Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Taking part in the UA Sports Festival was something Izuku never thought he would experience for himself.

Watching it on TV every year with his mom was one of his fondest memories with her; how her face would light up whenever she watched Izuku’s young, innocent mind absorb all the quirks and battles.  Though he was almost always captivated by the glorious array of quirks and techniques, he could still remember his mom’s bright, beautiful smile mirroring his.  God, he missed her so much.

But now, he wouldn’t just be watching the festival, he would be in it.  And that alone made him giddy in his seat.  Though he doesn’t plan, nor does he even want to win the festival,  he knows how much Shinso does, and the boy could use some assistance, if Izuku said so himself.  So, he offered his support to his classmate, and although it took a bit of convincing, Shinso reluctantly agreed to team up with him.

As previously mentioned, Izuku doesn’t really care about winning it.  Yeah, it would be cool, but he doesn’t particularly want a spot in the Hero Course, not that they would accept him in the first place.  There was still a part of him deep down that wanted to be a hero more than anything, but his realistic side was louder, constantly telling himself that a quirkless could never be a hero, regardless of skill.  He already had his personal (and fairly negative) views on the Hero Commission, and he was certain that they would never, under no circumstance, allow him to partake in hero society.  Because if a quirkless person can be a hero, everyone else could too, right?

He was doing this to aid Shinso, and if he was being honest, he wasn’t completely sure as to why.  He wanted to help the wannabe Hero Course student out, obviously, but another part of him just wanted to be friends with the guy.  He was always grumpy and tired, and if that reminded him of Eraser Head and provided him comfort in familiarity, then so be it.  The impact this underground hero had on Izuku was slowly concerning him, and he would rather bleed out in a dark alley than admit out loud that he saw Eraser as a dad, mentor, friend.

Moreover, Eraser is literally a Hero Course teacher!  Knowing how sharp the Erasure hero was from first-hand experience, Izuku was certain that if the Eraser saw him up close and was his official teacher, he would be discovered immediately.  That’s what he got for letting someone in his life, he supposed.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts.  Shit, he forgot that he and Shinso were meeting after school.

“Oh— ah, hi! Take a seat here, Shinso,” Izuku replied, scrambling to collect his notebooks that were scattered across the fresh grass of the UA campus.

As Shinso took a seat, unfazed by Izuku’s startle, he asked, “so what’s this all mighty plan of yours, Midoriya?”

“Okay, so it’s not really a plan per se? More like a list of ideas of how you can improve your chances of winning the festival,” Izuku squeaked.  He probably should have planned this out more, but alas, his overthinking got in the way, yet again.

“So this is just you telling me my weak points?  Think I can’t win it without your help?” Shinso scoffed, and though Izuku would normally take that action as him teasing, he sounded more genuinely annoyed than actually amused.

“No! That’s not it at all.  I think you stand a solid chance against the Hero Courses, and the only reason you didn’t get in initially is because of how biased the entrance exam is!” Izuku explained, and he found himself relieved as the tension in Shinso’s frown started to disperse.

“How do you know what the entrance exam was like? I thought you said before that you only applied for General Studies?” Shinso asked skeptically instead of responding to Izuku’s praise, leaving Izuku on edge once again.

“Shinso, I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise to not tell a soul, okay?  You need to give me your word on this,” Izuku said, and damn he was not trying to come off as shady, but if Shinso’s face was any indication, he definitely did.

“I promise, Midoriya.  I won’t tell anyone about whatever you did.”  Shinso promised, raising his right hand in the air.  Izuku let out a sigh of relief at Shinso’s assurance, and then immediately inhaled again to expose some information that he wasn’t really planning on telling anyone.

“So I may or may not have gotten my hands on the footage of the exam?” Izuku whispered, his voice cracking at the last part of the sentence.  “All I wanted was to see what the test was like and some of the quirks that were there, honest!  It felt like taking candy from a baby, so I couldn’t help myself.”

“And how the hell did you manage to get that information?” Shinso asked, taken back with the confession.

“That— I will not be answering at this time.  Now can I interest you with the notes I created for the festival?”

“That is extremely suspicious, Midoriya.  But I will choose to ignore it for the sake of hearing your ideas,” Shinso replied, surprising Izuku by how quickly he got over it.

“Okay then!  So, my plan in a nutshell is to evade, analyze, and strategize.  Sure, the Hero Course may have some flashy quirks, but that’s where we use it against them.  They know nothing about us, and by simply evading their attacks early on, it gives them no information as to what our quirks are!” Izuku explained, his hands flying in the air subconsciously.  It was a weird trait he never seemed to grow out of.

“And how do you intend to do that? They’re in the Hero Course for a reason, you can’t dodge them forever,” Shinso asked, and if Izuku hadn’t already created five different plans, he would have agreed with him.

“Well based on previous festivals, we know that there are two events that take place before the finale.  The final event is always some sort of 1vs1 challenge, meaning we just need to evade the first two.  It should be easy enough, all we really have to do is let them take the spotlight and get ahead, that way, the attention is off us and we can use that to our advantage.  When it gets down to the 1v1s, I’ll let you determine how you want to proceed, but if you'd like, I’ll be there to help out!  I’m really into quirk analysis and would be happy to help you get into the Hero Course and—”

“Midoriya,” Shinso’s monotone voice silenced Izuku’s ramble.  He really needed to work on that.

“Uh— yeah?” Izuku asked hesitantly.

“You… do know what my quirk is, right?”

“Well I know it isn’t an emitter type, which is why you struggled so much at the entrance exam.” Shinso gave him a glare.  “Ah, sorry!”

“You’re not wrong.  My quirk is Brainwash, and it allows me to control others if they respond to my question.  I know it isn’t the most heroic—”

“What? No! That’s such a cool quirk, Shinso!  There are so many possibilities as to what kind of hero you could turn out to be! And it’s so powerful! Do you mind telling me more about it?” Izuku asked as he pulled out one of his notebooks, immediately flipping to an empty page to write down everything he heard.

“Really?” Shinso asked, “most people don’t even try talking to me after I tell them because they think I’m going to Brainwash them.”

“Well I don’t think that! I’d die to have a quirk as powerful as that.  I know you’re going to do remarkable things as a pro.  Now, wanna tell me more about it? I’d love to analyze it, if you don’t mind?”  As much as Izuku didn’t want to believe the mistreatment towards people with such cool quirks, he wasn’t really surprised.  People often feared irrational things, and ‘villainous quirks’ was one of them.

“Thanks, Midoriya,” Shinso faintly blushed at the praise, something Izuku suspected he didn’t get often.

——————

“So as of right now, it appears that you have five central weaknesses regarding your skills,” Izuku said after he finished completing his notes about Shinso’s capabilities.

“Gee, thanks, Midoriya,” Shinso scoffed, but not like he did before.  Though a tinge of annoyance was present, he seemed more amused than anything.

“You want to improve, right?” Izuku asked.

“I do,” Shinso confirmed, nodding slightly.

“Okay, good.  So I’ll go into each one and explain what the problem is and then how to solve it,”  Izuku said as he flipped back to the first page he had written about Shinso.

“Sounds good,” Shinso agreed.

“So the five main areas you need improvement on are fighting techniques, physical strength, weaponry, quirk control, and battle strategy.  Though I could be wrong, you don’t look very muscly, no offense.  And if that’s the case, then you probably don’t know how to fight.  And from there, I think it’s fair of me to assume that you don’t have any kind of weapon to at least defend yourself with.  You’re basically going into this event with a quirk that’s only half developed and almost no fighting abilities.  These are the top students in the country, may I remind you.”

“Well when you put it like that—”

“I’m not saying you have no potential to win this because you do, but if you wanna excel, a little knowledge about fighting will get you a long way.  As for my other points, these revolved around your quirk.  Your quirk is insanely powerful, but from what you’ve explained, your lack of practice using it has limited how you can utilize it.  On top of that, you mentioned that your ‘strategy’ was to just attempt to tick people off into responding.  Which is good, but it isn’t foolproof, which is why with some better strategizing, you can use that to its greatest potential! Does that all make sense?” If Izuku was being honest, he was nervous that he went a bit overboard with Shinso.  Yeah, he asked for a light analysis, but people from his middle school always used to call him a freak for his hobbies.  The last thing he would want is for Shinso to feel the same way.

“I— I never really thought about all of this that way before and yet, you did it so easily…” Shinso said, a glint of amazement flickering in his bagged eyes.  “But…How do I even start to make changes? I don’t know anyone who could—”

“I wouldn’t have said all of this if I didn’t have a plan, Shinso,” Izuku said, a grin Shinso couldn’t help but be intimidated by plastered on the boy’s face.

——————

There was approximately one week until the Sports Festival, and even though it wouldn’t be near enough time for Shinso to surpass a beginner level, it was a start that Izuku would have to work with.

He put his newly found friend on a milder version of his workout routine, and sparred with him twice a day to teach him basic fighting techniques.  He wasn’t planning on showing him anything too complicated he learned from Eraser Head or his patrols, but he needed at least a few moves in his utility!  Shinso, obviously, questioned where his vast knowledge on the topic of physical health and fighting came from, but a vague shrug of the shoulders and a half-truth explanation of “having extracurriculars” was enough to make Shinso drop the topic for the time being.

Izuku also determined that it would be way too early to entertain the idea of weapons to Shinso’s artillery, so fighting hand to hand was all he was able to prepare.  Izuku would argue that Shinso was a natural at combat, and would have no trouble learning whatever techniques Izuku taught him.  But for both of their sakes, he held back certain tactics and moves so that Shinso could learn it while studying in the Hero Course.

As for strategy, Izuku was working full time in that department, and he couldn’t help but revel in it.  He always enjoyed creating strategies in the haven of his home while the festival was on TV, but it was a whole different experience when said strategies would actually be used.  He opted to leave Shinso out of this part of his plan, but only for the sole reason that the guy had so much on his plate already.  Izuku was fine with explaining the strategy as the festival proceeded, and he knew Shinso would have no trouble understanding what he wanted to do.

As each day breezed by for Izuku (and trudged on for Shinso), the former slowly felt his excitement rise.  Maybe it was because he didn’t have any thrilling experiences in the vigilante scene for a while, or just the fact that his and Shinso’s work were bound to pay off, but regardless, he was ready.

Finally, after a week of preparations, the UA Sports Festival had finally arrived.

——————

“What’s gotten you all excited, kid?” Eraser asked Karma one night after their patrol.  When his patrol became theirs, Karma wasn’t sure.  “You’ve been bouncing around way more than you typically do— you’re not taking drugs, are you?”

Karma scoffed, “no, Raser, I’m not taking any drugs.  I fight crime, not partake in it.”

“Well that’s debatable,” the hero replied, a smirk forming on his stoic face.

“Yeah, yeah, the police consider me a vigilante, I’ve heard the story.  But if you want to know, I’ve been excited about the Sports Festival that's coming up,” Karma explained to the hero.

“You usually watch them?” Eraser asked curiously.

“Yeah, ever since I was a kid.  I love analyzing quirks and battles, so it’s no surprise that I’d love the Sports Fest,” Karma responded, a fond smile forming on his face.

“You know, if you applied to UA, you could participate in the festival.  You have the skills for it,” Eraser Head suggested, and wow he could be slick when he wanted to.

“Is this your attempt at making me stop my patrols?” Karma asked, grinning at the hero’s blatant attempt at convincing him to stop his hobby.  “I’m sure you’d miss me too much anyway.”

“We could patrol whenever you wanted if you got a license,” Eraser reasoned.

“We do that anyway, Raser,” the vigilante countered.

“But you can’t do that forever.”

“I sure as hell can try.”

——————

Though he probably needed the sleep, Izuku still went on his patrol the night of the Sports Festival.  Crime waits for no one, after all, and a school event wasn’t enough to stop him from going out.

What he wasn’t expecting, however, was an entertaining game of cat and mouse.

Eraser Head wasn’t there that night, unfortunately for the vigilante, so he did his daily patrol around the city by himself.  Most of the night went by rather smoothly; he stopped a few criminals from petty crimes they were about to commit, and of course wrote all about their quirks as he waited for the cops to show up to the scene.

Something else he had found fun besides his vigilante hobby was writing about the quirks of criminals he took down.  Not only was it great practice and exciting to learn about, but it also gave him a broader view as to why others would resort to crime to get by.

The guy he stopped today had some sort of slime quirk, which was pretty gross, if he said so himself.  The guy was probably a B-level criminal to catch, and that was only because of how easily he slipped out of Karma’s grip.  Though unfortunately for the criminal, he couldn’t escape the grasp of the ruthless vigilante forever.

As Karma sat quietly against the wall, waiting for the telltale sound of police sirens, he finished completing his notes.

“Y’know, criminal, you could have become a cool hero,” Karma mumbled, but all he got in response was a grunt.

“So I finally get to see you in person, Karma,” an unfamiliar voice echoed in the dark alleyways where Karma was hiding.

Karma was up instantly, his gaze immediately locking on the shadowy figure that was approaching him.  As much as he would rather not admit it, whoever this was caught him off guard.  Though it was probably due to his attention on his notebook, he still kicked himself for the blunder of getting caught.

“And who are you, exactly?” Karma asked, putting up his nonchalant façade to conceal his rapidly beating heart and sweaty palms.

“A pro hero, and I’m here to take you down and put a stop to your criminal activities,” the voice growled as it slowly came closer towards Karma.  On instinct, the vigilante took a few steps backwards.  Finally, the figure came out of the shadows and into the light of the pale moon that hung above them.  The figure was more on the slender side, but still had a strong build.  His hair was long and dark, similar to Eraser Head’s, but far past his waist (not the smartest idea).  His costume was a pure black skin suit that was accompanied by a small utility pack.  When Karma saw the signature spade located on the costume, he recognized who it was immediately.

“Ah, Blackjack, right?  Your quirk allows you to compound shadows and use them as weapons.  It’s very powerful, I’m quite a fan of your fights,” Karma commented, amused to see the apathetic façade of the hero break at the recognition of his name.

“You’ve heard of me?” Blackjack asked, clearly confused.  He obviously had nobody recognize him before.  Karma wasn’t surprised, he only became a pro a few years ago and was still building a name for himself in the underground community.  He’s no Eraser Head, that’s for sure.

“I know everyone in the underground community, don’t take it to heart,” Karma replied, leaning up against the wall.  He tried to act relaxed in front of the hero to convince him to let his guard down, but of course, he was still prepared for a fight.  “If you’re really in the underground, you should know that my case belongs to Eraser Head and no one else.  So get lost now before you get in any trouble.”

“I don’t agree with the way Eraser Head is handling your situation.  He’s clearly gone soft, and I won’t hesitate to bring you in,” the hero stated, and man did he have a lot of balls.

“Tsk, tsk, hero, I thought you would know better than to interfere with other’s hero work.  That’s close to rule number one,”  Karma reprimanded the hero as he continued to stand proudly.

“Well, this has been fun, Blackjack, but I gotta dip now, can’t get caught by someone other than Raser, it would feel too much like a betrayal,” the vigilante shrugged, starting to walk away from the hero.

As he expected, the hero bolted after him, but Karma was faster, and he jumped onto the fire escape above him.  He climbed it with ease, and loved the way his chest burned with anticipation.  When he made his way to the roof, he was surprised to see that the hero was close behind, but he couldn’t really expect anything less from a pro, right?

They were at a standoff in the middle of some roof, and before the hero could take a step closer, Karma called, “you’ve broken two rules in the hero code, and it’s only been three minutes since we’ve met.  He was trying to bait the guy, a strategy inspired from Shinso, and it worked flawlessly .

The hero stopped, face screwing up with confusion.  “What are you talking about? I’ve done no such thing!”

“Rule 32 and 54, actually.  Rule 32: do not persue or use your quirk on innocent civilians—”

“You’re not innocent, Karma.  You’re a—”

“And Rule 54: never leave a criminal unattended.  If you had noticed anything from our interaction earlier, you would have realized that I was waiting for the cops to pick up the guy I caught.  Seems like I’m more heroic than you,” Karma shrugged, and he almost smiled at the pure disbelief displayed on the hero’s face.

“I think my motives for that decision are evident,” Blackjack replied, his arm pointing towards Karma.

“Oh, well, I actually forgot one more rule you broke,” Karma smirked.

“And what’s that?”

“Rule 13: never use your quirk for personal benefit, under no circumstance.  This case isn’t yours to take, so by using your quirk in an attempt to capture me, you’re breaking yet another rule.” Though Karma hated to humiliate a hero he had an interest in, he would much rather convince the guy into letting him go than flee and risk getting caught.  All he needed was an opening, and he’d be able to escape and hide his presence.

“I’ll face those consequences when it comes to it, my pure focus is to stop your involvement with underground heroics,” Blackjack said.

“Suit yourself,” Karma called just as he bolted away, hopping to the next rooftop in an effort to escape.

Just by basic knowledge, Karma knew that regardless of him being a pro, Blackjack was inferior to the vigilante in terms of stamina.  All Karma needed was to stay out of his grasp and attacks until he was able to properly escape.  He continued to run as he felt the presence of the hero linger closely behind him.  The wind blew harshly against his face, and it was a miracle that the clips he used to keep his hood on hadn’t fallen off yet.  Although it was spring, the night air was still quite chilly, and Karma was immensely grateful for it as it kept him somewhat cool.

The chase lasted well over 15 minutes, with each minute that passed making Karma’s heart beat faster.  He wanted to escape, obviously, but he hadn’t felt a rush like this in a while.

Finally, he saw the opening he was long awaiting, and went to jump off the roof of a three-story building.  But unfortunately for the young vigilante, a swarm of black connected right with his face, causing him to fly backwards and onto the roof.  The hero made his way over nonchalantly, as he was confident that the vigilante wouldn’t make another attempt to move.  Though he would typically be wrong, this hit hurt like hell to Karma, and getting up right away didn’t seem like a viable option.

“What the hell, man! My face literally just healed the other day, and you ruined it again,” Karma complained as he held a hand to his definitely bruised face.

“Surrender now, villain! I’m taking you in,” Blackjack said as he started to approach Karma.

“Actually, I’m technically not a villain,” Karma blurted, taking the hero aback.  “A villain uses their quirk for malicious purposes, and I haven’t used my quirk at all, so technically I haven’t broken any rules,” Karma explained as he mentally creates a last-minute plan.  If he could distract him for just a second…

“That’s… that’s not possible— how can a high-priority vigilante like you not use a quirk?” the hero asked, and of course, he was one of those.

“A bit quirkest, don’t you think?” Karma scoffed as started to stand.

But before either could take another step, the sense of a familiar pair of eyes fell on Karma.  And not a second later, another adult landed on the roof with a thump, startling Blackjack.

“What’s going on here?” the person, Eraser Head, asked, voice monotone with a hint of annoyance.

“E-Eraser Head?” Blackjack turned around to face the Erasure hero, and Karma couldn’t help the smirk he made at the fear in his tone.

“Why is this child crouching next to you and cupping his cheek?” Eraser asked, the irritation growing significantly as he saw the vigilante on the ground and likely injured by the hero.

“Not a child!”

“Well I came across the vigilante, Karma, on my patrol tonight, and saw it as my duty to take him in to the authorities,” Blackjack explained.  The confidence (which was clearly faked) was entertaining to Karma.

“He also broke three Hero Codes while attempting it, 13, 32, and 54,” Karma called after he finished, smiling when the hero tensed.

“Listen, Blackjack, right?” Eraser Head said, “you have great potential to get bigger in the underground community, but if you go after any of my cases again, so help me, I will crush that opportunity.  Do you understand?” Eraser explained, the vaguest glint of protectiveness in his tone made Karma feel giddy.  He and Eraser had really bonded throughout the months, and maybe there was a possibility that the hero saw him as a son mentee.

“Uh— yes, Eraser Head.” And without another word, he was off.

“I could have gotten out of that, y’know?” Karma commented after Blackjack was out of earshot.

“What's the injury like?” Eraser asked, opting to ignore the vigilante’s teasing statement.

“Just a bruise, hopefully.  It hurt more than I thought it would.  His attacks are powerful, I’ll give him that,” Karma replied nonchalantly as he rubbed the injured area.

“Can I see it?” Eraser requested hesitantly.

Karma wasn’t sure how to feel about what Eraser asked.  His initial reaction was to be shocked by the suggestion.  Eraser had never asked him to reveal part of his face before, but he had asked to see  injuries prior to this one.  Though as much as Karma didn’t want to show him, too scared to reveal information, he felt like he kinda owed the man for saving his ass from Blackjack.  He and Eraser had become closer since they started patrolling together, and he couldn’t help but put trust in the hero.

After a minute of contemplation, Karma compromised, “fine, but I’m only showing you the injury and the goggles stay on.”

“Okay,” Eraser responded, and if he was surprised that the vigilante agreed, he didn’t display it.

The Erasure hero made his way towards the vigilante, who went back to sitting on the ground.  He crouched down, so they were face to face, and he pulled out a flashlight from his utility belt.

“You carry that everywhere?” Karma asked, amused.

“They’re more useful than you’d think,” Eraser replied as he turned it on.

Hesitantly, Karma pulled down the left side of his red bandanna, revealing his display of freckles and a large, dark bruise located on his cheekbone.  The hero took a minute to examine it, turning the vigilantes head side to side to get a full look, along with touching it lightly to see his reaction.  Karma sat in silence as Eraser scrutinized the injury, not really knowing what to say.  After a couple of silent minutes, the hero pulled away again, allowing the vigilante to put his bandana back in place.

“Fortunately, I don’t think it’s fractured, but it’s going to leave a terrible bruise, so make sure you put ice on it,” Eraser explained as he returned the flashlight to his utility belt.

“Thanks, Raser,” Karma smiled.

“Anytime, kid.”

——————

The next day found Izuku with a blaring headache and an unpleasant ache on his cheekbone.  Just his luck to get an injury the night before the Sports Festival.  Luckily, a couple of painkillers mixed with a cup of coffee would distract him from the pain his entire head was experiencing.

When he made it to the mirror, he noticed that the bruise had intensified overnight, regardless of the fact that he put ice on it previously.  “Damn heroes,” he mumbled to himself as he walked into the shower.

The look on Shinso’s face when he arrived at school an hour later made him doubt his makeup abilities.  Did he not cover it well enough?

“Why is your cheek puffy, Midoriya?” Shinso asked, worried about his friend.

“Oh, I’m fine.  Just a bad fall when I took the garbage out yesterday, that’s all,” Izuku lied as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Wow, you’re a dumbass, but you’ll be okay for the Sports Fest, right?” Shinso asked, calmer than before, seeming to accept the lame excuse Izuku provided.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay!” Izuku smiled in response.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the crowd, may I introduce the First Year students of this year’s Sports Festival!” Midnight’s voice filled the UA speakers as she announced the contestants.

“You ready, Shinso?” Izuku asked as he looked at his friend.

“Of course I am.  Bring your best, Midoriya.  I look forward to beating you in the finale,” Shinso smirked.

