned off by Katsuki’s behavior, and others simply glad they got to experience the whole thing live.

And from a dark, cluttered room somewhere in Kamino Ward, a certain powder blue-haired man was also watching. In fact, he watched the whole thing from start to finish, and judging by the glint in his eyes, he was very pleased with what he’s seen.

”Thank you very much! Please come again!”

The clerk behind the counter said cheerfully as Hitoshi made his way out of the store and down the bustling sidewalk. All the students had been given the next two days off from school to rest and recuperate after the end of the Sports Festival. Today, he had been asked by Shouta to run and grab a few things he needed to make lunch.

Learning about Izuku’s devastating loss, Hitoshi did everything in his power to cheer the boy up despite the latter insisting that he was okay. Regardless, Hitoshi reassured the boy that there was always next year and even tried to make him feel better by saying how even he didn’t win his match; losing just before the second round, to which the younger of the two appreciated the sentiment and proceeded to return the gesture by also saying how there was always next year.

”Hitoshi?”

The indigo-haired boy stopped after hearing someone say his name. He turned around and saw a boy with two-toned hair standing behind him; the rest of the people were all walking and weaving past the two.

It took a second before something clicked in Hitoshi’s mind and a smile formed over his pale face as he remembered the boy from all those years ago.

“Hey, Shouto.” He greeted while walking close to him. ”Holy crap, it’s been a while. You’re about as tall as I am, now.” Hitoshi smirked while raising his hand and leveling it over Shouto’s head like he was measuring his height. Shouto chuckled. “I thought I recognized you, though I wasn’t too sure at first. It’s been a while, huh?”

”Sure has! It’s been, what, 10 years? Man, time sure does fly.” Hitoshi lamented on old memories of the boy from when they were younger. “Congrats on winning second place, by the way. I saw your match, and here I thought Katsuki was hardcore, but boy, you showed him.”

Shouto smiled and thanked the boy for the compliment.

Then, a thought came to mind.

”Hey, uh, Hitoshi...?” Shouto asked tentatively.

”What’s up?” The older boy waited patiently for the two-toned boy to respond, noticing the way he was wringing his hands nervously, which was a little odd for someone like Shouto.

”Is Izuku home, by any chance?” The question wasn’t what Hitoshi had expected, but he didn’t question it as he nodded his head. He also took note of the way Shouto’s eyes seemed to shimmer at the confirmation of Izuku being home.

”Uh, is it okay if I come over for a bit? I wanted to talk to Izuku, if I could.”

((And here’s a more up-close look at the match between Izuku Yagi and Shouto Todoroki-))

”Izu. Why don’t you watch something else, honey? You’ve been watching the same recap footage for the last couple of hours now.” Shouta said teasingly from the kitchen.

The boy blushed while fiddling nervously with the remote. Izuku was currently sitting on the couch watching the recap footage of his match against Shouto trying to see where he messed up and how he could’ve done better. Chuckling softly, Shouta walked over and set a glass of juice on the coffee table for the boy before pressing a kiss to his curls. Izuku thanked him and reached over to take the glass as Shouta walked back into the kitchen.

The Erasure Hero’s bandages had been completely removed after Recovery Girl healed the rest of his injuries; the only noticeable new feature was the crescent-shaped scar under the man’s right eye, but other than that, he looked the same as he had before; aside from the stubble on his face having slightly grown out.

”Your brother should be home any minute now, and I hope soon so I can finish making lunch.” The dark-haired man said, only receiving a small hum from the boy in response. Right on cue, the front door opens and in walks Hitoshi.

”I’m back.” The boy said while taking off his shoes. Izuku smiles and greets his older brother without taking his eyes off the screen.

”Welcome home.” Shouta greeted from inside the kitchen. “Did you pick up what I needed?”

The boy hummed in response while rounding the corner and handing the man the shopping bag. Izuku keeps his eyes glued to the screen until he notices another figure in his peripheral that wasn’t Hitoshi. He turns his head only to feel his eyes grow wide and his mouth falls open in shock.

”Oh, hey Papa, I brought a guest over. Hope that's okay.” Hitoshi pointed out, and said guest stays put by the front door, waiting to be let in. Shouta goes to greet the guest and his reaction is almost matches Izuku’s but is less obvious as he smiles and welcomes the guest.

