Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'This...is not my bedroom.' Was Izuku's first, confused thought upon opening his eyes to a completely white room. It was quickly followed by the realization that he was already standing up, which was also odd considering that he'd never slept in any position other than sitting or lying down. He was pretty darn sure the last thing he had done was go to sleep in his room so why...

Maybe he was still dreaming. That was the simplest explanation, but what if he wasn't? Could he have been kidnapped somehow? Could a space like this be caused by a quirk? Had the villains from the USJ incident already struck again? It had hardly been a day! Was his mom okay? Did they get any of his classmates? What about-

“My, my, your mind is certainly a busy place isn't it?”

Izuku whirled around. About ten feet behind him sat an indistinct figure, presumably the source of the voice, whose body appeared to be as white as the world around them. The only way he could tell that there was anything there at all was due to the dark gray static that outlined their body. Izuku's observant gaze flew up and down the person's body, but he couldn't get any additional information. It was just an outline of a body. Like how some crime TV shows would put tape down to show what position a body had been found in, only with the colors reversed.

Well, there was one exception, one facial feature he could see. A wide, toothy grin.

“Did I startle you that much? I expected you to demand answers right away. Most everyone else did.”

The voice wasn't of any help either. Izuku had read books where mythical or supernatural voices were described as being somehow young, old, masculine, and feminine all at once, but he'd never really known what that meant until he heard this being talk.

“Wait.” Izuku's thoughts took a sharp turn as the being's words sunk in. “What do you mean 'most everyone else'?”

“Wouldn't it be easier to start at the beginning? Introductions are important after all.”

A part of Izuku wanted to refuse and demand the answer to his question. But he took a breath and didn't give in to his knee-jerk reaction. He wasn't sure what was going on here, and was still really hoping this was a weird dream, but he got the feeling he'd just get more brush offs if he didn't play along for a bit.

“I'm Midoriya Izuku. May I ask who you are and what I am doing here?”

“Hmmm, more polite than some of the others.” The strange voice sounded pleased. “As for who I am, there are some who would call me the world. Others might call me the universe, or perhaps God. But my personal favorite is Truth. I am all and I am one, and I am here to offer you a deal.”

It took Izuku a minute to decide if he should try and puzzle out that introduction or just forge ahead. In the end he decided to prioritize figuring out what was going on.

“What kind of deal would someone like you offer to me? I'm just a kid in high school.”

“You plan to be a hero, do you not? The heroes in your world always shape the things around them, but you bring that to an all new level. I can see the way you and your classmates bend the fate of all who cross your path, and it drew my attention.”

“My classmates? Are they the 'others' you were talking about?”

“Indeed, them and a couple of teachers who will play a role in what is to come.”

“What does that mean? What's coming?” Izuku demanded.

“That information is what I offer. I can make many things clear for you, though it will come at a price. One cannot get something for nothing, especially something as valuable as knowledge of the future events.”

“You...you're offering to tell me about my own future?”

“Among other things, and it will be more show than tell, but yes. I will give you knowledge of the future that is in store for you, and those around you, as it is currently set to happen. What you do with that information will be up to you, of course, but I'm willing to bet a boy like yourself would find a way to save many lives, especially since you will have the support of those around you.”

Izuku swallowed, trying to bring some moisture back to his dry throat. Knowledge of his own future? Knowledge that would save people's lives if he used it the right way? It sounded too good to be true, and how could he refuse with lives on the line? But still...
“And what do you want in exchange?”

“Exchange implies a trade, which isn't exactly what this is. You are crossing a bridge, and must pay the toll for your right of passage.”

“So, what toll would I have to pay?” Izuku asked warily.

“In this case, the toll is pain. Any pain that your other self is shown to experience, you too will experience it.”

“Is that the only condition? That I'll experience whatever future pains I would have gone through on my own body as I see the future?”

“That is your personal toll for what you see. Keep in mind that you are not the only one being given this offer. Your classmates and teachers will be given the same knowledge as you, and they may see things you would rather keep hidden. Are you willing to go through the physical pain as well as the mental and emotional pain of having your secrets revealed to others?”

The gears immediately began to turn behind Izuku's eyes. He thought of how he carried the secrets of All Might, how dangerous it would be if they got out, and how he didn't want to betray his mentor. But he also thought of the USJ incident. His class had been incredibly lucky that no one had been killed or permanently injured, and the leaders of that villain group were still out there. Right now they had no idea where they would strike next, or how long it would take them to regroup. They had been determined to kill All Might, and with what he saw of Shigaraki, the man wouldn't be deterred after one failure. If they were blindsided again, then a lot of people could get hurt, or even killed. But if there was a chance he could learn their next moves before they happened then that could be avoided.
When he thought about it like that, there was only once answer he could give.

“Yes.”

Izuku blinked once after speaking that word, and when he opened his eyes again he was no longer surrounded by white. He was standing in a room that looked like a mix between a cozy living room and a movie theater. There was a large screen on one wall, with numerous couches, chairs, and cushions facing it. The room itself had a few different levels, making it so couches further back would allow people sitting in them to see over the heads of those in front. Plus there appeared to be a table of food in the very back of the room, and other supplies on a table next to it, and the doors by them were labeled as bathrooms or bedrooms.

Oh, and he was surrounded by his entire homeroom class. He probably should have mentioned that first.

Everyone else looked about as stunned and confused as he did. (Well, except for Bakugo it was more 'angry and confused', but that was to be expected) Before any of them could say or do anything, there was a flash of light, and more people appeared. Eraserhead, Present Mic, Recovery Girl, Principle Nedzu, and a 'deflated' All Might appeared just in front of the food table. After a couple seconds of shock, students immediately ran up to the teachers. Their questions of 'Where are we?' 'What's going on?' and 'Did you see that thing too?' all blended together until Nedzu leaped onto the table and then onto Present Mic's shoulders. He cleared his throat and gestured for silence.

“May I have everyone's attention? Thank you. Now, for the sake of clarity, please raise your hand if you just had an interaction with a being called Truth that offered you secrets and/or future knowledge that would help save lives with the condition that you would feel pain along with your other self and might have information revealed about yourself that you did not wish others to know?”

Hands slowly went up all around the room, until all of the students and teachers had their hands raised.

“Well, it certainly helps that we were all given roughly the same message then. Now, I have a message that Truth apparently wanted me to share with you.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his coat's breast pocket and unfolded it. “According to this, the visions we see will stop if the majority of people in the room stop paying attention to what is happening on screen, which I suppose will ensure we won't miss anything vital if we get distracted. Additionally, the 'show' will be separated into episodes, so we can choose when to take breaks and let information sink in. This also says that we don't need to worry about the outside world because no time passes there while we are in here. Also, quirks cannot be used in this space.”

“What?! Seriously?!” Bakugo shouted. He looked down at his hands, and his fingers twitched, but nothing happened. “Dammit! I can't get my explosions to go off!”

This prompted other students to try using their quirks, only to confirm that they were being canceled out by something. Those with mutation quirks kept some of their quirks, since there was only so much that could be canceled out without drastically changing their bodies, but they still suffered some affects. Tsuyu found she could not jump as well or stick to things, and Shoji could not shift his appendages into forms other than what they currently were. Thankfully one of the appendages was in the shape of a mouth, otherwise he wouldn't be able to talk to anyone.

“Well, might as well get this show on the road. Everyone find a place to sit, and so help me if I need to come over and mediate disputes on seating arrangements.” Aizawa said as he walked over to a couch in the highest corner of the room. The other teacher's followed him, and students slowly made their way around the room to find people they wanted to sit by.

Many students wondered why the unfamiliar, skeletal man had been transported into the room with them, but they were too busy finding friends and absorbing recent events to bother questioning it now. Truth had said that teachers that played an important role in the future would be here too. So the few that thought about it more decided he was simply a teacher that they hadn't met yet.

Before finding a seat, Izuku discovered that one of the back tables had notebooks and writing utensils. He grabbed a few before joining Uraraka and Iida, and when Momo saw him she went and grabbed one herself. She was closely followed by Recovery Girl, who grabbed one for each teacher in the group.

Once everyone was seated and looking forward, the screen lit up.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The first images on screen were of a playground in the afternoon. A very young Izuku was seen standing in defense of another little boy, against Bakugo.

“Oh, Izuku is that you? You're so small and cute, and trying so hard to be brave!” Uraraka said from her seat next to Izuku. The trio of Iida, Izuku, and Uraraka had taken over a couch near the front, and while Izuku blushed and tried to stammer that he hadn't really been any of those things, Iida hummed in agreement.

“I should have guessed you would have heroic instincts from a very early age. However it is odd-”

“Hey! Shitty static!” Bakugo, who was sitting near the back with Kirishima, suddenly yelled up at the ceiling. “You said we were here for the future! This is the past, you idiot! Did you lie to us?! And why the hell is it showing Deku of all people?!”

“I never lie.” the disembodied voice of Truth sounded far too amused for anyone's comfort. “I agreed to grant you knowledge of the future to help save lives. However some events in the future will not make sense unless a certain amount of base information is established first, and much of that information can be gained through Midoriya's experiences. So I'm merely fulfilling the terms of the deal.”

“You never said you'd show us the past.” Bakugo growled.

“To be fair,” Momo interjected “they didn't say they wouldn't show us the past, just that it would be information that would help us save people and would include things that hadn't happened yet. That's the message I got anyway.” Bakugo turned to level his glare at her, but she seemed unaffected.

“A very astute observation. Now, shall we continue?” Truth asked. A ripple of uneasy murmuring swept through the room, and Bakugo hadn't stopped growling, but the video continued nonetheless.

The scene shifted to show a very young Bakugo and two other kids staring at Izuku. Bakugo mocked Izuku for trying to act like a hero despite being quirkless.

Students and teachers alike frowned in confusion at the declaration of Izuku's quirklessness, having seen the boy use his, very destructive, quirk for themselves. The exception to this was Izuku and Yagi, who glanced at each other nervously. But before anyone could question the apparent contradiction...

The three boys on screen rushed at Izuku. The scene cut off abruptly, only to show a battered Izuku laying on the ground a few moments later.

“Ah!” Izuku suddenly cried, his whole body flinching.

“Deku? What's wrong?” Uraraka turned to him, eyes wide with concern. Iida put an arm around Izuku's shoulder's to steady him while the boy hugged himself.

“Ugh...my whole body suddenly feels sore.”

“Ah, this would probably be the toll that Truth mentioned.” Nedzu piped up from Present Mic's shoulder. “I guess this means all on-screen injuries will cause pain to the viewer, not just future ones.”

“We're gonna feel past injuries again?! Oh man, that's gonna suck!” Kaminari whined.

Thinking about everything that happened during the entrance exam, battle training, and USJ arc, the other students couldn't help but agree. The teachers were looking a lot more concerned though.

“I've already seen young Midoriya a few times and it's only the first week of school.” Recovery Girl said quietly. “I know he won't be experiencing real injuries, but he'll feel like he is. Depending on how close in succession this show makes those injuries come, the amount of pain Midoriya feels could grow to be a problem.”

Yagi felt dread starting to twist in his gut. He knew first hand how chronic pain could eat away at you. Would Izuku end up feeling something similar by watching this?

The scene showed young Izuku laying on his back still, but it was a grown Midoriya's voice that spoke about finding out that people weren't equal in their society.

“Aptly put, even if people claim that all are created equally, society certainly doesn't treat people equally.” Nedzu said.

“Pretty much any society is going to have some inequality.” Momo mused. “Still it must a hard thing to learn at such a young age. I don't recall seeing such bigotry until I was much older than Midoriya appears to be here.”

“I remember the teasing starting at about the same age as him.” Ashido, who was lounging on a cushion, commented. “Don't remember seeing anything get that physical though.”

The scene changed to a teenage Izuku running down the street.

“Oh,” Izuku's surprised gasp had people looking at him. “the pain is gone.”

“So the only time we'll be in physical pain is if the on-screen version of us is shown to be in pain. That's good to know. At least it won't take real time to recover from everything we see.” Iida pointed out. That brought a small amount of relief to the room.

The scene continued to follow Izuku as he ran down the street, eventually ending up at a scene where a huge villain towered over everyone. Izuku smiled in excitement.

Aizawa sighed and muttered something about crowds and problem children. Present Mic patted him on the back sympathetically.

Then the scene suddenly cut away, and Izuku's voice was heard narrating about when quirks had first appeared and how they changed the world. Near the end of the explanation, All Might was seen striding into frame.

His appearance was greeted as it usually was, with cheers from the students and smiles from the teachers. Well, all the teachers but Aizawa, who just rolled his eyes instead.

The scene cut back to the fight Izuku was watching. The villain swatted over a metal tower that was caught by a pro-hero. Police were shown at the very front of the crowds, warning people back, but they were also watching the action. A hero called Backdraft was shown putting up a barrier between people and the fight and warning them to stay back.

“Aren't the police already keeping the crowd back?” Tsuyu asked. “Backdraft feels a little redundant right now.” Aizawa sighed again.

“Even with the police there, the civilians are standing far too close. Did you see how close they were to that falling tower? Something could have easily gone wrong there, and it even looks like some of the police have their eyes more on the action than the crowed. It's important to see what's going on, but if someone tried to run in they might not see it in time. So it's a good thing Backdraft is adding another layer between the crowd and the fight.”

“Oh, I see, thank you sir.” Tsuyu replied. Aizawa nodded, and Momo and Izuku quickly wrote down notes about what Aizawa had just said, the latter of the two muttering about how he hadn't thought of that at the time.

The scene continued with Izuku working his way toward the front of the crowd. When Kamui Woods flew over everyone's heads, a group of girls in the crowd started gushing about about how much they loved him.

“Yeah! That's what being a pro is all about!” Mineta suddenly yelled from the floor in front of Kaminari. Kaminari and a couple other students chuckled, but most either rolled their eyes or gave him a side-eyed look. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the comment, while the Present Mic and Yagi hummed in disapproval. They were both flashy in their own careers, but they knew there was a lot more to the gig than fans and popularity.
Nedzu added Mineta's reaction to his list of 'things to keep an eye on now that we know how much this class will impact the future'. His pride took a hit for using the notebook he'd been given, but whatever quirk canceling affect was in place was lowering the efficiency of 'High Spec' as well, and he didn't want to risk forgetting anything.

While Kamui landed on the scene and got ready to fight, Izuku started gushing about the hero, and got labeled a fanboy by a man standing next to him. Izuku responded with a blush and looking away in embarrassment.

Which, consequently, was what he was doing right now as several people in the room laughed good-naturedly and made playful comments about how obvious he was.

Kamui Woods started to fight the villain in earnest. “Illegal use of powers during rush hour and robbery resulting in bodily injury. You are the incarnation of evil!”

Present Mic snorted at the declaration, and a few students joined him.

“Is he being serious right now?” Kirishima asked, thinking about what they'd seen at the USJ. “I get wanting to say something manly during a fight, but that was pretty over the top.”

“Well, he is kind of new as a pro-hero. Maybe he's experimenting with catchphrases.” Izuku pointed out.

“Remind me to think of some cooler material.” Mineta said to Kaminari, who laughed.

“Only if you promise to do the same.”

Kamui Woods was interrupted by Mount Lady, who appeared and took out the villain in one hit. She introduced herself to the crowd, making a point of showing off her butt as she did so. Lines of people were shown taking pictures of it.

“You were at Mount Lady's debut?!” Mineta cried “Aw man, now I'm jealous! You gotta tell me all about it Midoriya!”

Izuku looked uncomfortable with the idea, and did his best to brush it off by saying he'd send Mineta a copy of his notes. Meanwhile, Momo was making a note to herself about being careful of how she handled her own pro-hero introduction, which basically boiled down to 'don't do what she just did'.

As the police and heroes continued to do their jobs, Izuku's voice narrated about how the career of pro-hero came to be. Once the scene had calmed down Izuku was shown standing by the small crater Mount Lady had made, taking notes on her quirk and muttering to himself about whether or not the nature of it would cause her to be limited in the city due to potential property damage.

“I have to admit, I hadn't thought about any of that.” Sato admitted. “Now than you've brought it up, I can't help but think that local drivers and maintenance workers are gonna be pretty unhappy about the damage to the street.”

“It's a completely legitimate thing to be worried about in such close quarters, but if she is a pro than surely she has considered that herself.” Iida replied. Sato nodded, but in a slow doubtful way.

“I guess. Still, kinda weird she chose to work in a croweded city. A more rural area would allow her more freedom of movement.”

The man from before noticed Izuku writing and surmised he wanted to be hero. When the man told him he could do it, Izuku gave him a bright smile.

“Awwww! Izuku always has such a great smile!” Ashido cooed. Izuku blushed, and so did Uraraka for some reason. Bakugo scoffed.

Aldera Junior High was shown, and a teacher was heard talking to a class, which contained Izuku, about how they were third years and needed to plan their futures. The seriousness was quickly dismissed as he declared they were all going for being heroes anyway. The class exploded with noise and people showing off their quirks. Izuku looked uncomfortable with the whole thing.

“That is completely inappropriate behavior by both the teacher and the students! He should encourage students to explore multiple options!” Iida immediately railed, misreading the source of his friends past discomfort. Izuku was gaining a similar look in real time, as he realized precisely what day was being shown.

“Is this how public schools usually are?” Momo asked.

“What do you mean?” Sato asked.

“Well, in my own middle school I remember there being much more diversity in what my classmates were interested in. Some wanted to be heroes of course, but others wanted to go into medicine or law or education. I went to a private school though, so I was wondering if the disparity was due to private vs public schools.”

Uraraka hummed thoughtfully. “I think kinda yes, but kinda no? Like I remember a buncha kids in my class wanted to be heroes, probably the majority, but it's not like what this is showing. It wasn't the whole class.”

“My class was about the same as yours.” Shoji said, nodding toward Uraraka.

“So Midoriya and Bakugo's school was just weird then?” Tsuyu stated bluntly. That earned her a snort from Bakugo.

Ojiro shrugged. “Either that or some of the kids actually weren't that interested and just started using their quirks because they saw others were doing the same and not getting in trouble.”

The ruckus was immediately quieted when Bakugo's voice called out to the teacher, telling the man not to lump him in with his class full of rejects.

“Well, at least he got the class to quiet down. That's more than the teacher did.” Kaminari commented, trying to keep the atmosphere light as various looks of disapproval and exasperation were sent toward Bakugo. “Oh yeah, Mineta, this shows you were right.”

“Huh?”

“The other day we were talking and we wondered if Bakugo had always been, you know, like that. You said he probably was, and this stuff shows you were right.”

Mineta went stiff as Bakugo's red eyes shot towards him. “Uh...and by 'like that' we meant how confident you are!” Mineta rushed to say, sweat building on his forehead. Bakugo's eyes lingered for a moment before he looked away with a grunt. Mineta sighed, then shot a glare at Kaminari. The blonde boy just smirked.

The rest of the class shouted at Bakugo for the insult. Bakugo just insulted them again and the teacher noted that Bakugo was planning to go to UA. Izuku looked even more uncomfortable as Bakugo went on to brag about how he was planning to surpass All Might.

“That's an admirable goal young man, I wish you luck.” Yagi said.

Bakugo looked at the man in confusion, wondering why he'd bothered to say anything, before turning back to the screen and deciding it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, the rest of the class and staff were wondering why Midoriya was the one kid in that class being quiet and looking so down. Usually the subject of heroes made him so happy he couldn't stop talking.

The teacher noted how Midoriya was also planning to go to UA, and the rest of the class started laughing at him. Bakugo whirled around and slammed an exploding fist down on Midoriya's desk, sending the other boy to the floor. Bakugo demanded to know how he could even think of standing in the same ring as himself when Izuku was quirkless.

Confusion spread through the room again. They hadn't had much time to think about the quirkless accusation before, but here it was, being brought up again.

“I assumed Midoriya was called quirkless in that first scene because he was a late bloomer and hadn't gotten his quirk yet. Is it even possible for someone to get a quirk this late in life?” Momo mused to herself. Only the people closest to her heard, since Iida and Bakugo were having a yelling match about the latter's disregard for school property, again. Not to mention the loud protests that others were giving in response to Bakugo assaulting Midoriya when the latter didn't even do anything to him.

“I don't know. Maybe he needed a really specific trigger for it to start working? I knew someone like that once.” Jirou replied.

Todoroki sat forward a bit. After what Tsuyu had said on the way to the USJ he had found himself growing curious about Izuku's quirk and his connection to All Might. That curiosity had only grown after he saw All Might use his quirk up close during the USJ.

“Izuku, are you okay?” Uraraka asked Izuku, who was looking more distressed by the minute. “Why does Bakugo keep calling you that?”

“I already told you why he calls me Deku...”

“I meant about him calling you quirkless.” she clarified. She frowned when the words made Izuku grimace.

“....I'm sure the show will explain it.” Izuku finally muttered. A glare and sharp word from Aizawa got the shouting to stop, and the show continued.

Izuku quickly scuttled back from Bakugo, and tried to talk him down. When Bakugo demanded to know if he was taking the test for fun his form became dark and his eyes glowed red, as did everyone else's in the classroom.

“Before anyone asks.” Truth interrupted as a couple people opened their mouths. “Visual affects such as these represent some measure of how a person is perceiving the world around them.” Those mouths closed. After taking in what he looked like to Deku, Bakugo smirked.

While that explanation occurred, Izuku's hand found it's way into Uraraka's. She startled a bit, but then gave it a firm squeeze.

As people in the classroom continued to talk down to Izuku, the scene suddenly changed to another part of the city. A woman screamed and a shop owner ran out and yelled 'theif!' at a man made out of some sort of slime.

Some in the room immediately recognized him. Bakugo growled in annoyance and Izuku shuddered slightly.

The skinny form of Yagi was shown stepping out of another store. After hearing the commotion caused by the villain, his form seemed to inflate and bulk up, and then a familiar voice spoke.
“I am here!” All Might proclaimed.

There was a beat of silence, and the the students of 1-A burst into questions.
“What the-”
“Did he just-?”
“He can't be!”
“What does that mean?!”
“How did that guy turn into All Might?!”

Nedzu tapped on Present Mic's shoulder. He sighed before letting out a long, high pitched whistle. The chattering died down and all the students turned to the teachers.

“I know you all have questions, but based on how things are progressing I'm sure they will all be answered shortly. So to keep things simple I ask that you do your best to wait patiently. Self control is important for hero work after all.” Nedzu said, with his ever-present knowing smile. At this point, Yagi stood up and waved to the class.

“I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Yagi Toshinori. I am a teacher at UA and that was me exiting the store in that scene. As for the rest of it...I must also ask for your patience.”

The kids weren't happy about not getting answers right away, but were hardly going to go against the principle or the other teachers just for that, and went back to watching.

People were shown exiting Midoriya's classroom at the end of the day. Izuku was packing his bag to go home, until Bakugo grabbed Izuku's journal out of his hands. He and his friends laughed at the journal's contents. Then Bakugo used his quirk to burn the notebook.

“Why do you always have to be such a jerk Bakugo?” Uraraka demanded angrily. Other students were also giving him dirty looks. Kirishima was looking increasingly disheartened by what he was seeing.

“Shut it round face!”

“Don't talk to her like that!” Iida yelled back. “And you had no right to destroy Midoriya's personal property!”

“Yeah! There was no reason for you to be so mean!” Hagakure added.

“You don't know what you're talking about, extras!”

“Don't call-” Before Iida could continue, another high pitched whistle cut them off. Once they were quiet, Aizawa signaled for Mic to stop.

“I can't punish Bakugo for something he did before coming to UA, but I can punish the both of you if you don't stop fighting.” Aizawa glared at them. “And just so we're clear, if you were to act like the Bakugo on screen currently is, either in here or at UA, there would be consequences.” They both nodded their understanding and sat back down.

Uraraka huffed in annoyance, but then sent grateful looks to both Hagakure and Iida. Izuku was still holding her hand, his nerves and need for comfort overriding his usual anxiety and embarrassment.

Bakugo tossed the journal out the window, then started talking about how he wanted his backstory to be perfect by being the only person from their school to reach UA. He placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder, and it started smoking as he ordered Izuku not to apply to UA.

There had already been some grumbling among the students when they saw how Bakugo was acting, and it was getting louder as Bakugo continued to harass Izuku. When the hand on-screen started smoking, Izuku let out a small gasp and used his free hand to rub his shoulder. He knew it wouldn't help, but it felt better than doing nothing. Uraraka and Iida gave him worried looks, but he quickly brushed the pain off as no worse that getting a cramp. For some reason that didn't ease the looks they were giving him.

Bakugo's friends continued to mock him as they walked out. Just before walking out the door, Bakugo stopped. He told Izuku there was one last thing he could try to get a quirk, he could jump off the roof and hope he was born with one in his next life.

The grumbling that had been building up completely ceased for an instant, and then exploded into shouting. People demanded to know what was wrong with Bakugo, while he yelled at them to shut up. Iida and Izuku had to hold Uraraka back from marching over to Bakugo, though Iida kind of looked like he wanted to join her.

The teachers were stuck in shock for a moment, but it didn't last long. They all shared a significant look, and then Aizawa got up and calmly walked over.

“Bakugo.”

That single sound from Aizawa held such weight that all shouting stopped. Bakugo turned and saw his teacher looming over him. Despite quirks not working in this space, he would have sworn his teacher's eyes had turned red.

“As soon as there is an official break, we will be having a discussion about his. About how wrong it is to say anything like that to anyone, ever, and how it will not be tolerated from someone planning to become a pro-hero.”

Bakugo stared at Aizawa, his teeth grinding together. After a long moment, he looked down and nodded. Aizawa stood there a few moments longer, before he turned and walked back to his seat.

“I don't get what the big deal is.” Bakugo grumbled as people slowly turned back to the screen. “Not like the nerd would ever do it.”

“You can't be sure of that.” Kirishima said. Bakugo sneered at him.

“Of course I can be, Shitty Hair. I've known him my whole life. He's way too positive and goody-two-shoes for that.”

“Yeah...that's what I thought too.”

The tone Kirishima had taken brought Bakugo up short. He didn't know the smiley redhead was capable of sounding so...sad? Solemn? Bitter?

“I had a cousin when I was younger, I was really close to her. She was usually really positive and stuff, like Midoriya. I never thought she'd do something like that either...but that didn't stop her. When...when we talked about it at the funeral, people picked up on signs once they started looking back, including me, but we all glossed over them because we never thought she'd do something like that.”

Bakugo was staring at him with wide eyes now.

“You're usually so manly dude...but saying things like that? That's about as unmanly as you can get. Just...please try to think about it in the future, man. People listen to you when you talk, and it has a big impact whether you believe it or not.”

Bakugo was much quieter as the show continued.

“Are you okay, Izuku?” Uraraka asked quietly. Izuku nodded, and smiled at her gratefully. Iida lay a grounding hand on his friend's shoulder.

Izuku was walking outside the school, thinking about what would have happened if he'd listened to Bakugo.

The class started to calm down when Izuku's thoughts showed he wasn't actually considering the suggestion. While Bakugo grimaced as Kirishima's words were partially repeated.

“One can be arrested for instigating suicide, you know.” Nedzu pointed out helpfully.

Izuku found his notebook, and suddenly the scene blurred and was replaced with a toddler Midoriya calling for his Mom and holding an All Might action figure.

After the tenseness of that last scene, people couldn't help but laugh in relief and coo about how cute Izuku was as a kid. Thankfully this had the bonus effect of Izuku blushing, stammering denials, and focusing on something other than the last scene.

“You're mom is really pretty!” Uraraka complimented. Izuku nodded in agreement. Though it was weird to see his Mom look that young outside of photos and home videos.

Little Izuku begged his mother to help him get on the computer so he could watch a video. The video turned out to be an old one that essentially functioned as All Might's debut video. Izuku smiled widely as he watched, his eyes shinning.

“Oh my gosh the cuteness! I- I can't take it! It's overwhelming!” Hagakure gasped.

“I know! That smile! The eyes! And- oh my gosh he's actually imitating the laugh now, it's all too much!” Ashido gushed, clutching Hagakure's hands.

Izuku's face was buried in his hands. Iida patted him on the back once again, while Uraraka patted his hand and tried not to laugh. Yagi did his best not make his pleased smile too obvious.

“Aw man, I remember that video!” Sero cried. “No way Midoriya made up all those views, at lease half of them came from me, I'm sure of it.”

“I contributed a few myself.” Ojiro admitted, smiling nostalgically.

“Same here.” Shoji confirmed.

“I'm gonna be just like him!”
The scene changed to a doctor's office, where a man in a lab coat said “You should probably give it up.”
Izuku dropped his action figure in shock.

“That man has horrible bedside manner.” Recovery Girl said, sniffing disdainfully as the other doctor spoke.

Midoriya Inko explained she had been worried because Izuku was the only one in his class not to manifest a quirk yet. At the doctor's request she explained what her quirk was and what quirk her husband had.

“I don't see how either of those quirks could result in the power Midoriya has shown off.” Momo said, pondering over what she'd seen so far.

“Maybe the reason it took him so long to show it was because it was such an extreme off shoot of his parents' quirks.” Jirou suggested. Momo conceded that was a possibility, since so little was known about how quirk genetics really worked.

Todoroki tried not to make it obvious he was listening to them, and couldn't help but agree with Momo. It really didn't make sense for Izuku to have the quirk he eventually manifested...unless his mother wasn't being entirely truthful here.

The doctor went on to explain how quirks had been connected to the number of joints in one's pinky toe, and how this proved Izuku's quirklessness.

Which caused even more confusion to build among the class and frustration to mount for Momo and Todoroki.

The scene switched back to Izuku's home at night. The All Might video was playing again, but the cheery feeling from before was gone.
“Mom...he saves everyone with a smile, no mater what trouble they're in. He's such a cool hero.” Izuku's turned to his mother with watery eyes.
“Can I be a hero too?”
Inko took a slow step forward, and was suddenly collapsing in front of the chair and hugging him tight, apologies flowing from her mouth.

“Oh man...I wasn't prepared for this.” Kirishima said, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. He wasn't the only one who needed to do so. Uraraka felt the tears at the corner of her eyes, but did her best to blink them back. Ashido patted Hagakure's back while she brushed away tears that seemed to come from nowhere. Tokoyami awkwardly did the same for Koda when he noticed the boy was upset. Even over with the teachers, Present Mic was trying to subtly brush at his eyes. Most tried to avert their gaze while still paying attention. They knew they needed to watch to progress, but felt uncomfortable intruding on such a private moment.

Yagi gave his successor a mournful look, wishing he could offer some form of comfort, but not wishing to disrupt the comfort his friends were already giving him. Uraraka and Iida both had an arm around him now, and it looked like Izuku didn't mind in the least.

An older Izuku said that wasn't what he'd needed his Mom to say, before flashing back to 'the present' where teenage Izuku was entering a tunnel on his way home from school. He gave himself a pep talk, and walked into the tunnel, imitating All Might's laugh again.

Kirishima cheered for Izuku's determination. Both that and Izuku's on-screen actions earned watery chuckles from several people, including Izuku. But then he remembered what was about to happen.

Sludge started flowing up from the manhole Izuku had walked over. He turned around, and was shocked to see the slime villain from earlier looming over him. The villain laughed as it started pouring itself into Izuku's mouth.

“Deku!” “Midoriya!”

Uraraka and Iida cried in shock as Izuku started choking and grasping at his throat.

“Deku! Deku breath!”

“Recovery Girl-!”

Yagi realized what was happening before Izuku's friends did, and he immediately rushed to Izuku's side. He slapped his hands down on the boy's shoulders to ground him.

“Midoriya my boy! It isn't real! It only feels like you are choking! You must do your best to breath despite it! You can do it!”

And he did, he breathed in and out, but it sounded so pained and desperate and Yagi didn't want it to continue for another second.

“Everyone, please watch the screen. The sooner we continue the sooner this will stop!”

Students yanked their eyes away from Izuku, desperate to do whatever they could to make it so Izuku didn't sound like he was dying. Bakugo continued to stare at Deku though. He'd had no idea that the nerd had been attacked before Bakugo had been, and wondered how Deku had survived it.

“It'll only hurt for about 45 seconds. You'll feel better soon!” the villain taunted.

God they all hoped that was true. The class watched as the Izuku on-screen struggled to pull the slime away from his mouth, his feet kicking uselessly as the villain continued to taunt him. It was horrible and they didn't want to watch it but they kept their eyes glued to the screen, wishing time to go faster and for whatever stopped the attack the first time to hurry up so their current classmate could stop making those awful noises.

The manhole cover suddenly flew off, and All Might stepped into the scene.

The room exploded into cheers.

All Might made quick work of the villain, and blew apart his liquid body.

Izuku gasped like he'd just woken from a nightmare, and then coughed at the force of his own breath. But then he was breathing normally once again. A collective sigh of relief was let out across the room.

Tears leaked out of Izuku's eyes, and he wiped them away with an apology.

“There is no need Midoriya. Going through that would be stressful for anyone.” Iida assured him.

“We're just glad you are feeling better.” Uraraka added. Yagi nodded.

“Your friends are right my boy. Just focus on recovering for now.”

Izuku looked at them with shining eyes. “Thank you.”

Izuku's vision faded. The next thing he knew, someone was slapping his face to wake him up.

Yagi suddenly yelped as a cane smacked his knee.

“That is not the way to treat a civilian who has passed out you dimwit! Now out of my way I have a patient.”

“Did Recovery Girl just tell Mr. Yagi off for doing something All Might did?” Kaminari wondered aloud.

Despite Truth's assurances that they wouldn't be injured by what happened on the screen, Recovery Girl decided to give Midoriya a quick check up anyway. She felt his neck and shined a light down his throat as the show continued. She also looked in his eyes when he admitted he'd briefly blacked out for a couple seconds, just like his on screen self had.

When Izuku opened his eyes and realized he was looking at his idol, he scampered back so fast he created a dust cloud. All Might apologized for getting Izuku caught up in his villain fighting, then showed how he was able to contain the villain.

There was a smattering of laughter across the audience, for a variety of reasons.

“Oh man Midoriya, you'd think he was a villain the way you went flying back.” Kirshima teased. “Can't say I blame ya though, I'd probably freak out too if I woke up with my favorite hero standing over me.”

“O-oh, who is your favorite?” Izuku asked around Recovery Girl's examination. Kirishima happily answered that it was Crimson Riot, and gave a few facts about him.

“How the heck did All Might managed to fit that whole mass into those two bottles?” Ojiro wondered.

“Maybe only some parts of the villain were actually vital? Or maybe there was a bunch of air inside him we couldn't see so he really wasn't as big as he looked?” Hagakure suggested.

“Who cares HOW he did it! Just look at him!” Sato managed to say between bouts of laughter. He couldn't get over the little x-ed out eyes floating in the bottle.

The laughter only continued to grow as Izuku continued to freak out at the sight of All Might and the discovery that All Might had signed his burnt notebook. Even Bakugo let out a little amused huff at the irony of that.

“Easy with the bowing Midoriya, you're gonna bang your head if you go any further!” Sero teased.

All in all it was probably a good thing Midoriya was being distracted by Recovery Girl, as laughter increased even more as it was shown that even All Might didn't know how to respond to the extreme fanboying and could only offer and thumbs up and 'okay!'.

All Might started getting ready to leave. Izuku was distressed over not being able to ask him anything. All Might leaped into the air, and ended up taking Midoriya with him.

People were roaring in laughter now. Kaminari and Mineta were practically falling over each other, and Sato slipped from his chair and onto the floor he was laughing so hard.

“Impressive grip strength for someone with only two arms.” Shoji teased lightly. Izuku chuckled.

“Yeah, pretty sure most of that was fear, and shock that I actually did it.”

“I should say so! That was extremely reckless Midoriya!” Iida chided.

“Can't argue with the results though.” Ashido grinned.

Todoroki just looked at the screen with raised eyebrows. A part of him was wondering why Izuku's lips and eyes were getting all blown back while All Might's face was fine. Were his muscles just that strong? Even in his face? The idea of training facial muscles was kind of amusing, though not quite enough to make him smile.

All Might grabbed a hold of the back of Izuku's shirt to keep him secure. Unseen by Midoriya, a few drops of blood were shown leaking from between his teeth.

The laughter died off, and concerned murmuring took it's place. Had the slime villain managed to injure All Might somehow?

All Might and Izuku landed on the roof of a building. All Might instructed Izuku to take the stairs down, while he walked to the side of the roof. Izuku went after him.
Words ran through Izuku's mind, echoes of all the people who had discouraged him over the years, but Izuku still managed to blurt out his question to All Might.
All Might looked back at him, and the shot held on the two of them on the rooftop as Izuku's narration was heard once again.
The screen went black, and the first episode ended.

“OH COME ON!” Bakugo shouted.

For once, everyone agreed with him.

“Let's get on to the next chapter! I wanna see what happens!” Ashido declared.

“Not yet.” Aizawa said, drawing everyone's attention. He walked over to Bakugo and stood next to him. Remembering what he said earlier, Bakugo slowly got up, and followed his teacher. Aizawa lead him into one of the side rooms and closed the door.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Aizawa asked.

“About what?” Bakugo asked tersely.

“You know perfectly well what.” The anger seeping into his teacher's voice put Bakugo off any further evasion.

“I didn't think he'd do it.” Bakugo said, the words sounding more hollow to him than they did before.

“That's no excuse.” Aizawa shot back. “If I'd known you were this okay with murdering people I would have expelled you the first day of class.”

“What the hell?! I'm not a fucking murderer!”

“Telling someone to kill themselves shows that you'd be okay with being one though. You heard what Nedzu said. If someone kills themselves after you tell them to, isn't that far off from murdering them yourself. Acting so casual about it shows you would be okay with their blood being on your hands. That's not even taking into account all the verbal and physical abuse you've put him through, which is wrong in and of itself, and could make him more likely to follow through with your 'advice'.”

Bakugo sputtered and tried to form some sort of argument, but the words died on his lips.

“Do you actually want to kill Midoriya? Or anyone else?” Aizawa pressed.

“Of course not! I'm not a fucking villain!”

“Then I expect you to never say anything like that to anyone ever again.” Aizawa's eyes bored into him. “And if you want to continue at this school as a hero, then I also expect you to use this opportunity to take a step back and look at yourself and your past actions. Look at yourself, and see just how 'heroic' you've been acting.” Aizawa turned to leave, but stopped just before exiting. “I'll be looking into anger management classes for you when we get back.”

Aizawa walked out. Bakugo stayed only a few seconds before going back outside. The class and teachers had started to mill around, and most looked at him when he came out. He avoided all their stares and went over to a bit of wall without people standing nearby. He stood close to it, and stared straight ahead. He had some thinking to do.

Chapter Text

Since Aizawa had pulled Bakugo aside for their talk, Nedzu insisted that everyone else get up to stretch and take a break as well. Given what was coming up, Izuku took the opportunity to have a private talk with his mentor.

“Is this really going to be okay?” Izuku nervously wrung his hands. He and All Might had gone to a corner of the room away from the others.

“Secrets always become more difficult to keep when more people know about them. But with the information being limited to just this room and these students, I think we'll be able to keep it from getting to the media or the villains.”

“No, not that. I mean, that's important to think about too, but I meant, are you going to be okay? I, um, I know you probably never intended so many people to find out.” Izuku sounded so earnest and his eye's shown with such concern, that All Might felt his heart melting.

“It's definitely not what I would choose, having the students find out like this, or at all really. But if them knowing will help us get through whatever ill the future holds, then I suppose I'll just have to get used to it. I can't bear the thought of my secret being paid for in blood.”

Izuku nodded, his shoulders slumping at the thought. “Me neither.”

*_*_*_*

“What do you suppose they're talking about?” Uraraka said, glancing over at Izuku and the skeletal man.

“It's hardly our place to snoop.” Iida replied.

“I know, but I can't help but be curious! All this stuff about Izuku supposedly being quirkless and the way that guy seemed to transform into All Might a while back...I want to know what's going on, but he looked so nervous when it was brought up that I don't want to push him about it.”

“I understand your frustration and hesitance; I have many questions myself at this point. After all, if Midoriya is trying so hard to avoid bringing it up, even to friends, then it must be something very important or very troubling.”

Uraraka nodded. “I kinda hope we get answers, like Nedzu said we would, but I don't want it to hurt Deku either.”

“Hey guys.” Izuku called out as he approached them.

“Deku! You, um, all done?”

“For now, I guess.”

Just then, Aizawa and Bakugo exited the room they had gone into. Aizawa went over to talk to the other teachers, but Bakugo went and stood close to a wall away from everyone else. Then he just stood there, staring at it.

“Did Aizawa tell him to do that as some sort of punishment?” Iida wondered.

“Ah, no, Kaacahn does that when he's thinking really hard about something.” Izuku explained, giving his old friend a curious look.

“Well, I suppose that's a good sign.”

“Hopefully.” Uraraka muttered. “Deku, are you sure you are doing okay after all of that? I know I asked before it's just, you seem pretty calm about Bakugo right now, even after what he did back then and seeing it all again now. I don't think I could handle something like that nearly as well.”

“I don't really know if I'm handling it, really.” Izuku spoke slowly. “It's just, complicated. I admire Bakugo's strength and abilities so much, and I've known him for so long, but at the same time I've never really understood him. I never understood why everything I did made him so angry, but that didn't stop me from looking up to him...it's hard to explain.”

“Do not push yourself Midoriya. You have no obligation to define your relationship with Bakugo to us.” Iida assured him.

“Yeah, as long as I know you are doing okay, that's enough for me.”

Izuku smiled at them. “Thanks guys.”

*_*_*_*

“You know, perhaps we should add a course at UA that covers how best to handle those experiencing issues with mental health.” Nedzu said to the gathered teachers as the students found their way back to their seats.

“This being brought on by everything we saw with Midoriya?” Aizawa asked.

“That is what has it on my mind now, but it's something I've been considering for a while. I know the teachers do their best to go over the issue of how to respond to panicked civilians, especially in second and third year, but issues of mental health really are on another level. The police are given mental health training in order to help them deal with domestic disputes, but I imagine that our line of work would find it equally helpful.”

“Gotta admit, getting some lessons on how and when to try talking people down when I was younger would have been helpful. You learn a lot through experience once on the job, but it'd be nice not to have to rely on instinct or trial and error until you figure things out.” Present Mic admitted. Then his seriousness was replaced by a teasing smirk directed at All Might. “After all, not all of us can punch our way through all our problems.”

“Yeah, because screaming people down is so much better.” Aizawa muttered. Mic pouted at that description, and Recovery shook her cane at him.

“You know perfectly well that he's right, boy. I heal far too many students with ruptured eardrums from that quirk of yours.”

Everyone had been seated by then, so the showing continued.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The episode started off with a toddler Izuku once again watching All Might's debut video. He proclaimed that once he got his quirk he wanted to be just like All Might.

“How were you so cute all of the time?” Ashido asked while Hagakure continued to coo over the image. Izuku chuckled.

“I'm sure it wasn't ALL the time, my Mom would probably attest to that.” That earned a few laughs. The mood was immediately brought back down when the screen once again showed the doctor telling Izuku to give up on his dream.

Izuku was shown flashing back to being called useless and his mothers apologies. Yet despite remembering those fears, Izuku still found the courage to ask All Might his question.

The students leaned forward in anticipation, hoping that the number one hero would finally give their friend and classmate some encouragement. Even the teachers looked interested, curious to see how All Might would handle the situation.

The exceptions to this were Bakugo and All Might. Bakugo wanted to know if the number one hero would actually contradict what he himself had always told Deku, while All Might felt his gut twisting. He remembered his words to Midoriya, and with his new knowledge of the boy, they seemed so much harsher.

Suddenly, All Might gave a painful grunt, and hunched in on himself.

Cries of alarm and confusion came from the student body. None of them had ever seen All Might show any kind of weakness before. Well, all except Kirishima, Todoroki, and Bakugo, who suddenly remembered that something similar happened near the end of the USJ fight.

'I assumed that happened because he pushed himself further than normal during that fight. But that slime villain fight was no challenge at all. So what is the connection?' Todoroki wondered.
'Is Midoriya about to see his other form? If the kid already found out the secret, that would have been nice to know earlier.' Thought Aizawa.

Midoriya continued to talk on obliviously. He talked about being teased because he was quirkless, yet he still wanted to save people with a smile.

“I admire your conviction, Midoriya, but you may need to work on your environmental awareness.” Iida said, matter-of-factually. Izuku blushed.

“Yeah, from this perspective it seems really obvious. I guess I was just so nervous I had a hard time looking right at him.”

Midoriya didn't look up until he said he wanted to be a great hero, just like All Might. Which was just in time for the steam to clear and for him to see All Might's other form.

Midoriya had been worried that people would make fun of him for how he responded to seeing All Might's other form for the fist time. But apparently screaming was not an uncommon reaction to such a revelation. The whole room became a cacophony of noise, with kids screaming, yelling in confusion, and one particularly loud "What the FUCK?!" from Bakugo. The teachers had to intervene when the students didn't quite down after a couple minutes.

“Remember, no matter how confusing something is, it will likely be explained within the 'show' sooner or later. If anything of importance goes unexplained, then we'll try to clear up the confusion once we are all released from this place.” Nedzu said to the room. The students nodded, some more sheepishly than others. Many made promises to themselves to try to show more patience and to keep a cooler head. Their teachers were watching after all.

The scene switched to a shopping district. A bottle was shown laying in an alley, filled with green slime and pair of eyes.

“How the heck did that get there? Didn't All Might take that with him?” Shoji asked aloud. Izuku shifted nervously in his seat.

The villain was shown waking up inside the bottle. Voices were heard down the alley, and it was shown to be Bakugo and his two friends from earlier. They questioned his past friendship with Midoriya, and said he went overboard with what he said. Bakugo said it was Deku's fault for getting in his way, then kicked the bottle with the villain in it. Which popped open.

Uraraka, Iida, Tsuyu, Mineta, Aizawa, and a few others all shot Bakugo a glare as he so casually brushed off the horrible way he'd treated Izuku. Kirishima looked uncomfortable and disappointed again. Bakugo looked away.

Those that weren't glaring made varying noises of exasperation at Bakugo accidentally letting the villain back out.

“Looks like Midoriya's not the only one who needs more environmental awareness.” Kaminari teased, which earned a few laughs from the class and a scowl from Bakugo.

Bakugo flashed back to what Izuku had said about applying for UA. He exploded the can in his hand, and yelled about Izuku dreaming like a kid. The friends distracted him by suggesting they go out somewhere, which Bakugo agreed to until they said what they wanted to do. Then Bakugo yelled at them, saying he didn't want to get caught because it would go on his record.

“Is that seriously the only reason you would object to such a thing? Because it would look bad on your record?” Iida demanded, sounding appalled.

“Shut up Glasses, I have a rep to keep at that school. How else are those loser going to know I'm the best?” Bakugo growled back, though it lacked some of it's usual venom.

The two friends suddenly got scared and pointed behind Bakugo. He turned around and was face to face with the slime villain, who rejoiced at finding 'an invisibility cloak with a great quirk'.

Despite all the anger they were feeling toward Bakugo recently, many students couldn't help but give him anxious looks. Being here with them meant he was ultimately fine, but they didn't know if he got hurt back then, and none of them were looking forward to hearing a classmate in pain again.

The scene shifted back to the rooftop, where Izuku was still screaming.

Laughter was heard around the room.

“Dang Midoriya, have you been screaming that whole time?” Jirou asked. Her smile was teasing but she actually sounded impressed. “Have you ever thought of joining a band? You got a great pair of lungs on you.”

“Oh my gosh, we should start a band!” Ashido squealed. “I could be a dancer for you guys!”

“I have been taught to play several instruments.” Momo added.

“People, please focus, you can discuss extra curricular activities during the break.” Iida interceded, taking pity on his very red faced friend.

Izuku continued to freak out about what he was seeing. The skeletal man tried to explain that he was All Might, and blood spilled out of his mouth.

Students were now looking back and forth between the All Might on the screen and skinny man who was in the same room with them, trying to make sense of what was happening.

All Might explained that his other form was similar to someone flexing to show off.

“Seriously?!” Bakugo yelled. 'He beats up villains like it's nothing and he describes it as just 'flexing'?'
Other students stared at the screen in shock.

Midoriya said how All Might always saved people with a smile, which caught the man's attention. He mused about the line before sitting down heavily onto the rooftop. He warned Izuku not to tell anyone about this. Then he lifted up his shirt, and Izuku reeled back.

As did most everyone else in the room. The scar on All Might side went from his waist to his armpit, and was covered in jagged lines and mottled colors. The room was filled with gasps and startled cries. It looked awful, and even the teachers, who had seen the scar before, couldn't help but wince or let out sympathetic hisses. It seemed the only ones truly unaffected were Recovery Girl and Nedzu.

All Might explained that it was an injury that he'd gotten five years ago. He'd lost parts of his organs as a result, and his body suffered from repeated surgeries. As a result of the stress, he could only keep his hero form for a few hours a day.

The students were too stunned to speak. They'd always put All Might up on a pedestal, thinking of him as someone who never lost, never got hurt, never wavered. And now to see that he'd gotten hurt on such an unfathomable level...

Bakugo may have been the most unsettled of all. To think that this had happened to someone he idolized, and had promised to beat one day. To think that same person carried such a weakness with them...what was he even supposed to do with that information?

Izuku on screen looked just as disturbed as his present classmates, but it didn't stop him from asking about how he got the wound. All Might revealed that the battle responsible for the injury was kept out of public knowledge by his request, to keep his image from being tarnished by it. All Might revealed what his smile truly symbolized to him. He told Izuku that heroes put their lives on the line everyday, and because of that, he couldn't tell Izuku he could be a hero without some kind of power.
Izuku looked devastated.

The students all looked over at All Might in shock.

“Did...did he seriously just tell you that you couldn't be a hero?” Uraraka demanded.

“Yeah...but I don't blame him.” Izuku said quietly. All Might looked away in shame.

“I know that sounds harsh,” Iida said “but the context is important. The All Might on screen doesn't know what Midoriya has been through, and he just got done showing off his own grievous wound. I imagine he couldn't bear the thought of someone getting hurt on his advice, especially without a quirk to help protect them from a similar fate.”

Izuku winced and shifted away from Iida slightly. Uraraka looked far from satisfied. “Well, I can get why he'd say it, but it still doesn't make it okay. He could have at least had more tact as stomped all over a kid's dream.” she said with an angry pout. The rest of the students seemed to be torn over which view point to side with.

“You are both right, in a way.” Yagi's voice drew everyone's attention. “I was thinking of young Midoriya's safety when I said that, but that does not justify what I said, especially considering what happened later.” The students looked at each other in confusion, wondering what he might be referring to.

'But when does he get the quirk that gets him into UA?' Todoroki thought in frustration.

'Can't say I entirely agree with All Might said here. But if Midoriya really wanted to get in without a quirk he should have taken some self defense or martial arts classes to prepare.' Aizawa thought to himself. 'Though I suppose he may have assumed UA would teach him things like that. Maybe it would be good to advise prospective students to get a jump on that before coming. Even the on screen Midoriya could make some decent progress before the entrance exam if he version of him started right away. I'll have to talk to Nedzu about that.' he glanced at All Might. 'I should talk with him too. Make sure he's not giving the kids the impression that quirks are everything, even by accident.'

All Might then suggested trying to be a police officer, since it was still a way to help people. Before he left, he told Izuku he should keep his dreams realistic. Then he walked through the door, and left the stunned Izuku on the rooftop.

Uraraka looked even angrier when she heard his parting words, and even Iida looked uncomfortable.

“My boy...I'm so sorry...” All Might said. Izuku shook his head, and gave him an understanding smile.

“It's okay. It's in the past and things are better now. So please don't worry about it.”

In the stairwell All Might discovered his pockets were empty. An explosion sounded outside, and All Might could see a cloud of smoke out the window. Izuku saw it too. He started to run to the stairs, eager to go watch the fight, but stopped in his tracks when he remembered what All Might said. After that, he walked slowly toward the exit with a sullen expression.

All Might felt his heart stutter in his chest. Had his words really caused Midoriya to lose so much of his spark?

All Might was shown struggling toward the source of the explosion. Then the shopping district was shown bathed in flame and smoke as people ran to get away. Heroes arrived on the scene, and at the center of it all was the slime villain, with Bakugo struggling in his grasp.

Bakugo made a choked sound, and his shoulders hunched in. Kirishima leaned forward in worry, as did Sero, Kaminari, Shoji, Tokoyami, and Koda, who were all sitting nearby. Everyone else looked over too, their attention drawn by the sound.

“Hey, man, you-”

“Shut it.” Bakugo choked out. “Just. Watch. Get it. Over with.”

People worriedly went back to watching the screen. Bakugo didn't seem to mind that Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder though.

Death Arms attempted to attack the villain, but was unsuccessful. Other heroes tried to help and had to dodge out of the way of the slime villain's blow. The villain taunted them, but then Bakugo was shown struggling against the slime villain. He managed to get his face free.

Real time Bakugo took in a big lungful of air as the choking sensation stopped. But he remained hunched over as the on-screen villain yanked and compressed his body.

Bakugo yelled that the villain wouldn't defeat him, and used his explosions, but the blasts didn't get him unstuck. The villain rejoiced over Bakugo's power, saying he could get revenge on All Might with it.

Aizawa snorted. Even through his pain, Bakugo heard and gave the man a sharp look. Aizawa just shrugged.

“No offense kid, but you've got a long way to go before you're anywhere close to being on par with a powered up All Might. He might have an advantage with a hostage, but given how easily All Might took him out before, and without hurting Midoriya, the guy really shouldn't jump to that conclusion.”

Bakugo gritted his teeth and looked away, a large part of him was still angry that he'd been unable to free himself from the villain. Aizawa seemingly looking down on his quirk didn't help those feelings. 'I'll show that quirk canceling bastard, I'm gonna be the best.'

The heroes were nearly blown away by the following power display. The shot then moved to the gathered crowd, who wondered about the villain,

Aizawa rolled his eyes at the crowd again. That was another reason he preferred being an underground hero. Less gawkers with no sense of self preservation.

before getting excited over Mount Lady's arrival. She was stopped dead when she got close though. She was too big to get any closer.

“Couldn't she shrink down and then go through?” Sato asked.

“Ah, but what would be the point if the conflict is happening in an area just as quaint and cozy as the one she travels through?” Aoyama pointed out, with a flip of his hair.

“Good point.”

Kamuii Woods was shown rescuing civilians from the flames. He proclaimed that he'd leave the rest to other heroes. Backdraft was shown, busy keeping the fire under control. Meanwhile the other heroes were bemoaning how the scene was a minefield, with a villain they couldn't grab and explosions from Bakugo. Bakugo was shown with his mouth covered by the villain once again.

Bakugo started making that desperate choking sound again, and the students had to make a conscious effort to keep watching the screen so his pain would go away faster.

The heroes jumped out of the way of another swing from the slime villain. They ran back toward the crowd and said it was no use, none of their quirks were suited for this so they would have to wait for backup.

“Seriously?!” Kirishima burst out. “They're gonna leave Bakugo to struggle on his own because their quirks aren't perfectly suited to fight this guy? That's so unmanly!”

“Yeah, what the heck is that about?” Sato joined in.

“I'll admit, there are ways they could try to help young Bakugo if they thought more creatively instead of focusing just on their weaknesses.” Nedzu said from his place beside Recovery Girl. “But there will indeed be times in a pro hero's career where they are simply outmatched and outgunned, and keeping casualties and damage to a minimum is all one can really do.”

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “Be that as it may, that doesn't change that these heroes should have tried thinking outside the box before just giving up.”

Present Mic grimaced. “Definitely, they can't afford to wait long with a hostage at risk of suffocating, so that should have been the very last thing to fall back on.”

“Very true. Perhaps I could contact their agencies with a suggestion that they have a renewal course at out school.” Nedzu said with a dangerous glint in his eye. They really should have learned better at this point after all.

All Might finally arrived on the scene. He scolded himself for being too distracted by his time limit and letting this villain escape, especially after what he said to his fan not long ago. He gripped his wound through his shirt, thinking of how pathetic he was.

“No! Don't be mad at yourself! It was my fault for distracting you.” Izuku said, looking at All Might with wide eyes. The man smiled sadly back at him.

“I appreciate your intentions young Midoriya, but at the end of the day I am the professional, and it was my job to keep an eye on that villain, no matter what was happening.”

“But-”

“It's in the past my boy. Focus on the future.”

Izuku nodded slowly. He didn't quite believe All Might, but he would do as he said. Also, a small, guilty part of him was relieved that Bakugo was too distracted by his own bouts of pain to truly take in Izuku's part in the villain getting free.

Izuku was now being shown walking down the street. He flipped through his hero notebook while the words of All Might and other people deriding him went through his mind. Izuku had to force himself not to cry. He scolded himself, telling himself that he really knew what All Might had said was true, and that he'd just been living in denial.

Uraraka shifted just enough so her side was pressed against Izuku, offering silent comfort. That almost made Izuku cry in real life.

“And yet he gets into UA with a powerful quirk. I just don't understand how that happens.” Momo grumbled to herself, looking over what she'd written down so far. Little did she know that Todoroki was feeling the same way.

Another explosion sounded nearby, and Izuku turned toward it. He realized that he went to the scene of the fight without even thinking about it.

Despite how down Izuku looked on-screen, that still got some laughs.

“Leave it to Midoriya to automatically walk toward a villain fight.” Mineta said.

“Kero, yup.”

Aizawa shook his head and muttered about problem children.

Despite telling himself it was useless, Izuku still walked close enough to get a look. He stopped dead when he saw it was villain from earlier. He quickly put the pieces together and realized the bottles containing him must have fallen out while he was attached to All Might.

This time Bakugo did glare at Midoriya, and the boy shrank fearfully into the couch.

Izuku heard the crowd discussing how a student had been captured, and had been struggling for a while. Izuku was in fearful awe of how the student had held on so long.

“Like I was gonna let that side-show attraction get the best of me.” Bakugo growled. His lips were curled up slightly due to the round about praise though.

The crowd started talking again. When they figured out All Might had been fighting the villain earlier, they demanded to know why he wasn't there now. Izuku shook where he stood, thinking it was all his fault, while All Might stood at the other end of the crowd, also scolding himself.

“These two really do blame themselves too much.” Recovery Girl said with a sigh. “At the end of the day it was just an unlucky sequence of events.”

“But it really was-

“Hush, Toshinori.”

“If I hadn't-”

“You too, boy.”

“I get that they are wanting All Might because the heroes that are present aren't doing much good for the hostage, but they really shouldn't expect him to solve everything.” Present Mic said. Aizawa and Nedzu nodded in agreement.

Then the hostage turned enough so Izuku could see who it was. The next moment Izuku's was running through the crowd and onto the scene.

“What the-”
“Midoriya!”
“What are you doing?!”
“You can't!”
“Kero, I see what you meant about crowd control now, sensei.”

Izuku ran toward the villain, freaking out the whole way. The slime villain moved to intercept him. Izuku flashed back to something he had written in his hero notebook, and it inspired him to yank his backpack off and throw it right into the villain's eye.

“Oh my gosh!”
“Awesome!”
“Go Midoriya!”
“I must admit, that is both an excellent example of quick thinking and applying previously observations in a useful way. Well done.” Nedzu said. Izuku blushed at the praise.

The villain flinched back, and that allowed Bakugo enough room to get his mouth free.

The real life Bakugo gasped as well, his fists clenching the armrest so hard it was starting to rip. The on again off again feeling of being strangled was really starting to get to him.

Izuku ran forward and started trying to pull the slime off of Bakugo, who demanded to know why he was there.

“Yeesh, way to be grateful Bakugo.” Kaminari said sarcastically. Bakugo ignored him.

Izuku said that his legs moved on their own. In his head, he thought that there were a lot of reasons but the most pressing one was the one he said out loud.

People gaped at the screen, impressed by Izuku's words but too in the moment to say anything.

'You really are something, Midoriya. To risk so much for someone who treated you so poorly.' Iida thought to himself. 'But I doubt you even thought of that at the time.'

'This kid.' Aizawa thought.

'That's my boy.' thought Yagi.

A jolt ran through All Might when he heard that. The slime villain moved to swipe at Midoriya. The other heroes ran forward, but they weren't close enough. The slimy fist came crashing down, but was intercepted by All Might.

“Oh thank god.”
“Yes!”
“Go All Might!”

“Is it really okay for him to push himself like that?” Momo muttered worriedly. She would have known the answer if she'd looked over to see the somewhat pained look on Yagi's face and the exasperated look Recovery Girl was wearing. She hardly objected to him stepping in in this case, but she hated seeing him push his damaged body like that.

All Might said that he hadn't been living up to his words. All Might grabbed the two boys, then delivered a punch. The slime villain blasted apart, and All Might stood victorious.

The on-screen crowd may have looked on in stunned silence, but the viewing room erupted into cheers. How could they not after such an epic take down?

It started raining on screen, and people in the crowd deduced that it was the result of All Might's punch. That's when people started to cheer. Before All Might stood up, he wiped blood away from his chin. And when he raised a fist in victory, he nearly stumbled backwards.

The jovial atmosphere suddenly sobered. The knowledge of All Might's secret weakness swirled in their minds, and Momo's earlier question came to their minds. Was All Might really okay?

'We have to make sure All Might's injury stays a secret.' Todoroki thought. 'If my old man had any idea about what he was going through...'

Yagi himself slumped, feeling exhaustion tug at him alongside the on-screen version of him. It honestly wasn't as bad as he'd expected through...

All Might looked back at Izuku thoughtfully before the show cut to the slime villain being gathered up and delivered to the police. While All Might was swamped by the press, two of the heroes scolded Izuku for being so reckless.

“Seriously? Deku helped save Bakugo's life and their yelling at him?!” Uraraka's hands clenched into fists.

“Yeah, that seems kinda messed up.” Sero agreed.

“Definitely! Manliness deserves praise!” Kirishima shouted.

“I don't like it either, but they aren't wrong. Rushing in without a plan was an extremely reckless thing to do.” Iida pointed out.

“It's only because of All Might that I wasn't hurt.” Izuku agreed. Uraraka sighed in frustration, but let it go.

Bakugo was getting praised by another pair of heroes for his bravery and quirk, though he didn't look at all happy about it. He looked over at Deku, and his eyes narrowed.

'That was so...condescending.' Bakugo thought to himself. 'Deku... he ran in there and he actually did something. More than any of them were doing at the time. Then All Might came and saved the day. All my struggling accomplished was making the place more dangerous, and I still had to be rescued in the end...'

“Dude, they're right. That was so manly.”

Kirishima's casual praise brought Bakugo out of his thoughts.

“The fuck are you on about Shitty Hair? My fighting back didn't do a damn thing against that guy. It's like they were praising me for being weak.”

“It doesn't sound that way to me.” Kirishima replied. “Maybe you didn't get away, but you still fought back. You heard what Midoriya said. Getting choked by that thing was torture, but you still hung in their long enough for help to come. Not everyone could do that, you know?”

Bakugo looked at him for a minute, then grunted and looked away.

“I'm not disagreeing with you Kirishima,” Sero interjected “but them saying all that seems really hypocritical after they were just going off on Midoriya. I mean, sure it was reckless, but he was being brave too, and the heroes don't have a nice word to say about him.”

“The contrast does make their words toward Midoriya sound overly harsh.” Iida agreed with a frown.

Uraraka nodded in agreement, and Izuku blushed slightly at the praise.

Izuku was shown walking home after the incident. He lamented that he couldn't apologize to All Might because he was still being interviewed.

“You stuck around to do an interview despite the fact that you were already over your time limit?” Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow. Yagi sighed heavily.

“I tried to get away sooner, I really did, but you know how the media gets about these things.”

Well, Aizawa could hardly argue that. It was one of the many reasons he was an underground hero.

His thoughts were interrupted by Bakugo yelling “Deku!” from behind him.

The class perked up in interest.

“Is...is Bakugo actually going to thank him?” Sero asked.

“Sounds too good to be true.” Kaminari replied.

Bakugo ran up to Izuku. Then he started shouting that he never asked for Deku's help. He called Izuku names, and yelled at Deku not to look down on him before stomping away.

“You called it.” Jirou said. Kaminari grinned, while several other class members sent Bakugo exasperated or incredulous looks.

Izuku looked nonplussed for a moment, but then he suddenly looked relieved. He decided Bakugo was right, and that he hadn't actually changed anything.

“That's not true! You totally helped!” Uraraka said.

“It may have only given him a few seconds to breath, but that means a lot to someone who's suffocating.” Tsuyu agreed.

“Indeed, a few seconds can make all the difference, who knows what could have happened if Bakugo had not gotten air just then.” Iida added.

Izuku blushed. “Thanks guys.”

Aizawa gave him a look. “The point stands, but that doesn't mean you should go around running into any more villain battles until you get a license.”

“Yes sir.”

Izuku was just thinking to himself that he could start focusing on a more realistic future now, when All Might burst out from around the corner. Izuku asked how he was here when he had just been surrounded by reporters. All Might struck a pose, and said it was no trouble for him. Then he promptly imploded back into his skeletal form, spewing blood from his mouth. Izuku screamed.

The class winced in sympathy.

“Does that happen a lot? The whole, blood thing?” Hagakure asked worriedly.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Yagi confirmed, absently rubbing his side. “However, don't let it get to you. It's a byproduct of the surgeries, so it doesn't mean something is immediately wrong.”

“It would happen less if you would stop pushing yourself past your limits though.” Recovery Girl scolded. All Might muttered an apology, and Recovery Girl shook her head.

All Might told Izuku he'd come to offer his thanks. He told Izuku that without their conversation, he would have turned into someone who was all talk.
Izuku tried to deny it. All Might countered that, without Izuku being at the scene, he wouldn't have found the strength to act. He went on to say that heroes have stories from their youth, and those stories tend to have one thing in common: The hero's body moved before they had the chance to think.
All Might asked if that was what happened to him, and Izuku's tears overflowed when he agreed it was. Izuku fell to his knees, thinking about how, when he was little, what he really needed to hear, was what All Might told him next.

“Dang it, man.” Kirishima said through his own tears. “I shoulda brought a roll of toilet paper from the bathroom.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Ashido said, trying to blink back her own tears.

“G-go get one, af-after this ep-episode.” Hagakure sobbed.

Even Izuku, who had already cried once for this event, felt tears starting to run down his face. He wondered if All Might truly had any idea what those words meant to him, even after seeing all this, how deeply he had needed to hear them. Iida lay a hand on his arm, and was rewarded with Izuku's grateful smile.

Izuku's narrator voice came on, and casually mentioned that this was the story of how Izuku became the greatest hero.

There was a beat of stunned silence.

“WHAT?!” Bakugo shrieked. He leaped up from his spot, and would've gone straight for Deku if Kirishima and Shoji hadn't stepped in to restrain him. “You damn nerd! Don't think you're gonna be number one just because some dumb show made by some static bastard said so! That's my spot!”

“Kacchan, I didn't tell it to say that! And, and, things will be different now, since we're seeing all of this! Us knowing things will change how things play out, so there's no way to know if that will really happen once we get out of here.”

“I know it won't, because I'm gonna be number one!”

“Will you stop throwing a tantrum already?” Jirou demanded. “We're all aiming for the top, that's what being in the hero course is all about. So there's no point in having a hissy fit just because Midoriya is doing the same.”

“Yeah! What she said!” Uraraka shouted.

“Jirou makes an uncouth but excellent point. There is no reason for this unsportsmanlike behavior, and as class representative I must insist you calm down.” Iida said, chopping a hand through the air.

“Don't tell me what to do!”

“Would you prefer it if they tell you what to do?” Ojiro asked, gesturing at the teachers. They were all looking at the display with narrowed eyes and disapproving frowns. Bakugo caught the eyes of Aizawa, who had one hand on his scarf. A scarf that he might not need his quirk to wield.

“I believe we had this discussion on the first day of school Bakugo, about how attacking one's fellow classmates will not be tolerated.” Aizawa's voice was calm, but his cold eyes held the reminder that Bakugo was already on excruciatingly thin ice. Bakugo gritted his teeth, but looked away and stopped struggling.

“Let me sit down.” he growled. Kirishima and Shoji shared a look, then let him go and returned to their seats. Bakugo saw that everyone was still staring at him, and scowled. “Just get to the next episode already.”

People slowly turned away, or went got up to take advantage of the episode break. Todoroki's gaze lingered on Bakugo longer than any of the others.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

As the room settled down, conversations started to crop up about the episode they had just seen.

“Man, I never would have guessed All Might was going through all that.” Kaminari said quietly.

“That's kind of the point, isn't it?” Sero's voice was subdued. “He keeps up the act, makes everyone think he's unbeatable, and people feel safe as a result. But yeah, it's a lot to take in. And it feels wrong to say but I almost feel...I don't know...'cheated' isn't the right word, but it's a similar feeling, I think. Does that make any sense?” Kaminari looked confused, but Ojiro overheard and nodded.

“I think so, and it's understandable. It's always gonna feel weird to find out that people aren't exactly what you thought they were. Like finding out the parent that always lectures about responsibility used to sneak out every night. It doesn't really change how you feel about them, but it does change how you view them. It's disorienting.”

“That's the word!” Sero snapped his fingers and pointed at Ojiro.

“Kinda sounds like you're talking from experience there.” Kaminari trailed off leadingly, but Ojiro didn't follow up. Kaminari shrugged it off and continued. “But still, to get hurt that badly, and still go out and save people with a smile everyday, it's pretty amazing. It honestly makes me admire him even more, and I honestly didn't think that was possible!” Sero and Ojiro were quick to agree. Shoji, who had been listening to the whole conversation, agreed as well.