“And now, the General Studies class, 1-C!! ”

Chapter Text

The bright stage lights blinded Izuku as he ran into the UA stadium, his eardrums almost bursting from the loud cheers of the audience.  It was an experience, one he didn’t think he would ever get used to over the next two years.  Two years… at UA— focus!! He needed to be on top of his game if he wanted any chance of pushing Shinso into the finale.  That was his only goal for the day, well, besides getting to observe a crap ton of unique quirks!!

The crowd continued to roar as the remaining General Studies classes filed into the large field.  His pulse was steadily starting to increase, and he knew it was only a matter of time until his craving for adrenaline kicked in.  Shinso walked up from behind him and casually leaned his arm on Izuku’s left shoulder.

“It’s way bigger than I thought it was, huh?” Shinso mumbled, not really speaking to anyone specifically.

“It is, I never thought I would get to see it in person, let alone participate in it,” Izuku replied, taking a deep breath.  He needed to clear his mind and let the anxieties he had slip off his tensed shoulders.  Just pretend you’re out on patrol.  Find the confidence to do well.

As the remaining classes finally entered the stadium, they all gathered around Midnight, who was standing confidently with her hand and whip on her hip.  From the speakers above, Izuku heard the familiar voice of his homeroom teacher yelling into a microphone.

“What’s up, everybody!!!  How are y'all doing today? I hope you’re pumped for this year's Sport’s Festival!!!!” Present Mic screamed, his voice echoing around the arena.  The crowd, along with a generous number of students, cheered in response.  Everyone was hyped, that much was obvious.  Though, Izuku could use that to his advantage.  Unfortunately for the Hero Course students, he was certain that they didn’t take outside forces into account for this event.

They might have fought against a group of villains, but apart from the bosses, they were all D-C level at best.  Most students, if not all, were likely inexperienced in battle strategy and hand-to-hand combat, and in Izuku’s case, that’s where he excelled.  He was a realistic person innately, and he was fully aware of his role in society.  He would never be able to take them down when it came to quirk power, that’s what the society of heroes was all about, after all.

He wasn’t meant to be a popular hero in this life, and he would never be able to compete with his quirked counterparts.  That’s just how life was, and he accepted that at the age of thirteen, which is why he went a more… lawfully ambiguous route.  Okay, listen— if people wanted a society where only the physically strong could become heroes, then they shouldn’t be surprised that people like him went a different route!  He was doing what he had to so he could follow his dream, and if the law hated him for that, then so be it.

So realistically, beating them fairly wouldn’t cut it, so he opted to take a much more fun route.  If he had to use cheap tricks to get ahead and help Shinso, then he would, it was his only choice.  The other students were naive, especially the Hero Course.  They considered themselves the only competition, seeing any other student as some random person with no drive to win.  And for the most part, they were correct, but unfortunately for them, Class 1-C had two very determined students.

They knew nothing about him or Shinso, and that right there was his only advantage.  Keeping them on their feet, having them guess what his quirk was would make them anxious, worried.  Their guards were down around other students, Izuku noticed easily.  They all thought they were the best, leaving little doubt in their mind that they could take the other classes down easily.  It was all Izuku needed to help Shinso pull ahead.

Yeah, this was going to be fun.

Izuku snaps out of his racing thoughts as he notices a familiar blond make his way up on the platform where Midnight was standing.  He must be giving the opening speech, he supposed.

Kacchan took a deep breath before looking around the arena, a calm, yet determined look plastered on his face.

“I just wanna say I’m going to win,” the blond stated, nothing more and nothing less.  Izuku couldn’t even be surprised, but he did notice something from the simple sentence.  Though past Kacchan would have served it as a joke and laughed, this Kacchan didn’t do that.  He was completely blank faced, which led Izuku to believe one thing: he meant it.  This was him pushing himself to win, a warning to every other competitor.  He would probably be their biggest threat, but luckily for him, he had been watching the blond since they were kids, he knew him like the back of his hand in some ways.

His class, along with a few others, booed at his speech, if you could even call it that.  That reaction was also unsurprising, he knew how many other classes already hated 1-A.  Kacchan got off the stage, so much as not giving a glance to anybody else as a dark-haired boy with engine legs scolded him for his behaviour.

Beside him, Izuku could feel the agitated scoff Shinso released, but he didn’t do anything more than that, unwilling to participate in the useless protests.

“Uh— lovely speech, Bakugo.  Now let’s get on with the first event!” Present Mic shouts in an attempt to silence the boos coming from the stands and the students.

“Alright, let’s spin the wheel to see which event will be picked!” Midnight sang, an excited expression covering the expanse of her face.

Izuku held his breath as the wheel spun, his right foot tapping anxiously as he waited for the spinner to come to a halt.  There were several different events that could be chosen, each needing its own strategy and planning.  Izuku tuned out Midnight’s enthusiastic comments about the choices as he prayed for the first event to be good.  Izuku, of course, could strategize for any scenario he was given, but if there was a higher power out there, then please, let it be—

“It looks like our first event will be the Obstacle Race, how enticing!!”

Izuku almost fell to his knees out of relief at the announcement of the game selected.  This was his personal favourite, and it was the game with the easiest strategy.  Maybe it was just luck, or perhaps it was the universe apologizing for all the shit they put in his life, but it ultimately didn’t matter.  The game he needed was chosen, and now the games were really going to begin.

Shinso felt Izuku’s sigh of relief since he was still leaning against the green-haired boy.  “Is this good?” he whispered.

“Extremely good,” Izuku responded, a smile growing on his face. “It’s the game I was hoping for.”

Before Shinso could ask another question, Midnight’s voice boomed again.

“The rules are quite simple!  You’ll participate in a 4 kilometre race filled with different obstacles.  You’re allowed to go all out with your quirks, so put on a show for us.  The first 42 contestants will move on to the next round!” Midnight explained, her whip flying around as her hands moved when she spoke.

As the students made their way towards the gate of the first event, Shinso tapped Izuku on the shoulder.

“So what’s the plan, Midoriya?” the boy asked.

“The plan is simple, Shinso!” Izuku said.  “All we really have to do is stay in the median.”

“The median?”

“The middle of the group, basically.  We don’t want to do really well in the first event, as that will show off our abilities, painting us as targets.  But if we fall too far behind, we won’t make the cut and lose our chance.  So staying in the middle of the pack will give us the best advantage moving forward,” Izuku clarified to his confused friend.

“Oh, I get it.  That makes sense,” Shinso said, nodding in agreement.

“Besides,” Izuku chuckled, “it lets me study their quirks, strengths, and weaknesses.  I can understand their strategy and how to defeat them.”  A full cheshire grin grew across his face.  He truly was in his element, even if he wasn’t really trying to win.

Scary , Shinso thought as he noticed the feral grin.  At least he's on my side.

It was five minutes after the duo arrived near the large arch that the race began.  The loud horn signalling the start of the race blasted through the arena, and everyone was off in a sprint.  He and Shinso chose a spot near the middle of the pack, giving Izuku the highest advantage to observe and analyze.  It looks like he didn’t study all those criminal’s quirks for nothing, since now he could analyze techniques on the fly.  As they were running through the doors, the brightness of the outside peered back at them.  Running in the dark tunnels messed with his vision for a bit, but his eyes adjusted quickly to the sudden brightness again.

He felt cold air start to circulate in the closed space, ice quirk , he thought.  Out of pure instinct, Izuku grabbed Shinso by the waist and hoisted him in the air.  He jumped right after, narrowly avoiding an ice path that would have been hell to escape from.  Unfortunately for his classmates, they would have to experience that hell.  The whole incident happened within two seconds, and Izuku jumped through a hole in the ice, finally revealing the sun he missed so dearly.

He placed a still completely stunned Shinso down on the ground, observing the damage as he did.  Whoever’s quirk did that was powerful, he’s lucky he even dodged it in the first place.  At least half of the students were frozen in the ice prison, with the ones surviving almost all from the Hero Courses.  The other kids chased after a red and white coloured hair boy, most likely the menace who unleashed hell with no regard for the others.

“Woahhhhh look at Todoroki go! He used his ice to take out half of his opponents!” Present Mic’s voice shrieked through the speakers.

“It was a fine strategy,” another voice, one that was familiar, observed.  “He used his quirk to stop most of his peers, but because his classmates knew his power, many of them were able to counter.”

Wait, was that Eraser Head’s voice?

“What the hell just happened?” Shinso asked as Izuku grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, encouraging him to run.

“I felt the temperature change in the tunnel, so I dodged accordingly.  Obviously, I didn’t want you to get stuck so I yoinked you too, hope you don’t mind!” Izuku called as they started to run again, much to the despair of Shinso.

“You surprise me more and more every day, you know that, Midoriya?” Shinso commented, partly laughing.

“I’ve been told I do that,” Izuku chuckled back, almost slipping on the ice that covered the previously gravel path.

Running on the ice took a while to get used to, but once they reached the end of the dreadfully long track, their next obstacle awaited them.

“Holy crap! It’s the robots from the entrance exam,” Izuku exclaimed, a bit too excited for Shinso’s taste.

“That’ssss right, listeners!  The first obstacle in this course is our very own robots! They’re not too dangerous, but they can be annoying to take down, so use your energy wisely!”

As Shinso was about to race forward into the massacre of robots that took place before them, Izuku held a hand in front of his chest.  “Just wait a minute,” Izuku said.

Not even a minute later, Izuku rushed forward, pulling Shinso with him.  “I just wanted to observe the robots and people, sorry!” he yelled towards Shinso, who has been stuck in a state of confusion since the beginning of the race.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Shinso asked, but before he could get an answer, Izuku pointed towards the fragments of robot on the floor.  “We can use these as weapons.”

Izuku sprinted over to the leftover parts, picking up two pieces in the process, as Shinso followed closely behind.

“We’re in 25th and 26th place right now by my count, and though I wouldn’t mind being lower, we shouldn’t fall too far behind.  Just smash anything you see with this metal and keep up, got it?” Izuku told Shinso, who’s fighting spirit was finally starting to kick in, the competitive glint in his eye replacing his once confused gaze.

Fortunately, the two didn't run into many robots, only a handful here or there, and Izuku loved it.  If this was the only objective of the entrance exam, then he definitely could have passed if he tried.  The robots weren’t very durable, and only needed one hit with its own material to fall to the ground, or maybe that was just Izuku’s own strength.  Regardless, the robots felt like a breeze, and a part of him kicked himself for not attempting the entrance exam like he originally wanted to.

As they ran through the track, he noticed a vast array of quirks.  A girl with a zero gravity quirk, a dude with a bird head (a bird head???), a girl with a creation quirk (wait was that a cannon?), and even two guys with a hardening quirk!! There were so many, and Izuku’s brain was jumbling with the amount of information he was trying to absorb while still keeping his guard up to fight the pesky robots.  Their quirks were all amazing, and he couldn’t wait to observe them during the 1v1s.

Class 1-A didn’t hesitate, he could give them that.  As he watched the Hero Course students rush in front of him, totally determined to win, he couldn’t help but be amazed.  They truly were incredible, a feat he would never accomplish himself.  Quirks were absolutely remarkable.

Keeping their pace at their respective place in the mid-twenties, Izuku and Shinso finally came ahead to the next obstacle: some sort of line beams connecting to various island platforms.

“Obstacle number two: The Fall!! They’re sturdy, but extremely thin, so watch your step, or the only race you’ll be winning is being first to see Recovery Girl!”

“Is this even allowed?” Shinso asked, shocked at the pure brutality of the tasks in front of them.

“This is the life of someone who doesn’t have a physical quirk, Shinso,” Izuku grimaced.

“How do we get across?” Shinso asked as he scanned the area for any potential route.

“I think you know the only way,” Izuku replied, a frown forming in his face.  Shinso was not going to like it.

“You mean you want me to walk across this?” Shinso exclaimed, his eyes widening in horror.  “It’s fine— I can just get someone else to carry me or something.  I can—”

“Shinso, it’ll be fine.  Just hold my hand and don’t look down,” Izuku assured, placing his hand on Shinso’s shoulder.

The purple-haired boy took a deep breath as a feral grin spread over his face.  “Okay, let’s do it.  But I’m blaming you if we fall to our doom.”

“I won’t let that happen.” Izuku wouldn’t.  Never in a million years.  Though he wouldn’t consider himself an expert, he was all too familiar with running across thin wires and surfaces during his time as a vigilante.  Hell, that’s probably what he did most.  His knack for balance felt unnatural at times, but it was something he cherished deeply.

Before he could pull Shinso across the tightrope, he noticed a small group consisting of a pink girl, zero gravity girl, and a pink-haired girl conversing near the edge.  The pink-haired girl had a large display of gadgets accompanying her gym uniform, making Izuku intrigued as to what each item did.

“Hey, gadget girl!” Izuku called, his curiosity getting the better of him.  All three girls turned to face him, and he couldn’t stop the blush that spread over his face out of embarrassment.

“Yeah?” the pink-haired girl replied, realizing that Izuku was addressing her.

“Your stuff looks really cool! I can’t wait to see them in action,” he complimented.

“Ahahaha, I’m glad you like my babies!  Each one was perfectly designed for today's events! See ya!” and with that, the girl was off, flying into the air with her boot babies.  So impressive.

“That’s our cue to go, bye, you two!” Izuku said to the other two girls, who were still standing in shock at the pink-haired girl.

Without another warning, Izuku dragged Shinso across the first suspender line.  Shinso learned how to run across them quickly, making Izuku delighted.  When they made it to the first platform, Izuku held back the urge to hug him.  “See! You got it! Just keep your eyes ahead and focus on me, okay?”

“I got it, Midoriya,” Shinso huffed in an attempt to hide his blush from the compliment.

“Alrighty, folks, it seems like two students are on the final stretch of the race— wait what's happening over here?” Present Mic gasped as his attention shifted from Bakugo and Todoroki to his own students, Izuku and Shinso, running across the wire like they were born to do it.

“From the looks of it, Midoriya and Shinso are running across the ropes without any extra quirk assistance! This is surely a new sight, we haven’t seen anything like this before, have we, Eraser?”

“There is a minuscule number of students who would be able to do this flawlessly.  Most students use their quirks or opt crawl instead,” Eraser Head commented into the mic.  “I think it’s safe to assume that these two have been practicing.”

Izuku almost faltered at the sound of Eraser Head‘s voice.  He knew he worked at UA, but knowing Present Mic?? Commenting on the event?? Those were things he was ill prepared for.  He couldn’t reveal too much about his skill or else Eraser was sure to catch on.  He taught him skills only a pro would know, and if some General Studies' student knew them, it would look suspicious.  Shit, he really needed to hold back.

They finally reached the end of the second obstacle with little mistakes.  Shinso slipped up once or twice, resulting in him almost falling into the void with no doubt Izuku following close behind.  He was confident that both of their hearts dropped during that.

When they arrived at the final part of the course, his heart was beating uncontrollably.  He hadn’t had a run like this (other than last night’s) in a while, and it felt good to do it again.  He counted 27 people ahead of him and Shinso, and he let out a sigh of relief.  28th and 29th were valid spots to place in, and it’s not like he was trying that hard anyway.  All they needed to do from here is keep the spot and victory would be theirs.

“By the pattern of the dirt, it seems that it’s a minefield,” Izuku observed.

To the right of them, a student flew in the air, a scream trailing behind the movement.  “Definitely a minefield,” Shinso concluded.

“And now, our final obstacle!! We have a minefield!! They’re not deadly for the students, but they pack one hell of a punch.  Step with caution or face the consequences!”

“How do they even create this stuff?” Shinso asked aloud, a look mixed with concern and defeat plastered on his face.  

“Being the best school gives you privileges, I guess,” Izuku shrugged.  “Now how do you suppose we get across?”

“Aren’t you the strategist here?”

“You’re no fun,” Izuku pouted.  “There’s really no need to rush and— oh, there’s an ice path now.  It looks like the ice dude was desperate,” Izuku said in aw as a long trail of ice found its way in front of them.

“Uh oh, looks like Todoroki used his ice to run across the minefield in an attempt to beat Bakugo!! I’m sure his ice trail will be a big help to the others behind him!” Present Mic cheered.

“Guess we don’t have to worry about a plan now, huh?” Shinso replied.

“Race ya to the finish line?”

“You’re on.”

The duo sprinted forward down the icy path, slipping and sliding as they went.  Izuku was confident in their placings, so he simply just let himself enjoy the thrill of a race.  As the finish line grew nearer and nearer, Izuku passed a few others whose speed was only declining.  His legs thumped harshly against the icy path as he continued to sprint, and he reveled in the burning he felt in his lungs and legs.  The air was cold, courtesy of that guy's quirk, and it reminded Izuku so much of his rooftop patrols during the fall and winter.

He passed the finish line with one last leap, landing on the fresh grass of the stadium.  Izuku was pleased to see that he beat Shinso by a number of people, but they both still managed to make it to the next round.

“Good job, Shinso!” Izuku congratulated as he made his way towards the boy who was hunched over and huffing.

“Your workouts have really been helping,” Shinso replied, his head lifting up to face Izuku.

“I’m glad! Maybe I can put you on the real one sometime soon!”

“What—”

“And that’s the end of our first event! Let’s take a look at the results!” Midnight cheered.

The standings are:

1st: Shoto Todoroki

2nd: Katsuki Bakugo

3rd Ibara Shiozaki

4th: Juzo Honenuki

5th Tenya Iida

6th: Fumikage Tokoyami

7th: Hanta Sero

8th: Eijiro Kirishima

9th: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

10th: Mashirao Ojiro

11th: Yosetsu Awase

12th: Tsuyu Asui

13th: Mezo Shoji

14th: Rikido Sato

15th: Ochako Uraraka

16th: Momo Yaoyorozu

17th: Minoru Mineta

18th: Mina Ashido

19th: Koji Koda

20th: Kyouka Jiro

21st: Sen Kaibara

22nd: Izuku Midoriya

23rd: Denki Kaminari

24th: Kojiro Bondo

25th: Kosei Tsuburaba

26th: Itsuka Kendo

27th: Hitoshi Shinso

28th:Reiko Yanagi

29th: Jurota Shishidea

30th: Shihai Kuroiro

31st: Yui Kodai

32nd: Hiryu Rin

33rd: Nirengeki Shoda

34th: Kinoko Komori

35th: Togaru Kamakiri

36th: Neito Monoma

37th: Pony Tsunotori

38th: Toru Hagakure

39th: Setsuna Tokage

40th: Manga Fukidashi

41st: Mei Hatsume

42nd: Yuga Aoyama

“Congratulations to everyone who made it through the first round! But that was only a warm up, now’s your real time to shine!” Midnight exclaimed, her whip continuing to fly in the air.  Was that even school appropriate?

“Now, let the second game begin!”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s heartbeat continued to beat rapidly in his chest as the spinner turned for the second time that day.  His stomach once again churned at the thought of an unlucky pick.  He had been fortunate in the first round, who’s to say what the second round would bring.

He tapped his foot anxiously as seconds seemed to pass by in slow motion.  Shinso stood next to him, albeit hunched over, as he continued to catch his breath.  It looks like he’d have to up his training regiment a bit.

The wheel finally came to a halt, a loud buzzer echoing through the arena, announcing that the second game had been chosen.  Izuku sighed at the sight in front of him.

“It looks as though our next event will be a Cavalry Battle! How enticing!” Midnight called, squirming in excitement.

This definitely wasn’t Izuku’s top pick for an event, but it was something he could work with.

“The rules are elementary,” Midnight started.  “You will pair up in groups of 2-4 to form your teams.  Each team will be assigned a number of points depending on how each member placed in our Obstacle Race.  42nd place starts with five points, and each status from there will gain 5 points per how high they scored in the race.  First place, however, is rewarded with 10 million points!  From there, you will participate in a fifteen-minute battle with other teams as you try to steal headbands from other players.  Quirks, of course, are allowed, but make a team fall deliberately, and your team will be eliminated!” Midnight explained excitedly as her whip continued to whirl through the air.

Seriously, was that even allowed?

“Your fifteen minutes start now! Don’t waste any time!” Midnight exclaimed.

“So, we need two more teammates,” Shinso observed.  “Have anyone in mind?”

“I do, actually,” Izuku smirked.  He knew it would take a lot of convincing, but as feasible plans started to form in his mind, he couldn’t resist.

The two people he had in mind had a high likelihood of choosing other groups, so he had to be quick about it.  One wrong teammate could be do or die in this type of scenario.  Izuku, like a man on a mission, started striding over to his first pick, as Shinso followed closely behind.

“Hey, Copy dude!” Izuku called, walking up to a blond head of hair.

“Hahaha, you mean me? I’m afraid I haven’t seen you two before.  General Studies, I presume?” the blond asked amused.

“You are correct,” Izuku replied with a smile.  “And I was wondering if you’d like to team up with us?”

“I’m terribly sorry, you two, but I’m afraid that I have a group in mind already.  With my own class and all,” he responded with a sort of sass that made Izuku want to befriend him.  Not the time, Izuku, damn it.

“Listen, Monoma, right?” Izuku said, “I know what your goal is here.  You wanna prove that your class is better than Class A’s, right?  I get that, truly.  Shinso here has been fighting for the Hero Course since this tournament started.  But you need strategy if you want to pull that off.”

Monoma scoffed, “I have a strategy.”

“Running around aimlessly while pissing off 1-A in the process is a plan, not a strategy,” Izuku corrected.  “Join me and Shinso, and I can almost guarantee a victory.  We’ll only target 1-A, go for the ten million, and that’ll give your class a higher chance.  We can take 1-A down together.”

Monoma was silent for a moment, most likely contemplating the argument.  Though Monoma wasn’t essential to the plan, having someone with a drive and desire to win as strong as his would be incredibly beneficial.  And don’t even forget about his quirk! It was totally overpowered, and having two Shinso’s on his team would give them a strong advantage.

“And what will you do if we don’t make it to the next round, hm?” Monoma asked.  “I can’t rely on confidence alone.  I need at least something to benefit me if you can’t keep your word.”

He was smart, Izuku liked it.

“I’ll give you a full quirk and fighting analysis if we lose.  It would be incredibly helpful towards your future training,” Izuku suggested.

Shinso, in turn, scoffed, “psh, you’d—” he was elbowed in the gut by Izuku before he could finish his sentence.  He couldn’t have Shinso expose him like that!  If Izuku was being honest, he’d give anybody an analysis if they asked him to, but they didn’t technically know that.

“So, do we have a deal?” Izuku asked.

“You know what, General boys, I’ll entertain you and join your team,” Monoma replied, a menacing grin plastered on his face.  “Let’s end 1-A and all their glory, hahaha!”

Izuku sighed in relief.  Great, one down, and one more to go.   As Izuku started to head towards his next target, Monoma apologized to his former teammates as he trailed behind Izuku and Shinso.   “So, what’s the strategy, Midoriya?”

“Once we get our final teammate, I’ll tell you,” Izuku answered calmly.  Please don’t be taken, please don’t be taken.  Thank god.

The trio approached the student Izuku was looking for as the person in question idly looked through a case of equipment next to them.   This was going to be good.

“Hey, Gadget girl!  Do you have a team yet?” Izuku called cheerfully, a smile forming on his face as he noticed the vast array of support items resting in her briefcase..  He needed to collaborate with her sometime.