”Todoroki. What a surprise.” The man said with a smile, something that Shouto wasn’t used to seeing on the normally grouchy man.

”I ran into Hitoshi while I was in town a little while ago and I figured I could come by and see Izuku, if that was alright. I apologize for the inconvenience.” He said politely while bowing, catching Izuku gawking at him which caused him to whip his head back to the screen, blushing madly.

”It’s fine with me, you’re not an inconvenience. Stay as long as you want.” Shouta then turned to Izuku. “Zu, your classmate is here to see you. Why don’t you greet him?" He said, expectantly.

Fidgeting with the strap of his sling, Izuku turns the TV off and gets to his feet and walks over to Shouto with a bashful smile. “Hey, Shouto.” He says politely. The two-toned boy simply nodding, hoping that his sudden presence didn’t make the boy feel uneasy, especially after their match.

”Why don’t you take Shouto upstairs to your room where it’s more private? Lunch will be ready soon.” Izuku isn’t given a chance to respond before Shouta goes and returns to his task, meanwhile Hitoshi occupies his previous spot on the couch so he can play video games.

Wanting to not make the situation more awkward, Izuku clears his throat and gestures for the boy to follow him to his room.

After walking up to the top of the stairs and down the hall towards his room, Izuku felt a sudden swell of anxious nervousness, realizing this was the first time Shouto has ever been in his bedroom, let alone his house. If he’d known that he’d have a visitor he would’ve gotten to work with hiding his insane plethora of All Might memorabilia and merchandise; he knew others would find such an obsession with the Symbol of Peace(and his father) a little weird, but since it was Shouto, maybe he would be spared the embarrassment.

”M-Make yourself at home.” Izuku stammered anxiously as he opened the door to his bedroom and allowed Shouto to enter first.

His reaction to seeing the mossy teen's decor was and wasn’t what he expected; he didn’t seem too bothered by the boy’s room, but Shouto wanted desperately to ask about his choice in decorating.

Izuku gingerly walked over to his desk, pretending to tidy up his work space, not knowing what to do or say before Shouto broke the awkward silence with an unexpected question.

”Is that your mother?”

Caught off-guard, Izuku turned to face Shouto who was staring straight ahead. Following his gaze, he saw that Shouto was looking at the framed photo of Inko, his late mother; the picture was sitting neatly inside of the miniature altar with candles on either side of it and a long, skinny flower vase; an incense burner sat at the base of the shrine and a small bowl of white rice with chopsticks sticking upright inside the rice sat next to it.

”Yeah. It is.” Izuku responded softly with a small smile, suddenly feeling the nervousness leave his body when he saw Shouto’s eyes soften and a grin tug on his lips, still looking at the picture.

”She’s beautiful.” He turned his gaze to Izuku, still smiling. “You look just like her.” He said in an airy voice.

Izuku felt his face burn with a blush; this was the second time someone had said he looked like his mother followed by them calling her beautiful.

This made Shouto the only other person besides Katsuki who had inadvertently called Izuku beautiful or pretty. Not that he minded, of course.

”Yeah, I get that a lot.” He said before shifting over to his bed, taking a seat on the edge with his legs criss-crossed.

”So, uh, what’s up?” Izuku asked, wanting to know the reason for Shouto’s sudden visit. The boy was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to start with. Finally, after nearly 10 seconds pass, Shouto goes to sit on the bed beside Izuku, who was staring at him patiently with his head tilted.

”Izuku, I just-” He paused, Izuku remained silent as he noticed Shouto’s gaze trailing down to the sling cradling Izuku’s right arm; his heterochromatic eyes appearing almost sad or remorseful.

Shouto finally brought his gaze back up to Izuku’s.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly, the sadness in his eyes travelling to his whole face. “I’m so sorry, Izuku.”