*_*_*

“It really goes to show how important appearance is to being a hero, even the Symbol of Peace puts on airs for his adoring public.” Aoyama told Mineta, who was sitting next to him. Mineta had gotten up to try and sit next to one of the girls, since some people had been switching seats, but none of them had let him.

Mineta nodded along with what Aoyama said, but his mind was elsewhere. He'd wanted to be a hero because it always looked so cool and heroes had so many fans...but he'd never really thought about what came with that. Seeing that scar on All Might...something like that could easily happen to one of them if they became pros, something like that could happen to him. Granted Mineta couldn't see himself going up against the same kind of villains All Might would, but even a injury half as bad as that could change his life forever. Heck, something like that could have happened to him or one of the others at the USJ. Could he really handle that if it happened to him? Did he want to risk it? Suddenly he wasn't so sure about deciding to be a pro...maybe he would be strictly a rescue hero. That was probably safer right? Citizens, including pretty girls, would be super grateful to the person who dug them out of the rubble...

*_*_*

Elsewhere, Bakugo was standing right next to a wall and staring at it again. Somewhere not too far away, Deku assured Kirishima and Ashido that that this was normal for him. Bakugo didn't really pay attention to that though.

“Why?” He demanded quietly. “Why did you have to show them all that shit, huh Truth bastard?”
He would forever deny that he'd jumped when a thoughtful hum sounded in his ear.

'You sound upset Bakugo Katsuki, though I hardly take any credit for that.'

“I'm angry because of what you showed to these dumb extras.” Bakugo growled under his breath.

'Everyone agreed to secrets being shared when I invited them here, including you. The events I have shown thus far are merely shadows of what has been. That they are what they are, do not blame me. '
A shiver ran up Bakugo's spine.

*_*_*

“To think that such a pillar of our society holds such a dark secret, and keeps it in shadow to shield the public from falling into despair, it is a beautiful and tragic thing.” Tokoyami declared with a dramatic bow of his head. He looked back up when Koda murmured something and then pointed at Aizawa, then at All Might. Tokoyami nodded thoughtfully. “An astute observation. Aizawa may favor the logical ruse, but All Might's hero persona is a kind of ruse in and of itself, one that he uses to influence ally, citizen, and villain alike.”

'It's more manipulative of him than I would have expected.' Todoroki thought as he listened to them. His thoughts strayed to his father for a moment, but he shoved them back. All Might put up a front in order to better help the people he served; it wasn't anything like what his father did during press interviews. That was for the benefit of Endeavor and no one else. His eyes once again strayed to a now seated Bakugo, and stayed there until the next episode started.

Chapter Text

The episode started with Izuku's voice describing how All Might's age and quirk were unknown, and how his existence dropped crime rates and lead him to be the Symbol of Peace.

The recap about All Might gave many students in the room pause, as they suddenly became aware of how little they, and most others, really knew about All Might. Even the small bit of explanation they got in the previous episode was far more than most people knew about All Might's quirk, and it sounded like they were about to learn even more. The kids sat forward, eager to learn more about the hero they so admired.

Izuku was hunched on the ground, overwhelmed by the fact that such a person had told him he could be a hero.

'I'm glad All Might came around.' Uraraka thought to herself. 'Deku is such a good person, it's really great to see someone finally acknowledge that.' She looked at Deku with a soft smile, but it turned to a frown when she saw how anxious he looked. Was something else about to go wrong?

On screen, Izuku wondered if anything else could be more shocking.

“You should know better than to temp fate like that, mon amie.” Aoyama said. The students around him gave him weird looks, but Izuku nodded in agreement.

All Might then declared that Izuku was worthy of inheriting his power.

“Wow...Aoyama may have had a point.” Kaminari said, staring at the screen in shocked confusion. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and sat up straighter, and Present Mic looked at Yagi in surprise. The two teachers thought that since they already knew about All Might's other form they wouldn't get any more big surprises in that area. Nedzu and Recovery Girl gave each other knowing looks.

“'Inherit his power'? I can understand how one could inherit a title, but how could power be inherited besides through passing down one's quirk to their child?” Iida questioned.

“That's an excellent question.” Momo replied without taking her eyes off the screen. Her pen was poised above her paper, ready to take down new information. Todoroki was now looking back and forth between Izuku and All Might, trying to see if they had any features in common.

Izuku's hands clenched into fists. It was coming, soon people would know that he hadn't actually been born with a quirk. He hoped that the power he gained later would make his classmates look past that, but his gut still roiled with anxiety. He did his best to shove it down, but a voice in the back of his head kept questioning if his classmates would still be able to stand him by the end of this.

Izuku looked up in surprise and confusion. His face was a mess from crying.

“I know it's not a problem right now, but I still have a sudden urge to hand Midoriya a tissue.” Ashido said quietly to Hagakure, who had to stifle a giggle.

All Might walked forward and said Izuku would have to decide if he wanted to inherit All Might's power, while blood spewed out of his mouth again.

A number of people winced and looked away from the screen briefly. A couple even looked a bit green when they saw the amount of blood. Yagi noticed the reaction and fidgeted uncomfortably. If they had a hard time with the blood, how would they handle what he was about to say?

All Might explained how the media didn't really know what his quirk was, and that he always found a way to dodge the question, because he had to portray the Symbol of Peace as a natural hero, but to Izuku, he would tell the truth.

The blood spray was quickly forgotten about as people inched even closer to the screen, literally on the edge of their seats as they waited to hear what All Might would share.

He declared that his quirk was like a torch that had been passed onto him, and he wanted to pass it on to Izuku. Izuku tried to protest, because he didn't understand how that was possible, and it quickly devolved into him muttering about all the debate he saw about All Might's quirk.

“Will you stop your damn muttering so we can figure out what's going on already?” Bakugo demanded. Kirishima raised an eyebrow at him.

“You realize this is in the past and that Midoriya can't change what happened, right?” Bakugo scowled at him, but Kirishima was unaffected.

“I'm pretty sure Midoriya is saying what we were all thinking anyway.” Sato pointed out. Various students nodded in agreement.

Uraraka was still preoccupied with how tense Izuku was, and it was right about now that Iida noticed too. The pair shared a confused look over Midoriya's head.

All Might cut off Izuku's rambling by declaring that he may hide things but he didn't lie.

“FYI kids, that's a good thing to remember when dealing with the media.” Present Mic announced. He continued once the class was all looking at him. “Either avoid answering questions, or give them a statement that has at least some truth to it, but don't lie.”

“Yeah, the media will eviscerate you if they catch you in a blatant lie.” Aizawa added.

All Might went on to explain that his quirk was the power to transfer power, and was called “One for All”. That the power was used by one person, then passed onto another, and another and with each new person the power grew.

The room was quiet as people stared at the screen in awe.

“I had no idea something like that was even possible.” Momo said, writing down everything that was said as quickly as she could.

“Me neither.” Jirou said faintly.

'Well, that blows my theory out of the water.' Todoroki thought to himself. Now he believed even more that Endeavor, nor anyone else, should ever be allowed to know about how All Might's quirk worked. If his old man knew that All Might's power was a thing that could be given and passed onto another...Todoroki shuddered at the thought of what lengths the man would go to get it. It was that thought that had him suddenly standing up.

“Sirs.” he said loudly. The teachers, and all of the students, looked at him. “I feel this is very sensitive information, and I have to ask how we will ensure that it is never leaked to...to anyone else.”

Nedzu looked him up and down with his beady eyes, and seemed satisfied with whatever he saw. “I was planning to address this at the next break, but now that you've brought it up we might as well get it over with. Anyone who shares what we have just learned, and any similar information, with anyone outside of this room will be expelled immediately.”

The students gaped at him, all except Izuku, who looked a bit relieved, and Todoroki who looked uneasy.

“Law enforcement may even get involved, depending on how bad the leak is. Given the nature of this information I'm sure you can understand why we would take such measures, and I would caution you to be very careful with your words after we leave this place. We wouldn't want anyone else to accidentally overhear you talking about any of this, right?” His attention shifted to the remaining teachers.
“Recovery Girl and I were already aware of this information, and since the teachers are aware of All Might's time limit, I'm sure they can find it within themselves to keep this new information secret too.” The two teachers nodded, and Nedzu clapped his paws together. “Now that that's out of the way, let's continue.”

Izuku asked why All Might was giving him something so great.

'Good question.' Bakugo thought to himself.

All Might said that he had been looking for a successor, and that since Izuku had acted more heroic than anyone else during the slime villain incident, he wanted to pass it onto him.

'Damn nerd was just in the right place at the right time, and he gets All Might's quirk as a result. What the hell...' Bakugo's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fist.

Izuku instinctively flinched at the sound. Iida shot Bakugo a glare. Uraraka gave Deku a concerned look, and gently took his hand. 'You really are worthy of being a hero Deku, I hope you know that.'

All Might tried to brush off the intense atmosphere, and told Izuku the decision was really up to him. Izuku thought about what All Might had said to him. He concluded that he didn't have any reason to refuse. Izuku accepted, and All Might said he'd expected an immediate reply.

Aizawa snorted. Of course problem child didn't even give himself time to consider pros and cons before accepting, and of course All Might felt that was fine. They really were two of a kind. Though, considering everything they'd seen, he could certainly understand Midoriya jumping at the chance to gain a quirk.

“I'm very glad you accepted the wonderful opportunity All Might gave you Midoriya, though I would caution you about making such major life decisions so quickly in the future.” Iida told his friend. Izuku looked at him with wide, confused eyes, which made Iida himself confused. “Did I saw something wrong?”

“No, um, I, it was just, unexpected.” Izuku quickly looked away. Uraraka and Iida shared another look, and silently decided to talk about during the next break.

Izuku's voice over admitted that gaining All Might's power was not easy. The scene jumped to two days later, and a sign for Dagobah beach was shown. The scene then moved to Izuku trying to move a fridge that All Might was sitting on.

Aizawa eyebrows shot up, and he turned to give All Might a look. “I take it this is your idea of training?”

“Well, part of it, yes.”

“Then you might have wanted to tell the kid to start by lifting smaller things and work his way up to implements so large that they could kill a man.” Aizawa said dryly.

“He's got a point. The only thing the kids gonna get from trying to move that thing so soon is strained muscles.” Present Mic added.

Yagi rubbed the back of his neck. “I did have a plan drawn up that accounted for someone of his age and starting physical fitness, but the boy has a bad habit of trying to push himself too far too soon. Trying to move the fridge was his idea, so I sat on it to, uh, encourage him to go back to something more his speed.”

Aizawa huffed. “Sounds like him. I take it you guys found a better routine as time went on?”

“Izuku still tried to push further, but yes, we did.”

“Good.”

“You gotta love that kind of spirit in a kid, though.” Present Mic said with a laugh.

Izuku questioned why he was dragging garbage around at a beach. All Might said it was because he was not a proper vessel, which caused Izuku to freak out. All Might quickly clarified that he was talking about his body.

“But All Might's other form is, like, a skeleton. That can't be a proper vessel either.” Jirou said.

“I assume that his original body's current state is part of the reason that his ability to use his quirk is now so limited. If Midoriya can improve his physical fitness, then hopefully he can use the full power available to him.” Momo said. Jirou made a noise of understanding.

'Seems like he's been using a bit too much of that power.' Todoroki thought, remembering Izuku's broken legs and arms.

All Might explained that an unprepared body couldn't handle the collective power of his quirk, and that passing it on before Izuku was ready could cause his body to explode.

The room collectively flinched back. Compared to that image, Izuku's tendency to break his arms and legs didn't seem quite so bad.

After Izuku was done freaking out over that imagery, he asked if they were picking up trash as part of his training. All Might confirmed they were, and explained that he'd found out that this stretch of beach had been filled with trash for years. Izuku agreed, telling him about how the current caused objects to wash up there, and people took advantage of it for illegal garbage dumping.

“How completely reprehensible! Have they no sense of civic duty?” Iida demanded. A few eyes were rolled, and others gave him a look of exasperated fondness.

All Might told Izuku that most modern heroes were all about the flashy stuff, but that heroes used to be people who would do things like clean up and volunteer to help their community, and that it was important to remember that origin. While he spoke, he casually crushed some of the garbage.

Despite the distraction of All Might's show of power, which had most of the kids clapping or cheering, they still took in the words. To think that the number one hero still considered things like volunteer work important was surprising, and inspiring.

“Such a marvelous point, and made with such a dramatic flair.” Aoyama praised.

“Yeah! Well said big guy!” Present Mic gave Yagi a thumbs up, which made the man smile.

“So manly!” Kirishima cried out.

No one could have been more surprised than Aizawa though, whose eyebrows shot up once again. 'The flashiest hero, espousing the idea that community service is an important part of being a hero. It's almost hypocritical, but he really does sound sincere, and he is teaching that to his successor. Maybe his personality isn't as shallow as I thought. It would be helpful if he said things like that more often during interviews...though it's possible he already does. I honestly don't watch many of them.'

All Might declared Izuku would clear the whole area, causing Izuku to despair over how much garbage there was.

“Dang, that is a lot.” Kirishima said. “How much time did you have?”

“10 months.”

“For all that? Good luck dude.” Mineta said.

All Might asked if Izuku planned to go to UA. Izuku said he did, because that's where All Might went. So if he was doing this, it had to be UA. All Might laughed and called him a go-getter.

'So cute.' Tsuyu thought to herself.

All Might repeated he would need a quirk to get in there though, because that's just how their world worked.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes, and looked back and forth between on-screen All Might and the one sitting not too far away.

All Might then revealed the plan he'd come up for Izuku's training, which he called the 'American Dream Plan'.

There were some snorts and giggles from the group of students. Present Mic snickered, and Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously?”

All Might blushed. “Titles like that always inspire me...”

“Oh my gosh! That should be the name of our band! The American Dream Plan!”

Jirou grinned. “I kinda like that, very meaningful.”

“Uh guys, I don't know about this, I'm really not a great singer...” Izuku mumbled shyly.

“I could give you lessons.” Jirou offered. Ashido nodded eagerly.

“Or I could teach you to dance with me.”

“Wait, why do I have to be a part of it anyway?”

“Because without you the name won't be as meaningful.” Jirou said, as though this were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Then name it something else!”

“Don't worry, Midoriya, we'll figure something out.” Ashido reassured him.

“You guys aren't listening to me at all are you?”

Izuku looked through the plan, noting how detailed it was. All Might asked if Midoriya could follow it. Izuku said he'd expected he'd have to work harder than anyone else, and agreed to the plan.

“Why is All Might whispering? They're the only people there.” Sero asked. Shoji shrugged.

“Dramatic effect?” he guessed.

“I know you can do it Deku!” Uraraka said. Iida nodded.

“Obviously you did, since you made it into UA, but I find myself once again impressed by your determination.”

They expected Izuku to blush or thank them or maybe brush off their praise, but instead looked back and forth between them, seeming surprised.

Izuku labeled the next part 'his 10 months of hell'. Izuku was shown carrying different types of garbage while All Might cheered him on. Izuku noticed that the different objects caused him to use different groups of muscles.

“Huh, I didn't think about how useful the variety would be.” Ojiro admitted.

“It's a pretty clever way to train, kero.”

“Hardly glamorous, but clearly effective.” Aoyama agreed.

Izuku grunted, and started rubbing at his arms. It seems the pain of building muscles was enough to register on whatever Truth was using to cause them pain along with their on-screen selves.

Izuku was shown in school, looking dead tired. Instead of paying attention to the lesson, he started trying to do his own calculations about how best to use his training, and unintentionally started to mumble out his plans.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. Of course the problem child would try and make his own plans, even after being given an official plan by his mentor.

Ojiro shook his head. “That's not going to end well.”

“What do you mean? Isn't our school motto all about pushing yourself?” Hagakure asked.

“Pushing yourself is one thing, but I'm pretty sure Izuku gonna push himself right into the ground if he goes that far beyond the plan.”

Izuku's muttering became so pronounced that everyone nearby was looking at him, except for Bakugo. It only ended when the teacher used his quirk to reach across the room and smack Izuku in the back of the head. The teacher asked if his encounter with the villain made him go crazy, which caused the students to snicker.

“That was entirely unprofessional.” Recovery Girl tsked. “That's no way to get a student's attention, and a teacher certainly shouldn't publicly humiliate a student like that.”

Nedzu made a mental note to ask Midoriya for that teacher's name later. He couldn't stand to see such behavior from educators; at this rate he might have to have that whole school looked into.

Aizawa nodded in agreement. He may be strict with his students, but he needed to be to prepare them for a job where they would risk their lives, and he only came down on them when they did something unnecessarily risky or inappropriate. Midoriya's muttering was an annoyance at worst, and didn't warrant that kind of reaction.

“Dude, your old school really sucked.” Kirishima said.

“Yeah.” “You're telling me.”

Izuku and Bakugo had talked at the same time. They glanced at each other before quickly looking away.

Izuku was shown training at the beach more. Then he was at home, showing the plan to his mom, who served what the dietary requirements demanded.

“You're mom was cool with following the plan?” Uraraka asked.

“Yeah, she was really supportive, and did whatever she could to help.” Izuku said. His eyes sparkled with fondness and adoration.

“She sounds really cool.” Uraraka said, giving him a warm smile.

“She is.”

More of Izuku's training was shown, staying up late to do homework, pushing and lifting things at the beach, being only half awake in class, running at night. One scene showed him so spent that he threw up behind an oil drum.

Izuku suddenly let out a moan, and seemed to melt into the couch. All Might immediately ran to him, and his bony hands catching Izuku's arms was the only thing that kept him from slipping right onto the floor.

“My boy, are you alright?”

“My...my whole body...hurts.” Izuku groaned, pressing his hands to his stomach. “Why...? It never...never felt like this...”

“I was afraid of something like this.” Recovery Girl said as she came walking over. Uraraka and Iida quickly moved out of the way to give her room, but anxiously looked over her shoulder while she gave Izuku a look over. “Your body had time to acclimate to the feeling of your muscles growing sore and healing themselves before, but now you are getting 10 months worth of that feeling compressed into a few minutes.”

“Like the...the way your -mmph- quirk compresses healing...?”

“That's an good comparison, unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it. There's no real injury, despite your mind feeling the pain, so there's nothing for me to heal, even if I could use my quirk.”

“Then we'll just have to make him comfortable in the mean time.” Yagi said. He quickly picked Izuku up bridal style, showing off more strength in his rail thin body than anyone expected. He carried Izuku over the couch he himself had been sitting on. He gently laid Izuku down on the cushions, and Izuku grabbed a hold of his arm as he moved to stand back up.

“Stay.” Izuku said quietly. His mentor gave him a soft smile.

“Of course, my boy.” Yagi sat down heavily in front of the couch. He rested his arm on the cushions behind him, casually giving Izuku the option to hold onto his hand, which Izuku took. Yagi tried not to be affected by the feeling of Izuku's hand shaking.

“Do you two mind if I sit here until the young man feels better?” Recovery Girl asked, since Izuku was currently occupying her seat.

“Of course Recovery Girl, it would be an honor.” “Sure, no problem.” Iida and Uraraka replied.

“Man, I was getting all pumped for this training montage. But I'd rather not have it if it knocks Midoriya down that much.” Kirishima said, others mumbled in agreement.

The training montage continued. Izuku pushed things and loaded them into a vehicle. Izuku was shown swimming as All Might kept an eye on him, until he got distracted by a group of pretty girls fawning over him.

Mineta leaned forward, envisioning himself in the scene instead of All Might.

Aizawa shot All Might a look for that display, but found it hard to think too badly of the man who was putting all his focus on comforting Midoriya.

The training montage continued until they got to a scene of Izuku running while carrying a heavy container while All Might used a segway to keep up. The colors around Midoriya blurred, and suddenly Midoriya was collapsing onto the ground.

Izuku gasped, and his whole body shuddered. Yagi shifted so he could run a soothing hand down the boy's back.

All Might started berating Izuku at first, but then recognized the signs that Midoriya had overworked himself. He told Izuku that the plan he'd given him had been made especially for Izuku, and that overdoing would have the opposite effect of what they wanted.

“This is what I meant.” Ojiro said grimly.

“Oh...I get it now.” Hagakure said. She shifted in her seat to face Midoriya more, her worry clear despite so little of body language getting across.

All Might asked if he really wanted to get into UA, and Izuku argued that was the reason he was pushing himself, because he knew he would need to work harder than anyone else. When All Might realized how he was looking to be more than 'just ready' by the time the exam came, he enthusiastically agreed to adjust Izuku's plan.

Though they hadn't said anything, a number of students had wondered at the beginning of the episode if Izuku's success had been just due to him being lucky enough to catch All Might's attention. Now they could see that, while that had been part of it, Midoriya really had worked himself to the bone to get into UA. They realized that he had worked just as hard as they had, and in some cases much harder.

“That's so, so manly!” Kirishima said, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Even Bakugo had to admit that the nerd was pushing himself, though he'd never admit it out loud.

The scene skipped ahead to the day of the exam, early morning.

Izuku stopped whimpering, and sat up. He made no indication that he was still in pain, but his eyes were hazy.

“My boy, are you alright? You seem...a little out of it.”

“I feel a little out of it.”

“That's understandable.” Recovery Girl said. “Your brain was probably flooding you with all the usual chemicals it does in response to the pain you perceived, now that those scenes are over the pain is gone, but the chemicals remain. It'll take a bit of time before those are flushed from your system and you feel normal again.”

Izuku nodded slowly.

“Do you want to stay here and rest until then, my boy?”

“No, I'm okay now. I'll go back over so you guys can have your seats back.” Midoriya said with a faint blush. Yagi noticed, and patted his shoulder.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of my boy. It was a perfectly natural reaction, and I'm sure you won't be the only one to go through something like that before this ordeal is over.”
Izuku murmured his thanks and gave him a grateful smile before slowly walking back to Uraraka and Iida. He smiled at them, and they smiled back obviously relieved, and he felt something warm spread through his chest, totally unlike the faint burn he could still feel in his muscles.

All Might was shown getting out of his car at the beach, then suddenly looked up when he heard Izuku scream.

Heads snapped to look in Izuku's direction, wondering what pain he could be in now. But their Izuku seemed perfectly fine. Confused, everyone looked back to the screen for an explanation.

Izuku stood on top of a pile of garbage, screaming in triumph, as the sun came up. All Might rushed forward, and was stunned to see that Izuku had managed to clean the whole area he had set as a goal, plus the space outside it, leaving behind a pristine beach.

“Wooo!”

“Awesome!”

“I can't believe he actually did it...and then some!”

“Go Midoriya!”

“You rock!”

Izuku shifted self consciously at the cheering, but he wore a pleased smile. He was still proud of that accomplishment.

“That really is quite impressive Midoriya, even before getting to UA you practiced the motto of going beyond.” Iida said, smiling warmly. Uraraka cheered and gave him a side hug.

“You did awesome Deku!”

“Th-thank you!”

Izuku swayed and fell off the pile, but All Might was quick to run over and catch him. Izuku declared that he'd done it, smiling tiredly up at his mentor. All Might admitted that Izuku had surprised him, and remarked on how amazing teenagers were.

Aizawa looked over at his class, and found himself agreeing with All Might for once. Teenagers really could be amazing when they worked at it.

All Might showed a photo of Izuku from his first day of training, using it to compare Izuku back then to how he was now. The difference was made obvious when the camera panned to show Izuku's bare, upper body.

“Oh my!” Ashido said, making a show of fanning herself. Hagakure giggled.

“Ow, hot stuff baby!” Kaminari yelled from the back. Sero let out a wolf whistle.

“Dang, I never woulda guessed Midoriya was hiding those kinda muscles.” Kirishima said, looking at him approvingly.

“Not bad.” Sato admitted. .

“You have to admit, that's a great improvement in the amount of time you had to work with.” Tsuyu said. Iida was quick to agree with her.

Izuku was blushing heavily now, and buried his face in his hands to try and escape the embarrassment. As a result, he didn't notice that Uraraka's face was nearly as red as his was.

All Might declared Izuku a suitable vessel now. Izuku admitted that he felt like he was cheating, because All Might helped him so much. He started to cry, overwhelmed by how lucky he felt.

“Deku, don't you dare think this was all just because you were lucky.” Uraraka said sternly, hoping all the red was gone from her cheeks. “You were just over there wracked with pain because of how hard you worked all those months to get ready and be your best; you even pushed yourself further than All Might thought you could.”

“Indeed, you have done plenty to be proud of Midoriya. Just because you had help and encouragement doesn't make the accomplishment any less.”

“Thanks guys.” His eyes beginning to fill with tears once again.

Bakugo looked over at the scene, but said nothing.

All Might's internal thoughts showed that he also thought it was due to Izuku's hard work.

Uraraka jabbed her finger at the screen and gave Izuku a triumphant smirk, which earned her a laugh from him.

All Might announced it was time for Izuku's award ceremony. He pulled a hair from his head, and gave a small speech about how there is a difference between getting something due to luck and getting something due to hard work, and that Izuku should remember that because he'd gotten there by his own efforts.

Murmurs of agreement and approval filled the room, various students thinking about how much they had to work in order to get ready for UA, or about how much they'd need to work to stay there.

'Sounds like there's hope for him after all.' Aizawa thought.

Bakugo grit his teeth and looked down. The hell was All Might trying to say? That someone like him, who started out with a 'perfect' quirk didn't deserve his spot as much as the nerd who had to 'work for it'? 'Just because I have a great quirk doesn't mean I didn't work hard to get as good as I am dammit!'

Then All Might held out the hair in his hand and told Izuku to eat it.

Everyone stared at the screen.

“Um...what?” Jirou asked, looking disgusted.

“Is that...is that really necessary to pass it on.” Momo asked, putting a hand to her mouth. Present Mic chuckled.

“I certainly hope he washes his hair more than some teachers.” he elbowed Aizawa, who glared at him.

“It seems that such great power must come with great sacrifices, large and small.” Tokoyami declared. Kaminari looked at him like he was crazy.

“Dude, you can't make eating hair poetic. You just can't.”

After seeing the look on Midoriya's face, All Might was quick to explain that the important thing was consuming some of his DNA.

“Well, I guess, when you think about the options, hair probably isn't the weirdest way to accomplish that, plus it's the easiest.” Mineta said slowly. Though people agreed, they still looked a tad disturbed.

All Might tried to hurry Izuku along, saying he would be late for the exam if he didn't do it soon.

'He's only had his quirk since the day of the exam?!' Aizawa thought in alarm, resisting the urge to smack his forehead. 'No wonder he has such problems with control. Most people have almost their whole lives to work on their quirks, and the first time I saw it he'd only had it for a couple of hours at most. With the power behind that quirk the kid is luck y he didn't get himself killed when he first tried to use it.' He quickly wrote in his notebook, reminding himself to get Izuku some more official training hours, either with himself or another teacher.

Izuku was shown arriving at UA for the entrance exam. He lamented not being able to test out his new power. Then Bakugo arrived, demanding he get out of the way. Izuku jumped, stuttering over a greeting as he did so.

Uraraka huffed and turned to glare at Bakugo. “Is there anyway you could not be a jerk for five minutes?”

“What she said.” Jirou said.

“Shut up, Round Face.” Bakugo growled.

“Please, Uraraka, it's fine, really.” Izuku pleaded. She grumbled, but turned back around.

Someone in the crowd commented on how Bakugo fought the slime villain, and Izuku's inner voice wondered about how Bakugo hadn't done anything to him since that day.

“Huh.” Uraraka said, slightly stunned. “Sorry, guess you actually can.” Bakugo scowled.

Izuku shook off his lingering fear and gave himself a pep talk before stepping forward. And promptly tripped over his own feet.

“Smooth Midoriya.” Sato said with a grin. A few people snorted, and Izuku chuckled good-naturedly.

He stopped before he could hit the ground though, and the shot pulled away to reveal Uraraka standing next to him.

“Uraraka! Beautiful catch!” Aoyama praised.

She apologized for using it without warning, and explained she didn't want him to have the bad luck of falling. Izuku stared at her with red cheeks as she talked. She bade him good luck, then walked toward the school. He stared after her, then triumphantly declared he had talked to a girl.

Snickers were heard around the room, and Mineta and Kaminari laughed outright. “Might want to remember the actual talking part next time!” Kaminari laughed. Even Iida wore and amused smile. Izuku's face was beet red, and he shrank down in his seat.

“It's okay Izuku, I still thought you were sweet.” Uraraka said, pink tinging her own cheeks.

“I...honestly I had never talked to girls in my class before. No one really talked to me in my class before.” He admitted quietly. Uraraka sobered up then, and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Things aren't like that anymore.” she said softly. Izuku smiled at her.

“I know, I think that's one of the best things about UA.”

The scene changed to an exam hall inside UA. Present Mic stood at the front, welcoming all the students. He yelled out for everyone to say 'Hey!' and got no response.

Present Mic gave the students a mock glare. “Do you guys have any idea how disheartening it is to start a call and response and have no one respond?” There was a smattering of laughs throughout the class, which made Present Mic grin.

“Eh, sorry about that, sir. I think we were all too nervous to get into it.” Izuku explained. Present Mic shrugged.

“Fair enough, listener.”

Present Mic brushed off the lack of response and started to explain how the practical exam would work. He tried to get another response, and once again failed. That didn't stop Izuku from fanboying however, as the screen showed him sitting next to Bakugo, surrounded by a dreamy pink aura and gushing about the hero.

“At least you managed to impress someone.” Aizawa said with a smirk. Present Mic shoved him playfully, then smiled at Izuku.

“I had no idea you were a regular listener Midoriya, we'll have to get together and talk sometime.”

“Really? Yes! That would be so cool, thank you!”

“So adorable.” Hagakure whispered.

Present Mic finally got down to business and started explaining the test. Bakugo noted that the test was set up so people who went to the same school wouldn't be in the same area. Izuku looked at the cards and agreed with him. Bakugo told Izuku not to look at his card or he'd kill him.

“You're the one that brought his attention to it in the first place.” Shoji pointed out.

“Shut up.”

“Also, don't you have any threats beyond saying you'll kill people?” Tsuyu asked.

“Shut. Up.”

Kaminari ignored him and nodded sagely. “Yeah, you use that one all of the time, eventually it's gonna lose its edge. If you wanna keep up the bad boy image you should really brainstorm some more catchphrases and threats.”

“SHUT UP!”

A part of Izuku still marveled that the kids here could mock Kacchan and get away with it.

Present Mic explained that there would be three types of villains for them to beat and gain points, and that attacking other students was against the rules. A student raised his hand and was called on, and it turned out to be Iida. He called Present Mic out for not explaining the fourth type of villain on their sheet, accused UA of not keeping up with it's standards because of it, and then scolded Izuku for mumbling earlier.

Sero grimaced. “Yeesh, Iida, take it down a few notches.”

Iida himself looked abashed, especially when he saw how distressed he'd made Izuku in the past. “My sincerest apologies Midoriya.” he said with a bowed head. Midoriya waved his arms in front of his face.

“It's okay Iida, I know my mumbling is distracting and I should have tried harder to keep it down.”

“Be that as it may, it was most uncouth of me call you out in front of such a large crowd. I fear my own nerves may have gotten to me, though that is a poor excuse.”

“It's okay Iida, really.”

Present Mic explained the 4th villain as requested, saying it was zero points and was better avoided. A couple of kids talked about how it was like a video game.

“You must have liked Midoriya from the start Iida, since he's the only one you deemed worthy of yelling at for talking.” Kaminari said with a teasing smirk.

Iida's face went red, and muttered another apology which Izuku was quick to brush off.

Present Mic explained the school motto to everyone.

Which caused nearly everyone in the room to shout it at once.

He then dismissed them by saying 'good luck suffering'.

“Sounds like Aizawa is starting to rub off on you.” All Might said with a grin. Present Mic laughed and Aizawa rolled his eyes.

The scene shifted to Izuku standing with a group of students outside a mock city. Izuku was doing his best to give himself a pep talk. He still looked terrified though, and that's what the episode ended with.

“Aw, come on! We were just getting to a really good part!” Ashido complained.

“Truth really does love to follow the formula of an actual TV show, leaving it with cliffhangers and all.” Tsuyu observed.

“All right, time for another break.” Nedzu announced. “It's not good to stay sitting for so long.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“I'm still having a hard time believing that a quirk like All Might's really exists.” Momo said as she loitered with her classmates. “It really goes to show you how little we truly know about how quirks work and what they are capable of.”

“Really makes you wonder what else is out there.” Sato agreed. “I figured people like Todoroki and Tokoyami were up pretty high on the list of cool and useful quirk, and don't get me wrong they still are, but now I can't help but wonder what other crazy stuff we'll run into out there. Not to mention how we'll get past it.”

“I don't care what powers other people have. If they cross me, I'll find a way of taking them down.” Bakugo said. Several people jumped in surprise. They could have sworn Bakugo was still staring down the wall like he had during last break. Kirishima got over it quickly and pumped his fist in the air.

“Yeah! Now that's a Plus Ultra attitude!”

“Indeed, we must all do our best to shine brighter than any villain, no matter the nature of their quirk or ours.” Aoyama waved his hands with a flourish.

*_*_*

“So...Midoriya's quirk was actually All Might's quirk all along.” Hagakure said, not bothering to hide her awe.

“Is it really just All Might's quirk if Midoriya can use it now too? Does that mean it belongs to both of them?” Ojiro questioned. Tokoyami nodded.

“An interesting question. Perhaps it is not unlike the sacred tradition of passing down hero names from one generation to the next, ensuring that the legacy lives on. A legacy may be known for one person more than another, but that does not mean anyone owns the legacy more than another.”

“In any case, I think All Might made a good choice, kero.”

“You sound pretty confident for someone who has known him for such a short time.” Jirou pointed out. Tsuyu put a finger to her chin.

“You have a point, but we've seen more of him here, plus you also didn't see him during the USJ fight. He's the reason me and Mineta got out unscathed. I think he'll do his best to live up to the legacy.”

“Kinda makes me wonder who all came before him though, because there really wasn't anyone as recognized as All Might before this.” Sero said. “Not that I've ever heard of anyway.”

“Yeah, I wonder who all came before him and All Might and what kind of hero they were.” Kaminari wondered. Todoroki stood nearby, and looked away at Kaminari's words.

'If they were heroes at all. Not everyone wants to carry on a legacy, even if it is purposefully passed onto them.'

*_*_*

“Mr. Yamada! Do you have any advice about starting a band?” Ashido asked eagerly.

“Sorry listener, but I've only done a couple singles. That doesn't really get you experience with starting a band. But if you guys do start one, and get a good sound going, I could hook you up with a recording studio.”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

“You can thank me after you actually get a sound figured out.”

Mineta stood nearby, listening. Girls liked guys in bands right?

“Hey Ashido! I'm good with tech! I could totally play a synthesizer!”

*_*_*_*

“Midoriya, do you still have that 'American Dream' plan All Might made for you?” Iida asked. He, Izuku, and Uraraka stood in a small group not too far from the food table. Izuku looked at him uncertainly.

“I think so, just not sure where it is in my room right off hand. But, you know it wouldn't really be right for you, you know? Because it was meant for me specifically.”

Iida waved off his friends concern. “Of course, but the basic principles it follows could still be useful in making a training plan for myself.”

“Do you know if All Might made it himself, or if he had someone help him? Because if he had help we could maybe ask whoever he knows to help with training plans.” Uraraka pointed out.

“I'll um, have to ask him...sometime.” Izuku looked back and forth between them, and nervously fiddled with the cup in his hand. The other two shared a look before turning back to him.

“Deku, is there something you wanna talk about? You seemed really tense at the beginning of the episode, and it looks like it's come back now.”

“Well, I was just...I need to know...do you, do you guys still, um, like me?” Izuku winced at his own wording. Uraraka's brow furrowed in confusion and Iida frowned.

“Do you feel we have given you some indication that we don't like you?”

“No, you haven't...but that's honestly what's confusing me.” Izuku shifted back and forth on his feet, and looked them in the eyes before quickly looking away again. “At my old school, heck pretty much my whole life, people started treating me different after they found out that I was quirkless. They suddenly didn't want to talk to me anymore, or acted like I was fragile and less capable, or were just...really mean. And I thought...I was so scared that once people here found out that I wasn't born with my quirk that it would all start up again, but it hasn't. I got up to go get food and no one looked at me different or whispered behind my back or anything. Maybe that's because I have a quirk now, but it's been happening for so long a part of me still thinks it will, so I just...I have to know for sure.”

Izuku finally looked back up. Iida's mouth was set in a grim line, and Uraraka's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Before he could say or do anything more, Uraraka had flung herself forward. She buried her face in his shoulder, and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest.

“You're my friend Deku. Nothing is going to change that. And everyone who made a big deal out of you being quirkless before were just big, dumb, bigoted, jerks!” she said fiercely.

Stunned, Izuku slowly hugged her back. He could already feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes when Iida, whose expression had now softened, lay a hand on his shoulder.

“The presence or lack of a quirk doesn't change who you are Midoriya, and that is a person we are happy to have in our lives. I am happy you found a way to get a quirk, because that is likely what allowed you to get into the hero course right away, and if you hadn't then we may not have met until later, if at all. You are a wonderful person, Midoriya, brave, kind, and smart, and even if you didn't have a quirk, I would still be grateful to know you.”

The tears were flowing freely down his face now. He held Uraraka tighter, and tilted his head so it could rest on Iida's arm. “Thank you. Thank you both so much.”

In another corner of the room, Yagi looked on at the bonding moment that was clearly happening between Izuku and his two friends. He was happy beyond words that Izuku had found himself true companions at UA, but there was something that had been weighing on his mind since his other form had been revealed to the students.

“Truth, may I ask you a question?” He asked quietly.

'You just did.' the strange voice teased in his ear. 'There is no price for merely asking questions, so you may ask another. I may not answer though.'

“Fair enough. I have noticed that I do not feel as many additional pains as some of the others. I still feel some pain when I see my other self push past his limits, but my chronic pain is the same despite my other self also being in pain. Should the pain not double? Or should I not feel more pain from the other occurrences of overusing my quirk?”

'The fact that it is a chronic pain is the answer.' Truth explained. 'The pains you feel here are the price for learning about each others secrets and the future you will soon see. But your pain is a constant one, you feel it now, and you will feel it in the future. The others may avoid certain pains due to seeing the future, but yours is a pain that cannot be avoided. You will experience it no matter what the future holds, so there is no need for you to pay for it now.'

“I suppose that makes sense.” Yagi breathed a sigh.

'Don't be too relieved. That only applies to pains that are a natural result of your injury. You will still feel pains you experience due to outside sources. Trust me, the time for your toll will come.'

Yagi did his best to brush it off the ominous words, hoping no one had noticed his hushed conversation. He started looking around for Midoriya, but was brought up short by the approach of Aizawa.

“All Might, I think we need to have a talk.”

“About what, Aizawa?”

“You keep bringing up how Izuku needed a quirk in order to make it as a hero. Even with all the hard work Midoriya did being shown, if you keep phrasing it that way and not giving as much credit to things like his mental abilities, then I'm worried our students could get the wrong impression.”

All Might frowned, and thought back on what had been shown and some of his others actions. “Hmm, I can see your point. Midoriya's intelligence is one of his strong suits, even if he does over think things sometimes, and the scenes we just saw emphasize his physical strength over most everything else. Perhaps you could give me some pointers on how to address such matters? I'm afraid I'm still learning the intricacies of being a teachers.”

Aizawa sighed. “That you are. Come on, we can bring the others in on this too. Two heads better than one and all that.”

The teachers spent the rest of the break discussing how best to encourage all the traits needed to be a great hero, and how to more directly implement them into the lesson plans. They even made plans to discuss it more later and with the other teachers, just as the next episode came up.

Chapter Text

The episode started with Izuku's voice talking about UA, including a statistic about how few students were excepted to make it in.

The students in the room felt a rush emotions at remembering how they had gotten in when so many others hadn't, those emotions ranging from happiness and gratitude to pride and pressure.

Izuku listed off three popular heroes who had all graduated from UA.

Todoroki scowled when his father's face appeared, though everyone was too busy watching the screen to notice. Everyone except Nedzu though, who had happened to catch the small movement out of the corner of his eye. He filed the reaction away for later analysis.

The scene shifted back to where the last one had left off. While the other students marveled over how elaborate UA's exam was, Izuku had fear and anxiety written all over his face. Izuku thought over what he'd been told about the test, and looked over at the other students, wondering why they didn't seem nervous like him.

“Not everyone expresses emotions that same way. Just because someone looks confident doesn't always mean they are, kero.”

“Or they could be way overestimating their own abilities. We see that a lot.” Present Mic said. Aizawa grunted and nodded.

“Hey, there's Shoji.” Ojiro pointed out said boy in the crowd. “I didn't realize you were in the same area as Midoriya.”

“Neither did I.” Shoji admitted.

“There's you.” Mineta said to his couchmate, pointing out Aoyama.

“Ah yes, I remember seeing Midoriya during the exam. I put on a dazzling performance for him later, and look! My belt caught his eye even before the exam started. Perhaps our meeting was meant to be.”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

Izuku then noticed Uraraka standing in the crowd. Thinking about how he needed to thank her for helping him earlier, he started to walk forward, but he was stopped by Iida. He scolded Izuku for trying to distract another student, and also accused him of taking the exam frivolous.

“That seems like a rather extreme conclusion to draw after observing only two behaviors from someone, especially since you only saw the start of the second action.” Momo pointed out. Iida started blushing once again.

“Looking back on it, I realize that leveling such an accusation for you simply trying to talk to someone was irrational. Once again, you have my apologies Midoriya.”

“It's in the past now, so don't worry too much about it.” Izuku said, but then he frowned slightly. “But, if you do want to make up for it, maybe in the future you can avoid calling people out in front of large groups? Or even small groups? Having a scolding be on display really doesn't feel great.”

“Of course, I shall do my best to keep it in mind, both as an apology to you and in an attempt to be a better class representative.”

Since Izuku and Iida seemed to be working things out on their own, Uraraka said nothing. She did feel pretty flattered that Izuku had placed that high of a priority on thanking her though.

Izuku denied Iida's accusations vigorously, which caught the attention of some of the other contestants. They started talking about him, and Izuku could already tell they felt he wasn't a threat.

Iida winced. He truly hadn't meant for his talk with Midoriya to be such a public display, and it drove home that that was something he'd have to work on in the future.

“I know it may be disheartening to have others feel that way, but it is something that could work out in your favor.” Nedzu pointed out. “Being underestimated can have many advantages.”

“That's part of the reason I made my hero outfit look like this.” Aizawa added. Present Mic laughed.

“Yeah, hardly any villain expects to get beat up by what could pass as a random hobo.”

Izuku flipped open his own notebook and jotted that down. It could be an important tip later, plus it distracted him from old feelings of embarrassment.

Present Mic suddenly shouted that the exam had begun. When Izuku turned to the test entrance, he saw he was already getting left behind.

“Huh, that's weird. Cementoss started our exam, and he actually did give us a countdown.” Sato said.

“Seriously? That's so unfair. My group didn't get a countdown either.” Kaminari complained

“Ah Cementoss, he's such a softie.” Present Mic said fondly. Aizawa sighed.

“I know, it's like he doesn't get any pleasure out of messing with the students. He's a strange one.”

Yagi gave him a slightly concerned look.

Izuku ran, trying desperately to both catch up and calm himself down. He told himself that he had All Might on his side, and that caused him to flash back to the memory of eating the hair.

Seeing Izuku swallow had some people shivering in disgust and others grimacing or looking away.

All Might told him it would take a couple hours to kick in. He also warned Izuku that, since Izuku had prepared in a hurry and hadn't had a chance to test the quirk, he should be prepared for it to have physical repercussions.

“That's putting it lightly.” Aizawa said acerbically, leveling a glare at All Might. “You honestly sent him into the entrance exam with a quirk he'd never used that could hurt him that badly, and you didn't even give a proper explanation about what those 'repercussions' might be?”

Yagi's shoulders hunched, and he looked as weary as his skeletal body suggested. “I honestly didn't realize that Midoriya would experience such intense blow back. I experienced injuries when first learning to control One for All, but they were not as grievous as Midoriya's. I didn't account for how much One for All's power would increase when I passed it on; that was an incredible oversight on my part. As for not having used it before, I had to make absolutely certain his body was ready for it. I wasn't about to risk him suffering permanent damage by passing it too soon. There simply wasn't enough time for both. I offered to try and get the boy in through recommendations, but he wanted to take the test along with the others. He wanted to make sure he'd gotten in on his own merit, and not just because I pulled strings.”

Aizawa looked at All Might for a minute, then sighed. “I can respect Midoriya's choice on that matter, but the excess of power, and the injuries it causes, still needs to be addressed. He's not always going to have access to Recovery Girl.” said heroine made a noise of agreement.

Yagi nodded gravely. “Of course. I was hoping that Midoriya simply needed a longer adjustment period than I did, but I will try to think of some way to address the issue sooner. Though, if we do go into the future with this viewing, then it might show us how he figured it out before we leave.”

“Best to hedge your bets and try to think of one in the meantime anyway.” Present Mic pointed out.

All Might's last bit of advice ran through Izuku's head, which involved clenching your butt cheeks before using the quirk.

There was a beat of silence in the room. Then a few people started to snort and giggle, and soon the whole room was filled with laughter.

“No wonder All Might gets all the fangirls! He's always- BHAHAHA!” Mineta burst out laughing.

“First eating the hair, now this, it's too much man!” Kaminari wheezed.

Yagi blushed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Present Mic was almost falling out of his chair he was laughing so hard, and even Aizawa's lips were twitching in amusement.

Izuku once again had his face buried in his hands. “I'm never gonna live that down am I?” he moaned. “Now every time I use One for All they're going to think of that!”

“Well, I wouldn't say 'never'. Plenty of quirks cause strange side-effects or need very specific triggers.” Iida answered, trying his best to be comforting.

“Yeah, I'm sure it'll blow over.” Uraraka said. The fact that she herself was still giggling didn't make her statement very convincing.

A one-point robot suddenly appeared in front of Izuku. It rushed at Izuku, but he was too frightened to move. Just before it struck, an attack from Aoyama blew it apart.

“Nice shot.” Shoji said, which made Aoyama beam.

“Merci!”

“Thank you Aoyama, I never did get around to saying it before.” Izuku said, his eyes shining with sincerity.

“It was no trouble at all, you did do an excellent job distracting it after all. That shot wouldn't have been possible without you! Plus, it gave me some rescue points.”

Bakugo's ears perked up. 'What the heck are rescue points?' he wondered.

Izuku ran through the city, but everywhere he looked robots were either destroyed or being destroyed before he could get to them. He noticed Uraraka again, and she used her quirk to destroy four bots all at once.

Sato whistled. “Nicely done.”

“Yeah Uraraka! You go girl!” Ashido cheered.

“Well done indeed.” Iida said.

“I thought your quirk was really cool then, though I didn't really think about it until later.” Izuku admitted.

Uraraka beamed, ignoring the nausea that had started to roil in her stomach as her on-screen self was shown. “Thanks you guys!”

Iida was shown running up and kicking a robot so hard it broke apart.

“Nice shot!” Kirishima called out.

“You were so fast then I almost didn't see what you did.” Izuku said.

“Same thing happened the few times I saw you.” Uraraka added. Iida glowed under the praise.

Izuku started to freak out about how many points other people were getting and how the number of available points was going down fast.

Many students sat forward. They knew Izuku must have passed the exam for him to be here, but his performance so far didn't look promising. Just how had he gotten enough points to get in?

The scene shifted to a bunch of screens in a darkened room. The voice of Nedzu was heard explaining the intricacies of the exam, and how different students dealt with them. When he mentioned how some use information gathering, the camera showed a screen with Shoji on it.

Shoji sat up straighter, startled but very pleased at having been noticed that early out of so many people.

A screen with Iida on it was shown when Nedzu mentioned how some use speed and mobility to get ahead. Aoyama was shown as an example of keeping a cool head.

Aoyama sat back, very proud of himself for having caught the examiners eyes.

A screen with Bakugo was shown when Nedzu mentioned the use of 'pure combat ability'.

Bakugo grinned. He knew a quirk like his would get noticed for how great it was. He didn't worry much that others had been shown in a similar way. Combat power trumped all that other stuff at the end of the day anyway. Plus he was working on the mobility thing.

Next to him, Kirishima was wondering if he could get footage of the practical exam, so he could see more of what Bakugo did. Because that image of him surrounded by broken bots and ready for more was super manly.

Midnight was heard, saying they had a good batch this year. But another teacher pointed out they wouldn't know until they saw how they responded to the real test.

Students looked at each other. Had the regular bots not been the 'real test'? What else was there?

Yagi suddenly jolted upright. He looked over at Izuku, then quickly walked to the back and grabbed an unclaimed notebook. Then he walked over to Midoriya and knelt down in front of him and offered it to him. He spoke to Midoriya, but his words were so quiet no one else could here them. Some did notice how much Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida tensed though. Izuku took the notebook, and held it tightly in his hands as the show continued. Instead of returning to his seat, Yagi sat down on the floor next to the trio's couch.

The ground started to shake, and students turned to look in horror at a robot that was bigger than the buildings surrounding them.

Many students looked at each other or frowned in confusion. How was that the 'real test'?

Students were shown running away from the robot. Izuku once again found himself frozen, and ended up falling on his rear end.

The other students didn't really blame him for that, since that thing had been terrifying. Momo, who hadn't experienced the practical, had been writing down anything she could learn by getting a more first hand view of it. And even she had to admit she wasn't sure how she would react to something like that popping up out of nowhere. She hoped she would act sensibly, but she wasn't sure. Todoroki analyzed it instead. He wondered if he could have frozen something that big, and he figured if he couldn't he'd just run along with the others.

A voice was heard over Izuku's panic. It stated that when an overwhelming threat appeared, people's true colors would show.

Iida felt shame rise inside him once again as he watched his past self notice the frozen Midoriya, and run right past him. All of his scoldings to the boy, and in the end he hadn't acted like a true hero at all, while Midoriya...Iida glanced fearfully at his friend, All Might's words from a minute before echoed in his mind.

The students that had been wondering about the 'real test', and weren't in Midoriya's section, were even more confused now. What else were you supposed to do with that thing than run away from it?

Izuku finally found the will to move. He was so scared that he would fail and that everything All Might did for him would be for nothing.

“I would never consider you a waste, my boy, no matter what happened during the exam.” Yagi said quietly. Izuku slid down onto the floor to be next to his mentor, unable to express in words what that assurance meant to him.

Izuku's thoughts were broken up by a cry of pain behind him. He turned and saw Uraraka, her leg being pinned under a pile of rubble.

“Ow!” Uraraka yelled. She curled in on herself a bit, and brought leg up to her chest, attempting to nurse a hurt that wasn't physically there. “Oh, geeze, Owwwww! I don't remember it hurting this much before!”

“Hmmm...it could be that time has made the pain seem muted in your mind.” Recovery Girl theorized. “Or it could be that, without the adrenaline you had in your system back then, your mind perceives more of the pain now.”

Izuku paled. Yagi urged him to lay down, then took off the coat of baggy suit and bundled it up before placing it under Izuku's head. Then Izuku put the notebook in his mouth, binding side first. This went unnoticed by most of the students. Izuku and company had all sat very close to the front, so those further back couldn't see what was going on in front of the couch, and others were either distracted by the screen or Uraraka. Not many students had known that she had gotten trapped like that, and her cry of pain startled them. They were confident she would be okay, of course, since she was here and this was all part of a test, but it was a hard thing to ignore.

The teachers noticed what was going on though, and they quickly realized what was about to happen. Recovery Girl wished she had more to work with, but settled for heading to the bathroom to get a wet towel. Nedzu whispered something in Present Mic's ear, who nodded and stood up.

“HEEEEY!”

Even without his quirk Mic could be pretty loud, and all heads in the room swiveled to him, causing the show to stop.

“There is a very painful event coming up for one person in particular. I know it will be hard, but I ask you all to keep paying attention to the screen regardless. It will make the experience easier on everyone involved.” Nedzu explained.

Now much more wary, the students returned their attention to the screen. Several gave Uraraka worried looks.

Uraraka tried to free herself, but was unable to. Izuku watched, remembered her kindness toward him, and saw the giant robot take another step towards her. The next moment, Izuku was running toward her. Izuku crouched, his legs pulsing with energy, and leaped into the air. He sailed right up to the 'face' of the robot and punched it.

A scream pierced the air.

Some students, including Momo and Todoroki, realized what was about to happen moments before it did. They paled and braced themselves. Other students had cheers and words of congratulations die in their throats.

Izuku writhed on the floor. His limbs spasmed and his teeth dug into layers of paper. Uraraka and Iida had to hold themselves back; All Might had warned them that trying to restrain Izuku during this time could hurt them or Izuku if done improperly. They could do nothing but watch as their friend screamed and shook.

“Eyes on the screen!” Aizawa barked. Necks snapped back to watch the show, and hands came up to cover ears.

The giant robot started to fall apart. All Might, in the judging area, complimented Izuku's sense self sacrifice.

Yagi grit his teeth. That sounded far more admirable when it wasn't said to the sound of his successor's screams. Izuku had done his best to swallow down further cries after the initial one, but it was hard. The cushioning affects of things like shock and adrenaline weren't present in this place, so Izuku didn't have any insulation against the pain like he'd had during the original events.

Izuku on screen flashed back to himself trying to rescue Bakugo, marveling at how different this situation turned out compared to that one. Then he was falling toward the ground at high speed. As he fell, he suddenly realized how high he'd jumped, and that three of his limbs were now shattered.

“Oh god.” Jirou whispered, her eyes wide in horror at seeing Midoriya's limbs flutter in the breeze. Ashido and Koda pressed their hands to their mouths, and others had their hands on their stomachs. They'd seen Midoriya break his arms and legs before, but seeing them move like that...plus hearing the continued sounds of pain from their Midoriya, it was enough to turn people's stomachs.

Izuku berated himself as All Might's warning about physical repercussions came back to him. He forced himself to stop and told himself to think of how to survive the fall. He thought of using his remaining arm to do another smash to break his fall, but knew it would have to be timed perfectly and that it would leave him unable to get anymore points.

Aizawa was a jumble of emotions as he listened to Izuku's thought process. A part of him was impressed that the boy actually had come up with a way to survive. It really wasn't a great plan, but it wasn't bad for something he'd thought up within a few seconds while in great amounts of pain. Another part of him was exasperated that the boy had wasted time feeling sorry for himself and was even worried about passing almost as much as he was worried about his own survival. But the largest part of him was tormented by the fact that a student of his was nearby, crying in pain, and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.

Izuku continued to fall toward the ground. But was abruptly stopped by Uraraka slapping him in the face. Izuku's body stopped just before hitting the ground. Uraraka released her quirk, and both he and the robot part she was floating on, fell back to earth.

Izuku gave one final shriek as his on screen body hit the ground, then suddenly quieted. He was not silent, he was in too much pain to be silent. But after the pain of having his shattered bones and torn muscles be buffeted by the wind, the sensation of them finally being still was something of relief. He whimpered in pain instead, and that made him aware of how his screaming had made his throat sore.

“It's alright, my boy, it will be over soon.” All Might soothed, brushing the bangs out of Izuku's eyes.

Recovery Girl walked up then, a damp cloth in hand. She gently wiped Izuku's face, getting rid of the sheen of sweat and offering just a bit more relief.

“Is, is he alright?” Momo asked tentatively.

“He is, but he will be better once the these scenes are over. Please, everyone, continue watching.” Iida ordered.

Uraraka pressed her hands to her mouth, and was suddenly throwing up onto the pavement.

Real life Uraraka had one hand to her mouth and another wrapped tightly around her stomach. Recovery Girl gave the cloth to Yagi, then hopped up on the couch and started expertly rubbing Uraraka's back. She mumbled a thank you from behind her hand.

Izuku shook as he lay on the ground. He realized that the girl saved him, and wondered if she was alright. He was relieved that she appeared uninjured, and thankful that she left him with the ability to try and get at least one point.

Huffs of exasperation, disbelief, and amusement were heard throughout the room. The tension was slowly bleeding out now that Midoriya wasn't screaming, and some couldn't help but think that it was very like Midoriya to nearly die, then reflect on how happy he was that someone else had made it out okay, right before getting back to business.

'This kid, I swear...' Aizawa thought to himself.

“This guy is crazy.” Sero said. “Awesome, but crazy.”

“You're just thinking this now?” Kaminari questioned. “I was thinking it after the first battle trial.”

“Th...thank...you...saving me.” Izuku managed to say, his pain filled eyes managed to lock onto Uraraka. Her nausea was starting to subside now, and she smiled softly back at him.

“You saved me first.”

Right then, Present Mic called out that time was up. Students were shown in the aftermath of the last robot attack, and then Izuku passed out.

Izuku's whimpers subsided, but he didn't move from his place on the floor. Recovery Girl hopped down from the couch, and did what she could to check him over.

Students gathered around Izuku's unmoving body, and talked in awe about what he'd done. One person wondered why he was so jumpy if he had such a powerful quirk.

A few glares were sent toward Bakugo. They were ignored.

Students talked about how it had been a great show of power, but that it didn't gain him anything. Iida was among the crowd, and realized the others were missing the point of what Izuku had done.

Those who had been wondering about 'the real test' suddenly realized what the teachers had meant. Something additional clicked for Bakugo.

'Don't tell me, that's how you get 'rescue points'? He got into UA just for beating that one bot? What the fuck? Who cares if he did it to save someone, what's the good of a hero who can't take down lots of villains?'
He did not think to question what good a hero would be if he was too busy fighting to save those in need around him.

Recovery Girl arrived on the scene then. Aoyama identified her and described her as 'the backbone of UA'.

Recovery Girl looked up from her examination of Izuku to smile at Aoyama. “Thank you, dear, that's quite a generous description.”

“Tis not but the truth.” Aoyama said with a wink. Dramatics aside, the other students couldn't help but agree with him. UA wouldn't be able to function the way it does without her.

Recovery Girl came upon Izuku. She kissed him on the head, and a green light enveloped Izuku's body and his limbs righted themselves.

Izuku took in a deep breath, and let out a long relieved sigh. The pain was finally gone. However, just like before, he was left feeling drained and 'not all there'. Izuku moved to sit up, and Uraraka was quick to lean down and help him. He looked at the notebook that had been removed from his mouth sometime after the screaming stopped. It had noticeable teeth marks on it.

“What's the verdict?” He asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. His voice made it clear he was parched, and Iida got up to get him water.

“It's a good thing you took the precaution of getting down on the floor, and that All Might provided something to pillow your head and something to bite on. You could have actually injured yourself with all that thrashing if those things hadn't been done, but because they were, everything seems to be in order.”

Izuku frowned. “But, that will be a problem later. When we get to stuff that hasn't happened yet, we won't know to do those things.” Iida returned then, and Izuku thanked him for the water.

“Yes, that will be an issue. Which is why I'm going to be counting on the two of you.” She said, looking at Uraraka and Iida, who both sat up straighter. “If something like that happens unexpectedly, it will be up to the two of you to make sure Midoriya gets into a position where he's less likely to hurt himself. Think you can handle it?”

“Yes ma'am!” they answered in unison. Izuku felt a bit of guilt twist in his gut for giving them that burden, but it was outshone by the warmth that rose in him at how determined they looked.

The scene cut to one week later, where Midoriya Inko became distressed over why her son was smiling blankly at a fish.

Snickers were heard around the room, the kids were relieved that things seemed to be returning to normal, while Izuku felt guilty seeing how he made his Mom worry.

“Hey Uraraka, didn't get a chance to say it before, but that was an awesome rescue earlier!” Kirishima gave her a thumbs up.

“I must compliment you as well.” Tokoyami said. “Your timing was impeccable, and your control impressive, especially when you were also dealing with side-effects.”

Uraraka blushed, partly from the praise and partly from realizing she'd been shown throwing up in front of the whole class. That was the one thing she was hoping not to do at UA.

“And we can't forget Midoriya's awesomeness either.” Kirishima went on.

“Yeah! Seeing that bot's face cave in was epic!” Ashido said with a huge grin.

Izuku smiled. Going through that memory again with the conditions set in place here had been painful, but he was still proud of himself for finding a way to make it through the exam.

Izuku seemed to be in a slump. He was convinced he hadn't passed, and his fears were exacerbated by being unable to contact All Might. Inko attempted to cheer her son up, telling him how great it was that he had been brave enough to apply at all. Izuku wasn't convinced.

“Man, I remember that week of waiting to hear the results. That was the worst! I couldn't think about anything else.” Kaminari said. All the students but Todoroki murmured in agreement. Even Momo, who had gotten in on recommendations, had been worried as she waited to hear back about the decision. Todoroki hadn't been worried about getting in, he knew there was no way his old man would have stood for him being rejected.

“I'm sorry I worried you like that, Midoriya.” All Might said. He hated seeing Izuku look so lifeless. He was normally filled with promise and energy.

“It's okay, I get why you didn't respond.” Izuku said. He was preoccupied with his own feelings of guilt once again. His mother was always so supportive, and he always made her so worried. And he hadn't even told her the truth about his quirk...

Izuku's thoughts revealed that he hadn't told his mother the truth about his quirk or about All Might, not wanting anything to threaten his mentor's standing in the hero world.

Aizawa sighed, and made another note in his notebook. This one reminded him to talk to Izuku about telling his mother, and offering to help if need be. Parents should be aware of these sorts of things, especially if it was something that put their child in danger. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it had to be done sooner or later.

Izuku thought that he had failed his mentor, but he didn't truly regret it. He had done what he felt was right, after all.

“That's all I really ask of you.” All Might said softly. Izuku smiled at him, tears prickling his eyes. All Might helped Izuku back into his seat on the couch, but went back to sitting next to their couch instead of his own seat.

Inko suddenly came scrambling in, holding out the letter from UA.

“Well, I guess we know where Midoriya gets his excitability from.” Hagakure said. Those who heard her laughed and agreed.

Izuku was shown in his room with the envelope. He quickly grabbed it and ripped the envelope open. A disk fell out and a projection of All Might popped up. All Might explained his reason for not contacting Izuku and revealed that he now worked at UA. He confirmed that Izuku had passed the written exam, but got zero on the practical. But All Might continued by saying there was more to it. All Might changed the camera to show a video of Uraraka entering a door at UA.

Uraraka blinked for a few moments, and suddenly realized what they were seeing. “You...you saw that?” she asked, her face heating up. Izuku smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah. Sorry, I started telling you on the first day, but we got interrupted. Guess we never got back to it...Still! I thought it was really inspiring.” Izuku's smile shifted into something brighter, and her face felt even hotter.

“I- I was just doing what I thought was right.”

The video went on to show Uraraka describing a person with curly hair and freckles who was rather plain looking. Upon hearing the last description, Izuku realized it was him.

Laughter burst out near the back of the room.

“Midoriya, dude, I think we need to work on your self-esteem.” Sero said through his laughter. Kaminari was too busy giggling to comment.

“You're not gonna get any girls with confidence like that.” Mineta said.

“Yeah man, you gotta have more respect for yourself. You've got plenty of defining features, like how green you are.” Ashido continued. “Just like I've very pink.”

“At least you know whether or not you're plain looking, I can't tell either way!” Hagakure said cheerfully, which started even more laughter. Izuku and his friends laughed along with them. It felt good.

Uraraka went on to ask if she could give Izuku some of her points, because she'd heard him say he didn't have any, so she begged Present Mic to be able to share hers. All Might pointed out that Izuku's actions that day had inspired others.

'There is something to be said about that.' Aizawa thought to himself. 'Even without knowing him very long, I can see the way he affects those around him. That ability to inspire is probably what got people to vote for him to be class rep. Iida's a driving force, and that makes him better suited for that kind of a role, but Midoriya's the kind of person who seems to end up at the center of everything, and brings people together.' Aizawa looked over at Izuku. 'That could make his road even harder, in some ways. I hope he's up to the task.'

All Might revealed that villain points weren't the only thing that counted in the exam. As a school for heroes, they couldn't reject someone who risked so much to help others. All Might then showed that with rescue points, both Izuku and Uraraka passed the practical exam with flying colors. Izuku was overwhelmed by the news, and started to cry. His voice over stated that with help from others, his whole life had been changed, and his new life at high school was about to begin.

A feeling of satisfaction seemed to permeate the room, broken only by the sounds of paper tearing.

“If anyone else needs the toilet paper roll, just let me know.” Kirishima said, tearing off more to dab at his eyes. Bakugo rolled his eyes, but didn't make a fuss as Kirishima asked him to pass it on. As the roll was handed off, Nedzu spoke up.

“Well, if there are no objects, let's forge ahead.”

Chapter Text

This episode started with the teachers discussing the top 10 scoring students in the practical exam. They started by talking about how Bakugo got all villain points and no rescue points, and about the strategy he used to get ahead of others in that area.

Bakugo grinned broadly as he heard the teachers talking about him. Of course he caught their attention, he wasn't gonna start slowing down or tapping out before the test was even over, unlike his so called 'competition'. If that's what they did then it's no wonder he got first in the practical, even without the stupid rescue points.

Kirishima heard how persistent and strong Bakugo had been during the exam, and tears came to his eyes. “So manly!”

Though they didn't voice it, most of the other students were impressed too. Even if you didn't like Bakugo, you had to admit he was talented.

'That's just what I would expect from Kacchan.' Izuku thought to himself. Despite their history, some part of him would always admire his childhood friend.

The teachers then contrasted Bakugo to Midoriya, who got all rescue points. Apparently it had been a while since a student had taken the giant villain down so completely, but they bemoaned how much damage he took in the process. Aizawa was shown, looking unimpressed as the others commented that he was like a child who had just gotten his quirk.

“Turns out we were more accurate in that than we thought.” Recovery Girl mused. Present Mic laughed.

“I know, who'd have thought, right?”

Aizawa frowned at the screen. He really wished he'd known more about the condition of Midoriya's quirk right from the start. How was he supposed to help Midoriya develop control if he didn't know what the boy was really dealing with? Though, when he thought about how Midoriya had gotten past the first day's test, despite having so little experience to work with, he became even more impressed with Midoriya's ingenuity.

Meanwhile, Midoriya was frowning at the screen. He knew he was behind everyone else with how late he got his quirk, but hearing it laid out like that made anxiety stir in his chest. He had to try to find some way to get One for All completely under control, but would he have enough time? Would he ever be able to catch up to the rest of the class? And what if he still didn't have control and something like the USJ happened again? He hoped he would get some clue when they got around to showing the future.

The scene switched to the night after Midoriya got his acceptance letter. He ran to meet All Might at the beach, and loudly yelled “All Might!” when he saw his mentor. This caught the attention of people nearby, and All Might had to quickly coach Izuku on what to say to direct attention away from them.

Several students snickered, and Aizawa smacked his forehead into his palm. Recovery Girl managed to refrain from doing the same, though just barely.

“How in the world did those two manage to keep this whole thing a secret for so long?” Recovery Girl asked incredulously. Present Mic was too busy forcing down his laughter to comment.

“Occam's razor.” Nedzu said. “Hardly anyone is going to believe the fantastical truth when simpler, more normal explanations will suffice.

“At least they've got that going for them.” Aizawa grumbled.

Over with the students, Iida raised an eyebrow at Midoriya while Uraraka giggled.

“I know. I know that was dumb, but I'm getting better at it I swear, please don't make this memory anymore awkward than it already is.” Midoriya pleaded.

Iida's stern look changed into a fond smile, and Izuku relaxed.

All Might congratulated Izuku on getting into UA, and reassured that he hadn't told anyone of their connection, so Izuku would know for sure he got in on his own merit.

“Admirable, but I still would have liked to know something about the additional difficulties he would have, as I'm sure would any other teacher that worked practical lessons with him.” Aizawa said. Yagi nodded in understanding.

“That would have been ideal, but I didn't want to risk any part of our true connection and the details of One for All getting out. I have enough enemies that some might think to harm Midoriya if it was made known I was mentoring him, and I'm sure you can appreciate keeping One for All secret.”

“Both good points, but we could probably find a way around them.” Present Mic tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Like, him getting his quirk a lot later than most kids doesn't automatically point to you or One for All, right? You could stick to just mentioning that.”

“Hmmm, that's not be a bad idea. Perhaps making note on Midoriya's student file would be prudent once we get back to our own world.” Nedzu mused.

Midoriya expressed surprise at learning All Might would be a teacher, and deduced that that was the reason All Might had moved into the area. All Might agreed, saying he had been offered a job there while looking for a successor. This caused Izuku to realize that All Might had originally been planning to choose a student as his successor.

Many students looked at each other in surprise, realizing how close they had been to being candidates for inheriting One for All.

“Man, being offered something like that partway into school would have been intense.” Kirishima said in quiet awe. “I'm not sure I'd be able to handle that. What about you Bakugo?”

“Like I'd need some boost from All Might to be the number one hero, I'd tell him to keep his fancy-ass quirk and watch me climb the ranks without it.”

“That's so manly!”

Midoriya confessed that using One for All had broken his body, and that he didn't have any control over it. All Might brushed off the obvious worry, comparing it to someone who just grew a tail attempting to do a trick. It wouldn't work out well for them either.

“I can attest to that.” Ojiro smiled ruefully. “I used to overbalance with my tail all the time when I was younger. Sometimes I could barely run without it tripping me up, much less do anything with it.”

“I got into some pretty awkward situations with my tongue when I was little too.” Tsuyu confessed. Ashido grinned.

“Oooo, you gotta give us some stories! Next break time at the latest!” Ashido demanded.

“Maybe, you got any to share too, kero?”

“I've got acid strong enough to burn through clothes, so yeah, I've got a few. We can trade.”

Mineta had opened his mouth to make a comment about this exchange, but Aoyama saw and quickly flicked Mineta's nose. That startled him just enough for everyone's attention to shift back to the screen and the episode to continue.