“Oh, hey again! No, not yet.  I tried to go with the 10 million dude, but he rejected me and my babies, so I decided to wait and see which potential teams I could join.   No one else really piqued my interest,” the pink-haired girl replied, looking up from her briefcase full of mysteries.

“That’s perfect, then.  Wanna join our team? I have a solid plan that’ll get us the 10 million points.  You in?” Izuku asked.

“10 million, you say?” she questioned, her fingers situated on her chin in thought.  “Why not, I’m in!”

The trio cheered in unison as Izuku let out a breath of satisfaction.  Things were going relatively according to plan.   “Now, are we allowed to use your babies?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” the pink-haired girl exclaimed.

——————

Can you explain your plan now, Midoriya?” Monoma asked, more exasperated than the previous attempt.  “You said you had one, but it’s starting to feel as though you’re bluffing.”

With five minutes left on the countdown, Izuku had successfully gathered his team and distributed Hatsume’s babies accordingly.

Monoma and Hatsume were situated on the back with jetpacks created by the inventor herself.  Shinso, who was the frontman, claimed a pair of rocket type boots, leaving Izuku as the rider with a support item Hatsume used during the Obstacle Race.  Additionally, they each got some form of capture weapon to use in an emergency, though Izuku deemed it wouldn’t be necessary.  As the four of them patiently waited for the games to start, Izuku took a deep breath.

“Obviously I have a plan, Monoma.  I just wanted to get everyone situated first.  But now that it’s out of the way.  Let’s get down to business,” Izuku replied, watching the interest of his three teammates pique.

The group huddled around, anxiously waiting for the green-haired boy to explain his plan that was apparently foolproof.

“The plan is pretty simple, but many are going to see us as low stupors.  Are you all okay with that?” Izuku asked.

“As long as we make it to the next round, I don’t really care how we get there,” Shinso said, which was then followed by the entire group nodding along.

“Okay.  So, what do we know about our team?” Izuku questioned.  He didn’t want to do all the work, c’mon now!

“Uh, we barely know each other?” Shinso stated, which earned a cackle from the blond.

“He’s not wrong, you know.  I haven’t heard of any of you before today,” Monoma added with a chuckle.

“Oh, I know!” Hatsume said enthusiastically, raising her hand.

“What is it?”

“We all scored middle to low in the Obstacle Race, barely making us targetable.  Almost everyone will be gunning for the 10 million!” Hatsume suggested, her eyes lighting up at the realization. 

“Exactly that, Hatsume.  Monoma, I doubt your class will target us because you’re on our team, leaving us only against Class A.  But I’m sure they’ll all be too busy fighting against Class B or the 10 million to even notice us.  We’re practically invisible!” Izuku elaborated Hatsume’s initial point.  Shinso and Monoma’s eyes slowly started to light up with excitement as he rambled on, explaining the benefits of staying in the shadows.

“Now, as for an actual plan…”

——————

“Alright, competitors, your fifteen minutes is up! Everyone gather onto the field, so we can begin shortly!” Midnight cheered, an enthusiastic smile overtaking her face.

As the students entered the gravel-like field, Midnight went over the rules again.  “Now remember, quirks are allowed, but I better not see any of you children behave badly and purposely make your opponents fall!”

“Monoma, you did what I asked, right?” Izuku turned to face the blond, who was adjusting the strap of his jetpack.

“Of course I did! It was the brunette with pink cheeks, right?” Monoma clarified, looking up to meet Izuku’s gaze.

“Yeah, that’s her,” Izuku confirmed.

“What did you want with her quirk, anyway?” the blond asked as they slowly put themselves into position for the battle.

“Well, her quirk is Zero Gravity.  So instead of having the jetpacks and boots carry all of our weight, we can use her power to lower the burden.  You mentioned how your quirk only lasts for five minutes, but the things you change with said power stays permanent, essentially making us weightless forever.  You’ll be the only one who doesn’t go under the effect of the quirk, and at the end of the battle you’ll have to touch her again to release us.  Does that make sense?” Izuku explained in his signature style.  It’s a wonder they agreed to team with him in the first place.

“You never fail to amaze me, Midoriya,” Shinso laughed, partly because of the analysis and partly because of the look on Monoma’s face.

“He’s always like this?” Monoma asked, still moderately stunned.

“Oh yeah, big time.  Class will be boring without him once I transfer to the Hero Course,” Shinso answered confidently, resulting in a minuscule blush from Izuku.

“As much as I’d love to continue this conversation, quit 'yer chatting and focus on the event that’s about to begin!” Hatsume declared, enthusiastically as ever.

“Ah, right!  Okay, Monoma, activate the quirk,” Izuku said, straightening up to prepare for the battle.

“Shinso, ready?” Izuku called.

“Yeah.”

“Monoma?”

“Of course.”

“Hatsume?”

“Let’s do this thing!”

“Okay! Let’s go!”

The horn signalling the next event blew a moment later, and in a blast they were off.

Gravelled dust filled the arena atmosphere as 12 different teams scrambled in an attempt to collect points.  The roar of the crowd echoed throughout the stadium as nearly every team charged towards the 10 million points.  So predictable , Izuku grimaced.  As soon as he thought it, a large sprawl of ice filled half the field, immobilizing at least half of the teams that were headed towards the 10 million.  That ice quirk was incredible, he could give them that much.

Izuku’s team rounded the border, opting to play defense in the early stages of the battle.  Sequentially, their plan wouldn’t commence until the final minutes of the match.  As Izuku predicted, not many teams were after their 230 combined points.  Izuku suspected that they wouldn’t truly be a target until the clock was low, as many teams would be in a state of desperation to push forward.  Unfortunately for them, he’d be unreachable at that point.

“Are you sure about this, Midoriya?  This plan is undeniably risky, and I hate to be that guy, but relying on one final move to push us forward is a bit of a long shot,” Shinso said, eyes not wavering from where he was currently looking forward.  One distraction and they’d be out of the running for sure.

“I know how risky it sounds, guys, but trust me!  Put as much faith into me that I have in you.  We’re going to pull this off,” Izuku replied with pure confidence.  Was he mildly bluffing? A little.  The plan of his was as risky as it came, and it’s a miracle they even agreed to it.  But he was sure that this move would change the course of the event.

After all, he’s always wanted to bungee jump.

As the timer slowly ticked down, Izuku felt more and more anxious.  This plan was relying solely on his ability and his team’s timing, and it needed to be flawless for it to be successful.  Damn, he probably should have created something easier for these guys.

Predictably, not many teams attempted to charge Izuku’s team, well, all except for Team Tetsutetsu.  Though Izuku believed that the boy marched to the beat of his own drum.  Luckily, all it took was Monoma to call out to the team (with Shinso’s quirk on hand) and they were out of the running, at least for a while.

“Cold move, dude,” Shinso said to the blond as they ran away from the puzzled team who was frozen in place.  

“That man can never stick to our class plans.  He’s lucky that he has Kendo in his corner or else I would’ve been way harsher,” Monoma replied, sounding just as exhausted as Eraser Head did on their nightly patrols.  Izuku almost giggled at the comparison.

Across the field, Izuku noticed two teams in the midst of a standoff.  Team Todoroki and Team Bakugo.

Team Todoroki consisted of the ice guy from earlier, which he presumed to be Todoroki (wow, Endeavour’s kid?), an engine guy, an electricity boy, and a girl who had a quirk that created things.  Izuku remembered seeing them participate in the Obstacle Race, and just by watching them compete, he knew their team was stacked.

On the other hand, Team Bakugo consisted of Kacchan, whose power was explosions, a quirk Izuku knew all too well.  Amongst his team was a pink girl who spewed acid, the hardening redhead who had a similar quirk to the metal guy, and a boy who had tape elbows.  Another fairly stacked team.  The Hero Course was undoubtedly something else.

This, of course, was another thing Izuku was relying on.  He knew how competitive Kacchan was, so it was no doubt that the blond would go after the ten million, leaving all the other teams in his dust (literally).  As for the other teams, they all seemed to be fighting each other, or still attempting, though futile, to reach the top two teams.

“Uh oh! Looks like Team Bakugo and Team Todoroki are still in a standoff with only three minutes left on the clock.  These two have been fighting since the battle has begun, but neither have pulled ahead without the other one countering!  Meanwhile, it seems like all the other teams are just scrambling to get enough points to move on!” Present Mic’s voice filled the speakers once again, almost giving Izuku whiplash.  It had been a while since he heard his teacher speak, though he assumed it was the result of him tuning out almost all noise as he continuously studied the scene before him.

If there was one word Izuku could use to describe what he was looking at, it would have to be mayhem.  On the opposite side of the field, Todoroki and Kacchan stood in a tense impasse, Todoroki’s team playing strong defense while Kacchan struggled to blast them to hell, too tied back by his teammates.  It was only a matter of time until he rushed him, that boy was far from patient.  Around them were large spikes of ice, almost secluding them from the rest of the teams; Izuku was only able to see because of the angle they were on.    

Half of the teams were stuck in ice patches on the ground, many of their quirks useless in getting them out of the frozen ground.  The remaining survivors who didn’t get caught in the attack, or who were successful in escaping were busy facing each other, Class 1-B keeping Class 1-A too busy to attack the observing team.

Glancing up at the scoreboard, Izuku noticed that his team was in 9th, most likely due to the scattered points of other teams.  All they needed was a bit more time; if they could just stall for the 20 second mark, they’d do it.

“ONE MINUTEEEEEE, EVERYONE! Are the standings settled, or will there be any last-minute changes? Right now, everyone is fighting to make a difference, but only four teams will move to the next round!” Present Mic’s voice rang through the microphone once again, and in a way, the familiarity of his teacher’s voice calmed him.

“Okay, guys! One minute left.  It’ll take approximately 30 seconds to fly overhead, and by then it’s just by chance that my prediction comes ahead.  Let’s make it count, alright?” Izuku called to his team, signalling them to turn on the jetpacks.

In one motion, they took to the sky, making it impossible for almost anybody to reach them.  They inched their way over, Izuku not keeping his eyes off the stalemate below.  The timing had to be perfect.

“I think it may be a bad time to mention that I’m scared of heights,” Shinso said, voice wavering slightly.

“It’ll be over before you know it, brainwash dude,” Hatsume reassured, taking over the comforting role Izuku often filled, as he was much too busy preparing for the trial ahead.

“I just want to say, guys, thank you.  For not only being so cooperative, but for putting your faith in me.  It’s been fun, and when this is over, I’ll thank you all again, regardless of the outcome,” Izuku said as they made their way towards Todoroki and Bakugo.

“Ah, a sappy one, aren’t you, Midoriya?  Save it for after we kick Class A’s ass,” Monoma replied lightheartedly.

“Never thought I’d agree with this blond idiot, but here we are.  Keep the sap until after we’re declared badasses,” Shinso chimed in right after.

“Hey!”

“Midoriya, we are so collaborating after this!” Hatsume cheered, a wide grin taking up the expanse of her face.

All Izuku could do was laugh.  He was so fortunate to be blessed with such good friends.  Or well, acquaintances.

With 30 seconds remaining, Present Mic screamed again, “30 more seconds until our second event is over! Many teams have changed in the ranking in the final minute, and look! Team Midoriya is flying in the air! I wonder what they’re up to?”

“If I had to assume, I’d say it’s to stay out of trouble in the final moments, but their team has barely gotten any points the entire round.  They didn’t even face any teams without running away.  Only time will tell what they’re up to,” Eraser Head commented, and Izuku let out a snort.  At least the man had some faith in him.

“Hatsume, use your quirk to zoom in on the two teams! When you see Kacchan or Todoroki start to charge, tell me immediately, okay?” Izuku announced, suddenly feeling nauseous.

This was a total gamble, one he wasn’t even fully confident in.  He was relying on Kacchan of all people! But if there was one thing the blond did, it was never disappoint.

20 seconds

“Ah! Now, Midoriya— now! They’re advancing!” Hatsume reported, letting Izuku know his time had come.

And without hesitation, Izuku jumped from his team as if he was going for a dive in a pool.

The wind blowing against his face was exhilarating, and he expertly lined himself up to complete the final move he had been picturing in his head for the past 15 minutes.  There were many reasons as to why he did it so fearlessly.  His vigilante career was definitely a leading cause; his sense of fear growing higher in standard after facing terrifying foes.  It could have been his lack of concern for his own life that drove him to make such reckless decisions.  But those issues, they were for another time.

Time flew by in what felt like slow motion, but before he knew it, he was right in between the two leading teams on the leaderboard, albeit upside down.  Both were too busy focusing on grabbing the other’s headband to notice Izuku appearing out of thin air, and after his final breath, he snatched both headbands off their heads.

Immediately after, he pressed his bracelet, activating Hatsume’s rope support item; effectively shooting himself back into the sky and towards his awaiting team.  He flew back up at a rapid pace, but was able to safely make it onto their backs.

“Holy shit,” Shinso uttered, and yeah, Izuku could agree with that.

“Fly away before they catch on, there’s still ten seconds left in the clock!” Izuku ordered, still shell shocked that he pulled off such a complex move.

Their team flew back towards the ground (in the opposite direction of the definitely angry top two teams) quickly, and Izuku took a second to look down at the headbands.  And in a glorious shade of red, the numbers 10,000,000 and 205 were stitched into them.  He did it.   He threw them around his neck, successfully hiding the numbers from an outsider's view, and finally let himself breathe again after the fall.

“Holy crap, would you look at that! In one final move, as if they were expecting it, Team Midoriya just snatched two headbands from the leading teams!  What a twist!” Present Mic cheered, and Izuku was ecstatic to hear he made his teacher proud.

“The guts this kid has,” another voice, much rougher than the previous; Eraserhead, said.  Izuku could feel his heart swelling.  Compliments from his teacher and his mentor?

After landing on the ground, Izuku heard the familiar sound of explosions charging at him from behind.

“Deku, you sneaky bastard!  Give me the points back or I’ll murder you myself!” Katsuki roared, his entire face bright red from pure anger.

BEEEEEEEEEEP!!

The buzzer rang before the blond could jump off his team and steal the headbands, signifying the end of the game.  It was over.

“Uh, better luck next time, Kacchan?” Izuku grimaced, hand scratching the back of his head.  He was definitely going to die later.

Tuning out Kacchan’s meltdown, akin to an upset toddler, Izuku directed his gaze towards the leaderboards.

“With our second event coming to an end, let’s check out the scores!!”

First place: Team Midoriya- 10,000,435 points

Second place: Team Bakugo- 485 points

Third place: Team Todoroki- 440 points

Fourth place: Team Kendo- 415 points

“Congratulations to the winning teams!  Those who succeeded will move on to the finals, which is our 1v1 tournament.  Please take this time for a lunch break to refuel your bodies, as you have a gruelling afternoon ahead of you!” Midnight announced.

Yeah, Izuku could really go for food right about now.

“Good job, guys! I can’t believe we pulled that off,” Izuku said to his team, a blinding smile growing on his face.

“We were amazing out there!” Hatsume cheered, extending her hand to high-five Izuku. He complied, their hands meeting in a swift clap.

“Midoriya, are we going to talk about how easily you dived face-first into the ground like it was something you did any other day?” Shinso asked, gaining a nod from the other two.

“Uh— about that.”

“Midoriya.” Izuku turned towards the unfamiliar, yet calm, voice who called him from a few metres away.  His eyes widened when he noticed who it was.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

After departing from Shinso and the others, Izuku anxiously followed behind the Hero Course student.  He didn’t know what he wanted to discuss with Izuku, but it couldn’t be good.  He just stole their glory for God’s sake!

As they walked out of the arena and towards a private hallway, Izuku reflected on his time at Aldera.  He had followed this routine so many times before that this felt normal again, as terrible as that was.  Though bullies often followed behind him, opting to catch him by surprise (which they never did), that didn’t mean he was prone to other tactics too.  He presumed it was some sort of power play, but he was all too familiar with following behind some kid (who was weaker than a low-tier criminal) to eventually get beaten up.

He had the skills to run away or even fight, but in some weird way, taking the beating was always less of a hassle.  He didn’t have to worry about pissing them off more, and if he was quiet enough, it only took a punch or two before they got bored and left.  There was no use in fighting back, he noticed.  The bullies would get their fill of satisfaction and then leave him alone for the rest of the week, plain and simple.

But it had been a while since any of that had happened.  UA wasn’t a place that bullies often resided in, and he quickly learned that his classmates weren’t half bad and not the bullies he used to experience on a regular basis.  That didn’t mean he befriended any of them, though.  The entirety of his class kinda just left him alone, if that made sense.  They let him do his thing, and he did the same in return.  All except Shinso, of course, but Izuku considered him a special case because of how quickly they clicked.

As the pair finally arrived at a secluded area, Izuku could feel his brain running on overdrive.  This guy didn’t seem like the type that beat up other students, and not just because he was a Hero Course student.  There was something about him; the way his face seemed to always be in a state of neutrality made Izuku nervous, as it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.  A Hero Course student wouldn’t actually hurt him, right?   There’s no way a person who was training to save others would beat down some General Studies' kid just because he was angry? No! He had to think rationally here.  He wasn’t in middle school anymore, nobody was going to hurt him.

“Izuku Midoriya, correct?” the boy asked as he stood against the adjacent wall Izuku was situated near.

For one of the first times in Izuku’s life, he gulped at the confrontation.  What?! This guy was so scary and ominous, okay?

“Uh, yeah, that’s me.  I’m pretty confused as to why you wanted to talk, did you need something?” Izuku replied, unsure as to where this conversation would lead.

“I think it’s obvious why I brought you over here,” the boy stated, leaving Izuku more confused.  Did he think Izuku could read minds or something?

“You’re Todoroki, right? Endeavour’s kid?  I don’t get what kind of business you have with me, we’re nothing alike,” Izuku said, sounding more annoyed than he meant to be.

“Your team got first place in the Cavalry Battle with a strategy that I assume you came up with.  I’d say we have plenty of business,” Todoroki answered expressionless, something Izuku took as part of his personality.

“And? If this is some challenge or declaration, give it to Shinso or Monoma, I’m not the guy you want here.  I’m a nobody from General Studies whose plan went well, nothing more.  I don’t intend to win the finals, anyway,” Izuku explained, his eyebrows scrunching in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.  Why did he even bring him here?

“How did you do it so easily?” Todoroki asked.  “Getting the headbands, I mean.  I’ve never seen anybody put so much into a simple sports game.”

Izuku was rendered speechless.  He didn’t know the answer, truth be told.  Or at least, he didn’t want to face it, not now.

“I enjoy bungee jumping,” he decided to go with.

Todoroki gave him a questioning glare, the most emotion he had displayed all day.  “You don’t seem like the type,” he said blankly.  “But I have to know something.”

“What is it?” Izuku asked, curious.  This guy was pretty weird, and he had no idea where this was going.

“Do you know that vigilante Karma, or something?  That would explain your incredible mobility if you learned from someone like them,” Todoroki questioned.

What?  No, seriously.  What the fuck?

“What? No, of course not! Why would you even suggest it?  I’ve never met a vigilante in my life!” Izuku exclaimed, his voice cracking faintly, regardless of the attempts to keep it even.

How was Todoroki so close yet so far off at the same time???

Todoroki gave him another questioning glance, this one more visible than the last.  “If you say so… it was just an observation.”

“I mean, I can see what you mean, most people would’ve hesitated if they were in my shoes, so I can understand why you’d assume that about me,” Izuku supplied.

“So you don’t want to be a hero? Even with the skills you’ve displayed so far?” Todoroki asked almost hesitantly.

“I learned a long time ago that I’d never make it as a hero, so the dream just died out,” Izuku disclosed.  He had no idea why this boy was so easy to open up to, but he wasn’t complaining.

“I was raised to be a hero,” Todoroki stated.

“Oh?”

“Have you heard of quirk marriages?” Todoroki asked.

Izuku nodded.

“My father, Endeavour, and my mother were in a relationship for the sole purpose of creating powerful children.  I grew to resent my old man because he only saw me as some tool to complete his unfinished goals.  I never use my left side in battle because I refuse to be that person for him.  I— I get what you mean, about the dream dying out.  For a long time… I wanted to go against my father and be something else.  But saving people… that was more important to me,” Todoroki revealed, and wow, Izuku was not expecting a trauma dump in the middle of the Sports Festival, but here he was.

“I’m really sorry for what you’ve been through, Todoroki,” Izuku replied.  “But is there a reason you’re telling me all of this?”

“If you truly want to be a hero, then fight for it.  When we face off in the matches, I want you to bring your all against me, don’t pull some cheap loss and give up immediately.  It would be a disgrace to your character after what you accomplished in the Cavalry Battle,” Todoroki said, voice unwavering.

Those words hit Izuku like a pound of bricks.  No one besides Eraser Head had commented on his potential before, and though he was planning on just giving up in the finals, he felt like he owed it to Todoroki to win.  To prove himself to everyone.

And with Todoroki’s declaration, something in Izuku clicked.  A new urge to try and win against the all mighty Hero Course overcame his previous resolve.  And before he could think logically about it, he heard himself say, “I look forward to beating you.”

Todoroki replied with a smirk, and only a moment later, he was gone.  Izuku felt his stomach growl, as he had barely scraped enough together for breakfast this morning.  Right, food.

Izuku’s mind had changed.  He was going to fight to win.

——————

“Hey, Midoriya, over here!” Izuku heard Shinso call as he left the food lineup.

Glancing over his shoulder, Izuku spotted Shinso and Hatsume sitting together at a small table.  After arriving at the table, Izuku promptly placed his tray down and sat next to Shinso.  Looking around, he asked, “where’s Monoma?”

“He went to celebrate with his class, but he said he’d talk to us after the tournament,” Shinso explained after swallowing a mouthful of rice.

“Oh, okay.  That makes sense,” Izuku said, now starting to dig into his dish.  He really should start eating better, but healthy food was so expensive and his only income other than his distant dad (which all money went towards tuition and rent) was through side jobs he picked up.  And it’s not like those are enough to pay for healthy meals and—

“So, Midoriya,” Hatsume said, snapping the boy out of his train of thought.  “Where’d you run off to with 10 million?  You were gone for half of lunch and missed the lineup for the tournament.”

“Ah, sorry for keeping you guys waiting, but we went to this hallway near the bathrooms.  He tried to declare war on me for the finals and told me to bring my all,” Izuku explained.  Truth be told, he was still trying to wrap his head around it himself.

“But you’re not even trying to win?” Shinso asked, an eyebrow raising in confusion.

“That’s what I told him!  But if I’m being honest… I kinda want to win now.  Not even to switch over to the Hero Course because that’s impossible anyway, but to be able to say that I did it.  Y’know?” Izuku said almost hesitantly.  He didn’t want to make Shinso feel like he was trying to steal the spot away! Shinso deserved it more than anybody, honestly.

But Izuku’s worries disappeared when he saw a wild grin appear on his friend’s face.  “Took you long enough to get warmed up.  I was scared you were going to chicken out on me.”

“Can't wait to see how you two boys compete in the finals.  It’ll be interesting to watch!” Hatsume laughed as she got up from her seat.  “For now, though, I need to make sure my babies are prepared for my match.  Bye!”

Hatsume walked off towards the exit, leaving just Izuku and Shinso alone at the table.