Izuku felt like he was experiencing deja vu, but this felt different, somehow. He quickly spoke up and said, “N-No, Shouto. Hey, it’s alright! You don’t have to apologize for this!” He gestured to his arm, naively thinking that was the reason for his apology. “I mean, it was a competition after all, and we couldn’t exactly go easy on each other. I’m almost fully healed up, I’m not mad at you for hurting me! Besides, I'm the one who kept antagonizing you; I was practically asking for you to wail on me-”

”That’s not what I’m talking about.” Shouto cut him off a little too harshly, judging by the way Izuku flinched. He immediately backtracked and reiterated his last statement.

”I’m not just talking about your injuries, Izuku.” He explained, more calmly, this time. “I just-...I was so focused on winning the Sports Festival, so determined to prove to the entire country...to my father...that I could become a hero while using just half of my quirk, that I completely disregarded what I said to you about valuing our friendship and how it wouldn't be affected by the outcome. I was so angry with my father, so enraged by his desire to use me for his own selfish gains, that I took it all out on you.” Shouto’s mouth formed into a deep line and he stared into Izuku’s emerald ones.

”Shouto...” Izuku wanted to say more to assure the boy that he wasn’t mad at him, but he couldn’t find his voice. So he instead allowed Shouto to speak some more, knowing that he had more to get off his chest.

”I yelled at you and said such awful, hurtful things to you before the tournament. You didn’t deserve any of it, and I’m sorry for that, Izuku.”

His voice sounded strained, like he would break down crying if he continued, but he didn’t care if he did, he just kept going.

”I’ve spent the last 10 years refusing to use my left side, ignoring my father’s desires. I thought I was justified in my decisions...but you were right. You were right to call me out. You and the others were all pushing yourselves and going all out to win, while I chose to use only half of my strength because I was being selfish and petty.”

He scooched closer to Izuku, leaving a couple of inches in between them. He felt tempted to place his hand on Izuku’s leg, but chose not to.

”I feel ashamed in myself for losing my match against Bakugou despite your encouraging words, but...” He trailed off, not finishing his sentence before he decided to rest his left hand gently on the boy’s knee; the warmth from it making Izuku feel less tense. “To tell you the truth, Izuku....I was jealous.”

”Jealous...?” Izuku was confused; what could Shouto possibly be jealous about?

”You were right when you said that we’re both very different, but also kind of the same. We both come from rich households with famous parents, at least one or both of our parents are Pro Heroes, and we both want to reach for the same goal. But you came from a loving family with loving and supportive parents; parents who weren’t forced into a Quirk Marriage and who actually love each other. All Might never forced you to train so you could become an ideal hero in his eyes or meet his standards. You were never forbidden from being with your brother. And...” Shouto paused, his eyes began to brim with tears that he was unable to stop from rolling down his cheeks.

”Your Papa didn't see you as a monster, and your Dad didn't drive him away.”

A sob ripped from his throat, prompting Izuku to scooch closer and wrap his good arm around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Shouto wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist while burying his face into the crook of his neck; tears leaking from his bi-colored eyes and soaking the mossy teen’s shirt. They stayed like that for a while, holding and comforting one another. It made Izuku feel safe and secure, and made Shouto feel grounded and assured. He continued to hug the smaller boy close to his chest, bringing his left hand down to rest on top of Izuku’s bandaged one; gingerly curling his fingers in the spaces between Izuku's.

The mossy teen felt his own tears start to trickle down his freckled cheeks which he tried to hide by burying his face into Shouto's shoulder, but the boy noticed this and pulled away slightly before bringing his hand up to brush the tears away. He kept his hand there, bringing the other one up to cup the other cheek tenderly; his gaze filled with sadness and remorse.

”I never meant to make you cry, Izu." He rested their foreheads together, still holding his face in his hands. "I never meant to hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

Izuku understood what he was referring to; the memory of Shouto snapping at him and Katsuki coming out of the shadows to defend him. He knew Shouto wasn’t angry with him and that it was just his way of venting out his emotions. Something he was all-too familiar with after the Battle Trial between himself and Katsuki.

”Shouto...” Izuku said, returning the gesture by wiping away Shouto’s tears with a bandaged thumb. “I understand why you were angry, and I’m not mad at you.” He gently reassured. “You’re not the only one who messed up; it was wrong of me to try and compare our lives together when I knew nothing about what you’ve gone through or how it made you feel. I overstepped my boundaries by butting my nose into your business, and it was wrong of me to do that.”