Izuku asked if All Might had known what would happen when he used One for All. All Might said there simply hadn't been enough time to explain, but that things turned out okay. He explained that Izuku was now at a point where he either used 0% or 100% of the quirk, and as time went on he would learn control and what his body would be able to handle. He buffed up at the very end to demonstrate his point. This caused the same people from before to notice that All Might was there and the hero quickly urged Midoriya to run down the beach to avoid them.

'Who would have thought. Even All Might gets tired of the public and avoids fans now and then.' Aizawa thought with a smirk. He was taking more joy in it than usual, since a part of him was mad at All Might's casual dismissal of Izuku hurting himself so badly. Even if he thought it was only that bad due it being the first time Midoriya used it, that still wasn't the kind of thing that should be framed as okay. He noted it down as something to talk to them about if things didn't show signs of improving in the future.

Izuku quickly scribbled into his notebook. The bit about percentages hadn't completely stuck in his brain before, since they had to run away so soon afterward, but now that he heard it again he wanted to make sure he remembered. Would using only part of the power available to him be easier if he thought of it as percentages?

As they ran, All Might thought about how the the flame Izuku now held was still small, but that it would grow larger with time. As a result, All Might himself would become weaker, until a point where he would disappear and his job would be done.

Jaws dropped, and Izuku's pencil fell out of his grip. He jumped up and ran over to Yagi.

“What do you mean? You never said anything about you getting weaker and you definitely didn't say anything about you disappearing!” Izuku arms waved frantically as he spoke, and his eyes were starting to tear up. He didn't want to be responsible for All Might disappearing!

All Might let out a heavy sigh, then stood up and put his hands on Izuku's shoulders, which caused him to lower his arms. “Because, my boy, I was afraid you would have precisely this reaction. You must understand, Midoriya, that my power was waning long before I met you. I was already down to three hours a day as All Might, and I have no doubt that it would have continued to lessen if I went on the way I was. You musn't think of yourself as sapping my strength, because that is not what you are doing. You are merely gathering that strength before it leaks out of me completely. You are ensuring that One for All does not end with me.”

Izuku nodded slowly. He seemed to understand, yet it was clear something was still bothering him. Yagi waited a minute for Izuku to gather his thoughts.

“I...I'm still worried about what you meant by disappearing. What will happen to you? And what will happen without the Symbol of Peace?”

Yagi smiled down at Izuku. “You needn't worry about me. I merely meant that my 'hero form' would disappear, not that I would. I'll be able to live without my quirk, though I'm sure it will be a major adjustment. As for the 'Symbol of Peace', well, the plan was for me to retire once you got older. I'm not exactly a young man anymore, and it hasn't gone unnoticed that I'm spending less and less time fighting villains. People would find the retirement believable, and it would pave the way for you and other great heroes to shoulder the burden I once did.”

Izuku looked down. “I never really thought about you not being a hero; I think a part of me figured you'd be one forever. I guess that was silly though...”

“I've been known as the Symbol of Peace since you were born, I think, so I wouldn't say it's silly. People tend not to doubt things that have been a part of their world their whole lives. But the world survived without me being a hero before, and I'm sure it still will once I'm retired, especially if it has heroes like you and your classmates in it.”

Izuku finally looked up. He wasn't sure what exactly he was feeling. All Might's confidence in him and the others made him feel like his heart could burst from the warmth, but something squirmed in his gut and something whispered in the back of his mind that they won't be enough, that HE won't be enough. But, for now, those feelings were overpowered by joy Izuku felt being so completely trusted by his hero. Tears spilled down his face, and he put one of his hands over All Might's.

“We...we'll do our best!” Izuku managed to croak out. All Might's smile grew bigger.

“I know you will.”

The walk back to his seat was silent, and Izuku felt awkward about that. He couldn't believe that conversation happened while he and All Might were being watched by his whole class and the other teachers. But maybe it was better this way. He couldn't have been the only person freaked out by the thought of All Might being gone, he certainly hoped he wasn't anyway. So maybe, this way, All Might's reassurances had reached all who needed it. When he sat back down, Uraraka leaned into his side, and Iida handed him the roll of toilet paper that had been passed around earlier.

The scene switched to Izuku's apartment, where Inko was making sure Izuku had everything he needed that day. Before he went out the door, Inko stopped him, and told him how cool he was.

Izuku blushed in time with the image of himself on screen.

“You're mother is very kind-hearted, it seems you inherited much from her.” Iida said. Izuku's blush deepened, but he was smiling. Even if he wished she had been more supportive when he was younger, Izuku still loved his Mom and admired her a lot. So he felt proud when people said they were a lot alike.

“I gotta ask though.” Kaminari interrupted, a big grin on his face. “The action figure thing she mentioned, was that a thing that actually happened?”

Izuku groaned. “One time. I did it ONE time when I was seven and she's never let it go...”

Izuku thought again on how few people got into the UA, and especially how few got into the hero course, as he went to school. He ran nervously through the halls, trying to find his classroom. When he did he was surprised that the door was about three times taller than he was. He wondered if it was for accessibility.

“It is indeed, we certainly wouldn't want our school to feel unwelcoming to those with mutant type or shifting quirks that affected the size of their bodies. We also offer assistance to those who have sensory issues as well.” Nedzu explained. It kind of sounded like he was giving a sales pitch.

Izuku thought about who else might be in the class, and his mind was shown to flash to caricatures of Bakugo and Iida. He shook his head to clear it, and hoped he wasn't in the same class as the 'scary people'.

Students burst out laughing throughout the room.

“Sorry Izuku, you made into the class with all the crazies.” Ashido teased.

“Oh-oh my god- the look on Iida's face in that thought bubble!” Kaminari howled.

“And did you see Bakugo's teeth?!” Sero added through his own laughter.

“Are sharp teeth really that scary?” Kirishima asked, self-consciously tapping the points of his teeth with his index finger. Bakugo snorted.

“Maybe to idiots. Means yours will work great against low brow villains.”

“I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or complimented.”

“Take it or leave it, Shitty Hair.”

Midoriya looked mortified. “Iida! I'm, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-”

“It's quite alright Midoriya, I understand that I didn't leave you with a good first impression.” Though, to be honest, he was rather put out at being put on the same level of 'scary' as Bakugo.

“Yeah, and it's not like you can filter every little thought that comes through your head, especially when you didn't know some of them would be made public.” Uraraka reassured.

When Izuku opened the door, the first sight that greeted him was Iida arguing with Bakugo. When Iida tried to introduce himself, Bakugo responded by saying he would have fun crushing him. Iida looked alarmed and asked if he was truly aiming to be a hero.

After seeing the way Bakugo treated Izuku at their old school, many of the other students were beginning to wonder the same thing.

Bakugo himself now grimaced at the wording. It reminded him a little too much of what Aizawa had said to him earlier.

Bakugo brushed off the accusation. The pair spotted Midoriya, and Iida started to march over to talk to Izuku.

Iida frowned as he watched himself. He never realized how aggressive he looked when walking like that. He'd have to be more aware of himself in the future, he wouldn't want to accidentally alarm any civilians once he got out into the field.

Iida told Izuku it was obvious that Izuku had realized there was something more to the entrance exam while Iida didn't, which meant Izuku was better than him. Izuku's thoughts showed that he hadn't known anything was up with the exam, but before he could voice that he was interrupted by the arrival of Uraraka. She loudly declared that he was 'the plain looking one'.

“Ouch, Uraraka doesn't hold back.” Mineta said with a laugh.

Uraraka blushed. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that...”

“It's fine, you didn't make me feel bad.”

Uraraka was excited to see he really had passed, and began to reenact Izuku's take down of the giant villain during the exam. While she talked, Izuku thought that she looked good in her uniform.

“Oh yeah, when Uraraka's in uniform Izuku doesn't feel bad at all.” Kaminari teased. Mineta reached over and they gave each other a high five. Ashido looked at the potential matchmaking, and started beaming so hard she was almost vibrating. Aoyama smirked, just as pleased as Ashido but much more subtle about it.

Izuku's face went red, and he covered his head with his arms. “I'm sorry! I didn't think that-well, I was thinking that, but I mean-I-uh-”

“It's okay Deku, like I said, you can't filter every thought.” She sounded calm, but her face was an even brighter red than Izuku's. “It's-I'm glad-uh-thank you though!”

After that they both made a point of not looking at each other at all. Iida wondered if he should offer to switch seats with Izuku or if that would just draw more unwanted attention.

While Izuku and Uraraka talked, the screen shifted to show Bakugo watching them. Then the screen flashed back to Bakugo and Midoriya's old high school. The school principle was shown congratulating the two on both getting into UA. Bakugo looked pissed when the principles attention shifted to Izuku, and the next scene suddenly showed Izuku being thrown against a stone wall.

“Ah!” Izuku cried out in time with the on screen version of him. The jolt up his spine felt just as real here as it did back then.

Glares were once again being leveled at Bakugo, who made a show of lounging back in his seat and ignoring them. He couldn't stay that way long though, because it made Kirishima's face too visible. He switched to leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and scowling.

Izuku, meanwhile, was just glad that something had taken attention off that last moment. Uraraka was relieved about that too, but wished it had taken by something other than more evidence of Bakugo's bullying.

Bakugo demanded to know how Izuku managed to cheat his way into UA. Bakugo declared that his plan for the future was already being messed up by not being the only one from their school to go to UA.

“Nobody cares about your stupid 'perfect backstory' Bakugo!” Uraraka seethed at him. She hated how much of Izuku's cries of pain in here had been a direct result Bakugo's actions.

“Caring more about an appealing backstory than another person is not the trait of a hero.” Iida agreed, his teeth clenched together. Bakugo's fists clenched.

“Guys, please, it's fine now.” Izuku tried to reassure them. They didn't agree, but backed down to satisfy Izuku.

Bakugo's furious features suddenly morphed into surprise. Izuku had grabbed Bakugo's wrist to stop himself from being shaken. Izuku declared that someone had told him he could be a hero through his own effort. He looked defiantly back at Bakugo, and said that was why he was going.

“Yeah!”

“You tell him Midoriya!”

“About time!”

Bakugo's scowl deepened as people cheered Deku's little speech. Stupid extras didn't know what they were talking about...right?

On screen, Bakugo also scowled, angry that Izuku had dared to go against him.

Sato snorted and muttered: “Well, someone's certainly used to being the top dog.”

“He barks and growls enough to be one.” Sero said with a smirk.

Izuku and Uraraka were still talking by the door, when a voice behind them declared they could go elsewhere to make friends. The two teens turned to the doorway and saw Aizawa laying in the hallway in a sleeping bag.

Present Mic nudged Aizawa in the side. “And you say you have no flare for the dramatic.”

“I don't. I was just telling them the truth, and delaying getting out of the bag as long as possible.”

“Sure you were.”

Aizawa stood up and unzipped the sleeping bag to step out. He declared that they took too long to quiet down, and needed to be more rational.

“I must say, I rather enjoy your unique way of challenging the students' expectations from the get-go.” Yagi said.

Aizawa nodded, accepting the compliment. Not everyone understood the purpose of that entrance right away.

Izuku reasoned that if this was a teacher then he must be a pro hero, though he'd never seen one look so tired.

Aizawa snorted. “Most heroes care way to much about personal appearance.”

“Most teachers also don't take teaching jobs on top of nighttime patrol shifts, so that's probably part of it too.” Present Mic yelped when Aizawa elbowed him in the side.

Aizawa announced he was the homeroom teacher, much to the students' surprise, and then asked them to switch into gym clothes and meet him on the field. The students were shown out on the field, surprised at being asked to take a quirk assessment test rather than doing any ceremony or orientation. Aizawa declared that they didn't have time for such things if they planned on being heroes. He went on to say that UA let teachers have free reign of their classes.

“Does that mean that class 1-B doesn't do a quirk assessment test like we do on the first day? Or that other departments do get orientation?” Midoriya asked. Back when all this had been going on he hadn't wanted to interrupt for a non-essential question, but there was no harm now, right?

“The other departments do get a bit of a ceremony and orientation, but they get hands on pretty quickly too.” Present Mic said. “I'm not sure what 1-B does on the first day though.”

“Don't know. Never asked.” Aizawa added.

“I just started here...” Yagi said sheepishly.

“I'm happy as long as none of them get sent to me on the first day.” Recovery Girl said. Now it was Izuku's turn to look sheepish.

People looked at Nedzu, who just smiled at them. “You can ask Blood King when we get back.”

The students groaned.

Aizawa gave a brief reminder about how they all did physical assessments without quirks when they were younger. He called Bakugo up first, saying he should do the softball throw while using his quirk. Bakugo shouted “Die!” as he put an explosion into the throwing of the ball.

“Seriously Bakugo, you should really think of a more appealing catch phrase before you start working with the public.” Sero said.

“Shut up!”

The ball went sailing, and Aizawa revealed that the ball had gone hundreds of meters. The other students started to get excited for the assessment, looking forward to using their quirks as much as they wanted. Someone exclaimed that it sounded like fun, which Aizawa noticed. He didn't approve of such a casual attitude, and declared that whoever placed last would be expelled.

“You just had to say it, huh, Ashido?” Jirou snarked. Ashido took in good humor.

“Hey, it's not like we were actually going to get expelled. You should thank me for getting the teacher to bring the heat so we would all do our best.”

“Since he was planning that logical ruse all along, he probably would have done that anyway.” Momo said with a grin. She was quite proud of herself for figuring out that it was a trick when no one else did.

Ashido grinned. “Yeah, but this version makes me look better.”

Present Mic turned and gave Aizawa a skeptical look. “Did you tell them you were bluffing at the end?” He whispered. Aizawa smirked, and Present Mic grinned. “That will make for an interesting reveal later.”

The students started to freak out. The scene briefly switched to All Might, who had just looked up who Izuku's home teacher was, and rightly declared the boy would be suffering from the start. The scene switched back to the training field, where Izuku was now staring at Aizawa, who was surrounded by a dense purple fog.

“You're reputation for suffering precedes you. Maybe you and Midnight aren't so different after all.” Present Mic said with a grin.

“Never say anything so hurtful to me ever again.” Aizawa deadpanned.

“Gotta say, I actually do agree with Midoriya's viewpoint here. Mr. Aizawa can feel pretty scary when he wants to.” Sato admitted.

“Indeed, being surrounded by an aura of darkness can be quite fitting for him.” Tokoyami added. Aizawa overheard them, and smirked.

Izuku started freaking out. With his inability to control One for All, he didn't see how he could use it in any of the tests.
Uraraka exclaimed that expelling them on the first day was too unfair. Aizawa replied that the country was full of unfairness, and that being a hero would mean dealing with situations that weren't in their favor. It was their job to overcome anything UA could throw at them.

“Some people may not like his teaching style, but you have to admit it's effective.” Recovery Girl murmured to Nedzu.

“Indeed. It is rare to see children of this age hang on someone's every word, as they are now doing with Aizawa.”

Iida was shown, and his inner voice thought to himself that this was too serious to be hazing, it must be real. Other students were shown looking pumped or determined.

“I was taken in so easily.” Iida said with a sigh.

“We all were Iida, don't feel bad about it.” Midoriya reassured him.

The teachers exchanged looks.

The tests began, starting with the 50 meter dash. Iida was one of the first ones to take it, and after he was done the camera zoomed in on him, then Present Mic's voice was heard giving Iida's full name and explaining more about how his quirk worked.

Aizawa and Yagi turned to Present Mic simultaneously, and so did any student that recognized the voice.

“Just what are you doing voicing over people's quirks?” Recovery Girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Heck if I know, I didn't put this show together.”

“His style is a good fit for that kind of introduction.” Yagi pointed out. The others looked at him. “What? It is.”

“That is precisely why I chose Yamada Hizashi.” Truth's voice made everyone startle.

“Um, can I ask how exactly you got him saying that stuff? Did he say it at some point or can you manipulate the audio to make it sound like him?” Izuku asked.

“I took the audio from when he was practicing for the Sports Festival while looking in the bathroom mirror.” Truth sounded so gleeful it was easy to picture them grinning. The imagined expression looked incredibly similar to the one Aizawa was wearing now.

“You practice lines for the Sports Festival in the bathroom mirror?”

“N-no! I don't know what they're talking about!”

“Sure you don't.”

“Just, just play the rest of the show.” Present Mic grumbled.

Uraraka was shown preparing for her run by using her quirk on her clothing, which earned her a close up quirk explanation as well.

“Oh cool, I got one too.” Uraraka said.

“I didn't, I wonder what determines whether or not you get one.” Tsuyu wondered. Truth did not deign to offer any explanation.

“Did using your quirk your clothes and shoes really help?” Izuku asked.

“I don't think it made a huge difference, but I did do a little better than the last time I took it. That means something right?”

“I just wondered if that was a result of any training you did, instead of just the quirk itself.”

“Well, I didn't do as much physical training, but I did practice with my quirk so I could lift heavier things for a longer time. Maybe that made it more effective on small stuff too.”

“There's also a chance that your improved score was more psychological.” Momo interjected. “Because you could use your quirk you believed you would do better, so you pushed yourself harder without even realizing it to accomplish that.”

“Huh, I hadn't thought about that.” Uraraka replied, looking very thoughtful.

“Maybe we could all get together and test out that kind of affect sometime.” Midoriya said, making note of it in his notebook.

“We'd have to structure it carefully yo avoid any confirmation bias. We could talk about it during break.” Momo hesitantly suggested. Both Midoriya and Uraraka smiled and said that could be cool, and Momo relaxed a bit.

Aoyama was a part of the next race. He used his navel laser to propel himself, and got a close up for it.

“An excellent snap shot!” Aoyama said with a pleased smile. It quickly turned to a grimace as the next few snap shots showed him falling and rolling on the ground.

“You probably would have done just as well if you ran instead.” Mineta pointed out.

“That was one of the only tests I could really use my quirk for, so I didn't want to risk it. Besides...I am not a fast runner.” Aoyama admitted, looking downcast. Mineta awkwardly patted him on the arm.

Aizawa's thoughts revealed that he was using these tests so he, and the kids, could figure out what their limits were, and where there was room for improvement. Plus it showed off if they could use their quirks in creative ways.

“Good to know there's some method to the madness. I was scared that whole time because I couldn't figure out any way to use my quirk to help me with those tests.” Hagakure said. Koda was quick to nod in agreement.

Bakugo raced beside Izuku, and used his quirk to propel himself forward. He also got a close up.

Bakugo grinned. They actually did get a nice, intense shot of him.

Izuku was worried. He figured everyone would be using their quirks to get above average results, but if he used his quirk it would put him out of the running for everything else. Izuku flashed back to him and All Might talking on the beach. All Might said that the big secret to controlling the quirk was...feeling!

It took all of Aizawa's willpower not to smack himself in the forehead again. No wonder Midoriya was having such a difficult time.

“I guess that kinda makes sense.” Kaminari said slowly. “When it came to changing the amount of voltage I used, I just had to feel it out, experiment.”

“But your exploration of your quirk does not result in such dire consequences as it does for Midoriya.” Tokoyami pointed out. Kaminari nodded in agreement. Shocking himself silly wasn't fun, but it wasn't quite as bad as multiple broken bones.

All Might claimed that, now that Izuku knew what 100% power felt like, he should be able to easily figure out to use that feeling to lower the power to a less dangerous level. After some struggling to explain, Izuku likened the feeling to cooking an egg until it exploded. It made All Might laugh so hard blood spewed out of his mouth.

Some chuckled at the strange metaphor, wondering at how Midoriya's mind worked, while other flinched. Though that could have been from the sight of the blood or from the mental image of Izuku 'exploding'.

All Might encouraged him to focus on the visual of the egg not exploding. He warned that it wouldn't happen immediately, but that should allow him to control it with time.

“I don't advocate shortcuts, but I don't suppose there's a way to speed that process up a bit?” Aizawa asked.

“I don't know. Like I said, the damage I experienced was less severe, and I didn't have to deal with villains for much longer, so I had more time to figure out control. Plus, I think it might have come more naturally to me than it does to Midoriya.” He knew someone he could ask...but he really didn't want to bring him into it until it became absolutely necessary.

The scene switched back to Midoriya taking the test. He tried to visualize like All Might had said, but instead remembered how battered he'd been after using it the first time.

Yagi grimaced. He hadn't taken into consideration how much the pain of the first attempt would affect Midoriya's next attempts. Of course he would be afraid of going through that again, it was only natural. Add in a test that could affect his entire career and it was no wonder that nerves had gotten to him.

First this test, then having to use his quirk against a person he had so much history with, then the USJ...was it possible that Izuku's lack of progress was due to never having a truly safe environment to practice in?

Unbeknownst to Yagi, Aizawa was having similar thoughts, and making a note to himself to try getting Izuku some supervised time in a training gym. No grades, no pressure, just Izuku trying to gain some semblance of control.

The show showed a few different tests in a row, each with Izuku trying and failing to use his quirk without it hurting him, but in the end he simply didn't end up activating his quirk at all. Eventually it got to the ball throw, where Uraraka got a score of infinity.

“I was busy freaking out at the time, but that was still a really awesome Uraraka.” Izuku said with a smile.

“Indeed, your performance on that test was quite stunning.”

“Thanks guys!”

“Hmmm...Infinity. That could be something that you could factor into your hero name later. It's the kind of word that really catches attention.” Present Mic said.

“Oh, thanks for the advice, I'll think about it.” She already had an idea for her name though. Maybe infinity could be the name of a special move, part of a name anyway.

Seeing such an amazing score was making Izuku start to panic. He was determined to get at least one outstanding score, like everyone else, but none of the remaining tests were ones he could use One for All on. Off to the side, Iida worried about how Midoriya wasn't doing well. Bakugo said it was obviously because he was quirkless, which confused Iida. They began to argue about what Izuku had done during the practical, right in front of Aizawa, but he was focused on Midoriya.

'I don't even remember Bakugo saying he was quirkless at the time; guess I was too focused on making sure Midoriya didn't put himself out of commission. Still, I should keep up more awareness than that, even if we are at UA.' He shuddered a bit, thinking about what else happened on UA grounds recently. He was lucky Truth had decided to lift his real world injuries while here so he didn't 'over tip the balance of his own toll'.

Midoriya thought about the people who believed in him, and powered up his arm with One for All. Only to have it suddenly cut out. Izuku was shocked when Aizawa revealed that he had erased Izuku's quirk. Aizawa declared that the entrance exam wasn't rational.

“Don't start, not again, not here.” Present Mic whined. “I get where you're coming from, but we've been over this so many times.” Aizawa huffed, but didn't say anything. He and the other teachers knew full well his feelings about the entrance exam, and how it was biased toward physically powerful quirks and let people with very useful non-physical quirks slip through the cracks. He'd said that so much they probably had his points memorized.

'And yet the practical exam stays the same.' he thought with a scowl.

Izuku noticed yellow goggles around his teacher's neck, and suddenly realized which pro hero Aizawa was. The realization was accompanied by a very dynamic shot of Eraserhead crouching on top of a building overlooking the city.

Aizawa's eyebrows raised. Was that a place he'd actually been, or was this what Izuku imagined he looked like on duty? Either way, it was a nice visual.

As the other students discussed what they did or did not know about Eraserhead, the screen shifted to show that All Might was watching the scene from around the corner.

“Just couldn't help yourself, hm?” Nedzu said with a knowing smile. Yagi rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

“It was his first day, I just wanted to know how he was doing.”

Izuku overheard, and it made something warm and light bubble inside his chest.

All Might thought about how Aizawa didn't like the media, and how the two of them didn't get along.

The students looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't picked up on any animosity between their teacher and All Might. Aizawa noticed their confusion and sighed.

“It's entirely possible not to get along with someone but still manage to work and cooperate with them.” Aizawa said. Yagi was quick to agree.

“Indeed, learning how to work with those different from you in manner or beliefs is a valuable skill, no matter what your profession.”

Aizawa demanded to know if Izuku was planning to get hurt again and have others save him. He denied it, but Aizawa said that's what would happen if he continued like this. He told Izuku that he couldn't be a hero with that power.

A part of Aizawa now felt uncomfortable with this scene. He didn't regret what he said, because it was true. If Midoriya hadn't shown he could be creative and improve upon himself, then Aizawa would have had no faith in his future as a hero. But he knew how much those words must have affected him, now that he'd seen part of the boy's past. It was a testament to the boy's character that he'd managed to find inspiration after hearing his teacher say that, instead of shutting down or letting his nerves affect him even more.

Aizawa let Izuku go so he could try one more time, one last chance to impress him. The screen showed Iida and Bakugo talking about what just happened.

The audience's eyes were more drawn to Aoyama talking to Uraraka though. He asked if she was worried about Midoriya, and said that he wasn't. He looked like he was trying to be comforting, but Uraraka just looked him in confusion, and wondered who he was.

“What was up with that?” Izuku wondered.

“I'm still not sure.” Uraraka admitted.

Aoyama sighed in fond exasperation.

Hagakure leaned in and whispered “We've got another match maker over here.” into Ashido's ear. Which made her snort, and resolve to join forces with him later.

Aizawa predicted that Izuku would either settle for last place or be reckless and use all his power again, either way would spell failure for him. Izuku swung his arm forward, and put the power of One for All into just one finger at the last moment. The power exploded, and the ball was sent flying.

Izuku's yelped loudly before quickly strangling the sound. He held his hurting hand by the wrist, as though keeping it steady now might cause it to hurt less.

“Deku? Do you need anything?” Uraraka asked anxiously.

“No. It's just a finger this time, so it's not too bad.” Izuku's voice was strained, but he was clearly articulate, which was a big improvement over the last time he used his quirk.

“Then let's get back to viewing, so this will go by more quickly.” Iida suggested. Izuku was quick to agree, and Uraraka went along with it. But she did offer her hand as a substitute for Izuku gripping his own wrist. He took it with a grateful smile.

Aizawa's counter read out over 700 meters. Izuku turned to his teacher with a smile, and pointed out that he could still move. Aizawa grinned, clearly impressed. All Might was shown to be still watching, and he was also impressed with Izuku's clever solution. In fact, it sounded very similar to one of Izuku's fanboy moments. The episode ended with All Might saying how cool Midoriya was.

“I think All Might just fanboyed about one of our classmates.” Kaminari said, for once sounding more stunned than amused.

“That's so surreal.” Jirou said, and got murmurs of agreement from the classmates that heard her.

Izuku didn't hear them. He was simultaneously so honored and so flustered he felt like he was about to burst, and that feeling stayed with him during the break.

*_*_*_*_*

During the break:

“Alright, story time, you promised!” Ashido said, practically dancing in place from her eagerness.

“You gotta share at least one too, kero.”

“Of course, of course, now give me details.”

Several classmates stood around the pair, eager to hear stories of quirk failure and thinking up any of their own to contribute.

“Well, I always had some frog features, but my tongue wasn't always super long. So when that grew in I had trouble keeping it in my mouth. Sometimes it would just flop out whenever I tried to talk or eat, but that was more frustrating than funny.” Tsuyu admitted. “The first funny thing I thought of was when I tried to use my tongue to open my door from my bed and it got stuck in a knot around the handle.”

Ashido and a few of the others giggled.

“And my door opens outward. So when my Mom couldn't understand what I was saying, since my tongue was out, she tried to open the door anyway and we got in a tug of war over the door.”

The giggles burst into full on laughs.

“How'd you get it unstuck?” Hagakure asked.

“Same way you untie any knot, kero. My siblings all have the same type of mutant mutation as me, so I ended up doing the same for them later.”

“My turn I guess.” Ashido declared. “This happened when I first gained the acid part of my quirk. And wouldn't you know it, I gained it early, at my third birthday party as I was posing for a picture with my cake. Let me tell you, my Dad said some very age inappropriate words when he looked away for a few seconds and turned back to find me sitting naked in front of a sugary pile of goo. Not to mention a quickly dissolving chair!”

Ashido herself was laughing by the end, and the others quickly joined her.

“I hope you weren't in pre-school or anything yet, because going back after that would have been awkward." Sato said.

“I wasn't, so thankfully no other innocent children had to be exposed to my Dad's 'colorful vocabulary'.”

“Wait, you said you had been posing for a picture though right? Did he actually take it?” Kaminari asked.

“...no.” Ashido said, pausing just a little too long before answering.

“He did! He totally did!”

“You can't prove a thing!”

“I don't suppose your parents are the kind to show off embarrassing baby pictures to friends that come over are they?” Sero asked with a smirk.

“Don't you dare! I will dissolve your hero costumes during the next training if you try, don't you think I won't!”

Elsewhere in the same room:

“So I was thinking we could do a kind of double blind study for this.” Izuku explained, showing off a page in his notebook to Uraraka and Momo.

“What's that mean?” Uraraka asked.

“Well, we are doing a test to see if using your quirk on you clothes has a real affect or is just a placebo affect.” Momo started to explain. “If you or us knew which times your quirk was being canceled and which times it wasn't the results could be influenced by our bias of what we should think is happening. Double blind means that we do this in a way that none of us know when your quirk is being canceled until after all the data is gathered.”

“So how would we do that? Just have me do the dash in a place where Aizawa could see and cancel my quirk but we couldn't see him?”

“That would be one option. We might want to do it with a couple different exercises too, just to be thorough.” Izuku said, adding something to the page.

“We'd have to make sure that Aizawa is willing to help too, and even if he is it could be a while before he is capable.” Momo pointed out. “Even if he looks fine here, I doubt he could have completely recovered by the time we were transported here, even with Recovery Girl's help.”

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting how badly he got hurt during the USJ.” Uraraka admitted, gripping her knees nervously. Izuku gave her a comforting smile.

“Just remember, if we play our cards right with the information we get, then we can probably make sure he doesn't have to go through anything else like that again.”

“And hopefully keep anyone else from feeling such pain as well.” Momo added with a small smile of her own.

Uraraka nodded. “Yeah, I'll do my best to keep that in mind.”

A short while later:

Ashido managed to slip away from the group while Jirou was telling them about her younger self getting her own ears tangled up just like real earbud chords. Aoyama was at the edge of the listening group, and she pulled him away as she went.

“I hear we both have a vested interest in getting a certain oblivious pair together.” Ashido said with a devilish smirk. “What do you think about swapping ideas?”

“My lady, are you suggesting we team up against our besotted classmates?” Aoyama asked with a grin.

“Not against, FOR. We're teaming up for them! Who knows how long they might take to get together without a few strategically placed nudges.”

Aoyama flipped his hair and somehow gained a sparkle around his eyes. “Well, I'm always up for giving my fellow classmates a helping hand.”

All in all, people probably should have been much more concerned about how long the pair talked before the break was called to an end.

Chapter Text

The students were shown exclaiming over what a great score that was or what a strange quirk Midoriya had to have been hurt like that. Bakugo had the most extreme reaction though, staring in shock at the power his former friend had displayed. He thought about how people were supposed to all get their quirks at 4 years old, and what Izuku had said to him after they both got into UA. His shock turned to anger, and he rushed at Midoriya, demanding to know what was going on.

“Knowing what we know now, Bakugo's reaction makes a lot more sense, kero.”

“Yeah...someone you knew forever suddenly gaining a new quirk would be pretty shocking.” Ojiro admitted. “Not that I agree with his actions here, but it does make it more understandable.”

Nearby classmates nodded in agreement.

Bakugo was suddenly stopped in his tracks by Aizawa's capture weapon. Aizawa told him the bands were hard because they were made of custom material. Aizawa then said the kids should stop making him use his quirk so much, because he had dry eye. The students exclaimed that it was a waste because their teacher's quirk was so amazing. Aizawa was then given a quick close up and voice over.

“It is amazing.” Todoroki said quietly, thinking about how many villains their teacher had taken out before getting captured by the Nomou.

Momo looked over at him in surprise; it was rare to hear the boy actually speak. “It is, and just imagine how much more effective he would be if he didn't have to worry about his eye condition so much.”

“He'd be almost unstoppable.” Jirou agreed.

“In some cases certainly.”

Aizawa wasn't much moved by the praise about his quirk. He knew it was useful, but he also knew there was a lot more to being a great hero, and a great person, than having a useful quirk. Too many people overlooked that.

“You know,” Hizashi spoke up “from what we've seen, you may be the very first teacher to give Bakugo real life consequences for trying to hurt another student. Or at least the first to do it in a long time.”

Aizawa looked between the screen and Bakugo, who was grumbling while rubbing his eye, chest, and shoulder in sequence.

“You may be right.” He wasn't sure what to feel about that. A part of him felt satisfied that he might have done something to start changing the toxic dynamic between two of his students. A much larger part of him felt anxious and wary. Just what did it say about the environment both Midoriya and Bakugo grew up in if that simple action made such a difference?

Aizawa deactivated his quirk and let Bakugo free before telling the next person in line to step up. Izuku carefully edged around the still seething boy to go meet up with Uraraka. Bakugo thought about how Deku had been so insignificant to him not long ago. The scene then flashed back to Midoriya and Bakugo as little kids playing in the forest. Izuku told Bakugo how cool his quirk was, and Bakugo claimed that no matter what quirk Izuku someday got the other boy would never beat him.

“Hmmm...”Ashido looked thoughtfully between the images of little Bakugo and little Midoriya. “Bakugo's pretty cute as a little kid too, but I'd still say Midoriya's cuter.”

“I agree.” Hagakure said with mock seriousness.

'So young, and already so arrogant.' Iida thought to himself. Iida wondered if he had any room to judge, since he'd shown himself to be rather arrogant about his own assumptions. Still, when his assumptions were challenged he did his best to adjust his beliefs to fit the evidence. Bakugo didn't seem willing to do that. 'Perhaps he was never forced to do so before. With such a naturally strong quirk, it would be hard for most others to stand against him, even as a young child.' That certainly didn't excuse the boy's behavior...but like with the ball throw earlier, it would make his reactions more understandable.

Meanwhile, Midoriya looked dejectedly down at his hands. He had always admired Bakugo, and had never thought of himself as even being on the same level as him, much less better than him. But to hear the boy's own thoughts label him as a pebble was still disheartening.

Midoriya was shown moving onto the next test, and the next, fighting against the pain in his finger the whole time.

Izuku grumbled and squeezed Uraraka's hand as the pain in his finger fluctuated with each scene. She gave a comforting squeeze back.

“And why didn't I see the boy sooner?” Recovery Girl demanded. Aizawa tried not to let her look phase him, but he still ended up fidgeting a bit.

“It was a test to see how they could do while using their quirks. It wouldn't have been accurate if let each person go get taken care of after a minor injury, same thing with quirk exhaustion. They have to take responsibility for their own actions and how those choices will affect their future abilities.”

Recovery Girl looked displeased, but let it go for now. Aizawa relaxed only after she stopped looking at him.

“Aoyama is looking at the 'camera'.” Todoroki noted in surprise. Momo looked at the screen, to see it was going over the sit up test, and that Todoroki was correct. Which was strange since everyone else in the scene was looking at their partner for the test. What could he have been looking at from this angle, aside from the ceiling?

Finally the tests were over, and everyone gathered around to see the final scores. Aizawa explained how the scores were tallied, while Izuku bemoaned the fact that the pain had caused him to do poorly in the rest of the tests. A hologram showed the test results, and Izuku was dismayed to see that he was in last place.

Current Izuku was dismayed because his past self kept clenching his fist and making his finger hurt more. The action had done a good job at distracting himself from his own anxiety in the past, but now it was just painful and annoying.

Aizawa then said he had been lying about expelling the last place person. The students looked at him in shock as he said that he'd used the pressure to make them do better during the tests. While everyone else freaked out, Momo said that it should have been obvious it was a lie from the start.

Jirou gave Momo a playful shove. “Alright, we get it, no need to rub it in our faces.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound condescending, it really did seem obvious to me.”

Over with the teachers, Aizawa had to elbow Hizashi to get him to stop grinning like a madman.

Aizawa dismissed the class and told them to change out of their gym clothes before getting back to class. When he passed Midoriya he gave him a slip of paper and told him to get 'the old lady' to fix his finger.

Recovery Girl shot him a look, and Aizawa instinctively leaned away from her. He eyed Yagi's seat, which was a bit further away from the nurse, but Yagi noticed and shook his head.

“I'm not switching seats with you Aizawa.”

Aizawa told him there would be more and harder classes the next day, then walked off. Izuku told himself he'd gotten through for now, but that he still had a long way to go.

“Think of it this way Midoriya, if you're starting at the bottom, the only way left to go is up!”

Midoriya smiled. “Heh, thanks Kaminari.”

The scene shifted to Aizawa passing by All Might, who called the other teacher a liar.

The students all frowned in confusion or sat up in surprise. Liar? What had their teacher been lying about?

Aizawa noted that All Might had been watching, and implied that the hero didn't have anything better to do. All Might ignored this to point out that Aizawa had expelled an entire first year class during the previous year.

Jaws fell open among the students. He...he hadn't been lying? They really would have gotten expelled if they hadn't done enough in Aizawa's eyes?

Midoriya was most shaken by this, thinking he had come far too close to failing his mentor. What would he have done then...no he couldn't think of that. He had to look forward and think about what he could do in the future.

He was closely followed by Mineta for being most shaken, because he had been just one placement above Midoriya. If the other boy hadn't broken his finger then would Mineta have been expelled? But Aizawa had still kept Mineta on, so he must have done something right. Still...he wondered how close he came to not making the cut.

Momo was also very disturbed by this revelation, though for different reasons. She had been so sure she had managed to see through their teacher that first day...but it turned out she hadn't understood the situation at all. Had that happened during the battle trial too? Had All Might just been humoring her by agreeing with her assessments? She didn't know what to think anymore.

'Endeavor would have been up front about what he expected out of you, or just beaten you until you gave him what he wanted.' Todoroki thought. Aizawa really was a lot different than his father. He was grateful for that.

All Might said that Aizawa didn't hesitate to pass judgment on those he deemed unworthy, and concluded that Aizawa must have seen something special in Izuku for the man to not follow through with his threat. Aizawa smirked and noted that All Might seemed to be favoring Midoriya, and wondered if that's how a teacher should act.

Yagi rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. “I suppose I could do a better job at not letting others know we have a previous connection.”

“Aw, come on All Might, this guy was just teasing you.” Present Mic nudged Aizawa. “You don't have to be guarded all the time, you can trust us.”

“I appreciate that Hizashi.”

Meanwhile, Izuku was blushing slightly from having All Might be so obviously happy about him passing the first day's test.

Aizawa claimed that he only passed everyone, including Midoriya, because he hadn't sensed anyone with zero potential. He concluded it would be cruel to encourage a dream only for it to end midway.

The students stared at the screen, and mulled the words over. They hadn't really thought about Aizawa's motivations before, partially because they hadn't known he'd been lying about the expulsion, and hadn't known he had such a caring reason behind them.

“Mr. Aizawa really is a good guy once you get past the gruff attitude.” Uraraka said softly.

“Indeed. He may be strict, but it seems he keeps both the current and future well-being of his students as a top priority.”

Izuku wasn't sure what to think about Aizawa's reasoning. He could appreciate what Aizawa was trying to do, but it honestly sounded too much like what All Might had said to him on the rooftop for him to be comfortable with it. He wondered if Aizawa would have declared him to have zero potential if he was still without a quirk...

Izuku was shown leaving the school, looking exhausted. He was stopped by Iida, who asked if his finger was healed. The scene flashed back to just after Recovery Girl had kissed Izuku's finger. Izuku marveled at her quirk's speed, but he was suddenly very tired. Recovery Girl explained how her quirk worked, including the fact that if Izuku's got more injuries than he had stamina then using her quirk could end up killing him.

Many of the kids paled, and suddenly became very glad that they hadn't gotten injured much at UA yet.

Momo wrote down the new information in her own notebook, thinking that it would be a useful thing to remember, and also using it as a distraction from her earlier thoughts.

Izuku just sighed in relief, glad that is finger no longer hurt, even if he could now feel tiredness pulling at him.

Izuku thought about how he needed to learn control so he wouldn't have to keep relying on others.

“You know you can depend on us, right Deku?”

Izuku smiled at Uraraka. “I know, I just don't want to become dependent. It's like Aizawa said, if I don't learn better control, then I could end up being a burden on others. Plus, you guys won't always be around. I need to be able to depend on myself too.”

Uraraka and Iida both nodded their understanding. “That was very well put, Midoriya.”

Iida walked with Izuku, and talked about everything that had happened that day. Izuku's thoughts showed his realization that Iida wasn't actually scary, he just had a lot of passion.

Iida smiled, relieved that Midoriya's view of him had improved so rapidly.

Uraraka ran up to them then, hoping to walk to the station together. She introduced herself, and then said their names, but she mistakenly said that 'Deku' was Midoriya's first name, because that's what Bakugo had called him. Izuku was quick to explain that was actually a mean nickname.

“Awkward.” Jirou commented.

“Why does she still use it then?” Shoji wondered. Ojiro shrugged.

Uraraka apologized, but cheerfully pointed out that 'Deku' sounded close to the phrase 'you can do it!', which caused Izuku to immediately accept the nickname as something good.

“Well that was fast.” Mineta commented. Though he couldn't exactly blame him for accepting something like that from a pretty girl.

“I think Iida agrees with you.” Sero said snickering at the boy's on-screen reaction.

“That is a wonderful attitude Midoriya.” Aoyama praised. Much to the others' surprise, Tokoyami nodded.

“Indeed, being able to reclaim a past insult and make it into something positive is a powerful thing.”

“Thanks, guys.” Izuku said.

Bakugo scowled, but this went unnoticed by Izuku. He just smiled gratefully at Uraraka, and she smiled back.

The three walked together, and Izuku figured that he could at least be happy he had friends.

Smiles were shared among all three of them now.

The scene cut to All Might, who thought about how Midoriya didn't have time to relax, because the real test would begin the next day.

Izuku's smile morphed into grimace. The battle trial was the next day, which meant more injuries, and it was likely Truth would show them exactly what Bakugo said to him.

“But if we don't relax between the challenges then when are we supposed to relax?” Kirishima asked.

“Yeah, we gotta relax sometimes, right?” Sato added.

“Finding a proper balance between being ready for whatever happens and giving yourself time to enjoy life can be quite challenging for a hero” Nedzu said. “Keeping one's guard up is important, but could be detrimental if one does so to the point of paranoia.”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Present Mic said with a grin. Yagi shook his head.

“I don't think they'll get that reference.”

The scene shifted to the next day at UA, where Izuku went over how the daily curriculum of UA was structured. While in Present Mic's class, the students were shown barely responding to him and saying the class was too normal.

Present Mic put his hand over his heart. “Why do you kids have to hurt me like this?”

“S-sorry, Mr. Yamada, it's just hard to get into it when you're sleepy and looking forward to the hero related classes.” Izuku said, ducking his head sheepishly.

“I don't have any trouble getting into the morning classes.” Momo protested, and Iida quickly agreed. Jirou rolled her eyes.

“Well of course you don't.” this only caused the two to look confused.

Lunch hour was explained, and Izuku was shown fanboying over meeting the hero Lunch Rush. Then in the afternoon they had Hero Training. All Might was shown, bursting through the classroom door and announcing that he was 'coming through the door like a normal person'.

Recovery Girl snorted. “You just keep telling yourself that, sonny.”

The students laughed when they heard. Yagi could help smiling with them, despite looking a tad bashful at his chosen entrance.

All Might strutted up to the lectern while students whispered in awe about him really being a teacher here. All Might introduced himself as their teacher and announced that they would be starting out with combat training. This made Izuku look nervous and Bakugo look far too excited.

Aizawa hummed thoughtfully at the reminder that Midoriya sat right behind Bakugo in class. Given the history he now knew they had with each other, he started thinking about moving Midoriya to a different seat. It would probably help them both concentrate.

Uraraka and Iida looked at each other in concern. They both remembered how intense the battle trials had gotten for Midoriya and Bakugo, and wondered what they might learn about what really went down between the two of them. They had both been too worried about their own parts to pay close attention the first time around, and given what they now knew about both boys' past they couldn't help but worry.

All Might then revealed that the costume designs they submitted were now ready to be worn, and said to gather in ground beta after they put them on. The scene switched to that exact area, as All Might waited for the student's arrival. They walked out all together, their various costume pieces being shown off.

“Oh, what a striking image! Especially because yours truly is among you!” Aoyama gushed.

“I really do like my costume. Yours is cool too, kero.” Tsuyu said to Uraraka.

“Thanks! I like yours too. The color and goggles really suit you.”

'Why'd I stand next to Shoji? He makes me look so short!' Mineta berated himself.

“You're costume looks familiar.” Shoji commented to Iida. He'd never really had a chance to ask the other boy why that was.

“I based by costume off of the hero Ingenium, who is my older brother, though I altered it to suit my quirk better of course.”

“Did I ever tell you how wicked cool your costume looks?” Kirishima asked Bakugo. Those around them murmured in agreement. The outfit certainly fit the boy's quirk and personality.

“Like I need you to tell me that.” Bakugo boasted. He was grinning broadly at Kirishima though.

Izuku's voice over explained how the clothing allowance at UA worked, then the scene shifted to Midoriya's apartment three weeks ago. Izuku needed to have his current quirk registered for the allowance, but wasn't sure he could change his registration so late. He ended up calling All Might to ask, and the man assured him that quirk registrations could be changed as a person discovered more about their quirk as they got older.

“Hmmm, I never realized that.” Momo said to herself. She wondered if hers had ever been updated after they discovered that she used the lipids in her body to create things, rather than just having them springing from nothing on the surface of her skin. She'd given her parents quite a scare when she made too much at once when she was little and became dangerously underweight for a while.

'Did I ever note how sentient Dark Shadow is on my registration? Is important for me to do so?' Tokoyami wondered.

Izuku was startled by his mother coming home and ended up hanging up on All Might. Inko put on a big smile and pulled out a jumpsuit she'd gotten Izuku to congratulate him on getting into UA. She said she'd gotten the idea after seeing a design of his sitting out on his desk, then she admitted she felt guilty for what she had said when he was younger. She had given up after he was declared quirkless, but he hadn't. She said sorry, then smiled proudly at him and said she'd support him from now on.

“That's so sweet.” Uraraka said softly, and Iida hummed in agreement. Looking at the scene with shinning eyes. Izuku felt some of his anxiety about the upcoming scenes ebb away as he remembered his mothers words, and how he felt wearing that costume.

Many others looked away again, not wanting to intrude on the family moment more than they had to.

The scene went back to the present, where Izuku ran out wearing that same jumpsuit. Uraraka came up to compliment him on it. Izuku got a look at her costume, and blushed so hard it could be scene through his headgear. Uraraka commented she should have been more specific in her description, because she felt embarrassed hers was so tight. Mineta stood nearby, looking at her, and said that the hero course was the best.

Tsuyu's tongue suddenly lashed out and slapped Mineta across the face.

“OW! What was that for?!”

“If you're gonna make comments like that out loud, then you should expect some negative feedback, kero.”

“Here, here.”

“Definitely.”

“Indeed.”

“Little pervert.”

Hagakure, Ashido, Momo, and Jirou spoke in succession. Uraraka was too busy blushing and burying her face in her hands to comment, and Midoriya wasn't much better.

A couple students chuckled, but Aizawa raised an eyebrow. A couple of those sounded very bitter. Just how bad did Mineta's comments about such things get?

The scene showed All Might noticing the similarities between Izuku's costume and his own look, and the man had to hold in laughter at how obvious his protege was.

People around the room laughed and chuckled. Izuku didn't realize why however, as he still had his face hidden from the earlier scene. So he was saved some embarrassment.

All Might started to explain the trial, but was interrupted by a question of Iida's. Izuku looked at him, and thought his costume was cool.

“Thank you very much Midoriya.” Iida said, pride puffing out his chest. Midoriya finally calmed down enough to uncover his face and smile at Iida.

All Might explained that this test would be done indoors, since that was where one would actually be more likely to run into villains, especially clever ones. He went on to explain how the students would be paired up for the test. Tsuyu asked if they were going in without any training, and All Might confirmed they were.

“So, would I be correct in assuming this is similar to Mr. Aizawa's first test?” Momo asked. “The Quirk assessment was used to figure out our baseline abilities in different areas, right? So then this test is being used to determine our natural fighting abilities and go-to styles?” She looked over at the teachers hopefully.

“That is indeed what I had in mind, young Yaoyorozu. You are as sharp as ever!” Yagi said enthusiastically.

Momo chest had felt a bit tight ever since she learned she'd been wrong about Aizawa's intentions, but it lessened with All Might's compliment.

The students started asking questions one right after the other, until All Might said he'd answer them all and pulled out a script.

“Ah, yes, I remember days where I needed a lesson plan right in front of me to get through the lesson.” Present Mic said, nodding sagely.

“Don't you still take it with you every time?” Aizawa asked.

“Yes, but now I just use it as a reference. I don't have it in front of my face the whole time like I did when I was first starting.”

Yagi let out a sigh. He'd been worried for a while that needing the script meant he hadn't prepared himself enough to be a teacher. It was a relief to know that one of the others had done the same thing early on.

All Might went on to explain the battle trial scenario, and how pairs and sides would be determined by drawing lots. Iida wondered if it was wise to make the choice so random, and Izuku pointed out that it would replicate times when heroes had to team up with whoever was around.

“That was a good bit of insight, Midoriya.” Nedzu complimented. Aizawa nodded his head in agreement.

“T-thank you, sirs!”

The screen showed who each person had been teamed up with after lots were drawn. Uraraka was excited to be teamed up with Deku, but Izuku was nervous about being able to communicate effectively.

“Heh, probably a good thing those two got paired up, or Izuku might still be tongue tied.” Sero nudged Kaminari, who laughed at the thought of Izuku freaking out every time he had to talk to Uraraka.

“I'm glad that this exercise helped you both develop your communication with each other.” Iida declared, much to the embarrassment of his friends.

All Might drew lots again, and revealed that Izuku's team would be going up against Bakugo's team. Izuku looked over at Bakugo, and received a glare so fierce he looked away immediately.

Aizawa frowned. Based on the video he'd seen of these two, and basic observation, he knew that these two had plenty of bad blood between them, but it had seemed a bit better after the battle trial. Now that he knew more about what all it entailed though, he was pretty sure he or another teacher would have to take a more active role in figuring that whole mess out. Normally he tried to keep personal interference to a minimum, he was a firm believe in the importance of being able to figure things out for yourself, but it was becoming clear that this issue was much more extreme than he originally thought.

All Might also frowned at the display as well, and remembered what was about to happen. Had he really made the right choice concerning their fight?

Izuku steeled himself though, and looked Bakugo in the eye without flinching. That seemed to startle Bakugo, but it didn't take long for his scowl to come back even stronger.

Kaminari, Mineta, Ashido, and Sero went 'ooo!' at the same time, earning them a scowl from Bakugo.

Iida smiled, proud that his friend was learning to stand up for himself and not just others.

Kirishima took note of the display as well, and found himself impressed with Izuku. Gathering up the courage to face down someone who had caused you so much hurt was definitely manly. He also hoped

Bakugo got it together and stopped looking down on so many people. It was messing with the blonde's natural manliness levels.

Yagi now felt reassured, the interaction reminding him of why it had been so important for Izuku to finish that fight.

All Might gave instructions to the hero and villain teams. Before the villain team went in, he told them to use this opportunity to figure out how villains think, and to not be afraid of going all out.

“Thinking back on it, that might not have been the wisest thing to say to young Bakugo.” Yagi said quietly. Aizawa snorted.

“Hindsight is 20/20.” Present Mic reminded them.

The scene changed to show Iida and Bakugo in the same room as the bomb. Iida talked about not wanting to play the villain's role and inspected the bomb, until Bakugo got his attention by asking about Deku's quirk. Bakugo began to shake with anger as Iida talked, and he raged that Deku had hidden his quirk from him.

Izuku was stunned. Was that honestly the first thing Kaachan's mind went to?

“Talk about jumping to conclusions, kero.”

“Indeed, it is rather arrogant to assume that the actions of another are all because of yourself.” Tokoyami agreed. Koda mumured something and made a string of gestures, and Tokoyami nodded. “Indeed, especially considering the hardship Midoriya went through because of the assumed actions.”

“Seriously dude?” Kaminari looked at Bakugo like he had a screw loose. “You honestly think Midoriya would go through everything that comes with being labeled quirkless just to mess with you?”

“Well, of course he did.” Jirou said with a sneer. “Haven't you heard? Everything is about Bakugo: his perfect quirk, his perfect backstory, his perfect plan. There's no way someone he grew up with could possibly make a decision that didn't involve him in some way. So obviously Midoriya let people treat him badly his whole life just so he could privately laugh at Bakugo.” Sarcasm practically dripped off of Jirou's words, and Bakugo looked about ready to throw himself from his seat and start a brawl with her. Kirishima looked back and forth between them worriedly.

“Can you cool it down Jirou? We haven't even seen how this bit ends.”

“Indeed,” Iida declared, standing up. “just as Bakugo should not assume the motivations behind Midoriya's actions, we should not make assumptions about Bakugo. We should all return to the viewing and see how things play out.”

Hesitantly, everyone looked back to the screen, sending wary glances toward Bakugo. He ignored them and continued to glower at Jirou. Bakugo knew now that his past thoughts weren't accurate, but what was he supposed to think before he knew all the shit about All Might and passing down quirks?

“Perhaps we should consider recommending a therapist to young Bakugo's parents.” Nedzu pondered, just loud enough for only the teachers to hear him. “Midoriya may benefit from it as well. It seems they both have issues that they could use additional help overcoming.” The teachers nodded in agreement and Aizawa made a note of it.

The scene changed to show Uraraka and Izuku going over the building floor plans. Uraraka tried to talk casually, but became distressed when she realized how wound up Izuku was, and he admitted it was because they were facing Kaachan. Uraraka questioned if it was because Bakugo bullied him. Izuku looked downcast before saying Bakugo was amazing.

Bakugo jolted, and looked at Izuku in surprise, wondering if he'd heard that right.

Izuku thought about Bakugo boldly proclaiming how he would surpass All Might. Then he told Uraraka that Bakugo's goals, strength, and quirk, were all better than his.

'But...if the nerd really thinks that, then why does he keep defying me? Why does he admit it to her and not me?' Bakugo thought in confusion.

Izuku said that all of those things were why he didn't want to lose right now.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at Deku. He wasn't going to be anyone's stepping stone, especially not Deku's.

Uraraka smiled at Izuku's show of determination. Izuku apologized, saying that this wasn't her problem, but she replied that it was now that they were a team; and said they should do their best. Izuku smiled at her show of support.

They smiled at each other in real life too, and Iida joined in. Ashido and Hagakure quietly squeed over the sweetness of the scene. Ashido caught Aoyama's eye, and the boy gave her a thumbs up. Maybe they wouldn't have to interfere as much as they thought to get these two together.

All Might announced the start of the first trial, and internally promised not to play favorites during grading.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, highly doubtful of the man's ability to be impartial. He wasn't the only one thinking so, as the look Recovery Girl sent Yagi had him fidgeting.

Uraraka and Izuku were shown sneaking into the building. Izuku thought about how he couldn't control his quirk, and couldn't use it against anyone due to fear of killing them. So he'd just have to work with Uraraka's quirk and his own innate power.

“And therein lies the problem.” Aizawa said to himself.

“Think positively, having to work around that kind of limitation will be a great mental exercise.” Hizashi said.

“I just hope he gets experience strategizing with his quirk as well as without it.”

Meanwhile, Bakugo scoffed. Deku barely had any innate power when compared to himself, even with all that training.

Izuku told himself he'd have to think back to all the notes he'd made about heroes participating in indoor battles in his journals, but his thoughts were interrupted by Bakugo leaping around a corner almost slamming into them with an explosion.

Murmurs went up around the room as people looked at the scene. Though the majority of people in the room were either angry or fed up with Bakugo's attitude at this point, it was impossible to deny the power he wielded so naturally. Or the fact that he really knew how to make an entrance.

Izuku and Uraraka managed to dodge out of the way just in time, but the blast had managed to take off half of Izuku's face mask.

“Forgive me for suggesting this, as I have much respect for your mother, but if Bakugo's attack was able to damage your suit that much you may need to think about remaking it out of stronger materials.” Iida stated. Izuku nodded.

“Yeah, I thought about that after this fight. When I sent it off to get repaired I made a not of that for the support company. I'm gonna keep things like the glove and belt though, she did a really good job with those.”

“Blending the practical and the sentimental, well done.”

Bakugo told Izuku not to dodge, and Izuku said he figured Bakugo would come for him first.

“Don't dodge?” Ojiro said in disbelief. “What? Was he supposed to just stand there and take it?”

In the observation room, Kirishima declared that a sneak attack wasn't at all manly. All Might said that a sneak attack is just a sound a strategy as any other, and that they had to think realistically in this battle.

“I use sneak attacks quite a lot.” Aizawa pointed out.

“Yeah, I can tell you here and now that most villains don't care about honor or whatever some people think battles are about.” Present Mic said. “You should press whatever advantage you have to get the battle over more quickly.”

“Within reason of course. Heroes can still be charged with excessive use of force.” Yagi clarified.

Bakugo raced toward Midoriya, declaring that he wouldn't damage him enough to stop the fight, but he'd get close.

Aizawa frowned, making another note in his book. He really hoped they could convince Bakugo and his parents to agree to anger management or therapy, preferably both. Bakugo had a lot of potential, but he would only hurt others and himself if he continued with this kind of mindset.

Bakugo reeled back and threw a punch, but before it could connect, Midoriya grabbed him by the arm, swung him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground.

The class cheered. It didn't matter that they had seen that move before, watching it happen was still awesome, plus they got to see it up close this way. The cheer drowned out the cry of pain that real life Bakugo let out when the on-screen version of him crashed into the ground. He felt like the wind was getting knocked out of him all over again.

Izuku declared that he'd watched Bakugo over the years, and noticed that he usually started with the same move. When Bakugo got up enough to look at him, Izuku declared that 'Deku' wasn't always going to mean useless, instead it was going to mean 'you can do it'!

“Yeah!”
“You tell him!”
“There you go!”
“Alright!”

This cheer was more varied than the last, but it was just as loud. Izuku blushed as people cheered his speech, it had been so spur of the moment, he hadn't even really thought about it. He just wanted Kaachan to understand...

Uraraka felt something warm fill her chest as she remembered just how much her redefining of 'Deku' had inspired her friend. She found his hand again, and gave it a gently squeeze, which he returned.

Bakugo turned to Deku, thinking back about how the boy would try to defend others from his bullying. He saw that Izuku was once again standing up to him, despite the fact that he was scared. The episode ended with Bakugo declaring that was the reason he hated Deku.

The class looked at each other in confusion, wondering what he meant. Why would Deku being brave and wanting to protect others upset Bakugo that much? Didn't Bakugo want to be a hero too? A big part of that was protecting people after all.

Bakugo just alternated between staring at the screen and staring at the Deku in front of him. Why couldn't the damn nerd have kept to his place, like everyone else in his life had? But then he thought about what happened during the first 'episode', and what Kirishima and Aizawa had said to him. He'd said something that could have gotten Deku killed and only thought of it as 'keeping the nerd in his place'. Maybe he shouldn't be so obsessed with trying to keep things from changing...

*_*_*

The break was going to be a short one this time, just long enough for people to stretch and use the bathroom. Still Izuku found himself going over to talk to Aizawa.

“Um, sir?”

“What is it problem child?”

“Well, I was just thinking about what you said to All Might after the quirk apprehension test, and I had to ask: Do you still think I'd have passed it without a quirk?”

Aizawa just looked at him for a minute, and Izuku started to fidget, but then he finally answered. “There's a good chance you could have passed the test if you didn't have one. Given all the training you did, there's a good chance you wouldn't have gotten last place if your injury hadn't distracted you, and you wouldn't have that without your quirk. However, if you hadn't trained before coming to UA, I may have expelled you if you'd gotten in. You would still have your spirit and passion, but that doesn't count for much if you can't do that work to back it up. If you hadn't prepared at all before coming I may have assumed you lacked conviction. Can't say for sure of course, but that's likely what would happen.”

Izuku nodded slowly. “I...that's reasonable. Thank you for your honesty sir.”

“That being said, I see things differently now that I know more about you. It sounds like you did a really good job with those quirk analysis notebooks you made, and being able to make those kinds of connections and observations is a valuable skill for a hero. If you'd trained physically, or found a way to show off your brand of intelligence during the tests, then I think I would have passed you. I only would have expelled you if you managed to display neither.”

The rigid tension left Izuku's body in one go. “That's very good to know. I'll keep that in mind going forward.”

Aizawa nodded and Izuku went back to his seat. He felt a little lighter, knowing Aizawa could have seen potential in him even if he was quirkless.

Chapter Text

An older Izuku's voice explained that he and Bakugo had grown up in the same neighborhood. The scene flashed back to the two of them as little kids, along with three other kids. Bakugo was excitedly leading their group into an area that said 'no trespassing', though Izuku looked nervous about going forward.

“Peer pressure can be a powerful thing.” Present Mic said. “I think this does speak to Bakugo having the natural charisma required for leadership though.”

“Now if only he could use it without exploding everything in his path.” Recovery Girl noted dryly.

The voice continued, noting that Bakugo was always confident, no matter what, and that Izuku admired that when he was younger. But once Bakugo's quirk appeared, it pushed him in a bad direction.

Bakugo scowled at the screen. What the heck did this dumb future voice know anyway? Bakugo was strong, confident, and he was in the hero course. Maybe he had...made some mistakes along the way...but how the hell was that the 'wrong path'?

“I do have to wonder if his quirk was the only thing to push him down the path of bullying.” Nedzu said, not addressing anyone in particular.

Yagi thought about that, and what he had seen. Bakugo's own personality was definitely a part of the problem, his confidence turning into arrogance and prideful posturing as he aged, but things were likely more complicated than that. Gran Torino had been of the opinion that 'you can always tell who never faced consequences as a child', and Bakugo seemed to fit that bill exactly. Mic had pointed out how Aizawa might have been one of the few authority figures to give Bakugo consequences when he tried to use his quirk on Midoriya. If that was true, then it was likely that society had played a role in how Bakugo viewed himself and others. Power tended to corrupt, and it corrupted even faster when there was there was no accountability for abusing it. Yagi was quite lucky he'd had mentors that helped him stay on the right path after he gained the power of One for All, even if the memories attached to them were still painful. He hoped that himself and the other teachers would be able to help Bakugo gain a new, healthier perspective on how to be a real hero. And he was very glad that Midoriya didn't seem tempted down the wrong path now that he had power.

The scene went back to the battle trial, where Iida tried to get Bakugo to explain what was going on. Bakugo just told him to shut up and defend the bomb. Iida was shown, clearly angry over Bakugo's behavior.

“It's too bad you had to deal with a partner like that for your first hero course lesson.” Tsuyu said. “Must have made it hard.”

“It was most frustrating.” Iida conceded.

“I'm pretty sure even me and Koda communicated more than that.” Sato added. Koda nodded at his past partner, still pleased that they the other boy had been patient in trying to understand him.

Back in the observation room, Kirishima complained that he couldn't tell what the people in the building were saying, which prompted All Might to explain how the partners' wireless comms worked as well as the capture tape. Ashido noticed that the heroes were at a clear disadvantage, given how little information they had, and All Might said that it was a heroes job to figure things out no matter how the odds were stacked against them.

Aizawa hummed in approval as All Might led the on-screen class in the school motto. He seemed to be handling the first class alright so far, giving good explanations and such. Now to see if that would hold.

The room's attention was brought back to the trial when Bakugo threw himself at Izuku. Izuku yelled at Uraraka to run, and she did. Bakugo leveled a kick at Izuku, but it was blocked, and Izuku almost got the capture tape around him at the same time. Izuku's mind flashed back to his entry on Aizawa as he used it. Bakugo managed to get out of it and attacked, but Izuku dodged again, impressing the people in the observation room. All Might thought about how Izuku was good at thinking quickly during a crisis. He also remembered seeing what Izuku had written in his notebook just after first meeting him, and how that knowledge was serving him well now.

The entry on himself actually caused Aizawa to smirk. Midoriya may have been a problem child when it came to his own quirk, but he couldn't deny the boy was a fast learner if he nearly replicated one of Aizawa's moves after seeing it in person only one time. Aizawa made a point of not getting caught on camera after all, so Izuku wouldn't have been able to study his moves much before hand.

'All Might read my notebook? And he thought the entries were good?' Izuku thought in astonishment. He felt his face heat, but his pride at hearing All Might's compliments far outweighed the embarrassment of the number one hero seeing it in the first place. It was still hard for him to believe that a habit that he'd been teased about so much was actually seen as useful by any heroes.

The rest of the students looked on in interest. Even though they had seen this fight before, they were now getting it from angles that the real life cameras couldn't get and hearing people's thoughts about it as well. It was like seeing it for the first time again, and it was awesome!

Izuku realized that Bakugo was being more careful now, and that he would need a plan if he wanted to get close to the other boy again. Izuku ran off, trying to give himself time to figure one out. Bakugo ran after, but lost sight of him. When Bakugo got frustrated at not being able to find him, he yelled out how much fun Deku must have had tricking him for so long. He dared Deku to use his quirk so Bakugo could show he was still better.

“I'm glad you didn't try to go head to head with him right away.” Uraraka said quietly, still feeling guilty at leaving Deku alone with his childhood bully.

“Yeah, I knew that would be a bad idea, Bakugo was right when he said he was still better than me.”

“That's just because you've barely had time to figure out your quirk. Once you do I'll bet you could take Bakugo on no problem!” Uraraka said confidently.

“Indeed, your intelligence and observation skills already make you a worthwhile opponent. I have no doubts that once you master your quirk you will be quite formidable.”

Izuku blushed at his friends' praise, and felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. “Thank you guys.”

In the observation room, one of the students said that Bakugo's anger was scary. All Might thought about how Izuku had mentioned that Bakugo was a proud person, but that what the boy was doing here was too much.

Hearing that from the number one hero made something twist in Bakugo's gut. He only allowed himself to scowl though. Honestly, the extras acted like it was bad to know you were powerful and use that power. He didn't care if they thought that, but now even All Might was thinking he was going too far...

Izuku was shown taking a rest against a wall. His mind went in to analyze mode, thinking about how Bakugo ignored Uraraka, and how Iida would have been a better choice for sending someone out to confront them, and concluded that Bakugo was likely acting on his own. He ran through the possible options for them to achieve their goal, and decided that the best option was for him to face Kacchan and then join Uraraka later.

Momo found herself impressed with her classmates quick break down of his options, but it also made her feel a little bad. She remembered criticizing Midoriya's plan for being reckless, and it was, but she hadn't taken into account how dismal his other options were thanks to Bakugo's overzealous behavior. All Might had stood by her assessment of the first trial, but now she felt she should have given more credit to Midoriya's line of reasoning. After all, just because he couldn't rely on such intimate knowledge of the enemy in the future, didn't mean he was wrong to do so now.
Todoroki found himself scowling at the screen. Bakugo's attitude already reminded him of his father, but hearing how obsessed the blonde boy was with being better than others made the connection even stronger in his mind.

Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by Bakugo yelling. Izuku flashed back to himself telling Bakugo he wasn't trying to compete with him. Current Izuku decided he took it all back.

There was another trio of 'ooo's fro Mineta, Sero, and Kaminari.

“Yeah, go gettem Deku!” Ashido cheered.

Bakugo growled. 'Damn nerd...'

Bakugo walked angrily down the hall, thinking about the times Izuku had defied him, and thinking of him as a 'pebble' once again.

“Bakugo,” Kirishima started cautiously, “have you ever considered the idea that you can be strong without stomping all over everyone else? It'll probably help you keep future sidekicks around.”

“I don't need sidekicks to be the best.” 'Besides, they would know they weren't better than me because they would be sidekicks.'

“What about when you have to work with other heroes?”

“If they can't keep up then they should stay out of my way.”

Kirishima sighed and looked away from him. Bakugo pretended that didn't bother him.

The scene flashed back to Bakugo and Izuku as kids again. Bakugo showed off with a ball, but Izuku hurt himself when he tried the same thing. Bakugo told him he couldn't do anything. It showed the first time Bakugo read Izuku's name as Deku, and declared the other boy useless. Another scene showed Bakugo's 'friends' laughing at Izuku being unable to skip a stone at a pond. Bakugo was seen showing off his quirk in class for the first time, the students in awe and the teachers declaring it was the perfect quirk for a hero. Young Bakugo took this to mean no one else was as amazing as him.

The current students grumbled upon seeing Bakugo putting down their classmate so much. Bakugo grimaced, and told himself the others were just jealous. He very deliberately tried not to think about how strong Half and Half and Deku had shown themselves to be, because he would surpass them one day too.

“That certainly explains a lot.” Aizawa murmured. Bakugo didn't seem like an especially 'nice' kid, even before his quirk came in, but the reactions of the people around him certainly didn't help. This was one of the reasons he disliked how quirks were viewed in modern society. Assuming those two teachers weren't the only ones to talk to Bakugo like that, then he'd likely had the presence and usefulness of his quirk equated with his value for most of his life. Constantly praising kids for their natural abilities rather than hard work lead to a whole host of problems on their own, and it seemed like those issues had mixed with Bakugo's others in the worse way possible. The question now was if Aizawa should address it himself, or let a counselor handle it, or both. He'd have to give it some thought.

Yagi nodded in agreement with Aizawa's words, his suspicions confirmed.

'He was always alone.' Uraraka realized. 'Even when he was hanging out with that group, Deku always stood alone.' Uraraka unconsciously pressed herself closer to her friend, and Izuku was glad for the quiet show of support.

Izuku was shown in class then, looking devastated as others talked about how they'd just found out he was declared quirkless. The kids commented on how lame not having a quirk was, including Bakugo's gleeful, internal thoughts about how Deku was the least amazing one now.

The grumbles increased, and glares were shot toward Bakugo.