“So,” Izuku started, “let’s talk strategy.”

“Let’s hear what you got,” Shinso replied.

——————

If there was one word Shota could use to describe how he was feeling today, it would have to be anxious.  Which was peculiar because he rarely felt anxious.

Today though, today was different.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the events that transpired the night before.  With Karma hunched on the ground and a grown man— a hero, raving about taking him into the police.  The sight of a large purple bruise on the cheekbone of the vigilante’s freckled face.  Seeing his kid’s face for the first time— even if it was just one minuscule part of his cheek.  It was something, and it proved that Karma trusted him enough to let him look.

Though that wasn’t the thing that was making him anxious.  It was the injury itself that kept the hero up last night.  It was a nasty bruise, covering a large portion of the kid's cheek.  He was honestly surprised that he noticed the freckles the kid sported with how dark the bruise was.  Karma was fortunate enough that the cheekbone didn’t seem to be fractured, but Shota still felt on edge with having to wait until tonight to check on the injury again.

Karma had been through worse, much worse, but no matter how big or small, Shota always seemed to fret over any wound the vigilante got.  It was a young kid putting their life on the line every night!  His kid.   And he wanted him to be safe, regardless of how unrealistic that wish was.

So Shota had to be there to support him, so that the vigilante wouldn’t push him away.  And he hated it because he wanted Karma’s case to be over with, for him to be off the streets and practicing heroism safely.  Well, legally.

Shota’s leg tapped anxiously against the tiles of the staff room of which he was currently hiding in.  It was the lunch break for the Sports Festival, so he opted to use the precious time hidden away, hoping that he could spend his lunch undisturbed.

If he could just get an hour of peace and quiet—

The staff room door busted open before he could even finish his train of thought.  And of course, the one behind the door was the only one who didn’t know better about disturbing Shota.  Or maybe he just didn’t care.

His husband walked in a moment later, practically buzzing with enough excitement that Shota knew he would be leaving the room with a mild headache at the least.

“Ah, Shota, there you are!  I had a feeling you’d be hiding out in here,” Hizashi said as he walked farther into the room.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to keep interactions to a minimum.  I’m too exhausted for this— and I still can’t believe you signed me up for the co-host spot!” Shota replied as he picked up his coffee mug that read cat dad ( what? Hizashi got it for his birthday, okay!) from the desk it was previously resting on.

“Oh, c’mon, Sho! You know no one can rock that microphone like you can.  Your commentary’s been great so far,” Hizashi encouraged.  “Plus, we’re in the finals now, it’s about to get real exciting!”

“Calm down, I didn’t say I was going to quit,” Shota reassured as he took a sip from his still scorching coffee, just how he liked it.

Shota rolled his eyes when he witnessed a sigh of relief come from his husband.  He wasn’t planning on quitting the job, even if he didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it was fun to watch his husband stress over it.

“Speaking of,” he added, “what are your thoughts about the final sixteen?” Shota asked.

“Honestly, Todoroki or Bakugo probably have it in the bag this year, but I’m so proud of how far my two kids got!” Hizashi said as he took a seat next to his husband, his nose scrunching at the smell of pure black coffee.  Hizashi had always been more of a tea drinker.

“Ah, Shinso and Midoriya, correct?  I must admit that I found them quite intriguing.  I’ve never seen that kind of strategy during a Cavalry Battle before,” Shota commented.

Shota was beyond impressed with their skills, it being a pure example of what training and practice did for someone.  But even still, something felt off.  He couldn’t place his finger on what made his mind reel with confusion.  How they, specifically the green one, Midoriya, carried himself and his team.

It was something so indescribable yet familiar all at once that Shota couldn’t directly pinpoint what it was.  The way he jumped from his team, or even just how he ran, had Shota’s mind running full-time to try to make a connection.  And all that did was leave him with a bigger headache than before, so great.

“Yes!” Hizashi exclaimed, “I knew they were serious about winning, but their performance had me on the edge of my seat.”

“Wow, you underestimate your students that much?” Shota asked teasingly.

“You know what I mean,” his husband scoffed, slapping his shoulder and almost spilling the coffee that was still warming his hands.  Shota sent him a glare in retaliation.

“Speaking of our kids, how’s your listener?” Hizashi asked.

“You mean Karma?” Shota replied, almost exasperated.

“So you do think he’s your kid!” the blond claimed, his voice an octave higher than usual due to excitement.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.  And he’d be better if he wasn’t constantly in trouble.  He’s seriously going to get injured beyond healing if he continues at this pace.  No kid should be doing full-time patrols while balancing school,” Shota sighed.  This kid was definitely the reason for his newly grown grey hairs.

“Eh, still no progress, huh?” Hizashi replied, previous excitement dulling a little.

“Well, not exactly.  I saw part of his face last night, so that’s something new,” Shota said, taking another sip of his coffee.

“You what?!” Hizashi yelled, shaking Shota like the explanation would fall in his lap if he shook him hard enough.  The motion swished some coffee along the side of his mug, almost spilling it onto his lap.

“Jesus, Hizashi, watch it!” Shota reprimanded.  “But yes, I did.  Blackjack, a rookie underground pro, thought it was a rational idea to try to take Karma in.  Said I was going soft or something idiotic like that.  And when the kid tried to flee, he ran into Blackjack’s quirk.  I’m still surprised he let me see the injury, even if it was a minuscule part of his face.  I still take it as progress regardless,” Shota explained as his husband listened intently.  If there was one thing that got the hero to shut up, it was Karma.

“That’s incredible news, Sho! I’m sure he’ll open up to you fully any day now,” Hizashi said.

Shota smiled grimly.  “Speaking of, Midoriya actually reminds—"

Before Shota could finish, the speakers that littered the building came to life, with Midnight’s voice filling them a second later.

“The finals will begin shortly! Everyone, please make your way back to the stadium!”

“I’ll tell you after,” Shota sighed as he downed the rest of his coffee in one swift motion.  After placing the now empty mug on the desk, he followed Hizashi out the door and back towards the commentary booth.

He had a long afternoon ahead of him.

——————

Round one:

Match one: Momo Yaoyorozu vs Eijiro Kirshima

Match two: Izuku Midoriya vs Neito Monoma

Match three: Shoto Todoroki vs Hanta Sero

Match four: Tenya Iida vs Mei Hatsume

Match five: Setsuna Tokage vs Katsuki Bakugo

Match six: Reiko Yanagi vs Mina Ashido

Match seven: Ibara Shiozaki vs Denki Kaminari

Match eight: Hitoshi Shinso vs Itsuka Kendo

——————

After learning the lineup for the first round, Izuku chose to skip right to strategizing against Kirishima and Yaoyorozu.  It’s not that he didn’t think Monoma was talented, it’s just— he didn’t really stand a chance.  Izuku was quirkless, so his quirk wouldn’t work on him, and as far as Izuku knew, Monoma didn’t know about his status.

He kinda felt bad for the guy deep down, but what else was he supposed to do?  They were destined to a quirkless fist fight, and unless Monoma was holding back from him, then Izuku had it in the bag.  He wished that it wasn’t the case for Monoma’s sake, but he was sure that the future hero would have plenty of coverage in the coming years.

So with that in mind, he let his fight with Monoma rest on the back burner whilst he created other plans.  Besting two 1-A students, especially one that got in through recommendations, was going to be a difficult feat to accomplish.

Kirishima’s quirk allowed him to turn his entire body rock hard, while Yaoyorozu was able to create anything from her body.  Izuku didn’t know the limits to either of the powers, so it was difficult to estimate how well versed they were in their quirk use.

Which really only left with him one thing to do.

Observe.

Though it was technically his time to rest in the waiting room before his fight, he just had to know more about them to strategize.

So after both students entered the gravelled field, he took the opportunity to hide out in the tunnels leading to the arena.  Nobody had technically said he wasn’t allowed to do it, but the thought of doing something that might get him in trouble was anxiety inducing (ironic given his past times).

From where he was located, he had the perfect view of the battle that was on its way to commencing, and he was suddenly feeling grateful that he remembered his notebook.  There was so much to write about.

Yaoyorozu had the brains to outwit almost any opponent she came across, while Kirishima seemed like the type to just go for it without much of a plan.  Izuku could use both of those to his advantage, given the proper time to strategize.  Though right now, he was curious as to who would take the first win.

Displaying weaknesses and flaws in one’s fighting style was standard for 15-year-olds trying to become a hero, so Izuku expected them to basically hand him the information.

“Alright, everybodyyyyyy.  We’re in the finals for this season’s First Years!  The last event will pit students against each other in a tournament style fight.  Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them, or making them surrender!  Quirk use is encouraged and don’t be afraid to play dirty, so bring pain! But remember, you’re training to become future pro heroes, so keep that heroic attitude and don’t kill your opponents!” Present Mic explained, voice sounding more excited than it was before lunch, if that was even possible.

“Now let’s get started, shall we?  Our first match is Yaoyorozu, a student who got in through recommendations, of the hero course!  She’s up against Kirishima, whose body is the perfect balance between shield and sword, of the Hero Course!” Present Mic introduced, and Izuku couldn’t resist the urge to snort at his teacher’s enthusiasm. 

A second later, the horn blows, and Kirishima is off in a flash.  He charges towards Yaoyorozu while hardening his skin, and his voice is just loud enough for Izuku to hear him say, “let’s end this quickly!”

It seemed as though Izuku was correct in his analysis, and that Kirishima was the type to completely rush into things when he presumed he had a high chance of winning.  He displayed that trait in the Obstacle Race, but this match only solidified Izuku’s thesis.

Yaoyorozu, in turn, created a shield, which probably wasn’t her best idea.  Kirishima would just smash through it and the round would be over.  She must have some other plan at play, Izuku thought.

Right after he thought it, it clicked.  As Kirishima lunged at the shield, his hardened arms clashing back and forth against Yaoyorozu’s apparently unbreakable shield, Yaoyorozu was trying to create something on her forearm that was pushing against the back of her shield.

Each powerful strike against now dented metal brought Yaoyorozu closer to the border of the ring.  She was about seven hits away until her feet would be past the bolded lines, and like that, she’d be done.

“Uh oh! Looks like Yaoyorozu is on the defence while the unbreakable Kirishima attacks her at full force!  Is this it for her, or will she pull ahead when all hope seems lost?” Present Mic narrated as the duo became closer and closer to the borders.

Kirishima, who was focusing on forcing his opponent out of bounds, didn’t seem to notice his classmate’s ulterior plans.  The sparkle that indicated her quirk was at use shined behind large metal, hiding it from the view of her opponent.

Seven hits turned to six, and six into five.  Izuku still couldn’t tell what Yaoyorozu was trying to make, her creation time probably slowing when overwhelmed, something Izuku would use against her if she faced off against him next.  It formed at a pace akin to a snail, and even Izuku was feeling on the edge of his seat (if he was sitting in one).

With only two hits remaining until Yaoyorozu would inevitably be out of bounds, the sparkling stopped, either indicating that she accepted fate and gave up or that the creation was complete.

Another punch.

As Kirishima lifts his arm to go in for the finishing blow, Izuku notices Yaoyorozu whip something towards his calf, successfully wrapping it around the hardened skin.  A moment later, she pulls with the remaining strength she has and Kirishima tumbles backwards, flying onto his back.

The horn sounds, signalling the match’s conclusion.  Izuku looks down to the ground where Kirishima is lying and notices what Yaoyorozu’s plan was.

Kirishima’s foot is outside the bounds, Yaoyorozu’s only a millimeter away.  Some sort of cloth lies on the ground, still wrapped around Kirishima’s now softening leg.  Izuku wasn’t sure if that was her plan all along, but by the look of disappointment on her face, he assumed it was a last-minute ordeal.

“Yaoyorozu is the winner of the first match!” Midnight cheered.

Both are huffing frantically, and when Yaoyorozu seems to have gotten a clear head, she extends her hand out to where Kirishima is still laying on the ground.  When he notices the invitation, he accepts and raises back up onto his feet.  They share a knowing glance, with Kirishima giving a full teeth smile and shaking her hand firmly.  Soon after, they both leave the field, the crowd cheering Yaoyorozu’s name as she walks off.

“Woahhh, looks like Yaoyorozu had a plan after all!  Those were some killer moves she pulled at the end.  Can't wait to see what she does in the next round!” Present Mic exclaimed.

Too busy scribbling down observations and strategies in his notebook, Izuku doesn’t notice when Yaoyorozu starts to approach him.  He lifts his head up from the book of notes when he hears her footsteps, and out of panic, he said, “good job out there, Yaoyorozu!”

“Thank you, uh—”

“Midoriya.”

“Thank you, Midoriya,” she smiled grimly, obviously unsatisfied with her win.  Izuku would have to look into that later.

He doesn’t have a chance to respond, though, because a moment later, Izuku hears the familiar voice of his homeroom teacher.  “Alright, everybody! Match two is about to begin.  Now introducing Izuku Midoriya and Neito Monoma!”

Chapter Text

As Izuku entered the blinding arena, he realized that his situation was really starting to sink in.  He was in the UA Sports Festival.  Competing in the finals for first place.  Going against UA students, the toughest group of future heroes that one could come across.

He was definitely screwed.

Present Mic’s voice blared through the speakers as Izuku walked across the grass and onto the dirt filled rectangle where the match would take place.  The crowd, as always, was cheering at an unrivalled level, the encouragement only increasing the pressure he was accumulating.

Midnight and Cementoss sat right outside the borders, not only playing ref, but as backup in case the match went south.  Across from him, only a couple of metres away, was Monoma, who was sporting his typical mischievous grin.  If only he knew , Izuku thought grimly.

“On the right we have our first General Studies student of the day! Izuku Midoriya’s team placed first in the Cavalry Battle with a combination of teamwork and his leadership! Does he have any more plans up his sleeve for the finals?” Present Mic narrated, and wow, Izuku did not need that much of an intro.

“On the left is Class B’s Neito Monoma! He was also on Midoriya’s team during the Cavalry Battle, so it seems that we have our first former teammates fighting against each other!” Present Mic continued, and if Izuku didn’t know any better, his teacher was definitely picking favourites.

After Midnight’s signal, the horn blared, indicating that the match had begun.

Just as Izuku was about to speak, Monoma beat him to the punch. “Y’know, Midoriya, I asked around and nobody seems to know anything about your quirk, which I find rather intriguing,” Monoma said, the glint in his eye from earlier becoming more visible.

Just as Izuku was about to reply, he slapped his hand over his mouth.  There was one thing that he had forgotten to consider when strategizing against Monoma.

He could copy quirks.

Which he knew, obviously, but does that mean he took someone’s before entering the arena? Could he have multiple quirks at his disposal right now?  Could he have copied Shinso’s?  Izuku was completely in the dark, and so in response, he stayed silent and slowly backed away from Monoma in an attempt to keep some distance between them while formulating a new plan.

“Cold move from Midoriya!” Present Mic commented, “he completely ignored Monoma and chose to back away from him!”

“Oh, come now,” Monoma said.  “I didn’t copy any quirks before entering the match.  Not even Shinso’s, as you seem to be under the impression of.”

Izuku lifted an eyebrow, unconvinced, and Monoma let out a huff.

“A stubborn one, aren’t you, Midoriya?” Monoma chuckled to himself.  “As I mentioned, you’re a mystery among the students here… nobody seems to know what your quirk is, and you haven’t mentioned it either.”

What is he on about? Izuku thought as they slowly walked in circles, each step gradually growing closer to the other.

“Most people love talking about their quirks, and you seem to be no different— at least about others.  Your analysis’ on your peers are quite in depth from what I’ve heard, yet you haven’t mentioned a word about your own… why is that?” Monoma asked after his short monologue.  He seemed to love the sound of his own voice , Izuku considered.  Or maybe this was his way of trying to get him to talk.

In response, Izuku shrugged, still opting not to speak.  Just in case.

An agitated look spread across Monoma’s face as his eye slightly twitched.  “Very well then.  I’ll end this round swiftly by using your power against you!  I’ll finally end the mystery about the quirk you’re so adamant on keeping quiet about,” Monoma declared, and if Izuku was any less confident in his own abilities, he probably would have been scared.

As Monoma charged at him, Izuku’s mind started racing.  There was still a high possibility that the hero student copied another person’s quirk and lied to him about it.  Izuku would have, had he been in Monoma’s shoes.

Monoma swung powerfully at the left side of Izuku’s abdomen, and if he wasn’t so focused on the possible quirks the blond could be harbouring, he definitely would have commented on how well his form was.  The punch was strong and calculated, though very predictable, so Izuku threw his arms up in a defensive stance as he blocked the hit.

“Monoma threw the first punch of the match, but unfortunately for him, his hit was blocked effortlessly by Midoriya!” Present Mic’s voice echoed through the speakers.  He wasn’t even being subtle anymore!

“The block was incredibly well done, especially for the solid punch Monoma threw.  It would have been a devastating blow if Midoriya hadn’t reacted accordingly,” Eraser Head added to the commentary, and wow, Izuku completely forgot he was watching for a minute.

A sly grin formed on Monoma’s face, insinuating that he undoubtedly used his quirk on Izuku.  Izuku didn’t even have time to smile in response before he saw Monoma’s face fall into a look of confusion.  But before the blond could react to his current predicament, Izuku took Monoma down in one swift motion, pinning both hands behind his back.

The move was a basic martial arts technique, something he had picked up online and polished during his experiences in vigilantism.  All in all, it wasn’t anything that would lead to suspicions about his training, especially by the pro hero who he had spent numerous patrols with.

“No fair, you’re a blank?” Monoma mumbled as he squirmed in a fruitless attempt to free himself from Izuku’s grasp.  “I totally thought you had some sort of analysis quirk or even something mega powerful,” he pouted, and if Izuku was a better person, he probably would have felt more bad for him.

“Ready to give up now?” Izuku asked, speaking for the first time during the match.

“You’re no fun, you know that, Midoriya?” Monoma huffed dramatically.  “I barely got a chance to show off!”

Izuku shrugged again, but still kept his hold on the blond firm.

An annoyed sigh emitted from Monoma before he admitted defeat, making Izuku grin triumphantly.

“What a sick move Midoriya used to take down his opponent!” Present Mic cheered, and Izuku was only now noticing the cheers from all across the arena.  He must have completely tuned them out.

After Midnight announced his victory, Izuku let go of the blond and offered a hand to the boy, who was gently massaging his wrists.

“You have a deathly grip,” Monoma commented, exasperated, resulting in Izuku laughing at the complaint.

“Sorry about that,” he chuckled, placing one hand on the back of his head.  “I’m also sorry about stealing your spotlight and ignoring you, but I wanna win just as much as you do.”

“It was clever of you to do that,” Monoma said.  “I actually intended to copy Shinso’s quirk, but they mentioned that quirk use wasn’t allowed before the match,” he admitted.

“Wow, never took you for a deceiver, Monoma,” Izuku teased.

“Hey! I’ll have you know it’s only in situations like these in which I stoop to such lengths.  But watch out because I’ll definitely beat you next time, blank quirk or not,” Monoma replied.

“I’m holding you to that,” Izuku smiled as he started to walk back towards the large exit doors.

When he made it back into the dark tunnel, Izuku sighed heavily in relief.  He did it, he actually did it.  And now, he was going against one of Class 1-A’s representatives.

Shit.

——————

The next fight was Todoroki and some tape guy, Sero, Izuku thought he heard Present Mic mention.

It was a miracle he made it back to the stands in time to watch the match, as he just finished his.  When he made it to the upper level, the boxes in which the students were assigned to spectate the matches, Izuku looked around for Shinso.  After scanning the area, his eyes landed on the purple-haired boy he called his friend.

He walked over to Shinso, whose gaze was intently focused on the match that was about to commence.

“Hey, Shinso!” Izuku greeted as he sat down in the empty seat next to him.

“Oh, hi,” Shinso replied, his attention leaving the field to settle on Izuku.  “Congrats on winning the first match, I’m sure Monoma is pissed, though.”

“Hahaha, yeah, he wasn’t too happy that his quirk didn’t work on me, that’s for sure.  He was basically doomed to fist fight me, and I know you’ve had first-hand experience with that,” Izuku smirked as he watched Shinso shudder at the memory.

“Don’t remind me.  There hasn’t been a time when you haven’t kicked my ass.  You’re actually ridiculous, you know that?” Shinso replied, causing Izuku to bark out a laugh.

“Now you know I only do this for your own sake, Mr. feels defeated after two spars,” Izuku teased lightheartedly.

“Don’t blame me for feeling defeated when you’re literally impossible to beat.  When was the last time you lost a fight, actually?” Shinso complained.

Izuku hummed in thought before answering, “honestly, I can’t even remember.  I have come close to losing before, I just know how to pick my fights.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, then you’re failing miserably,” Shinso said, rolling his eyes.  “Oh, by the way…”

“What’s up?”

“You said that Monoma’s quirk didn’t work on you.  I’ve been meaning to ask what your quirk is, but it’s never really come up,” Shinso replied, and the moment the words were said, Izuku felt his blood run cold.

What could he even say?  There was no way he could actually tell him that he’s quirkless.  He knew Shinso wouldn’t actively unfriend him, but what if he started treating him differently? There was no way that Izuku was ruining the only friendship he had been able to maintain.

“Well, about that actually…”

As if on cue, a tall wall of ice blasted through the stadium, its sharp edges coming mere centimeters away from hitting Izuku and Shinso’s face.  Both of them were rendered speechless, and as Izuku looked around the rest of the area, he noticed that everyone else carried a similar expression.

The ice wall covered the whole section that Izuku was sitting in, its large spikes reaching far into the sky.  A white fog settled around the arena due to the frigid blast of ice meeting the humid air of late spring.

So much power in a singular attack.

Not even a minute later, the sound of the Sport’s Festival horn blew, followed by Midnight cheering, “Sero has been rendered immobile.  Todoroki is the winner of the third match!”

“Awh, man,” Izuku huffed dramatically.  “I didn’t even get to see them fight.  I guess I’ll have to study him in the next match.”

“No shit,” Shinso said, a large grin stretching across his face, something he always did out of awe, Izuku noticed.

“He can emit so much power with such ease, it’s actually incredible how strong quirks are in later generations,” Izuku mumbled as he started scribbling notes into his notebook.  Even though he didn’t have much to go on combat wise, that large attack already fuelled a million questions in Izuku’s mind.  He’d have to ask Todoroki about it after the Sport’s Festival.

But something that Izuku wasn’t expecting to see when he looked up from his notebook to observe Todoroki using his left side to melt the ice, was the look of pure sadness on his face.  It wasn’t like Yaoyorozu, whose face was covered in disappointment.  No, Todoroki’s face was just numb, something Izuku knew a little too well.  Another member of Class 1-A to look into, he supposed.

Once the arena had been cleared of the remaining ice, Izuku heard Present Mic’s voice fill the speakers once again.  “In match number four we have Tenya Iida of the Hero Course and Class 1-A’s representative! Against him is Mei Hatsume of the Support Course with a whole bunch of support items on the fly!  And would you look at that!  It looks like she lent some of them to Iida.”

Followed by his commentary, Midnight added, “as long as both parties are okay with it, then I’ll allow it for this match!”