Shouto was surprised by the boy’s self-criticism, but at the same time, it was so like Izuku to be overly analytical of his own actions and choices.

”I understand.” Shouto whispered, still holding Izuku’s face in his hands. “I appreciate you saying that, Izuku. But it doesn’t change the fact that I took things too far… I told you before that the Sports Festival wouldn’t change anything between us. And I meant it. If you’ll let me...” He drew Izuku closer to him for another gentle hug; resting the boy’s head against his chest while he nuzzled his face into his curly hair. “I hope we can still be friends after all this.”

Izuku giggle while wrapping his arms around Shouto’s waist again. “Don’t be silly, Shouto. Of course, we’re still friends!”

Shouto didn’t expect the boy to respond so quickly and so assuringly. “Are you sure, Izuku? Even after all the awful thjings I said...and the way I treated you...?” Part of him was relieved that Izuku still saw him as a friend despite everything that’s happened, but another part of him also felt a bit worried that this was just a test, and if he said the wrong thing, it was all over.

”Of course, I’m sure!” Izuku lifted his head to look up at the boy, smiling from ear to ear. “Shouto, nothing is going to stop me from being your friend. I mean, look at Kacchan. He’s essentially a bully and he used to pick on me all the time when we were kids, but that hasn’t stopped me from being friends with him.” Izuku’s gentle smile turned into a playful smirk as he gazed up at the boy.

Suddenly, all the sadness and guilt seemed to leave Shouto’s face as he began to smile a toothy grin and even started to laugh at Izuku’s blunt response. Soon, Izuku joined and they were both reduced to a laughing, giggling mess on his bed.

It felt like they were kids again and they were back at the creak. The tension and strain between the two had finally been lifted and all that remained was lighthearted contentment.

For the first time in a long time, Shouto felt happy. Happy and at peace. And Izuku was the cause of it.

”Izuku! Shouto!” The laughing fit was broken when they heard Shouta calling them from downstairs. “Come on down, food's ready!”

And as if on cue, Izuku’s stomach rumbled and growled from hunger, which only caused Shouto to laugh even more. Izuku giggled, despite the blush staining his cheeks.

Izuku carefully rolling off the bed and turned to face Shouto; a big grin on his face. ”You wanna stay for lunch, Shouto? Papa’s cooking is the best.”

Shouto followed him downstairs and stood near the kitchen where Shouta was fixing four bowls of thick udon.

”I’m sorry, but I actually have to go.” He said while motioning to the front door. Izuku looked a bit disappointed but nodded in understanding. The two-toned boy smiled apologetically at him. “Maybe next time. It’s just that I remembered I’ve got somewhere else I need to be today.”

Shouta turned and gave his student and friendly smile. “That’s fine, no worries. You’re welcome back anytime. Oh, and feel free to call me Shouta while outside of school."

The boy was surprised by how casual and laid back his homeroom teacher was being. Then again, this was his home, and he probably shed his teacher persona and took on a more fatherly demeanor when not in school.

”Thank you, I’ll try to remember that.” He reached out and gave Izuku one last hug; he even pressed his lips to the side of Izuku’s head before slowly pulling away, as much a she didn’t want to, and heading for the door. Before leaving, he turned to face Izuku, a soft smile on his face at the sight of the green-haired boy as he said, “I’ll see you at school, Izu.”

This made Izuku blush and smile with joy, and before Shouto left, he was quickly stopped. “Oh, uh, Shouto! Before you go...” He fidgeted nervously while staring bashfully into Shouto’s confused heterochromatic eyes.

“Could you...show me your flames again...?”

Shouto’s eyes widened a fraction, the bluntness of the request catching him completely by surprise. Realizing what he’d said, Izuku began to stutter madly while attempting to backtrack. “I-I-I mean, if you-you want to, that is! You-You don’t have to, Shouto! I know how it makes y-you feel, I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me-!”

”Izuku.” The boy stopped his rambling and looked up at his friend who simply smiled at him. He walked closer to him, his shoes still sitting by the door, and held up his left hand. “If it’s you, then I don't mind.”

He activated his quirk, only making the flame big enough to fit into his hand. Izuku resembled a young child seeing a magic trick for the first time; his face lit up like a light bulb and his eyes sparkled like emerald jewels.