Kirishima frowned. He wanted to like Bakugo; the other boy had been so manly during the USJ fight and he found himself drawn to his confidence just like Midoriya had been. He told himself that he shouldn't judge Bakugo from these scenes, he was just a little kid after all, and this happened years ago. But the other scenes of Bakugo bullying Midoriya had happened just recently, and his insistence on thinking of Midoriya as a pebble didn't speak to him changing much since then. Still, it seemed like Bakugo had listened when Kirishima had talked about his cousin, at least somewhat. He really hoped Bakugo got his act together soon.

The scene changed to Bakugo leading his group of 'friends' through the woods. While they were crossing over a log bridge, Bakugo slipped and fell into the river. Two of the other three friends were worried, while one declared Bakugo would be fine because he was strong. Bakugo's older voice over agreed with him. So when Izuku actually ran down and tried to help Bakugo out, the boy slapped his hand away. He was so angry that someone like Izuku looked at him like he needed help.

“I'm sorry you had to deal with that Bakugo. A kid running down to help you after you fell? Inexcusable.” Jirou's sarcasm was back full force.

“The horror!” Kaminari gasped dramatically. Sero shook his head in mock shame.

“We should have realized what a monster Midoriya was sooner.”

“Shut up! You don't get it! I didn't need his stupid help! I'm not weak!”

Tsuyu tilted her head curiously. “Are you sure you know Midoriya all that well, Bakugo? Because I'm pretty sure he could have seen All Might fall down and would still run to help him.”

Sato nodded. “I'd believe that, and I've only known him through these videos and about a week of real life experience.”

“And we all know how much Midoriya looks up to All Might.” Kirishima added, glancing at Bakugo. Bakugo grumbled to himself and looked away, currently unwilling to admit that any of them might have had a point.

The scene changed back to the present. While Bakugo was still on the warpath, Uraraka had found the bomb. She was about to contact Deku when she was distracted by Iida talking to himself and psyching himself up for pretending to be a villain. He got so over the top with his characterization that Uraraka couldn't help but laugh.

Most of the rest of the class was in the same state, bursting out laughing at the pose Iida struck. Iida's face reddened.

“I'm sorry Iida, it just went so much against the way you usually are...” Uraraka tried to explain. Izuku nodded.

“It was cool of you to try and get into that role though, and it did help when you were actually fighting, right?”

“It did somewhat...thank you.” Iida murmured.

“Pro tip for the future, listener.” Present Mic called over. “Most villains aren't going to call themselves evil. They'll try to convince you they have perfectly good reasons for doing what they are doing.”

“Noted, sir.”

The noise got Uraraka noticed by Iida. She stepped out of her hiding spot, and watched in dismay as Iida triumphantly explained how he had hidden any objects she would use her quirk on.

“Hmmm, a clever move.” Nedzu said.

“You did do a pretty great evil laugh.” Uraraka admitted. Izuku nodded in agreement, and Iida's embarrassment abated somewhat.

Uraraka contacted Izuku and explained the situation to him. Izuku realized that the bomb was hidden almost directly above him. While he was distracted with the call, Bakugo had appeared at the end of the hallway behind Izuku. He demanded to know why Deku wasn't using his quirk.

“Maybe because punching you directly would kill you.” Jirou deadpanned.

“Well I didn't know that back then.” Bakugo grumbled.

Bakugo demanded to know if Deku was underestimating him by thinking he could win without his quirk.

Several people rolled their eyes. Hearing that so often in such a short time was getting annoying.

Izuku declared he wasn't scared of Bakugo anymore, which only added fuel to the fire. Bakugo held up one of his grenade gauntlets, and explained how it worked. He got ready to use it. All Might realized what was happening, and used the comm to order Bakugo to stop. Bakugo refused, saying it would only kill him if it hit him, and fired. The hallway became filled with sound and flame, Izuku only saved himself by being able to duck into a side hallway.

Mic's jaw went slack. Aizawa frowned at the screen; the report of the incident All Might gave hadn't made it sound this severe. Bakugo had already gotten chastised and his grade suffered because of this stunt, so lecturing him now probably wouldn't do much good. Still, he made a note to be more proactive in steering Bakugo, and other students, away from using their quirks and support items so recklessly.

“What would you have done if that hallway wasn't close enough?” Kirishima asked quietly.

“I knew it was.”

“What if Izuku wasn't fast enough?”

Bakugo didn't answer.

The explosion shook the whole building. When the smoke cleared, Izuku could be seen laying on the ground, now missing his whole hood and one of his sleeves.

“Ow!”

“Deku?”

“I'm fine, just sore muscles, again.” Izuku said, sounding strained.

Uraraka didn't look convinced, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it either way.

Izuku pushed himself up, wondering if that kind of attack was allowed. Bakugo strode through the smoke, commenting on the size of the blast, and still demanding Deku use his quirk.

Bakugo frowned. At the time, he thought he'd strode forward in righteous fury, but looking at it now his expression just looked...kinda nuts to be honest.

Iida tried to get into contact with Bakugo, trying to figure out what just happened. Uraraka ran forward, taking advantage of his distraction. He noticed her movement, and ran at her, but she used her quirk to float over him. She continued to float toward the bomb, but it was slow and Iida managed to move it before she could land on it.

Uraraka yelped as the on-screen version of her hit the ground and rolled into the wall.

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I'm okay. I took worse falls when I was still figuring out that move.” Uraraka assured him, rubbing her back as if that would ease the pain.

“Regardless, please accept my apologies.” Iida said, bowing towards her.

“It's fine, Iida, really!”

“Have you thought about getting a support item to help with that move?” Izuku suddenly asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, part of the reason that didn't work was because you floated so slowly after you got into the air. If you had a support item similar to the pressure jets astronauts use, then that move might be more effective. You could float across big gaps really fast, or use it to get up high quickly, there could be all sorts of uses.” Izuku cut himself off when he realized he was getting into muttering territory. He was about to apologize, but stopped when he saw Uraraka was looking at him with shining eyes.

“That sounds awesome Deku! You've gotta help me write up a request for the support department when we get back!”

“Y-yeah, sure!” Izuku smiled back at her.

Iida evilly gloated a bit before the scene switched back to Izuku and Bakugo. Bakugo dared Deku to come at him. Izuku analyzed how Bakugo had used his weapon, then called on Uraraka for an update. Bakugo got angry about being ignored.

“Says the classmate who ignored his partner since the start of the exercise.” Iida huffed, exasperated at how hypocritical Bakugo was acting. “At least Midoriya remembered why we were all there.”

In the observation room, Kirishima begged All Might to stop the fight because Bakugo was going crazy. All Might denied the request, recognizing that there was some method to Bakugo's madness. He did call over the comm to inform Bakugo that using that attack again would cause his team to lose though.

Something in Bakugo's chest tightened. Not even Kirishima had approved of that attack?

All Might thought to himself that, as a teacher, he should stop the exercise, but something held him back.

“Normally I'd agree with that assessment...but I think I see what you are getting at.” Aizawa said. Normally, Aizawa would have stopped a fight immediately after Bakugo had pulled the stunt with the grenade. On the other hand, it seemed like Midoriya had stood up to Bakugo more in this exercise than he had in his entire life before coming to UA. Despite the fact that the exercise was clearly getting out of control, he could see why All Might hadn't pulled the plug. Bakugo was just desperate to prove he was better to others, but Midoriya needed to prove to himself that he could stand up to Bakugo and have it mean something. He just really wished this hadn't been the way that came about.

Recovery Girl shook her head and muttered about people being in over their heads and choosing pride over safety.

Bakugo rushed at Midoriya, just as the other boy finished talking to Uraraka. Izuku realized he didn't have time to dodge out of the way, and tried to counter it, but Bakugo used his explosions to push himself over Deku and behind him, then blasted him in the back.

Izuku let out a cry of pain, his back going ramrod straight as a familiar, burning pain encased it. Uraraka's hands fluttered around him, wanting to help him somehow but being unsure of what to do.

“Midoriya, given the injury you sustain at the end of this encounter, perhaps you should sit on the floor.”

“It's just the one arm this time...”

“To be safe I must insist.”

“I can sit on the floor with you.” Uraraka offered. Izuku made to argue again, but seeing how worried they looked, he decided to give in. The floor was comfy enough anyway.

“Okay...that sounds nice, thank you.”

The show continued as they situated themselves on the floor in front of the couch, Iida deciding to join them.

People back in the observation room talked about what had just happened.

Bakugo was caught between being smug that they complimented his skills, and wanting to strangle Half and Half for saying he 'didn't look like the type to think'.

Bakugo rushed at Izuku again, hitting him hard in the arm before flipping him the same way Izuku had done to him earlier.

Izuku's cries drew everyone's attention. He clutched at his arm and his back dug into the couch behind him, as if trying to escape whatever was hurting it. Uraraka did her best to steady him as Iida signaled everyone that they were okay and to keep watching.

“Do you want the notebook again?” She asked, looking around for it.

“I'm fine.” he hissed through gritted teeth. Uraraka picked up the notebook anyway, just in case.

Izuku's vision blurred, and he realized he'd have to use his quirk if he hoped to win. Back in the observation room people cried out in outrage, saying that Bakugo was going too far when all he had to do was put capture tape around him. Tokoyami even stated that these actions were not ones of a hero. Kaminari noted that Midoriya was being amazing too though.

Midoriya smiled, despite the pain he still felt. He'd have to remember to thank Kaminari later.

Bakugo scowled. Heroes always won! That was the whole point! Bird brain was stupid if he didn't know that. Though...he supposed using the capture tape would still count as winning. It hadn't felt like that would be winning at the time though.

All Might's hands shook. He thought again about how he should stop the fight, but he didn't want to for Midoriya's sake.

Midoriya smiled again. He'd have to thank All Might later too. He didn't know what he would do if he hadn't been able to finish this fight.

Midoriya ran from Bakugo and positioned himself by a window. Bakugo was still demanding Izuku use his quirk, and asking if Izuku was underestimating him.

“Talk about a one track mind.” Hagakure muttered.

Izuku told Kacchan that he wasn't underestimating him. He yelled that Bakugo was amazing! That that was the reason he wanted to win and surpass him! The ran at each other. All Might was shown, thinking how this was the first thing he'd seen Izuku be truly passionate about, aside from being a hero. And that was what made this moment important to his future.

Most of the rest of the class looked on in excitement and awe as they got a new and improved look at the showdown's final blow. Bakugo though, was caught on something else.
All Might had said this moment was important, because of what it meant to Deku's future. Challenging Bakugo and winning was important to Deku's future. That..that couldn't be right. Even if he accepted that Deku wasn't his stepping stone, there was no way in hell he would end up being Deku's instead!

Things looked bad enough that All Might was about to call it off at the last moment, but then Izuku cried out for Uraraka to get ready. Bakugo swung one exploding arm forward. Izuku blocked it with one arm and sent a blast upward with One for All with the other arm. Iida was taken by complete surprise, but Uraraka took advantage. She used her quirk on a pillar and used it to make an opening for herself. While he was distracted, she jumped across the gap using her quirk and latched onto the weapon before Iida had a chance to recover.

Cheers went up around the room. They had all seen it before, but never like that! They could barely see what was going on through the cameras, especially since a bunch of them got knocked out from the blast. Only now could the other students fully appreciate how epic that ending was.

“That was great Uraraka!” Ashido cheered.

“You didn't hesitate at all, you must really trust him, kero.”

“W-well, Deku set it all up, I just did what he said.” Uraraka blushed, and Izuku smiled at her.

“You still did a great job. We couldn't have won without you.”

Back on the lower floors, Bakugo realized that this had been Izuku's plan all along. He started going on about being underestimated again, but was interrupted by Izuku saying he hadn't wanted to use his quirk.

Izuku shrieked in pain. Uraraka held out the notebook, and he took it, desperate to muffle the sound. He bit down on the binding once again, trying to swallow as much of the pain as he could. Uraraka held onto his arm and Iida put an arm around his back. Izuku shook with the effort of keeping himself quiet.

“You don't have to be ashamed Midoriya, no one will blame you for expressing your pain.” Iida murmured. Izuku barely heard it with how caught up he was in his past pain.

The screen showed how one of Izuku's arms was completely busted from the use of One for All, and the other burned from blocking the punch. Izuku said he couldn't control his quirk, but he hadn't been able to avoid using it. Bakugo looked shocked and disturbed, and that look stayed on his face as Midoriya fainted, and All Might declared the hero team the winners and the episode ended.

Izuku's muscles relaxed, and he sighed in relief. He carefully removed the notebook. At least he hadn't left teeth marks this time.

“It's okay, I'm good now.” he told his friends. “Thank you.”

“It is no trouble, Midoriya.”

“Right.” Uraraka said with a resolute nod.
--
“Kinda glad Midoriya fainted there. It'd suck if he had to deal with those injuries until it showed him being healed.” Sato said. Koda nodded.

“The look on Bakugo's face...” Tokoyami pondered “I can only hope it means he is coming to his senses about the motivations of those around him.” Koda nodded to that as well.

--

“We'll watch one more episode, then we can take another break.” Nedzu announced.

Chapter Text

The people in the observation room stared at the screens in shock, marveling at the irony of how much damage the 'winning' team had sustained compared to the 'losing' team. Tokoyami commented solemnly about how they had won the war, while Tsuyu pointed out it was just an exercise.

Students laughed at the exchange between Tsuyu and Tokoyami. They had been in too much shock to really register it before.

Izuku and Iida were busy trying to comfort Uraraka, who felt like she was on the verge of throwing up again due to her past self's overuse of her quirk.

All Might was shown, now in the destroyed building. After making sure that Izuku was being taken to the nurse's office, he looked over at Bakugo. The boy had frozen in place, and was visibly shaking.

Some of the students were confused. Given Bakugo's attitude, they hadn't expected a single battle to shake him so badly. Had he overused his quirk? Or was there something else going on?

Bakugo realized that Deku had predicted his moves once again, and had even used that to win the exercise. Thoughts of what Deku had said rushed through his head. His shaking got worse and his breathing got faster and faster as he realized that Deku might have actually been able to beat him if they went all out.

Aizawa frowned. He hadn't realized that Bakugo's reaction to losing had been this extreme. The boy looked on the verge of going into a panic attack. Was it really that ingrained in him that he had to be the strongest person around?

The other students were becoming concerned too. As angry as they were at Bakugo's behavior, they didn't want him hurt, or to intrude on him in this way.

Bakugo had to consciously think about his breathing in order not to do the same thing the on-screen version of his was doing. He could feel the tightness in his chest, just as he had back then, and the panic creeping in at the edges of his mind. Dammit! It was bad enough the class was seeing this in the past he couldn't break down here too!

Bakugo jumped when he felt something land on his shoulder at the same moment as All Might's hand did in the past. He turned and saw Kirishima had laid a hand on his shoulder. He didn't try to smile at him, or make a big deal out of it, he just let it rest there.
Bakugo turned back to the screen, and let Kirishima keep his hand there.

Bakugo seemed to snap out of it, somewhat, when All Might put a hand on his shoulder and told him to come back so they could review. He told the boy that, win or lose, he could learn something from this.

“Indeed.” Nedzu piped up. “Sometimes you learn even more from losing than you do from winning. It's important to remember that.”

The scene changed to the observation room. All Might declared that Iida was the MVP of the round, much to the boy's surprise. Tsuyu wondered why it wasn't one of the winners, and All Might put the question to the whole class. Momo raised her hand right away. She explained that Iida did the best to adapt himself to the exercise. Bakugo had allowed a grudge to get to him and acted reckless. Izuku and Uraraka's final plan was also reckless and wouldn't have worked in real life. Iida's actions were the only ones that really would have worked if it hadn't been training. Everyone stared at Momo when she was done. All Might thought to himself that she had said more than expected.

“I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to overstep.” Momo said, looking down. 'I really was too full of myself...' she thought miserably. Yagi was quick to correct her though.

“Not at all, young Yaoyorozu. I was merely surprised. I couldn't have said it better myself, which was only a problem because I had a whole speech prepared where I said almost exactly the same thing.” He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, and Momo's jaw dropped.

“Really? You truly agreed with my analysis? Looking back I...I thought I was a bit too harsh...”

“You did dissect the results quite efficiently.” Nedzu chimed in. “The only critique I had was in the delivery, though that is more a social issue. You are a fellow student rather than a teacher, so you may wish to be slightly more diplomatic in pointing out your classmates mistakes in the future.”

“Though, if they mess so bad they put others in danger, bluntness is very well deserved.” Aizawa added.

'Thinking back on it, some of the others did start to look a little annoyed when I kept answering after every round...and All Might started picking others to answer instead. He probably wanted to make sure the others were learning too. I'll have to remember to give others a chance to put their ideas forward too, and give them equal consideration.' “I think I understand. I'll do my best to improve my demeanor going forward.” At least the analysis itself had been accurate.

All Might scrambled for something additional to say, and went with saying Iida could have loosened up, but otherwise agreed with Momo. Present Mic's voice over explained how Momo had gotten into UA by recommendations instead of the practical exam, while everyone continued to stare at her in awe.

“I've been meaning to ask, how do you get in by recommendations? What are the qualifications?” Izuku asked.

“Well, you had to be sponsored by someone in the hero business, be it an actual pro or someone well known in support or management. We did fill out a written test, though I couldn't say if it was the same as the non-recommended applicants. Then we had a practical, which was a race through an obstacle course rather than fighting robots. Oh, and we each had to do an interview.” Momo explained.
Todoroki nodded, figuring that was enough to let them know it was the same for him.

Izuku wrote the information down while the show continued. He was even more glad that he'd decided to do the regular test now. He didn't have much faith in his interviewing skills, and he'd have hated if he failed to get in because he couldn't manage to string the right words together.

All Might got the students moving into a new training area so they could continue the trials. As they did so, Bakugo was shown, still looking stunned.

“He's really taking this hard, huh? You think he's really never lost before?” Hagakure wondered.

“Maybe. Or maybe he just never lost at something he considered really important.” Ashido mused.

Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief as the scene moved on, the last bits of her nausea finally dissipating. Izuku looked at the on-screen Bakugo and thought of their talk after class that day, and wondered how he and the others would react to it being shown.

The start of the next trial was shown, Shoji and Todoroki vs Ojiro and Hagakure. Hagakure took off her gloves and boots so she could be completely invisible, and told Ojiro he couldn't look.

“So you really are naked except for the accessories?” Mineta asked with a lecherous grin.

“No.” Ojiro and Hagakure answered simultaneously. The rest of the girls either sighed or rolled their eyes.

“I was just messing with him.” Hagakure explained. “I have a body suit that I wear, you just can't see it because it's made out of a special material that works with my invisibility. The support company gave me a little info card about it, including how it's expensive to make.”

“She told me about it after the match.” Ojiro added.

The second trial started. Shoji used his quirk to figure out where the heroes and weapon were and told his teammate (earning him a closeup and quirk explanation). Todoroki got Shoji to step outside before freezing the entire building solid. The 'vilains' were stuck, allowing Todoroki to get past easily.

The students were once again left in awe of Todoroki's powerful quirk, though they were less grateful for the chill creeping up their spines once more.

“Ow ow ow!” Hagakure squirmed in her seat, and quickly took her shoes off, trying to bring some relief to the soles of her feet.

“Uh...sorry.” Todoroki muttered awkwardly. He hadn't felt bad about it before, it was just a part of the training and her bad luck of being put against him. He hadn't meant to do it a second time though.

“S'okay, not your fault this time.”

“Gotta say man, that look of yours is pretty freaky. Especially that red eye part, what is that even for?” Kaminari asked.

Todoroki didn't answer him. He did wonder about his costume though, he had been ever since he got it. His classmates' reactions did show it gave him an intimidation factor, but he'd realized that the iced over part made it harder to carry things. He may have to work on it.

All Might commented on how efficient the hero teams take down had been and declared them the winners. Todoroki was shown melting the ice he created before getting a close up himself. Present Mic's voice wondered if the strength made him a monster. The other students gushed about how strong Todoroki was, and Bakugo looked upset.

Bakugo scowled. He couldn't take on Icy Hot right now...but he would some day.

Todoroki grit his teeth when he heard Present Mic's description. 'I am not a monster! I won't be like him! I won't use it!' He thought angrily.

“Oh, sorry about that Todoroki. I say a lot of things when practicing for the sports festival, and I only really ever use half of it.” Present Mic looked over at Todoroki and was met with an icy stare. “Heh, uh, I promise I won't use that at the actual festival.” Todoroki stared at him for a moment longer before nodding and looking back at the screen.

Bits and pieces of the following trials were shown, usually heroes just entering and villains getting ready to defend. One snapshot showed Mineta eyeing Momo's backside while she did all of the work.

Tsuyu's tongue snapped out and slapped Mineta.

“Ouch! What the heck?! I already got the look from her for that!”

“I for one approve of Tsuyu defending her classmate's honor.” Iida stated.

“Seconded!” the other girls said all at once.

Mineta looked plaintively over at the teachers.

“Perhaps if you hadn't been so busy ogling you could have done more to help your partner.” Aizawa said dryly.

“But she made the steel and everything for the door on her own! What was I supposed to do?” Mineta whined.

“What about adding your quirk to the barricade?” Aizawa challenged. “Something to make the beams stick together would have made it even stronger. I believe I mentioned that in my review of your battle trial.”

“Well...it seemed strong enough without it. And it was! They didn't break through.”

“What about using it to secure the window?” Izuku asked. “Tsu can stick to walls, she could have come up that way.”

“I would have if it hadn't taken so long for us to find the weapon and realize why we couldn't get the door open.” Tsuyu confirmed.

“Oh...I didn't think of that.” Mineta looked down in embarrassment.

Momo huffed and Jirou patted her shoulder sympathetically.

A couple more scenes were shown, including one where Ashido burned holes in Aoyama's sparkly cape. Then All Might was wrapping up the class, congratulating them all on doing well.

“My beautiful cape!” Aoyama bemoaned.

“I said I was sorry!” Ashido pouted.

“Didn't you already get a replacement for it?” Sero asked.

“You never forget your first...” Aoyama said morosely. THAT earned him some strange looks.

“Kinda bummed that we didn't get to see the rest of ours play out, but at least that means no one has to deal with any injuries again.” Kirishima said. Even if Midoriya was the only one seriously hurt, there had been plenty of bumps and bruises gained during the other trials.

“With that first trial taking up two episodes, I'm pretty sure we'd be here ages if we went over everyone.” Sato pointed out.

“Not like we don't know what happened.” Shoji agreed. Midoriya hadn't seen the actual trials, but he'd gone around asking people about them during any down time the following day, and he was pretty sure he overheard Midoriya asking Aizawa for the footage at one point.

Tsuyu pointed out that this class was kinda anticlimatic after the intensity of Aizawa's first class. A number of people flashed back to Aizawa's grinning face and nodded in agreement.

The image made Aizawa smirk.

“I never got why you guys said that.” Uraraka interrupted. “Our trial was pretty climactic, and the others were exciting too.”

“Well, I was thinking more about how 'intense' that first class was.” Kaminari admitted. “Your trial was pretty hardcore, but it felt different than the threat of expulsion, you know?”

Koda gestured and murmured something, and Tokoyami nodded. “Yes, I agree. The class with All Might was less pressure and more passion.”

“Especially since the excitement of the first trial had worn down a bit by the end.” Jirou added.

All Might stated he was going to go update Midoriya, and ran off in a burst of wind. He looked back as he did, and considered Bakugo. He thought about how much pride the boy had, and how having too much of that can make ones heart fragile.

Bakugo grit his teeth. All Might's words were made all the more painful by the knowledge that the number one pro was, partially, right. None of the extras had reacted like he did to losing or seeing Icy Hot's quirk.

“Ah yes, even with all the patients I've treated I've yet to see anything quite so easily bruised as an over-inflated ego.” Recovery Girl said serenely. Presnet Mic snorted and held out a hand for the older woman to high five.

All Might thought about how he'd have to talk to Bakugo about it, but he didn't have time now. He shrunk down to his normal size as soon as he got through the door at the end of the hall.

The class looked at how much their teacher was panting, and exchanged worried or astonished looks with each other. They hadn't realized how much All Might had to push himself to teach a class on top of everything else; a part of them was still getting used to the idea that All Might had a time limit.

The scene changed to Recovery Girl scolding All Might for Midoriya being in the infirmary so often.

There was a few chuckles and giggles. Seeing such a little lady scolding the number one hero was certainly something.

Recovery Girl explained she couldn't heal all of Midoriya's injuries right away, since he was already so exhausted, and scolded All Might more for playing favorites. All Might admitted he had no defense, and had been thinking more about Midoriya's feelings at the time. He also asked her not to talk about his quirk so loudly. She agreed, though she did it mockingly.

Seeing the banter between the two, the giggles became laughter.

All Might revealed that all of the teachers knew about his smaller form, but it was a much smaller group that knew the full story.

“Well, strike that I suppose.” Yagi sighed.

The laughter died down and was replaced by awkwardness and some guilt. They hadn't really considered how much they were intruding on the number one hero's life by learning about his quirk.

Recovery Girl questioned whether or not being seen as the symbol of peace was really that important. All Might replied that the world would be seized by evil if he didn't play the role. Recovery Girl seemed to accept that answer, and told him he'd have to really learn how to guide someone in that case.

Anxiety seeped into the edges of Izuku's mind. That was the role he'd have to assume someday, right? How could he do it? How could he ever replace All Might? How-?

A hand landed on Izuku's shoulder, and he turned to meet Iida's determined gaze.

“I'm sure you realize that is a heavy burden to bear; I myself sometimes struggle with the idea of following in my brother's footsteps. The one thing you must remember is that it is not a burden you will shoulder alone.”

“We'll be with you every step of the way!” Uraraka agreed.

“You won't be the only hero out there, kero.”

“Yeah! We'll all get to the top and make sure the villains think twice before acting up!” Sero agreed.

One by one cries of support or ambition came from class 1-A. Even Bakugo growling “Like I'd let you take all the credit” was somewhat comforting. Tears began to stream down Izuku's face.

“Thank you all so much! You're all gonna be great heroes!”

The teachers all smiled at the scene. Even Aizawa, though he personally thought All Might was over blowing things a bit. The world had survived before the 'symbol of peace' and it would find a way to do so again when All Might retired. It was just a matter of how chaotic the transition would be...but seeing this class made him rather hopeful about it.

Past memories flashed through Izuku's mind before he groggily woke up. He had just enough time to notice it was late afternoon before Recovery Girl was hovering over him. The next scene showed him walking tiredly back to the classroom.

Izuku slumped into the couch cushions, relived tiredness pulling at his limbs and body once again. Were they allowed to nap at any point? Would they need to?

Izuku opened the classroom door, and was immediately faced with classmates running forward to congratulate him and tell him how he'd inspired the rest of them. Izuku clearly didn't know how to deal with so much positive attention and was looking overwhelmed.

“Whoops, sorry about that Midoriya, didn't mean to freak you out.” Kirishima said.

“N-no, it's fine! It was just a bit much all at once.”

“Better get used to it though.” Kaminari gave him a teasing grin. “Once you you get that quirk figured out and you really get out there I bet you'll have a TON of fans.”

“You'll have people fanboying over you instead of the other way around.” Mineta agreed. Izuku blushed deeply at the thought.

Tokoyami muttered that the other students were too loud, right before Iida marched over and started lecturing him, and soon Ojiro and Jirou, about the need to respect school property.

“Do I really look that scary?” Iida asked as his glasses flashed on-screen.

“Well, like I said, er, thought, before. You're not scary, just passionate.” Izuku assured him.

“The passion does come off as kinda intense sometimes though.” Sato admitted.

“I see...” Iida's expression turned thoughtful. Maybe there was something more to All Might saying he could have 'relaxed' a bit more.

Uraraka and Kaminari came in carrying stacks of books. Kaminari asked if she'd like to go out to eat sometime, and she started to answer, but ran off as soon as she caught sight of Izuku.

“Swing and a miss.” Sero snickered. Mineta offered Kaminari a sympathetic shrug.

“Oh gosh, I'm sorry Kaminari!” Uraraka said, blushing in shame. That had been so rude.

“Don't worry about it, all water under the bridge.” Kaminari brushed away her concern. He shot Sero a glare once she looked away again though.

Uraraka asked him about his cast, and he began explaining, but stopped when he saw Bakugo's seat was empty. The next scene had Izuku running down the stairs as Uraraka's voice explained that he had left. Bakugo was walking toward the exit, and Izuku ran out to meet him. Bakugo stopped, but barely turned around as he asked what Deku wanted. Izuku hesitated, he hadn't even told his mother about this, but he still wanted to tell Bakugo.

Bakugo looked at the screen. He hadn't understood what Izuku went on to say, not back then, but he did now. Everything made a lot more sense...at least in one way. What didn't make sense was Izuku telling Bakugo anything when he didn't have to. Why did he do that? What was he supposed to make of the fact that Izuku had tried to explain things to him of all people?

Izuku told Bakugo he'd gotten his quirk from someone else, but couldn't say who. He explained that it was just a borrowed power he was trying to make his own, and that's why he'd tried not to use it. Bakugo was getting angry, but Izuku was looking down and didn't see. He said he'd make the quirk his own eventually, and then beat him.

Kirishima whistled lowly. Admitting he had a ways to go but saying he'd still beat Bakugo one day? That was pretty manly, and pretty bold.

“Did he tell you he was doing this?” Aizawa asked All Might. The man sighed.

“He didn't at the time, but he did let me know it happened afterward. So he's already gotten a talking to about being more careful and asking before he reveals anymore to anyone else.”

Bakugo stared at him. Izuku blanched, realizing what all he'd said and thinking he hadn't meant to say that much. Izuku became worried, but Bakugo angrily said Izuku was spouting nonsense. Bakugo started to shake. He said that he'd lost to Izuku that day, and that's all there was to it, and raged that he didn't believe he could beat Todoroki's power. He even admitted to agreeing with Momo. He cursed at himself, but then looked Izuku in the eye and said that he just getting started too. That he would become number one some day. The two stared each other down for a moment, before Bakugo started to walk away. He wiped tears from his eyes, saying he wouldn't lose to Izuku again.

The class stared at the screen. The majority of them could hardly believe it. Bakugo had been so stubborn that they figured he'd try to pass the trial off as not a real loss, or just continue to dismiss Izuku outright. But he'd acknowledged him instead, and even admitted he had more to learn. It was surprising to say the least.

“Dude...” Kirishima whispered. “That was manly!”

Bakugo had been looking down at the ground, avoiding all eyes after his crying being shown in front of everyone, but his head snapped up when he heard Kirishima. “What the hell are you on about? I just flipped out and fucking cried over losing!”

“Tears can be plenty manly under the right circumstances, but that's beside the point. You admitted you were wrong, and that you had more to learn, but still laid down a challenge anyway. You had a loss on your first day in battle training, but you faced it and used it to motivate you to do better. I'd say that's a manly choice.” Kirishima grinned at him. Bakugo huffed and looked away, but he didn't go back to looking at the floor.

Izuku deflated as soon as Bakugo looked away, and was almost bowled over by All Might rushing out to catch Bakugo. He started giving a speech about pride and how Bakugo did have what it takes to be a hero,

The class tensed, and many shifted uncomfortably. This was definitely not the time for a speech, not after that confrontation.

“Heh, All Might's a little late to the party.” Kaminari joked weakly.

until Bakugo cut him off. He said he'd become the best hero even without All Might telling him so. Seeing the look in his eyes and hearing what he said, All Might hastily let go of Bakugo's shoulders.

“And that was even more manly!” Kirishima declared. Bakugo grinned for the first time since the episode started.

All Might mused that it was hard being a teacher.

“Welcome to my world.” Aizawa said blandly. Yagi chuckled.

“Ah yeah! Welcome to the 'I have to deal with frustrating kids' club!” Present Mic cried. Several students gave him looks.

The scene changed to show Ashido, Uraraka, and Tsuyu watching the scene from a window. They wondered what was going on, and Uraraka declared it 'a fated battle between men'.

Uraraka blushed as several people snickered.

“With what we saw earlier, your not really wrong with it being fated.” Tsuyu pointed out.

Izuku stared after Bakugo, thinking that he would just have to keep chasing after him. All Might then asked him what they had been talking about, which caused Izuku to panic and try not to answer. The scene faded as All Might kept insisting.

“Somebodies in trouble.” Ashido said in a sing-song voice.

“It- it wasn't that bad-” Izuku cut off when the screen started to show a part of the city at night.

“Curious, I thought the episode was over.” Iida said.

The scene showed a street with screens and lit up signs all around. It focused on one particular bar as Izuku's voice over claimed that they would soon see just how terrifying villains could be.

It clicked in Izuku's mind almost immediately. The villains from the USJ, this scene was about them. He immediately started writing down as much as he could about the area he had seen as fast as he could. If this area was important to the League of Villains than figuring out where it was could be critical!

Aizawa was quick to follow suit when Hizashi nudged him and whispered in his ear. Momo started to do it too just a few moments later.

A newspaper landed on a counter top, the front page article talked about All Might teaching at UA. A voice made note of that.

Izuku shivered. He remembered that voice. He remembered it teasing him and Aizawa, and giving orders to the Noumu. A quick look around showed him that Kirishima also looked disturbed, that Bakugo's mouth was in a hard line, and that Todoroki was giving the screen a steely look.

The shot panned up to show a man covered in hands, and a bartender made of purple mist.

There were gasps from people who only now put the pieces together. Sato and Sero growled at the sight of the teleporting villain, and Uraraka's gaze had turned hard. Shoji nearly broke the chair's arm as he gripped it tighter.

The perspective changed to show a large purple, muscular villain with a beak, sitting dead eyed behind the man in hands.

Students huddled closer together. Yagi felt the ghost of pain whisper across his side, and he held a hand to his old wound.

The man in hands mused, what would happen if the symbol of peace was killed by villains?

Only then did the episode truly end.

The air was tense as they all stared at the darkened screen. They hadn't expected any sign of the villains quite so soon, at least the students hadn't.

“Well!” Nedzu said cheerfully, breaking everyone out of their stupor. “This venture is already proving to be useful. Several episodes in and we've already been given a clue as to where to find the League. Quite a bit of good news I'd say! Let's all break so we can stretch our legs and take everything in!”

It was slow, but the students did start to get up and move around. Izuku and Momo both rushed over to the teachers.

“I started writing down everything I noticed about the area as soon as I realized what was about to be shown.” Izuku said.

“So did I, though I didn't start as early.” Momo added.

“Excellent you two!” Nedzu smiled “That was a great response, and shows good instinct. We kept a sharp eye over here too, but it would still be prudent for you to look over your own notes and try to memorize what you saw. We don't know if we'll be able to take anything from here after all, and the more people know about where the League might be hiding the more likely it is that we'll be able to track them down later.”

“Yes sir!” They both said before walking back toward their seating area.

“Would you like to compare notes about what we observed in the area and see if we can recognize where the bar might be?” Momo asked.

“That's a great idea!” The two quickly claimed a couch and swapped notebooks.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

A short while later

“So...” Sero started, looking at the people around him. “Do we have any thoughts on this thing with Bakugo and Midoriya...or just Bakugo in general? Because after that last episode I'm feeling a little conflicted.”

“Me too!” Ashido piped up right away. “After everything we saw with him and Midoriya growing up it seemed like he was nothing but a big, mean, stubborn jerk. And, I mean, he still is, but that part at the end made him seem a little less like one, you know?” Hagakure's shoulders moved like she was nodding vigorously.

“I think I know what you mean. From what we saw in the first episodes, Bakugo in middle school never would have admitted to not being able to do something or that he had room for improvement. But that's what he did now, so I feel like there's a bit of hope for him.”

“That doesn't erase the way he treated a fellow classmate who never intended him any harm.” Momo pointed out. Tokoyami hummed thoughtfully.

“That is true, but I believe we must take propriety into account. Most of Bakugo's truly harmful actions have been directed solely at Midoriya alone, while he has merely been abrasive toward others in the class. Had we not been sent here we may not have ever known that such a deeply troubled side to Bakugo existed. So is it truly our right of us to 'deal' with an issue that has little to do with us? Perhaps we would be better off judging Bakugo here, and here on out, by how he treats us directly.”

“Well, it's not like its got nothing to do with us, since Midoriya is our classmate too.” Tsuyu replied. “It's not like we should just stand back and let him continue doing stuff like that if it happens again.” Tokoyami shook his head.

“That is not what I meant to suggest. I merely meant that most of the poor behavior we saw here was linked directly to deep personal issues between Midoriya and Bakugo, and wondered if it was truly our place to interfere with that or base our own opinions of them off of it.”

“I suppose you've got a point there.” Ojiro said. “And like Hagakure and Ashido said, it seems like Bakugo has taken a step in the right direction not too long ago. So, maybe we should just...keep an eye on things and see how things go from here?”

Aoyama swept his hair back dramatically. “Indeed, it would be folly to either ignore the past or let it tarnish our minds.”

Ashido, Hagakure, and Sero all stared at him. “...what?”

Kirishima gave him an appraising look. “So, try to step in if it seems like Bakugo is crossing a line again, but don't be stubborn like Bakugo was and refuse to believe he could improve?”

“Oui, is that not what I said?”

Kirishima smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

“That does seem like a reasonable stance.” Momo agreed, and the others did the same.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“Are you sure Deku?” Uraraka asked, clasping her hands in front of her. “I gotta know. Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes, I'm sure.” Izuku said with a sigh. Her hands fell and landed on her hips.

“Awww! I was really looking forward to planning a vengeance fueled prank on Bakugo!” She pouted.

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment Uraraka, it would be completely unprofessional.” Iida stated.

“Plus I'm pretty sure the fall out would be more trouble than it's worth.”

Uraraka didn't bother to point out how she was willing to go through said fall out if it meant she could give Bakugo a taste of his own medicine. She wanted to do something about all the years of bullying that Deku had to go through at the blonde boy's hands, but if Izuku was this adamant about her plan then it wouldn't work.

“Is there anything you would like us to do?” She pressed.

“As class president, I could certainly keep a closer eye on him to ensure that such behavior does not continue in our class.”

“No, no, I mean, yes to keeping an eye out for bullying but no on the other thing. I just...” Izuku's shoulders drooped and he looked down. “Believe it or not, Bakugo has actually gotten better about leaving me alone since we got to UA, and I'd like to keep that going. And despite everything, he was my friend once. Plus I just...I want to leave that part of my life in the past. I have friends here now. I don't want to be so caught up in what things were like that it ruins my present or my future.”

Uraraka and Iida exchanged a look, and turned back to their friend with soft smiles.

“I find myself once again impressed by you Midoriya. That is a very mature outlook to have.”

“My Dad always says that you should use what happened to you in the past to make you better, not bitter. Guess you already got that figured out.”

“I wouldn't go that far...”

“Deku.”

The trio froze. That name hadn't come from Uraraka. Izuku slowly turned around, and found Bakugo standing a few feet away from him. Uraraka and Iida surged forward to stand on either side of Izuku, but the boy signaled them not to go any further. There was something different about the way Kacchan was standing, with his shoulders hunched and his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes cast down. It made him think of the talk their past selves just had.

As for Bakugo...he'd been doing a lot of thinking ever since he talked to Kirishima and Aizawa, about topics he never really thought about before. And because he hadn't thought about them he'd never had any room to doubt himself about his assumptions, assumption that could have ended in the worst way if he'd been even slightly off about them. And after all this thinking, he had managed to come to one conclusion.

“Deku...I don't want you to die.”

“...huh?”

“I know I say a lot of shit, but I've never actually wanted you to die, okay? So...try to remember that, you damn nerd.” Bakugo turned on his heals and walked away.

“What the heck was that about?” Uraraka wondered. Izuku looked after Bakugo in slack jawed awe.

“I...I think...that Bakugo just apologized for something he did to me.”

“Midoriya, I don't think that counts as a proper apology.” Iida said.

“Maybe not to you, but I've known Kacchan for ages. He only says 'sorry' or anything similar when he's not being sincere. Honestly that- that's the first time in years I've heard him give a sincere apology.”

“Huh...” Uraraka said, still a little dumbfounded. “I guess that's progress then?”

Given the smile on Izuku's face, he certainly seemed to think so.

Unnoticed by either party, Todoroki stood a short distance away. He watched the interaction, and was left to ponder his own feelings.

Chapter Text

The episode started with Midoriya being questioned about All Might by the media just outside of UA.

Aizawa scowled at the screen, and muttered something unpleasant about the media. Present Mic shook his head.

“No respect I tell ya, no respect at all. You sure we can't make stricter guidelines about how the media can approach the students?” He asked of Nedzu. The animal gave a tight smile.

“We have very strict guidelines about how the media may enter and act on campus, but we cannot regulate how the media conducts its business on a public sidewalk, even if it is only a few feet away.”

“Maybe ambushes aren't all unmanly, but this one sure was.” Kirishima grumbled.

Modoriya escaped the reporter with a stuttered excuse, but she immediately moved onto Uraraka, who described All Might's teaching as 'muscular'.

Several students, plus Present Mic, snickered at her answer.

“She put me on the spot and I didn't know what to say!” Uraraka complained, her face turning red. “And it was true, you know? All my teachers before UA weren't muscular at all.”

“At least you gave an actual answer, I couldn't even do that much.” Izuku tried to reassure her.

“I don't think any of the reporters were happy with our answers.” Tsuyu said, putting a finger on her chin. “One caught me and asked the same thing. All I said was that he was good. She didn't like that that's all I would say.”

Iida was her next victim, but he turned the tables on her. When the reporter woman asked about All Might, he started a long speech about All Might as a person and the opportunities his presence afforded them, and soon the entire group listening was bored.

Iida looked very put out when he realized just how many people didn't put effort into listening to what he had said.

“Oh yeah, I forgot, I meant to thank you for that, Iida.” Ojiro said. Iida looked at him curiously, so the boy continued. “Well, you distracted a lot of them, and I'm pretty sure that's what allowed me to sneak through without being caught.”

“Same here.” Tokoyami and Shoji said together.

“It helped me too.” Sato added.

Iida smiled. At least his words had helped someone, even if it wasn't in the way he intended.

“I got caught, but I just told them off.” Jirou said with a shrug.

“I wish one of them had paid attention to me. My smile was dazzling that day.” Aoyama slumped in disappointment.

“I don't think they even saw me.” Mineta added.

“Can't say I'm surprised. You probably don't even reach their knees.” Kaminari said. He smirked while Mineta sputtered.

The reporter woman tried to question Bakugo too, but stopped and voiced her recognition of him from the slime villain incident. He snapped at her.

Ashido frowned. “Didn't that happen almost a year ago now? I can't believe they'd remember one kid from one villain incident that long.”

“I wish they'd forget already.” Bakugo growled. “Stupid media bastards.”

The woman was then shown trying to get something out of Aizawa. She commented on how scruffy he looked while a couple other reporters gave him suspicious looks.

“Well that was rude.” Present Mic said with a huff. That didn't surprise Aizawa, Present Mic was always very defensive of his colleagues. What did surprise him was how many students voiced their agreement with him; he hadn't been aiming to be liked by his class after all. Still, it was nice to hear.

Aizawa told the media that All Might wasn't there, and ordered them to leave so they'd stop disturbing the students. As he walked away the reporters called after him, and he wondered how All Might managed to deal with all that and be a hero.

“Why Aizawa, that almost sounded like a compliment.” Yagi said innocently. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the man before crossing his arms and looking back at the screen.

“Don't read too much into it.”

The reporter woman tried to follow after Aizawa, but was stopped when the gate buzzed and a metal barrier slammed down in front of her and all across the fence. Another reporter explained how the UA barrier worked, and that there were sensors all over the campus for detecting intruders.

“Shame they didn't go off when we actually needed them.” Uraraka said. She turned around to look at Kaminari. “Did you ever get a sense of where the interference was coming from?”

The boy shook his head. “Nah, I never got through.”

“We did our best to investigate the bypassing of the security system directly after the attack.” Nedzu explained. “We were unable to find any clues in that short amount of time, and were hoping further time and investigation would reveal the hole in the security system. But perhaps we will be lucky enough to see how it was done within these videos.”

Izuku's older voice over explained that the news of All Might teaching had surprised the nation, and that's why there had been such a big media response. “Everyone wanted a piece of All Might.” The scene shifted to show the back of a young man with pale blue hair watching the scene from across the street. “Yeah, everyone.”

The room became quiet as, one by one, people realized who that young man must be.

“Shigaraki was there that early? Why? Was it just to do surveillance? The attack was well planned enough that it seemed like they must have gotten all necessary information long before that. Could there be another reason? Or was it just for his own enjoyment...”

Izuku's muttering elicited some huffs of annoyance, but mostly he got giggles, fond exasperation, or looks of curiosity. When he heard the sound of the giggling, he stopped and apologized while rubbing the back of his neck. People were quick to brush it off though. Intentional or not, the muttering had stopped the atmosphere from getting too tense, and people were either grateful for that or appreciated that he'd brought up the questions that had been going through their own minds.

“I suppose we know for certain who went after the gate now.” Present Mic muttered. The other teachers nodded minutely.

The scene changed to class 1-A's homeroom. Aizawa congratulated the class on their performance during the combat trials. He told Bakugo that he was talented, so he shouldn't act like a kid about losing. Then he told Midoriya that he couldn't keep breaking his limbs to win, but if he managed control there would be a lot he could accomplish. Both seemed bolstered by his words, in their own ways.

Present Mic smiled. As much as Shouta liked to put up a grumpy, distant front, he really did care for his kids and was a good teacher, and moments like this showed it. He leaned over to nudge Aizawa.

“Look at you being all encouraging.”

“Don't touch me.”

Yagi noticed the interaction, but paid much more attention to what on-screen Aizawa had just said. The man had used no fanfare or grand words, yet he had delivered a message that inspired determination and gave the students a goal to work toward. It was very far from the way All Might would have said it, yet it seemed to be just as effective. It was fascinating, and rather impressive.

Aizawa then announced it was time to deal with homeroom business. The whole class wondered if there was going to be another test, and were visibly relieved when Aizawa announced that it was just picking a class representative.

Nedzu grinned, clearly approving. “You know you've put the fear of god into a class when they dread every announcement you make.”

Aizawa smirked.

Pretty much everyone in class started vying for the position, talking over each other and demanding they be picked. This included Mineta mentioning how his 'manifesto' was to shorten the girls' skirts.

Tsuyu opened her mouth to slap Mineta again, when Momo held up her hand. “Please, allow me.”

Momo stood up and silently approached Mineta from behind his couch. When she was close enough, she took her notebook and smacked the back of his head.

“Ow!”

She rolled her eyes. “I barely put any muscle behind that.”

“It still hurt!”

“So do those comments!” she shot back before stalking back to her seat. Aizawa raised an eyebrow and made another note in his journal. He'd have to find a time to give a talk to Mineta too.

They were silenced by Iida demanding quiet. He gave a speech about how the role required the person to be trusted by the class, so they should select it via an election. Students pointed out that the didn't know each other well enough to truly trust each other and that most people would probably just vote for themselves. Iida countered that that meant someone gaining multiple votes be all the more significant. Iida asked what Aizawa thought, only for the man to be shown wrapped up in his sleeping bag. He said he didn't care as long as they decided before the end of the class.

Yagi gave Aizawa a skeptical look. “You seriously just left it to them while you napped?”

Aizawa shrugged. “I wasn't really sleeping, just resting. I've been a hero course teacher long enough to know it's not worth my time and energy to try and control them during something like that. Besides, a lack of input on my part allows the kids inclined toward leadership to step up and get recognized for it.”

“And the fact that it requires the least amount of work from you is just coincidental, right?” Present Mic said with a teasing grin. Aizawa shot him a glare. Nedzu chuckled delightedly while Recovery Girl shook her head.

The election results were shown, Midoriya gaining three votes and Momo gaining two, much to Midoriya's surprise. Bakugo demanded to know who voted for Deku, missing the way Uraraka whistled innocently in her seat.

Giggles and laughter filled the room. Bakugo shot a glare at Uraraka, who returned it with a bright smile.

'Round Face is spending too much time with Deku, he's rubbing off on her. Stupid smile...' he grumbled to himself.

Iida lamented his zero votes, and the students around him wondered why he didn't just vote for himself if he wanted to position. The scene changed to show Midoriya and Momo standing up at the front of the class, officially receiving their positions. Momo looked at how much Midoriya was shaking and muttered about how vexing it was.

Uraraka frowned. “Well that was kinda rude.”

Momo frowned herself. “I see what you mean. My apologies Midoriya. I did not mean to imply that you are inferior, I merely wished that I could have had the lead position myself at the time.”

“It's okay, I didn't really want to be up there anyway. I mean, it was flattering, but I didn't really want the position like you did, plus I think you would have done it better.”

“Thank you.” Momo nodded, glad to know she wasn't the only one who had been thinking that.

The scene switched to the lunch room, where Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya were eating lunch together. Midoriya confessed that he wasn't sure he was qualified for the class representative position. Uraraka simply told him he was, while Iida said that his courage and critical thinking made him worth following, which was why Iida voted for him.

“I, um, your support means a lot to me, both of you. I hope you know that.” Midoriya managed to blurt out through his embarrassment.

“No problem Deku!”

“Your support and friendship is equally valued by myself, and I assume Uraraka.”

“Of course!”

Izuku's face grew redder, and tears welled up at the corner of his eyes.

Uraraka pointed out that Iida had wanted to be the class rep too, which made sense because he had glasses and everything!

“Dang it, you're right! We completely forgot to take that into account when voting! We should have known Iida would end up being the rep based on that alone!” Kaminari said with a laugh. Mineta and Sero joined him.

Uraraka laughed lightly. “Yeah, I suppose it does sound kind of silly when you put it like that.”

“Well, you weren't exactly wrong, he really does have that kind of look, kero.”

“Yeah he does.” Jirou agreed.

“Vindication!” Uraraka shouted, pumping a fist in the air. That got the rest of the class laughing.

Iida insisted he had just been doing what he thought was right. Uraraka suddenly remembered that she had wondered something about Iida, and asked him if he was rich. He looked surprised, then turned away, saying that he'd tried not to give off that impression.

“Well that failed.” Hagakure stated bluntly.

“Yeah, Bakugo pointed it out on the first day, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't the only one who noticed.” Sato agreed.

He admitted that he came from a long line of heroes, and that his family ran the Ingenium agency.

“Man, I'm kinda jealous.” Kirishima admitted. “Iida musta had a bunch of people to give him quirk and hero advice growing up. He's already got an insider look.”

“Whatever, they probably didn't let him in on the real gritty stuff if 'I am evil' is what he thinks a villain sounds like.” Bakugo scoffed. “Besides, the best experience is first hand experience. Ain't nothing gonna top going out and doing it yourself.”

“So manly...” Kirishima whispered. This was the side of Bakugo he liked to see.

Todoroki mulled that fact over. He hadn't thought about how he wasn't the only 'legacy' student in class. He wondered if Iida ever got any pressure concerning that...probably not as much since his big brother was still young and fulfilling his role well.

Izuku was able to immediately rattle off a bunch of facts about Ingenium. Izuku put the pieces together, and Iida revealed that Ingenium was his older brother. He described Ingenium as an honorable leader, and said how he wanted to be just like him.

“That is a very honorable goal, young Iida. I wish you the best of luck in achieving it, and hope you'll let me know if there's any way I can assist you as you go forward.” Yagi said. Iida stood up and bowed to him.

“Of course sir, I'll do my best! Thank you sir!”

Iida said that it was probably too soon for him to lead others like his brother did though, and that Izuku was more qualified since he figured out the trick to the entrance exam. Izuku was about to tell him that he hadn't really figured the trick out- but was cut off by an alarm ringing.

“I appreciate you attempt to be honest as soon as the topic was brought up again.” Iida said. “But honestly, I believe that not knowing about the rescue points, and rushing forward to do a rescue anyway, simply makes the action all the more admirable.”

Izuku blushed. “Thanks Iida, but really, I'm just like you when you voted for me then, because we were both just trying to do what was right.”

“But really, you-”

“Geeze.” Uraraka giggled. “Just accept that you're both awesome already!”

Now both boys were blushing.

An automated voice announced that there was a security breach and directed the students to evacuate outside. Iida asked another student what was going on, and he said that someone had trespassed on UA grounds before urging them to hurry and running away. Soon there was a mass of people trying to exit at the same time, everyone panicking and pushing each other.

“Yeesh, I heard it got bad, but not this bad! Are we sure no one got trampled?” Present Mic asked worriedly.

“Only minor injuries, fortunately.” Recover Girl reported.

“Such is the way of mob mentality.” Nedzu shook his head. “I suppose we should learn from this and increase the frequency of our emergency drills. Perhaps we could build an additional exit from the cafeteria as well.”

Aizawa grunted in agreement. He was glad he'd ended up with the kids he did, if this was how the other students reacted to an alarm.

Izuku got swept away from the other two by the crowd. Iida was forced over to the window, where he saw that the 'intruders' were just the media. The scene zoomed in on the woman reporter from before demanding a statement from Aizawa and Present Mic, who did their best to deflect the questions. Present Mic whispered to Aizawa that the press people were technically committing a crime right now and wondered if they could get away with beating them up. Aizawa whispered back that it wouldn't be worth what they'd write as a result.

“I know it's wrong, but a part of me really wanted Aizawa to say yes, just so we could get to see these guys getting chased away.” Jirou admitted.

“Heck yeah! That would have been awesome!” Kaminari yelled.

“That would be very satisfying.” Momo admitted.

Todoroki nodded in agreement.

Iida tried to tell the crowd that it was a false alarm, but no one heard him over the panic. He saw more classmates getting swept away, and tried to think of what to do. He saw Uraraka and moved toward her, asking himself what Midoriya or his brother would do at a time like this.

Izuku's mouth fell open. Iida seriously thought of him when he was trying to figure out what to do?

Yagi chuckled. “Young Midoriya certainly does have an affect on people.”
“He does, though I'm not sure he realizes it yet.” Aizawa agreed.

Iida got an idea. He reached out his hand toward Uraraka and asked her to use her quirk on him. She managed to brush her hand against his, and suddenly Iida was floating above the crowd. He set his sites for the exit sign, and fired off his engines. He slammed into the wall just above the sign.

“Ah!” Iida cried, feeling pain spasm across his back and side.

“Iida?” Uraraka and Izuku said his name in unison in the same worried tone.

“I find that Midoriya was correct, that did hurt more than I remember.” Iida said, his smile only a little tight. He was rewarded with light laughter from his two friends.

Iida secured his place before yelling out that everything was fine, that it was just the media. Thankfully everyone heard and began to calm down. Relieved faces were seen throughout the crowd, and Izuku was looking up at Iida with clear admiration.

Iida felt his chest swell with pride at eliciting such a reaction from a friend he so respected and admired.

“Just as cool and manly as I remember.” Kirishima smiled fondly.

“Defintely!” Ashido agreed.

The scene changed to everyone back in class 1-A's homeroom. Izuku and Momo stood at the front, and Izuku nervously announced they had to choose the other class officers. He only calmed when he started to say that he wanted to give up his position to Iida, in acknowledgment of how Iida got everyone to calm down in such a cool way. Others in the class agreed with Izuku, and the heartfelt moment was interrupted by Aizawa demanding they get on with it.

“See, it all worked out.” Aizawa said.

Yagi sweatdropped at how Aizawa was once again in the sleeping bag during class.

Iida stood up and eagerly accepted the nomination, and earned the nickname 'Emergency Exit' from his classmates. Midoriya was smiling up front, but Momo looked put out and wondered why everyone overlooked her.

Izuku's jaw dropped in realization, and he turned to Momo, waving his hands frantically.

“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to skip over you like that! I can't believe I didn't ask you if you wanted to position first, I'm sorry!”

“I too must apologize Yaoyorozu, it was most presumptuous of me to take the position without consulting you.” Iida stood and gave her deep bow. She looked between the two of them critically, before letting out a sigh.

“It was extremely annoying at the time, but I'm okay with how things are now. After I gave it some more thought I decided that, since Iida is more proactive in his leadership style, that our partnership would work better if I was the one in the supporting role. So, I accept your apology. Just remember to follow proper succession rules in the future.”

“Of course!” “Absolutely.”

The scene changed to just outside the UA front gate, or what was left of it. Midnight, 13, Recovery Girl and Principle Nedzu looked at the crumbled pile of material that was once the front gate barrier. They concluded that the press hadn't been the ones to do it, and that someone else gave them a hand getting in. The question now was if it was meant to sneak someone in, or if it was meant as a warning.

“Looking back on it now, it was probably both. Shigaraki seemed to be the type for dramatics, and someone sneaking in could explain the trouble with the sensors later, and how they knew the class schedule.” Aizawa mused.

“That's certainly a possibility.” Nedzu agreed.

The scene changed to somewhere out in the city, where a group of battered heroes faced off against a large villain who was holding a family hostage, using them to deter the heroes from acting.

“Those kinds of villains are the worst! Using innocent people as shields!” Hagakure said passionately. Students around her murmured in agreement.

“Yeah, they're the worst type to fight too.” Present Mic agreed. “You get really limited in what you can do if you've got civilians in the line of fire.”

The fight was cut short by All Might dropping out of the sky to knock out the villain and save the family. As soon as he was done with that, he heard someone cry out about a car accident, and couldn't resist going to help even if it made him late.

Recovery Girl shook her head in fond exasperation. “You're not the only hero in the city, young man. I know you're one of the most effective, but that doesn't mean you have to solve everything yourself.”

“I know that, I do, it's just...I can't ignore a cry for help.” Yagi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Present Mic nodded. “I get that, I do, but even you can't save everyone you know?”

“Indeed. You must remember that you won't be able to give the students your best if you exhaust yourself before school even starts.” Nedzu admonished lightly. “You must decide soon where you priorities ultimately lie.”

Yagi looked conflicted, and Aizawa sighed. 'I'm hardly one to talk about being exhausted, but I always do my best to think of my students first. If he continues to spread himself too thin, I get the feeling that's going to come back to bite him, and at more places than just the USJ.'

All Might leaped toward the cry he'd heard, only to realize that his jumps had gotten slower. He thought about how his own use of One for All had gotten weaker since he'd passed it on, and how pushing himself during the slime villain incident had caused his time in hero form to shorten once again.

The students sent each other worried looks. They remembered All Might having a clear victory during the USJ incident, but had he really? Had he pushed himself again and cost himself more time?

Izuku felt guilt squirm in the pit of his stomach. All Might was getting weaker, and it was because of him. All Might came so close to having his secret revealed during the USJ, he might have even been killed if things had gone slightly differently, and it was Izuku's fault because-

“Midoriya, my boy.” Yagi's voice startled Izuku out of his spiraling inner thoughts, and he looked up to see his idol standing in front of him. Yagi sighed, and knelt to lay a hand on his shoulder. “We've been over this, my boy. My quirk getting weaker is not your fault. It was getting weaker on it's own already, plus this would happen no matter when, or who, I passed it onto. Please remember that going forward. None of what happens to me because of my weakening powers is your fault.”

Izuku looked into his eyes for a moment longer before nodding. “I'll do my best.”

“That is all I ever ask.” Yagi said with a smile. He ruffled the boy's hair, causing Izuku himself to smile, before getting up and going back to his seat.

The scene flashed back to the end of the last episode, just after Midoriya had talked to Bakugo. Midoriya apologized for telling Bakugo about his quirk. All Might let him off with a warning, but reminded Midoriya that he had to be more careful with who he spoke of One for All to, since the world was full of people who would try to steal the power away from him if word ever got out.

“Before anyone starts to worry too much, One for All can only be passed on willingly by the one who holds it. No one could forcibly steal it from young Midoriya, but most would not know this and attempt to go after him anyway.” All Might explained.
Those present absorbed the information silently. If villains truly descended upon Midoriya, the information that his quirk was safe held only a little comfort.

Back in the present, All Might thought about how Izuku was now a proper vessel, but still very young, so he'd have to keep himself together as much as he could. Then he jumped away toward another disaster.

“'I've got to keep myself together' he says, right before running off to do something that will tax him even more.” Aizawa muttered. Yagi looked down, abashed. Dang it, how could someone so skeletal look so much like a scolded puppy?

“I just couldn't-”

“We know, couldn't ignore a cry for help.” Recovery Girl interrupted.

The scene changed back to the school, where Aizawa announced that the class was going to participate in rescue training.

Tension filled the room as everyone was reminded about what was coming up. They would have to face the terror of what had just happened all over again, and experience every hurt that went with it.

Present Mic turned to Aizawa, his eye shining with worry. “You got hurt pretty bad during the USJ incident. Do you want a spare notebook to use for the pain like Midoriya?”

At first it seemed like Aizawa might not answer him, then the man let out a deep sigh. “I'll use my capture weapon when the time comes. It'll do a better job of muffling any noises I make.”
Hizashi nodded in acceptance, and shifted a little closer to Aizawa, a silent message to say that he would be there for his friend no matter how bad the pain got. Aizawa didn't look at him, but leaned toward him.

Yagi noticed the exchange, and wondered if he should change his own seating location when the incident officially started. He knew few details about what Midoriya, or any of the other students, had gone through before he arrived there.

The students talked excitedly about their first lesson in one of the main jobs as a hero.

“Alas, how naive we were.” Tokoyami said with a bowed head. Shoji rested a hand on his shoulder.

Aizawa interrupted them to say that costumes were optional this time, and that they would need to take a bus to get to the training location before leaving the kids to get ready. Izuku was shown to be thinking about how rescue was what he had found so inspiring about All Might, and vowed to do his best with this next step to being a hero.

“Such fiery passion about your journey. It truly makes you shine Midoriya!” Aoyama said with a bright smile.

“Heh, thanks, Aoyama.” Izuku smiled back at him. “I was really excited, though it's a shame that we didn't get to do actual rescue training.”

“It may not have been the lesson plan, but we did practice rescuing ourselves.” Tsuyu pointed out. “And you went back to help, so that should count as rescuing too right?”

While the students discussed that, Nedzu spoke to the teachers.

“It occurs to me that we may need to rearrange some of our classes for 1-A to help them make up for rescue training they missed. Though practical experience has it's place, there are certain basics they should be taught to ensure they perform up to par.”

Aizawa let out another sigh. “Great, that'll mean even more paperwork.”

“I'll give you a hand.” Present Mic promised.

The kids were shown waiting around for the bus to be ready. Once it was, Iida used a whistle and gave talk about how to properly board the bus in order to save time. Which turned out to be completely moot once it was shown that the inner design was different than anticipated.

“Not gonna lie Iida, the face you made when you stepped onto the bus and saw the seat arrangement was pretty great.” Sato said with a grin.

Iida huffed. “I guess being entertaining is better than nothing.”

Momo's eyes were narrowed at the screen. “Is Aoyama looking at the 'camera' again?”

Todoroki shifted his gaze to look at the past image of said classmate. “He appears to be.”

“Are you sure he's not just looking at Iida? Everyone else in the scene is.” Jirou pointed out.

“His pupils seem to be a little too high to be looking at Iida, everyone else is looking down, at least slightly.” Momo made a note of the strange occurrence in her notebook.

Tsuyu turned to address Midoriya. She asked him to call her just 'Tsu' and then pointed out that Midoriya's quirk was quite similar to All Might's.

Yagi startled so bad he started to cough, and nearly spewed blood. He soothed his chest by taking a cup of water Recovery Girl offered him before saying. “Is it really that obvious?”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “To be honest, I could see the similarities, but didn't think much beyond that. So no, not as much as you might think.”

“People are going to start thinking about the connection if you react like that when questioned about it though.” Nedzu pointed out.

Midoriya tried to act casual and come up with a plausible explanation, but ended up stuttering and sounding awkward instead.

Izuku hid his face in embarrassment.

“Nedzu's gotta point.” Present Mic pointed out. “If you both react that badly then someone's gonna start to wonder.”

“I'd recommend coming up with a few scripted answers for if people notice any connection between the two of you.” Nedzu said.

“And then practice them a bunch so you can actually say them naturally.” Recovery Girl added.

“Right, right, I'll add it to my to-do list.” Yagi said, making a mental note. Maybe during the next break...

Izuku was saved when Kirishima pointed out that All Might didn't get hurt when he used his quirk. Then went on to say that Midoriya was lucky to have something as flashy as that, since his own quirk was useful, but didn't look like much.

“Any decent hero should be willing to take 'useful' over 'flashy'.” Aizawa declared.

“You gotta remember that not everyone is an underground hero.” Present Mic pointed out. “As annoying as it can be, keeping public approval and attention is pretty important to everyday pros.”

Aizawa huffed, but didn't argue the point.

Midoriya praised Kirishima's quirk, saying that it could definitely work for him as a pro. Kirishima made a point about how popularity was a big part of being a hero too. Aoyama claimed that his own quirk balanced the two well, before Kirishima declared that Todoroki and Bakugo were at the top of 'powerful and flashy' when it came to their class. Tsuyu took the opportunity to point out that Bakugo's constant anger would hurt his popularity, which caused him to snap at her right away.

“Way to prove her point.” Jirou muttered, still a little ticked at how he'd nearly knocked her phone out of her hands when he leaped to his feet. She really should have sat somewhere else. Bakugo scowled at her, but it went unnoticed.

Kaminari said how amazing it was that everyone already recognized that Bakugo had a garbage personality. The teasing went on and Uraraka and Momo commented on the conversation, yet no one noticed how panicked Izuku looked about Bakugo getting teased.

Uraraka frowned, realizing how much hurt her friend must associate with Bakugo being that angry. “I'm sorry, I would have said something if I'd noticed how weirded out you were by all of that.”

“I too must apologize, as you friend and class representative I should have noticed your distress and tried to address the issue.”

Izuku waved off his friends' apologies. “It's okay, I wouldn't want you guys to make a scene over something like that. Besides, I think it was a good reminder to me that UA isn't like my old school.”

Aizawa ordered them all to quiet down, because they were arriving at their destination. When they got off the bus they were greeted by pro-hero 13, whom they greeted excitedly before escorting them into the facility.

“Dang, never thought I'd see Midoriya get competition for his hero fanboying.” Hagakure said with a giggle, noticing how excited both Izuku and Uraraka were.

“Fanboying vs Fangirling, which will win?” Ashido said in a mock announcer voice.

“I didn't realize it was a competition.” Uraraka teased back. “But I'll do my best!”

Izuku could do nothing but sit there and blush.

The students looked around in awe as they entered, and 13 explained the different disaster areas. After declaring the building the Unforseen Simulation Joint, aka USJ, the class seemed to realize en masse that it was the same initials as Universal Studios Japan.

“That was the pun he was going for I believe.” Nedzu said. “I should mention how you all figured it out once I'm able to visit him. I'm sure he'll be very pleased.”

Aizawa walked forward and asked 13 where All Might was. 13 quietly confided that he'd used up his time on the way to work and was resting in the teacher's lounge.

Izuku's eyes widened. Shigaraki seemed to know something about All Might's weakness, was it possible he also knew about the time limit? With all the minor villains under his command it was conceivable that Shigaraki had encouraged more villains to act up that morning in order to wear All Might down before he even got to class. But if that was true, then they'd gone too far and run All Might out of time completely. Was that an accident, or did Shigaraki not know All Might's exact time limit? He frantically wrote the theory down, determined to bring it up with his mentor at the next available opportunity.

A skeletal All Might was shown in the lounge using his phone, saying he'd try to show up near the end of class. Aizawa voiced his disapproval before telling 13 to get on with the lesson. 13 started by explaining his quirk and how he used it in rescue situations, but the mood quickly turned when he pointed out that his quirk could also be used to kill, and that some of them probably had quirks that were similar.

Several looks were sent toward Bakugo, who scowled when he noticed them.

“Don't give me that look unless you're giving it to Half and Half and Deku too.” He growled. Some raised their eyebrows while others looked chagrined. Bakugo actually had a point that time; his wasn't the only dangerous quirk in class.

13 warned them to remember that there were plenty of quirks that could kill if mishandled even a little. And that he hoped to compliment the lessons given by their first two hero classes by making sure they understood that their powers were for helping others. The class cheered when he was done.

Present Mic grinned. “You gotta admit, 13 has his own brand of charisma.”

“Indeed, the students were hanging on his every word.” Yagi agreed.

Aizawa started to direct the class forward, only to be interrupted by the lights short circuiting. He immediately sensed something was wrong, and turned to see a swirling black and purple portal appear in the center of the facility. The screen gave an up close view of Shigaraki's head becoming visible through the mist.

Students recoiled in disgust. The combination of his red eyes and severed hands would never fail to be disturbing.

Izuku took a deep breath and steeled himself. He wasn't looking forward to going through this again, he'd gotten more than enough of a view after he and the others escaped the shipwreck zone. But this episode appearing also meant they had almost reached episodes covering the future, and he was willing to go through this again to get the knowledge needed to save others from being attacked. He poised his pen over his notebook, ready to note down any details about the villains he may have missed before.

On another couch, Momo was doing the same. With how battered their teacher had been after the attack, she doubted he would be in the position to jot down anything once things got going. Since the other teachers may be distracted with taking care of him, she was determined to observe and record as much as she could in their place.

Aizawa immediately told the students to stay back and ordered 13 to protect them. As the teachers and class looked on, the portal widened, and soon Shigaraki was stepping through, surrounded by a multitude of other villains. Kirishima wondered if this was another case of the exam starting without warning, but this theory was quickly dashed when Aizawa warned them that these were real villains.

“I told you to stay back.” Aizawa grumbled, seeing that past Midoriya had started to step forward. Present Mic glanced at him, catching the undercurrent of concern in Aizawa's voice.

“I'm sorry sir. I just wanted to get a closer look to try and figure out what was going on and how the people were getting through. I'll listen better from now on.” Izuku promised. This seemed to mollify Aizawa somewhat.