The minute Izuku saw the wild grin on Hatsume’s face after Midnight’s approval and the microphone strapped to her ear, he knew that this hero course student was done for.

And that he was.

If Izuku hadn’t known Hatsume, he probably would have felt more bad for Class 1-A’s representative.  The match only lasted for a few minutes, but during that time, the boy couldn’t land a single hit, all while Hatsume was raving about her favourite babies.

She acted as if this festival were an advertisement, and to her, it probably was.  As Iida stumbled around trying his best to end the match, Hatsume continued to ramble on while dodging his attacks effortlessly thanks to her support items.  If her extraordinary sales performance wasn’t enough to sell her inventions, the pure ease in evading a Hero Course student’s attack would be.

It was, to say the least, quite embarrassing, and there was a part of Izuku that felt bad for the poor guy.  But alas, after Hatsume had completed her commercial of support items, she stepped out of the ring, declaring Iida the victor of the match.

“I feel bad for him, don’t get me wrong, but that was pretty goddamn funny,” Shinso said as both competitors exited the stadium.

Izuku laughed, “me too.  Hatsume did him so dirty, but I can’t even expect anything less from her.”

The next match was Kacchan against Setsuna Tokage from Class 1-B.  Izuku didn’t know much about the latter, but he did remember seeing her briefly during the Cavalry Battle.

A few minutes before the fight was about to begin, Izuku noticed Monoma striding towards them, his face as prideful as ever.

“Well look who we got here, General Studies boys,” he said, a teasing grin covering the expanse of his face.

“Last time I checked, this General Studies' boy kicked your Hero Course ass,” Izuku replied, a smile just as wide.

“That’s only because both of you withheld valuable information about your capabilities!  Especially you, Shinso, I thought we had something between us,” the blond pouted, causing the other two boys to roll their eyes.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never won against him either, and I’ve been sparring with him for weeks,” Shinso supplied, although he knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“So he’s just that much of a beast, huh,” Monoma sighed.

“Pretty much.”

“You guys talk too highly of me,” Izuku butted in.  “With more training, I know you’ll be able to beat me!”  He wasn’t even being dishonest.  All he really had going for himself was his agility, stamina, and a bit of luck.  His experience outweighed their quirks, but with time, they’d surpass him.  Like everyone else eventually would.  That’s the life of a quirkless person, after all.

“The day I beat you at quirkless combat is the day I’ll fix my sleep schedule,” Shinso joked, though Izuku knew that was his way of saying it would never happen.  He didn’t mind a little confidence boost from time to time, so he’d let the comment slide for the time being.

“So, Monoma,” Izuku said, steering the conversation towards the ongoing competition.  “What’s Tokage like in terms of powers?”

“Ah, Tokage.  Well, she got into the Hero Course through recommendations and is one of the top students in our clearly superior class. Her quirk is one of the best in the Hero Course, and she excels in short-range and long-range attacks, along with being incredible at scouting.  I have complete faith that she’ll take down Class A’s gremlin of a student,” Monoma replied confidently.

Either Monoma had never seen Kacchan fight, or this girl was out of this world powerful , Izuku thought.

“What’s her quirk?” Izuku asked.

“Her quirk is called Lizard Tail Splitter, and she’s able to split her body into small chunks that she has full control over!  Her quirk allows her to not only fly around, but gather information, all while having the sharpest mind in the class.  I know I talk highly of my class at all possible times, but she truly is a feat to go up against,” Monama explained thoughtfully.  His adoration for his class was admirable.

“Her quirk sounds amazing!” Izuku replied.  “I can't wait to see how this match turns out.”

“In match number five, we have Hero Course students Katsuki Bakugo and Setsuna Tokage.  Bakugo is in Class 1-A and has been scoring high in the festival all day!  Will this be the end of his winning streak?  On the other hand, Tokage is in Class 1-B and got into UA through recommendations, so it’s a fairly evened match!” Present Mic exclaimed.

The horn went off for what felt like the thousandth time that day, and Izuku watched with anticipation, notebook and pen in hand.  Kacchan was an incredible fighter, one of the best of their age, he would argue.  But Tokage had gotten into UA through recommendations, so she also must be unbelievably talented, too.  The match could go in either of their favours.

It would be interesting to see what Tokage would do, as she could split herself up into tiny chunks.  It would be convenient to get close, but all Kacchan would have to do—

An explosion erupted on the field, black smoke rising soon after.  In the center of it all was Kacchan, his form fluid and both hands raised towards his opponent.  Tokage, although physically affected, was still standing after his powerful attack.  She used her left hand to wipe a speck of ash off her cheek before charging at Kacchan, little bits of her body separating and floating into the sky.

The pieces that she separated were parts of her face and sections of her lower body that weren't essential to her movement on the ground, a fascinating strategy, Izuku thought.

Another explosion was set off as chunks of her body started to surround Kacchan, her main body not far behind.  His explosion was successful for a moment, and she flew backwards, but with pure resilience, she continued toward him again.

It would be difficult to immobilize her, as she could detach her body at will, and making her surrender seemed out of the question as well.  All that was left was for Kacchan to either knock her out of bounds or make her lose consciousness, and knowing the blond, he wouldn’t want something that would feel like a cheap win.

Tokage on the other hand, was suffering the same fate.  Immobilizing Kacchan would be difficult considering her quirk, and his explosions only made that more difficult.  She would never make him admit defeat, so that was impossible, which meant that she also had to knock him out, either physically or out of bounds.

Considering both their skills and circumstances, this match could really go either way, all it would truly come down to was who could pull off their plan faster.

After more explosions were set off, the strength of the attacks rattling the arena, Tokage retreated, her eyes gleaming with something unknown, bullets of sweat rolling down the side of her face.  Kacchan was in a similar state; sweat rolled down the sides of his face and palms.  His eyebrows were furrowed more than they typically were, meaning that Kacchan was getting seriously annoyed, which said a lot, as he was always annoyed.

With a smirk on her face, Tokage sighed, leaving the blond looking around confused.  At that moment, only three people seemed to have known what was about to happen: Tokage, Katsuki, and Izuku.

It happened within the span of a blink; Tokage’s separated body parts banded together in an attempt to knock Kacchan off his feet, which, by what Izuku observed, would be just enough time for her to run over and detain him.

But almost simultaneously, another explosion emerged from his palms, this one more straightforward than the rest.  However, it wasn’t enough, and Tokage was able to make it to Kacchan’s side and pin him to the ground.

The horn blared, signalling that the match was over.

“Katsuki Bakugo is the winner of the match!” Midnight announced.

A large uproar burst throughout the stadium, all viewers booing the conclusion.  Izuku wasn’t surprised, only a select few people would have noticed the true situation, so of course common civilians wouldn’t pick up on it.

“Oh, come on! How did Bakugo win against our amazing Tokage?!” Monoma complained, exasperated, and Izuku turned to the blond to explain.

“Well what happened was—"

“The people who are booing the call Midnight made aren’t looking at the full picture,” a voice echoed through the arena.  “In Bakugo’s final explosion, fire and ash weren’t the only things that shot out of bounds,” Eraser Head explained tiredly.

And then the crowd saw it: a few pieces of Tokage’s body were lying just outside the border, the light colour of her skin barely noticeable in the tan sandy exterior.

“There it is,” Izuku smiled.

“This is one of the most absurd matches I’ve ever witnessed, and I went up against you!” Monoma exclaimed.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Shinso added right after.

“I don’t think most people were,” Izuku grimaced.  “You really had to be paying attention to see it.”

“You’re saying you knew that this was going to happen?” Shinso asked, confused.

“Well the match could have gone in either of their favours depending on what strategy they went with.  I don’t think this was Kacchan’s original plan, but considering his circumstances, this was the easiest way to win the match,” Izuku reflected thoughtfully, not noticing the amazed look plastered on Shinso’s face.

“Argh, that’s so frustrating! Our Tokage lost in such unfortunate circumstances!”

As Izuku watched both competitors leave the arena, he knew that most people would probably be leaving this festival unsatisfied.

The next event was due to commence in ten minutes or so, giving the teachers and robots enough time to clear off the ring that was decorated in explosive patches and burn marks.

“It looks like Ashido and Yanagi are next. What’s Yanagi like, Monoma?” Izuku asked curiously.

“Yanagi is an interesting character, I’ll give her that,” Monoma commented.  "Her quirk is Poltergeist, so she can move things with telekinesis.  Unfortunately, she’s still trying to increase her weight limit, so she can’t lift people or larger animals,” Monoma explained.

“So she’s at a severe disadvantage then,” Izuku added.  “If she can lift objects with her mind, and she’s fighting in an empty arena, then any power she has is useless.  On top of that, Ashido was on Kacchan’s team, so she must be powerful to be accepted by him.”

“You summed it up well, Midoriya.  This setting is her worst nightmare, well, at least until she can lift people,” Monoma said.

“Guess she’s just like us, then,” Shinso joked, resulting in a small smile from both Izuku and the blond.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Izuku sighed.

“And now, for match six, we have Mina Ashido facing off against Reiko Yanagi! Ashido is a Hero Course student in Class 1-A and finished pretty high up in the first two rounds of the festival! Yanagi is in Class 1-B and her power is pretty spoooky!” Present Mic announced, trying his best to hype up the crowd that had died down due to the previous match.

The sound of the horn echoed loudly, and both competitors took a defensive stance.  It was likely that neither of them knew what their quirks were, so starting defensive was the smartest move either of them could have made.

However, when neither seemed to want to make the first move, the pink one, Ashido, started charging forward, a white substance starting to formulate on her hands and feet.  A moment later, Ashido changed her form, akin to a surfer, and started gliding across the pavement slabs.  By Izuku’s guess, she was probably using whatever that white stuff was to slide so easily.

“Woooahhhh, look at Ashido pull out those rad moves!” Present Mic exclaimed.

Yanagi remained in a defensive stance as Ashido steadily approached her, and in what looked to be a finishing move, Ashido released a line of acid in the direction of Yanagi.

With a second to spare, the acid froze a couple of centimeters before Yanagi and in an instant, it was launched right back at Ashido.

Ashido used her arms as a shield in an attempt to block the white acid from hitting her face, resulting in it splatting against her pink arms and fizzling out a moment later.

“Holy crap! Ashido’s acid started moving out of nowhere! Is this part of her quirk or is this Yanagi at work?” Present Mic asked excitedly.

“That’s actually incredible!” Izuku exclaimed, jotting down a bundle of words in his notebook.  “You wouldn’t expect that she’d be able to move a fluid like Ashido’s acid, but it seems that what she can move is limitless, given the proper training.  And those reflexes are awesome— the way she sent it back without even hesitating!”

“From the start of the year, Yanagi has proven herself to be very skilled in controlling her quirk, so she’s definitely capable of taking down this member of Class A,” Monoma said soon after, as confident as ever.

Eyes drifting back to the match at hand, Izuku noticed how Ashido didn’t flinch at the acid of Yanagi’s counter, insinuating that she didn’t feel the effects of her acid as Yanagi was probably hoping.  His theory was proven correct a second later when Yanagi tried to use the acid off the ground as a last-minute weapon, but ultimately failed when Ashido didn’t react to her acid.

In one final move, for the second attempt of that match, Ashido launched herself into Yanagi’s space, violating her with a brutal uppercut to the face.

“Now I know that hurt like hell,” Izuku said, gritting his teeth.

Yanagi’s head flies upwards at the contact before the rest of her body tumbles to the ground.  Ashido grimaced as she landed on the pavement a few feet away from Yanagi, mouthing a silent apology to the girl before wiping the remaining acid off her arms.

“That was a wicked punch Ashido just released on her opponent!  Yanagi is out cold, so it looks like Ashido won match six!!!” Present Mic cheered, the crowd following soon after.

“That was completely unnecessary,” Monoma pouted.

“Seems like Class 1-A is stronger than you thought, huh?” Izuku teased, causing Monoma to pout further and Shinso laughing at both of them.

“I merely underestimated their abilities,” Monoma said, waving his hand in the air as a form of dismissal.

“Not just Class 1-A either…” Izuku added, sending a mischievous smile towards the blond.

“Okay, I’m heading down to start preparing for my match,” Shinso announced, interrupting the banter between the two.

“Good luck to you, Shinso,” Monoma replied.

“Yeah, good luck! Remember what we talked about,” Izuku called as Shinso started walking away, his right hand waving behind him.

“So, it looks like the next match is between the vine girl and electricity boy,” Izuku observed, glancing down at the header of his page, pencil twirling around his fingers.

“What’s Shiozaki like? She’s in your class, right?” Izuku asked, glancing up to meet Monoma’s gaze.

“Ah, Shiozaki, arguably the angel of Class B,” Monoma started.  “Though she may seem completely innocent, her quirk, Vine, is a difficult foe to face.  Her quirk allows her to grow strong vines from the lengths of her hair, providing her with excellent offense and defense tactics!”

“Wow, Monoma, your class has so many powerful quirks!” Izuku praised, already jotting down basic notes about what he had just learned.

“Right! It’s a shame that the hoodlums of Class A continue to outshine us because of the experience they got,” Monoma said, pouting.

“You guys’ll catch up in no time! The only thing they have over your class is experience,” Izuku reassured the blond sympathetically, his fist pumping in the air momentarily.

“Hm, I suppose you’re correct, Midoriya, thank you,” Monoma replied, smiling slightly.

“In our seventh match of the first round, we have two more Hero Course students facing off against each other!” Present Mic announced.  “On one side we have Class A’s Denki Kaminari, talk about having an electric spirit!  Facing off against him is Ibara Shiozaki, known among Class B for having a killer personality!”

“Um, excuse me…” Shiozaki called, making her the first competitor to address the crowd and hosts.  “I came to UA to pursue my dreams of becoming a benevolent hero!  Naming me a killer is not only an insult to me, but to the school you’re representing!”

The stadium was quiet for a moment, all spectators absorbing her protest.  Monoma let out a little chuckle at her response to Present Mic, making Izuku elbow him in the stomach in retaliation.

A moment later, Present Mic spoke after clearing his throat.  “It was a figure of speech, but sorry about that!  Shiozaki is known for having a benevolent personality!”

“Thank you, kind sir,” Shiozaki said, facing back towards her opponent.

The buzzer blared again and Izuku noticed Kaminari take an offensive stance.

“Oh no,” Izuku sighed.

“What?” Monoma asked directly after.  But before Izuku had a chance to respond, the area lit up in a bright, yellow glow, all emitting from the blond in the center.

As he released untamed energy towards Shiozaki, a shock that would easily immobilize any person, Shiozaki made her move.  Long vines grew from the length of her hair, growing wildly around her body to create a shield.  Its density protected her from Kaminari’s attack, just like a shock protection blanket would.

“That was such an amazing strategy,” Izuku said, his mumbling returning when the use of a great quirk appeared.  “I wonder if she had any idea that her vines protected her from electricity, or if this was her first time learning that her vines could do that?”

Putting his focus back on the match, he noticed the dazed out expression on Kaminari’s face, most likely a drawback from his quirk.  A second later, Shiozaki’s vines shot towards Kaminari at a rapid speed, quickly wrapping its strong spikes around his disoriented body.

The match ended a minute later when all Midnight got in response to her question was a peculiar sound.  He was effectively immobilized, both physically and mentally.

“Would you look at that! In one move, Shiozaki was able to block her opponent’s attack while also effectively rendering him useless!  It’s a shame the round ended so quickly but we can’t be surprised when matchups like these are made,” Present Mic narrated through the speakers.

“Kaminari has a compelling quirk, but with that power comes many drawbacks.  If he doesn’t focus on stabilizing that first, then his future battles will result in similar scenarios,” Eraser Head added, his analysis spot on to what Izuku was thinking.

“Hahahaha, what an idiot! I knew everyone in Class 1-A wasn’t as great as they seemed.  Though at the same time, Shiozaki is a force to be reckoned with!”

“I think Kaminari is just more reckless than anything,” Izuku pointed out.  “He assumed he had the win in the bag because of how powerful his quirk is, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he tried to go easy on Shiozaki just because she was a girl too.”

“That just adds to my lengthy list of reasons as to why Class B is much more superior!” Monoma replied.

This boy was obsessed , Izuku thought, though still allowing a small smile to form on his lips.

“And for the final match of Round one, we have Hitoshi Shinso and Itsuka Kendo!”

“It’s Shinso’s match! I’m so excited to see how he does!” Izuku exclaimed.

“Midoriya, isn’t your match right after his?” Monoma asked, his tone laced with uncertainty, as barely anyone had memorized the lineup.

“Oh crap, you’re right! Noooo, I wanted to see how Shinso was going to perform— wait, maybe if I run to the entrance, I’ll be able to see the last bit of the match!” Izuku yelled, jumping up from his seating and running towards the nearest exit.

He trusted Monoma with his notebook and pen, and he’d have to get the major details from both of them afterwards.  Hopefully he wouldn’t miss too much!

——————

A five-minute sprint later, Izuku had successfully found his way towards the tunnel he used during the beginning of the finals.  When he was running through the halls, his ears tuned out most noise around him, a nasty habit he picked up when he concentrated too hard.  He was barely able to hear the muffled sounds of Present Mic and Eraser Head commenting about the match over the slight ringing his ears produced.

By the time he had finally arrived and looked out the large arch, the match was already coming to a close.  Izuku could see the last part of the fight, both Shinso and Kendo hovering near the border of the ring.

Kendo swings her enlarged hand at Shinso, a move that could be seriously damaging if one couldn’t dodge.  Shinso skillfully dodged it with ease; he clearly had been practicing extra hard on his combat the last few days, Izuku noted.

As Kendo’s strike was pushing through the air and not hitting Shinso, Izuku noticed the footing of his friend change.  Suddenly, Shinso launched himself towards Kendo’s still extended arms and elegantly threw Kendo over his shoulder.  A swell of pride filled Izuku’s chest as he remembered teaching Shinso that move, along with all the times his friend would grumble after losing yet again another sparring match.

Shinso had pulled it off and Izuku couldn’t feel more proud than he was at that moment, so it wasn’t really a surprise to feel the light stream of teardrops fall from his eyes and along his cheeks.  Shinso had won his first match, and Izuku knew that he was one step closer to joining the Hero Course.

Back to the match, the horn blared loudly as Shinso stood above Kendo, his breathing erratic after putting up such a fight.  Kendo laid still on the ground, one of her feet resting just outside the boundaries.  A moment later, Shinso offered his hand to the redhead and helped her off the ground.

“Would you look at that! Another General Studies' student pulling out some sick martial arts moves—who knew kids could be so strong these days?” Present Mic narrated from his booth while the crowd cheered on Shinso.

“And with the conclusion of this last match, Round one is finally wrapped up!”

As Izuku waited for Shinso to make his way into the tunnel, he tapped his foot anxiously against the wall.  He was about to face off against another Hero Course student, one who seems to excel in decision making.  Though by the results of the previous round, he suspected that it may not be the case anymore.  She had clearly lost a bit of her confidence from the close call in the first round, so he was sure that she was going to doubt her abilities.  He felt kinda bad for taking advantage of her while she was clearly struggling mentally, but he promised himself he would talk to her after the festival and tell her some observations he had.

The sound of gravel crunching broke Izuku out of his train of thought, his head lifting to see a familiar figure approaching him.

“Shinso,” Izuku called, jogging over to him and wrapping him in a strong hug.  “You did it, congratulations!”

“Yeah, yeah, I told you I would,” Shinso replied teasingly, returning the hug.  “I couldn’t lose after your performance.”

Izuku laughed at his nonchalance and pulled him back, so that they were face to face.  “You did so well, I knew you could do it!”

Shinso’s face grew warm at the unexpected praise, though by now he should have known how open Izuku was about his thoughts; it was something that Shinso admired about him.

“Only relaying what you taught me,” Shinso said, turning his gaze away from Izuku.

“All those lessons I drilled into you finally came in handy, huh?  I’m sure all of those times I kicked your ass are feeling like a distant memory now…” Izuku teased, a wide smirk forming on his face.

“Piss off, you know you’d still beat me without breaking a sweat easily.  I still have a long way to go until I even have a shot at taking you down,” Shinso replied, rolling his eyes, though Izuku knew he really wasn’t that annoyed.

“And now, to start off Round two, we have competitors Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu!” Present Mic announced, breaking the moment between the two boys.

“That’s your cue, Midoriya.  Good luck out there,” Shinso said, fully pulling away from the embrace.

“Thanks, Shinso!  Make sure to tell me about your match later, okay?” Izuku replied as he started to walk out of the tunnel.

“I will.”

As Izuku headed out of the tunnel and back onto the grassy field, the butterflies swarming his stomach had tripled.  This was going to be an interesting round, that was for sure.

Chapter Text

Round Two:

Match one: Momo Yaoyorozu vs Izuku Midoryia 

Match two: Shoto Todoroki vs Tenya Iida

Match three: Katsuki Bakugo vs Mina Ashido

Match four:  Ibara Shiozaki vs Hitoshi Shinso

———————

If there was one thing Izuku Midoriya wanted to learn in his life, it was to rely on fewer people for his successes.

Which was ironic, right? He lives by himself, pays his own bills, and picks up any side job he can get his calloused hands on.  He excels in every single one of his classes, even if it feels like too much to handle.  He’s a goddamn vigilante, for Christ’s sake!  He is the epitome of self sufficiency and survival, a damn legend in the streets.  Yet somehow, someway, his plans always fall to the mercy of his peers.

Obstacle Race— He relied on the people around him to show off their quirks; hell, even Todoroki managed to help him get to the finish line.  The Cavalry Battle— His team barely did anything the whole time!  They sat there with a cowardly plan that he came up with and relied on the other participants to hash it out.  He waited for Todoroki and Kacchan to make a move just so he could swoop in and steal their glory.  

And now, with Izuku being in the finals, he’s doing it again.  If he hadn't been able to push Shinso as far as he did in the festival, he probably would have been more upset with himself.  But his plans, though exceptional, made him doubt his overall abilities.  He’s only been using people this whole time to get where he is; how heroic is that?  Was this truly the path he wanted to take?

Goddamnit, focus, Izuku!  Now’s not the time to second-guess the victories so far.  Wait until after the festival.

After all, he was sure that Yaoyorozu was in the same boat as him, given the state of mind she seemed to be in the last time they interacted.  Though he didn’t feel particularly great about benefiting from the suffering of others, he knew that with the low self-esteem that Class A seemed to have plenty of, it would be logical to target it if he wanted any chance of winning.  

Damn morals getting in the way.  

As he stood in front of Yaoyorozu, fighting stance as confident as ever, he used the remaining 30 seconds before the match to contemplate his current dilemma.  The only way he would win against someone with a quirk like this is if he was able to get in their head, overwhelm them, and go in for the kill.  But Yaoyorozu seemed so upset already, he would surely only make it worse.  But don’t they say that one should be struck down before getting built back up?  

Crap, there were too many options to choose from!  He wasn’t sure where this wave of second-guessing came from, as not only five minutes ago he was fully prepared to kick Hero Course ass, but as he studied Yaoyorozu’s demeanour intensively, he could understand why.  She looked so similar to how he used to be; fake confidence oozing out of every pore of her body, a determined look resigned on her face, though Izuku knew her brain was running a mile a minute.