Shouto still wasn’t used to showing off his flames, especially after so many years of not using them, but the look of awe on Izuku’s face was worth it.

”It’s so pretty...” Izuku breathed out, gingerly reaching his good hand out to hover over the dancing flames; feeling the warmth coming off of them.

It was almost amusing seeing the boy’s reaction, he acted as though it was the first time he’d seen real fire, but Shouto knew that wasn’t necessarily the case. Aside from the tournament, this was the first time Izuku had seen Shouto’s flames, especially outside of combat, so it made sense that the boy would be mesmerized to see them now.

Shouto smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Zu.” He stepped a bit closer and brought his other hand up and hovered it over Izuku's, just barely touching the top of his bandage-covered hand, his right hand acting as a protective cradle.

He wanted so badly to embrace that delicate but sturdy hand with his own, to move the hand wielding the comforting fire up to his face and cup his freckle-kissed cheek, to stare into those dazzling emerald gems and pull him close until the space between them was nonexistent. He wanted that so badly, more so than he ever thought he did.

But for now, just watching the wondrous and impressionable expression on this strong-willed, selfless and beautiful boy's face as he gazed in awe at the breathtaking blaze, was more than enough for him.

A few minutes had passed before Shouto ceased his fire and turned to leave. Just before he closed the door behind him, he caught the look of joy and wonderment on the boy’s face, and he couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Yep. Definitely worth it.

After a 20 minute train ride, Shouto exited with the other passengers and made his way out of the station and down the street.

’Since the tournament, I’ve been feeling confused about who I am and who I want to be. Even though Izuku had helped me to break out of the barrier I’d made for myself, I was still too afraid and uncertain to actually step out.’

He walked for a few minutes before finally arriving to his destination: Musutafu Psychiatric Medical Facility.

’It was father who caused her mental stability to decline, and it was my very existence that pushed her over the edge... It was this very reason why I never visited her, out of fear that she despised me; that she couldn’t stand to see me.’

He walked up to the receptionist’s desk and asked for Rei Todoroki’s room number, which confused the two women until he informed them that he was her son. They happily gave him the room number, to which he politely thanked them and proceeded toward the elevators. After a quiet ride, he arrived at his floor and slowly walked down the hallway; the sterile smell lingering heavy in the air.

’But I think I know the reason why I was so hesitant, why I was unable to follow through with using my flames to defeat Bakugou... So in order for me to solidify my resolve, to put my past behind me and to finally come to terms with my powers...’

Shouto stopped in front of the door, the sign on the wall to his right had the kanji symbol on it which read, ‘Todoroki’.

A minute passed, then two, then three, before he reached out a trembling hand for the handle. Taking a shaky breath and exhaling out, he pushed the door open, and there she was. Sitting in a chair next to the window; a photograph of sorts held in her hands.

It wasn’t until Shouto softly closed the door behind him that Rei finally turned and looked at him.

She hadn’t changed a bit, she looked exact the same as she did when Shouto was a child, aside from the slight wrinkles beginning to form around her tender grey eyes. Her expression was unreadable at first, he couldn’t tell if she was shocked or upset to see him. But after a few long seconds of mother and son staring at one another,

She smiled.

It was the same kind, gentle, patient smile she used to wear while looking at her little boy, making her pale face practically glow.

It was like time hadn't past at all; it was just them, Shouto and Rei, and nobody else.

Shouto released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, before he allowed a soft smile of his own to pull on the corners of his mouth.

’I have to see her again. I have to see my mother and talk to her about...everything. Only then, will I be able to find closure with not only myself, but with her, with those that I care about and, one day, with father. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally be able to move on, and become the hero I was always meant to be.’

A silent tear rolled down Shouto’s cheek.

’Thank you...Izuku.’

”Hi, Mom.”

Chapter Text

After the two-day break had passed, all the students returned to their normal routine and made their way to school; many of them(primarily those of Class 1-A) had been bombarded with praises and congrats from fans who had watched the Sports Festival.