Izuku's voice over noted the irony of the villains appearing before them when they should have been practicing rescues. As he said this, the Nomu stepped through the portal at Shigaraki's command.

People shivered at the sight of the Nomu, some remembering how the being had gone toe to toe with All Might; while Midoriya, Tsuyu, and Mineta were reminded of the sound of snapping bones.

Nedzu stood up in his seat addressed the room. “I understand that the upcoming event was very trying for everyone involved. That being the case, if anyone would like to take a short break to steal themselves, no one will think any less of you.”

The students looked at each other and had quick conversations. While none of them were looking forward to going through this again, there seemed to be a general attitude that it would be better to get it over with than spend any time dwelling on it.

Present Mic shifted his gaze between Aizawa and Yagi, knowing that both had needed medical attention by the time everything was over. His eyes gained a determined glint. “Hang on one sec.” he said. He ran into the bathroom at the back of the room and emerged with two towels. He handed one to Yagi.

“In case you need to clean yourself up.” he said.

Then he gave the other to Aizawa.

“This should be more comfy than your capture weapon, and it will muffle a lot more.” He spoke more quietly to Aizawa than he did to Yagi, making sure the comment was kept between them. Aizawa looked at the towel for a moment, then took it with a grateful nod.

Recovery Girl scooter herself closer to the edge of her seat, knowing she would need to get up and tend to multiple people soon. Even if she could do very little physically, she was determined to offer what comfort she could.

When everyone seemed to be ready, the next episode started.

Chapter Text

Down in the center of the plaza, the mist villain, Kurogiri, mentioned the two teachers present, and wondered why All Might wasn't there.

Students and teachers alike looked at each other, anger and worry made clear by their expressions. It was one thing to think that villains had somehow managed to sneak classified information, and another thing entirely to have it confirmed.

Shigaraki voiced his disappointment in All Might not being there, and wondered if the man would come if they killed some kids.

“Well, there goes any hope we had that our deaths weren't on the agenda.” Sato muttered. “Trying to kill us was always the 'back up' plan.”

“It's strange that nobody died despite that instruction though.” Ojiro pointed out. “I mean, we are first year students. Even if we're talented for our age, you'd think that more of us would have gotten hurt.”

“Jeez, Ojiro, you sound like you wanted more of us to get our butts kicked.” Hagakure complained.

“I didn't mean it like that. I just find it weird that, if they were really trying to kill us, that so few of us got seriously injured.”

“Perhaps in their arrogance they were blinded by our dazzling brilliance.” Aoyama declared. Several looks of confusion were shot his way.

“Uh...I think he means they didn't do their best because they underestimated us.” Mineta proposed.

“That could be.” Ojiro admitted.

“It's also possible the kill order threw them off.” Tsuyu theorized. “They were really after All Might the whole time, so some of them might have gotten psyched out when told to fight kids to the death.”

“Perhaps. Even the darkest shadows may cease if surprised by the light.” Tokoyami mused.

“It would be nice to think that at least some villains had standards.” Shoji agreed.

Guilt squirmed in the place Yagi's stomach should have been. The whole attack had been because of him; the kids were put in danger just because the villains wanted to draw him out. Yet he didn't even have the strength to come protect them until it was nearly too late, and then he just barely managed to do it.

As the hoard of villains continued to approach, the students wondered how they could have gotten into the school. Momo questioned 13 about the censors, and 13 admitted that they should have been going off but weren't. Todoroki surmised that one of them must have a quirk interfering with the sensors, and that their timing and chosen location meant that this was a carefully planned attack.

“That was very well put, young Todoroki. You deduced much with a few facts and got all the relevant information across quickly.” All Might said. Shouto looked at him for a moment, then merely nodded in response to the praise.

Aizawa ordered 13 to start evacuating students, and told Kaminari to see if his quirk could do anything about the possible interference. Izuku asked if Aizawa was planning to fight the entire group of villains on his own, reminding the hero that his fighting style was much better suited for one on one battles. Aizawa dismissed his worry, saying that every good hero had more than one trick, before leaping into the fray.

“Jumping in like that was so manly.” Kirishima proclaimed, his eyes glistening.
There was a chorus of quiet agreement from the class. They were still tense about what was coming, but were unable to deny how amazingly their teacher had fought. They would never be able to forget how Aizawa hadn't hesitated to take on an entire hoard of villains to protect them. In that moment, Aizawa had unknowingly gained a high amount of gratitude, and unending loyalty, from his students.

A villain in the crowd called for the shooting squad to get ready.

“That's further evidence that a good amount of preparation occurred. The villains that came had been organized into smaller groups with specific jobs.” Izuku muttered.

One of the shooting squad villains said that their info had only mentioned 13 and All Might, and demanded to know who was coming at them. When Aizawa reached them, his quirk canceled theirs, much to their surprise, and soon they were being tossed through the air by Aizawa's capture weapon.

“They didn't know he'd be there or who he was, yet they had the class schedule. I didn't realize that Mr. Aizawa censored his identity even within the school records.” Momo mused. 'Nor did I think about how helpful it would be in battles for villains not to be able to recognize you. Perhaps I should look into underground hero work more.'

“Gotta admit, that's some dedication.” Jirou agreed.

One of the villains recognized Aizawa and called out what his quirk was. A villain with a mutation quirk ran up, challenging Aizawa to erase his. Aizawa admitted he couldn't, but explained how he'd figured out how to combat those types anyway, all while dodging blows and sending the mutation quirk villain crashing into 3 others.

The class cheered when the villain landed. Aizawa would forever deny that the sound gave him a bit of a thrill.

“Eraserhead is so cool!” Midoriya said, looking at the screen with shining eyes. It was a lot easier to admire the pro's skills when he wasn't in fear for his own life, or his teachers'.

“Uh oh, does All Might have competition?” Uraraka teased. Yagi overheard and playfully raised an eyebrow at Midoriya.

“W-what?! No! N-nothing like that! All Might will always be the best!” Izuku declared. “I just have a new appreciation for Eraserhead's skill set. That's all!”

Uraraka laughed. “I'm just teasing, Deku.”

“Indeed, I'm sure All Might knows he'll always be your number 1.” Iida said with a smirk.

“Not you too!” Izuku groaned while the other three laughed.

While Aizawa fought, Shigaraki's voice was heard, breaking down the pro's fighting style. Then he said that he hated heroes, since the masses don't stand a chance against them.

“What does that matter? Heroes are around to fight villains, not the masses.” Ashido said.

“Yeah! Heroes are around to protect the 'masses'. So if you didn't want to get attacked by pros maybe you shouldn't go around attacking people.” Hagakure said, crossing her arms with a huff.

“I'm willing to bet that's not his real reason for hating heroes.” Izuku interjected. “Or at least, it's not his only reason.” Internally, Izuku was feeling a bit disturbed. 'The way he talked about Eraserhead's moves, it almost sounded like something I would writer in one of my notebooks...'

The scene switched back to the class running toward the entrance.

“Dang, Eraserhead really took down that many people even before we got stopped by the mist guy? Dude's fast.” Kaminari said.

Koda nodded his head rapidly. Their teacher's reflexes seemed to be faster than even some animals', and that was saying something.

On screen Izuku was also admiring Aizawa's work. So much so that Iida had to remind him they were evacuating.

“Not that it ended up mattering this time, but you'll have to be careful about that in the future.” Tsuyu noted.

“Yeah, I know I've gotta work on keeping myself from getting lost in my own head.” Izuku admitted.

The way to the exit was suddenly cut off by Kurogiri. Aizawa noticed that the mist villain had escaped his gaze and tried to get back to the class, but was cut off by the other villains.

Aizawa opened and closed his hands. His knuckles already had a familiar sting in them from the on screen version of himself punching villains. If the sensations were this accurate then he really wasn't looking forward to the rest of this battle. But right now, it hurt more that he hadn't been able to protect the class from one of the most dangerous villains, hadn't been able to prevent them from getting caught and forced to fight for their lives.

Kurogiri sounded polite as he introduced himself and the League of Villains, and that tone carried over into declaring their intention to kill All Might.

Yagi looked down, once again feeling ashamed that he couldn't even muster the power to show up until they had threatened every student and nearly killed Aizawa and 13. If only he'd been able to pace himself and get to class on time. Surely that would have made a difference...

Kurogiri started to make his move against the class. 13 prepared to use their quirk, but was interrupted by Kirishima and Bakugo leaping at Kurogiri.

Aizawa sent them a glare. “Just what part of me telling you all to evacuate while 13 protected the class did the two of you not understand?”

Kirishima fidgeted nervously and Bakugo scowled.

“What's that look for, huh? We were trying to get that asshole out of the way so everybody else could get out. Beating up villains is what heroes do!”

“You aren't heroes, you're students.” Aizawa shot back. “Which means you trust your teachers to get you out of situations like this and only go on the attack yourself if there's no other option. Since 13 was still healthy and in charge at the time you had no reason to go charging in front of her. Especially after she just made a speech about how dangerous her own quirk can be.”

Bakugo continued to scowl, but didn't argue further. Kirishima ducked his head. Present Mic nudged Aizawa in the side.

“You could assign them a paper that makes them detail what all they did wrong, or give them a bunch of extra clean up duties.”

“Or have them do lines. Someone as fiery as those two would hate doing something so pointless.” Nedzu added.

Aizawa looked over at the pair. Kirishima seemed to have gotten the message already, but he wasn't so sure Bakugo had. “We'll see.”

Bakugo set off an explosion, filling the area with smoke. When it cleared, it showed that they had done no damage to the villain. 13 urged the two to move, but they didn't have time to before Kurogiri surrounded them. Soon the whole class was engulfed, and only the combined efforts of Iida and Shoji stopped the whole class from being scattered.

“Thanks for that Iida, I don't think I had a chance to say that before.” Uraraka said, bowing to him slightly.

“Yeah man, that was some quick thinking, thanks.” Sato joined her.

“Your thanks are most welcome but unnecessary. I'm glad I was able to do anything at all to help you.”

“Same to you Shoji, thanks for keeping us grounded.” Sero said with a grin.

“Yeah! You were awesome! Those arms are something else!” Ashido cheered.

“I'm just glad that worked. I hardly knew what was going on, and just tried to hunker down as best I could.” He voice was matter of fact, but the blush dusting his cheeks showed how much the thanks meant to him.

The scene changed, and a portal opened up high in the air elsewhere in the USJ. A moment later, Midoriya fell out of it, screaming as he plunged into the water below.

Izuku yelped, the impact of the water's surface snapping against his skin. “I'm okay.” He rushed to assure everyone. “I'm okay.”

“Dang man, you fell from that high?” Kirishima cried.

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty disorienting. I um, I assume that didn't happen to you guys? I mean, that landing would have gone a lot different over ground...”

The students that had been scattered flinched at the thought.

“Nah, me and Bakugo appeared right on the ground.”

“I was a bit higher up, but it was nothing that bracing for a fall couldn't counter.” Todoroki admitted. “Which is rather strange. If they truly wanted to kill us, Kurogiri could have simply dropped us all from the ceiling. That would have resulted in major injuries, if not death.”

Students shivered, and the teachers wore grave expressions. That was a good point. Why hadn't he done that?

“Well, maybe Kurogiri actually does have standards.” Shoji suggested.

“Or at least a sense of sportsmanship.” Iida suggested.
It was the best explanation they had for now, so people returned their attention to the screen.

Midoriya oriented himself in the water and started swimming up. While he did, he tried to figure out what was going on based on what Kurogiri said.

'You're mind just never stops going, does it young Midoriya.' Yagi mused.

Suddenly, a shark-like villain appeared. He zoomed toward Midoriya, but was stopped at the last second by Tsuyu slamming into him. She was already carrying Mineta in her arms, and she quickly wrapped her tongue around Izuku and swam away.

The class cheered.

“Yeah! Go Tsuyu! You show that villain whose boss!” Uraraka yelled.

“Never thought I'd call an ambush manly, but I'd say that counts.” Kirishima said with a grin.

“Truly a most timely rescue, well done Tsuyu!” Iida clapped loudly.

“Nicely done.” Jirou said with smile.

“I wish I could move that fast in water. Think you could do swimming lessons?” Hagakure asked.

“Thanks everyone, but it was no big deal.” Tsuyu brushed off the praise. “I'm just really good in water. Which I think is mainly due to my body type, so I'm not sure swimming lessons from me would help.”

“Awwww...”

“But we could give it a shot and see if it helps.”

“Yay!”

Tsuyu broke the surface of the water right next to the boat in the shipwreck zone. She lowered Izuku to the deck gently. Mineta, still in her arms, commented on the size of her breasts and rubbed his head against them. She promptly threw him on the deck, hard.

Aizawa scowled, and made another note in his notebook. Present Mic's expression matched his.

“Really? She saves his life and that's what she gets from him?”

“He did look rather out of it, so he might not have been thinking clearly.” Yagi said, trying to see the best in people as always. “Still, that was very inappropriate.”

“If you would like to quote the portions of the student handbook detailing our policy on harassment, simply let me know.” Nedzu chimed in, looking at Aizawa. “I have it all memorized.”

“I might take you up on that.”

Meanwhile, with the students, Jirou was looking back and forth between Tsuyu and Mineta. “What, no tongue lashing this time?”

“I already threw him on the deck for that. More would just be redundant.” Tsuyu said, eyeing how real time Mineta was rubbing the back of his head.

“That hurt.” Mineta whined.

“Gotta admit dude, you really had it coming that time. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.” Kaminari said.

Izuku thanked Asui as she climbed into the boat. She reminded him to call her 'Tsu' while she got her own close up quirk explanation. They started talking about the situation and how much the villains knew, and Izuku deduced that these villains must have caused the earlier break in.

“That's a good extrapolation, especially considering we tried to remove the evidence of the barrier being severely damaged before any students could see it.” Nedzu noted with a smile.

“Th-thank you sir!”

Mineta argued about the villains' claims to be after All Might, proclaiming that the #1 hero would clear everything up once he got there. Tsuyu pointed out that with the villains trying so hard, it was likely that they had a way to beat All Might, and she wondered if they would be able to hold out until he arrived. The more she talked the more distressed Mineta looked.

“Tsu, I know you were just stating the obvious, but with the look on his face might have wanted to tone it down a notch.” Uraraka said.

“I wasn't in much of a mood to care about how Mineta felt, kero.”

“Okay, that's fair.”

“Still, I suppose it would have been better to look at the bigger picture, and at least try to keep him from panicking.”

Izuku shook his head. “To be honest Tsu, I'm not sure anything short of All Might bursting through the doors right then would have prevented that.”

The students talking was interrupted by the heads of numerous villains braking the water. While Mineta looked on in fear, Midoriya began to think. He realized Tsuyu must be right about the villains having a plan to kill All Might. He tried to think of what their reasoning might be, but as he thought about how much All Might had done for him, he decided he didn't care about their reasons. Izuku got the attention of the other two, and declared that if the villains had a way to kill All Might, then they should fight and try to stop it.

Sero whistled. “Dang, Midoriya went from survival mode to victory mode just like that.” he snapped his fingers.

Kaminari nodded. “No kidding. Talk about being filled with determination.”

“Wouldn't have thought the bastard had it in him.” Bakugo muttered, while Kirishima declared how manly that proclamation was.

'To Izuku, this isn't just about saving the Symbol of Peace.' Iida realized. 'It's about saving his mentor, his idol, the person he most admires in the world.' he imagined he'd feel the same way if Tensei's life was threatened.

Yagi himself felt conflicted. It warmed him beyond belief to see proof of how much Midoriya valued their time together, but it should be him worrying about keeping Midoriya safe, not the other way around.

The scene shifted to the landslide zone, where Todoroki sent out a wave of ice that captured all the nearby villains. Todoroki told them they were pathetic for losing to a him, and that they should get a hold of themselves.

“Dang! Look at Todoroki go!” Kaminari yelled in excitement.

“The sparkle of the ice is simply breathtaking!”

“He was pretty cool!” Hagakure giggled.

“I know he froze a building and all, but seeing him go that far on real people is pretty intimidating.” Sero admitted.

Ojiro nodded, remembering how he had felt when Todoroki's ice had covered him a fraction as much.

“Uh, Todoroki, did you just scold the villains for not being good enough to hurt you?” Momo questioned. He gave her a deadpan look.

“They had one job, Yaoyorozu. One job, and they failed.”

“...I suppose that is true.”

The scene started to shift rabidly, showing different groupings of students in different zones, all preparing to face off against the villains there. Aizawa was shown, still fighting in the plaza, before the scene came back to the shipwreck zone, the boat now completely surrounded.

“A part of me still can't believe we all made it out of there in one piece.” Sato said softly. “Looks like the only group that had things even slightly in their favor was ours, with several students and a teacher against one villain, and even we had a hard time. “

Koda heard him, and nodded vigorously. He certainly hadn't liked his and Tokoyami's odds when it all started. “Still....ours were...weaker villains....and you guys....you had one of the big three.”

Tokoyami nodded. “Indeed. Koda and I faced more villains, but they were of lower caliber, and we had more to work with in our environment. I assume the same holds true for the others. Meanwhile, your group was out in the open and had to face a very over-powered quirk. Your own survival is just as impressive.”

The scene changed again, showing a de-powered All Might in the teacher's lounge. He tried and failed to get through to 13 and Aizawa, and bemoaned that fact that he'd been foolish enough to exhaust himself before class started.

'Everythin's clearer in hindsight.' Aizawa thought. 'Still, at least he acknowledges it was foolish.'

He thought about going to say something during the last minutes, knowing he had about 10 minutes left.

That alarmed class 1-A quite a bit, making several people gape at the screen. Ten minutes? During that whole final fight All Might had been running on ten minutes?!

“It'd be even less than that if you factor in travel time...” Momo muttered in shock.

Midoriya's freckles stood out against his suddenly pale skin.

All Might turned on his quirk, only for blood to spurt out of his mouth.

The class flinched at the sight. All Might kept himself from vocalizing his pain with practiced ease.

The door to the room opened, and All Might was brought up short by the arrival of Principal Nedzu. All Might crouched down so that he could tell Nedzu how good his fur was looking.

The silly image of All Might trying to make himself so small got a few giggles and breathy laughs out of the tense students.

Nedzu thanked him for the compliment, but didn't beat around the bush and showed All Might a news article that revealed how much he'd done before coming to the school. Nedzu started lecturing him about his responsibilities, saying that it was mostly the villains fault, but that All Might couldn't just follow every cry he heard.

“Well, if I'd known Nedzu had already given him a talking to I would have gone easier on him during the last 'episode'.” Present Mic admitted. Aizawa didn't argue. The principal's lectures were a punishment all on their own, if for no other reason than for how long they ran.

All Might started to steam while Nedzu talked, and he was unable to keep up his form. When he turned back to his thin form, Nedzu insisted All Might stay longer.

“In retrospect, it may have been wise to let him go earlier. However, there was no way to know that at the time.” Nedzu mused.

Nedzu said he might as well talk to All Might while he was there. He started pouring tea, which seemed to worry All Might.

“No...not the tea...tea is never a good sign.” Present Mic whispered dramatically.

“What was that, Yamada?” Nedzu asked with a pleasant smile.

“Nothing!” Present Mic yelled.

The students looked at each other in confusion.

All Might's thoughts revealed that he thought the principal had always been long winded.

The principal's smile gained an edge. “I suppose I do go on...”

“Not at all!” Yagi hurried to say. “I mean, you do tend to speak a long time, but always about something interesting, so it's completely fine.”

“Are you sure, I'd hate to think I was boring you...”

“Not at all! I love having tea with you!”

“Ah, that's very good to hear!”

“Is the principal really that scary?” Uraraka whispered.

“Apparently.” Izuku murmured.

But that he was also worried about his calls not going through.

'I should have listened to my instincts. Or at least expressed my worries to the principal.' All Might chided himself. Hindsight really was 20/20.

The principal's voice trailed off as the scene switched back to the USJ. They were shown the group at the entrance. Shoji's use of his dupli-arms made it so he could confirm that all of their classmates were still in the USJ.

“Good to see that Iida's got his priorities straight.” Aizawa said approvingly. Present Mic nodded.

“Yeah, getting Shoji to tell them if their classmates were accounted for helps lower some of the tension and gets the rest of the group to focus on their main problem, Kurogiri.”

13 got Iida's attention, and ordered him to run out of the USJ and back to the school at the first opportunity, saying it will be easier to do that then try and find whoever is interfering with the alarm.

“That's a good plan.” Izuku muttered. “Depending on how the interference quirk works the person might not even be in the USJ, they could be somewhere further away. And even if you assume they are there, searching the place could take ages, and who knows what other villains you'd run into along the way-”
Iida lay a had on Izuku's shoulder, breaking the boy out of his muttering and reminding him that the 'show' was still moving forward.

Iida tried to protest, saying he couldn't leave everyone else behind. His classmates encouraged though, and told him that the villain's plan counted on all of them staying within the USJ. 13 told him to use his quirk to save lives. Iida didn't argue anymore and got ready to run.

“It's important to remember that not all battles are solved by fighting the enemy directly.” Nedzu reminded. “Front line fighters are important, but they would fall quickly without people to fill the support roles.”

Recovery Girl nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Even heroes call the ambulance, or the nurse in UA's case, before trying to apply first aid themselves.”

Kurogiri reached for them, saying they were stupid for discussing their plans in front of the enemy.

“Where else should we have discussed them? Even he admitted we didn't have much of a choice in that.” Iida muttered. Izuku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I suppose some of you could have huddled together and whispered while a few kept an eye on Kurogiri...but then you'd have the problem of not having the whole group knowing what you are doing. That's pretty important in a situation like that.”

Before Kurogiri could get to the students, 13 used her quirk. The scene suddenly changed back to the shipwreck zone, where Mineta was panicking and saying they should wait for rescue rather than fight.

“Unfortunately, I don't think that was an option, even for the three of you.” Momo said. “The villains in our area showed little hesitation in attacking us. It's possible that the villains in the shipwreck zone might wait longer, since they seem to prefer staying in the water, but I doubt they would have waited as long as it took for the teachers to arrive.”

“That pretty much sums it up.” Izuku admitted. Mineta nodded glumly.

“Yeah, we got proof how impatient they were in just a few minutes.”

Midoriya ignored Mineta's panic, and pointed out that, since the villains went out of their way to bring a bunch of water based villains specifically for that area, then the group must have had knowledge about the USJ layout. Which made it weird that Tsu was sent to the shipwreck zone. Tsuyu agreed, saying that if the villains knew their quirks then she would have been put in the fire zone. Midoriya used this to conclude that the villains planned to outnumber them, and that their best chance at winning lay in taking advantage of their enemies lack of knowledge about their quirks.

Aizawa's eyebrows were raised. Considering the extreme situation and how young they were, Midoriya and Asui were keeping their heads remarkably well. The USJ didn't have cameras like the mock city did, because it was built open enough for direct observation. The only thing he'd really known about the students performance during this event was that they had managed to make it out mostly uninjured, which spoke volumes already, and that Iida had been the one to run and get help.

“Dang, I've only seen a little bit and I'm already impressed with your class, Shouta.” Present Mic commented.

Aizawa fully agreed. He hadn't considered before, how useful seeing the past this way would be in getting an idea for how his students handled things like this. He unconsciously sat forward a bit, ready to see how this group managed to get away, and see how the other groups were handling the crisis.

“Getting all flustered over saying a girl's name right in the middle of a villain attack.” Uraraka shook her head fondly. “Only you Deku.”

“But you gotta admit it's pretty cute!” Ashido said with a grin.

“W-well, I mean, I wasn't, she just told us to use it, and I messed it up, and I- I didn't want to insult her!” Izuku stammered.

“It's okay, Midoriya. I didn't expect everyone to get it right away, kero. You actually didn't make it as big a deal as some people, which was nice.”

Izuku let out a sigh of relief, and was even more relieved when Iida ended the topic by saying how impressive Izuku's 'deductions under pressure' were. “It wasn't that big a deal, I mean, they weren't even attacking right then.” Izuku tried to contradict him. Uraraka patted his hand.

“So modest.”

Since they had to rely on their quirks to surprise the enemy, Tsuyu took the opportunity to explain her quirk in detail. Izuku complimented her on her strength, and reminded them what his own quirks uses and limits were. Mineta then explained his quirk. When he was done, the other two stared at him for a long minute, which caused Mineta to start panicking again and saying his quirk was unfit for battle. Izuku rushed to reassure him that it was a good quirk.

“Sorry again, Mineta, I didn't mean to make you think your quirk was useless, I just got distracted trying to think about how we could use all our quirks together to get out of there.”

Mineta waved away Izuku's apology. “I get it now, I just didn't then. It was just scary then, because I never pictured myself as a front line fighter.”

“You were gunning for a support role?” Kaminari asked. Bakugo scoffed, but he was ignored.

“Basically, yeah. My quirk works better by laying traps and sneaking, so I figured I'd be better at that.”

“I definitely see your point.” Izuku conceded. “You should probably work on some strategies for if you do have to fight one on one though; if you only work on support then you won't be much use if you ever have to work alone. Like our teacher said, no hero gets by on just one trick.”

“Hmm, I guess you have a point. I'll have to work on it.” Mineta said, though he sounded uncomfortable with the idea.

On the other side of the room, Jirou let out a huff. “So, Mineta is actually capable of holding a conversation that doesn't include gross comments. Interesting.”
Momo sighed. “Now if only we could get him to do that with us.”

Izuku's words were cut off by one of the villains suddenly slicing the boat in half, and it started sinking fast.

There were a few gasps, and several people leaned forward. Others stayed still, but they were definitely paying more attention now. Among the students, any knowledge of what the other groups did was scattered and fragmented. Most of them hadn't been able to get full stories while being checked over for injuries and questioned by the police after all. The teachers were about the same, so concerned with dealing with the aftermath that they only got the basic details about what happened to the students.

When the boat began to sink Mineta's panic was renewed, and he started to throw his sphere's into the water at random. Izuku worried that they would figure out his quirk, but saw instead that the villains were scared to touch them. Mineta continued to panic, and Tsuyu asked if he'd really entered UA to be a hero.

“I'm sure you aren't the only one whose wondered that.” Uraraka sighed.

“I know she isn't.” Hagakure muttered. She wasn't really blaming him for panicking now, she'd be really scared too if she was on a sinking ship surrounded by villains. But his previous actions made her wonder.

Mineta yelled back it was weirder not to be scared. And that they shouldn't have to worry about dying just after entering high school.

“Just because I wasn't yelling doesn't mean I wasn't scared, kero. I just didn't let it control me.”

“An excellent rebuttal.” Nedzu proclaimed. “After all, the true meaning of courage is doing what is needed despite how frightened you are.”

“I got scared plenty when I was first starting out, and that was with more years under my belt. But the only thing a hero can do is push through it.” Recovery Girl added. Aizawa nodded.

“That's about it. We hardly expect you to get to that level right away, but you should know that's what you'll have to do before graduation.”

Mineta nodded along to what they were saying. Seeing this scene again reminded him of how humbled and inspired he'd been by Midoriya's courage as they fled the flood zone, and he reminded himself to try and be more like him in the future.

“You should try and have it at least a little under control before internships though. Freaking out during the internships can get you a bit of a reputation.” Present Mic warned the class. “Trust me, I'd know.”

“Right, I remember that.” Aizawa grinned. “Pretty sure there's still a few active pros who have hearing loss from that.”

“Shut up.”

“That's what they said.”

“Shouta!”

Mineta yelled that he wished he'd gotten a chance to touch Yaoyorozu's boobs before dying.

Momo went red, and hunched in on herself. Jirou glared at him.

“Keep dreaming, munchkin.”

-Smack!-

“Ow!”

“Should have done that earlier, kero. Was a bit distracted by the villains at the time.” Tsuyu explained.

“I don't blame you.” Momo muttered.

“My tongue is going to start tasting like him.” Tsuyu complained.

“I'll get you some water.” Ashido said, and rushed to the food table.

Aizawa sighed, and pushed himself up off the couch. Mineta watched his teacher approach with almost as much panic as his on-screen counterpart was experiencing.

“I understand you were very stressed at the time, but this isn't the first time this kind of behavior has cropped up with you. After this episode, we're going to have a very long talk about how to respectfully interact with your peers. Understood?” Aizawa asked, glaring down at him the whole time.

“Y-yes, s-sir.”

Midoriya's voice cut off Mineta's crying. Midoriya quoted All Might, saying that when the enemy was certain of victory is when they would have a chance. The scene switched to the villains in the water, they talked for a bit, and were cut off by Izuku stepping onto the ship's railing and screaming.

“Well, that's one way to get their attention.” Sato commented.

“It was more about getting into character than getting their attention.” Izuku admitted.

“What do you mean?”

Izuku told himself to act like Bakugo, then threw himself off the side of the boat yelling “Die!”

“Oh, now it makes sense.” Sato said with a laugh.

“What the hell were you doing Deku?” Bakugo demanded.

“A strange form of inspiration, yet you found exactly the right time to use it, quite admirable.” Iida's hand chopped through the air, and Aoyama nodded.

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery is it not?”

“Don't ignore me extras!”

Izuku thought about how he couldn't get them all in one smash, and couldn't sacrifice a whole arm so early, so he'd have to compromise. Mineta watched on, wondering how Midoriya could do something so brave when he was also scared. Izuku used two fingers to do a smash, just before he hit the water.

Izuku yelled in pain, instinctively grasping his wrist and gritting his teeth.

“Just your fingers this time, right? You gonna be okay?” Uraraka asked worriedly. Izuku smiled tightly and nodded.

“Yeah, I'll be fine.”

“Do you want this?” Iida held up the spare notebook. Izuku shook his head.

“Not yet, thanks guys.” 'Our encounter with Shigaraki and Nomou is coming soon though, I should probably move onto the floor before then.'

“Did, did he just use his strength to make a whirlpool?!” Sero demanded in awe.

“He did! That's so awesome!” Ashido cheered.

“It's not really a whirlpool, but the affect is close enough.” Momo explained. “He knew enough about the physics of water to know that even a smaller 'smash' would displace and disorient them. A very clever use of strength.” She commented with a smile. Todoroki nodded slightly in agreement.

“He didn't stop the break, but he's remembering to keep himself functioning to help others. Good to see he hasn't forgotten.” Aizawa muttered.

The force sent the water swirling and Midoriya shooting up. He yelled for Tsuyu, and she jumped off the ship with Mineta in her arms. She grabbed Izuku with her tongue so he'd be brought along with them. Inspired by Izuku's courage, Mineta started throwing his sphere's into the pool, not even caring that the amount was making him bleed.

“Ow ow ow ow ow!” Mineta cried, rubbing his scalp.

“You okay man?” Kaminari asked. Mineta nodded miserably.

“I will be. It only really hurts when I'm pulling them off, and I stop that soon.”

Aoyama patted Mineta's back, hoping that the comforting gesture might help with the boy's pain in some small way.

The balls stuck to the villains, and that made the villains stick to each other, incapacitating them all at once. Tsuyu declared that they had passed the first obstacle, and that both Izuku and Mineta were amazing.

Izuku blushed. “Th-thanks Tsuyu, but we couldn't have gotten out of there like that without you. So don't count yourself out.”

“I didn't, but thanks for the reminder, kero.”

“You...do you really think I'm amazing?” Mineta asked, his pain temporarily forgotten.

Tsuyu put her finger to her chin. “Your use of your quirk there was pretty cool, so it was mostly about that. But you're honestly not bad to talk to when you aren't being weird and talking about boobs.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, if you stopped entirely then I might like hanging out with you sometimes.”

Mineta stared off into the distance, the beginnings of a revelation percolating in his mind. She'd spend more time with him if he kept those things to himself? Was that true of all girls? Come to think of it, the girls in class hung out with the other boys a decent amount, and he never heard them say the kind of stuff he did...except for Kaminari but he never said it in public.

*_*_*_*

The episode was over after that. They likely would have continued on after that, eager to get the USJ episodes done and over with. But Aizawa was determined to make good on his promise to talk to Mineta about his attitude and actions, and wanted to do it before he had to go through all the pain of the upcoming episodes. To many people's surprise though, he brought All Might with him.

“If I give him this talk alone, he might just assume I'm doing it out of obligation, or may keep his behavior on the down low while I'm around and then go back to his usual ways when I'm not. But if he has the knowledge that even the renowned Symbol of Peace finds his actions disappointing and distasteful...”

“Then he'll most likely have more conviction in changing his ways even when authority figures aren't around. I see, I see, I'll do what I can.”

Before he joined Aizawa though, he consulted Recovery Girl.

“I've seen plenty of his type over the years, and I agree with Aizawa, he's more likely to listen to you than Aizawa or me when it comes to something like this. I could give you a couple pointers if you like, since I can take a good guess at some of the arguments the boy might try to make.”

*_*_*_*

Nobody knew for certain what all Mineta and the two teachers talked about, but the boy looked very solemn when they came out of one of the side rooms. He glanced at Aizawa, who nodded at him, before going up in front of the class.

Aizawa had said his first step toward not getting expelled would be an apology to the class, one that he actually meant. So Mineta thought carefully about what he wanted to say. The two pro heroes had covered a lot of material in their talk, which had surprised Mineta. His past teacher had just given him a quick 'don't do it again' that had almost no bite behind it. He'd expected worse from Aizawa of course, Aizawa was amazing and terrifying in equal measure, but he still hadn't expected the topics to range so broadly. He hadn't really thought about how far reaching his behavior could be in the future if he continued, affecting both him and others.

“Why do you want to be a hero?” All Might had asked at one point.

“I want to be cool!” Mineta said, after some deep thought.

Aizawa had pinched the bridge of his nose, but All Might had looked thoughtful.

“Do you think making those kinds of comments and touching your classmates without their consent is cool?”

That actually gave Mineta pause. “W-well, now that I think about it, probably not the touching. But come on, what girl doesn't want to hear she has a great rack? That's a compliment! Girls just act like their mad about it because they like to play hard to get and stuff.”

This time Aizawa's palm slapped against his forehead. All Might managed to press on though.

“I know media can make it seem that way, but I assure you that most real life women would never take that as a compliment.”

Mineta had been confused by that, so All Might continued, detailing exactly why it wasn't a compliment and how most girls would actually feel about those sorts of comments. He still had a lot to process and think about, but that part of the talk, plus what Tsuyu had said to him earlier, helped him figure out what to say for now.

“Um, I, well, I want to apologize. Mostly to the girls, but also to anyone else I made uncomfortable. I want to be the kind of hero who is cool, and it's not cool to make the people around you feel unsafe, or sad, or nervous, or anything else like that. So I'm sorry I did that, and I'll try not to be such a dick in the future.”

No one said anything for a minute. Jirou was the one to break the silence.

“We'll hold you to that.”

“Indeed we will.” Momo added. “I do appreciate the promise, and sincerely hope you are able to keep it.”

There were murmurs of agreement from the other girls, and Mineta made his way back to his seat.

“Did, uh, did that count as manly?” Mineta asked Kirishima as he went by. Kirishima's eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Getting up in front of the whole class to apologize is a good start, even if it was prompted by the teachers. What will make it really manly is keeping your word.”

Mineta nodded and continued walking. Once he was seated, the next episode started.

Chapter Text

The next episode started right where the last one left off, with the shipwreck zone trio leaving the area now that the villains were immobile. As they waded, Mineta mentioned how he knew that the villains would be stuck for a while.

“Oh man, I so did not need to know that.” Sero said, dramatically cringing away from Mineta.

“Hey, it's not like I thought I was gonna be saying that to the whole class!” Mineta whined.

“Fair point.” Tsuyu conceded. “We didn't really need to know that either though.”

“We'll just add 'instances of TMI' to the list of things you need to keep to yourself.” Kaminari said teasingly. The tone seemed to lessen the amount of red in Mineta's face, so Kaminari counted that as a win.

Midoriya started muttering again, thinking about how they were lucky the villains hadn't kept anyone in reserve.

Bakugo scoffed. “Lucky? You're giving those guys way too much credit. Those grunts could barely hold their own.”

“You do have a point...” Midoriya conceded slowly, cautious of replying to Bakugo. “I suppose it would be more accurate to say we're lucky that Shigaraki and Kurogiri didn't give them better instructions.”
Bakugo grunted, which Midoriya interpreted as grudging agreement.

Tsuyu broke Midoriya out of his muttering and reminded him they needed to focus on getting out. Midoriya agreed, but was briefly distracted by how much his two fingers were hurting.

“I'd almost forgotten how much you had gotten hurt from that move.” Iida commented. Though he would be hard pressed to do so now, as Izuku was once again gritting his teeth. It seemed that having the camera's focus caused the 'pain factor' to come back in full force.

“I remember this, it passes in a sec. I just gotta let my mind, er, my past self has to get his mind focused on other things.” he explained tightly.

Izuku covered his injured hand with a cloth, and he and Tsuyu started discussing how best to proceed.

Izuku relaxed a bit as his past self stopped focusing on his injury and started looking ahead to the next task.

They planned to take the route that would let them avoid the plaza as much as possible, since that's where Aizawa was fighting the crowd of villains. Thinking about this made Midoriya worry about how well his teacher was faring, and he suggested they go see how things were going and try to help a little if they could.

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. He was now sitting on the floor, anticipating his own pain response to the show. “Midoriya, do I need to add your name to the list of students who need to be taught not to get into the teachers' way?”

“I, I wasn't planning to just jump right into the middle of things.” Izuku protested. “We would get good view of the plaza if we followed the shoreline anyway, so I just figured, if we had the opportunity...like, Tsu could use her tongue to snatch away a villain on the edge of the group, or we could use Mineta's quirk to stick someone to the floor. I figured any small thing might help at that point.”

'No wonder All Might picked him. The two are entirely too similar.' Aizawa thought to himself. “Be that as it may, you should have focused on escaping. It's my job to protect you, and it makes it harder when I have to worry about whether or not you'll actually follow my instructions.”

“Yes sir, I'm sorry.” Izuku answered miserably. What made it worse was that they hadn't been able to help Aizawa at all; they just created more targets for Shigaraki.

“Focus on doing better next time, not apologizing or regrets.” Aizawa counseled.

Izuku's voice over commented on how the trio's first victory had made them over confident.

Aizawa felt a bit relieved after hearing that. It likely meant that, had Midoriya been allowed to process the events of the USJ incident instead of ending up here almost immediately afterward, he likely would have realized what they were just talking about on his own. That was a good sign.

The scene switched to the landslide zone. Todoroki insulted the captured villains one more time before casually walking around them to leave the area. He thought about the villains' plans as he did, and concluded that the numbers they had brought were just a bunch of thugs. He thought all this as he froze two more attackers.

Students stared at the screen with their mouths open, and Ashido let out a low whistle. “Dang, Todoroki's got his intimidation shtick down pat!”

“You're telling me.” Sato agreed.

“The fluid grace of your moves is a sight to behold!” Aoyama declared.

Aizawa nodded again, impressed. “It's a good sign that your situational awareness is that high, even while thinking about the larger attack plan. Keep honing that and it will serve you well in the future.”
Todoroki nodded in acknowledgment. Meanwhile, Present Mic looked back and forth between the real Todoroki and the one on screen. 'Am I the only one concerned about how Todoroki is reacting here? I mean, the others were pretty level headed, but Todoroki's vibe is a lot more intense. Like he's already faced down scarier stuff and isn't phased by these guys at all...'

Todoroki concluded that only a few members were truly dangerous, and then proceeded to do the intimidation scene from the previous episode.

“Todoroki, pro tip, if you ever plan to do that kind of thing in the future, do it away from cameras. The media could accuse you of torture otherwise, even if you don't really mean it.” Present Mic said. When Todorki stared at him, he continued, “I mean, that was just a bluff right? You didn't actually plan to torture them?”

“That's correct.” Todoroki said with a nod. “Since they were just street thugs, I didn't anticipate them holding out long enough for it, and I was right. I'll keep the advice in mind though.”

“Good to know.”

Todoroki looked back at the screen. He probably wouldn't need to keep it in mind much though. Endeavor had already given him a few lectures on how best to avoid media scrutiny when doing things that the public might find 'objectionable'.

The scene moved again, this time to the Mountain Zone, where Kaminari was freaking out and running away from a villain. He soon joined Momo and Jirou, who were armed but completely surrounded.

“There's so many!” Hagakure said, fidgeting with worry. “I know you guys didn't get badly hurt, but it's hard to remember when we're seeing all this!”

“Well, define badly hurt? Because physically I'm fine but I wasn't feeling so hot by the end.” Kaminari admitted. Mineta looked over in worry.

“What happened?”

“Oh, I'm sure you'll see.” he deflected.

Jirou snickered, remembering the way Kaminari was acting by the end. Momo's face had gone blank though, as she suddenly remembered what happened at that same time. She hoped Truth had some modicum of decorum.

Kaminari asked for a weapon too, and Jirou told him to just use his quirk. Kaminari argued back that if he did that he ran the risk of hurting them too, because he didn't have a good way to direct it. So the girls would have to do the heavy lifting in the fighting. Jirou responded to this by kicking Kaminari toward a villain, who he then shocked easily without hurting anyone else. Much to his own surprise.

“Jirou, that was dangerous and unprofessional!” Iida shouted.

“Well it worked didn't it?” She shot back. “We needed all our firepower at our disposal if we wanted to get out of there. He just needed a kick to get him going.”

“Still, we could have found a better way to help direct his quirk.” Momo said. “Had I known just a bit more of his quirk back then, I would have made him a staff like mine right away.”

“Covering himself with electricity would cover the rod too. So that would help him choose targets without having to throw himself at them, plus it would increase his range, right?” Midoriya questioned.
Momo nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

“That would have been nice.” Kaminari agreed.

A villain then leaped at Jirou, who she managed to redirect toward Kaminari. The villain's fist hit him in the face, which meant Kaminari was now shocking two villains at once. Momo did the same thing a moment later.

Students whooped and laughed as each villain in turn was shocked by Kaminari.

“Nice teamwork!” Uraraka said through her laughter.

“I suppose it was, in a round about way.” Iida admitted.

“Ow! My nose!” Kaminari yelped when the on-screen villain hit him, covering his nose with one hand.

“You know that's not gonna help right?” Sero pointed out.

“Shut up, it makes me feel better. Emotionally.”

Mineta laughed.

Another villain attacked, and Jirou stopped him by using her quirk, the sounds from her speakers blasting him away. She got her own close up quirk explanation, then chided Kaminari for not ordering something to help him aim from the support department.

“A little late for that, but I'll add it to the to-do list.” Kaminari said.

“Make sure it's at the top of the list.” Jirou grumbled.

“A collapsible metal staff would be a good idea. That would make it portable and not get in the way if you weren't using it.” Midoriya pointed out.

“Hey, that's a good idea! Thanks!” Kaminari grinned at Midoriya, who blushed slightly at the praise. “It'd be nice to have even more range though.”

“I'm not sure how you'd do that yet, but we could maybe brainstorm during one of the breaks. Knowing more about your quirk would help.”

“Sounds like a plan, man.”

More villains were closing in, but just then, Momo hunched down. A light appeared across her back and a huge sheet sprang into being.

“Oh! Is that an insulation sheet?” Midoriya asked eagerly, Momo smiled proudly.

“Indeed it is.”

“That's perfect! That was a great plan!”

“How is a sheet going to help?” Ojiro wondered.

“Just watch and see.”

Momo told Kaminari what the sheet was and the boy grinned. As soon as the girls were covered he sent out a huge blast of electricity, and the area went silent. Villains all around the area were shown, either down and out or burnt and shaking.

“Awesome!” Ashido shouted. “You really showed them.”

“Giving it your all to protect your classmates, so manly!”

Momo lifted up the sheet, expressing her worry about the others. Doing so also revealed what had happened to her outfit after the sheet was created.

Momo sighed, and resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Well, she had asked for a modicum of decency, and apparently that's what she was going to get, a modicum. Better that the dust cloud was there than not she supposed.

Meanwhile, Jirou was staring down everyone in the room. “I swear if any one of you says a single goddamn word...”

She was met with a hasty chorus of denials, insisting that they would never. Mineta was silent, but that was because he was using all of his willpower not to say anything at all.

“You can do it, dude.” Kaminari patted his shoulder encouragingly.

Jirou was worried about Momo's state of undress, but Momo just declared that she could make more clothes with her quirk. This earned her a close up quirk explanation as well.

“Is that why you have that book on you? You need to know every detail about the thing you're creating?” Midoriya asked.

“That is correct.”

“I can barely imagine how much you must have memorized to be able to make such a wide variety of materials and devices. That's really impressive Yaoyorozu!”

“No kidding! You're super smart on top of having a great quirk!” Uraraka said, bouncing in her seat a little.

“Oh, it's not that impressive really.” Momo said, blushing a bit. “Most materials I use are made of the same basic things, so it's not as much to remember as you might think.”

“Don't sell yourself short. You must have worked really hard to get all that figured out, especially since you can use it so well today.” Hagakure argued.

“Yeah, I wish I could remember that much stuff.” Kirishima agreed.

“Thank you.” Momo gave them a soft smile.

Jirou caught sight of Kaminari, and quickly moved to cover Momo, but it turned out to be a moot point. Kaminari's quirk overuse had muddled his brain.

“Saying that seeing Yaoyorozu is what short-circuited him would be...too much right?” Mineta asked quietly.

Kaminari snorted, his brain was feeling almost as fuzzy as his on-screen counterpart.

“It would be, yes.” Aoyama confirmed, since Kaminari was out of sorts.

“Yeah, if you think something might get you slapped chances are it will.” Sero added.

Over with the teachers, Recovery Girl made a noise of disapproval and declared “I'm going to schedule a proper check up for that boy. I highly doubt this is the first time he's done this to himself, and it can't be good for his health. I'll have to speak to his parents, see if he's already seeing anyone about this...”

“I'll add it to my list.” Nedzu agreed.

Aizawa nodded along to their conversation. They'd need to find some way to keep the kid from frying himself if he hoped to make it as a pro. He couldn't get taken out like this every time he needed to do a big attack.

The scene stayed on them just long enough to show a hand bursting up from the ground behind them.

The sudden appearance made some jump. Others looked worriedly at the three classmates just shown, hoping they wouldn't have to hear them in pain soon.

The scene switched back to Izuku, Tsuyu, and Mineta, who were sneaking along the shoreline. The kids confirmed among themselves that they were just looking and would run if things seemed dangerous.

“They should just keep going.” Aizawa muttered to himself. He knew he already lectured them, or at least Midoriya, about this and repeating himself would be redundant, but a part of him still wanted to.

“Think of it this way Aizawa, their desire to help despite the danger shows they have a true heroic spirit!” Yagi said, trying to sound positive. The look he received from Aizawa made him wilt.

The camera shifted to show Aizawa still fighting, and now Shigaraki was running at him.

The kids looked at each other in confusion when they heard Shigaraki whispering to himself. Why was he counting down? Based on what he remembered, Izuku had an inkling, and over with the teachers, it was clear Present Mic was thinking the same thing.

“He figured it out that quickly?” Mic whispered incredulously. He was now sitting on the floor next to Aizawa, ready to support his coworker and long time friend. Aizawa nodded back stiffly.

Aizawa rushed at Shigaraki and elbowed the villain in the gut. The watching kids smiled.

The kids in the audience cheered Aizawa's move, but it quickly died down alongside the smiles on screen.

Shigaraki whispered in Aizawa's ear how he'd noticed what his hair did each time he used his quirk, and how he'd been counting each time Aizawa was forced to blink. The camera panned out to show that the skin on Aizawa's elbow was gone, exposing red muscle.

Aizawa had been ready. He already had the towel Hisashi had offered between his teeth, and he was glad for it as pain seared through his elbow. He bit down on it hard, and did his best to focus on that sensation rather than the pain. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep quiet through the whole thing, but he'd do what he could to save his voice and keep his students from getting worked up over him.

Despite the injury, Aizawa pushed Shigaraki away and kept fighting with only one arm. Shigaraki talked as he did, noting how fighting a big group was so different from what he usually did, and wondering if he did all this for his students.

“The way he keeps going even after that injury is so manly.” Kirishima said, the phrase much quieter and more solemn than he usually said it. No one disagreed. They were all amazed by their teacher and what he was doing for them.

Izuku once again felt unease start to creep through him. Once again, Shigaraki's words sounded similar to what he himself had said to Aizawa before the hero had jumped into the fray.

Shigaraki gleefully declared how cool Eraserhead was.

“Uh, did one of the main villains just have a fanboy moment about our teacher?” Sato asked incredulously.

“Kinda sounded like it, creepy.” Shoji commented.

“He almost sounded like Midoriya there, kero.”

Something curdled in Izuku's gut.

“What?! Deku's nothing like that guy!” Uraraka yelled indignantly.

“Indeed, it is most inappropriate to compare a classmate to such a heinous villain.” Iida said, chopping his hand through the air.

“I didn't mean I thought Midoriya was bad.” Tsuyu clarified. “Just that the way they talk is kinda similar.”

“He has some similar talents too, like how he was able to figure out Aizawa's weakness so fast.” Mineta noted.

“C-can we just get this over with?” Midoriya begged. Hearing his discomfort, they all went back to watching.

Shigaraki said he wasn't the final boss, and pointed behind Aizawa. The hero turned and saw the Nomu behind him. The creature attacked.

“Urk!” Aizawa doubled over, his torso almost parallel with the floor. Present Mic and Recovery Girl carefully guided him into laying down, his head resting on Present Mic's legs.

“No shame in showing pain right now, Shouta. Just ride it out as best you can.” Hisashi murmured.

The students glanced over in worry, but kept it short. The more they paid attention to the screen, the quicker this would go.

Several disturbing noises followed, but the camera stayed focused on Midoriya as he watched in horror.

Several students cringed. Hands pressed to stomachs and lips pressed together to try an control the wave of nausea the sounds produced.

Izuku felt bad now, that he'd moved this along from earlier. But this had to happen eventually, and at least it seemed like Aizawa wouldn't be in full pain until he was actually shown on screen rather than just heard. The scene was changing back to the entrance, so hopefully the short respite would help.

Back at the entrance, 13 was fighting Kurogiri, but the villain turned the tables on her. He opened a warp gate directly behind the hero, and her suit was ripped apart as she collapsed.

Gasps and cries of alarm went up throughout the students. Many of them hadn't seen 13 injured, only been told she'd been taken away by the medics.

“That shitty villain bastard!” Bakugo yelled.

“Such an underhanded move, I should've expected that from a villain.” Kirishima growled.

Yagi once again felt guilt twist like the blade of a knife inside him. 13 was down, and Aizawa was even now in extreme pain beside him, all because of him. Because the villains wanted to destroy what he had created, a Symbol of Peace.

The students urged Iida to run, and with 13's words on his mind, he did just that. Kurogiri moved to intercept, but was tackled by Shoji. He moved to do so again, and scene shifted to show others still fighting in their own areas. Until it settled on the kids from the shipwreck zone. The camera panned to show Eraserhead face down on the ground, being held down by one of Nomu's hands and the other hand held his arm, which was clearly broken.

A choked scream was heard throughout the room. The pain made Aizawa jack-knife again, and Hisashi quickly moved to support him.

“You can do it Shouta, you can make it, you can ride this out.” He continued to murmur encouragements in Aizawa's ear as the scene went on. He knew that Shouta didn't like getting much attention, especially when he was in pain. But he also knew that it would help Aizawa to have something other than the pain to focus on, even if it was just annoyance at Mic's voice.

The kids looked on in horror. Some had seen Aizawa before he was taken away by the medics, while others hadn't. Even some of the ones who had seen him were shocked. Seeing their teacher helpless, and his arm twisted in that unnatural angle, it was a far cry from seeing him being carried away while injured.

Shigaraki told Aizawa that the creature was bio-engineered to be the anti-symbol of peace.

Suspicions stirred in All Might's mind. He could think of one person who would have enough knowledge to so perfectly match One for All's abilities, as well as the savvy to find a way to secretly create such a thing without being caught. The obsession with himself factored perfectly into it too. But no, that wasn't possible! That man was dead, Yagi had killed him, he was sure of it. Still...

The scene switched to the collapse zone.

Aizawa's whole body relaxed at once, and Hizashi and Recovery Girl helped him shift into a more comfortable position.

“I don't know if I should feel relieved or not.” Hizashi said quietly. “If he gets hit by all that pain again after it went away for a while, won't it be worse than if he was feeling it the whole time? At least he could zone out more if it was constant.”

“Well deary, hopefully that first time gave his brain enough time to get it's act together and release something helpful before the next time roles around.”

Bakugo and Kirishima were shown fighting villains back to back.

“We look so awesome!” Kirishima gushed.

“Hell yeah.” Bakugo said with a grin.

After the villains were subdued, Kirishima said they should go help the other students, and revealed that he felt they needed to do something to make up for getting in 13's way earlier.

Present Mic smiled. “You hear that Shouta? The crazy red head really did learn his lesson. Maybe you won't have to make him write anything after all.” That earned him a soft grunt from Aizawa.
“Maybe.”

Bakugo said Kirishima could do all that if he wanted, but that he was going after the warp gate. Kirishima accused him of acting childish, and Bakugo yelled at him about the importance of taking away the enemy's exit plan.

“Impressive.” Iida said. “After the battle trial I had assumed Bakugo's strength lay in coming up with plans in the moment, thinking on his feet as it were, and in mastery of his own quirk. But this shows he is capable of thinking ahead and planning things with a longer term end goal in mind.

“I'm sure the fact that he has a vendetta against Kurogiri helps.” Uraraka pointed out. Internally, she wondered if he had come up with the plan first, or if he just really wanted to get Kurogiri and had come up with justification for it afterwards.

“That does say something about Bakugo's goals compared to the goals of most others in the building.” Momo interjected.

“What do you mean?” Iida asked, but it was Midoriya who answered.

“Everyone else we've seen, aside from Todoroki, all had the main goal of just defending their group and then escaping. Todoroki and Kaachan though, they both prioritized the villains.”

Momo nodded. “Indeed. Todoroki on figuring out their plan and Bakugo on making sure they couldn't escape.”

“What are you trying to say?” Bakugo growled. She shrugged.

“Nothing in particular. I just found it interesting to see how different members of the class approached the same problem.”

Bakugo huffed and looked away, but Todoroki had gone stiff. Focusing on villain capture over rescuing civilians is something he expected from his old man, and from his rowdy classmate, but the analysis had lumped him into the category too. At the time he'd been thinking that since he had no one else in the area to protect, as far as he knew, that it would be more prudent to get more information about the group's plans so he could decide how best to deal with them. But did that make him more like his father? Was he giving into his father's influence by focusing so much on the villains rather than being like Kirishima and wanting to make sure all his classmates were safe first? But even Kirishima went with Bakugo to confront the villains in the end.....he'd have to give this more thought.

While the two boys talked a camouflaged villain was shown sneaking up on them.

Bakugo noticed a number of students getting anxious, and rolled his eyes. “I took care of it, calm your asses down.”

The villain leaped at them, but Bakugo easily grabbed the villains and knocked him out with his quirk. He pointed out that the other students would likely be fine if all of the villains sent to fight them were as easily taken down.

Ashido whistled. “Not gonna lie, that was pretty cool.”

“Definitely.” Kaminari grinned.

“Kind of flattering in a way too, don't you think?” Sero pointed out slyly. “I mean, Bakugo actually admitted to having confidence in us.”

Sato laughed. “He actually did! I didn't catch that!”

“If you guys couldn't take down thugs that weak you'd be even less than extras, that's all it meant!” Bakugo growled.

“No take backsies!” Ashido sang.

“Shut it Raccoon Eyes!”

Kirishima admitted that it was cool to see Bakugo acting so rational, since he didn't usually act like that. A thought bubble appeared over Kirishima's head. Bakugo yelled that he was always rational.

“You just disproved your own point.” Tsuyu said along with the on screen Kirishima. The ones that had just talked to Bakugo were busy laughing over the thought bubble picture.

“Dammit I can yell AND be rational, frog face!”

As Bakugo started to leave, Kirishima declared that he was manly for believing in their classmates, so he would follow him.

Todoroki was thinking again. Kirishima had gone with Bakugo because they had both believed their classmates could take care of themselves. That was honestly similar to his own reasoning, but he hadn't thought about it as consciously. He'd just seen how easily the ones in his area had been dealt with and hadn't worried about anyone else...but should he have. He was at the top of their class as far as power went. Maybe he should have thought more about what the others could handle...
No, he couldn't think like that. He wasn't here to make friends, just to show off to his father that he could be a powerful hero without using his fire. He had to focus on that. The others were trying to be heroes too, so they should be able to take care of themselves.
The doubts about just how much he was truly deviating still lingered in the back of his mind though.

The scene switched to the Fire Zone, where Ojiro did a sneak attack on one of the villains.

“Nice shot!” Hagakure praised. Ojiro blushed slightly.

“Heh, thanks.”

“Yeah, man, that was cool.” Kirishima gave him a thumbs up.

“I thought sneak attacks weren't manly?”

“You were the only one there, right? Can't fault you finding away around not having anyone to watch your back.”

“Are you saying there's a fine line between being manliness and stupidity?” Ojiro asked with a smirk.

“Hah! That's one way of putting it.”

The scene switched to the Squall Zone, where Koda and Tokoyami were working together to take down villains.

“Good tactics.” Aizawa said, startling several students. They expected him to still be out of it.

The scene switched back to the entrance. Kurogiri was gaining on Iida, but before he could do anything Uraraka jumped in and used her quirk.

“Nicely done, kero.”

“Yeah, great going Uraraka!”

“Indeed, I never got a chance to thank you for your timely intervention.

The praise from Tsuyu, Midoriya, and Iida made Uraraka blush.

Iida finally reached the door and started to pry it open. Kurogiri tried to go after him again, but Sero and Sato worked together throw Kurogiri across the facility.

“That was an excellent example of teamwork, all of you.” Nedzu said, smiling at the three who had helped Iida.

“Thank you sir!” They all said in unison.

“I'm sorry I wasn't more help.” Ashido said glumly. She'd felt pretty useless during that part.

“Don't beat yourself up, you were keeping an eye on 13.” Sero said.

“Yeah, I was only able to act so confidently because I knew you were with him, and that you were watching our backs.” Sato agreed. The words made Ashido brighten considerably.

Aizawa's broken goggles were shown.

“Brace yourself.” Recovery Girl warned Aizawa, who nodded tiredly.

The Nomu was shown crushing Aizawa arm even more.

Aizawa yelled in pain, the sound loud enough that the students could hear it around the gag. It was hard, but they continued to stare at the screen. They wanted their teacher's pain to be over as fast as possible, and hopefully never hear it again afterwards. So, with teeth gritted and muscles tensed, they made the show continue.

Shigaraki mocked Aizawa, saying his quirk was useful but not really all that impressive since it didn't help him fight.

“How can he say that?!” Izuku demanded, immediately latching onto a difference between himself and the villain. “Mr. Aizawa's quirk is amazing! He forces his opponents onto his playing field. He takes advantage of the fact that so many villains only think to train their quirks and not themselves by training himself so he can fight no matter what! How is that not amazing!”

“Indeed. If Shigaraki truly cannot see the value in that, then he is a fool.” Iida agreed.

“He might have just been saying it to get on Mr. Aizawa's nerves.” Uraraka pointed out.

“Kicking someone, even an opponent, while they are down. That just makes him even more despicable.” Iida declared.

Aizawa managed to turn his head and used his quirk on the Nomu, but that didn't stop it from doing the teacher even more damage.

Aizawa tried so damn hard to keep himself quiet through this, but it just wasn't possible. He was glad for the presence of Recovery Girl and Hizashi, because focusing on them was better than thinking about anything else right now. Even from his place on the floor, if he looked hard enough, he could see his students squirming or cringing. He wasn't sure if it was due to the sounds he was making now, or seeing what was happening on screen. Either way, he hated the thought that they would be burdened by this.

The camera panned over to show that the trio from the Shipwreck zone was still watching the whole thing.

'Dammit, get out of there already!' Aizawa thought to himself. Those three should never have been in so much danger.

“I don't know if I was having second thoughts.” Izuku responded to Mineta's on screen question. “I don't think I was really thinking at all at that point. Seeing all of that, it was like my brain just froze. I couldn't move, much less think of what to do.”

“I was in the same boat, kero.”

“Good to know it wasn't just me, I guess.” Mineta said softly.

At this point, Kurogiri pulled himself back together enough to report to Shigaraki. When he heard Kurogiri's report, he started to freak out, viciously scratching at his own neck as he did so.

“He scratches much harder he's going to risk slicing his own jugular.” Shoji said, rubbing the side of his own neck.

“That would be fortuitous for us, in a way.” Tokoyami pointed out.

“That go dark fast.” Jirou muttered.

Then he suddenly stopped, and said that so many pros coming meant game over and that they'd have to go. The Shipwreck trio overheard that part, and Mineta got so excited that he hugged Tsuyu. His hands ended up in an unfortunate position.

“Okay, I know I said I was gonna be less of a dick in the future, but I'm not letting you slap me for that one. I wasn't actually going for that, that just ended up happening because of the height difference.” Mineta argued.

“I guess that's believable.” Tsuyu said. “I'd ask for an apology anyway, but since I held you underwater for a bit, I'd say it already got balanced it out. Especially since you're probably about to feel that again in a moment.”

“...aw crap.”

On screen Tsuyu did exactly that. While that was going on, she and Izuku talked about how strange it was for them to just leave after all of this.

“Guys, don't say things like that! You'll jinx it!” Hagakure whined.

“On the contrary, I'd say that figuring things out and planning ahead is much more fruitful than wishful thinking.” Momo argued.

“Can't we do both so we don't jinx it?”

“The wishful thinking was Mineta's job.” Jirou interjected. Hagakure thought about that, then nodded.

“I can accept that.”

Suddenly, Shigaraki turned and ran at Tsuyu. He was there in a matter of seconds, and the kids had no time to react before Shigaraki was reaching for Tsuyu's face.

The students who didn't know what a close call Tsuyu had jumped or gasped at the sudden charge.

“Tsu, I'm sorry.” Izuku said miserably.

“Kero, what for?”

“He was attacking you and I just stood there. I should have done something sooner!”

“I could have been faster too, ducked to the side or into the water. He was too fast for either of us, there wasn't anything we could have done.”

“But-”

“There's no point in regretting it.”

Izuku silenced himself and nodded. Right, he shouldn't get caught up on things that were already over, he should focus on getting better.

When Shigaraki touched Tsuyu nothing happened. Shigaraki turned, and it was shown that Aizawa had pulled himself up just in time to activate his quirk.

Jaws dropped open as the students were once again blown away by the determination and strength their teacher showed.

“So manly...” Kirishima said in quiet awe.

The Nomu smashed Aizawa's head once again.

Aizawa gave a full body jerk and let out a strangled cry before suddenly slumping. This caused a great degree of distress until Nedzu reassured the students that this was likely the affect of Aizawa finally passing out and thus relieving him of further pain for now.

Midoriya jumped out of the water, thinking only of freeing Tsuyu and escaping. He activated One for All and punched at Shigaraki. When the dust settled, Izuku was shocked to see that his arm hadn't broken.

“What?!”

“Seriously, he just figured it out now?”

“Go Deku!”

“Th-that's a little premature guys.” Izuku argued hesitantly.

“I take it that you don't know how to replicate it.” Aizawa asked tiredly, as Recovery Girl mopped the sweat off his face. She had refused to let him sit up, but he refused to let these events stop him in trying to help his students.

“No sir, I still got hurt when I used it later.”

“Still, being able to hold back for the first time, especially when it was accomplished by facing a living opponent, is not small feat young Midoriya. I'm sure we can find a way to cultivate it.” Yagi reassured his successor. Aizawa nodded, tired but confident.

When the dust settled more, Izuku saw that the Nomu had shielded Shigaraki, and that his smash had dealt no damage to the creature.

“Seriously? None at all?” Kaminari asked in amazement. He was suddenly glad he'd ended up in the landslide zone. It was way better than being anywhere near that thing.

“That thing was crazy tough, man.” Kirishima said.

“They certainly weren't joking when they said it was designed to defeat All Might.” Todoroki agreed.

“Yeah, even from a distance, we could see that Nomu gave All Might a hard time.” Sato confirmed. The others who were by the entrance voiced their agreement.

Shigaraki sicced the Noumu on Midoriya. It grabbed Midoriya's arm and moved to crush him. Tsuyu tried to grab him with her tongue again, but Shigaraki was now reaching for both her and Mineta.

Izuku cried out in pain, and reflexively gripped his arm.

“Deku?”

“I'm okay, really, the Nomu just has a really strong grip.” Izuku explained in a tight voice. “And that's all he gets to do now, so it's fine.”

Uraraka had to resist the urge to sigh.

Suddenly there was a crash from the entrance, loud enough to even make the villains pause. A cloud of dust was settling around the door, and All Might stepped out of it. For once, he wasn't smiling.

The class cheered. Even now, the relief that All Might's entrance brought was palpable. His arrival meant that the replaying of these painful memories would soon be over.

Shigaraki noted they were getting a 'continue' and the episode ended.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Recovery Girl demanded a short break at the end of this episode. Even with wanting to get it done and over with, none of the students could deny their haggard teacher a break after all of the extreme on and off pain he had to deal with this episode. There wasn't as much milling around this time as other times, most people just stretching stiff muscles or doing a quick bathroom break. There was one student that took advantage of the time to talk though.

Izuku called All Might over into a side room and shut the door. He didn't want anyone else to hear this.

“What is on you mind young Midoriya?”

“Um, well, do you really think what I write in my journal is good?” Izuku asked, stumbling over the words a bit.

“I did indeed find your thoughts and insights to be impressive. It reminded me of an old friend actually, but why do you ask?”

“Well, it's just that there were a couple of times where Shigaraki said something that sounded like it could have come from one of my notebooks, or something I say when I start muttering, and people always tell me that's creepy so...”

“Ah, I see where this is going.” All Might lay a hand on his shoulder. “My boy, sharing a talent or skill set with a villain is nothing to be ashamed about. We are defined by our choices, not by our abilities. Plenty of villains could make amazing heroes if they applied themselves differently, and vice versa. So you have nothing to be ashamed about.”

Izuku let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. All Might was right of course. It was silly to think that a quirk or skill automatically made someone villainous. Still, he kind of hoped that no one else had made that connection.

*_*_*_*_*

“So did anyone else notice that Shigaraki is kind of like the anti-Deku?” Kaminari said out of the blue to those around him. “You know, with the quick quirk breakdowns and the weird level of fanboying and all that.”

“Oh yeah, I definitely picked up on a bit of that.” Sero admitted.

“Me too.” Shoji said. “Probably best not to say anything to him though.”

“Yeah, poor guy's got enough anxiety issues without being compared to creepy villains.”

Considering that no one mentioned it again, even as Izuku rejoined the group and the next episode started, this seemed to be an unspoken agreement throughout the class.

Chapter Text

All Might entered the building, explaining how he got there as he walked in.

Despite knowing things weren't over yet, Present Mic gave Yagi a small grin. “Oh yeah, I'm sure it must have been VERY difficult to cut off your time with the principle.”

Aizawa snorted.

Toshinori made a helpless gesture. “It really was.” And it was true, it had been hard, if for no other reason than how hard it was to get a word in edgewise once the principle started going.

“Just a 'rough idea'?” Uraraka questioned, looking at Iida. “I figured you'd have given him the summary version of a play by play.”

“At the time I decided it would be better to get the most important information across quickly, so my explanation lacked in finer details.” Iida didn't mention to how he'd been starting to get out of breath by that point. He'd vowed to improve his stamina even more in the coming days.

All Might's thoughts revealed how angry he was over the situation, and then he gave his signature catch phrase.

The kids cheered, just like Mineta was doing on screen. Seeing someone like All Might have such righteous indignation, on their own behalf no less, was almost as overwhelming as it was amazing. It cemented their admiration for the hero even further. That included Bakugo, despite his scoff of how he hadn't been scared at all.

Aizawa snorted when he saw the tie in pieces. All Might always made room for dramatics, it seemed. The removal itself was a practical move, no need to give enemies additional handholds, but the manner he did it in was very...All Might.

Everyone looked at All Might in awe, the villains included. The exception was Shigaraki, who casually insulted him. The minor villains tried to rally, but were taken out by All Might in an instant, and All Might secured Aizawa.

“Stupid thug extras.” Bakugo growled. “Went all that way and started quivering the moment the actual target showed up. Where the hell did Hands for Brains and Stupid Warp villain even find these idiots?”

“Maybe they just went outside the bar they were shown at earlier and hired whoever stopped at the street corner,” Kirishima suggested with a grin.

“Ha! I'd believe it.”

Aizawa, at this point, was grateful that his past self had passed out. He'd been disappointed at the time, for not being able to see this whole thing through to the end, but now it was saving him from having to feel his pain all over again. Even with how gently All Might was trying to be, he doubted his broken bones would have taken well to all that movement.

All Might apologized to the unconscious Aizawa.

Aizawa grunted. “You didn't have to do that.”

“But it was my fault for not being there right away-”

Aizawa cut Toshinori off with a sigh. He couldn't believe he was giving this speech to the Number 1 hero. “Shigaraki and the Noumu hurt me, not you. It would have been nice if you were there on time, but there's no guarantee that I wouldn't have gotten hurt as badly if you had. Don't focus on what could have been when you can focus on the future.”

Toshinori nodded. “Sage advice, which I have heard before, in different ways. I'll try to take it to heart this time.”

Another second, and All Might had grabbed the three shipwreck students as well. A hand fell off Shigaraki's face.

Kaminari laughed upon seeing the dumbfounded faces of the three students. “Little disoriented after that huh?”

“No duh, it happened so fast I didn't even realized we'd been moved till it was done.” Mineta admitted.