So many choices , Izuku sighed.

The buzzer blared around them, snapping Izuku out of the ongoing internal crisis his mind was having.  Guess it’s being decided on the fly , Izuku thought as he tentatively took a few steps backward.  He readied his body in a position that would let him move at any given second, his feet a considerable distance apart, in an attempt to find balance through his shaking nerves.

Before getting a moment to think, Izuku noticed the signature sparkle of Yaoyorozu’s quirk, which only meant one thing: she wasn’t going to hesitate.  She’s most likely going to act recklessly since she seems to doubt her current abilities, which then leads to the conclusion that her strategy must be pure instinct.  Izuku grimaced as he considered his two choices; he really didn’t like being put in situations like this.  He aspired to save!  Not shatter the confidence of others.

Yaoyorozu’s arm continued to glow as her right hand balled into a determined fist.

It’s now or never.

Without another second of hesitation, Izuku leaped forward, his body shooting off at a right angle towards Yaoyorozu.  Surprise flashed through her glossy eyes as she noticed Izuku’s sudden advance towards her, and she quickly looked down at her arm in a fruitless attempt to urge whatever she was creating to form faster.

"And Midoriya’s off in a flash!  What kind of plans does this young fighter have against the powerful Hero Course student?  Are we going to witness a similar fate to Monoma?" Present Mic declared, both of his hands gripping the announcement mic in anticipation. 

His students always seemed to leave him on the edge of his seat.  To his right, Shota sat in a matching chair, sporting his typical deadpan expression, though by the way he was subtly gripping the seat handle, Present Mic had a feeling he was just as much on edge.

Izuku stopped his lunge after he successfully launched himself directly behind Yaoyorozu, ready to kick her legs out from under her and drag her to the border.  It was a simple plan in hindsight, one almost akin to how Yaoyorozu herself took out her previous opponent, Kirishima.  Before he could, however, Yaoyorozu whipped her body around to follow Izuku, making him leap backwards to dodge her sporadic fist flying towards his face.

Her arm continued to glow as he landed a few feet away with a thump .  He bounced on the balls of his feet momentarily as he contemplated his next move, noticing how Yaoyorozu’s face slowly started to get more agitated.  He ran at her again as he prepared to reach for her arm, hoping that the strength of his grip would cease her current creations.

As his outstretched hand made contact with her left arm, he swiftly twisted it in a similar motion he used with Monoma.  Avoiding conversation altogether was his impromptu plan, so he opted for a quick takedown to get the job done rather than trying to play with her mentally.

At least, that was the plan until he heard the faintest of clicks echo near the vicinity of his arms.  He looked down quickly as he and Yaoyorozu fell to the floor, his one arm still gripping her wrist, and the other...

Was handcuffed through his goddamn pants.

He tugged experimentally and realized that the only way to break free would be to rip through the waistband.  The one cuff was locked on tightly to his wrist, and Izuku swore he could feel the metal digging into his skin.  The other poked a hole through the fabric under his waistband and was folded up and over the waistband to lock it in place.  He was essentially tied to his own pants, with the only way to freedom being to rip the band or take his pants off.

"What’s this?  It looks like Yaoyorozu used a pair of handcuffs she created to restrain Midoriya!  Bet no one saw that one coming, not even you, Eraser Head!" Present Mic said, his voice unable to hide the shock he was experiencing.

"Given that she had almost nothing to handcuff him to, I can admit that it was a creative idea," Eraser Head commented soon after.

He wasn’t sure how she was able to not only handcuff his wrist but also send the single strand through his pants to essentially tie him to his own body, but he was too pissed off to be impressed.  This was his only pair of gym clothes, god damn it.

"Handcuffs, seriously ?  Too scared to throw an actual punch that you relied on tying my arm down?" Izuku asked, exasperation seeping through his complaints as he tightened his grip on Yaoyorozu.  He didn’t typically like to sound this mean, but these would cost a fortune to replace, and it’s not like he had the money for it.

Yaoyorozu huffed under the pressure Izuku’s body was placing on her as he attempted to keep her from moving too much.  "You needed to be restrained given your current abilities. I only did what I needed to do," she replied confidently, though Izuku saw through the facade and noticed the glint of worry loitering in her eyes.

Agitation got the better of him after getting partially restrained (something that often made him panic if it got too bad), which led to him scoffing at her attempt at a comeback.  "This wouldn’t be the first time I fought with one hand," he mumbled under his breath.

Shittalking it was.

"Ah, like Kirishima, right?  Knew you weren’t strong enough to take him on, so you resorted to dirty tricks to get by?  Cowardly for a Hero student if you ask me," he taunted, hoping to any deity that it would be enough to gauge a reaction out of her.  A bit harsh, yeah, but now he had a hole to stitch up later, which he was not looking forward to.

Yaoyorozu, as predicted, froze at his choice of words, likely getting whiplash considering how he acted when they met in the tunnel.  Before she could react, however, Izuku sprinted towards the border of the arena, using his one arm to drag her across the dirt.  

At least I won’t be the only one with a messed up uniform, he supposed. 

As they got closer to the border, Yaoyorozu seemed to snap out of the daze she was in and tried squirming her way out of Izuku’s iron hold. Unfortunately for her, Monoma wasn’t wrong about his insane grip.

Suddenly feeling grateful for the number of villains Izuku had to tie up with one hand (whether the other was injured or preoccupied with something else), he mustered up his strength to hoist Yaoyorozu off the ground and throw her out of the arena.  He doubted he was able to throw her over his shoulder in their current position, so he threw her on her side instead, her elbow being the first to land on the concrete outside of the designated fighting space.

"The first match of Round Two is over, with Izuku Midoriya as the winner!" Midnight announced cheerfully.

The crowd roared as huffs wracked through his body, his hands shaking at the realisation that he made it to another round.  He beat another Hero Course student.  As he looked around the dirt-filled arena, noticing almost no changes to the field, he realised that he had almost nothing to show for it.

The matches just keep getting more pathetic, he thought to himself as he considered how lame his fights were compared to the others so far.  He swallowed the doubt down, though, remembering that he still had stuff to do before he could feel bad about himself.

He looked over at Yaoyorozu, who was slowly getting off the ground, and reached his hand out to her on instinct.  She looked at him hesitantly before she accepted the gesture, and pulled herself off the ground.  They shook hands and both proceeded towards the same tunnel as Midnight and Cementoss prepared for the next match.

"I’m sorry, by the way," Izuku said to Yaoyorozu as he scratched the back of his neck.  His other hand twitched anxiously as he waited silently for a response.  "For not only beating you, but for what I said too. I didn’t mean it."

Yaoyorozu smiled weakly as she turned her head to face Izuku.  "You’re forgiven, though I can’t fully disagree with you either.  I acted cowardly in order to win my round, and not in the way a hero should," she said grimly, her face contorting into a frustrated expression.  "I just wish I wasn’t so weak ."

Weak.

A word Izuku had heard all of his life, from many different people, for various reasons.  Before gaining his current build, Izuku was obviously the weakest in his year.  He struggled with the fitness tests and couldn't lift as much as the other boys.  He could barely throw a punch, for god’s sake.  And of course, nobody let him forget it.  He never knew there were so many synonyms for that word until he entered his second year of Middle School. 

He knew how Yaoyorozu was feeling— the notion of being so powerless at the hands of another, knowing you were outmatched yet still having to fight anyway.  It was a feeling he hoped to forget, but he couldn’t ignore how these pushed-down emotions boiled to the surface when he saw someone experience it right in front of him.

"You’re not weak, Yaoyorozu.  I just have more experience in combat, which isn’t entirely your fault," Izuku replied, his voice surprisingly steady and much sweeter than how it was in the arena.

They were both fully in the tunnel now, the only light being the sunrays that beamed in from the outside arena.  They walked in silence for a bit, eventually passing Iida as he went off to his match, with the latter giving a firm wave as he strided past them.  Yaoyorozu gave him a weak wave, while Izuku opted for a small smile.  He wasn’t sure how pissed off her classmates would be, considering he was a bit harsher than necessary with the whole ordeal. 

As the silence continued to hang above them, looming like a thick cloud of fog, Izuku could feel himself becoming more antsy.  Awkward silence was one of his most hated things, especially when he was the reason for it.  How he survived standing near a criminal he captured while waiting for the cops to arrive was beyond him, but, hey, at least he didn’t tie her up!

After not being able to bear the deafening silence a moment longer, Izuku finally blurted, "Hey, so if you wanted, I could give you a quirk analysis to help boost your power, along with a few points on fighting techniques." It’s the least I could do , he thought, to make up for ruining her already withering confidence.

He risked a glance at her and noticed how her eyebrows scrunched ever so slightly, obvious confusion written through her features.  Izuku tensed his shoulders, wondering if he had blown any chance at making amends.  "Only if you’re okay with it, that is.  Think of it as an apology," he added a moment later.

Following his statement, Yaoyorozu smiled slightly, seemingly more entertained than anything.  Izuku let his shoulders drop following a sigh of relief.  "A quirk analysis, you say? she asked, focusing her gaze towards Izuku.

"Uh– yeah.  I like to do them in my spare time, and I’ve been told they’re not bad, so I figured you’d benefit from one.  Considering you’re in the Hero Course and all," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly feeling flustered by the revelation of one of his more embarrassing hobbies.

"I think I’ll take you up on that sometime," Yaoyorozu replied, her brown eyes lighting up the slightest bit.  They were finally at the entrance that would take them back to the stands, leaving Izuku wondering how much time had actually passed.

"I’ll see you around then. Thank you, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said, smiling one more time as she walked away with a wave.  Well, at least she didn’t hate me, Izuku reasoned.

He made his way back to his seat next to Monoma and Shinso, who were, as always, heavily invested in the scene in front of them.  However, their gaze seemed to be much more focused on an object situated on Shinso’s lap. 

Izuku walked over and stood behind them, placing his hands on his hips in mockery of a confrontational parent.  His vigilante skills came in handy, as he was able to see what they were doing without them sensing his presence.  As he peered over their shoulder, he recognized the familiar notebook splayed out on Shinso’s lap.

"You must admit he is quite impressive," Monoma mumbled to Shinso, who nodded briefly as he flipped the page.

"Yeah, I can’t believe how much detail is put into each one of these, not to mention the drawings.  I wonder why he hasn’t shown these to anyone," Shinso replied, running his index finger across some of the writing.

Izuku almost felt flattered by their compliments, but it was soon replaced with fear when he remembered the long list of criminals in his analysis book.  If they saw those, he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to explain his way out of that one.

"What are you guys doing?" Izuku asked, finally making his presence known to the duo.  If he wasn’t as worried about his notes, he would have laughed at how they both jumped at his voice.

"Midoriya– hey.  Sorry, we were just looking through your notebook, that’s all.  We didn’t mean to snoop, I swear!" Shinso said, closing the notebook with both of his hands.

"What he said!  It just fell to the ground, and we couldn’t help but notice the notes," Monoma added while he nodded vigorously.

Am I really that scary?

"Guys, I’m not upset," Izuku laughed, "it’s just that I have some pretty detailed notes in there and thought you might be weirded out."  Izuku rounded the line of seats in the row to sit in between them, where his notebook was previously sitting before it fell into the grasp of Shinso and Monoma.

"Never! These are very thorough and well done.  I applaud you," Monoma replied, turning his head to face Izuku.

"Haha, thanks.  I’ve never gotten this reaction before, so I’m still trying to wrap my head around it," Izuku said, scratching his head as he looked back and forth between the two boys.

"They were probably all assholes anyway," Shinso scoffed as he handed the closed notebook back to its rightful owner.  "Oh, Midoriya, I am curious about something, though.  There were a lot of people we didn’t recognize in your notebook, and maybe it isn’t our place to pry, but we were wondering how you knew them all."

Well shit.  He should have expected this, damn it.  But of course, the moment he lets his guard down, he makes a mistake.  He didn’t blame Shinso or Monoma; he couldn’t, not after how accepting they’d been.  But it was his own foolishness that put him here, and there was no way he could logically get out of this–

An explosion rattled the arena before he even had a chance to open his mouth.  How has this festival saved his ass so many times?

"Wait a minute— isn't it Todoroki and Iida’s fight?  Why are there explosions?" Izuku asked, standing up to get a better view of the scene in front of him.

"Nah, that fight ended right before you got here," Shinso replied. "Todoroki immobilized Iida before he could be dragged out of bounds by freezing his engine."

"It was quite sad," Monoma added, the slightest smirk forming on his face.  "If he wasn’t in Class A, I would’ve felt worse for him."

"You’re joking? I missed Todoroki’s second fight?  How can I face him without proper planning!" Izuku exclaimed, falling back down in his chair dramatically.  There was no way he would be able to beat Endeavour's son without analyzing his abilities beforehand!

"Relax, Midoriya!  I doubt this is your first time going up against an opponent without knowledge about them," Shinso supplied, trying his best to make Izuku feel better.

Izuku sighed and slid down his chair as the other two watched him with an amused smile.  "No, it’s not," he grumbled.  "But still!  Have you seen his attacks? How do I— how can anyone compete with that?"

"I’m sure whatever your quirk is, it can give you some leverage, right?  He doesn’t seem to know what it is," Monoma suggested, pointing his right hand in the air, something Izuku noticed he liked to do when he voiced his ideas. 

"My quirk…" Izuku mumbled, "That just gave me an idea.  Thanks, Monoma," he smiled as he sat back up in his seat.

"Anytime," he replied, smiling back.

"So Kacchan and Ashido are fighting now, then?" Izuku asked, shifting his gaze back onto the match in front of him.  Things were getting interesting; Kacchan was talented in everything to do with combat, but Ashido showed a lot of potential in her last match as well.

"From the looks of it, yeah," Shinso replied, his attention also focusing back on the match.  How Izuku managed to always get away with avoiding their questions, he would never know.  

"I hope the pink one wins, just so that the gremlin of Class 1-A isn’t victorious.  The things I’d give to see that cocky grin fall off his face," Monoma said casually.  If it wasn’t obvious to Izuku already, he seemed to have a personal vendetta against the blond.

"Yeah, Kacchan tends to leave impressions like that," Izuku chuckled.  If he didn’t have such a temper, he probably would have been a somewhat likeable person, but alas, his childhood friend had anger issues like no other.

"You knew him before this?" Shinso asked, his eyes leaving the ongoing match to focus back on Izuku.

"Haha, yeah, actually.  We’ve been going to the same school since preschool, so I’ve known him basically all of my life," Izuku replied bashfully.  He only had a handful of fond memories with the blond, but not even those were enough to drown out Kacchan’s… current behaviour.  

"You knew him since you were toddlers? How I pity your childhood," Monoma added.  Moments from middle school flashed through Izuku’s head, and he couldn’t completely disagree with him.

"He wasn’t always like that, though.  Things were different before his quirk manifested," Izuku said as his eyes drifted back to the match.  "The only thing that hasn’t changed about him is how amazing he is with his quirk."

As the match continued, Izuku noticed Kacchan start to close in on Ashido.  She was able to keep a distance from him due to her long-distance acid attacks, and since Kacchan had not yet managed to master any solid long-range explosions, he couldn’t blast her away from a distance. 

Kacchan continued his path towards Ashido, his explosions destroying the acid flying at him before it had a chance to land.  They were slowly approaching the border, and unless Ashido started playing offence, she’d soon be backed into a corner.

"This match is probably going to end in the next few minutes, Shinso," Izuku said, turning his body to face his friend.  "You might want to start heading down now.  I’ll follow right after this match is done so I can watch you from the tunnel, okay?"

"Crap, you’re right.  I really don’t wanna run there again.  I’ll catch you two later," Shinso replied as he jumped up from his seat and started walking towards the exit.

"Good luck out there!  And remember what we talked about!" Izuku called as he watched Shinso leave through the glass sliding doors, waving his hand at the side of his head in acknowledgment of his reminder. 

Izuku focused his attention back on the match, and noticed that they were nearing the border.  Ashido sprayed her acid along the ground, making it difficult for Kacchan to get close to her.  Whether he was that much better and she knew it, or she was just intimidated to take him head on, Izuku couldn’t tell.  In her defence, however, it was quite difficult to get close to the blond, as he almost always had his blind spots covered.

As Kacchan almost completely closed in on Ashido, he noticed her posture change again, and he recognized almost immediately what she was doing.  Her stance was similar to what she did in her previous match, which led Izuku to only one conclusion.  

It was about to turn into a slip-and-slide. 

In one foul swoop, Ashido slid onto her side and glided through her slippery acid.  Right as she passed Kacchan, she sprayed the liquid up at him, attacking him at an angle Izuku doubted he was expecting.  Kacchan brought his arms up to shield his face from the impending blow, and right as he did, Ashido leaned her body weight onto her forearms and used her legs to sweep Kacchan off his feet.

Kacchan fell to the ground with a thump , but before she could land another successful hit onto his stomach, he launched a set of explosions towards her.  As Ashido tried to flee from the lethal explosions, Kacchan took the opportunity to attack and pinned her wrists to the ground, his right leg resting on the back of her knees.

The buzzer rang loudly throughout the arena, which was followed by Midnight’s announcement of Kacchan’s victory.

"Awh, too bad Ashido didn’t win. I was rooting for her," Present Mic said sadly, which stirred a light chuckle from Izuku.  His teacher really had no filter.

"Shouldn’t you be an unbiased commentator?" Eraser Head asked right after, sounding bored out of his mind.  Though Izuku knew he was secretly enjoying it.  He was so asking him about them later.

"Makes the event more interesting that way!" Present Mic countered enthusiastically. 

"It’ll take a few minutes for them to clean up Ashido’s acid off the ground, so I’m going to head down now," Izuku said to Monoma as he got up from his seat, picking up his notebook in the process.  "Watch my notebook for me again?"

"Even after we snooped through it?" Monoma asked, a mixture of confusion and curiosity blended onto his face.

Izuku nodded, sticking out his notebook like an offering.  "Yeah, I didn’t really mind too much.  It’s not like you intentionally did it, and I’m just glad someone thinks it’s cool," Izuku replied.  

And yeah, maybe he should have felt more upset about their breach of privacy, but it’s not like they found one of his personal ones!  Plus he was able to get out of their questions, so it wasn’t the end of the world.  He’d much rather someone fawn over it than destroy it because they thought it was weird.

"Very well, then," Monoma said, reaching his hand towards Izuku to accept the notebook being presented to him.  “Kick another Class A ass for me, will ya?" he added, smirking in his typical manner. 

"I’ll try my best," he replied, smiling back, as he continued his walk back towards the tunnel, fists tightening ever so slightly.

As he slowly started to approach the tunnel, he felt his stomach start to churn.  He wasn’t feeling too confident about this match, contrary to how he was acting in front of Shinso and Monoma.  He wasn’t lying when he said he had a few ideas in mind to take the upper hand, but that didn’t change the facts about the match.  

He was quirkless, with his only skills being things he picked up as a vigilante.  Todoroki had not one, but two abilities at his disposal, even if he didn’t seem to use one of them.  But still, he had double the power Izuku did, with the proper training from his father to match.  He’d need a miracle to actually pull it off, and in Izuku’s experience, those were one in a million.

"Damn it," he mumbled as he kicked a rock down the hallway and watched how it rolled along the length of the floor.  His plan was never going to work.

As he turned the corner, passing by an empty stairwell, he noticed a figure climbing down the stairs.  He turned his head slightly, curious to see who it was, only to see the red, fiery shoes of a recognizable Pro Hero.

Out of everyone, there was no way he was running into him right now—

"Ah, Midoriya, correct? Impressive performance in your last two matches," Endeavour said as he stood at the bottom of the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Uh— thank you, sir," Izuku managed to say, his posture straightening like a wooden board.  There weren't a lot of people Izuku found intimidating, but the Todoroki family seemed to be exempt from that list.

"You’re fighting against my son Shoto in the next match, and I have a request for you," Endeavour said right after, his voice booming throughout the hallway.

"And that is?" Izuku asked, his arms crossing over his chest to mirror Endeavour’s stance.

"Don’t hold back against my son.  He’s going through a rebellious phase right now, but I want you to make him utilize his full power and realize who he’s meant to be," Endeavour answered, his voice lowering yet firm.  The subtle kind of scary , Izuku thought. 

"Wasn’t planning on it," Izuku said as he began to walk away.  But before he completely left the area, he turned to face the Pro Hero one more time, not fully understanding what had suddenly come over him.  Maybe it was his conversation with Todoroki earlier that sparked this shift, or something else entirely.  But it wasn’t something to think about right now. 

"Todoroki may be your son who’s succeeding you, but that doesn’t mean he is you.  Who he’s meant to be is up to him and him alone."

Before he could get a proper response, he continued his walk down the corridor in hopes of kicking himself out of his pitiful mindset. By the time he made it to the tunnel, Shinso’s match had begun.  The horn blared loudly, and Shinso was off in a flash.  At lunch, they discussed using his quirk as little as possible, at least until he got to the final rounds.  

Once people knew what his power was, they could stop themselves from falling for it while also taking Shinso down in the process.  The only way to avoid that would be to rely on hand-to-hand combat until it was absolutely necessary, but considering some of the opponents, Izuku quickly realized that it wouldn’t last long.

Shinso made his way towards Shiozaki at a record pace, making Izuku smile with pride at how much he progressed during their training.  Shiozaki shot her vines towards him, her green hair dragging across the ground like water snakes swimming through the water.  Shinso, to his credit, dodged them not so gracefully.  He hopped back and forth on each leg as the vines tried to grasp his ankles, and he waved his arms in the air in an attempt to keep his balance.

A sudden swarm approached him simultaneously, but before Izuku could watch him become enclosed in the nest of vines, he heard Shinso shout, "You’re the girl with the killer personality, right?"

"How—" was the only word Shiozaki could manage before she fell under Shinso’s brainwashing quirk.  Her vines stopped midair, finally retreating their relentless attacks towards Shinso as they fell to the ground.  Her eyes turned a glossy white, an effect of Shinso’s quirk, Izuku suspected.  He’d have to ask him about the details later.

Shinso huffed as he tried to catch his breath from his previous game of dodge the lasso.  "Good.  Now walk outside the border to end this match," he said between huffs and coughs.  Yeah, a routine upgrade was definitely needed.

As Shiozaki slowly started to make her way towards the edge of the border, the chatter in the arena slowly started to grow.

"Hey now, what’s going on here?  Is Shiozaki just giving up all of a sudden?" Present Mic asked aloud, though Izuku knew it was likely just for show considering he already knew what their quirks were.

The crowd continued to pick up as Shiozaki gradually got closer and closer to the border.  Yells of confusion and encouragement rattled amongst the crowd, as nobody had seen Shinso unleash his quirk before this moment.  Izuku’s biggest fear, however, was that they would see him as some sort of villain for using his quirk, which was often seen as "non-heroic".

The minute Shiozaki’s foot stepped outside the boundary, the buzzer rang, indicating Shinso’s victory.  A moment later, Shiozaki startled forward, likely signalling that she was out of the spell Shinso had put her under.  She walked back over to shake hands with him before they went their separate ways, and before he knew it, Izuku was congratulating Shinso on his second win of the afternoon.