Izuku, especially, had received several comments from various strangers as he made his way to school with his brother; the fans paying no mind to Hitoshi and his role in the festival and setting their sites on the mossy teen. Hitoshi would occasionally shoot a glare at the ogling vultures in hopes of getting them to back off and leave his little brother be but to no avail; Izuku assured him it was no big deal and they were merely excited to see him.

”Zu, you know you can always tell people to back off if they’re invading your space, right?” He asked worriedly while holding the large umbrella over both of them, shielding them from the onslaught of water droplets.

It was raining heavily, even though the last few days have been sunny and warm; summer was fast approaching.

The younger teen chuckled. ”I know, Toshi-nii, I know. I’m sure they mean no harm, though.” Izuku smiled while keeping his gaze straight ahead as they made their way toward the front entrance of the main building. Just then, the sound of someone running at top speed down the wet pavement.

”WHAT ARE YOU BOTH DOING WALKING SO LEISURELY?! WE’RE LATE!”

Neither boy had time to turn and see who was shouting when out of nowhere, Tenya ran past them, wearing a raincoat and boots while sprinting at full speed; possibly while using his quirk.

”Wh-What the-?” Izuku started to run as well, catching up to Tenya as best as he could while Hitoshi followed behind the mossy teen with the shared umbrella. “Iida, what do you mean ‘late’?! We’ve still got 5 minutes before class starts!”

Tenya said something about a student of U.A. needing to arrive in class at least 10 minutes early everyday, not that Izuku and Hitoshi thought there was anything wrong with that, but still, it seemed a bit excessive.

They arrived at their lockers, Tenya turned to the smaller boy and said in a much calmer tone, “If you’re worried about my brother Tensei, please don’t be.” He pulled off his hood, dripping with water, and turned to face the mossy teen with a reassuring smile. “I apologize for causing you and the others any unnecessary concern.”

Izuku wanted to talk to him more about Tensei, but didn’t get a chance as Tenya quickly walked down the main hall and up the stairs after getting his indoor shoes on. Izuku and Hitoshi did the same and continued walking together for a little while before Hitoshi bid his little brother farewell before heading upstairs to his class, allowing Izuku to make his way to his own class.

Once he entered the classroom, Izuku was greeted by his classmates who were busy mingling with one another.

”I couldn’t believe just how many people actually recognized me after just one day!”

”I know, right?! There were a bunch of random people on the train who asked me a bunch of questions. This must be what it feels like to be famous!”

”Hell yeah! One guy even wanted my autograph and was asking me if I knew which agency I was gonna join. This feels so surreal!”

Izuku smiled as he took his seat and glanced around the room at his classmates; listening to them talk about their own experiences with getting recognition from strangers after the Sports Festival and expressing how they feel about it. If they’re getting this much attention after just a sports festival, he could only imagine how people will react to seeing them after they become full-fledged Pros.

Just then, the door opened and within the blink of an eye, everyone returned to their designated seats and acted presentable upon seeing their homeroom teacher saunter in.

”Good morning, class...” Shouta greeted his students.

After the others greeted him back, Tsuyu was the first to speak up upon noticing the crescent-shaped scar under his right eye. “Sensei, I’m glad to see your bandages have been removed, but are you sure you’re feeling well enough to teach again? Ribbit.”

Shouta hummed. ”The injuries that were more serious have long been healed up by now; the rest were merely minor scrapes and bruises. Plus, Recovery Girl went a bit overboard with healing me.” He responded while rubbing at his tired eyes. “But right now, you’ve got more important things to worry about besides my well-being...”

Most of the students tensed up with fear; thinking the “special” something would be in the form of a surprise pop-quiz or intense heroics assignment.

”Today, you’ll be putting together your codenames, or rather, your hero names.”

With that, the entire class erupted in an excited wave of roaring cheers. Once the students quieted down, Shouta went on to explain the details of choosing their hero names.

”I’d mentioned the other day that most of you have received draft nominations from Pro Heroes after the Sports Festival, and this assignment is in relation to those nominations. Draft nominations really only begin to matter after you’ve gained experience on the field and your ability to adapt to combat will be judged during your sophomore and senior years.” He fixed a serious glance at the students. "In other words, these nominations are more or less an expression of interest in your future potential, and it’s not uncommon for that interest to dwindle to almost nothing by the time you graduate.”