“It almost felt like being teleported again.” Tsuyu agreed.

“All Might's power really is incredible. I'm not sure I'll ever stop being amazed by it.” Izuku said with a smile.

“Even when it becomes fully yours?” Shoji asked, a smile in his voice. Izuku chuckled.

“No probably not even then.”

All Might told the students to take care of Aizawa. The camera switched over to Shigaraki, who seemed very distressed. He apologized to 'Father' as he put the hand that had covered his face back on. Once it was there, he visibly relaxed.

The screen was given various looks of confusion and disgust.

“Did...did he just call the hand his father?” Sero asked incredulously.

“That's what it sounded like.” Jirou said, scrunching her face up. Ashido was making a similar expression.

“I didn't think it was possible for Shigaraki to get any creepier, but I guess that proves me wrong.”

“Yeah.” Hagakure said faintly. “You don't...think that hand was actually from his dad, do you?”

“It would make sense that the hands are a kind of trophy, as macabre as that would be.” Tokoyami said. Koda looked like he was about to be sick.

“Trophies like that would imply he killed each of the hands' owners.” Momo pointed out. “So if that is true then he likely killed his father as well. But if that is the case, then why would he seek comfort from it? There's also the matter of the hands themselves.”

“What about them?” Sato asked.

“They're too similar.” Todoroki said, causing many to look at him in surprise.

“I see what you mean.” Izuku agreed. “When you get a closer look like this, each hand looks almost exactly the same. You'd think if they came from different people, they'd look different.”

“Indeed, even if they were all hands from adult males, there should be more variety to them.” Momo agreed. “Which leads me to wonder if they might be copies of one hand, quite possibly copies of the one on his face, given his reverence for it.”

As Momo talked, Izuku wrote in his notebook, his hand flying across the page as they cataloged possibilities and theories. He only stopped when the show resumed.

Shigaraki muttered to himself, thinking through what he'd just observed of All Might. He came to the conclusion that All Might really was getting weaker.

Several students cringed when they got their first look at Shigaraki's face.

“Well, that's one theory confirmed I suppose.” Momo said heavily. “Somehow, the leaders really did know something about All Might's weakness.”

Izuku felt his stomach drop. Partially because the muttering once again sounded too much like him, but mostly because of what this meant for his mentor.

“He didn't really specify though, so it's hard to say what all they truly know.” Iida pointed out. Momo agreed and Izuku nodded woodenly. He was beginning to wonder about that himself, considering what the Noumu did later.

On the other side of the room, Nedzu gave Yagi a knowing look. Hi mouth was set in a grim line, but otherwise he didn't acknowledge the look.

“At least we can give a better facial description once we get out of here.” Mic pointed out, eyeing the young man's demented smile.

“Assuming we'll still need it at the end of this.” Aizawa said, he still did his best to commit the features to memory though.

Izuku was seen with Aizawa slung over his back. The boy tried to stop All Might from going into the fight, but after a word of reassurance, he reluctantly started carrying Aizawa away with the others.

“You were thinking about how much time All Might had, right?” Uraraka guessed. Izuku nodded.

“Yeah, I'd seen the three fingers that 13 held up earlier, and guessed he didn't have a lot of time left. Plus, I didn't think he really understood what he was up against.”

“At the time, none of us did.” Iida agreed.

All Might heard the conversation and felt a bit conflicted. It warmed his heart to be reminded of how much Midoriya cared for him, but it felt wrong for the boy he was training to be so worried about his mentor's safety. He should be the one worrying about Midoriya, not the other way around.

All Might ran forward to attack Shigaraki, but the Noumu got in the way. He soon came to understand why Midoriya was trying to warn him seconds ago.

All Might's worried expression was mirrored on the faces of the students, along with Present Mic and Recovery Girl. Despite knowing that he eventually won, the fact that the Number 1 hero got such worried that quickly was definitely cause for concern.

'This is why I always smile.' All Might thought to himself when he saw their expressions.

“What the heck is that thing made out of?” Kirishima wondered in awe.

“I'm more interested in how such a thing came to be, and what madness possessed the one who created it.” Tokoyami said.

As All Might and Noumu fought, Shigaraki talked about the Noumu's capabilities. All Might took in the info, and suplexed the Noumu into the ground.

Recovery Girl sighed. “Some things never change it seems.”

Present Mic nodded sagely. “Giving away vital information via the villain monologue. It's a tale as old as time.”

“Such boasting can be used as a decent intimidation tactic, but only if nothing important is truly revealed. Given the outcome of the fight, I'd say the young man failed in that aspect.” Nedzu said.

The kids at the entrance and the shipwreck trio were shown to be emboldened by the strong move. Izuku's thoughts were heard, revealing that he was worried about All Might's safety but knew that sticking around and risking getting caught would just make things worse.

“Good, he's learning.” Aizawa muttered.

“Wow, Tsu, way to slay All Might with that teaching comment.” Kaminari teased.

“And after he came to your rescue and everything.” Sero joined in.

“It wasn't meant to be mean; it was just an observation, kero.”

Tsuyu wondered aloud if they'd gotten too worked up about the villain's plans to kill All Might, given how well he was doing. Izuku was internally fretting though, he had figured out All Might was likely at his limit. His worst fears were confirmed when the dust settled, and they saw what Kurogiri had done, and what it allowed the Noumu to do.

“Ack!” The skeletal All Might suddenly hunched over in pain. He put his hand over his mouth, but blood was already starting to seep from between his fingers.

“All Might!” Izuku cried. He immediately got up and ran to the bathroom. He came back out with an armful of towels and ran over to All Might's side. Recovery Girl was there a moment later.

“Th-thank you, my boy.” All Might said, taking the cloth Izuku offered him.

“I thought injuries on screen wouldn't give us real injuries.” Hagakure fretted.

“All Might's situation is unique, but my word is not broken.” Truth said, startling everyone. They had stayed silent for a long time.

“True. He's not really injured.” Recovery Girl reassured. “I'd guess that the sudden movement caused a bit of flare up in the old injury is all.”

“Indeed. Everything is alright, I will be fine soon.” All Might said, doing his best to replicate his signature smile. It didn't work quite as well, since there was still blood coloring his teeth. Still the combination of the adults saying it was fine did get most of the students to calm down.

Izuku was not one of them, so he stayed by All Might's side as the episode progressed.

The Noumu's fingers dug into the exact place that All Might's old injury was.

“You don't think that was on purpose, do you?” Uraraka asked worriedly. Surprisingly, Todoroki was the one to answer first.

“That thing doesn't seem smart enough to do that without being told.”

“True.” Momo agreed. “But there is some evidence that it might have some programmed actions that don't require orders. No one was shown telling it to protect Shigaraki from Midoriya's attack, but it did that anyway.”

“That is true.”

Izuku did his best to focus on supporting All Might and making sure he was comfortable as the man groaned in pain from what was being shown, but that didn't completely stop the worry that gnawed at his gut at what they were suggesting.

Shigaraki boasted about Noumu's strength again. All Might tried to struggle out of the Noumu's grasp, but he couldn't get free. It was here that the real plan for killing All Might was revealed.

Several students blanched at Kurogiri's description, and the silhouette being shown on screen, while the teachers looked grim.

“That's the least manly plan I've ever heard!” Kirishima yelled in outrage.

“Good thing we were there to make sure it didn't succeed then.” Bakugo said with triumphant smirk. At least, that's the expression he was going for, but the disturbing image he'd seen of All Might being killed like that dampened it considerably. Not that he'd ever admit to being disturbed, of course.

“Ah, so that was the plan all along.” Nedzu mused. “Simple, but it certainly had the potential to be quite effective.”

Present Mic gave him a side-eyed look. "I have a hard time defining any plan the requires creating an entire bioengineered super creature just for holding someone still as 'simple'.” Aizawa grunted in agreement, and Nudzu shrugged.

“Well, yes, the creation of such a thing could hardly be deemed simple, but the plan itself is quite straight forward when you get down to it.”

Izuku asked Asui to carry Aizawa instead.

“Wow, you didn't even correct him on the name thing.” Ashido said in surprise.

“With all that was going on, I didn't even realize he said it wrong, kero.”

When she did, Izuku started to run back. He thought of All Might the whole way, about all the time they spent together and how there was still so much for him to learn.

“Guess you spoke too soon earlier, huh?” Present Mic said quietly. He was grinning, but it was a softer and more subdued than it normally would have been.

“Yeah...” Aizawa sighed. He was having a harder time being upset about Midoriya this time though. The boy was the only one to truly understand how much danger All Might was in, and the only one to have such a strong attachment to him. He would have liked Midoriya to stay out of it, but this reaction was only to be expected, given the circumstances. It still wasn't smart, but it was expected.

The villains noticed Midoriya as he got closer, and Kurogiri moved to intercept him.

Any students that hadn't seen the fight first hand were on the edge of their seats, desperate to see how All Might and Midoriya managed to get out of this. Bakugo and Kirishima were grinning though, knowing what was coming up.

Bakugo suddenly blasted into frame and pinned Kurogiri down. Todoroki and Kirishima arrived a moment later, and their actions drove the villains back a bit and allowed All Might to free himself.

“Oh my god...you guys look. So. Freaking. Badass.” Kaminari said in awe.

“Not gonna argue with that.” Jiro agreed.

“Yeah! You guys totally just had a Big Damn Heroes moment!” Ashido cheered.

“Your entrance was simply magnifique!” Aoyama praised.

“That timing was pretty great.” Ojiro said with a relieved smile.

“Thank you.”

Izuku's quiet words caught everyone's attention.

“I- I don't remember if I ever said that to you guys before, but you guys rushed in there and helped even without knowing about everything that was going on behind the scenes and that...that made all the difference. So thank you.” Tears were flowing down Izuku's face by the end, making his eyes shimmer with gratitude as he looked at the three that had intervened.

“Indeed.” All Might added. He was able to focus a bit more now that his past self was out of the Noumu's grasp. “Thought I wish it had been unnecessary, I sincerely thank you for your intervention. It truly did make a difference.”

Kirishima sniffled and wiped at his eyes. “Aw stop it guys, you're gonna get me going too.”

“Those bastards had it coming. I only wish I'd gotten there sooner so I could beat em up more.” Bakugo said with a proud smirk. Todoroki gave him a brief side-eyed glance before looking back at Midoriya and All Might.

“I'm glad I was able to help.”

Tsuyu and Mineta were shown hurrying away with Aizawa, and were soon joined by the group by the entrance. Ashido stayed behind, so she was the one to hear 13 tell them to let the pros handle things.

“She was still conscious?!” Sero cried in disbelief. Sato sounded about the same.

“Seriously? She hadn't moved or said anything that whole time.”

“I think she came to just long enough to say that. I tried to ask her if there was any way I could help, but she was out of it again almost right away.” Ashido explained.

“I'm suddenly really glad that 13 wasn't transported here with us.” Present Mic murmured. Aizawa nodded. Getting his bones broken had hurt enough, he couldn't imagine how it would feel to have a quirk like Black Hole used on you.

Shigaraki looked over the scene that lay before him, and lamented that Kurogiri had been pinned down. Bakugo talked at Kurogiri, explaining how his and Kirishima's attack had revealed Kurogiri's weakness.

“That's a good deduction, considering it was gained from one interaction and one phrase.” Nedzu commented. “I'd recommend against monologuing at villains in the future though, it has the same problems for us as it does for them. It tends to give things away.”

“Plus it's just in bad taste.” Present Mic added.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“They make a good point, young Bakugo. Better to focus on your surroundings, and save talking for communicating and reassuring others.”

Bakugo made a show of what his quirk could do to Kurogiri in that position, and threatened him if he tried anything. Kirishima even commented on how menacing it sounded.

“...although intimidation tactics do have their place in a fight, I suppose.” All Might admitted. Bakugo grinned.

Shigaraki marveled quietly at the kids, and said they made the League look bad.

“Um, was that actually a compliment?” Hagakure asked.

“Don't think so. Sounded more like an observation.” Shoji said.

“Yeah, he didn't have that creepy, excited tone when he said it.” Mineta agreed. Hagakure hummed thoughtfully.

“To be honest, that makes me want to take it as a compliment.”

“You certainly could. You all did perform admirably.” Recovery Girl said. Present Mic grinned.

“Plus, that makes it count as petty spite!”

Izuku frowned in thought.

“What is it, young Midoriya?”

“I just realized, in all the groups we were shown, we've yet to see what Hagakure and Aoyama were doing. What happened to them?”

The question brought All Might up short. “That is an excellent question.”

Shigaraki called the Noumu, and it struggled out of the ice, any injuries it had healing almost right away. Shigaraki said the Noumu was built to take on All Might at his best.

The students tensed or shifted in concern. The All Might they knew was clearly no longer at the top of his game. So how had he and the others managed to escape without even getting hurt? It dawned on them then that there was a chance not all of them had.

Another word, and suddenly the Noumu was moving to attack Bakugo. In the blink of an eye Kurogiri was free, the students were all off to the side, and All Might's body had created a hole in a wall.

The grunt of pain from All Might had Midoriya fussing immediately, and Recovery Girl continued to hover nearby. The noise didn't draw as much attention from the student body, which was good since it meant things would continue to progress past this part.

“You really don't have to be that hard on yourself.” Tsuyu said, seeing Bakugo's chagrin at not seeing the attack coming and having to be saved. “I'm pretty sure All Might was the only one who did.”

“Y-yeah, and that's just because the Noumu was built to fight him.” Izuku added.

“Don't talk to me.” Bakugo growled.

Kirishima looked at Bakugo uncertainly. He thought how much Bakugo pushed himself to be better was super manly, but even something like that could be taken too far. Shooting for being like All Might was a great goal, but he shouldn't expect himself to be at that level right now. They were all only 15, you know?

Shigaraki started going on a rant about how All Might was just a repressive force, and the message that would be sent after All Might's death. All Might called him out immediately, saying Shigaraki just wanted free license to do whatever he wanted. Shigaraki smiled and commented on how fast he had been figured out.

“Such a base motivation? A pity.” Aoyama sighed “I was actually looking forward to having a lively philosophical discussion about the villains' motives.”

“Discussion implies other people talking to you about those things though. Where you gonna find someone willing to do that?” Sero asked with mock confusion. Aoyama simply pointed at Midoriya, then at Iida, and then at Momo. The teasing smile slid off of Sero's face. “Huh, I can actually see them doing that.”

“Do you really think that was all Shigaraki wanted?” Izuku asked. All Might frowned, hand lingering over the side that was still hurting on screen, and one arm hanging limply. He had built up a pretty high pain tolerance over the years, but that didn't mean he didn't feel any of the on-screen pain.

“I am uncertain. That may be all he wants on the surface, but there could be deeper motivations at play that aren't as easily spotted. And even if that really is all there is to it for Shigaraki, then whoever he is working with surely has a larger goal in mind.”

Izuku nodded slowly. It made sense that Shigaraki and Kurogiri would have to be working with others; he could hardly imagine them creating the Noumu on their own. But that left the question of just who was waiting in the wings, and why they sent these three instead of coming themselves.

The students present were ready and willing to help fight the villains with All Might, but he insisted that they flee. When they protested further All Might insisted again, even with Midoriya mentioning his 'time'. He reassured them before turning to face the villains.

“Please tell me you actually did it this time.” Present Mic begged. Aizawa watched the four students expectantly. Izuku fidgeted nervously.

“W-well, we didn't interfere in the fight between him and Noumu. So, yes?”

“You sound awfully uncertain.” Present Mic said with narrowed eyes. Aizawa sighed.

“Let me guess, you didn't interfere but you also didn't leave.”

“We weren't gonna run away like some pansies!” Bakugo yelled.

“Could you really expect us to leave?” Kirishima demanded. “I know he said he'd handle it, but...” he struggled with how to word things for a few moments, and Todoroki took the opportunity to speak up.

“We all saw the kind of situation he was in when we first got there. We merely wished to be available to provide back up should such a situation arise again.”

Kirishima nodded vigorously. “Yeah! What kind of heroes would we be if we just left someone behind before back up got there?”

Aizawa looked at each of them in turn, then sighed again.

“I'll admit, these were extremely extenuating circumstances. However, in the future I expect you to listen when your teacher tells you to do something.”

Kirishima and Midoriya gave an immediate 'Yes sir!'. Todoroki just nodded, and Bakugo did the same after taking a moment to scoff. Aizawa wondered if he could actually believe any of them.

All Might once again felt guilty for making them worry so much about him. He tried to fuel his focus into preparing himself instead, since he remembered how much the upcoming fight would take out of him.

Shigaraki ordered the other two to handle All Might while he went after the kids.

“The supposed leader dealing with the less skilled opponents while his subordinates are sent after the main target? I should have expected such cowardice from a villain.” Iida growled.

“Who are you calling less skilled?!” Bakugo yelled.

Momo didn't respond to Iida at first, expecting to hear Midoriya's voice instead, but then she realized that he was still over with All Might. So she spoke up instead.

“Honestly, it's not a bad strategy. Despite being fast and skilled, it's clear that Shigaraki is not on the same level as All Might. His quirk is also one that only works in close quarter combat, which would make it a bad idea for him to try and face All Might directly. So it makes sense for him to send the other two to focus on All Might while he prevented any interference.”

“He did say it was always the plan to have Kurogiri and the Noumu be the ones to fight All Might. He's doing what he can to ensure that they can follow through.” Todoroki added quietly.

Iida looked outraged for a moment longer before sighing. “I concede that you both have a point. It just feels like such a cheap shot, like him going after Tsuyu and Mineta earlier.”

All Might's internal thoughts revealed that he only had about a minute left, but he planned to beat back the villains anyway.

A couple of students gasped in shock, while others let out worried or surprised exclamations. Others just stared at the screen with wide eyes. They had known All Might didn't have much time left, but the thought that he'd gone up against these villains with only that much time left was both astounding and terrifying.

Recovery Girl sighed softly. She knew he hardly had a choice this time around, which is why she didn't voice these thoughts, but it worried her greatly how Toshinori always ended up pushing himself past his limits. She knew the school motto and all, but there was a certain point where pushing your limits only resulted in hurting yourself.

Shigaraki started to run toward the students, but he and everyone else was blown back when All Might started going after the Noumu. The fury of blows and shockwaves the followed was a sight to behold; the fight going so far and fast that sometimes they could barely take it all in.

Students and teachers alike watched the fight in awe. Really, who could blame them? Even the villains that had been there had been too blown back and awestruck by the fight to do anything until it was over. Cheers soon began to ring out as All Might began to beat the monster back, their worry about how much time All Might had left temporarily forgotten. Those cheers reached a crescendo when the Noumu was finally disposed of.

The exceptions to this were Midoriya and Recovery Girl, who were determined the help All Might through every bit of relived pain, and Nedzu, who watched everything on screen with his calculating gaze.

The last blow of the fight was seen and felt throughout the building, leaving the students in awe.

Many students couldn't help but be struck by that same awe again as they watched this for a second time.

The four that had stayed near the fight marveled at the scene, seeing for the first time just how much difference there was between their own skills and those of a top tier hero.

Present Mic nudged Aizawa.

“See? They got it in the end. I'm sure if something like this ever happens again they'll be more mindful how much they still have to learn.”

“I hope your right.” Aizawa said quietly. “I hope even more that it won't come to that.”

Present Mic nodded. They both doubted the future would be any kind of peaceful though, given where they were.

As All Might got up from his last pose, he commented on how many more hits it took him to do that now than it would have back in the day.

“What.”
“Seriously?!”
“That many?!”

These and similar cries were heard around the room. If All Might's power was this intense now, they couldn't imagine what it must have been like to witness it back in his prime.

'Am I ever going to be able to wield that level of power?' Midoriya thought to himself. 'No, I should have access to more, according to All Might. It grows with each person...but I...I can't even wrap my head around having that level of power.'

As All Might started to talk to the villains, steam started to waft off his body.

This broke many students out of their awed stupor. Either by hearing All Might's thoughts or seeing the steam, the time limit was brought back to the forefront of everyone's minds.

“It was really that close?” Hagakure whispered.

“I guess so...” Ashido whispered back, still too stunned to have any thoughts beyond that.

The episode ended abruptly, with All Might staring down what was left of the villains.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

With being so close to the end of the USJ incident, they decided to press on into the next episode right away. Nedzu did announce that there would be a longer break after this episode though. Long enough for everyone to get a chance to take in everything, as well as get some sleep and recover from any physical affects watching the show may have had.

Chapter Text

Shigaraki shook as he realized how completely he had been defeated, and wondered if All Might had cheated.

“No amount of cheating could ever make up for good old fashioned hard work! That's something young Shigaraki will have to learn.” All Might declared. He kept his voice steady despite the pain his on-screen body was still sending to him; he'd had a lot of practice with that over the last couple years. He went silent when Recovery Girl put her hand on his shoulder though, a silent command not to push himself further.

“I kinda hope he never does learn that, especially if him trying to cheat makes it easier for us to win.” Mineta commented. There were a couple murmurs of agreement.

Back in the mountain zone, a villain had taken Kaminari hostage. The two girls there berated themselves for letting that happen.

Nedzu nodded. “One of the most important lessons one can learn in hero work is not to underestimate any opponent. This is indeed an unfortunate situation, but an understandable one given how inexperienced you all are.”

“So, as long you all learn from this experience, then you'll have taken a good step forward in becoming competent heroes.” Present Mic said.

Aizawa was scowling at the image. Even if he knew the boy was okay now, it didn't sit well with him seeing one of his students in the grips of a villain. Especially since the boy had been made so helpless by overusing his own quirk. He made a mental note to collaborate with Recovery Girl and the support department in making sure Kaminari was at less risk of such things. Aloud he said:
“This is why one-shot attacks that drain the rest of your energy are almost never a viable strategy.”

The villain warned the girls not to move as he approached them. Jirou started talking to distract him while she tried to get her earphone jack into her speakers, but the villain caught on and she had to stop.

“Figures one of the last ones standing would be one of the smart ones.” Jirou griped. Momo nodded.

“Indeed, that was bad luck. Given what we saw of some of the other villains, it is likely your strategy would have succeeded had another individual been the one to take Kaminari hostage.”

“Though either way such an attack would have put Kaminari in the line of fire too, so I certainly hope you'll be more discerning when it comes to civilian hostages.” Aizawa said with a raised eyebrow. The two girls blushed in embarrassment, but Aizawa stood by his word. A hostage situation made for a terrible choice, one that they had been faced with far too early, but he'd be damned if he didn't make sure they were ready for next time.

“I didn't know you had such a high opinion of 'electric types'.” Kaminari teased, referring to Jirou's 'distraction talk'. The fact that he was able to do so was kind of impressive, since a scene shift had only now allowed him to snap out of his electrified stupor. When Jirou leveled a glare at him he put up his hands in surrender. Then his expression shifted to something more serious. “I do want to thank you both though, for doing what you could. I never got a chance to say that before.”

Jirou's eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Momo nodded. “You are most welcome Kaminari, I'm sorry we weren't more effective.”

“Hey, it was my dumb quirk that made me so easy to grab. Sorry about that.” He said, using his own apology to brush off hers.

Back in the center of the USJ, Shigaraki concluded that All Might wasn't weaker like he'd thought.

“He JUST said he was weaker than before! Pay attention you damn handsy bastard!” Bakugo yelled.

“That was a poor choice of terminology.”

“Shut it Icy Hot!”

Shigaraki muttered about someone lying to him.

All Might tensed again, and this time not from his battered body showing up on screen a moment later. It had to be someone else...it had to be...that man couldn't still be alive...not after everything he went through to finally put him down!

All Might dared Shigaraki to attack him, and the young man was visibly taken aback.

“It seems All Might is also adept at pure intimidation.” Tokoyami noted.

“A good display of power can do that I suppose.” Shoji said. “I bet you and dark shadow could get pretty good at that too.” Tokoyami looked surprised at the compliment.

“Indeed. If you have the ability to take away your opponents will to fight, it can often end a battle much more quickly and cleanly than fighting them head on.” All Might said.

“The downside is that tends to make them run instead, so you have to chase them down.” Present Mic interjected. “Or they panic and might try to lash out. So be prepared for anything.”
The two boys nodded in acceptance and thanks for the advice.

The four boys watched All Might face down the villains, and decided they weren't needed. Kirishima urged all of them to leave so they wouldn't risk getting taken hostage.

“Finally.” Aizawa muttered to himself, which made Present Mic snort.

Midoriya continued to watch All Might though, and realized just how much All Might had pushed himself. Then All Might's thoughts revealed how he was barely holding onto his 'hero form'.

The students started to grow restless as they were once again faced with just how close the USJ fight had actually been, all without them realizing it. Some glanced over at the skeletal All Might now and then, either to reassure themselves that he was currently fine, or to wonder what would have happened if the bluff had failed.

Kirishima felt guilt knot his gut. 'I never would have tried to get the others to leave if I knew how vulnerable he was! Or, maybe I should have said that even if I did know? We'd really be screwed if one of us got caught with All Might in that state...gah! What am I thinking?! I real man should never leave an ally behind like that!'

Bakugo was seething, though he managed to do it fairly quietly. He'd always looked up to All Might as a paragon of strength, as someone who would never lose, not until Bakugo got strong enough to beat the hero himself. Seeing All Might's vulnerabilities being shown again and again; seeing how close the man had come to losing during the USJ... All of it was challenging that image, and that left Bakugo with a lot of feelings that he had no idea what to do with.

Todoroki was also chiding himself. For all that he hated his old man, he couldn't deny that the #2 hero had imparted some valuable skills onto him. He'd thought that one of those skills had been spotting weaknesses in others, but the fact that he hadn't noticed All Might's bluff while being so close made him wonder. Though he supposed that may have been due to All Might getting more practice. His father complained loudly about how All Might still held the #1 spot, despite doing less and less actual hero work over the years, and he'd been doing that for a few years now. Depending on how long All Might had managed to hide the side effects of his injury before the public began to notice, then it might have been an even longer time that he had to practice. So it just made sense that All Might would be very adept at making people believe his bluffs.

Shigaraki started to freak out again, lamenting that he didn't have his thoughtless machine of a noumu anymore. Kurogiri urged Shigaraki to calm down, pointing out all of the things that were still to their advantage, and how they might still be able to kill All Might before reinforcements came if they worked together.

“How unsightly.” Aoyama said, wrinkling his nose as he watched the villain crazily scratching at his own neck. “It's a wonder he's even the leader at all if he acts so crudely when a plan goes awry.”

“That's a good point actually...” Izuku said slowly. “Kurogiri has shown that he's a lot better at keeping his cool and adapting to changes in the plan, yet Shigaraki's the one who is presented as the leader. Doesn't that seem odd?”

“It does, now that you mention it.” Ojiro said, frowning in thought.

“Maybe Shigaraki is secretly really charismatic?” Mineta suggested. “Maybe he was the one who convinced all the other villains to come?”

Hagakure hummed doubtfully. “I think, even if I was a villain, I'd find Kurogiri's confidence a lot more reassuring than whatever the heck Shigaraki has going on.”

Ashido nodded “I mean, unless he was a lot better at hiding his crazy back at the bar, then I'd agree.”

Koda mumbled something that most of the class couldn't hear but Sato, who was sitting next to him, nodded. “Yeah, it could be an intimidation thing, like keeping a big barking dog on a leash and using it to intimidate people.”

“I'll agree that their relationship makes it seem like Shigaraki is being handled to some degree,” Momo interjected “but that doesn't change the fact that he's been giving orders to both the Noumu and the other villains. If his true role were so simple, it would also be odd for him to have that level of authority.” Iida nodded, getting where she was going.

“Indeed, his authority seems to be real, because Kurogiri always suggests rather than orders and Shigaraki has always had final say so far, yet he doesn't seem very well suited to the role.”

“You all make good points. The actions and exact roles of those two villains was something that I was hoping to discuss with the police the day following this incident, though that was before we came here of course.” Nedzu admitted. “Perhaps we'll get to see that very discussion.”

As the others talked Izuku listened, and put his chin in his hand as he thought. There could be a way for the contradicting behavior to make sense...if Shigaraki were more the face of the League rather than its true leader. Had the man ever actually claimed to be the leader? He couldn't remember, but it was undeniable that, while Kurogiri was better at keeping cool, he didn't leave the same kind of impact that Shigaraki did. He doubted any of them would be forgetting Shigaraki's voice any time soon or be as comfortable around hands now, and maybe that was exactly the point. To leave an impact, whether the plan succeeded or not. But if that was the case, if Shigaraki wasn't in charge, then who-

All Might nudged Izuku, and the boy was brought out of his mutterings to see that the discussions of the others had ended and the episode was resuming.

Kurogiri's reassurances calmed Shigaraki, and made him willing to have another go at All Might.

“Hm, seems All Might's intimidation roll wasn't quite high enough.” Tokoyami mused to himself. Dark Shadow snickered in his head.

As other villains started to recover from being knocked out, the boys in the center of the USJ got ready to face them. Except for Midoriya, who was once again faced with the knowledge that he was the only one aware of just how vulnerable his mentor was in that moment.

“I'm sorry young Midoriya. I never meant for this secret to lay this kind of burden on you, not this soon.” Yagi said, sighing heavily and looking down.

“It- It's okay. I'm glad that knowing made me able to help.”

Yagi looked up and saw the sincerity and determination in Izuku's expression. He sighed again, though much lighter this time, and ruffled Izuku's hair, making him squawk in surprise. What was he going to do with this kid?

The main villains rushed at All Might, and the hero braced himself, but then suddenly Midoriya was flying into the fray.

Midoriya let out a strangled yell and flinched hard as pain shot through his legs.

“Midoriya!” Yagi cried, quickly reaching out to steady him.

“Dang it, I got too caught up...should have remembered that was coming.” Izuku said through gritted teeth. Yagi huffed a laugh, which thankfully didn't produce any blood.

“Well, you certainly aren't the only one this time around.” In a round about way this might be good preparation for when the boy gets hurt in future episodes when they have much less forewarning, because he figures that's inevitable by now. He thinks better of saying it aloud though, and just helps Izuku into a safer position.

Izuku's thoughts show he has at least a partial plan as he aims for the one part of Kurogiri he knows is solid, but the villains think just as quickly and soon Izuku is faced with Shigaraki's hand instead of Kurogiri's neck.

People around the room gasped or tensed once again. Way too close. Everything in the USJ had been way too close!

Tsuyu shivered, thinking of those fingers pressed against the sides of her face.

Aizawa muttered about problem children, which made Present Mic think about how much it must be eating at the other teacher that he couldn't be there to continue protecting his students.

'Whatever their roles might be, it is clear from how quickly they acted that these two villains have been working together for quite some time.' Nedzu thought to himself.

“Dammit Deku.” Bakugo growled so lowly that even Kirishima could barely hear it.

The hand is suddenly blasted away by gunfire. More bullets fly through the air, saving Kaminari as well. The cavalry of UA teachers had arrived, loudly announced by Iida.

The room erupted into cheers, from both the students and Present Mic. Izuku flopped onto the ground along with his onscreen counterpart, glad that the screen is off him and relieving him of pain for the moment. All Might sighed in relief.

“You were great Iida! Score one for the class rep!” Kirishima declared. Sero nodded vigorously.

“Seriously dude, you have no idea how happy we were to see you!”

“You all were absolutely magnifque!”

“Yeah! Talk about a big damn heroes moment!” Ashido cheered.

“You did amazing Iida, you were a real hero.” Uraraka smiled warmly at him, making him blush a bit.

“You were all just as amazing, if not more. I'm just glad I was able to arrive with back up in time.” he insisted. Truth be told, a part of him had still felt bad that he'd left his classmates to deal with the villains while he ran. But after seeing just how many close calls there had been, what could have happened to Midoriya and All Might had they arrived even a few moments later, his guilt and doubts were quelled.

The recovered villains tried to take on the teachers, but we quickly driven back.

“OH YEAH! Nobody messes with our students and gets away with it!” Present Mic yelled, relishing the chance to see himself and his coworkers go to town on the villains once again. Students cheered along with him. Aizawa and Recovery Girl shared a look of exasperation, partly for Mic's antics and partly for the reminder that the most important players actually had gotten away.

Shigaraki called for Kurogiri to warp them out, but didn't do it quickly enough to avoid getting peppered with bullets. Kurogiri moved to warp him away, but fell under attack himself. Kurogiri just managed to get them both away as Shigaraki leveled one final threat against All Might.

Hagakure made a noise of disgust, and her clothes trembled as she shuddered. “Ugh, I really didn't need any more creepy Shigaraki faces to haunt my dreams.”

“And yet we got one anyway.” Jirou said wryly. “Maybe we'll be lucky enough for him to bleed out so we don't have to see him anymore.”

Sato's grimaced. “I feel like, as a hero, I should say you shouldn't wish death on people, but...”

Shoji nodded. “I understand what you mean. It would be a relief to not have to worry about him anymore.”

The screen showed various heroes coming to the students' aid, while Izuku's voice over explained that the USJ had been a taste of what the pros went through, and that they weren't ready for it.

“Speak for yourself Deku!” Bakugo snapped.

“Am I even technically the one saying that? Just how does the narration part work?” Izuku wondered to himself.

“I gotta agree with Midoriya this time, man.” Kirishima said with a shake of his head. “I'm so not ready to deal with villains on a daily basis, and that's not even counting that Noumu thing.”

“We made it out okay in the end.” Bakugo argued.

“The teachers didn't, and I'm pretty sure the only reason none of us were hurt worse was because the teachers came so fast, kero.”

“Too many of those close calls came down to luck.” Ojiro said, getting nods of agreement around the room. “I mean, I think we did well all things considered, but...”

“But the point still stands.” Aizawa finished.

It took the students a few moments to realize that Aizawa had, in a round about way, just agreed they had done well.

The focus went back to Izuku, who trembled as he said he hadn't done anything. All Might contradicted him, saying that those few seconds Izuku bought had saved him.

Gasps were heard around the room when the camera panned up to show All Might caught between his two forms.

“Oh my gosh, how is that not painful? It looks like it should be painful!” Uraraka fretted, looking back and forth between the screen All Might and the one in the room, who was focused on comforting Midoriya.

“Perhaps it is.” Iida said softly. “All Might seems adept at hiding his pain, or just has a high pain tolerance. It seems to be another thing he and Midoriya share.”
Uraraka did not find this comforting.

Midoriya trembled and groaned in pain alongside his on-screen counterpart, but he grit his teeth and dealt with it. Being able to hear All Might say those words again made up for a good part of the pain, in his opinion.

Yagi lay a comforting hand on Midoriya's back. “I meant every word, thank you, young Midoriya.”

The teachers talked a bit about what to do next. Then the scene changed back to the center of the USJ where Bakugo and Todoroki talked while Kirishima ran to go check on Midoriya.

“Oh wow, you were super close to finding out about All Might's secret, huh?” Kaminari said, he and a few others giggling over Midoriya and All Might's panic.

“I'm sorry! I just wanted to make sure you were both okay!” Kirishima bowed in apology. Yagi chuckled.

“Think nothing of it young man. Like you could hear in the show, I found your instinct to run to young Midoriya's assistance quite admirable. This particular instance was just poorly timed is all.”

Kirishima beamed at All Might's praise while Present Mic raised an eyebrow at Todoroki and Bakugo.

“Yeah, if anyone's reaction is worthy of a scolding it was the other two. Honestly, standing around talking while an ally is laying injured on the ground? Shame on you.”

“Yeah guys, get your priorities straight.” Uraraka chided, with Iida nodding along. Todoroki frowned thoughtfully while Bakugo scowled.

“Deku was fine! He was fine when he did it before. Not all of us have a crush on him, you know.”

“Wha-That's not-I meant it was the right thing to do as heroes!” Uraraka's face was flaming, and so was Izuku's. Ashido and Aoyama kinda looked like they wanted to grab some popcorn.

“She's right.” Aizawa interceded. “The safety of civilians and allies should always be a top priority, especially after the villains have officially been dealt with.”

“I'll do my best to remember.” Todoroki promised. Bakugo kept scowling but didn't argue further.

Cementoss managed to shield Midoriya and All Might from sight before Kirishima could get too close. Cementoss easily redirected Kirishima and the others to gather at the entrance, then he went to check on the injured pair, gaining himself a close up quirk explanation. Cementoss commented on how reckless All Might was once again, and All Might said he'd had no choice given how strong the enemy was.

That admittance quickly dampened the mood.

The scene changed to the villain's bar.

That made for another quick mood change. Some tensed, while others leaned forward curiously, eager for any new information about the villainous leaders.

Shigaraki was deposited on the floor, blood pooling around him within seconds. He mourned his loss, how strong the kids were, and how healthy All Might was.

“Should I be flattered?” Ashido asked with palpable disgust. Hagakure did something that could have been a shrug or a flinch.

“I'll leave that one up to you.” Uraraka replied, rubbing her arms.

Shigaraki looked up, and accused 'Sensei' of lying to him. A voice coming through a TV denied the accusation, stating that they had simply underestimated their opponents.

“Well, I suppose we were on to something when we theorized that Shigaraki was not the true leader.” Momo murmured. For once, she didn't seem happy to be right.

“So it would seem.” Iida said faintly.

Normally, Izuku's mind would have started turning the moment any part of his theory gained new evidence, but this time he was too distracted. Because when All Might heard that voice he went completely rigid. With them still being so close after Midoriya's on-screen injuries, the boy noticed right away.

“All Might? What's wrong?”

“It can't be...”

“Huh? All Might, what's-?”

All Might shook his head and held up a hand. Midoriya fell silent, but he couldn't stop staring at him, wondering what could possibly shake the Symbol of Peace so much, and if he truly wanted to know the answer.

A second voice came through the speakers, saying it was good they'd used the 'cheap League of Villains' name for such a failure. It asked how the Noumu had done. The second voice wasn't happy to hear that it had been sent flying after all the work put into it, but didn't stay upset long.

“There's TWO bigger bad guys we need to worry about?!” Mineta wailed.

“Apparently, and it seems the League may be a front for something else. How intriguing.” Nedzu said.

“Villains using a villain organization as a front for ANOTHER villain organization? Now I've heard everything.” Present Mic rolled his eyes. Aizawa grunted his agreement.

“And the person who apparently made the Noumu is still around, isn't that good to hear.” Sero said sarcastically.

“On the plus side, no one seems to be rushing to help Shigaraki. Maybe he really will bleed out.”

“Jirou please.” Momo murmured.

Shigaraki brought up how strangely powerful one child had been, which immediately caught the first voice's interest. Shigaraki blamed that child for his failure.

“Oh man, Shigaraki has Midoriya's number. That is so not good.” Kaminari moaned.

“No shit Sherlock.” Bakugo grumbled. 'Deku can barely take care of himself. Someone's gonna get killed if they start going after the nerd specifically.'

Needless to say, no one was happy with this revelation. The teachers were especially grim faced, along with Uraraka and Iida.

'I'll protect you Deku, I swear!' Uraraka thought, unknowing that Iida made almost the exact same pledge.

All Might, on the other hand, skipped past grim and went straight into furious.

“A-All Might?!” Izuku stammered, confused and fearful of the look on his mentor's face. The man didn't answer, but brought Izuku into a crushing hug.

“You'll be safe young Midoriya, I swear it. And I won't give in either.” 'You already took Nana. You don't get to take me too, and there's no way in hell you're getting to young Midoriya!'

The first voice, Sensei, consoled Shigaraki on his loss. He told him to start gathering the elite, and that Shigaraki would serve as their own symbol.

“There are TEN ELITE VILLAINS we need to worry about?!” Mineta wailed even louder.

Jirou shuddred. “Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Mineta on this one. I don't like the sound of that. Not at all.”

“Bring em all on!”

“Bakugo, could you tone it down for one minute?” Hagakure pleaded.

'I was right. Shigaraki was meant to be the face more than a true leader, at least at this point.' A part of Izuku's mind noted. The greater part of his mind was still focused on why All Might was acting so strangely. He couldn't begin to guess at what was going through his mentor's head, but he was pretty sure All Might was the one who most needed reassurance now.

“I know you won't All Might. And I don't plan on giving in either.” he said, putting as much confidence into his voice as he could. All Might huffed a laugh, and loosened his grip enough to pull away a bit without letting go. Izuku felt tears well up when he saw the expression on All Might's face; how long had it been since anyone beside his mother gave him such a soft look?

“That's my boy.”

The scene changed back to the USJ, where the police were making sure everyone was accounted for. While that was happening, Hagakure approached Ojiro and talked about how well he'd done all on his own, making the boy look embarrassed.

Ashido glanced at the invisible girl next to her, then at Ojiro, then at Aoyama. The sparkly blonde gave her an approving nod and wink, and Ashido grinned like the chesire cat.

Ojiro asked where Hagakure had been during the attack. She said she had been in the same zone as Todoroki, whose thoughts revealed he hadn't even noticed she was there and almost froze her.

That was exactly the kind of thing the group needed after the information dumped on them at the villains' hideout. Startled laughter burst out around the room, accompanied by softer, amused chuckles.

“Well, you weren't the only one, I was wondering where she was too.” Izuku admitted with a smile. Some of the laughter became self deprecating, as others realized they'd been so engrossed that they hadn't picked up on it either.

“It's okay Todoroki, you didn't freeze my bare feet this time, so I'll forgive you.” Hagakure teased. The boy looked at her with a puzzled frown.

“Thank you?”

The way he said set off even more laughter.

Ayoyama went around trying to get different people to ask him where he had been.

“Oh dang, I totally forgot about him too!” Kaminari realized aloud. Which set off another round of giggles.

“At least you had the excuse of suffering the affects of quirk overuse, we didn't even have that.” Momo said with a small smile and light blush.

Each group ignored him until he finally got Tsuyu to ask, and then told her it was a secret.

“What was even the point of that if you weren't even going to say?” Sato asked.

“The point was to add to my mystique.” Aoyama declared as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Uh huh...”

The police officer told the kids to go back to their classroom. Tsuyu asked about Aizawa. The kids were reassured that he would recover, but that his eyes might not get back to complete health.

“I'm forever grateful that he is alive after such a beating, but I still hope it doesn't affect his ability to use his quirk.” Iida said

“Me too.” Uraraka said.

Tsuyu looked over at Aizawa when she heard this, and ended up catching Midoriya's gaze along the way. It didn't take much to guess they were both thinking of how they had seen the exact moment that his eyes got so badly damaged.

Aizawa himself just gave a long suffering sigh. 'Great, I already get dry eye, now I'm gonna have to deal with whatever results from this on top of it. And I'll probably have to feel the healing injuries in the upcoming episodes. I hope Shuzenji gets me some good meds.'

Present Mic could guess what the man was thinking and shook his head fondly, though there was plenty of worry in his own eyes when he looked at him.

The students were obviously worried.

And Aizawa would be 100% lying if he said he wasn't touched by that.

And asked about the others that had been injured. The officer assured them that 13 would recover and that All Might and Midoriya were being tended to by Recovery Girl, which was a great relief to all.

Izuku felt tears welling up again at seeing how worried his classmates had been about him. He hadn't expected them to care so much...

The class was dismissed. For a brief moment Bakugo was shown remembering Izuku jumping into the line of fire for All Might, before Kirishima called him to come with the rest of the class.

Kirishima gave Bakugo a questioning look. The boy grunted and said something dismissive.

Inside the USJ the principle and two teachers discussed how they'd have to improve security, and how troublesome a villain with a warp quirk was going to be. The officer from earlier, now given the name Tsukauchi, was given the news that the Noumu had been captured. They believed it was mute since it didn't respond to them.

“Well, since we heard it make noise I'd say being fully mute is inaccurate. I am doubtful that ability extends to being able to talk though.” Momo mused.

“Indeed. I can imagine how vexed someone like Shigaraki would be by a 'weapon' that had any ability to talk back to him.” Tokoyama said.

Tsukauchi asked the principle for permission to investigate everywhere, and the principle was very willing to cooperate.

“I've always appreciated how you don't talk down to the police, as some heroes are prone to do.” All Might told the principle. He was steadily starting to calm down now, which Midoriya was grateful to see.

“Of course, the police still play a very important role in our society after all. Not to mention it's always more useful to have the authorities view you as an ally rather than an opponent or obstacle.” Nedzu said cheerily.

Uraraka was shown looking up at the nurse's office window worriedly on the way back.

Izuku felt touched by another sign of caring from one of his friends.

Meanwhile, Ashido pushed her face up next to Uraraka's and gave her a wide, knowing grin.

“Shut up.” the other girl muttered, barely managing to keep a blush down.

Inside the nurse's office, All Might and Midoriya were still laying down recovering. Recovery Girl stated she couldn't really scold him this time, given the circumstances.

“That's gotta be a nice change of pace.” Present Mic joked. All Might chuckled.

All Might admitted that pushing himself had likely shortened his 'hero time' again, much to Midoriya's dismay.

And the dismay of most of class 1A, made obvious by the way they were looking over at the hero in concern or murmuring their worries. The teachers tried to keep from looking too grim, but their own worry could be seen in stiff jaws or tenser postures.

The tension on screen was broken by Tsukauchi walking in, who was quickly revealed to be in on All Might's secret since he was a good friend of his. The detective started to ask for a statement from All Might, but the hero cut him off to ask if everyone else was okay.

Tokoyami nodded in approval. “That is one of the many reasons he is the number one hero.”

Some others nodded in agreement. Bakugo looked confused.

The detective assured the injured pair that everyone was fine. He said that the students were alive because the teachers risked their lives, but All Might was quick to point out just how well the students had fought. They'd fought the villains and come out stronger and wiser for it, and All Might had no doubt that they would become great heroes.

“You really mean that?” Shoji asked in awe. All Might nodded deeply.

“Of course.”

“Oh man, you're all gonna get me going now. All Might and Midoriya and everyone was just- just- so manly!” Kirishima declared, wiping at tears in his eyes.

Most of the other students were caught between bursting with pride and being stunned that the number one hero had just said that about all of them.

Dramatic music swelled as each of the students of 1A was shown, bruised and battered, but no less determined, until it came back to the nurse's office, where All Might gave Izuku a thumbs up.

That was the breaking point for Kirishima.

“Screw it, this is happening. Everybody! Group hug with All Might!” his cry was taken up by the whole class, and 1A surged toward the teacher's corner of the room. Even Bakugo was among the group, though it seemed to be mostly accidental on his part as he was threatening to beat up everyone who touched him too much.

So basically the whole class was being threatened before too long.

“Somebody get Aizawa in here too!” Kirishima yelled.

“Oh hell no.” Aizawa sprang to his feet and vaulted over the back of the couch to escape the oncoming wave. Present Mic roared with laughter until he and the other teachers were caught by the students and drawn into the hug.

Except for Principle Nedzu though. He managed to avoid getting caught, despite the fact that no one had seen him move.

All Might was shocked at the sudden show of affection, but was certainly grateful it. He honestly wished he could switch into his hero form so he give more of them the proper hug they were looking for.

As the group hug started to wind down, they were all surprised to see that this particular episode wasn't completely over yet.

Midoriya was shown fully healed and now leaving the nurse's office. As he ran to the exit, his voice over explained that the USJ was just the beginning of the major incidents that would follow. Which was cut off when Izuku saw Iida and Uraraka waiting for him.

“I really didn't expect you guys to wait so long for me.” Izuku admitted sheepishly.

“Of course we did, Deku! Your our friend!”

“Indeed, after such an incident it would be reprehensible to force a good friend to walk home alone.”

It was probably a good thing Izuku hadn't tried to clean up his face from his crying during the group hug yet, because the tears were flowing once again.

As the three walked home, the scene shifted to elsewhere in the city, where a strange masked figure crouched on top of a building.

“Who the heck was that?” Sero wondered.

“Who cares? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Kaminari brushed it off.

“Yeah, and if he tries to cross us then he'll see how strong we are!” Kirishima declared. Then he caught the way Aizawa was looking at him. “But of course, we'll only do that if we have literally no other option.” Aizawa nodded his approval.

“Well, I think that's quite enough for today.” Nedzu said, popping out from under one of the couches. “We've all taken in a lot of information, so let's take some time to unwind and then get some shut eye, alright?”

No one argued that plan. Some students broke off to talk in groups or lay down and rest for a bit. Many students stayed around All Might, making sure he was okay and letting him know how grateful they were, and the #1 pro handled all the attention wonderfully of course. A few students were even brave enough to approach Aizawa and thank him too. Those few were treated to him muttering about how you shouldn't get a cookie for doing something you were already supposed to be doing, and how the kids should run along an burn off their energy before bed. None of them dared voice the theory that he was burying his face in his scarf to hide a smile.

Momo and Izuku spent some time talking to Nedzu about some of their observations of course (which only came after Iida handed Midoriya an entire box of tissues that had appeared on one of the back tables). Once they were done talking, Kaminari snagged Izuku to have that support item conversation they had talked about. Soon the two of them were hunched over a table as Kaminari gave Izuku as many details as he could about his quirk. Much to Kaminari's dismay, Izuku became immune to puns when he got into analyzing mode. They started to make some progress when Recovery Girl joined them at the table, since that broke Izuku out of his muttering and allowed them to consult her.

Ashido and Jirou cornered Present Mic for a while to talk more about possible band ideas. Students would come and go from that conversation, as Ashido demanded they divulge their musical abilities (or lack thereof) when they passed by. Momo joined them more permanently at one point. Mineta looked like he was thinking of going over, but a couple of the boys encouraged him to give them and the other girls a bit more space before butting in. “Maybe even wait to be invited.” Ojiro suggested.

*_*_*

Bakugo managed to get All Might alone at one point.

“How do you do it?”

“Do what, young Bakugo?”

“How do you deal with everyone knowing you have this...this big weakness? How do you deal with them knowing you almost lost to the shitty League because of bad timing?”

“To be honest, I wish they didn't know. I wanted to become the Symbol of Peace to keep people from feeling the need to worry about such things, and it does pain me that I'm not able to do that for all of you anymore.”

“That's not what I meant.”

“Oh?”

“How do you deal with people knowing you can...how do you deal with people thinking you are weak?”

“...”

“What? You got something to say then spit it out!”

“So you think them being concerned about me means they think I'm weak, is that it?”

“Duh, they wouldn't worry if they thought you could actually handle shit.”

“...Bakugo, if there is only one thing I can impart on you in my time as your teacher, I want it to be this: Having others worry about you does not mean you are weak, nor does accepting help. And being strong doesn't mean never losing, it means being able and willing to get back up and try again despite the losses. Trust me, I lost my fair share of battles, it's just that most of those happened before the media really started paying attention to me.”

“...”

“Please, just promise me you'll think on it, okay?”

“...fine.”

*_*_*

When things finally began to truly wind down, people started finding places to sleep. Some, including Aizawa, just passed out on the nearest soft surface. Others went into minimalist bedrooms that Truth prepared, wanting to sleep on an actual bed. All Might was among this group, since he knew that sleeping on anything but a firm bed would be murder on his back.

He was a bit surprised when young Midoriya found his way into his room, but not overly so. He knew the boy must have questions after that last episode.

“All Might, if it's not too personal, um, I'd like to ask why you reacted so, uh, much? To the voice of 'Sensei'?” the boy wrung his hands nervously, and looked torn between saying more and just bolting before he had the chance to be rejected. All Might took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

“I wished I would never have to explain this to you, my boy. Or that I could at least put it off for a long time, but it seems fate, or perhaps Truth in this case, is not quite so kind.”

“You don't have to...”

“It's alright Midoriya. Given that we're supposed to be seeing the future soon, I have a sinking suspicion that you and the others will hear about this anyway. But I think you deserve to have it told to you in person, and by the real me, not some possible future version of me.”

“I...thank you, All Might.”

The two of them ended up going to bed far later than everyone else, and when they did finally separate, neither of them got as much sleep as they would have liked.

Chapter Text

Izuku considers himself fairly good at being a morning person. He's not the super bright and chipper kind of morning person, but he can usually get up and be functional fairly quickly. This was not a usual morning though.

His mind had tossed and turned after his talk with All Might. He never would have guessed that One for All had such a complicated history. Because really, the quirk was already unique enough with it being able to be passed down in a way other than through bloodlines; who would have guessed that it also came with a built in arch-nemesis? Certainly not Izuku.

All Might had made it very clear that the only reason he hadn't told Izuku this history before he passed on the quirk was because he truly believed that villain to be dead. Which, admittedly, was a relief for Izuku. The knowledge wouldn't have made Izuku regret taking the quirk, not ever, but it was good to know he hadn't been left in the dark about something that was believed to be immediately dangerous to him. Until that voice came over the TV, All Might had believed that everything to do with this All for One was history; All Might's personal, painful history to be precise.

All Might had spoken only once about the fate his own mentor, but it had been enough for Izuku to hear the depth of pain in his voice. It made him worried about what the upcoming episodes might do to the man, emotionally and physically, and what such a villain might do if he realized that One for All had already been passed on. Worries about his friends and family's safety played through his mind while the others slept, so he was less than thrilled that the sleep he did get was interrupted by Iida barging into the room.

Apparently the class president had taken it upon himself to wake everyone up. None of them had any phones or alarm clocks, so no one had been able to designate a group 'wake up' time. He's not even sure that would work if they had any sort of alarm because he wasn't sure time really existed here. And wasn't that a great thought to try and puzzle out after a sleepless 'night'?

“So why are you getting everyone up again?” Izuku asked, rubbing his eyes as he followed his friend out of the room. He was surprised when he found most of the class and teachers already up and eating.

“My internal clock is very precise, even in a place like this. Plus, I am the class president. Given these facts, it seemed only natural to take on the responsibility of making sure food was available and then waking everyone so the viewing could be resumed. I made sure to leave yourself and All Might for last through, since you both endured much stress during the previous episodes.”

“Oh, thanks.” Izuku said, now feeling a little guilty for some of his uncharitable thoughts upon first being woken up. “Did you include Aizawa too? He also went through a lot too.”

Iida's hands, which normally were almost always moving, became still and dropped to his sides. “To be honest, I did not have the courage to wake Mr. Aizawa.”

Izuku thought about how the man practically lived in his sleeping bag, and the look he gave students who interrupted his naps. “I don't blame you.”

The two of them settled down alongside Uraraka and Tsuyu, who stopped chatting and munching to talk to them.

“Did you all sleep well?” Iida asked.

“Not as well as I would have liked.” Uraraka admitted. Izuku grunted in agreement while she continued. “There was so much we learned yesterday, and today we're supposed to start seeing a future that hasn't even happened yet! It's a lot to take in you know?”

“It was hard to turn my brain off for a while.” Tsuyu agreed.

Izuku never had really understood how some people could just do that, turn their minds off. His usually only turned off completely due to sheer exhaustion. Come to think of it, all the stuff his body went through yesterday might be the reason he got what little sleep he did.

“I agree that the prospect of seeing the future is a daunting one, but I believe we are capable of rising to the task and using the things we see for the greater good!” Iida declared.

“You're really a morning person, huh Iida?” Tsuyu noted.

Izuku dug into his food while Iida wondered “Why does everyone always say it like that?” under his breath.

“I kind of wonder how good seeing the future will be for us.” Tsuyu continued. “Whenever time travel stuff happens on TV and movies, they always say its bad to know too much about your own future.”

“I can see how it would be dangerous to try and make something happen with future knowledge that might not even be accurate once you actively start to change things.” Izuku said, happy for something different to think about. “But I think if we are careful, then we can use this to our advantage. After all, it won't just be us that have to decide what to do. We have some of the teachers here too, including the principle. He's one of the smartest beings on the planet, according to everything I've read. So if anyone can figure out how to use knowledge of the future safely, it would be him.”

“That's a good point. I'll try to remember to just watch and learn, and worry about all the afterwards stuff later. Or not at all, if the teachers are gonna decide how to handle it.” Uraraka said, happily helping herself to more food.

*_*_*

“I have a question.” Aizawa stated from his sleeping bag.

“HE LIVES!” Present Mic shouted. Aizawa ignored him and continued looking at the principle.

“Yes, Aizawa?” He asked, sipping his tea. Because of course he had tea here. He probably had a philosophical discussion with Truth while they were all sleeping and managed to get the weird sillouette being to give him a supply.

“We're gonna be seeing things that haven't happened yet. And some of that is undoubtedly going to involve the students doing some stupid stuff. Don't look at me like that Hizashi, you know what kind of choices teenagers make. So my question is, should we dole out any school punishments for things that their future selves do?”

“Hmmm, that is an interesting question. Their future selves doing such a thing would imply that it is something they would do had life gone on as normal, but given that we are all here then it could change them enough not to make the same mistakes when the time comes.”

“Surely, the consequences they face in the future will be enough to set them straight of any mistakes they do make.” All Might suggested. Aizawa felt slight vindicated that there was a teacher here that looked more tired than he did. “Especially if those consequences involve any sort of physical pain.”

Aizawa felt a twinge of sympathy when All Might hand settled over his old injury. It wasn't enough to stop him from saying more though. “Bakugo didn't face any real consequences for his past as a bully until he came here, and won't face the brunt of it until we get back.”

“Both good points.” Nedzu acknowleged. “I suppose we'll have to go on a case by case basis. If seeing or feeling the natural consequences of any mistakes seems to teach the children what they need to know, then further intervention may not be necessary. But if not, we will do whatever is appropriate to drive the lesson home, as it were.”

Recovery Girl huffed. “I'm sure we'll have to do something at some point. There's always a few students who don't seem to learn their lesson until you make the injury heal on its own.

The atmosphere of the room continued to be a strange mix as people got ready for the next viewing. Eagerness and curiosity mixed with hesitation and anxiety, and many of the students found it felt similar to when they got their acceptance letters from UA. They wanted to open the letter and see what was inside, but were also scared of what they might find.
Finally, after some arguments about food and bathroom use, all were sitting in front of the screen. For better or for worse, they were about to open the envelope.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The next segment started out with an older Izuku talking about how quirks first came to be once again.

“Curious, I wonder why we are being shown this again.” Iida wondered aloud. “It isn't like Truth to pointlessly repeat things.”

There was a pause as people waited for the strange being to respond in some way, but there was nothing.

“Future me must be leading up to something, at least I would hope so.” Izuku mumbled a bit at the end, and the show continued.

Older Izuku explained about his dreams and his quirklessness.

“YES! We get to see tiny cutie pie baby Izuku again!” Ashido cheered. She and Hagakure continued to gush about how cute he was, along with a few others. Uraraka admitted that she had run around her room with her old All Might toy like that more than once, and got several nods of agreement, including one from Present Mic. Izuku blushed like crazy of course, but he managed to keep from sliding down to the floor in embarrassment.

They let themselves focus on that much more than Izuku's visit to the doctor or his talk with his mom. They'd already seen that after all, and it was so much nicer to think of fun childhood memories.

The scene suddenly changed to Izuku standing atop a cliff, while a great number of menacing figures approached him.

The lighthearted focus immediately vanished as people stared at the screen in confusion, or fear.

“What the fuck?” Bakugo deadpanned.

“Wh-who are all those guys?! Dont tell me we're gonna get attacked by the League again so soon!” Mineta wailed. “Or worse, what if it's some of those elite guys they talked about?!” A worried murmur started to pervade the room.

“Now now, settle down everyone.” Nedzu ordered, and the noise ceased. “I don't believe that the Izuku we see right now is in real danger. Given what has been talked about so far, I believe this short segment is being used more as a reminder than anything else. This is the first episode that will foray into our supposed futures after all, so it would make sense to ensure all are familiar with how things stand.”

“I feel like I should be insulted then.” Jirou commented. “I mean, we just spent a whole day getting reminded of what happened to get us here. We shouldn't need another reminder, should we?”

“I believe the key phrase there Miss Jirou is 'a whole day'. Many of us learned things yesterday that we were in no way prepared to learn.”

“I can see how that kind of information dump could leave some feeling confused today. This could just be a way of making sure everyone is reminded of the most important parts without singling anyone out.” Yagi mused.

“It could also serve as a reminder of why we all chose to be here.” Aizawa ventured further. “Midoriya talking about his past, while we're shown something he could face in the future? That any of us might face? It serves a double purpose. Killing two birds with one stone or whatever.”

A grim silence followed. Everyone knew that further incidents were a possibility after the USJ, and that that was why so many of them had agreed to come, but no one liked thinking about it.
Uraraka and Iida looked at Izuku standing alone atop the cliff. He didn't look scared, but that didn't make the idea of him being alone against so many villains any easier for them to swallow. They caught each others eyes, and nodded. A silent promise that, no matter what happened, they wouldn't let their friend end up alone.

Izuku faced the oncoming villains, and thought about how he'd kept going despite the obstacles, and about all the people that had supported him.

“Don't you put me in your shitty visuals Deku, I'm not a part of your posse!”

“I didn't make the show Kaachan!”

Power flowed over Izuku's body, and he gave the villains a determined smile.

There were a lot of reactions to seeing that expression on Izuku. Some people gasped while others just dropped their jaws and others smiled excitedly. Because people knew that sort of smile, it was like All Might's.

“You have truly captured his essence.” Aoyama said with a sparkling grin.

“The resemblance is pretty spot on.” Shoji said. Tokoyami grunted in agreement.

“It's uncanny really.”

“Oh man Midoriya, you look so manly!”

“This does give the impression that you will soon start to truly come into One for All's power. That is a good sign my boy.”

Izuku wrung his hands, blushing again. “I haven't done anything yet.”

“Still, this bodes well for your future success.” Iida assured him.

Izuku smiled at his friend, but it slid off his face as he looked at the boy on the screen. It looked like him, certainly, and he wanted to believe that it was him. But right now he had a hard time believing that he could face down a horde of villains so calmly and confidently.
'But isn't learning to do that exactly why you are here?' A voice in his head asked.

Before Izuku and the villains met, the scene changed back to the city. It was the day after the USJ incident, and the news was reporting on it.

“So you let the reporter's know that the group's true target was All Might?” Momo asked in surprise. “I thought you might try to keep that under wraps to avoid panic.”

“Believe it or not, people are more at ease with the idea of All Might being threatened than a bunch of high school kids.” Aizawa said wryly. Yagi rubbed the back of his neck while Present Mic nodded.

“Yeah, most people are confident enough in him not to get too freaked out, and if we just mentioned them attacking you guys people might start to freak out about other school groups getting attacked too.”

“Hmmm, I hadn't thought about how that information alone might worry other parents. Thank you for the clarification.”

Present Mic grinned at her easily. “No problem. You guys would usually get classes on how to deal with the media in second or third year; I just hope we don't have to bump that up. The longer you can avoid dealing with reporters the better.”

Aizawa grunted his agreement.

The scene switched to a run down building, where All Might's voice read a letter to someone. The letter explained how he'd found someone to become his successor, and was proud of the boy, but that he might need the help of his old teacher soon. It was shown that an old man in a hero outfit was the one it was addressed to.

“You're telling someone else about One for All? Or, did they already know?” Izuku asked, looking from the old man to All Might in confusion. The wording had made it a little unclear, and for some reason his mentor looked very uncomfortable.

“Ah, well, you see...ahem, that is Gran Torino. He taught me for a while in my youth, when I was learning to use One for All myself. Given how, uh, my teaching methods haven't been working for you, despite my best efforts, I thought it might be best to have someone with other methods give it a shot. I started drafting that letter before the USJ, and it seems I must have gotten around to sending it.”

Students chattered excitedly for a minute about the prospect of seeing someone who knew All Might when he was first starting out. Izuku, however, was nervous. He'd never known All Might to ramble like that, and wondered why All Might had never mentioned the man until now.

Over with the teachers, Aizawa was giving All Might a deadpan stare.

“All this time he's been breaking his bones, and you had another person who knew about this quirk that could have helped him? And you're only contacting this person now?”

All Might's brow was gaining a light sheen of sweat. “I certainly didn't expect the boy to become a target so soon, I thought we'd have more time for Midoriya and I to try and figure it out. I know I should have contacted him sooner, and I was planning to do so even before the attack, it just...” All Might wasn't sure what to say honestly. His history with Gran Torino was a complicated one, and he'd hoped that contacting him about teaching wouldn't be necessary at all, but he was big enough to admit when he needed help. Eventually anyway...sometimes. He was willing to do it to help Midoriya in any case. He just hoped the boy took to Gran's teaching style better than he himself did.

“I'm glad to see you are willing to look past your own history to help your student.” Recovery Girl said sincerely, which put the matter to rest for now. She may scold him for his recklessness, but she knew him enough at this point to know how hard something like that must have been for him.

A meeting at UA was being held to discuss the League. Detective Tsukauchi was telling them that they hadn't found anything in their attempts to identify the attack's leaders. All Might and Nedzu discussed how immature Shigaraki had acted, despite being the designated leader, with All Might calling him a man child.

“Like teacher like student, huh Deku?” Uraraka smiled and gave Izuku a teasing nudge.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I believe it was you who got us all discussing Shigaraki's contradictory behavior yesterday, and here All Might was the first to bring that point up.” Iida pointed out.

“Yeah, that is kinda fitting isn't it? Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” Kaminari teased.

While the class gently ribbed Izuku for his connection with All Might, Todoroki looked between Izuku and All Might with a thoughtful expression.

The group talked about why Shigaraki might be like that, but the Detective pointed out that the main problem was how Shigaraki had attracted so many followers, even if they were just small time villains. He pointed out that the world they lived in could make Shigaraki's simple minded ideals appealing to certain people.

“I didn't think about it like that before.” Hagakure admitted. “When you put it that way, I guess it does make sense that those guys would listen to him.”

Ashido shook her head. “I guess so...I still don't really get it myself though.”

“Perhaps it is something we should pay more attention to. Knowing how a villain thinks could be a great advantage.” Iida mused, which made Izuku look thoughtful.

“I can see how it would be easier to let someone else be in control sometimes, but an attack like the USJ still feels like a big leap to take for someone like Shigaraki.” Ojiro said.

The detective commented that the work of heroes let the police focus on investigation, and that they would continue to do that.

“You know, I never thought about it much, but the police do still play an important part don't they? How much would heroes really know about villain groups and stuff if the police didn't do research like that? I mean, do heroes do that too?” Sato asked. Aizawa was the one to answer.

“Underground heroes do, we tend to work more with the police and help track down villainous activity that's harder to see. Regular Pros are more about doing patrols and catching everyday crime. Of course they get called in once there is enough information to do a raid or whatever is needed, but most of the time their job is to be visible.”

“That's part of the reason pro heroes tend to wear such bright colors or have a signature design you know. The point is to let people know you are a hero, so that civilians are comforted and villains focus on your rather than them.” All Might explained.

“Because nothing says 'Hey look over here!' like an eye catching outfit!” Present Mic declared.

“So that's why you always look like that.” Aizawa muttered.

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?”

Nedzu pondered Shigaragi being a 'man child' pointing out that he was similar to the students in the fact that both still had room to grow, and how dangerous that potential would be if there was someone capable backing him.

“Which was totally confirmed yesterday. There is absolutely someone backing him.” Hagakure groaned.

“Well, we know that there is someone backing him, but we don't know how capable they are yet.” Kirishima pointed out.

“I think the Noumu existing means they are pretty capable.” Tsuyu countered.

“Yeah, but we were able to beat it back. Now they'll have to make another one, or come up with something new, and we'll do our best to take them down as soon as we can.”

Kirishima's optimism lightened the mood a bit, so not many noticed just how pensive All Might looked, both on screen and in real life. Midoriya was one of the ones who did notice, because he was feeling the same way. Knowing more about who was backing Shigaraki up, he couldn't shrug off his worries as easily as his classmates. How long would it be before they knew the story too? How would they feel then?

Izuku voice over described how the students had been given the day after the USJ incident off, but it was still hard to relax. Izuku found himself thinking about how he still couldn't picture himself being like All Might, and how he and the other students hindered the heroes. He would have to really make this power his own if he hoped to both survive and protect others.

“Speak for yourself Deku! I fucking nailed that shitty warp bastard! He only got free because of that fucking Noumu thing.”

Aizawa sighed. “As much as I wish you all hadn't gotten involved at all, I would also be lying if I said your presence was entirely problematic. If Shigaraki hadn't been distracted by you three in the water, he might have just decided to kill me before he and Kurogiri ran off.” Present Mic nodded along.

“And if those at the entrance hadn't all worked together then Iida wouldn't have gotten out in time to bring back up, if he even got out at all.”

“Not to mention how the intervention of young Bakugo, Kirishima, and Todoroki kept me from being killed by Kurogiri.” All Might added. “And as I said before young Midoriya, you saved my life, and my secret, by buying me those few extra seconds from Shigaraki. Working on your control of One for All is certainly a goal you must continue to work towards, and I'm glad you are trying to take inspiration from your experience, but I don't want you or any other student downplaying how well you did with such terrible circumstances. Understand?”

Izuku was tearing up by the time All Might was finished talking, and the others mentioned by the teachers were either grinning or blushing with pride.

“Yes sir! I'll do my best!”

Inko came in and called Izuku to dinner.

“Oh man, your mom's food looks so good! I wish we had something that good here!” Kirishima groaned.

“We did discover a kitchen yesterday. I could try baking something during one of our break times.” Sato offered. This was met by enthusiastic agreement and offers to help.

Izuku smiled sadly at his mother on the screen. She was always trying her best for him. He worried too though, she looked so relieved when he talked to her normally. Just how much had he isolated himself after the USJ? Or was it just lingering fear of the USJ attack? He was beginning to think he had underestimated how weird and frustrating it would be to get information about the future in this format, seeing so much yet missing so many 'in between' moments.

The scene changed to the next day in 1A's classroom. Hagakure complained about how she hadn't stood out on the news compared to everyone else.

“Maybe you should talk to the support department about making you a suit that could work with your quirk better. I've heard of other heroes with powers of invisibility that had suits that could become visible or invisible along with the quirk.” Midoriya suggested.

“But I'm always invisible!” Hagakure whined.