"Sorry I used my quirk so early on.  I know it wasn’t really in your plan," Shinso apologised as he noticed Izuku waiting for him in the tunnel.

"I understand that you had to; Shiozaki is a fierce opponent.  We’ll just have to craft up a new strategy for the next round, that’s all," Izuku encouraged, his eyes lighting up at the chance to create new strategies.  

"Good luck against Todoroki; he’s a tough one," Shinso said as he patted Izuku on the back lightheartedly. 

"He is, which is why you should be grateful. I’m fighting him now so you don’t have to face him," Izuku teased, his grin growing wider on his face.

"Yeah, yeah.  Save that until after you win, tough guy," Shinso replied, laughing lightly.

"See you in the finals, Shinso," Izuku said as he walked towards the arena.

"Can’t wait to kick your ass on live television," Shinso called, his hands cupping his mouth like Izuku wouldn’t hear him otherwise.

"And now to start off Round Three, we have Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki!"

Chapter Text

Round Three

Match one: Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki

Match two: Katsuki Bakugo vs. Hitoshi Shinso

——————

Although it was a late spring day, Izuku couldn’t stop himself from shivering when he entered the arena for his third match of the afternoon.  The sun hung high in the air, its beams shining down on the stadium ruthlessly, not a single cloud in sight to protect the spectators or competitors from its powerful heat.  Yet even then, Izuku couldn’t stop the chills that ran through his body.  

It was just nerves , he supposed, though deep down, he knew there was something else playing on his mind.

The crowd seemed even louder than they had been in previous matches, which wasn’t surprising in the slightest. Their match would be an interesting one, considering they were polar opposites.  Izuku had won all of his fights so far without the use of a quirk, while Todoroki seemed to win his by going all out with it.  Their matches, until this point, were fundamentally different, so it didn’t take much to understand why everyone was so rowdy.

Present Mic seemed to think the same.  “In our first match of the semi-finals, we have Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki! Midoriya’s taken out all of his opponents using skilled fighting techniques, while Todoroki uses his powerful blasts of ice to take ‘em down!  How will these two proceed?  And which approach will lead them to victory?” A round of cheers followed after Present Mic’s introduction, and different areas of the stands cheered their names in unison.

As Izuku readied himself for a sprinting position, he inhaled deeply, a poor attempt to soothe his racing heart.  He could do this; he just needed strategy.

The buzzer blared, and Izuku dove off to the side.  Right as he did, a large wall of ice stormed towards his previous location, the spikes rising up past his current height, a mere taunt of Todoroki’s true power.

“Guys like you always start off with a crazy opening move,” Izuku called as he readied himself again.  “You can’t help it, it’s basically in your blood to show your cards on the first attack when you have a serious power advantage.”

The ice rushed towards him again, more fierce than the previous.  He narrowly avoided it, doing a summersault to roll to another part of the field.  He jumped up right after and ran towards the previous line of ice to use as a cover.  More ice shot out in a line, the area slowly becoming a spiral of icy paths, and their height gradually growing after each new creation.

As his breathing finally started to steady after dodging the line of ice attacks, Izuku took a minute to peek over a shorter wall of ice.  Todoroki stood still, his guard completely up, as he looked around the icy mess of a field.  He was currently turned to the side, likely thinking that it was where Izuku was going to jump out from.

Hiding his presence, Izuku stealthily ran to the next line of ice, his position now being where he first started the match.  He quietly broke a chunk of ice off from the spikes and threw it across the field.  The minute it touched the ground, another line of ice shot directly towards where it landed.  Todoroki turned a second later, and Izuku watched as his eyes narrowed immediately.

Izuku ran back to his previous hiding spot, leaving him directly behind Todoroki.  Todoroki watched carefully as he slowly looked through the pillars of ice, hoping to see the slightest hint of green hair hiding amidst them.  Unfortunately for him, Izuku was a master at hiding, and was even better at concealing his presence.

“That’s your plan, huh?” Todoroki yelled out, unsure how close his opponent really was to him.  “You’re just going to hide here like a coward?”

“Only until my quirk is ready!” he replied, running to another line of ice as he narrowly avoided Todoroki’s line of sight.  He doubted that the lie about his quirk would work, but he was desperate for anything that would make Todoroki hesitate.

“Your quirk? I haven’t seen you use it yet,” Todoroki said as he continued looking through the spikes of ice.

It really was all he could do, considering Izuku not only had cover but a direct line of sight on him.  He could jump out at any moment if he wanted to, and the only thing that would be able to stop him would be Todoroki’s reflexes.  Izuku, as one would put it, had complete control over their fight.

“I don’t typically like to show it off,” Izuku yelled, throwing another piece of ice on the other side of the arena. 

On instinct, Todoroki shot another line of ice, quietly swearing to himself right as he did it.  That made five.  Two more, and the arena would be covered in a spiral of ice.  The sun’s heat stood unwaveringly above them, and it wasn’t long until large chunks started to fall to the ground from the heat.  Pieces big enough that if Izuku needed to, he would be able to hide behind them for short lengths of time.

He continued hopping between the mountains of ice, their size and direction creating the perfect cover for him.  He threw more ice chunks at Todoroki, each piece causing more and more agitation from him.  He was getting impatient and definitely embarrassed that he hadn’t ended the fight yet.  But because he was so dedicated to not using his fire side, he had no way to melt the copious amounts of ice he created.  

The one trick pony he was , Izuku thought as he ducked behind another wall of ice.

“Come out already; it’s getting pathetic,” Todoroki called out, his voice raspier than usual.  “Not very heroic, if you ask me.”

A wave of agitation rushed through Izuku’s body.  Did their previous conversation mean nothing to him?  He already knew that Izuku didn’t have an interest in becoming a hero, yet he said that anyway.  Why?  Was it some sort of mockery to get Izuku to show his face prematurely?  Or did he simply not care enough to fully understand where Izuku was coming from?

It didn’t matter, Izuku concluded.  He had more than enough time to plan what was next, and as he looked over his shoulder, he knew Todoroki was reaching his limit.  His right side was covered in frost, likely a result of him exceeding the limits of his quirk.  He used so many powerful attacks in hopes of immobilizing Izuku, yet each was more futile than the last as Izuku dodged the incoming onslaught, barely getting by with the skin of his teeth.  He had been lucky so far that Todoroki was so adamant about not using half of his quirk.

As he ran to another line of ice, Izuku felt sweat starting to roll down his forehead and along his temples and cheekbones.  You’d think that being surrounded by the recreation of the arctic would have him shivering in his boots, like at the beginning of the match, but it seemed that being grazed by every attack had its effects.  He wiped the back of his hand along his cheekbone, wary of the bruise that was still plastered on his face, and noticed the faintest hint of makeup smear across the back of his hand.

I’ll have to apply more concealer after the match, he thought briefly before tossing another piece of ice in Todoroki’s direction.  But first, take down Todoroki.

Izuku leapt over the path of ice like a hurdle and started racing towards Todoroki.  His presence was still concealed, and he expertly made sure that Todoroki was facing the opposite direction before he went in for the first blow of the match.  His steps were silent as he sprinted across the arena, and he couldn’t help but silently thank his vigilante experiences for giving him so many opportunities to learn the art of stealth.

“I already told you!” he shouted, his fist moments away from making contact with Todoroki’s abdomen.  “I gave up on the hero dream years ago!”

Turning around, Todoroki shot out a weak attack of ice, but Izuku was already in motion, and he used the strength from his ongoing advance to land an uppercut to Todoroki’s open stomach.  Todoroki gasped, the air in his lungs was sucked out by the blow of the hit, but he remained unwavering.  Todoroki swung back, his punch quick and precise— the epitome of strictly taught fighting techniques and the opposite of Izuku’s style.

Not expecting the quick counter, Izuku felt as Todoroki’s frozen fist made contact with his face.  His knuckles hit the current bruise on Izuku’s cheekbone, and he felt a strong tingle, followed by an ache, erupting on his face.

“Shit,” he grumbled as he felt his knees hit the ground.  But he wasn’t done yet— he couldn’t be done yet; he had so much more to do. 

He stretched his leg out and swept Todoroki off his feet, watching as he fell to the ground with a thud , his head hitting the ground momentarily as he tried to process what just happened.  Izuku used the time to get back on his feet, and he clutched the side of his head as he felt a rush of blood swarm to his brain.  Todoroki stood a moment later, and Izuku felt as though his mind was shutting down; he was so concentrated on the motions of dodge and punch that he completely blocked anything else out.

It reminded him of one of his first fights as a vigilante and how desperate he got after feeling the rush of blood to his head.  He was so dedicated to the battle in front of him that any nerves previously hiding in his mind had evaporated, just like some of the ice that was left melting on the ground.  He swung again, making contact with Todoroki’s stomach, and watched as he let out another gasp for air.  He attempted to use his ice again, but Izuku could tell he was nearing his brink.  

The mixture of large attacks and the mental stress from Izuku’s disappearing act resulted in Todoroki reaching his limit faster than either were expecting, and they both knew the only way for Todoroki to gain back his strength was to use his left side.  His father’s side. 

Todoroki lunged at him again and launched another punch at Izuku’s face.  It was a feint, Izuku realized quickly, but before he could move back, he felt a hardened punch make contact with the other side of his face.

It would never catch a break, would it?

“You used your ice to harden your fist,” Izuku noted aloud, starting the first conversation between the two of them since he first attacked Todoroki.  The punch to his face cleared his mind slightly, and he was able to form sentences while mentally balancing the intensity of the fight.  “That’s really impressive.” He grinned fervently as he dodged another attack.

“Now you feel like talking?” Todoroki grunted as his fist met with nothing but air in his next punch.

“Pain does that to a person,” Izuku grimaced, taking a step back.  “Speaking of, you’re not looking too good yourself,” he smirked right after, in an attempt to make Todoroki think— think about anything so that Izuku could use it to land another hit.

“Neither do you,” Todoroki replied.  “I’ve never seen such a bruised face before.  I never knew my ice was capable of this much.”  He looked at his fist for the slightest second before directing his gaze back to Izuku.

Don’t give yourself too much credit , Izuku thought, annoyed, as his mind flashed back to the night before.

“I’ve had worse,” Izuku said as he launched another attack at Todoroki, who narrowly dodged it by a hair.  “Look, in terms of stamina and endurance, I have you beat.  Either give up now or come at me with all you’ve got!”

“I have been!” Todoroki yelled, his voice raising yet not wavering in the slightest.  He jumped backward and huffed as he tried to catch his breath.  Izuku, unfortunately, was in the same situation. 

“Have you?” Izuku questioned.  “Because your ice has been rendered useless due to your body frosting, and the only way to fix that is by heating it, yet you haven’t—”

“You know why I don’t use this side,” Todoroki spat, his posture tensing at the reference to his left side.

“Goddamnit, Todoroki,” Izuku growled, his agitation rising to an all time high at the sight of someone being so oblivious to the blessing they have right in front of them.  Something Izuku never experienced for himself.  “You’ve been given two abilities, yet you waste one of them because of its origins.  Don’t you understand?  It’s not your dad’s power or your mom’s.  It’s entirely yours— it’s your quirk and no one else's!”  Izuku was shaking now; the adrenaline of the fight was the only thing keeping him going.

Todoroki froze at his choice of words, giving Izuku just enough time to charge at him again with another fierce swing.  He wasn’t going down without a fight, that much was certain.  Todoroki flew backwards from the force of the blow, and Izuku watched as he tried to recollect not only his breath but his thoughts as well.

“You understand now?” Izuku asked, his voice a complete wreck.  He was saying just about anything to get a reaction out of Todoroki, while also trying to make him understand how lucky he truly was.  “You’ll never be able to be the best hero you can be unless you embrace your past.  Now get a grip already!”

“Get a grip?” Todoroki asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  His hands were shaking, and blood dripped down his nose unrelentingly from Izuku’s previous blows to his face.  If this match continued any longer, Izuku was sure they’d both pass out on the ground. “Fine, but just remember that you’re the one who wanted this.”

Enormous flames burst to life in the arena, all erupting from one boy in particular.  Izuku smiled in awe as he watched Todoroki grin for the first time since they met; his left side shined brightly from the flames, and the frost on his right melted quickly because of the fierce fire lighting up his body.  The wind circled around the arena as Todoroki’s flames grew larger in size, and Izuku jumped back as he felt the heat quickly start to increase.

This is it , he thought as he watched Todoroki direct his left arm towards him.  His dreams of winning.  His goal to prove he’s worth just as much as these Hero Course students.  Everything he worked towards with Shinso— something he didn’t even fully want until an hour or two ago— was gone before he could even fully comprehend it.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as the world turned red.  To whom? He wasn’t particularly sure.  His mom? Shinso? His teachers?  All he knew was that once again, he wasn’t strong enough to bring pride to the only remaining people in his life.  He needed to get stronger.  Be better than he currently was.

But first, he needed to rest.

——————

As Shinso entered the arena, he couldn’t stop the gulp that formed in his throat.  Since his match was right after Midoriya’s, he wasn’t able to check on him when he was escorted from the fight.  He knew that Midoriya did some… questionable things in his free time (what exactly, he wasn’t sure), but not even the fact of knowing that he had probably been in that state before was enough to fully calm the nauseous storm erupting in his abdomen.  Midoriya was in bad condition when he briefly saw him, and the quicker he could check to make sure he’d at least live, the better.

But for now, he needs to focus on his match against Bakugo.  It’s what Izuku would have wanted him to do anyway.  If he learned that Shinso lost his fight because of his worries about him almost dying, he’d probably never forgive himself.  Besides, he might as well give him some good news for when he wakes up. 

Standing across from him was what Midoriya claimed was “his biggest threat”, also known as Katsuki Bakugo.  He knew he was a ruthless competitor, if his past matches were any indication, but if Midoriya saw him as a threat, then he was probably even worse up close.  There was no doubt— he’d have to use his quirk this round.  Unfortunately, since he used it in the round prior, he had to assume that Bakugo would somewhat know how his quirk worked, therefore being able to avoid it.  He was hoping that because of the blond’s attitude, he’d be easy to provoke, but another part of him said that he could restrain himself when necessary. 

Only one way to find out , he supposed.

“In the final match of the semi-finals, we have Katsuki Bakugo and Hitoshi Shinso!  Both competitors have been highly successful in their fights so far, and with us entering the final stages of the festival, the tension is only increasing!” Present Mic announced to the crowd, which only made Shinso feel more nervous.  How could he even be compared to the beast in front of him?

The buzzer blared loudly, and Shinso watched as explosions crackled from the palms of the blond in front of him.  There was logically no way for Shinso to beat him in hand-to-hand combat, and he didn’t even need Midoriya to tell him that.

He needed to say something to provoke the blond.  It could be anything, really, considering how hot-headed he seemed to be.  But maybe if he mentioned Midoriya, it would have a higher probability of setting him off, considering they had history already.

“Your quirk can mess with people’s minds, right?” Bakugo asked as he slowly made his way towards Shinso, his palms outstretched in an obvious attempt to display the power they held.

Shinso opened his mouth to talk but was silenced when Bakugo added, “Don’t speak unless you want to get blasted to hell, eyebags.  It works based on some sort of verbal cue, considering how fast vinehead froze up.”

Shinso stood in front of him, mouth agape, as he listened to Bakugo’s reasoning.  He was right on the money.  How was he able to understand so much in just one match?  Did someone tell him more about his quirk, or was he just that observant?  Damn it, Midoriya wasn’t wrong when he said he would be a challenge.

“From the look on your face, I’m definitely right.  Now let’s see what you’ve got!” Bakugo shouted as he ran towards Shinso.

As he approached Shinso at record speed, a previous conversation with Midoriya flashed through his head.  He gave him plenty of pointers for this match during lunch, but there was one fact that stood out to him.  Bakugo launched himself towards Shinso, his right arm extended in the air.  As he was about to launch a blast at Shinso’s face, Shinso pushed back, gripping Bakugo’s arm and chest, and promptly flipped him over his shoulder.  Bakugo landed flat on his back, and Shinso huffed as he watched him gasp for air.

“H-how—” Bakugo managed to stutter as the air returned to his lungs, still shocked at how Shinso knew exactly what he was going to do.

“Midoriya told me you always start a fight with a right hook.  You must not be as good as you think you are if he was able to pick that up,” Shinso replied as he balled his fists together and readied them in front of his face.

“Woahhhh, what a move from Shinso! He predicted that Bakugo would do that and used it as an opportunity to flip him over his shoulder!” Present Mic yelled, his encouraging voice filling the speakers.

“This is the second time he’s been able to pull off this move; it seems he trained well,” Eraser Head added, making Shinso freeze momentarily, not used to so much support.

Bakugo grunted at Shinso’s response, making Shinso flinch.  Maybe he shouldn’t have told him that; the two already seemed to have some sort of history together, and by the way he yelled at Midoriya, it probably wasn’t good.  Well, if he doesn’t die here, Midoriya will sure as hell kick his ass.

However, the damage was already done, and it’s not like he could make it worse, right?

Guess he was about to find out.

“Speaking of, you know Midoriya, right?” Shinso asked smugly as Bakugo rose to his feet, his right hand swiping across his mouth to wipe away the sweat that rolled down his chin.

Bakugo, in turn, didn’t verbally reply but instead readied himself to charge at Shinso again.  If being body-flipped wasn’t enough to piss off the blond, not being able to talk sure as hell would.

“From what I’ve seen, you’re not on very good terms,” Shinso said as he dodged to the right and watched Bakugo’s fist swing past him.  “Though that’s not surprising, considering your personality,” he added as he ducked the other way, narrowly avoiding the flying fists.

They were slowly approaching the border, and Shinso quickly understood that if he couldn’t get him to talk, it’d be over for him.  He needed to find just the right thing to trigger a response, and as always, Midoriya was the key.  Every time he’d brought up his name since the match started, he noticed how Bakugo’s face twitched, as if he were dying to say something about it.  There was only so much he could take before he inevitably snapped; Shinso just needed to find the right button to press.

“Why don’t you like him?  Like I know he stole your win in the Cavalry Battle but there’s gotta be more to it.  Did you try to fight him, and he kicked your ass?  Ooh, or maybe he just refused to fight you ‘cause he thought you were too weak,” Shinso monologued as he continued to barely dodge Bakugo’s attacks, his tone laced with mockery. 

Explosions brushed his cheek, and he continued to dodge them with the skin of his teeth.  He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep this up, and as they approached the border much quicker than Shinso liked, he was starting to get desperate.  Bakugo’s explosions were less than kind, and he didn’t have to touch his face to know that they were slightly burned from the heat.

Bakugo growled at Shinso’s taunt but held his tongue regardless.  He must be really determined to win if he is able to put aside his pride to reach victory.  That last comment seemed to have more of a reaction than the others, so Shinso continued to pursue it.  He needed to win this not only for himself but for Midoriya too.  It was the least he owed after the amount of help he had received up until now.  It was time to return the favour.

“Y’know, I bet you’re secretly glad that Todoroki beat him.  That way you won’t have to face him in the finals and make a fool of yourself in front of so many people,” Shinso said as he dodged yet another punch, watching as steam basically fumed out of Bakugo’s ears.

Unfortunately, Bakugo countered right after the dodge and managed to land a solid punch on his face.  Shinso rubbed his jaw before ducking at another fist hurtling towards his face.  As soon as he avoided the hit, he felt a burn, followed by a boom , attack his stomach aggressively.  Shinso gasped as he felt the heat sizzle near his abdomen, but he retaliated immediately by kicking Bakugo in the stomach.

Bakugo coughed from the sudden impact and lifted his head towards Shinso, a scowl written across his face.  “Oh, don’t get all upset now, tough guy.  You’ve barely scratched me all round, whatcha gonna do about it?  Tell me to die or something,” Shinso joked as he watched Bakugo tense his shoulders, his whole body shuddering from rage.

Bakugo launched himself at Shinso, resulting in the two of them crashing to the ground with a harsh thud .  Shinso groaned as he felt an ache in his back start to spread; the pressure of the fall, along with Bakugo’s weight on top of it, was sure to leave a nasty bruise on his spine.  Shinso was able to react first, miraculously, and flip the blond off him and onto his back.

“You’ll never talk, will you?” Shinso huffed as he got back to his feet.  Bakugo followed suit and dusted the dirt off his pants before getting back into his attack stance.  “You’re just like Midoriya— so determined that you’ll kill yourselves before giving in,” he added right after.

“I—” Bakugo finally said right after he set off a powerful explosion towards Shinso.  It was the largest he had done throughout the entire festival, he noted.

Shinso flew backward and landed harshly on the ground beneath him.  He gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs, his head swimming slightly from the impact of the landing.  But he did it— he finally got Bakugo to talk!

The dust settled around the arena, followed by the loud blare of the buzzer.  As Shinso was finally able to sit up and clear his head, his face dropped when he realised the situation.

“Shinso has been knocked out of bounds!  Which means the winner of the second match is Katsuki Bakugo!” Midnight announced, excitedly twirling around on the spot.

Shinso sighed disappointedly as he managed to stand up, his back aching in retaliation for the sudden movement.  He released his quirk a second later and watched as Bakugo broke free from the effects of his brainwashing.  “You’re a tough one,” Shinso said to the blond as he tried his best to hide his disappointment.

Bakugo scoffed in return, though Shinso felt it was more out of embarrassment than malice.  “I’m in the Hero Course for a reason, eyebags.  And don’t ever compare me to that Quirkless wannabe Hero again,” Bakugo huffed as he walked away from the arena, not bothering to shake hands or do any of the post-match stuff that was typically done.

Wait, what?

Midoriya… was Quirkless?

——————

Round Four:

Shoto Todoroki vs. Katsuki Bakugo

——————

Izuku awoke to bright, white lights blinding his vision.  The room smelled of some sort of disinfectant, and his nose scrunched when he inhaled it.  To his right, he saw a monitor that displayed his vitals, and as he fully gained consciousness, he could hear the idle beep of his heart rate echo throughout the room.

He turned his head to the left, hoping to find any information as to where he could be.  When he moved his head, he saw a familiar purple figure sitting on a chair a few feet away.  He was hunched over on his phone, typing quickly like he was texting someone.  He had burn marks along his cheek bones, and his arms didn’t fare much better.

“Is the festival over?” Izuku asked, his mouth raspy.  He felt like he hadn’t talked in a hundred years.

Shinso looked up from his phone, his eyes wide as he took in Midoriya, now awake and looking at him curiously.  “Uh, not quite.  You’ve only been out a little bit.  My match finished around ten minutes ago, so you’ve been out for around half an hour, which is miraculous considering your injuries,” Shinso explained as Izuku tried his best to sit up in the bed he was lying in.

“Hey, now— take it easy.  You got burned up pretty badly; I don’t think you should be moving too much,” Shinso said as he ran over to help Izuku into a sitting position.

“Since the festival isn’t over and you’re here, I’m assuming you didn’t win your match,” Izuku observed as he finally sat up straight.  He looked at Shinso curiously as he waited for him to articulate a response.

“Uh— yeah.  I’m sorry I couldn’t win, even with all of your strategizing,” Shinso apologized as he looked away from Izuku.  “Your childhood friend is a pain in the ass to go up against, I’ll tell you that.”