He then retrieved a small hand-held remote and pointed it to the black board. “Now then, these are the tallies for the nominations.” He pressed the button and a digital tally scoreboard came up. ”Normally, the results are more balanced, but as you can see, this year, all the attention leans towards three of you.”

Everyone stared in shock and awe at the results, Kirishima and Sero poking fun at Katsuki for “scaring off all the Pros and yet still managing to make the top results”, earning them a barking retort from the irritated blond.

As everyone else mused over the results and expressed a mix of emotions ranging from ecstatically amazed to unamused, Izuku wasn’t sharing the same mix of feelings as his peers.

’I’m...third...?’ He thought to himself as he stared at his name.

The three students to make the top results were Katsuki, Shouto and then himself.

Izuku couldn’t believe it.

’I have the third most nominations... But, I didn’t make first place, I didn’t even make second or third runner-up. So, how did I manage to get so many-?’

”I expected as much, Todoroki.” Momo stated, giving her peer a friendly smile. Shouto merely shrugged. “It’s most likely because of my father...”

After hearing that, the realization beamed to life in Izuku’s mind and he frowned deeply while sinking back against his seat.

’Ohhh... That’s right, how could I forget? The only reason I even managed to get any nominations in the first place despite losing is because I’m All Might’s son. Why am I not surprised...?’ As much as Izuku wanted to continue self-loathing, he paid close attention to his father as the man proceeded with the presentation.

”Now, just because only a select few of you managed to get nominations, doesn’t mean the rest of you won’t be receiving any work-place experience.” This caught everybody’s attention. “Unfortunately, you’ve all experienced what it’s like being a Pro Hero in the form of coming face-to-face with villains. Because of this, I feel it would be beneficial for all of you to gain more in-depth experience by shadowing a Pro.”

”And that’s why we gotta choose hero names for ourselves!” Rikidou exclaimed. Ochako nodded her head, smiling brightly. “I’m feeling super pumped about this!”

Just then, the door slid open and in walked, or rather, strutted in a provocative and alluring manner, the R-Rated Hero: Midnight.

”The names you pick now, will be known by the world! And in many cases, they stick with you well after becoming Pros!” She stood at the head of the class next to her co-worker and close friend.

Izuku smiled fondly upon seeing the woman. She, along with the rest of the teaching staff at U.A., had met Izuku when he was a child, and Midnight was one of many who fell head-over-heels in love with the boy’s adorable charm and personality. She would often spoil him with small gifts and treats and would even volunteer to babysit him alongside Present Mic.

Aside from Recovery Girl and Granny Nori, Midnight was the only other female presence in Izuku’s life since the majority of the adult figures he was familiar with were all men. Because of this, she acted as a surrogate-motherly figure who would provide a sense of comfort and maternal support for the boy, always encouraging him to come to her if he ever felt overwhelmed or flustered and just needed someone to talk to. Even now, Izuku recognized the R-Rated Hero as a mother figure and a close friend, and not just a flirtatious and often times sadistically alluring heroine.

”I’ll be having Midnight evaluate your names and deciding if they’re appropriate or not. Your futures and how it ends up will be approached by the image your name projects onto you, so please take this seriously...” He dug out his yellow sleeping bag and climbed into it before huddling himself in the corner of the room, allowing Midnight to take over.

”You have 15 minutes to come up with a name that both fits your hero persona and the type of hero you want the world to recognize you as. But please, try not to make it too outlandish and gaudy. Be creative and be original.”

The students all got to work with brainstorming for their hero names, some of them having no issues with deciding while others appeared to be struggling. Izuku, on the other hand, was stuck in the middle. He remembered one point in his childhood, around the age of 4 or 5, maybe even 6, when he showed his dads all the names he’d written out for his hero name and how they were all inspired by the name All Might: All Might Jr., Junior Might, Mini Might, Might the Kid, etc. While it was cute when he was a child, he isn’t a child anymore, and he knew better than anyone that there was no way he could get away with being named after All Might, especially not something so childish and trivial.

’I need to pick something that’s original. Something that screams "me"... But what could that be...?’

15 minutes later, it was time for the Class 1-A students to present their hero names.