“It still wouldn't be a bad idea. The costume ideas were based off of how we wanted them to go, but someone with more experience in the field might have a better idea of how to make a material that would offer more flexibility.” Momo pointed out. Hagakure hummed thoughtfully, then perked up.

“How about a deal? I'll go talk to the support department if you come with me and do the same.”

“Oh! I suppose it would be easier with company wouldn't it? Of course, I'll come with whenever you have time.” Momo easily agreed.

Across the room, Aizawa breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been meaning to talk to Yoayorozu about doing just that, but he was terrible at starting those kind of conversations, and he didn't want to do it just before the sports festival either. He should really talk to Hagakure about the possibility of becoming an underground hero too. Stealth was her strength after all, and they really could use more underground pros.

Everyone in class was talking about the USJ incident, from the media's response to how impressive their teachers were. Then Iida was shown aggressively walking forward and ordering everyone to take their seats.

Iida's eye twitched. “Do I...do I really look like that each morning?”

“Uh, um, I wouldn't say every morning, just on some mornings.” Izuku stuttered, and Uraraka nodded along.

“Yeah, even with the day off the day before, things still felt pretty weird when we got back you know? So it's probably just exaggerating because of that. Plus, you know, we were already sitting, so it seemed more over the top than usual.”

“I'm usually over the top?” Iida asked in surprise.

“A bit.” Izuku admitted.

“But we love you for it.” Uraraka beamed at him, which made him smile in return.

The kids wondered who would teach the class, since Aizawa was still supposed to be in the hospital.

Recovery Girl narrowed her eyes at the screen, then looked over at Aizawa, who was purposefully not looking at her. Present Mic put his head in his hands.

“Shouta, please tell me you aren't about to walk into that classroom.”

“This is the future, I can't say what will happen.”

The door opened to reveal Aizawa, who was doing a good impression of a mummy.

“I KNEW IT!” Present Mic yelled, then paused. “Wait, are you okay? I mean the you here and now? You don't look like you're in pain...” When he looked closer though, he could see that Aizawa didn't look entirely focused either.

“There is some pain...but it's dulled, distant. Future me probably has a lot of pain killers.”

“Which is another reason that you shouldn't be teaching in your state.” Recovery Girl chided. She shook her head in exasperation. “For claiming to dislike All Might so much, you certainly share some of his bad habits.”

Aizawa wanted to glare at her, but the throbbing pain around and behind his eyes told him it wouldn't be very effective. “It's not like I'm out doing a patrol, I'm just talking to my class. I'll be fine.”

Recovery Girl just shook her head again.

The class started freaking out upon seeing him, telling him he was back too soon and wondering if he was really alright.

Which was basically what the students had started doing in real life once they saw their future teacher had come to class after only one day of rest.

“I agree with future me. Is it possible to be too pro? Because this feels too pro.” Kaminari rambled.

“That level of dedication is quite staggering. Let us hope that it does not cause him to stagger right into the ground.” Tokoyami commented.

“Are you really okay sir? You look like you could use more rest, kero.”

“You already risked so much for us, you don't have to push yourself even more, especially not for something like this.” Shoji dithered.

Aizawa sighed. “You don't have to worry about me. My future self clearly got quality medical care, so I can do something as simple as sitting in a chair and talking to a bunch of students.”
The reassurance managed to quiet the class, but many still looked concerned.

Aizawa told the class that his well being didn't matter.

“I'm quoting you the next time you call Midoriya or All Might too self sacrificing.” Present Mic informed him. Aizawa huffed.

Aizawa told them their fight wasn't over, which worried the kids until he announced that the UA sports festival was coming up.

The students shouted with joy and relief. After all their worry about what the future episodes might show them, it eased a lot of tension to have something as normal as the sports festival to focus on.

“The sports festival has got to be one of the most protected events in all of Japan right? No way the villains would try to attack that!” Sero declared.

“Well now that you've said it like that you've gone an jinxed us.” Jirou's voice was flat, but she was smiling slightly to show she was joking. Mostly anyway.

“Attacking such a large event would require a lot of coordination and planning.” Momo mused. “Given what we last saw of them, the League didn't seem particularly prepared for such an attack.”

“Yeah, it sounded like they were gonna focus on some other stuff for a while.” Izuku agreed. Though that certainly didn't bode well for them when the League did decide to make another move. “This still seems like a risk though...”

Izuku's sentiment was echoed by Kaminari of all people, as he and a few others questioned whether it was a good idea to hold the event right after an attack. Aizawa said it was the school's way of showing they had things under control still.

“Many people complain about heroics being too superficial, and they have valid points, but that does not change the fact that public perception has a great affect on heroes and heroic institutions.” Nedzu explained, cutting off any further words of worry. “It is important that people continue to view us as capable and trustworthy if we hope to continue the work we've been doing.”

Aizawa and a few students explained how important the sports festival was for scouting purposes and getting hired after graduation. Jirou commented that Kaminari would get stuck as a sidekick.

Kaminari made the same face as his on screen self.

“Rude.” Sero said, elongating the vowel sound..

“I stand by the comments of future me.” Jirou said. Kaminari looked even more downtrodden.

Aizawa gave a rousing speech about how they only had one chance a year to get noticed by a popular agency, so they couldn't afford to procrastinate. Then dismissed them.

“Ah, I get it now.” Present Mic smirked, leaning onto him. “You came in to teach because you wanted to make sure they knew how important the festival was despite what had happened. You big softy!”

“Get off me.”

Todoroki, as always, scowled when his father was briefly shown.

“I just thought of something.” Izuku said. “If our class gets a preview of what the sports festival is going to be like, won't that give us an unfair advantage when we have to go through the real one?”

“That is a good point. I would hate to win anything just because I had information that others did not.” Iida said.

“But if we end up winning in this future vision anyway, would that still count as unfair? Or would we just be...” Shoji struggled for the words, so Tokoyami finished.

“At that point, we might just be following fate, fulfilling destiny.”

“It still doesn't sit right with me.” Iida frowned. Uraraka patted him on the back.

“I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. I mean, we're watching this to learn about the future in case we want to try and change it, right? We don't even know if the sports festival is one of the things that we'll want to change yet.”

Izuku nodded slowly. “That's a good point, Uraraka. It's like what we were talking about earlier; we should really be viewing this as pure information gathering. Once that's done we can think about how best to move forward.” he smiled at her. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“No problem!” She said, smiling back.

After Aizawa left the room the kids started talking about how excited they were to be taking their first big step toward becoming pros. Hagakure talked to Ojiro about how much she needed to stand out.

Ashido grinned and playfully nudged Hagakure. “Something you wanna tell me?”

“I don't know what you could possibly mean...” Hagakure shifted in her seat, and Ashido wished she could tell if the girl was blushing.

Aoyama went on one of his signature self assured spiels, demanding Koda agree with him at the end.

“Aoyama! Stop freaking out Koda, you know being put on the spot makes him uncomfortable.” Sato scolded.

“Ah, my apologies Koda, that was most inconsiderate of me.” Aoyama gave Koda a deep bow, causing the boy to frantically wave his hands in an effort to say that it was fine.

Kaminari complimented Shoji on how easy it would be for the other boy to stand out, which lead to Jirou taking another jab at Kaminari.

“You seem to really have it out for him today.” Momo noted, then looked contemplative. “Or, I suppose you will have it out for him?”

“Either way works, I find it hard to pass up an opportunity to take a shot at him. He just makes it so easy.”

“Hey!”

“You know it's true.” Jirou told him, smirking at how affronted Kaminari looked.

“Yeesh, are we sure it's just the physical pain that translates from the screen? Because I swear I felt that!”

Izuku and Iida talked about how fired up they felt, and how how excited everyone else was, only to be interrupted by Uraraka, wearing an expression so intense that the determination was coming off in visible waves.

Students giggled at Iida's version of 'fired up' before cutting off when they saw Uraraka's expression.

“Oh my gosh that expression is so intense! So manly!”

“Yeah! You go girl! Be filled with determination!” Ashido cheered.

“You don't look so happy about it up there.” Uraraka noted. Ashido brushed it off.

“I'm sure future me just got too hung up on her surprise, but current me is here for the surprise intensity!”

“Um, thank you, both.” Uraraka said bashfully. She had a pretty good idea why she was getting so 'f'ired up' and felt a little uneasy about how much focus it was getting. She didn't particularly want to be more in the limelight than she already was...but if Izuku and All Might could deal with having a bunch of their secrets being put on display she was sure she could survive a few of her own being known.

Mineta wondered aloud about the source of Uraraka's mood change, which earned him another tongue slap.

“Ow!”

“That was definitely inappropriate.” Hagakure noted. Uraraka held up her hand to Tsuyu, and they gave each other a soft high five.

Mineta looked like he was about to argue, then glanced over at All Might, and shut his mouth. 'Remember what All Might said, the actual words of the girls are more truthful than stereotypes.' With that thought in mind, he got up to get a notebook from the table in the back of the room.

“What's that for?” Sero asked.

“I figure if I'm gonna get slapped this often I should keep an official list of what gets me slapped so I remember not to say it again.” he replied. Sero nodded sagely.

“Probably a good idea.”

Uraraka did her own version of trying to fire up the rest of the class with her, with mixed results. Later at lunch, Izuku asked why Uraraka wanted to be a hero, and was surprised that the answer was 'for the money'.

One of Aizawa's eyebrows went up. Not an uncommon reason, but he hadn't pegged Uraraka as the type for that. Other, more obvious, signs and exclamations of surprise went up around the room, making Uraraka's cheeks burn.

“It's not what it sounds like! I just-” She cut off when Izuku put a hand on her arm.

“I'm sure the other 'you' is about to explain anyway, so you don't have to now. Besides, whatever the explanation is, I don't think any less of you.” He assured her.

“Indeed, even if you are about to give one anyway, you don't owe anyone a justification for such motivations. And I'm sure no one here will judge you.” The look Iida sent everyone around him promised that if they did judge her, he would have very 'class presidential' discussion with them.

Uraraka took a deep breath, relaxing with the knowledge that, despite their surprise, her friends had her back. “Thanks guys.”

Uraraka apologized for having such a comparatively ignoble goal, but Iida assured her there was nothing wrong with aiming to provide for herself. Uraraka went on to explain that her family owned a construction company that wasn't doing well, so they had very little money. Izuku made the connection that Uraraka could use her quirk to help the company if she had a license. Uraraka said she had thought of that as well, which lead to a flashback of a very young Uraraka telling her parents she wanted to help them.

Ashido squealed when young Uraraka appeared on the screen. “OH MY GOSH YOU WERE SO CUTE!”

“So cute! I mean, you're still are now of course, but back then you had the special baby levels of cute on top of it!”

“What Hagakure said!”

Uraraka's face was tomato red at this point, and she slid down in her seat. She stopped when Izuku solemnly said:

“At last, someone else in the class understands my pain.”

That startled a laugh out of her.

In the flashback, Uraraka's father said he wanted her to make herself happy, and not focus on them. The flashback ended, and Uraraka said she would make money as a hero to make sure her parents could live without worry.

Aizawa nodded to himself. That sounded much more in character for the girl he knew. He restrained himself from rolling his eyes over how Mic was blubbering over what a beautiful story that was.

Todoroki had feelings that welled up in him at the sight of Uraraka's father telling her to put her own dreams first. He didn't have the experience or presence of mind to properly articulate them, but if he did, he probably would have thought something along the lines of 'God I wish that were me'.

“Aw, that's so sweet!” Hagakure gushed.

“Indeed, I would consider that as worthy a goal as any of the others we've heard.” Momo agreed.

Iida was so impressed with her reasons he started applauding for her in the middle of the hallway, and Izuku's thoughts showed he was impressed too.

Uraraka was starting to tear up a little bit. “That's...thank you guys!” 'Maybe I've been spending too much time around Deku.' she thought to herself. Though if that was the case she couldn't bring herself to regret it.

All Might suddenly interrupted the tender moment, yelling about how he'd found Midoriya. He then asked the boy if he'd have lunch with him, holding up a small wrapped box. Uraraka commented that he looked like a 'maiden'.

It started with one person snorting. Then another person snickered, then suddenly the whole room was giggling and laughing.

“Oh my gosh that timing!” Kaminari wheezed.

“Uraraka is so right!” Ashido gasped.

“It was a very accurate analogy.” Tsuyu said with a small grin.

All Might was also laughing, very much able to appreciate how the must have looked to all others in the hallway.

Izuku agreed to join him. In the lunch room, Uraraka and Iida talked about why All Might might have wanted to talk with Izuku, and the conversation was shown to be noticed by Todoroki.

Iida frowned. “Were we bothering you Todoroki? We weren't being too loud were we.”

“I don't think that was it.”

“Then what was it about?” Uraraka asked.

“....I'm not sure. It's in the future, so it's hard to say.”

Uraraka frowned, because it felt like he had hesitated just a little too long with that explanation. But maybe she was overthinking things and he'd just taken a moment to guess and hadn't come up with anything. Though the fact that Momo was frowning at him a bit too made her think that maybe she wasn't overthinking.

In another room, All Might revealed to Midoriya that his time had been cut down even further, now to about an hour and half.

People around the room blanched, and some grimaced. All Might cursed internally. He had a feeling that his time would go down again, but he was hoping it wouldn't be by so much. On the outside, he gave his best smile.

“I know that is not ideal, but don't despair. Remember that this would have happened eventually no matter what, these events just made them happen a bit sooner is all.”

“You aren't worried that will affect our ability to deal with the League in the future?” Tsuyu asked curiously.

“Like I said, it is not ideal. But, as my coworkers like to remind me, I am not the only capable hero out there. The attack at the USJ was ultimately brought to an end by the arrival of Iida and the other teachers after all, and I am confident that if we continue to work together then we can overcome any obstacle.” All Might gave them a thumbs up.

“Yeah! Don't worry little listeners! We've got this!” Present Mic cheered. Aizawa held up his fist to show his agreement and support.

“Very stirring words, holding an important message.” Nedzu said with a nod.

Izuku tried to apologize for the time shortening, but All Might wouldn't hear of it. He steered the conversation toward the Sports Festival instead. All Might questioned what he would do during it since he still had such control issues, which made Midoriya bring up the one punch he delivered that didn't break his arm at all. All Might questioned what was different.

Aizawa leaned forward a bit, knowing that any additional information he could get would help him train Midoriya better. He wasn't the only one, as several students, All Might, and even Midoriya himself looked on with rapt attention.

Midoriya thought back. He thought about 13's speech, and concluded that was the first punch he'd thrown at a real living person. All Might noted he must have held back on instinct.

Aizawa let out a breath. It wasn't quite the revelation he'd been hoping for, but it said a lot about that kid that even with so little experience he managed to keep himself from hurting anyone automatically like that. He agreed with All Might, that was progress to be happy about, gradual as it was.

All Might went on to talk about how his days as the number one pro were numbered, and how the attack showed that there were villains out there that realized it.

Despite having come to that conclusion already, the further confirmation reminded everyone of the problem, causing a grim air to settle briefly, but it was lifted as the show went on.

All Might asked Midoriya if he was still determined to be the number one hero, and of course the boy said yes. All Might said the sports festival would be the time to show everyone his determination, to announce himself to the world!

The intensity that All Might spoke with charged the room with energy. So much so that when the episode ended several students let out a cheer.

“Yeah Deku! You can do it!” Uraraka said, bouncing in her seat.

“I have no doubt you will shine marvelously!” Aoyama crooned.

“It's a lot of pressure, but I know you'll find a way to stand out.” Ojiro said with confidence.

“I'm not so sure.” Izuku said, fidgeting nervously. “Like he said, I still don't know how to use my quirk without majorly hurting myself. And I don't want to just rely on instinct to keep from hurting others or myself...”

“If I may be so bold Midoriya, you seem to thrive in situations that require you to make creative decisions. I have no doubt that you will succeed in this challenge too.” Iida declared.

“And I would not have chosen you if I didn't believe you could make it, young Midoriya.”

Todoroki watched as his classmates and All Might continued to encourage Midoriya. He thought about all he'd seen, and about what was to come. Even with all this new information, he wouldn't back down from his own goals. He was going to show his father what he could do with just his ice, and if that meant beating Midoriya, then so be it.

“You better think of something fucking amazing if you wanna have a snowballs chance in hell of getting any attention at all Deku! No one will glance at you twice after they see me!” Bakugo declared. Noting the mixed reactions this got him, Todoroki decided to wait a little longer before making his own declaration. Assuming they didn't see future him do it first.

While the others talked, Aoyama managed to get a quick word with Ashido.

“I noticed how you swooned over the sight of baby Uraraka.” He started, a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

“Yeah.”

“You had a similar reaction to seeing a younger Midoriya.”

“Yeah?”

“So, I can't help but think, if both of them were so strikingly adorable as youngsters, then how might their children one day look?”

Ashido's eyes went wide. “They would be the most adorable babies in existence.” She said with reverent awe.

And that's when the pair went from knowing looks to actual planning. Elsewhere in the room, Uraraka wondered why she suddenly had a sense of impending doom.

Chapter Text

Part of All Might's speech about how important it was to make in impression was repeated. Izuku wondered how he could do that, and All Might asked Izuku if he knew how the sport festival was set up, which lead into Midoriya explaining the basic set up aloud.

“Huh? The shitty business extras and gen eds compete too?” Bakugo asked.

“Well, yeah, that's why the starting group is always so big. Haven't you watched the festival before?” Sero asked, confusion clear in his voice.

“Oh, that's who those guys are. I don't have time to worry about some stupid extras, so I never bothered remembering them. They just distract from the hero course.”

“I'll tell you right here and now Bakugo, that attitude could cost you.” Present Mic said. “The sports festival is a chance for kids from other classes to make a name for themselves and get noticed, so if you don't give it your all you might end up losing your place to someone.”

“I almost forgot about that part. There's been a couple times where a non hero course student made it really far. Does that mean they get transferred, kero?” Tsuyu asked.

“It's more than a matter of how far one gets, the system is a bit more complicated than that.” Nedzu said, grabbing everyone's attention. “But the fact remains that making a sufficiently good showing in the sports festival can give one the possibility of getting transferred into the hero course, and a sufficiently dismal showing can get you transferred out of it.”

The students looked at each other in surprise and dismay. They hadn't known losing their spots in the hero course was still on the table! Not for an event that Aizawa wasn't directly in charge of anyway. Seeing this, Present Mic rushed to reassure them. “That usually only happens if you do something REALLY bad though, like bringing along dangerous, unapproved equipment or sabotaging the other students.”

“Indeed.” Nedzu agreed. The students let out a collective breath of relief.

All Might told Izuku he'd have to really sell himself, and was visibly underwhelmed by the boy's reaction.

People snorted and giggled at All Might's over the top reaction.

“I can see how something like this would be difficult for you, Deku.” Uraraka said thoughtfully.

“You mean because of how out of control my quirk is?” Izuku asked sullenly.

“No! Well, that is a problem, but it's not what I meant. I was trying to say you have a lot of talent but you're humble about it, so I can see how it would be hard for you to go out of your way to draw attention to yourself.”

Izuku smiled a little, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, before now, drawing attention didn't usually end well for me. So I guess it is hard to think of doing that now.”

Uraraka's heart gave a painful squeeze at the reminder of what Izuku's childhood had been like. Iida filled in the silence when she paused too long. “I can see how that would make this difficult, but it is still something you must get used to if you hope to become a pro. It' something we'll all have to get used to really.”

Izuku nodded slowly. 'Well, if I can get used to people viewing my life and to seeing the future, then I suppose I can get used to making myself the center of attention sometimes.'

Izuku went into a muttering session about how he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand out. All Might told him he was speaking nonsense, but that he wouldn't force the boy either. He told him remember the way he felt on Dagobah beach, and use that for inspiration.

Izuku did just that, remembering the pride and exhilaration that had filled him when he'd gone above and beyond expectations. If he could just find a way of channeling that...and find a way to make others see it too...

His thoughts were interrupted by a gasp of surprise, which turned out to be on-screen Uraraka, but was soon echoed by the real one next to him.

At the end of the day, a large group of students had gathered outside 1A's door. The class wondered what all the others were doing there, and Bakugo was the one to figure out they were there to get a look at their competition. So he insulted them and told them to move, much to the dismay of some of his classmates.

“Bakugo! You're gonna make them hate us!” Mineta wailed.

“Not my problem, balls for brains.” Bakugo sneered. “We're not here to make friends with those wannabes.”

Jirou smacked her lips, which caught everyone's attention. “So, show of hands, when we get to this point in real life, who wants to team up with me to gag Bakugo before we leave the room?”

“The hell long ears?!” Bakugo yelled, as hands went up around the room.

“As much as I appreciate a healthy spirit of competition,” Nedzu interjected before the situation could escalate further. “it is important to remember that not all of those students are your opponents. Some of them could be business students, and it would be better for you to maintain a somewhat positive relationship with them.”

“What for?” Bakugo demanded.

“Yeah, what do the business students have to do with us?” Kirishima asked, at a much more reasonable volume.

“The management course students are all about learning how to market heroes. When you get close to graduating, they'll be the ones to help you find things like sponsors, so it's better to stay on their good side.” Present Mic explained. Nedzu nodded in approval.

“Though I must admit, some of the business students may take your caustic behavior as a challenge.”

A new voice came from the crowd. A purple haired boy came forward, saying it was disheartening to see hero course students acting so arrogant. The boy reminded Bakugo that students in other courses also wanted to be heroes, and the festival was their chance. He took in the whole class as he declared war on them.

“Oh wow, I didn't think things would get so intense so soon.” Hagakure said with slight awe. “The festival's still a ways off at this point, right?”

“I guess we weren't the only ones that got fired up by the announcement. But I suppose this could be a good thing, a reminder to keeps us motivated and on our toes.” Momo observed.

“I would have thought the attack covered that, kero.”

Seeing the stare down Bakugo and the purple haired boy were having on screen, Kirishima nudged the blonde with his elbow. “Looks like we've got a real competition going already huh?”

“Whatever, I don't give a fuck about him. If he couldn't even make it past the entrance exam he's got no business challenging me.”

“The UA entrance exam isn't the be all end all of worthiness young Bakugo, and multiple heroes have become pros by getting transferred via the sports festival.” All Might informed him.

Bakugo snorted. “Not anyone I hear about.”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow at him. “You've heard about me. And Midnight.”

“Wait, Mr. Aizawa, you and her were originally in Gen Ed?” Izuku asked.

“It shouldn't be that surprising. Neither one of us have quirks that are effective against robots, but they are very effective against actual people.” Aizawa turned to level a look at Bakugo. “The entrance exam we have at UA leaves a big hole for certain types of quirks to fall into, and those quirks can be very powerful when given a living opponent.” He turned so he could address the whole class.

“Remember this time so I can stop repeating myself. Don't underestimate your opponent.”

“Yes sir!” The class replied. Bakugo muttered it grudgingly, but didn't try to argue.

The stare down was interrupted by a boy from 1B, also shouting challenges and declaring them arrogant.

“I really wish they'd stop lumping us in with Bakugo. The rest of us didn't even say anything!” Uraraka complained.

“I agree, even from this perspective it seems like our own disagreement with his demeanor should have been obvious to them. We were quite animated.” Iida agreed.

“Yeah, pretty sure Iida spoke a lot louder than Bakugo did too. Even the people in the back should have heard him.” Sato pointed out

As Bakugo left, Kirishima said that the others hating on them was Bakugo's fault. Bakugo stated that such things didn't matter as long as you still aimed and fought for the top.

“You got something to say Deku?!” Bakugo demanded, seeing the expression on screen Izuku's face.

“W-well, I'm not sure me and him are technically the same person anymore since we're going through different stuff.” Bakugo was starting to look angrier “B-but! I was thinking that, what you said just then, helped me understand what All Might was saying earlier.”

Bakugo actually look surprised for a brief moment, then he scowled and looked away with a muttered “Whatever.”

Kirishima and a couple others agreed with Bakugo, while Kaminari argued he'd just given them more enemies.

“They were always going to be our enemies, or our competition at least.” Tokoyami pointed out. “He just gave them greater incentive to be antagonistic.”

“That's not helping!”

Izuku stared after Bakugo, and remembered all the different motivations he'd heard for his classmates trying to become pros, as well as remembering himself at Degobah.

“Wait wait wait, did...did Bakugo just inspire someone? Did Bakugo just inspire Midoriya with all that craziness?” Kaminari asked, eyebrows almost reaching his hairline.

“I guess one person's craziness is another person's inspiration.” Shoji said with a shrug. A very big shrug. Kaminari shook his head.

“You're all nuts, how did I end up here?” He muttered to himself. Sero gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“Tell me about it.” Mineta muttered.

Izuku was shown training as he explained a bit more about the festival. Then others from class were shown training too.

Iida ran, Tsuyu practiced in the pool, Shoji lifted some very heavy weights. Hagakure attempted to do a pull up.

“Shoji, even with multiple arms, you should have a spotter during weight training.” Aizawa pointed out.

“Yes, sir. I'll remember.” Shoji said, rather embarrassed that he'd broken a basic work out rule in front of his teacher. He was quickly distracted from it when he saw Hagakure's bit. “You know, if you want some help training yourself to lift more, I could help out with that.”

“You'd do that?” Hagakure asked, sounding delighted.

“Sure, I've got lots of experience with weights. Hmmm, our body types are pretty different though, so maybe that wouldn't work...”

“We could talk about it together.” Izuku suggested. “From what I can tell, Hagakure, your strength level is similar to my own during the early parts of my training, so looking at my work out plan might help.”

“That would be so great guys! Thank you!”

Ojiro and Sero practiced aerial maneuvers. Uraraka floated stones for others to use as target practice.

“Oooo, that's really clever.” Uraraka said when she saw how she and Ashido were working together to train.

“Yeah, glad we thought of it.” Ashido said with a grin, making Uraraka laugh.

“That is indeed a good strategy, since it allows you to help each other and better yourselves. Well done!” All Might declared.

A few moments later though...

“OW!” Aoyama cried, hands flying to the top of head as debris smashed into it on screen.

Recovery Girl tsked as she walked over to him. “Right before the Sports Festival is when we get our greatest amount of injures for the first half of the year. Excluding the festival itself, of course. Everyone's pushing themselves so hard.”

Aizawa added 'situational awareness' to the list of things he should teach these kids sooner rather than later.

Koda and Sato practiced outside.

“Sorry I scared away all your birds Koda...and the squirels.” Sato said sheepishly. The quiet boy waved off the apology. He really needed to find a way to get those kinds of critters to stick around during scary stuff...

Kirishima jumped from a high place and let himself smash into the ground.

“Doesn't that hurt?” Sero asked, watching Kirishima in awe.

“Not really, not when I've got my quirk on full coverage.”

Bakugo's eyebrows rose, suitably impressed by the impact his friend left in the ground.

Bakugo worked on the size of his explosions, Kamanri used his electricity in a field...maybe a little too much.

Bakugo smiled at how big of a boom he managed. Kirishima gave him a fist bump.

“Kaminari if you get all goofy again just from training...I swear I will take pictures.” Jirou declared.

“Noted.” Kaminari said miserably, cursing the sudden fog in his brain. At least he had further motivation not to overdo it now...

Tokoyami stood in a dark field and let flood lights poor down on him and Dark Shadow.

Tokoyami could suddenly hear Dark Shadow cursing and complaining in his head.

“Sorry about that, Dark Shadow.” He said, trying to soothe his other half.

Jirou threw darts with her earjacks. Mineta held a trophy and smiled.

“Pray tell, just what kind of training was that?” Aoyama asked.

“Positive visualization is a thing!” Mineta said, blushing in embarrassment.

Momo read a book. Todoroki practiced punches in his backyard

A number of students were disappointed that the camera didn't linger longer on Momo with her hair down, or on Todoroki in a sweaty tank top. Though probably for different reasons.

The time jumped ahead to the day of the Sports festival.

“Yes! Let's get this party started!” Ashido cheered. A rush of excitement swept through the students, all of them eager to see how the 'future them' might do.

“I know you're all excited, but remember to think of this as more than just a spectator sport. Even if we end up changing the Sport festival program, you can all learn something from seeing how your other selves handle each challenge.” Aizawa reminded them.

“Yes sir!” Everyone called out. The excitement wasn't dampened in the least, but the teachers figured that was okay. Depending on how things go, this might be the last time they have to relax for a while.

As Izuku left his apartment, his mother made him promise to try not to get hurt.

Bakugo snorted. “That's one promise that's getting broken today.”

“It...it might not...” Izuku mumbled. Bakugo gave him a look, which Izuku responded to with a self conscious smile. They both knew darn well Midoriya wouldn't get through the festival without breaking something. Uraraka and Iida gave their friend a consolatory pat on the shoulder.

Inko wished him luck, and Izuku was off. Reporters waited in line to be let onto the grounds, and they talked about all the controversy about the festival. One reporter declared that controversy equaled ratings.

Aizawa started grumbling some very unkind things about that woman and the media in general.

“Hmmm, I do believe that woman was one of the ones who tried to follow the students onto campus not long ago. Perhaps that incident could be enough reason to bar her from getting any further access.” Nedzu mused.

“That would be nice.” All Might admitted. He'd met enough reporters that he knew some had a good sense of decorum, but they were fewer in number than he would have liked, and this woman was not one of them. Her camera man seemed okay though.

The area outside the stadiums was shown, with lots of booths and merchandise. People were overheard talking about how things were different this year.

“Hm, I hadn't thought about how the events of the USJ would affect even the viewership of the third years.” Tokoyami said.

“Good news for us right? More people watching means more chance of being noticed and scouted.” Sato pointed out. Then he noticed how ill at ease Koda looked. “But it's probably mostly gonna be people who are a bit curious after all the stuff on the news. The number of people really looking at our performance will probably be about the same.” He was relieved to see Koda relax a bit.

Todoroki frowned over what one pair in the crowd said. This festival would be his first step toward making sure he was seen as something other than his father's son. He would make sure of it.

A trio of newer pros, who many recognized from the first episodes and elsewhere, were seen visiting the food stands, and talking about how they were missing out on scouting due to being on security this year.

A few of the boys blushed a bit at the display Mount Lady put on to get free food. Aoyama handed Mineta a tissue when he saw the boy was starting to drool.

“You think we'll be able to get away with that after we graduate?” Ashido wondered.

“You might be able to, I don't think that would work for me.” Hagakure pointed out.

“Perhaps, but I don't intend to find out.” Momo muttered.

“It is comforting to see that they've brought in well known heroes to help with security, even if they are a bit newer to the job.” Ojiro said. A few people murmured in agreement. The students on screen may have had training and time to start moving past the USJ, but for the people in the room it had happened just a day or two ago and they'd had to relive it again yesterday. They couldn't help having some anxiety about how things would go during the festival.

Class 1A was shown in the waiting room, talking about the upcoming events. Iida came to gather them for their entrance, but before anyone could leave, Todoroki approached Izuku. He noted how Izuku was connected to All Might somehow, and because of that he would beat Izuku.

“Yeesh, what's with everyone declaring war with this episode? I know its important, but it's still a festival, not a duel to the death or whatever.” Jirou complained.

“Yeah, what gives Todoroki? What did Midoriya ever do you you?” Hagakure asked.

“He hasn't done anything to me.” Todoroki said. “I'm just stating the facts. He's someone I must surpass.”

Izuku looked at Todorki, frowning thoughtfully.

Bakugo clenched his teeth. Why the hell was half and half marching up and challenging the nerd like he considered him his only competition? Sure he had guessed at some connection to All Might, but by that logic he should challenge Bakugo too since he was gonna beat All Might himself one day!

Kirishima tried to get Todoroki to calm down. But he was brushed off, Todoroki saying that he wasn't there to make friends.

“Well, yeah, technically I guess that's true. But being competitors doesn't mean we can't be friends.” Izuku said. “I mean, I'm still friends with Iida and Uraraka, and we're gonna be competing.”

Todoroki looked at him, then looked away. Izuku put his chin in his hand, wondering why the boy was so dead set on this.

Izuku was taken aback at first. But then he replied, saying that he didn't know what was going through Todoroki's head, but he did know that he and everyone would be aiming for the top, and that he refused to be left behind. So he would give it everything he had.

“Wow...I actually feel more invigorated after listening to that.” Kaminari said in awe.

“Kid, did you manage to reply to that challenge and give a crowd rousing speech at the same time?” Present Mic asked with a grin. “Midoriya, you are gonna be a natural with the media one day!”

Izuku blushed and stammered at the praise, while All Might looked on fondly. Izuku could seem like a push over sometimes, but moments like this showed how much of a misconception that was. Moments like this also reminded All Might about why he had picked Midoriya to be his successor.

The scene switched to the arena, where Present Mic riled up the crowd with Aizawa by his side.

“Huh? What are you doing up there Mr. Aizawa?” Ashido asked in surprise. “You don't normally do announcer stuff, do you?”

“In previous years, I might step in during a break period. But no, normally I'd be helping out with the events, though I tend to stick to behind the scenes set up.” Aizawa explained. He wondered if his furture self's role change occurred due to Recovery Girl's insistence or Present Mic's. Though he wouldn't put it past the two to collaborate. He looked over at Mic, and the man gave him a grin.

“I see, that would explain why I don't recall seeing you during previous years.” Izuku muttered. “It makes sense an underground hero would want to stay out of the limelight; it makes it so fewer people recognize you.”

Aizawa nodded, slightly relieved that Midoriya had done the rest of the explaining for him. The combo of injuries and drugs felt by his on screen self kept making things go suddenly foggy. He almost wished it was constant just so he would have time to get used to it.

Mic introduced the first years to the crowd. Inko was shown watching at home.

Izuku felt his heart lift at the sight of his mother watching so attentively, despite her obvious nerves.

All Might was shown watching too, as Izuku and his classmates first stepped out. All Might's was heard telling Midoriya to announce himself, and Izuku said aloud that he would.

“Dang, do the two of you have telepathy?” Sero asked.

“Uh, I don't think so? That first line in All Might's voice was probably just me remembering and getting myself psyched. I feel like that's something I might do.” Izuku said. Sero nodded.

“Still, it makes it look like you two are really in sync.”

Izuku's eyebrows rose, and he looked at All Might, who gave him a smile and a helpless shrug.

Present Mic talked up 1A as they walked across the field. Izuku looked around, and commented on how many people there were. Iida wondered if it would affect their performance.

“Remember to breathe, Midoriya.” Iida reminded.

Izuku took an exaggerated breath and gave him a shaky smile. It was hard to tell right now if the tightness in his chest was his own, or if it was being caused by his future self. “Right, like you said, we're gonna have to get used to the attention.”

Iida smiled back. “Indeed.”

“I think it will help that most of the audience members are too far away to see clearly, you know?” Uraraka said. “It'll make it easier to imagine they are just part of the scenery or something.”

Kirishima and Bakugo talked about the crowd and intro too.

Uraraka huffed. “Of course Bakugo is eating this up. This is the part he's been waiting for, all the attention.” she muttered.

Izuku hummed and nodded. It was about what he expected from Bakugo, and a part of him couldn't help but admire how easily Bakugo acclimated to the new setting.

Present Mic introduced the other classes with just as much enthusiasm, though the crowd wasn't quite as loud for them, which the students seemed to notice.

“I do feel a little bad about our class getting a head start in visibility compared to the others, even if the circumstances behind it were beyond our control.” Momo said. A few classmates nodded with her.

“Hey now, none of that listeners.” Present Mic admonished. “You all deserve recognition for dealing with USJ incident as well as you did. Besides, this could be a boon for them in the end. It will force the other classes to work harder if they want recognition.”

Midnight was shown to be the one leading off the festivities, much to the delight or dismay of those watching.

“I keep telling you we should keep her limited to the third year arena.” Aizawa muttered.

“She does tend to get a little carried away with performances like this.” Present Mic agreed.

“I'll take it under advisement.” Nedzu said.

Bakugo was called up to do the starting pledge, causing more nervousness from 1A and backlash from the other classes. Which only increased with Bakugo's 'speech'.

“Would it not make sense to have one of he class presidents make this speech? Or even the highest of the written test scores? This is a speech, not a battle.” Iida said.

“W-well, doing well on a written test doesn't mean that you would be a good speaker either. And choosing one class president over another would also be unfair.” Izuku pointed out. Momo hummed thoughtfully.

“But, the highest written test score would be a better representation of all the classes, since all of them had to take it to get in while only some of the students took the practical.”

“I'm glad it wasn't the class president to do it.” Hagakure whispered. Ashido giggled.

“Yeah, we'd be up there all day if he was allowed to do a speech!”

“Midnight might need to use her quirk to get him off, kero.”

Izuku's thoughts revealed he knew what Bakugo was really doing, making the pressure on himself even higher so that he'd give an even better performance. Though he didn't appreciate Bakugo getting everyone else caught up in it too.

Bakugo's eyes widened when he heard that, but he quickly schooled his expression into a scowl. “Whatever, you should all be thanking me for turning up the heat like that!”

Some protested him forcing them into it, while others were too busy being surprised or impressed that Bakugo had had such a plan in the first place. Kirishima, of course, praised his manliness once again.

Midnight introduced the first trial: an obstacle course. After explaining a bit more, she reminded them that 'anything goes' so long as they didn't leave the bounds of the course.

“This is going to be madness.” Tokoyami observed.

“Definitely.” Shoji said with nod.

All of year one waited by the start line as the start counted down, Midoriya thinking about what he could do the whole time. When the buzzer sounded, there was a mad rush forward.

“Isn't there a risk of someone getting trampled?” Shoji asked.

“Well, for the hero course students, I consider this good training in making sure you don't get others hurt while attaining your goal. There are plenty of civilians who watch hero fights too closely after all.” Nedzu said with a smile.

“More importantly, we have myself and a number of paramedics on stand by for such things.” Recover Girl said, giving Nedzu an unimpressed look.

Present Mic started commenting, asking Aizawa to join in and calling him Mummy Man. Aizawa complained that Mic had forced him to be there.

“Don't call me that.” Aizawa grumbled, while students chuckled over Mic's new nickname. At least he knew for sure which of them was responsible for their teacher being in the booth now.

The press of bodies in the narrow hallways showed many students being smashed together.

Cries of pain and noises of discomfort went up around the room. No one had time to ask if another was okay before they were feeling it too. It was quite the experience for those who had yet to feel the full affects of Truth's condition.

“I get it. -oof!- It's a bottle neck.” Izuku said.

Todoroki suddenly activated his quirk, causing ice to burst through and out of the tunnel, freezing much of the competition in place. Various students were shown finding ways to pass or evade the ice, not all of them from the hero course.

Students who were shown to be doing well smiled or cheered at their success. Those who were shown struggling, but not trapped, just sighed in relief. Izuku was among the latter, but his attention was soon drawn by the purple haired boy.

'What kind of quirk must he have to get the other students to do that?' He wondered, theories already going through his head at a mile a minute.

Todoroki hummed thoughtfully when he saw who all had dodged his quirk.

Todoroki was surprised by how many people had managed to dodge. Mineta leaped forward and tried to pin the other boy down, but was hit by a robot.

Mineta shrieked and fell off his couch, which made many students wince.

“I got him.” Kaminari said, going over to make sure the boy wouldn't accidentally hurt himself for real.

The robots turned out to be the zero pointers from the practical.

“Such intensity already, they really are making it a challenge.” Aoyama mused.

“How the heck are we supposed to deal with that?!” Hagakure demanded. “You told us to run from them before!”

“And that's still an option, of course.” Present Mic said, grinning. “It's hardly unfair to put these in when there are such powerhouses among you, and I'm sure you and others are capable of sneaking past too. Besides, Plus Ultra!”

Hagakure sighed. Sometimes she hated that saying.

Todoroki and Momo's comments showed that they hadn't seen the robots before, and Momo wondered about the funding for them.

“Oh yeah, sometimes I forget you guys didn't do the same test we did.” Ojiro observed.

Nedzu opened his mouth.

“Just for clarification sir, the query about where the money comes from was mostly rhetorical.” Momo clarified.

“Oh, I see. Perhaps I could tell you about it at the next break instead?”

“That should work sir, thank you.”

Todoroki's was unimpressed with the robots, and said that he wished for more of a challenge.

“Dang man, talk about a bad ass boast.” Kaminari said. “But keep those thoughts to yourself! You're going to give Nedzu ideas!”

“My future self was hardly shouting.” Todoroki pointed out.

Todoroki made a comment about his 'stupid old man' and froze several robots at once.

Cheers went up around the room, as students were once again blown away by Todoroki's power. Izuku was too, but was also distracted by the other boy's comment.

“Do you not get along with your father, Todoroki?”

“No.”

“Oh...”

Unsure of what else to say, Izuku went back to watching. All Might looked over at the boy in concern, wondering what Todoroki was thinking, and what he had to prove. Surely Endeavor didn't think his child lacking or unworthy or being a hero. A single session was enough for All Might to see how skilled the boy was.

Students tried to take advantage of the fact that the robots were frozen, but Todoroki warned them that they would fall over, which they did. Present Mic and Aizawa praised Todoroki in their own ways.

Todoroki nodded his thanks to the two teachers.

“Well, at least you said something.” Jirou said faintly. Though he could have stood to do that just a bit sooner, in her opinion.

“I am not here to make friends, but that doesn't mean I want to hurt anyone unnecessarily. I made sure they would fall fast so not many would have time to run under them.”

Izuku was shown, trying to think of something, then Inko was shown at home, begging her son to run away.

Guilt settled like a heavy stone in Izuku's stomach. It was only a little ways into the first task and he was already making his mother cry!

“It...it's okay Deku!” Uraraka said, clenching her fists and turning to him. “I know my parents are probably freaking out too, but we just gotta show them how good we're getting and then they'll know they don't have to worry so much!”

Izuku stared at her for a moment, then smiled and bumped his fist against hers. “Yeah, we'll show them it's okay, because we're there!”

Uraraka beamed.

Izuku was shown, thinking quickly about how he could get through. He flashed back to the entrance exam, where he froze up against his first robot. He showed none of that hesitation now, as he braced himself.

Then the episode ended.

“Oh come on! We were just getting to the good stuff!” Ashido whined.

“Yeah! I wanna see the rest of that race!” Kaminari cried.

“Next episode! Next episode! We gotta see the rest!” Hagakure cried.

“Alright, alright, we'll forgo the between episode break for now.” Nedzu said, much to the students' delight.

Chapter Text

The episode started off with Present Mic giving rapid fire commentary and explaining how all of the video feed was being obtained. In the background, Aizawa wondered if there was a point to him being in the commentary box at all.

“Can't you guess? You are clearly there for moral support!” Mic exclaimed. Aizawa rolled his eyes.

“I'm not even doing anything, and you seem to be doing just fine. You just wanted me there because I'm 1A's homeroom teacher and they've been getting so much media attention.”

“Shouta! I would never use you for media purposes! The fact that you might be able to provide insightful commentary later is nothing more than a convenient bonus. Is it so strange that I want to hang out with you?” Mic asked, leaning in to give the other teacher sad puppy dog eyes.

“You're ridiculous. And stop staring at me.” Aizawa pushed Mic's face away with one hand. Mic made a show of being put out, but was grinning by the end of it.

Todoroki freezing the robots was shown again, followed by them collapsing to the ground. Among the crowd of students there went up a cry that someone had been under the robots when they collapsed.

“Oh no!” Uraraka gasped.

Izuku quickly looked around the room, to see if anyone was showing any signs of pain. He wasn't the only one, as he noticed the teachers doing the same. Thankfully no one was yelling or screaming or crying...Kirishima looked kinda uncomfortable in his seat all of a sudden though. Bakugo was sending him looks and telling him to 'quit his damn squirming'.

“Ah, I didn't intend for that to happen.” Todoroki said.

“Guess you should've given that warning a bit sooner, huh?” Jirou asked flatly.

“Yes, I'll remember that if this event ends up happening in the future.” He said. Naturally he expected other hero students to recognize the danger and avoid it, but he should have taken into account how many non-hero course students were there.

After a few moments of panic, someone burst through the ice and frozen metal. That someone was Kirishima, who yelled about how dangerous that would have been for anyone else.

'Hm, seems I had a little too much faith in my classmates.' Todoroki mused. 'He is right though, that was incredibly lucky.'

“Well that explains it! I was wondering why I started to feel so much pressure on my skin after the robots collapsed.” Kirishima said.

“You got caught under that robot and your quirk protected you that well?” Sato asked in amazement.

“That's so awesome Kirishima! See! I told you your quirk would be great for hero work!” Midoriya said with a big smile. Kirishima rubbed the back of his head.

“Don't oversell it guys, I just kept myself safe after I managed to get stuck under a robot. I wouldn't call that heroic.”

“Protecting yourself is important too. You can't help people if you get hurt yourself.” Aizawa reminded.

A moment later, a student from 1B burst out from beneath the bots in the exact same way...and said almost the exact same thing that Kirishima said. Kirishima lamented how similar their quirks were as they ran through the obstacles.

Todoroki looked back and forth between the Kirishima in the room, and the pair running on screen. “Is he your estranged twin?” he asked. Kirishima spluttered.

“What?! No, of course he isn't!”

“A cousin then?”

“Dude, just because our quirks are similar doesn't mean we're related. A lot of people have similar quirks.”

“Okay.” Todoroki said, though he was far from convinced. It just seemed like such a weird coincidence, two boys the same age with such a similar quirk getting into UA the same year...

One of the non-hero students urged the rest of the group to work together to clear the robots in their path, though his words were quickly drowned out by Bakugo using his quirk to blast himself over the robots.

“You would be the one to immediately dismiss working together.” Uraraka grumbled.

“No shit, round face. It's a race, not a team sport!”

Sero and Tokoyami were shown using their own quirks to get over the robots.

“We're getting a lot of close ups in this episode aren't we? Not that I'm complaining of course.” Sero said with a grin.

“Indeed.” Tokoyami was smiling and patting dark shadow, who was excited to be shown doing something cool on the screen.

“Looking good guys!” Ashido cheered.

The watching teachers noticed how the students from 1A were progressing quickly, like they expected. All Might pointed out that the other students were doing well too, but that 1A had something that set them apart. Aizawa continued the observation by noting how the hardships they faced during the USJ had made the students hesitate less, which gave them an edge.

“My, my, did you two boys just agree on something?” Recovery Girl asked with a sly smile.

“It certainly implies that we did.” Yagi said. He turned gave Aizawa a smile. “Maybe we're not so different after all, huh?”

“There's no connection between being similar to each other and being able to recognize cause and affect.” Aizawa grumbled. He didn't feel very up to banter with whatever was in his system on-screen.

“That's true I suppose.” Yagi's smile turned self-deprecating. But he honestly saw this as a good sign. It was good that he and Aizawa were on the same page when it came to the class his successor was in.

“Hm, I guess this means there's some truth to the saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.” Shoji mused.

“I guess so. I wonder how much worse we would have done if we hadn't been attacked.” Tsuyu said.

“Huh, I hadn't thought of that.” Izuku said, putting a hand to his chin. “And now that we're seeing all of this, we'll have gained even more experience by the time we get to this point in real life. Or, we'll have gained knowledge at least.”

“Indeed, it seems we'll end up having an advantage over the other students no matter what.” Iida seemed a bit uncomfortable with that revelation.

The focus switched back to Izuku. The boy knew he couldn't use his quirk just yet, and he soon found a way around doing so. He grabbed a sheet of metal armor off the ground and used it as a weapon to take out one of the smaller bots. He kept the sheet as he ran.

“Nicely done Midoriya, your timing was impeccable.” Iida praised.

“I agree. You've shown great improvement since the beginning of the school year.” Yagi praised.

Aizawa watched while Izuku blushed furiously and waved off the praise of his mentor and friends, and wondered if All Might realized just how fortunate it was that the child who caught his eye for reckless bravery was also a child that was both strategic and quick thinking when he wanted to be.

Large robots started going down ahead, and it was revealed that Momo was taking them out with a canon she made.

“Holy sh-!”

“That's awesome!” Ashido's cheer cut off Kaminari's exclamation.

“Well, that's one way to get yourself noticed.” Jirou said with a smirk.

“That was part of my intention, presumably.” Mom said with a small smile. “I imagine I also hoped to take care of the rest of that obstacle without myself or others getting hurt. Though perhaps I should have been more sparing, since that let all the other students through too.” her voice turned thoughtful at the end.

Kirishima waved off Momo's concern. “Nah man, you made a canon! A canon that was powerful enough to take out the zero-pointers! You gotta show something like that off, go big or go home!”

“Damn straight.” Bakugo said with a sharp nod.

“Besides Torodorki already did that, so I think doing it your own way made you stand out more.” Izuku said.

The teachers in the stands talked a bit more, and All Might was shown to be keeping a close eye on Izuku and hoping he'd focus on just getting to the next round. Then Mic introduced the next obstacle: The Fall.

“I admit, I am curious to know what UA's back up plan is for if a student were to fall off one of those edges.” Tokoyami said.

“Yeah, it seems like that could really hurt someone.” Hagakure noted nervously.

“You'd be surprised what the human body can withstand.” Nedzu said with a sharp smile.

Recovery Girl saw the looks of horror the students were sending him, and sighed. “We made sure no one would fall to their deaths. Myself and some other officials have to approve the plans for each part of each festival, for safety purposes. From what I recall, the darkness further down is actually an illusion created by one of the faculty who is teaching the older grades this year. It hides all the padding and such down there.”

“Indeed. We needed to instill the feeling of danger, but we're hardly going to take such a risk with students lives, especially at such a public event.” Nedzu agreed.

The students looked relieved due to what Recovery Girl said, though others still glanced nervously in Nedzu's direction.

Students paused in fear or awe at the site of the obstacle, but Tsuyu didn't hesitate to leap out and start making her way across. While she did so, a student decked out in tech was introduced.

“Who the hell is this extra?” Bakugo grumbled.

“With all that gear, I'd guess she's from the support course.” Sero said.

The girl explained how support students could bring in their own inventions to use in the festival, to show off their work to watching support companies. With that she started swinging across the pits with the help of her inventions much to the complaint of Uraraka and Ashido.

“Don't know what you're complaining about. If you can't get your quirk to compete with some goggled girl's tech then what the hell are you doing here?” Bakugo demanded.

“I know, I know.” Uraraka said with a sigh. “Her stuff just got her so far along so easily that it feels unfair, you know?”

“Speak for yourself, I don't get any tech to help me, and my quirk is so not going to help me get across those ropes.” Ashido whined.

“There will be plenty of times where your quirk will not suit the specific task at hand. Doing what you can to deal with it anyway is part of being a hero.” Yagi declared.

Aizawa thought this was somewhat ironic given that All Might had a very versatile quirk, but he agreed with the statement in general so he didn't say anything.

Over with the students, Izuku touched his chin thoughtfully. “Plus, like she said, the hero course has gotten a lot of training that the support course wouldn't. If anyone is truly at a disadvantage here, it's the Gen Ed and Management students. They don't get training, or the ability to bring in inventions.”

“Well, the other courses can bring in inventions if they want, but only the support course has access to the labs on campus, so that limits their abilities a bit too.” Present Mic explained.

Speaking of the Gen Ed students, the purple haired boy who issued the challenge to 1A was shown watching the other students.

Ojiro frowned. “I don't like the look on his face right now.”

“It is kinda creepy.” Hagakure agreed.

Todoroki and Bakugo were shown, still clearly in the lead. Iida did his best to get across the ropes while looking 'cool' for his watching brother. He apparently failed since Present Mic loudly declared him to be 'uncool'.

Iida gave Present Mic and affronted look, which made the hero shrug.

“Sorry listener, but that expression kinda ruins it.”

“Um, even if it looks awkward, I think its still really cool that you can keep your balance while doing that.” Izuku said.

“Yeah, I probably would have fallen off those ropes if I had to use them, and I would be going slower!” Uraraka added. 'I hope I'm able to get enough momentum to float across, without falling behind.'

Their praise mollified Iida enough that he went back to watching.

People in the stands praised Todoroki for his skills and power, and some said it was obviously due to being Endeavor's son.

Todoroki's hands clenched where they rested on his knees. 'Even when only using my ice they keep comparing me to that bastard...'

Izuku was shown making his way across the chasms, still carrying the metal shield.

“Wouldn't that be easier without the extra weight?” Uraraka wondered.

“Well, I don't feel much burn in my muscles, so it must not be that heavy.” Izuku said, stretching his arms this way and that. “And it looks like I found a way to secure it, so it makes sense I would bring it. I'd rather have a little trouble with this part than leave it behind and regret not having it later.”

Uraraka nodded. Sometimes she forgot just how strong Midoriya had to make himself to inherit One for All.

Inko was shown, quietly urging her son on.

Izuku smiled, touched by how much she was getting into it, even when he wasn't in direct danger.

Still in first, Todoroki was shown making it to the last obstacle: A mine field. Mic explained that the mines themselves were built to be more scary than damaging.

A lot of students let out their breath in relief, or quieted protesting when they heard Mic explain.

“UA sure knows how to toe the line with these things.” Sato said, earning a shaky nod from Koda.

Students started going through the mine field, some setting off the mines. Todoroki noted that this part put the lead at a disadvantage, which was likely done to keep things entertaining.

“Naturally, we wouldn't get nearly the air time we do if we didn't know how to keep an audience's attention.” Mic said with a smug grin.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. With the way society treated heroes, he was pretty sure they would get the air time either way, but the obstacles always served the purpose of really challenging the students, so it wasn't going to complain. Not much, at least.

Bakugo suddenly came hurdling up, yelling at Todoroki for declaring war on the wrong person and taking the lead. The two fought each other while somehow remaining in the lead.

“Ha! Take that you half and half bastard!” Bakugo shouted, Todoroki gave him a flat look. Both of them were doing a remarkably good job at ignoring the phantom sensations of the other grabbing and pushing them on screen.

“I challenged Midoriya for my own reasons that have nothing to do with you. But I'll certainly give you a fight if you want one.”

“I don't give a damn about your reasons, I'm gonna be the one to win!”

Midoriya, who had plenty of experience with ignoring the sounds of Bakugo shouting, just looked thoughtfully at the screen. “This last obstacle is basically perfect for Kaachan, he's used to a lot bigger explosions after all.”

“True, but given that he is not in direct control of these explosions I figured he might have a bit more difficulty.” Momo mused.

“I guess they both have more awareness than we gave them credit for.” Shoji matched her tone.

“Or they are both really good at multitasking, kero.”

Izuku arrived at the mine field, and quickly took in the situation. He knew he was far behind, but he wasn't giving up yet.

Bakugo snorted. Like that nerd was actually going to find a way to catch up by the time he and icy hot crossed the finish line...

Meanwhile, Midoriya went into deep thought...

After a quick cut to the rest of the field, Izuku was shown again. He held the metal sheet in front of him, cited Kaachan for his idea, and threw himself onto the ground. The resulting explosion was so large that it made even Bakugo and Todoroki stop and look behind them. A few moments later, Midoriya was seen rocketing toward the front.

The room exploded too, but with noise rather than smoke.

“Oh my god that's awesome!”

“What the heck?!”

“You're crazy!”

“You look so manly!”

“The hell are you thanking me for?”

“How did you even do that?!”

The last cry was the one Izuku answered. “I've got a pretty good idea of what I did, but I won't know for sure until they show it.”

“How can you not know when you're the same person looking at the same problem?” Kaminari asked in bewilderment.

“Well, I'm pretty sure the me on screen got more time to think about it. Plus I tend to think faster when I'm actually in those kinds of situations rather than just watching them.”

“Isn't that kinda true of everyone?” Kirishima said.

“It's not true for me.” Mineta said, slumping in his seat. Kaminari gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, and Aoyama shrugged.

“We all have our own skills, mon ami.”

A quick flashback showed that Midoriya had quickly analyzed the challenge of the minefield, and came up with a plan that allowed him to set off one big explosion that sent him hurtling forward and over the other participants.

“You figured all that out within that small amount of time?” Momo asked, a note of surprise in her voice. Izuku blushed a bit and ducked his head.

“W-well, like I said, I think fast in those types of situations.”

“That was really clever Deku!” Uraraka praised.

“I agree, most would not be able to think of such a strategy so quickly, much less be bold enough to attempt it.” Iida said. Which made Deku blush even more.

“Looks like you are rising to the challenge quite well, my boy!” All Might praised. Izuku's embarrassment subsided a bit, and he beamed at his mentor's praise.

“Hey! Deku got that dumb idea from me! He just said so!” Bakugo shouted. Kirishima grinned.

“Well, that means your manliness is so intense that it inspired him again!”

“Exactly! He wouldn't be anywhere without me!”

“That's...not what I meant...”

'Yagi was quite lucky to have found someone with such a unique set of traits to become his successor.' Nedzu mused.

“Being willing to take risks to show off what you can do is a big part of the festival. They don't always pay off, but this one looks promising so far.” Aizawa noted. Present Mic snickered.

“Honestly, I think the most impressive thing right now is that he managed to aim himself enough to go toward the finish line rather than the starting line.”

Izuku soared into first place. His internal thoughts showed things had gone to plan, but that he hadn't accounted for how he would land.

The sounds of palms meeting faces or foreheads sounded throughout the room, much to Izuku's embarrassment. Aizawa sighed.

“Clearly, we still need to work on you thinking things through, problem child.”

“But that doesn't take away from the cleverness of the original idea.” Yagi said.

“True. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't encourage him acting so recklessly. Wasn't the you that's sitting in the stands just thinking about how you just wanted him to get to the next round?”

“...point taken.”

Bakugo and Todoroki stopped fighting each other and focused on rushing after Midoriya. Midoriya himself started to lose speed and altitude. Thinking fast, he slammed his metal shield into the ground setting off another explosion. He flew past the two leads once again, until he tumbled and skidded onto the ground. He quickly got up and started running.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, finding himself impressed once again. “I stand by what I just said, but it seems that so far he's got plenty of quick thinking to make up for his lack of thorough thinking.”

“Indeed!” All Might wore a proud smile.

Todoroki and Bakugo both jumped when they felt pressure in the square of their back. It didn't take long to figure out it came from the stance Midoriya used to swing down his shield.

“Deku...” Bakugo growled, low and dangerous. “Did you just use me as an actual stepping stone?!”

Midoriya didn't respond right away, as he was distracted by the sensation of his on-screen self rolling hard across the ground. “U-um, ow! uh, kinda? Ow! I mean, no! I would never! You just, uh, made convenient leverage?” Izuku winced as he said the last line, and Bakugo's snarl became livid.

“Dude, chill, you can't tell me you wouldn't have done the exact same thing in his place.” Kirishima pointed out. Bakugo turned his snarl on him instead, but found he couldn't deny the accusation. Turning his head also made him see the warning look Aizawa was sending him. After a couple tense moments, he huffed and turned back to Midoriya.

“Watch your fucking step Deku, or next time it'll be my foot in your back, got it?”

“Loud and clear, Kaachan!”

Midoriya ran for the finish line, with Todoroki and Bakugo hot on his trail.

The students leaned forward in anticipation, wondering who would make it through first.

Present Mic commentated on the turn of events, and asked Aizawa what he'd been teaching these kids. Aizawa responded that the kids themselves were the ones responsible for pushing themselves like this. The finish line was shown, with Izuku being the first to run across it.

The students cheered along with the crowd, with Yagi and Present Mic joining in. The exceptions were Todorki, who merely frowned, and Bakugo, who stared daggers at Midoriya while thinking 'Don't get comfy Deku, I'm coming for first place.'

“Congratulations Deku!” Uraraka cheered, holding out her hand for a high five. Though he was once again blushing at everyone's praise, he grinned and gave her one. Then gave Iida one right after.

“Okay, everyone be quiet! I wanna see if I made it to the next round!” Ashido urged. The students quieted quickly, eager to see how they, and everyone else, scored.

Inko was shown crying with both stress and pride at home.

“Oh Mom..” Izuku said softly, wishing he could see her for real and let her know he was okay.

Two pros on security noticed Deku on screen, and recognized him from the slime villain incident.

“Guess someone's eating their words now.” Uraraka said with a grin.

“It is rather poetic that the same recklessness they chastised him for is what helped him gain victory here.” Iida noted.

“Huh, I never though about that...”

“Don't take that as an invitation to keep doing it, problem child.”

“Of course not sir!”

In a dark room, Shiogaraki was also shown to be watching the results.

Tension suddenly filled the room. Many of them hadn't thought about what being on television would mean for them, given the events of the USJ.

“Are, are we sure it was a good idea to go ahead with the festival?” Mineta asked hesitantly, giving voice to what many of the students were thinking.

“Villains have had just as much access to the Sports Festival footage in previous years, and there has never been any evidence of it having an overly negative impact.” Nedzu said, making it sound reassuring. If one looked closely though, they would see the slight downturn of his lips giving him away. He was far from pleased with the implications of that scene. Since the villains main goal had been to capture and kill All Might, presumably he had seen no harm in going through with the festival. However, when he made that decision in this future timeline, he hadn't known that Shigaraki had singled out Midoriya so much, and this scene implied that Shigaraki's preoccupation could turn into something more sinister with time.

“Besides, I think this bodes well for the short term at least.” Yagi said. “If he's watching like that instead of doing anything else, that likely means he's not planning to interfere with the festival itself.”

The idea that they wouldn't have to directly worry about Shigaraki for a while longer did much to ease the tension in the room. 'Yagi always did have a knack for putting people at ease.' Nedzu thought.

Midoriya panted in exertion, and shared an intense look with All Might.

“Did you guys just share a moment? Just with eye contact? Across an entire stadium?” Hagakure asked, sounding impressed.

“You guys are both such saps, no wonder you get along so well.” Jirou teased, making both mentor and student become flustered.

All Might's thoughts were heard while the other students continued to race. He had chosen Midoriya for his selflessness, but had worried that might hinder him in a world where heroes needed to be popular. Turns out he was worrying over nothing!

“Yeah, I wouldn't have guessed Midoriya had any ability to be cutthroat.” Kaminari said. “I mean, we saw him get intense during the one on one battles and the USJ, but this is something else.”

“I know right? Did you see him during that last bit? He literally stepped on the two in front to get ahead!” Sero laughed.

“Please stop bringing that up.” Midoriya begged.

The camera showed three unidentified people talking about Midoriya's performance. They turned out to be Management students, which a voice over explained didn't benefit much from the main parts of the Sports Festival.

“I guess that explains why we never really see Management students after the first round huh?” Sato thought aloud. “Doing well enough to go on doesn't benefit them at all.” Beside him, Koda shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the idea that any of those students might end up talking about him.

Uraraka wanted to protest that it was rude of them to dismiss Izuku's looks so quickly, but then remembered she'd described Deku as 'plain' to Present Mic, and that there was actual video of it. So she decided to stay quiet.

Bakugo and Todoroki were shown, recovering from their own sprints. Bakugo was angry that he had missed first once again, while Todoroki just stared at Midoriya for a minute before walking off.

Izuku frowned, and looked over at where Todoroki was sitting. The boy was staring at the screen, like most everyone else, and had his usual blank expression on. First the declaration, then that look...Izuku felt like something was building up, but he didn't know what.
'Todoroki...what's going through your head?'

Uraraka ran up to congratulate him, making him blush. Then his internal thoughts showed he believed that the only amazing thing was his luck, because he found a way to use the robot armor.

'Oh, that's true...the other me is right-'

“Stop that!” Uraraka scolded.

“Huh?” Izuku said, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Don't you think things like that! You did amazing! Using something from the environment to help isn't 'just luck', it's clever!”

“I agree. I imagine there were many broken robot pieces available for others to pick up, but it seems no one else thought to do so.” Iida said. Uraraka nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! And even if they did I bet none of them would have thought to use them in such a cool way!”

“You're friends took the words right out of my mouth young Midoriya. Using the environment in a creative way is the same as using one's quirk in a creative way, both are admirable abilities.” All Might gave him an understanding smile. “I know how such thoughts can drag one down, but you must remember not to sell yourself short. After all, how can you make others believe you will make things better, if you can't believe in your own abilities?”

Izuku's eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, All Might, and, and you guys too. I'll- I'll try to remember that.”

“Might want to add 'not be a crybaby' to the list.” All Might joked, making Izuku chuckle as Iida handed him a tissue.

Momo was shown crossing the finish line, clearly exhausted. This was partially due to Mineta being stuck to her back.

Kaminari raised an eyebrow at Mineta. “Seriously dude?”

“I- the other me was just using my quirk creatively! Weren't they just saying that's a good thing?” Mineta said defensively.

“I would find that a lot easier to believe if you'd chosen to stick to anyone besides Yoayorozu.” Ojiro said, gaining murmurs of agreement from several classmates. Mineta sighed, and started a new line in his notebook.

Midnight was shown announcing the results, which was mainly a mix of 1A and 1B students, with one notable exception.

Kids cheered when they or their friends were shown to have made it.

“Dude, did we all make it through the course?” Kirishima asked excitedly.

“Looks like it.” Shoji nodded.

“Awesome! Great job everyone!” Kirishima cheered and high-fived the people around him. Others started doing the same. Uraraka held out another high-five for Deku, but he slapped it absentmindedly.
He could have sworn he saw that the boy from Gen Ed, the purple haired one that had declared war on them, had made it through.

'It's like the 'camera' is making a point to focus on him. I wonder if Truth is trying to convey something...'

Midnight revealed that the next event would be a Cavalry battle. She explained what exactly that was, and that each person would have a point value based on their place in the previous race.

The students got more and more excited as they learned about the next event. They were already thinking about who they would want to team up with themselves, and coming up with theories over who would team up together.

With how excited Mineta was shown to be over the thought of a cavalry battle, Tsuyu wondered if she should slap him again. But she decided to wait and see how things panned out. Her future self might end up doing it for her after all.

“I bet you want to team up with Ojiro, huh Hagakure?” Ashido said, giving the invisible girl a sly smile.

“W-well, of course, he's very strong so why wouldn't I want to?” Hagakure said, obviously fidgeting in her seat. “Besides! I figured you would be all over Uraraka and Midoriya teaming up.”

Ashido snorted. “Oh trust me, those two are a given. Maybe Iida will join them too, but those two are definitely gonna team up.”

“Oui, they most certainly will. Though with the display he just put on, she may have to act fast.”

Then Midnight announced that the first place winner would be worth 10 million, meaning that whoever took Deku's team down would be at the top. The episode ended with almost everyone staring hungrily at Midoriya.

“On the other hand, maybe she won't need to rush at all.”

“Oh, but now it's even better! Just think of all the moments they could share, standing side by side against the horde!”

“You read my thoughts, mon ami!”

*_*_*

“It was nice knowing you, Midoriya.” Kaminari gave the stunned Izuku a salute.

“Dude!” Sero complained.

“His summation is accurate, if not crude. People will likely either beg to join him to get a shot at the 10 million right away, or avoid him like the plague in the hopes that they'll be on a strong enough team to take him down. There will likely be very little in between.” Momo predicted.

“I think you were right earlier, young Midoirya. For you, the real test starts now.” All Might said. Midoriya nodded, grim but determined.

“I think I know what you mean.” 'I just hope the future me figures it out too.'

“Don't worry so much, my boy! I have confidence you will find your way through, and continue to declare yourself!”

Izuku smiled at him. 'Somehow, that knowledge is both stressful and comforting.'

*_*_*

Aizawa watched everyone's reactions with a critical eye. He was very interested to see how this would play out. After all, some of the strongest in class were also the ones that had the most issues with teamwork, while those that would otherwise struggle could flourish in a support role. So he had no objections when the students once again voted to have a quick stretch and bathroom break before moving on to the next 'episode'.

Chapter Text

The episode started with a flashback of Aizawa explaining the importance of the Sports Festival, then one of All Might telling Izuku its importance to him specifically. There was also a bit of the obstacle course shown as well as a retelling of how the cavalry battle would work and how much Izuku was worth in points.

“The hell with this crap? We've seen all this!” Bakugo complained.

“It is a bit odd.” Tokoyami noted. “These are all very recent events, episode wise, so it seems unlikely Truth might believe we have forgotten them.”

“You gonna say anything about that static baststard?!” Bakugo shouted at the ceiling. “You've been too fucking quiet.”

“I didn't realize you missed me so much.” The strange voice of Truth teased. “But no, I don't have anything to say, not right now. I'm sure one of you will figure it out.”

Bakugo made to yell something back, but was cut off by Momo's clear voice. “I do have one theory, given the fact that most of this story is still from Midoriya's perspective.”

“You think that I'm, er my other self, is thinking about all those things?” Izuku guessed.

“Precisely, given the amount of pressure placed on you with that last announcement, it would make sense that a part of your mind would think about how much is riding on you doing well.”

Bakugo huffed in annoyance, but didn't say anything. She was probably right, the Midoriya's were anxiety incarnate, but he didn't want to have to acknowledge that in anyway after she interrupted him.

After the 10 million point announcement was made, and everyone started staring at him, Izuku's mind flashed back to Bakugo and the students yelling and staring him down in his old classroom.

Several of the students winced, and almost all of them felt at least a little guilty.

“Sorry man, didn't mean to bring that back up.” Sero apologized.

“I'm sorry too! I wouldn't want to make you feel bad or super pressured or anything, you know? It was probably just a big surprise for everyone.” Uraraka rushed to explain.

“Though I admit I can feel the spirit of competition even now, I do apologize if our future actions brought up bad memories.” Iida said, his hands chopping the air.

“G-guys, it okay! Really! It doesn't feel great, but I think it will be good for me. I mean, I can't really be a successful hero if I can't handle people staring at me, right? This will help me get used to it.” 'Hopefully'

“You're right about one thing. Any hero, even an underground one, has to be one that's capable of dealing with unwanted attention and scrutiny.” Aizawa confirmed.

Izuku's thoughts revealed that he knew this was a different scenario from back then. He thought about him being at the top spot, and wondered if it would always feel this heavy.