Izuku laughed freely at his reply.  “As much as I’m sad you didn’t win, I’m not entirely surprised.  And I’m not upset, either.  I don’t think I could go up against Kacchan,” Izuku said as he looked down at his clenched fists.  “I guess we both gotta get stronger, huh?”

“Please, you kicked Todoroki’s ass,” Shinso said jokingly.  “What were you saying to him that made him use his fire?”

“Ah, nothing much,” Izuku replied, scratching the back of his neck bashfully.  “I just told him if he was going to fight me, he might as well not half-ass it.  I’m more surprised that you couldn’t get Kacchan to talk.  He’s typically really easy to provoke.”

“Well, I eventually got him to talk, but he blasted me out of bounds right beforehand.  He definitely wanted to yell at me, though.  I’ve never seen so many veins on someone’s face before,” Shinso said as he watched Izuku laugh at his explanation.

“Awe, man, I wish I could have seen it.  What did you say to him?” Izuku asked through a series of chuckles.  His stomach hurt with each shake of his body, but just the sight of Kacchan holding back curses was enough to make him feel better.

“I talked about you mainly,” Shinso said hesitantly, almost worried about how Izuku would react.  “I realised you guys probably had some bad blood, considering how you talked about him and how angry he was during the Cavalry Battle.”

Izuku tensed slightly at the mention of his name.  He knew Kacchan didn’t like him, but he could never fully comprehend the extent.  “Bad blood is a nice way of putting it,” Izuku chuckled quietly.  “Did he say anything to you after the match?” he asked following the laugh.

“Uh— yeah.  Something odd, actually,” Shinso said, his mind flashing back to the earlier conversation he had with the blond.  “He told me that—”

The doors burst open, followed by Monoma and Hatsume entering the room dramatically.  Shinso refrained from saying what the blond had revealed, not wanting to expose it in front of other people.  Izuku flicked his gaze over to the chaotic duo standing in the doorway with snacks piled in their arms.

“Look who’s finally awake,” Hatsume greeted as they proceeded to enter the room.  Hatsume used her heel to close the door completely, and Izuku couldn’t help but grin at their appearance.

“You were impressive as always, Midoriya,” Monoma said as he dropped a few granola bars and energy drinks on the bed.  “We brought some gifts to congratulate you on almost beating the strongest members in 1-A.”

“Awh, guys, you didn’t have to do this,” Izuku said sweetly as he picked up one of the bars off the bed.  He admired it briefly before opening the plastic and taking it out of the wrapper.

“Of course we did!  You two put up an incredible fight.  The way you went, punch, punch— dodge, dodge,” Hatsume narrated as she went through the motions of a fight.  “You really gave 10 million a run for his money.”

“You think so?” Izuku asked jokingly as he threw the granola bar wrapper into the nearest garbage can.

“We know so,” Monoma jumped in.  “You should have seen how exhausted he looked after you passed out.”

Izuku laughed again at their enthusiasm.  He never realised that having a great group of friends could feel so nice.  To his left, Shinso looked down at his phone and back at Izuku.  “I think they’re holding the awards ceremony soon,” Shinso announced to the group.  “Since we got third, we’re probably needed.  Can you walk?” He asked, directing his gaze towards Izuku.

“I’m only slightly dehydrated and burned.  I’m fine,” Izuku said, his voice shaky as he tried to get off the bed by himself.

“Have you seen your face?” Shinso deadpanned, looking at Izuku expectantly.

“Do I want to?” Izuku asked cautiously as he lifted his hand to trace the outline of his cheeks.

“Definitely not!” Monoma exclaimed as he made his way towards Izuku, his arm extended.  “Here, we’ll help you get to the podium.”

“Thanks, guys,” Izuku said gratefully as he let the three of them help him off the bed and out the door.  

They got the go-ahead from Recovery Girl, but she demanded that Izuku come back later to heal the rest of his injuries.  Izuku agreed, thankful that he wouldn’t have to hide these injuries from Eraser later tonight.  As they finally made it to the location of the podiums, Izuku looked around curiously. 

It seemed that they were under the arena, given that he could hear the muffled cheers from the crowd above.  Around him were some of the UA teachers who were preparing for the podiums to be lifted to the surface, and to his right were a sleeping Todoroki and Kacchan.

“It looks like we may be a bit early,” Izuku joked as he surveyed the room.  It was surprisingly lit considering they were underground, with the floors being close to bare and the only actual objects in the room being the podiums and some comforters for the two contestants who were passed out.

“Well, I can probably take it from here.  Thanks, guys,” Shinso said to Monoma and Hatsume as they approached a wall for the duo to lean against while they waited to be situated.  

“Alright, we’ll catch you later then,” Hatsume replied as she released her hold on Izuku’s left arm.

“I doubt this will be the last time we cross paths on the field,” Monoma said as he stepped away from Izuku’s side to face them head-on.  “Until then, I’ll train hard to kick your asses.”

“With Midoriya being my teacher, in your dreams,” Shinso quipped, making Izuku laugh at their lighthearted banter.  Monoma only rolled his eyes in response, likely understanding the truth behind the joke.

“Oh! By the way, Midoriya,” Hatsume said, her fingers snapping together as she jumped at her reminder.  “If you ever need any help, tech support wise, or have any ideas you don’t have the equipment for, catch me in Power Loader’s class.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that sometime,” Izuku replied, a large grin expanding over his face.  How did I get so lucky?   “We’ll see you guys later!”

As the two left the room, Izuku let out a sigh.  “We really made it, huh?” He asked Shinso, though it was more of an observation than anything else.

“You doubting your abilities over there?” Shinso replied lightheartedly.  He quickly noticed after meeting Midoriya that he was his own worst critic and knew that he was likely taking the loss pretty hard.

“Considering you got third and not first, a little,” Izuku said, and he briefly looked towards the ground, his poor attempt at hiding the disappointment he knew he shouldn’t have.  “I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.”

“I probably wouldn’t have even gotten to the finals without you in the first place,” Shinso argued.  He couldn’t let Midoriya feel this way after all he had done for him.  “You’re the reason I’m here and not in the stands wallowing in my own pity.  Get that through that thick skull of yours.”  Shinso gave him the lightest of shakes, cautious of the wounds scattered throughout his body.

“But—”

“No buts!  I can’t have my teammate looking all gloomy when we’re receiving our medals, okay?” Shinso interrupted before Izuku had another chance to protest.

“Fine, I’ll drop it,” Izuku huffed dramatically as he rolled his eyes at his friend’s persistence.  He knew Shinso was upset about his loss, but why he didn’t show it was something that Izuku was curious about. 

Before they could bicker any further, Ms. Midnight approached them with a gleeful look on her face.  “Ah, Shinso and Midoriya, you boys did incredible out there,” she said, her hands intertwined as they raised to her cheek.

“Thank you so much, Ms. Midnight,” Izuku said shyly as he scratched the back of his neck.  He was not expecting to be complimented by so many teachers today.

“Uh, thanks,” Shinso said, just as surprised as Izuku.  “Who won, by the way?”

“Ah, we figured you probably wouldn’t have heard,” Midnight said.  “But Bakugo was the winner of this year’s festival!  He and Todoroki had a passionate battle that had everyone on the edge of their seats!” she added excitedly.

“You probably wore the poor guy out after your battle, Midoriya,” Shinso joked, his head turning to face Izuku.

“Well, I doubt it was just me,” Izuku replied hesitantly.  There was no way he was that strong.  Shinso was just exaggerating. 

“Speaking of, it looks like Todoroki is waking up!” Midnight gasped.  “We should start preparing you for the Awards Ceremony.” Midnight guided the two of them over to the pillar on the far right and ordered that they stay there until after the ceremony, promising it would take only a few more minutes.  

“Since you both lost the match in the semi-finals, you’re both considered third,” Midnight explained as she fixed their shirts and rubbed dirt off Shinso's shoulders.

“That makes sense, I guess,” Shinso replied, shrugging.  “I’m surprised you’re not making us fight it out, though.”

“It really depends on the extent of the injuries,” Midnight said, pursing her lips in thought.  “And you both had strong advocates to prevent you from fighting,” she smiled, amused.  

“We did?” the boys said simultaneously, both turning their heads to look at each other in confusion.

“Seems like you might have found Yamada’s soft spot,” she whispered, the biggest grin spreading across her face.

“Yama—”

“Kayama, I swear you better not be telling those two anything!” A familiar voice called through the room.

Izuku whipped his head towards the door and saw Present Mic standing in the doorway, his hands on his thighs, mildly huffing from the overuse of his lungs.

“I didn’t say a word,” Midnight said, her fingers running across her lips in a zipping motion.

“Yeah, she only complimented us on the match!” Izuku added, playing along with the Pro.  Shinso nodded right after.

“See, what did I tell you?” Midnight laughed, sending an amused wink in their direction as she walked over to talk to Todoroki.

“You guys did great out there!” Present Mic cheered as he approached the duo.

“Thank you, Present Mic,” Izuku chirped as he smiled at his other teacher’s praise.  If someone had told him this was his fate a year ago, he never would have believed them.

“Thanks,” Shinso said right after, a smaller yet still present smile sneaking onto his lips.

“Of course,” Present Mic replied happily as he ruffled their heads affectionately.  “You both had me a little worried, y’know.”

“Really?” Izuku and Shinso perked up at their teacher’s revelation, not expecting to have made such an impact on the viewers.

“How could you not!?” Present Mic exclaimed.  “You made the Hero Course actually work for their win!”

Izuku laughed as his gaze scanned the room, stopping when it landed on one head in particular.  Talking to Midnight was a now conscious Todoroki, staring intently, almost curiously, in Izuku’s direction.  Izuku gulped at the new pair of eyes on him but brought his focus back on the two people in front of him.

“I should get going,” Present Mic said as he placed his hands back on his hips.  “I wanted to quickly congratulate you two before the festival ended in case I didn’t catch you afterwards.  But now I’ve gotta get back up top to finish the show.”

“We understand, thanks for visiting us!” Izuku smiled at both Present Mic and the thought that he was so fortunate at UA.

“I’ll see you guys Monday.  Get some rest.  Alright?  You definitely deserve it,” Present Mic instructed, though it sounded more like an order than a suggestion.  Unfortunately, Izuku never liked to follow either of them.

“We will, now get moving or you’ll be late,” Shinso teased as they watched their teacher leave the room.

As Izuku took another look around the room, he noticed Todoroki on the other side of the column, standing on the second place platform.  So Kacchan won the festival , huh? Izuku thought as he looked over at the sleeping blond.  He wasn’t entirely surprised, given that he got first in the Entrance Exam.  He was clearly working hard to get where he was, and it seemed to have paid off in the form of first place.

Stopping his train of thought, Izuku noticed two UA robots approaching Kacchan steadily, carrying chains and some form of handcuff in their hands.  They wouldn’t, he gasped as he watched them surround him, chains in the air.

“What is it?” Shinso asked, alarmed by Izuku’s sudden interest in the mat a few metres away.  Izuku guided Shinso’s gaze to the sight in front of him, and Izuku watched as he tried to stifle a gasp of his own.  “What are they doing?” he asked, completely stunned.

“I think they’re… tying him up?” Izuku said, phrasing it more like a question.

“Do I even want to know why?” Shinso asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.

“I’m not really sure,” Izuku replied, his gaze still focused intently on Kacchan slowly being tied up.

A few minutes later found the blond tied to the first place podium, still sleeping soundly.  Izuku figured he’d probably be up in a few minutes, and that would be when they were lifted to the surface.  As they waited patiently, with Shinso and Izuku idly chatting and Todoroki being incredibly interested in the wall next to him, the blond finally started to stir awake.

“Good morning, Sunshine.  How was your nap?” Shinso asked teasingly as he glanced at Bakugo, who was now discovering his current predicament.

“Shinso!” Izuku yelped, elbowing his friend, though he couldn’t stifle the giggle that emerged from his throat.

“What!” Shinso whined back, but he grinned widely when he noticed the laughs coming from Izuku.

All they got in response was muffling from the blond beside them, and before they knew it, they were being raised to the surface.  “It looks like they raise us based on our standing,” Izuku said, noting that they were the only ones being lifted.

As they finally reached the surface, Izuku squinted at the blinding light of the bright blue sky.  The second thing he noticed was how much clearer the cheers of the crowd were.  As he looked around, all he felt was awe.  So many people were cheering his and Shinso’s names.  He glanced back at the open field and saw how the rest of the students were clapping at their appearance.  

“This feels unreal,” Izuku voiced aloud, not really to anyone in particular as his mouth continued to slack open from shock.

“Tell me about it,” Shinso snorted, giving Izuku a little shove to get him out of his shock.

“Once again, in third place, we have Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso!” Present Mic cheered, causing the crowd to scream even louder.  “And in second place, we have Shoto Todoroki!”

Todoroki was lifted from the ground a moment later, not really doing much besides looking around, his hands in his pockets.  He seemed to know less about what to do than Izuku!

“Finally, the winner of this year's Sports Festival for the First Years is Katsuki Bakugo! Present Mic announced excitedly as the crowd reached new levels of rowdy.  If Izuku thought things couldn't get any cooler, he would've been wrong.  Out of nowhere, All Might rained down from the sky, yelling, “I am here!” in his classic, booming voice.

“Shinso, it’s All Might!” Izuku gasped, unable to hide the shock and excitement wracking through his body.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I know,” Shinso replied, way more composed than Izuku, but not even he could fully hide the excitement he was feeling through the gleam in his eyes.

“I’ll be handing out your medals!” All Might declared as he picked them up from a table near the podiums.  

“I think I’m going to pass out,” Izuku whispered to Shinso, who in turn attempted to stifle a chuckle from his friend’s panic.

“You’re fine, just act casual,” Shinso replied, his volume matching Izuku’s.

“In front of All Might?! The Number One Hero himself?” Izuku whisper-shouted in response, shocked by Shinso’s demeanour.  How could he not be freaking out right now?

“Shut up, he’s coming over,” Shinso said quickly through gritted teeth as he glanced over at the incoming Pro.

Congratulations on third place, boys,” All Might said as he walked in front of the two, his large statue practically towering over them.  “You fought brilliantly despite your disadvantages,” he added as he placed the medals around each of them one by one.

He brought Shinso into a hug first, and if Izuku wasn’t as good at composure as he was, he would have cackled at Shinso’s shocked, wide-eyed reaction.

Izuku was next, and he still couldn’t believe that this was happening.  Not only was he meeting one of his favourite Pro Heroes, he was getting hugged by him!  As his arms wrapped around Izuku, he heard All Might whisper, “I’d like to talk to you after the festival, Young Midoriya.  Meet me near the staff room in an hour.”

Izuku stilled at his offer, shell-shocked that All Might had something he wanted to discuss with him.  What could he possibly want to say to Izuku?  Wouldn’t he want to talk with Kacchan or Todoroki?  Regardless of his confusion, he nodded anyway and watched as All Might made his way over to Todoroki.

“What was that about?” Shinso asked the minute All Might was out of earshot.

“All Might… wants to talk with me after the festival,” Izuku whispered, though it wasn’t entirely to Shinso but more to himself as he tried to comprehend what was going on.

This was going to be an interesting conversation.

——————

An hour later,  Izuku was waiting outside one of the UA staff rooms.  He bounced on the balls of his feet anxiously as he waited for All Might to turn the corner.  He wasn’t entirely sure what the Pro could want from him, considering he showed no skills worthy enough to be noticeable.  Perhaps he’d want his help in analyzing the Hero Course?  That seemed like the only logical option, considering it was the only thing he actually excelled at.  To pass the time, Izuku flipped through some of the pages of his notebook, reading over his new notes about the different students in the Sports Festival.  

I’ll have to revise it later , Izuku thought as he read through some of his chicken scratch that was scrawled along the pages.

“Ah, young man!” A voice boomed, snapping Izuku out of his train of thought.  “I’m happy you decided to meet with me.  I have an important offer for you.”

Izuku glanced up from his notebook to look at All Might, standing in front of him in all of his glory.  He was actually so much cooler in person, but he couldn’t blow this, so he needs to act cool.  I got this. 

“What about?” Izuku asked curiously as he closed his notebook and looked expectantly at the hero in front of him.

“Let’s step inside,” All Might replied as he ushered Izuku into an empty room.

The room was plain in itself.  There were two teal sofas facing parallel to each other, with a short wooden coffee table seated in the middle.  On the right of a round window was a desk covered with a variety of different nicknacks.  A teapot and cups rested on the far right, likely used a few hours prior.  Izuku sat down on the right couch, letting himself sink into the comfort of its squishy exterior.  If only my bed was like this , he thought momentarily before snapping the thought out of his head.

All Might sat on the other couch, clearing his throat as he watched Izuku look at him, eyes filled with curiosity.  “I’d like to begin by saying that you have incredible potential,” All Might started, his voice soft but firm.  “Not a lot of people could pull off what you accomplished today.”

“Thank you, sir,” Izuku replied, his face flushed with embarrassment.  What was it with all these heroes complimenting him today?

“You demonstrated incredible acts of strategy and leadership, which is why you and your team got so far.  And the way you got young Todoroki to use his flames was a feat not even young Bakugo could accomplish,” All Might added.  His tone was insinuating that this was leading to something, but Izuku couldn’t put his finger on what.

“Thank you,” Izuku repeated, not really sure what else to say to All Might’s analysis.  “But it wasn’t all me.  I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my friends.”

“And humble,” All Might hummed, smiling slightly.

“What are you trying to say with all of this?” Izuku asked, “I doubt you called me here just to compliment me on my performance.”  He leaned back on the couch slightly, letting himself sink further into the soft cushions.  He looked at All Might patiently as he waited for an answer. 

“Young man, I want to offer you the opportunity to work with me as my protege.  I could train you to become a hero.  That’s why you gave it your all in the festival, right?”  All Might asked casually, as if he didn’t just drop a bomb on Izuku and blow up everything within a 20-metre radius.

He… what?

Izuku didn’t say anything at first, as he was far too shocked to even attempt to form words.  All Might, the Number One Hero— the Symbol of Peace wanted to train him.  Show him heroics.  Him.   Not Kacchan.  Not Todoroki.  Not anyone in the Hero Course.  Him.  But he couldn’t, right?  He didn’t have a quirk, there was no way he would be able to keep up.  The Sports Festival proved as much.  He’d be deadweight in the real world.  And Eraser— what would he tell him?  Would it be the end of his vigilante career as he knew it?  There were so many variables to consider, but at the same time… why wouldn’t he?  It had been his dream for as long as he could remember to be strong enough to help more people, so why would he refuse?  But how could All Might help him?  He had no power to hone; he was powerless.  Weak compared to everyone else.  That’s just how life was.

After recollecting his thoughts, Izuku cleared his throat, noticing how All Might’s attention snapped intensely to him.  “I think… you have the wrong guy,” Izuku said, his throat feeling incredibly dry.  He didn’t want to disappoint him.

“But, young man—”

“You’ve seen my files, right?  You know my quirk status,” Izuku said sadly, his eyes brimming with tears.  “There’s no way I’m meant to be a hero in this life.”  He felt defeated, disgusted that he could decline such an important person.  But it would be better if he disappointed him now than later on, when it really mattered.  All Might would get over it, and then he’d find someone else instead.  It was that simple.

“Young Midoriya— kid, listen for just a moment.” All Might replied, his voice having a type of firmness Izuku had never seen on TV before.

Izuku nodded, showing that he was listening.  “I have a special power.  One that you need to promise you won’t reveal to anyone,” All Might whispered, his eyebrows furrowed together.  

A look of confusion spread across Izuku’s features.  What kind of special power?  And why was it so important that he couldn’t tell anyone?  Regardless of his questions, Izuku nodded anyway, urging All Might to continue. 

“As you have probably seen online, there is a lot of debate about what my quirk is,” All Might began, his voice continuing to sound like he was trying to explain the bigger picture of something that was right in front of Izuku.

“Of course! There are thousands of theories about what your quirk is.  Some think it’s a super strength, while others argue it’s some sort of endurance or stamina-based power,” Izuku interrupted without meaning to.  He always got carried away when the topic of quirks arose, and it seemed that not even All Might could stop that.  “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, I’ve purposely avoided the question when it’s brought up on TV for a reason,” All Might continued.  “It’s something special, one that goes against the quirk laws we know today.  My quirk is called One for All, and it gives me the ability to pass my powers to another person.”

“That’s— how is that even possible?  Science suggests that quirks are part of one’s core, but if this power exists, it raises the question of whether that’s even true.  We’d have to rethink everything we’ve ever learned,” Izuku rambled, his mind struggling to comprehend the topic.  There was no way this was happening right now.  “But— wait, you want me to be your successor, so that means…”

“I want to pass my power onto you.  You’ll have the remainder of the year to hone your new abilities, and in the spring, you can re-enroll in the Hero Course as a Second Year,” All Might explained, his voice finally rising in excitement.

“I— I don’t even know what to say,” Izuku murmured as he let his mind wander again.  This was a once in a lifetime experience.  He would be as strong as All Might!  He’d be able to save everyone that way.  He could be strong enough to keep up with everyone else and be a worthy hero.  But he’d have to leave being a vigilante behind him, wouldn’t he?  There would be no need.  He wouldn’t interact with the locals again, nor would he help those who are often missed in the darkness.  His night patrols with Eraser would be over— but isn’t that what the old man wanted anyway?  This was too much.  Izuku didn’t know what he wanted.

“Can I… think about it for a few days?” Izuku asked hesitantly.  “I have, er— personal circumstances I need to consider before I accept this offer.  If that’s alright with you,” he added, looking at All Might.  His hands shook as he worried about his reaction.  He should’ve just said yes, shouldn’t he?  All Might will realize he’s not worthy and give it to someone else.  He’s ruined this—

“Of course, young man.  I understand this may be a big decision to make.  I’ll check up on you on Wednesday,” All Might suggested as he reached for something in his right jacket pocket.  He started scribbling something on an empty sheet of paper before saying, “If you make a decision before then, give me a call.”

All Might… was giving him his phone number?  What even is today? Izuku thought as he reached out to grab the piece of paper from the pro.

“Of course, thank you so much, sir,” Izuku said as he stood up quickly.  He bowed just as fast, trying to express his gratitude as much as possible.

“There’s no need for that, young Midoriya,” All Might said, dismissing his formal behaviour.  “I chose you because I know you have what it takes to be a Hero.  And I’m not the only one who sees it.  I’m just lucky that I got to speak to you first.” He smiled fondly as he watched tears form in Izuku’s eyes when their gazes met.  This was too much to handle right now.

“I should get going,” Izuku said as he turned to leave the room.  “I’ll be in touch.”

“I look forward to your response,” All Might replied as he waved at Izuku’s departure.

As Izuku walked down the hallway, the bright sunlight filtering through the numerous windows located on the walls to the left, he sighed heavily for what felt like the first time all day.  He talked to so many new people and made so many acquaintances.  How did one school event cause this?  It didn’t matter, Izuku thought.

He had a lot to think about, but more than anything, he needed to get stronger.  This festival proved that more than anything.

But first, he really needed to sleep.