“Huh? What's heavy?” Kaminari wondered. Bakugo huffed and shook his head. He stared holes into the back of Deku's head and thought 'If you can't stand the weight, then make room for someone who can.'

Meanwhile, Izuku and Yagi shared a look, acknowledging that they both knew this would give the boy his first taste of what it meant to stand at the top.

Midnight explained more details of the cavalry battle rules. A couple of students discussed possible strategies before Midnight dismissed them to get into teams.

Students and teachers alike became a bit more attentive, curious to see who would end up teaming up with who.

Izuku was shown thinking of who he wanted on his team.

“Did you actually think of them as 'that person' in your head?” Jirou asked, raising an eyebrow at Izuku.

“Um, I don't know, maybe? I might have just thought of their faces or something instead of their names...”

“You do know your classmates names right?”

“Of course I do!”

“It is possible that his thoughts were framed this way for dramatic affect.” Momo pointed out. Jirou sighed.

“Yeah, sounds like the kind of thing that Truth guy would do.”

The staff break room was shown, with the three heroes that were patrolling earlier talking about how modern day heroics sometimes required you to push down others in order to get some of the spotlight.

“It's unfortunate, but that is how it is right now.” Present Mic said with a sigh. “That's actually part of the reason I started my radio show, you know?”

“What do you mean, young Yamada?” Yagi asked.

“Well, I can use that to maintain some popularity and keep myself relevant, so when I do actual hero work I don't have to worry about trying to steal the spotlight as much. I can just focus on getting the job done. Plus it helps pay the bills.”

“I never realized! That is an excellent use of your unique media presence!”

“Ah, stop it big guy! You're making me blush!”

Aizawa watched the pair, and nodded along with Mic's explanation. He knew the man had always wanted a radio show, and likely would have tried to get one despite whether or not he became a successful hero. However, he had always admired the way Hizashi got his two careers to play off of each other so well.

“Death Arms is kind of a jerk when he's not in public.” Tsuyu noted, watching how he blew his cigarette smoke across the table at the other heroes. Uraraka frowned.

“I guess he can't go outside to do it, because he'd probably lose sponsors or something if people saw him doing that but...”

“Still rude, kero.”

The heroes talked about how the cavalry battle would lend way to the other side of heroics, where you have to work together rather than compete.

“I see, so first they test our ability to be competitive, then they test our ability to work as a team, so that the ones standing at the end are ones that manage to be good enough at both.” Ojiro surmised.

“Oh! And it makes sense that they did the race first, because real pros have to be willing to team up with those they also compete against for attention!” Hagakure said, bouncing in her seat.

“Indeed, that was the thinking behind the schedule of events. The most successful heroes are the ones who can 'do it all' as they say.” Nedzu confirmed.

Back on the field, several students were gathered around Bakugo, trying to convince him to let them be on his team. Only for Bakugo to reveal that he didn't know what any of their quirks were.

“Are...are you serious right now?” Sato asked in disbelief.

“We're in your class! You watched us do one on one battles! How can you not remember even a little about our quirks?!” Ashido cried indignantly.

“Even my beautiful belly laser went under the radar?” Aoyama asked miserably, partly from Bakugo's insult, partly from the stomach ache his on-screen version clearly had from quirk overuse.

“Why should I remember?! My life doesn't revolve around you!” Bakugo yelled back.

“Classic Kaachan.” Izuku said, shaking his head. Momo watched the display with a curious tilt to her head.

“It's fascinating, in a way. Bakugo is so aware of his surroundings in battle, and yet he's so unaware of things others find natural to keep track of.”

“Yeah, Bakugo's got a pretty selective memory. If he doesn't see it as important, he doesn't remember it. He'll probably remember Todoroki's quirk, because he made such a show of it, and Kirishima's because he fought beside him, but he's probably lost otherwise.” Izuku explained. “He might remember Uraraka's and Iida's since they were a part of the same one on one battle as him, but he was so focused on me that's its hard to say.”

All Might was shown thinking about how, despite his personality issues, it made sense that Bakugo was popular due to his quirk and good performance so far.

A weird mixture of feelings flared to life in Bakugo upon hearing this. On the surface level it felt good to be recognized by All Might for his power and proficiency, but at the same time he said it was all about his quirk. It was always all about his quirk...
Bakugo quickly stomped down on whatever feelings were trying to make their way into his brain. He didn't need thoughts like that. Not when he was going to be number 1.

Kirishima came up to Bakugo's group, and announced that Todoroki's team was all picked out. Then he asked to join Bakugo's, pointing out how well his quirk would work with Bakugou's explosions. Once he understood what Kirishima was getting at, he gave him a feral smile.

“Yeesh, tone it down with the slasher smile, man.” Sero said with a, much softer, grin.

“Yeah, you keep that up and you're gonna confuse the audience.” Kaminari teased.

“Shut up extras! I'll smile however I damn well please!” Bakugo yelled. At a more normal volume he said “Dumbasses, plenty of heroes use intimidation tactics.”

“Yeah! That's right! We can so use that against the other teams!” Kirishima was already beaming in excitement. “I had a feeling I'd go for you, we already know we work well together from the USJ after all.”

“Was that you?” Bakugo asked blandly.

“Dude!” Kirishima cried indignantly.

“I'm kidding, you idiot.” Bakugo punched him lightly in the shoulder, making Kirishima's surprised expression morph into a pleased one.

The scene changed, and Mineta ran up to Shoji begging the boy to team up with him because no one else, especially the girls, were willing to have him as the rider.

“Oh gee, I wonder why.” Jirou said, completely deadpan.

“I know right? I can't imagine why having him as the rider might be uncomfortable at all.” Sarcasm practically dripped off of Hagakure's words. Tsuyu put a finger to her chin.

“Knowing him, he probably asked girls from other classes too, and they must have said no to him too.”

“Oh my gosh, even the other classes knew better than to trust him? Without even meeting him before?” Ashido asked with an astonished giggle.

“Well, he's been pretty obvious about it so far.” Uraraka pointed out.

“Also, given the way gossip tends to spread in places like schools, it wouldn't surprise me if stories about his behavior had reached other students from our year, especially class 1B, since we would share many of the same training spaces.” Momo said.

Momo's comment put a hold on Mineta's reflexive defensiveness, and made him remember something. Well, two things really. The first was part of All Might's talk with him that focused on how his perverted behavior could alienate his classmates/future coworkers, and the second was a middle school group project where a couple of girls had adamantly refused to work with him on anything. It made him wonder, what if things like that project and this battle keep happening? If he ignored what his teachers said and kept acting the same as before, what would that mean for his future career? Would pro-heroes refuse to work with him just like the girls were doing in the festival? Would some heroes not want to come back him up if he was in trouble? Would stories of his school days reach all the other heroes and the media through his classmates and forever ruin his reputation? He'd never get to be a cool hero if that happened!

But he was still their first year, so he could fix it, right? Maybe he could talk to All Might again, get a better explanation...though All Might had mentioned listening to the girls more. Maybe he should ask them instead? They still seemed to avoid him most of the time though, even though he apologized. Maybe he had to apologize to them individually rather than all together? Hmm...the girls all seemed to like Midoriya too. Asking him might be a good idea...

Even as the scene continued on, a part of Mineta's mind kept drifting back to those thoughts and possible plans.

Shoji started walking away, but when he heard what Mineta's plan was for their pair up, he realized it was a great idea and agreed.

“Huh, that actually is pretty clever.” Tsuyu said.

“Indeed, it uses Mineta's size, which many would count as a weakness, and turns it into a strength by complimenting Shoji's body type.” Momo turned and nodded at Mineta. “Credit where credit is due.”

“Oh, uh, thank you!” Mineta said, bowing a bit at her. She looked mildly surprised, then nodded again and turned back to the screen. “Thank you too Shoji.” he added.

Shoji shrugged and used one of his arms to gesture to the screen. “Like I said, it's a good plan. Just hope the future us can do it right.”

Mineta nodded, and used the interaction to reassure himself that, as far as his relationship with his classmates went, not all hope was lost.

Midoriya's thoughts noted how everyone was teaming up with their own classmates, and that he needed to get a move on doing the same.

“Then why aren't you? Hop to it Midoriya!” Sato said, pumping his fist a bit. Beside him, Koda nervously copied him.

Then it was shown how everyone was avoiding him because they didn't want his target on their backs. He even tried approaching Ojiro, only for the boy to hurry away.

“Oh yeah, forgot about that part.” Sato lowered his fist sheepishly, making Koda look distressed.

Ojiro started to apologize, but Midoriya hand waved it. “I can't blame you for doing what you think is best. I mean, that's what we're all doing, right?” The smile Midoriya gave was bit wobbly though, betraying his anxiety over not finding anyone to team up with him. It'd wouldn't be the first time it happened after all. Group project had been hell ever since he was declared quirkless, which meant basically all his group projects had been an ordeal.

Just as Izuku was lamenting how no one had confidence in him, Uraraka came up and offered to be on his team. This made him immediately burst into tears.

“Thank you so much Uraraka!” real life Izuku also had tears streaming down his face as he said this, though not quite as intensely as his counterpart.

“You don't have to thank me! I trust you, and I know we'll do great if we work together!”

Only now did Izuku's tears match the ones he was shedding on screen. Uraraka did her best to calm him as the scene continued.

Izuku asked Uraraka if she was sure. When she said she was confident they could win if they just kept running, Izuku said she was overestimating him.

“And I told you to stop talking like that about yourself.” Uraraka gently chided, making Izuku give a watery chuckle.

Aoyama and Ashido smiled knowingly at each other.

Uraraka also said she wasn't overestimating him, and happily declared it was better to team up with people you got along with. Izuku blushed and made a weird expression, which Uraraka commented on.

“Oh, 'getting along', is that what we're calling it these days?” Ashido said with a grin.

Izuku, who had blushed in time with his on screen counterpart, started blushing even deeper.

“Ah, dear Uraraka, that is simply what it looks like sometimes, non? The feelings of amor come in strange packages at times.” Aoyama nodded sagely.

“The what?” The combo of Izuku's expression and Aoyama's words were just making Uraraka more confused about what was happening.

Izuku said his expression was because Uraraka had been so bright in that moment he had a hard time looking at her.

“Aw, Deku! That's so sweet!” Uraraka said, making the same cheerful expression she had on screen moments ago. Izuku blushed and brought an arm up to shield his eyes.

“It's still too bright!”

Uraraka laughed and started blushing too.

Kaminari looked at the two of them, grinning, and opened his mouth to say something, before Aoyama slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Do not ruin the beautiful moment, mon ami.”

Izuku went on to say that Uraraka was right about getting along, because good communication would be important during the cavalry battle. That brought up the last person Izuku wanted on the team, which turned out to be Iida.

“Raise your hand if you saw that coming.” Ashido called out, raising her own hand. All of the students raised their hands immediately after. Uraraka, Iida, and Izuku all looked at each other, then Iida shrugged and raised his hand, closely followed by Uraraka. Izuku saw that the teachers also had their hands up, sighed, then raised his own.

They called his name when they got close enough, and when Iida turned around they both made the exact same excited expression and gesture at him.

“Did you...practice that?” Todoroki asked curiously.

“I don't think so...I mean, we wouldn't have had the time to...” Izuku said. He was beginning to wonder if this blush might just be a permanent part of his face now.

“Oh my gosh, the cuteness! It's overwhelming! How do you two always do that?” Hagakure asked. Meanwhile, Ashido couldn't stop beaming.

“That was incredibly well timed, especially if you didn't plan it. The two of you must really be in sync right now.” Iida said.

“Iida not you too!” Uraraka groaned.

“What?” Iida asked in genuine confusion.

The three of them were shown together, talking about the plan Izuku had for the three of them. Iida admitted it was a good plan, but declined to join them.

Ashido blinked. “Okay, that I didn't see coming.”

Iida went on to say that he wanted to continue growing as a hero, and that he couldn't do that if he kept following Izuku around. No matter how good a friends they were, Iida also saw him as a rival. Then he went to join Todoroki's team.

Seeing the look on Midoriya and Uraraka's face, both on screen and in real life, made Iida feel a bit self conscious. “Perhaps my use of rival was a bit inappropriate, given how Bakugo has treated you in the past, and Todoroki's attitude-”

“I don't see shitty Deku as a rival!”

“but I stand by my decision to challenge you this time.”

“I...it's okay Iida, I think I understand. I'm disappointed we won't work together, but I understand.” Izuku said, giving Iida a reassuring smile.

“Y-yeah, same here. We wouldn't be very good friends if we couldn't be honest about stuff like that right? I'm sure we'll figure something out.” Uraraka was clearly more nervous than before, but smiled nonetheless.

“You made the choice that you believed would make you stronger in the end, and that is quite commendable young Iida.” All Might praised, much to Iida's delight and embarrassment.

Izuku thoughts revealed that he was finally understanding just how much this next task was going to pitch him against his classmates. Since he was at the top, every other team was an enemy.

All Might nodded to himself. He was hoping young Midoriya would take this as a taste of the pressures that came from being a top hero, and he seemed to be doing just that. Now that Midoriya understood that, he had no doubt the boy would rise to the challenge.

Suddenly the support course girl from earlier appeared. She introduced herself as Hatsume Mei and started insisting being a part of Izuku's team so she could 'show off her cute babies'.

“I like this kid's energy!” Present Mic said, seeing how 'in your face' Mei was getting. Aizawa scoffed.

“You would.”

“Well, good to see not everyone views the 10 million as a draw back, I guess.” Sato said.

“It seems my prediction was quiet accurate, most are avoiding him while others approach him to get a part of the spotlight.” Momo observed. Jirou nodded along.

“And Uraraka joined up with him because she's friends with him, so she counts as the 'in between'.”

Uraraka tried to ask her a question, but was completely ignored in favor of Izuku. Mei started showing off all the inventions she'd brought with. When Izuku recognized a jet pack as being based off of a certain hero the two started talking animatedly about it, and soon Mei was officially part of their team. Uraraka looked on, annoyed that she hadn't even been a part of introductions.

'Come on girl, go over there and fight for your man!' Ashido mentally urged her.

“I'm sorry Uraraka! That was really rude!” Izuku rushed to apologize. “If it makes you feel any better, she didn't exactly ask for my quirk or name either. She just called me 10 million or something.”

Uraraka rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, that's true. I guess it must have felt kinda jarring for the other me, after we talked about how important communication was...”

“Hm, that is a good point.” Izuku put his chin in his hand. “The two of us can already communicate well, but we don't know Mei at all. Hopefully we'll be able to reach enough of an understanding before the battle starts that it won't be an issue.”

“I hope so.”

With three people confirmed for his team, Izuku started scanning the crowd for someone who could fill in their 'missing power'. He seemed to spot them, and put a hand on someone's shoulder before it cut away.

“Oh come on! Stop teasing us!” Kaminari complained.

“Yeah! I wanna see how manly the top team up is! We already got to see the others!”

“Two of us are girls though.” Uraraka said, frowning in confusion. Kirishima waved her off.

“You're taking the manly part too literally.”

Meanwhile, Tokoyami startled and looked around. He could have sworn he felt something on his shoulder, but no one was sitting close enough to reach him.

The scene cut to an unfamiliar group from 1B. A blonde boy was talking about how the only thing different between 1A and 1B was that 1A fought villains, and that 1B should show them up for being 'arrogant.'.

“Who the hell is this asshole?” Bakugo growled, for once giving voice to what others in the class were thinking.

“He seems to be implying that our experience at the USJ made us full of ourselves.” Momo said, frowning deeply. “Though I'm not sure what we may have done to give him that impression.”

“Yeah, what gives?” Sero asked. “I don't exactly feel proud that we were attacked. I mean, I'm happy that everyone is okay, er, somewhat okay anyway. But I don't think I would have gone around bragging about it; it was more scary than anything else.”

“Our teachers nearly died. That is not something to brag about.” Shoji agreed.

“This belief of his may not have anything to do with your actions.” All Might said, gaining the attention of all in the room. “You, er, your future selves, have doubtless been getting a great amount of media attention. It could easily be that some in 1B are jealous of that attention, and further justify the feeling by thinking you must be arrogant from getting that attention.”

“That's dumb!” Hagakure said, her shoulders slumping in a pout. “I mean, I can definitely sympathize with feeling ignored, but that doesn't mean you should go around making assumptions about people you haven't even met!”

“This is one of the many reasons I hate the media.” Aizawa grumbled. Nedzu nodded knowingly.

“Indeed. But even this can be a useful experience, children. Becoming a popular hero can earn you just as many detractors as it does fans, and learning how to deal with that affect now could serve you well in the future.”

“There's always backlash once something gains enough popularity.” Present Mic agreed.

The timer for making teams ran out, prompting Mic to start up his commentary again. He declared it was time for UA's 'bloody battle' as it was revealed that Tokoyami was the last member of Izuku's team.

“Oh, that explains that.” Tokoyami said. Koda gave him an inquisitive look. “Don't worry about it, just thinking aloud.”

“Thanks for agreeing to join us Tokoyami!” Izuku called from his spot. Tokoyami nodded.

“I look forward to seeing how this goes.”

Over with the teachers, Recovery Girl sighed. “I know injuries are bound to happen, but the least you could do is not directly prompt it.” She said, giving Present Mic a look.

“Yeah, Hizashi, stop wishing harm on my students.” Aizawa chided lazily.

Present Mic spluttered indignantly while the other two hid their smirks.

Todoroki was shown talking to his team, and explaining his plan for each of them.

“Aw sweet! I managed to get on Todoroki's team! We're gonna crush this!” Kaminari cheered. It was hard to imagine they wouldn't at least get enough points to move on, considering how powerful Todoroki and his other teammates were.

“I am glad you have faith in my abilities.” Momo said, turning to Todoroki. Iida nodded energetically.

“I feel the same.”

Todoroki shrugged. “You all have powerful quirks and have shown you can use them well. So it makes sense I would think to recruit you.”

Iida asked if Todoroki would use both his fire and ice during the battle. Todoroki tensed, and said he only used his ice in battle. He found his father in the crowd, and glared at him.

All Might frowned, wondering again what might be going on between the father and son.

Aizawa looked at the boy, brow furrowed in thought. He'd noticed that Todoroki made very little use of his fire side, but hadn't questioned it very much until now. He had thought perhaps that Todoroki didn't have as much experience with his fire side, or that ice was easier to use when not aiming to permanently hurt others, and that was why he made only light use of it. Aizawa had intended to talk to him about it during the training times following the USJ, but it seemed like he hadn't. Perhaps his injuries sapped so much of his strength he'd never found the time to do so. Now, he was beginning to wonder just how much of an oversight that was.

Momo looked at Todoroki, biting her lip in concern. Clearly there was something going on there, but she wasn't sure if it was her place to say anything. Despite both being recommended students in the same class, the two of them didn't know each other well. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see other students with expressions that said they were pondering the same thing. There was only one student that didn't hold back though.

“Todoroki, are you okay?” Izuku asked.

Todoroki looked at Midoriya silently for a few long moments. “I'm fine. I don't intend to let the issue interfere with my performance.”

“That's not what I meant...” Izuku tried to continue, but Todoroki had already turned away from him.

The cavalry teams were all decided, and many of them were shown as Present Mic started the countdown. Once the battle started, basically everyone went for Izuku's team.

“Oh boy.” Uraraka said, eyes going wide at seeing how many people were dashing toward their little group.

“Uh huh.” Izuku said, nervously nodding.

“Heh, Hagakure as our rider looks pretty great.” Jirou smiled.

“That is clever, having her wear the headband.” Ojiro commented, he turned to Hagakure.. “It'll be harder for people to get it off if they can't see what part of your head or neck its around.”

“Oh! Thank you!” she said. 'I hope I'm actually the one that thought of that...'

Ashido gave Hagakure a wink and a nudge, both of which the invisibile girl tried to ignore.

As Ojior turned back to the screen he thought 'I wonder why I ended up on that Gen Ed boy's team rather than with one of my classmates.'

Izuku ordered the team to run away from the onslaught. Before they could, a team from 1B made the ground beneath them turn into some sort of quicksand, but a combo of the jetpack and Uraraka's quirk allowed them to fly free.

“Get back there and fight you cowards!” Bakugo yelled.

“Young Bakugo, I know this may be difficult for you to understand, but sometimes retreating truly is the best option.” All Might explained.

“Indeed. A strategic retreat can allow one to find a better place to fight from, or offer a way to make the situation become more controllable.” Nedzu confirmed.

Bakugo scowled, but elected not to argue with the number 1 hero and the principle.

“I'm beginning to see why the other courses shouldn't be underestimated.” Shojji said. Tokoyami nodded.

“Yes, it would have been much more difficult to escape that opening move without the support student's inventions. Not to mention how far the young man from the General course has come.” He absently rotated his heal as he spoke. He'd really felt the ground pulling at his legs as they broke free on screen. It was the first time he'd gotten such a clear sensation from something they were watching, and it was fascinating and disturbing all at once.

Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to defend the group from an attack as they were midflight, causing Izuku to praise Tokoyami's quirk and gush about how well he was doing in his role. Tokoyami just said it had been Izuku who chose him to fill that role.

“Don't be so modest Tokoyami, you are already doing exceptionally well!” Iida said, pumping his arms.

“Yeah! I may have picked you, but you're the one whose doing the work.” Izuku reminded him eagerly.

“He's right.” Shoji said.

At times like this, Tokoyami was very glad that his blush didn't show through his dark feathers. That allowed him to keep some dignity as he thanked his classmates.

Uraraka warned them they were about to land. As they did, Izuku thought about how great it worked for Uraraka to make everyone but herself weightless.

“You're using your quirk on all three of us? And all the support gear?” Izuku asked eagerly. “That's a lot of stuff. You must have trained really hard!”

“Well, I'd hope so.” she said with a light laugh. “It probably helps that I'm not using it on myself, you know? Messing with my own sense of gravity has always made me feel worse than anything else.”

Izuku also ended up praising Hatsume's inventions after they landed, which made Uraraka start muttering.

“Oooo, do I sense some jealousy Uraraka?” Ashido cooed.

“N-no, of course not! I'm sure I was just...pointing out how them being so effective is a team effort. Credit where credit is due, you know?” Uraraka frantically waved a hand in front of her face. Izuku frowned.

“You know I appreciated your help too right?” He asked.

“Of course! Well, I do now at least. But on screen all your praise for me was all in your head and you said the stuff to her out loud, so I guess maybe future me didn't.”

“Huh, I didn't think about that. I'll try not to do that in real life.” He promised. Internally, he was pleased. Usually people told him to stop mumbling or shut up. It felt nice to have people who actually wanted to hear him.

Hagakure's group started going after Izuku's only for them to realize that someone, the blonde boy from earlier, had taken there's at some point.

“Oh that little twerp! I hope we get him back for that.” Hagakure grumbled. Kirishima nodded.

“It does seem pretty unmanly to do sneak attacks like that instead of taking people head on.”

“It's probably the only way the dumb 1B kid can scrap up the balls to challenge us, the coward.” Bakugo snorted.

“Sneak attacks are just as viable a strategy as any other when done correctly. It's illogical not to take advantage of an enemy's distraction, especially if the consequences to doing so are low.” Aizawa pointed out.

The battle was turning into a free for all. Izuku's team was now between too oncoming teams, so they tried to fly away again, but were stopped by Mineta's quirk. He and Tsuyu were shown to be teamed up with Shoji, and their barrage of attacks was barely being dodged by Midoriya.

“You teamed up with him Tsuyu? Seriously?” Jirou asked with a raised eyebrow. Tsuyu shrugged.

“It's not like he's 'riding' me, and it makes for a good strategy. Plus, we know we can work together from the USJ.”

“I guess.” Jirou admitted grudgingly. They did seem to be pretty effective, but it would take a lot more for her to ever allow herself to be in a small dark place with Mineta. Though she supposed that if they were in such a small space Mineta would have nowhere to run if he tried anything.

“You guys make such a good team! You're all so cool!” Izuku gushed.

“Kero, thanks Midoriya.”

“It was Mineta's idea, but looks like it's working even better than I thought it might.” Shoji said.

“Th-thanks guys!” Mineta said, actually blushing a bit. “I hope it's unique enough to get us noticed.”

“I know it's part of his personality, but it feels kinda weird to see Midoriya to be so happy for the people trying to run him down.” Sero admitted, making Kaminari chuckle.

Midoriya used the jetpack to get them free, but one of the jet boots broke. Bakugo used his quirk to go after them midair, but Dark Shadow stopped him.

“That stand off was so manly!” Kirishima shouted, standing out among the other cheers and noises of awe.

“Woulda been better if I broke through.” Bakugo grumbled. But he did seem somewhat pacified by his friend labeling the face off as cool.

“Thanks again, Tokoyami.” Izuku told the other boy, Uraraka nodding along in agreement.

Tokoyami merely nodded in acknowledgment, as he was busy soothing a whimpering Dark Shadow in his mind. 'I'm sorry about that friend, you are doing so well.'

Sero used his quirk to make sure Bakugo got back to the group without hitting the ground, which Midnight reminded everyone would have gotten him disqualified.

“Hmmm, I'm not sure why, but I feel that's going to become important later.” Iida said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Either way, I find myself admiring the various ways our class has found to push the rules of this battle in order to come up with effective strategies.”

Uraraka managed to land the group safely, but made sure to let them know how hard it was to control flight now. Izuku's thoughts showed him deciding that they couldn't risk air travel as much now, and would have to stay grounded. The on break heroes, media, and crowd were all shown gushing about how the villain encounter made 1A so much better.

“Okay, I'm actually starting to feel uncomfortable now.” Ashido admitted. “I mean, the praise is cool, don't get me wrong, but they always link it back to the USJ incident.”

Uraraka nodded. “That's true, it makes me wonder if they would be this into us if we did any of this stuff without having been on the news.”

“The teachers did make a point earlier about how our bit of 'real world' experience gave us an advantage, so it is possible we might not think to do some of these things without it, but I see your point.” Momo said.

“Kinda makes the attitude from 1B more understandable.” Sato said.

“What?! How? That boy called us arrogant just for surviving the attack!” Hagakure fumed.

“That was taking it too far.” Sato agreed. “What I mean is, if the media and everyone really is freaking out about us that much because of the USJ, I can understand why someone from 1B would get upset about it, you know?”

“That's a good point. Modern heroics puts lot of stock into getting noticed, so they'd feel extra pressure to try and drag some attention away from us.” Izuku said.

“Huh, didn't think about that. Maybe their not so bad then, just stressed.” Kaminari said.

The current scores were shown, but much to everyone's surprise 1A was very low on points. On the battlefield, the blonde from 1B monologued to Bakugo about how a lot of their class worked together to observe 1A in the first round so they could get the drop on them now.

“I take it back.” Kaminari grumbled.

“I wouldn't have guessed so many of them were out to get us specifically.” Ojiro said. “Though, with what we were just talking about, it makes sense.”

“As unsavory as this boy makes it sound, I actually admire their dedication and teamwork.” All Might proclaimed, startling the students. “Truth be told, we could use more heroes willing to team up for the common good.”

“Never did understand why it all had to be such a competition. We're already fighting villains, why pit heroes against each other too?” Present Mic questioned.

“I blame the media.” Aizawa said. “One of the perks of being underground is that the times I help other heroes they don't resist much, because they know I don't plan on taking much of the credit. Makes things easier.”

“I hadn't thought about that.” Ojiro admitted. “I guess we really are short-sighted in that way.”

Aizawa sighed. “To be fair, this whole event doesn't exactly encourage class wide teamwork.”

The 1B boy then mocked Bakugo about the slime incident. The ensuing rage made Bakugo switch targets from Midoriya to the blonde boy, Monama.

Nearly the entire class sweatdropped after hearing that.

“Okay, I'm back to reserving judgment on the rest of 1B, but this kid is definitely an idiot.” Kaminari griped.

“For someone who went on about 'observing our personalities', this boy clearly has no idea the darkness he has just unleashed.” Tokoyami agreed.

Izuku overheard the reveal of 1B's strategy, and acknowledged how well it could work, and was happy it made them less inclined to go after his team. This was of course the exact moment they came face to face with Todoroki's group.

“Oh yeah, now shit is about to go down!” Kirishima grinned.

“Oi! What about our group?!” Bakugo growled.

“Like that know-it-all stands a chance against us! We'll get them before the fights over, but this one will show us which group we'll have to after for the 10 million.” Kirishima explained. Bakugo grinned viciously.

“Glad someone gets it.”

Izuku looked over at Todoroki, and found the other boy staring at him as well.”

'A fated battle between men!' Uraraka thought to herself.

A couple of the other teams were shown still fighting for points, including Mineta's team, who were now missing their head bands.

“What the heck! How did that happen?” Mineta demanded.

“Don't know, kero. We don't look hurt though, and we all seem surprised.”

“Might have been a sneak attack.” Shoji said.

Todoroki said he was going to take that headband.

Nearly the whole class went 'ooooo!' at the bold declaration.

“Guys, didn't we just talk about heroes needing to compete less?” Izuku complained.

“Well yeah, but we can't change what the future you and future Todoroki are doing right now, so we might as well enjoy it.” Sero pointed out.

Then the episode ended.

“Every freaking time!” Ashido griped.

Chapter Text

Mineta and Tsuyu were shown in the dark, wondering what happened to their headbands. Seeing as they had nothing left to lose, the group rushed headlong toward where Izuku and Todoroki's teams were staring each other down.

Sato nodded in appreciation. “Going right after those two is gutsy. And if they are both distracted by each other you might be able to get something out of it.”

“That would be the best case scenario.” Shoji nodded.

“Or we could get frozen solid.” Mineta pointed out, looking warily at the screen.

“You must get really into it if the future you doesn't even think about that, kero.”

“Nothing against you guys, but I'm hoping it doesn't work. I'm so ready to see what these two teams can do against each other.” Kirishima said with a grin. Various classmates made noises of agreement.

Tokoyami hummed in disapproval. “So glad we can entertain all of you.”

“Come on, it's like I just said.” Sero waved a hand at the screen. “Even if this stuff ends up happening in the future, we won't be able to focus on it or see it super close up like this. We gotta enjoy this stuff while we can.”

“It has been really cool to see everyone using their quirks together like this.” Izuku admitted. He was going to have so much to add to his analysis journals after this was all said and done.

“It is a nice change of pace after some of the earlier episodes.” Uraraka said. 'Especially if we have to go back to that later. This might be the largest number of episodes straight that Izuku has gone without yelling or screaming in pain.' she thought grimly.

Tokoyami commented that running into Todoroki's group so early meant that the other boy must think highly of Izuku.

The statement triggered something in the back of Ashido's mind. Not in a way that she really noticed, no wheels were turning just yet, but said wheels were now primed and ready to go. Aoyama's thoughtful hum showed he was in a similar state.

Izuku's group tried to run, and Todoroki was quick to react. He quickly gave instructions to his team, rushing after them and getting ready to strike. Izuku reminded his own team to keep a look out for other teams.

Aizawa slowly nodded in approval. Todoroki's orders showed that he clearly had a plan of attack set in place, and it sounded like it could be very effective. The others also listened to him well, which showed leadership on his part and cooperativeness on theirs. Midoriya was also learning to improve his situational awareness it seemed. Good signs for all of them, really, though Midoriya could do to show his nerves a bit less. He also wondered how Todoroki would fare if he wasn't in a leadership position. Would he be as cooperative as his teammates? He made a note in his own book to look into it once they left this place.

Momo made things to protect the group from shock, and Kaminari let loose a wide range attack. Dark shadow took the brunt for Team Midoriya, but everyone else in range got shocked with over a million volts.

Yells of pain sprang up around the room, along with some very loud curses. Tsuyu flinched hard enough that she leaped right out of her seat, and Mineta fell across Kaminari's lap. Shoji's cry was more like a grunt, but it still prompted Koda to fuss worriedly over both him and Sato. Tokoyami was once again murmuring internal comfort to Dark Shadow, while Ashido was making sure Hagakure was okay. Jirou went very rigid in her seat until the onscreen attack was over.

“Dude that hurt...” Mineta whined. Kaminari rubbed that back of his neck and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry man, but it is a free for all, you know?”

“Kaminari...” Jirou growled, turning toward him threateningly. The smile fell from Kaminari's face.

“U-um, sorry! I am! And they told me to do it!”

“He has a point.” Momo said, having the grace to look apologetic. “Myself and the rest of the group were all complicit in, and Kaminari is also right about the nature of the event.”
Jirou looked at her, then sighed. She glared at Kaminari one more time before sitting down with a huff. It sucked to have the move that saved her at the USJ be used against her, but she couldn't argue their points. She had no doubt that if her future self could have found a way to use her quirk with that big of range during the battle, she would have too.

Todoroki quickly used his ice to freeze those they had shocked. Aizawa commented on how that showed he had clearly learned from the past, and found a way to make it harder for people to avoid.

“Aw, look at you getting involved in the commentary.” Present Mic grinned. Aizawa just shrugged.

“It was a good show of team work, clever thinking, and learning from mistakes. It would be a shame if it went unnoticed in the chaos.”

“That was awesome Todoroki! You're all working really great together!” Izuku gushed.

While the others all thanked Midoriya for the praise in own ways, Todoroki's gaze flickered back and force between his teacher and his rival. His father tended to praise power above all else, so he didn't often hear compliments that weren't centered around his quirk or physical strength. He knew it shouldn't matter to him, but it still felt nice to have to have those other aspects so openly complimented.

Team Todoroki continued pursuing Team Midoriya, and the former was quickly gaining ground on the latter. Tokoyami tried to use Dark Shadow to find them off, but was blocked by Momo. Izuku said she would be a problem, but then Tokoyami revealed that Kaminari was the real danger, since light on that level could greatly hurt Dark Shadow.

The mood became a bit more somber as people looked to Tokoyami with concern. The boy himself was a bit stiff in his seat; he disliked where this was going.

“Oh dude, is it really that bad? Did I hurt Dark Shadow that much? Because if I did, I'm really sorry.” Kaminari said sincerely. Tokoyami sighed.

“It did hurt him, I could feel that much even if I can't produce him physically with whatever is canceling our quirks. But it wasn't enough to 'rip him apart' the way sunlight of that magnitude might have. Truth be told, I'm not sure if anything can truly kill him, but I would greatly prefer not to find out.”

“Totally understandable dude. I'll try to be careful if we ever have to spar or anything again.”

“That is appreciated.”

A part of Uraraka was petty enough to be darkly satisfied when Mei's inventions started causing problems, but it paled in comparison to how worried she was about their chances against Todoroki's team without it.

The show suddenly went into a flashback to Izuku explaining his plans to Tokoyami before the cavalry battle began. This prompted Tokoyami to explain how light and darkness affected Dark Shadow's abilities. When it came back to the 'present', Izuku fully realized how hard the lightning would make things for Dark Shadow.

Tokoyami could still hear and feel Dark Shadow cowering in his head, not liking where things were going at all, or the fact that everyone now knew his weakness. 'It will be alright, we are among friends.' Tokoyami reminded him.

“I'm sorry Tokoyami, my thoughts kind of exposed you guys.” Izuku said, hunching in on himself a bit.

“It is quite alright Midoriya. I agreed to the same 'sharing' terms as everyone else, and this is likely something that would have been discovered or shared anyway after enough time had passed. It is unfortunate that it happened in a way not of my choosing, but that is hardly your fault.”

The camera suddenly zoomed out enough to show that Midoriya's team was now trapped between the edge of the field and Todoroki's ice.

“Oh no!” Uraraka cried.

“Hah, we got them cornered!” Kaminari grinned.

“That is a very advantageous position for us.” Momo said, sounding more excited than one might expect given her phrasing.

“Very true, but it's not over yet.” Iida said. The other two nodded, but their expressions didn't really change. Iida thought they were jumping the gun, but this was still a show to them. Their future selves certainly looked focused enough on screen, so he decided not to scold them for not taking things seriously. Though he did wonder if their thoughts might change if they could see the intense, thoughtful expression on Izuku's face. He looked over at Todoroki, and saw the boy looking at Izuku in a way that made it clear he wasn't discounting Izuku yet.

Izuku quickly surmised what a disadvantage they were at, though the enemy team wouldn't know all of it. Tokoyami confirmed that only Koda knew, from their time at the USJ, and he wasn't likely to spread it around.

“I do thank you for your discretion, my friend.” Tokoyami said, turning to Koda, who gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

Izuku started to think of a plan, but before it was revealed the scene cut back to Team Bakugo and Team Monoma. One of Monoma's 'horses' warned him not to provoke Bakugo.

“Shoulda put that extra in charge instead of this dumbass.” Bakugo growled.

“Yeah kid, listen to your friend. You'll be less likely to get blown to bits.” Harakure said.

“You're still on him about stealing your headband earlier huh?” Ashido asked.

“You bet I am!”

Monoma ignored the other kid and continued to taunt Bakugo. Kirishima tried to get Bakugo to calm down, but it didn't work. Bakugo insisted he was completely calm despite the deranged look on his face. Doing their best to trust him, Team Bakugo did as told and went after them.

Aizawa was beginning to wonder just how many times he would end up writing 'get Bakugo into anger management classes' into his notebook before they got out of here.

The rest of Team Bakugo gave each other uneasy looks. Bakugo was too busy staring at the screen, ready and eager to see his future self destroy the other team, to notice.

Bakugo went in for an explosive punch, but Monoma defelected it. When Bakugo turned around, Monoma set off an explosion in the boy's face.

“What the hell?!” Bakugo cried, both from the surprise and the pain the flared to life in his face.

“Wait, so he has an explosion quirk too?” Kirishima asked in disbelief. He was also wincing from the unexpected explosion.

“If he does, it's weird we didn't see it before now. Even with 1B 'lying low' you think he would have used it during the obstacle race at some point.” Ojiro pointed out.

Izuku mind was already racing, thinking of what that explosion might mean about Monoma's quirk.

Monoma made a point of touching Kirishima's hair before Bakugo went after him again.

'He touched Kaachan just a second ago too. Now he did the same to Kirishima just before Kaachan tried to hit him again. Could it be, a copy quirk? One based off of touch?'

Izuku was proven right a few moments later as Bakugo's explosion went off, only to be blocked by Monoma's Hardened arm. Bakugo quickly came to the same conclusion as Izuku, which lead to Monoma having a close up quirk explanation.

“Of course! That makes a lot of sense, and it can be a very powerful quirk, but it would have it's drawbacks too. He would obviously work well in groups, but if he ever had to face a villain alone he could run into problems, especially if it's one that can attack from a distance. His calmness and the way he blocked Kaachan shows he's probably accounted for that to some degree at least, but it would still put him at a disadvantage in certain circumstances. He obviously doesn't have to wait for the five minutes to be up, which is useful, but if he had to touch different people to switch between quirks that could be cumbersome in other ways and...”
Izuku had to be shaken a bit to break him out of his muttering trance and the show could continue. Still more than one student stopped themselves from complaining about Monoma's quirk seeming overpowerd, after catching what Izuku said about the drawbacks.

“Hmm, I wonder if his quirk at all plays into that competitiveness he has.” Recover Girl mused. “Even with quirk therapists being fairly affordable these days, I've seen my fair share of students with complexes based around how their quirk works or how it affects them. Had to recommend therapists myself on occasion.”

“It is certainly a possibility. If he copies others it could result in him feeling he has little to offer himself, which would cause him to become jealous of others easily.” Nedzu said with a nod of acknowledgment.

Yagi made a mental note to talk to Vlad about that possibility, or at least direct him to talk to Recovery Girl or the Principal about it. Healthy competition is all well and good, but he would hate for it to spiral into anything unpleasant, for Monoma or anyone else.

Bakugo tried to go after Monoma again, but another team interfered and stuck them in place. While Ashido worked on freeing them, Monoma pointed out that Bakugo had provoked them first, reminding him of the pledge he made to everyone.

“Okay, I'll admit it, he's got a point this time.” Hagakure said, though she folded her arms unhappily.

“Yeah Bakugo, you were pretty much daring everyone else to come at you.” Sero pointed out.

“Which means I just have to make his defeat all the more crushing and absolute.” Bakugo said with a feral grin.

Back with Team Midoriya and Team Todoroki, it was revealed that Midoriya's team had managed not to get caught for 5 minutes straight, and the battle had one minute left.

“That is most impressive.” Iida said. “From what I hear from my brother, and my own experience running for help at the USJ, a few minutes seems an eternity when you are being pressed. “

“Yeah, good job Uraraka, you too Tokoyami! With the way our team is set up, keeping us away from other teams is all on you.” Izuku praised.

“Dang, I figured we would have had them by now.” Kaminari complained. Momo frowned in thought.

“Doubtless we are all feeling pressured with so little time remaining. We may have been cautious before so as not to lose our own points, but with only one minute left things may change.” Momo turned to Todoroki. “Do you anticipate going after Midoriya still, or do you think you would be satisfied with moving forward?”

“If I said I would get his headband, then I will.” Todoroki said firmly. Internally, he was starting to feel frustrated. Midoriya and his team were certainly strong opponents to have lasted that long, caution or no.

All Might was shown, saying Midoriya was doing a good job. Endeavor only criticized his son's performance.

“How rude.” Aoyama huffed.

“I know, right?” Ashido pouted along with him.

“I thought we were doing very well.” Momo said, suddenly looking unsure. Jirou sat up to protest.

“You are. You guys got all those headbands earlier and managed to trap the team with the 10 million. Even if you don't end up getting it, you've still put on a great show.”

“My father only cares about results. He'll be disappointed if I don't get into first place here.” Todoroki intoned.

Izuku's elation at being praised by the on-screen All Might was at war with being offended that Endeavor apparently put so little stock in what Todoroki had already achieved. All Might himself was rubbing his chin in thought.

'It seems Endeavor has incredibly high standards for his son. Is that what has caused the rift between them? Has Endeavor been pushing him too hard?'

Todoroki's thoughts revealed his assessment of their situation, including how Izuku had been moving so that Todoroki couldn't use his ice at full power without hindering his own team.

“A sound strategy, my boy.” All Might praised, not even thinking how that one line put him in such contrast with the Endeavor that had just been shown on screen.

Meanwhile, Mineta and Sero were tending to Kaminari. The on-screen Kaminari hadn't quite zombified himself yet, but he had definitely overused his quirk and that was making their Kaminari pretty dizzy.

Todoroki was just wishing his future self knew about how greatly the electricity affected Dark Shadow.

Iida suddenly started talking about a move he was going to use, one that would put him out of commission afterwards so everyone had to get ready.

People leaned forward in interest. Momo, Kaminari, and Todoroki found themselves instinctively tensing, though they knew it probably wouldn't help.
Izuku immediately perked up, and turned to his friend excitedly.

“Iida! Do you have a special move?”

“Well, yes, assuming I'm doing what I think I'm doing.”

“Iida! Have you been holding out on us?” Uraraka asked.

“It's not so much that, but that I've hardly had a chance to use this before. It wouldn't have been very appropriate for the indoor battle, and I didn't dare use a one time move when running for help at the USJ.” He looked at Izuku. “You are surprisingly excited for someone I'm about to use it on.”

“I'm always excited to see new moves!” Izuku said, making Iida smile.

Iida's engines fired off with more power than ever seen before, and Todoroki grabbed the headband in a flash of speed.

“No way!” Izuku and Uraraka shouted together. They were the most intelligible among all the other noises of surprise.

“Ack! Ow! Those arms aren't gonna feel normal for a while.” Kaminari said, rubbing his shoulders. Momo was doing the same and grimacing as well.

“My apologies to both of you.” Iida said, getting up to bow at them.

“It's quite alright, you did warn us beforehand.” Momo reassured. Kaminari grinned.

“And it let us get the headband finally! Nice grab Todoroki!”

The other boy simply nodded, his eyes still on screen. The battle wasn't over yet, after all.

Iida explained to his team how he managed to get such a powerful burst of speed, and that the cost was that he'd be unable to use his engines for a while. He reminded Izuku that he would challenge him with a grin.

“Oh man, the look on Midoriya's face.” Kaminari crowed.

“You're certainly living up to your word.” a smile slowly spread over Izuku's face. “Don't think I'm gonna let that go without a fight though.”

“Of course not.” Iida said with a rare smirk.

While Present Mic went on about the turn of events, Endeavor was shown to smile while All Might looked nervous.

More than one person noticed the timing of Endeavor's change of heart, including Aizawa, who frowned deeply. Nedzu was watching it all with interest.

“Pay no attention to my other self, young Midoriya, I'm sure he's just caught up in the moment. I have every confidence in you!”

“Th-thanks All Might! I won't let you down!”

Team Midoriya considered going for other points rather than take on Todoroki with so little time, but Izuku insisted they go after them, since they knew Todoroki's team had enough points to keep their own team in the game. With that, Uraraka pushed them forward without hesitation. Izuku remembered how all of their hopes were riding on him right then, and that pushed him to do something daring.

“Whoa whoa whoa, going a little far their aren't you?” Kaminari protested, the sight of the glowing arm managing to get past the haze in his brain. Izuku only set his shoulders, eyes glinting with determination.

“I- I understand your concern, but I think I know what I'm doing. I've been able to use it without breaking anything before because I was using it against a person, so I can do it again. That has to be what I'm thinking.”

“That was one time!”

“Please everyone, contain yourselves and trust in your classmate.” Iida said.

“Yeah, Deku wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone that badly, even if there is a lot on the line.” Uraraka nodded confidently.

“Tell that to someone who isn't in the line of fire!”

“I am in the line of fire too.” Iida pointed out.

“Oh yeah.”

“Hurting himself is another matter entirely.” Aizawa muttered to himself. Yagi found himself agreeing with a grim nod.

As Izuku came at him, Todoroki raised his arm to block, and a small amount of fire came off of it.

Todoroki sucked in a sharp breath, and his fists balled up so tight his knuckles turned white. No. No he wasn't going to use it! He'd sworn he wouldn't! Yet he'd still brought it out for the block on pure instinct. 'Damn it!'

Only Momo was close enough to hear him gasp. She looked over at him in concern, but was once again lost on what to say. A moment later, and the time to say anything had passed.

Before they could connect, the scene moved back to Monoma's team,

“Oh come on!” the class cried.

“Finally!” Bakugo grinned

with Bakugo still chasing after them. Monoma's annoyance at Bakugo swiftly changed to surprise as the boy used his explosions to throw himself at the group. Another boy used his quirk to put up a physical shield between them. The team felt triumphant once again, until Bakugo punched through the shield and grabbed two headbands.

Cheers went up through the room, even from students that didn't really like Bakugo. Because in that moment they disliked Monoma even more.

“Look at his face!” Hagakure cried gleefully.

“Now that's a look that says 'mistakes were made'.” Sero snickered.

“The exact moment he realized he'd messed up.” Ashido said with a grin.

Bakugo was saved from falling by Sero once again.

“Awesome job man!” Kirishima praised.

“Yeah, we'd be dead in the water without you.” Ashido agreed.

“Aw, thanks guys!”

“You'd be dead without me too.” Bakugo grumbled.

“Exactly, it's a team effort.” Kirishima said, which assuaged Bakugo only slightly.

Sero said that Bakugo's team was set now, but Bakugo wouldn't hear of anything other than 'indisputable first place' and demanded they still go after Monoma.

“Ow, hey! Dude! Not cool! If you want me to go faster just say so!” Kirishima glared at Bakugo, while rubbing the top of his head.

“You have hardening, you can take it!”

“It's the principle of it!”

Bakugo laid out his plans to get Monoma's points and the 10 million, which actually psyched up the rest of the team. He quickly started giving orders, a strategy coming together, though he forgot each of their names and called them nicknames instead.

“It's the weirdest thing.” Sero mused. “Bakugo is super inspiring, yet super condescending at the same time.”

“I think it's more that he can quickly switch between one and the other.” Ashido said. “Either way it's effective.”

“I can hear you Racoon Eyes.”

“That's not my name!”

Both All Might and Aizawa were thinking/commentating that there was a difference in drive between those who were aiming for the top and those aiming just to pass, which Monoma did not take into account. That's what allowed Bakugo's team to snatch the rest of Monoma's headbands.

Aizawa and Yagi looked at each other, once again surprised that their thoughts had been so similar.

“Yeah man! They're so right! That's what makes you so manly!” Kirishima cheered. He looked thoughtful after a moment. “It would be even more manly if you remembered people's names and did stuff for better teamwork, but it's still pretty manly.”

Bakugo didn't want to think much about the second part just then, so he focused on the first part and grinned at how he'd just put that 1B extra in his place.

Back with Todoroki and Deku. Deku slashed his arm to the side suddenly, hitting Todoroki with a blast of wind rather than his hand. Todoroki was put off balance and Izuku was able to grab a headband as they passed.

“YES!” Izuku and Uraraka cheered together. Iida wasn't sure if he should feel happy for them or nervous for his own team. He settled on feeling both.

“Oh man!” Kaminari moaned. Momo just looked thoughtful and continued to watch.

Todoroki grit his teeth, angry at himself for using his fire and for getting so distracted.

Only moments later did Izuku realize that he'd grabbed the wrong headband, he had one worth less than 100. They would need more to win. Iida tried to get Todoroki back in the game, since he was still staring at his arm.

Momo nodded to herself in satisfaction, like a theory of hers had just been proven right. Then she saw what the Todoroki on screen was doing, and turned to him. The real life one was looking at his arm too.

“Todoroki, are you alright?” she asked.

It took a moment, but he did look up at her. “I'm fine.”

“I should have grabbed more than one.” Izuku moaned. He held his arm as he slumped back into the couch. The pain hadn't been enough to make him cry out this time, but he could still feel the burn of it in his muscles. At least he managed not to break it again.

“Why didn't you? It seems like something you would normally think of.” Iida eyed him critically, and Izuku blushed.

“You know I can't say for sure...but maybe I figured if I took too much they wouldn't go on, and they did so well I thought they deserved to, so...”

Uraraka sighed fondly. “You really are too good something Deku.”

Ten seconds were left. Dark Shadow went after Team Todoroki but was stopped by Kaminari. Bakugo suddenly burst through ice, ready to snag the 10 million for himself. Team Todoroki had two teams coming for them, and Iida couldn't move them out of the way. Todoroki braced himself.
The time came up before any of them could meet.

The anticlimactic ending had several students, and Present Mic, nearly joining the on-screen Bakugo in face planting onto the ground. None of them quite did, but there were a lot of people slumping over or palms meeting faces.

“DAMMIT!” Bakugo cried. Sero winced in sympathy.

“Oof, sorry man. You're face is taking kind of a beating this round huh?”

“I don't give a shit about that!”

Izuku could only stare at the screen in disbelief. “I...Uraraka I'm...”

“It's okay Deku.” she said softly.

'No it's not.' he thought.

Tokoyami merely let out a sigh.

Each team was shown as the match came to an end, no one seeming to be happy with the end results. Not even Todoroki, even as Present Mic announced them in first place. Momo and Iida talked about how it felt they just barely managed.

Kaminari would have said something comforting at this point, but that last blast of his quirk had taken the last of his faculties. So someone else spoke up instead.

“Even if it felt like that, you guys still made it in the end. You should be proud, you all did great.” Izuku said with a wobbly smile.

“So did you Midoriya.” Iida said, with Momo nodding in agreement. Izuku just looked away, knowing the difference was that his effort hadn't been enough. He tried so hard yet still he couldn't keep up...

Bakugo's team was named second. Ashido shook the nerves out of her while Sero declared 2nd place to be good. Kirishima pointed out how Bakugo clearly didn't share the sentiment, as the blonde was still shaking and yelling.

“Hmph, one thing that 1B Bastard was right about was the different phases. I'll end up being number one by the end, just you wait.” Bakugo growled, hands twitching.

'Well...at least he's not discouraged.' Kirishima thought, looking at the boy next to him. He shared a 'what can you do?' look with Sero and Ashido.

Present Mic declared the third place team, Team Shinsou. The purple haired boy thanked the team, who all looked incredibly confused for some reason.

“You teamed up with someone from the another class?” Sato looked at Ojiro in surprise.

“Apparently.” Ojiro said, frowning. “Pretty sure I would have gone for someone from 1A, but maybe they all got grouped up too fast...” 'But then why do I look like a little kid who got lost in the mall?'

Aoyama was too busy curling up in pain from quirk overuse to comment.

It said something about how dejected Izuku was that he wasn't immediately making note of the strangeness of the team's expressions and theorizing over what Shinsou's quirk might be.

Midoriya's team was shown. He started to apologize to them, but then the girls smiled and pointed at Tokoyami.

Uraraka, Izuku, and Tokoyami all perked up.

Tokoyami revealed that, due to Izuku's efforts, Dark Shadow was able to slip in and get one more headband. Midoriya burst into tears as they were declared the fourth place team.

Their Izuku burst into tears at the same time.

“We did it Deku! All of us!” Uraraka cried, she threw herself at him for a hug and Izuku automatically moved to allow it. She suddenly shot up after a moment.

“Wait a minute, here!” She grabbed Izuku's hand and dragged him off the couch and over to where Tokoyami sat. “You gotta be in this too!” She cried.

Tokoyami's eyes went wide, but then he smiled softly and stood. “If you insist.”

The next moment the three were hugging, with Midoriya still crying, and Uraraka gleeful and Tokoyami patting both of their backs comfortingly.

“T-tell Dark Shadow thank you too.” Izuku said through the last of his sobs.

“Yeah, he was great!”

Tokoyami chuckled, he could still hear his other celebrating and gloating in the back of his mind. “Trust me, he is aware.”

While Team Midoriya celebrated, Todoroki was shown to be staring at his left hand. He scolded himself for coming so close to giving his father what he wanted.

“What's the big deal about that anyway?” Kaminari asked. “I mean, if the fire was dangerous or hard to control or something I'd get it, but you never say it's about that. Seems like it's always about your dad. You two get into a fight or something?”

“It's none of your business.” Todoroki said coldly. Kaminari held up his hands in surrender.

“Geeze dude, sorry I asked.”

At this point, Aizawa was very confused and concerned, and a little bit angry. Why would Todoroki limit himself like that? And a limit it clearly was if bringing up his arm while on fire was such an instinctual thing to do that he didn't really notice until later. It would be ridiculous to refuse using half of your quirk's power over a disagreement, which likely meant this was something more than a disagreement. Given that, and the on-screen Endeavor barely even seeming happy with his son having just won an entire section of the festival, he was beginning to wonder about a few things. If he was anywhere close to right, this probably wouldn't be something Todoroki would want to talk about in front of the whole class. It would probably be better to pull Todoroki over and ask about it in private.
But he was getting the sinking feeling that this 'show' might not give him a choice in how the matter was revealed, just like with Bakugo and Midoriya in the beginning..

An hour break was called for lunch at the festival. A team from 1B was shown lamenting how they lost their points, and it was revealed that they were the ones that took the points from team Mineta.

“Those jerks!” Mineta cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the screen. He didn't care how pretty that vine girl was, she was still a jerk!

“They were just doing their best like the rest of us, kero.”

“It was pretty clever, how they did it. Wish I could have given you guys just a little more cover.” Shoji said.

The purple haired boy, Shinsou, was shown passing by.

Ojiro frowned. He was really getting a bed feeling about that kid.

Tsuyu congratulated Ashido, though Ashido admitted she wasn't sure how much the whole thing actually reflected on her abilities.

“Even if you got on the team for a seemingly superficial reason, that does not mean you didn't put forth a good showing.” Momo pointed out, smiling at her. “I don't believe your team would have been able to catch up to Monoma's without you.”

“Oh yeah, that sliding acid dash thing we pulled off was sick!” Kirishima gushed. Sero grinned along with him.

“Our quirks worked together better than I expected; I'm glad we had you.”

Ashido's eyes went wide at all the sudden praise. She hazarded a look at Bakugo.

“I wouldn't pick weaklings for my team.” Bakugo grunted. Ashido grinned. That was pretty high praise coming from him.

“Thanks guys!”

Uraraka was grilling Iida about keeping his special move a secret, which Iida argued back was a completely reasonable thing to do for such a competition. Kaminari passed by, brain still fried.

“Oh geeze not again.” Mineta said, suddenly having to steady a listless Kaminari once again.

“We gotta find a way to help him with this.” Sero said, helping the smaller boy out.

“Trust me, it's on my to do list.” Recovery Girl said. Aizawa nodded, it was on his too.

Uraraka suddenly wondered where Deku had gone. A moment later, it was shown that Todoroki was staring him down in an empty hallway near an exit. Izuku asked him what he wanted to talk about.

“Todoroki.” Uraraka's voice was low and clearly suspicious. “You aren't gonna threaten him or something are you?”

“I don't know why we're there.” He said. Which was true. He had suspicions, but he didn't know for sure. That future him didn't have all the information that he did right now, so would he really have been able to figure out the relationship to All Might with so little to go off of? Maybe he just wanted to talk about his challenge again...

Elsewhere, All Might approached Endeavor. All Might invited Endeavor to tea, which only gained a scornful look from the other. The episode ended there.

The students really didn't know what to make of that last bit. Plenty of hero news liked to talk about the top two pros having a rivalry, but that reaction seemed a lot angrier than simple rivalry called for.
All Might was confused too. He'd never gotten along especially well with Enji, but he was hoping the man would mellow out once they left the direct confrontation that school put them into. Given how the man had reacted to watching his son, and that look, All Might was beginning to think that may have been too optimistic.

“Well now,” Nedzu said, standing up. “as intrigued as everyone is, it is high time for another break.” some of the student groaned. “Now now, proper circulation is important. We all need to stretch our legs.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

While most of the class got food and used the bathroom and talked animatedly about how the cavalry battle went down, one student stood apart from it all.

“Todoroki.”

The boy had been standing off to the side and looking down in thought. His teacher's voice made him look up.

“Yes, Mr. Aizawa?”

“I've noticed some rather concerning behavior from your father in the last couple of episodes, and you've made your dislike for him clear.”

Todoroki just nodded. Aizawa sighed.

“Is there anything you'd like to tell me?”

“...no, sir.”

“You realize that, whatever is going on, it might come out anyway?”

Todoroki looked away. “Yes.”

Aizawa put a hand on his student's shoulder, making the boy look back at him. “Todoroki. I want you to know, that no matter what ends up being revealed, if anything, I and the school will do our best to support you. And if nothing is shown to us here, then I am still available to talk about anything that is troubling you. The whole staff is, if you would be more comfortable talking to one of them.”
Todoroki remained silent for a few long moments. His face was unreadable, but Aizawa still got the feeling that his words and intentions were being scrutinized closely.

“I'll remember.”

Todoroki closed off completely then, and Aizawa knew that was the best he could hope for. For now, at least.

Chapter Text

Todoroki and Izuku were once again shown to be standing in the empty hallway.

Both students and faculty picked up on the tense air between the two students. They all watched closely, wondering what exactly this was about.

Izuku tried to awkwardly start conversation, but Todoroki remained silent. Izuku thought to himself that Todoroki gave off a feeling of cold intimidation.

'Better cold than hot.' Todoroki thought, his mind going to his father's fiery quirk and appearance. Then again, his father certainly had his own level of cold indifference...

Finally, Todoroki spoke. He talked about how he had been overpowered during the cavalry battle, and how he'd noticed something in that moment. Something that made him think of when All Might had battled the Noumu in the USJ.

“Mon Dieu! Don't tell me he's figured it out just from that!” Aoyama cried.

“Figuring out the whole story from that seems like kind of a leap.” Sato said doubtfully.

“Well, he probably hasn't figured out the whole thing, but it sounds like he's figured out something.” Ojiro said.

Izuku was beginning to look nervous, even more so than before. His classmates here and now already knew, so this probably didn't matter so much...but the thought that someone could put it together from so little wasn't a good one.

On screen Midoriya was looking more and more nervous as Todoroki spoke. Then Todoroki asked if Izuku was All Might's secret love child.

There was a single beat of silence as the question sunk in. Then the entire room exploded with laughter.

“Oh my god, oh my god Todoroki you really just came out and asked that!” Sero crowed.

“And with such a straight face too!” Mineta yelled, holding his sides as he laughed. Kaminari was doing the same.

“Guys, guys look at Midoriya's face! I think his eyes might pop out of his head!”

Jirou had fallen back in her seat laughing, and ended up leaning against Momo's shoulder. “Wow, Todoroki. Just...wow.”

“Dude we talked about this! A similar quirk doesn't mean they're related!” Kirishima yelled in exasperation.

“You said that to me, not future me.” Todoroki pointed out. “And they are more than just similar quirks, it's the same exact quirk.”

“Well, true, on both parts.” Kirishima folded his arms. “But the other you doesn't know that, you just said they felt similar.”

“I can understand how he came to the conclusion though.” Momo mused. “Given the similarity and how All Might does little to hide their connection on school grounds. Honestly, I'm a little surprised nobody else thought of that.”

“Maybe they did and just didn't ask.” Kirishima suggested. “Because, come on, even if it's true you shouldn't just come out and ask something like that!”

“Why not?” Todoroki asked, looking genuinely puzzled. Kirishima's palm met his forehead.

Meanwhile, Midoriya was doing his very best to melt into the couch cushions.

“C-come on Midoriya, it's not that bad.” Uraraka said, trying and failing to hid her own giggles.

“Indeed! Being strong enough and skilled enough to be assumed to be related to All Might sounds like quite the compliment!” Iida said, patting his friend's shoulder repeatedly.

“Secret love child...” Izuku whimpered.

“How's it feel to be a new father?” Present Mic asked on the other side of the room.

“I would be most proud to have a son such as young Midoriya! Though I'm not sure the boy's true father would approve.” All Might joked.

The words caused pure joy to bubble up in Izuku's heart. Unfortunately it didn't manage to dispel the embarrassment he was feeling, so he was left with a very confusing mixture of emotions that made him want to disappear into the couch even more.

Bakugo had been ready to make a derisive comment, but the combination of Todoroki's words and All Might's made him think. When was the last time he saw Deku's dad? What was his name? What did he look like? He was pretty sure the man hadn't been blonde, but... Could he be...no, no way. Not shitty Deku. No way. It wasn't possible.
It wasn't.
At all.
Right?

At first all Izuku could do was stare at Todoroki. Then he started making awkward and hurried denials and saying that 'it wasn't like that'.

Forget the couch, Izuku was going to sink straight into the floor. He probably would have, if Uraraka and Iida didn't insist on keeping him at least somewhat in his seat.

“Given how you responded to this question, I believe it is paramount that you and All Might start practicing your reactions and explanations for such things.” Iida chided.

All Might cleared his throat. “Yes, of course, we'll get started on that during one of the upcoming breaks.”

“I would be happy to assist in the brainstorming process.” Nedzu offered cheerfully.

“Thank you sir.” It hadn't occurred to All Might when the topic was first broached, but if Todoroki had thought to ask such a thing after so little information, then it was critical that they get that sorted out thoroughly before appearing in public in the future. It was bad enough that his old nemesis might have gotten wind of his and Midoriya's connection via Shigaraki's description; the media getting a hold of such a rumor would be an absolute disaster!

Todoroki pointed out that the way Izuku phrased his words implied that they had a connection of some kind.

All Might sweat dropped. “A very astute observation, young Todoroki.” Yeah, definitely going to start practicing as soon as possible.

“I'm so sorry.” Izuku moaned.

“Quite alright young Midoriya.” He thought back to a certain scene on a beach not so long ago, where he was almost recognized. “I can hardly blame you, considering I hadn't even given an alternate name to use for me in public. You should call me Yagi or Toshinori when I am in this form, especially when there are others around.”

“Yes sir!”

Kaminari smirked. “Or you could just call him Dad.”

Jirou leaned over and flicked the boy's ear.

“Hey!”

“Don't be a dumbass.”

“I wasn't! If he calls All Might's skinny form his dad then people might not jump into thinking All Might is his dad.”

“Huh.” Jirou's eyebrows rose. “That actually kinda makes sense.”

“Guys, I have an actual dad.”

“You do?” Sero asked. “How come we've never seen him?”

“He works overseas, so he's not home a lot.” Izuku said with shrug. “Plus, we haven't seen most of your parents on here, but I assume they still exist.”

“Okay, good point.” Sero nodded.

Izuku looked back toward the screen, but his eyes landed on All Might on the way. The man gave him an encouraging smile and thumbs up, which Izuku returned. A small part of Izuku's mind whispered that it was possible to have more than one dad.

Todoroki brought up that he was Endeavor's son, and that the man had been 'stuck' as the number 2 hero for a long time. Which meant that if Izuku was connected to All Might, there was even more reason for Todoroki to beat him.

“An interesting word choice, 'stuck'. Most would see getting so high in the rankings year after year as quite an accomplishment.” Nezu observed.

“That's not how he sees it.” Todoroki said.

“I see.” Nezu's tone gave nothing away, but his eyes glittered in a strange way.

Izuku was becoming more confused than anything. Why would a connection to All Might be important to Todoroki? Because his dad wanted to be number 1 but couldn't beat out All Might? But that would be like avenging his father, which really didn't seem to be a thing Todoroki was concerned with, given how he talked and thought about him.

The scene switched over to where Endeavor and All Might were talking. All Might mentioned it had been 10 years since they'd really seen each other and that he wanted to say hello. Endeavor brushed him off and tried to go on his way. All Might jumped ahead to keep up with him and told him not to be so cold.

'So cold...cold intimidation...Even when I'm rejecting your power I still, somehow, end up being like you.' Todoroki thought bitterly.

“Ten years without seeing each other and that's all Endeavor has to say to him?” Hagakure asked in disbelief. She hadn't thought there was anyone who truly hated All Might, except for villains of course.

“Talk about rude.” Ashido agreed.

“It does seem kinda weird they could go that long without seeing each other.” Tsuyu agreed. “Even with All Might not spending all of his career in Japan.”

“Wish I could go that long without seeing certain heroes.” Aizawa muttered.

All Might complimented Todoroki's performance, saying he must have been taught well. When All Might asked for tips on teaching heroics to kids, Endeavor refused to give any and started to walk away again.

“Good.” Todoroki said, with just a little more heat than he meant to.

“What is good, young Todoroki?” All Might asked.

“That you didn't get any 'tips'. His methods aren't worth passing on.”

All Might looked at the other teachers, and saw that they looked about as concerned as he felt.

All Might apologized and Endeavor stopped walking. He told All Might that he would make 'that' into a hero that would surpass him, and it was the entire reason he created his son. He turned back to a disturbed All Might, saying that his son being in a rebellious phase wouldn't change the fact that he would eventually succeed.

Most of the room had expressions very similar to the one that All Might was wearing on screen.

“He just...” Kirishima started, anger taking the place of shock. “What the hell! He called you a 'that'! Like you were a thing! Who does that?!”

Present Mic piped up then. “Okay, gonna admit it now, I've always disliked Endeavor. And the more I see of him here the more intense that dislike gets.”

Aizawa nodded sharply. There were so many red flags coming up around this man that he'd managed to lose count.

“That's...that's terrible.” Izuku said

“He shouldn't talk about you like that!” Momo agreed.

“Indeed, Endeavor's behavior just now was disgraceful.” Iida chopped his hands rapidly in his irritation. If he hadn't been so angry, he'd have been surprised when his exclamation was met with cries of agreement and righteous indignation.

Todoroki shrugged again, more than a little bemused. 'I've heard that from my father all my life. It's weird to hear other people getting so up in arms about it.'

Back with boys, Todoroki talked about his father's desire for status and power, and how it lead him to despising All Might. Since Endeavor couldn't beat All Might himself, he came up with a new plan. When Izuku asked what Todoroki was saying, the boy asked Izuku if he'd ever heard of Quirk marriages.

Todoroki's teeth clenched. 'No, not here. Not in front of everyone. Please...'

All Might's eyes went wide, and his breath stilled for a moment. Was Todoroki saying what he thought he was saying? Surely Enji wouldn't stoop so low as to do something like that! But with the way he'd been talking just now...

“Th-that- he-that-” for once, Iida was at a complete loss for words. Izuku didn't blame him one bit. He himself had no idea what to do with this turn of events.

“Pray tell, what are quirk marriages?” Aoyama asked. Some students looked curious while others looked highly uncomfortable.

“You know how humans got different dog breeds through selective breeding?” Shoji asked.

“Oui.”

“Think of that, but replace the dogs with humans trying to get specific quirks.”

After a moment of thought, Aoyama's eyes went wide. “Oh...”

“Yeah.” Shoji turned to Todoroki. “I didn't mean any offense by the dog thing.”

“It's fine. It was accurate.”

“That still happens?” Tsuyu asked incredulously. “I thought that stopped being a thing ages ago...”

“Like many other unpleasant things, it's less that it stopped and more that most people became quieter and more subtle about it.” Nedzu explained. Momo nodded gravely, hunching in on herself a bit as she did.

“I know it was a concern for my parents, at least. They've warned me before to be careful with who I choose to date, because there's a chance that some might try to use me to just get access to my quirk or inheritance. I've even heard a couple stories of relatives having to fend off their own parents attempts to set up such a thing, and not always succeeding. My parents were always adamant that I would never have to worry about that from them.” she glanced at Todoroki, and wondered which story she'd heard sounded most similar to his mother's, since it seemed the marriage was Endeavor's idea.

'I wish my grandparents had done that for my mom.' Todoroki thought bitterly.

Todoroki explained it more, saying how people being forced into marriage to try and produce children with more powerful quirks became a problem after quirks had been around for a while, and how his father used his status and wealth to manipulate his mother into one. And how he planned to use Todoroki for his own ends.

“Dude, Todoroki, I'm so sorry.” Kaminari said, face stricken. “I had no idea...I wouldn't have asked about your dad so casually if I knew he was this much of bastard.”

Todoroki let out a heavy breath, but said nothing. 'He shouldn't know, not about this, none of them should. Clearly I only meant to tell Midoriya, and I probably only did that because being involved with All Might means he's involved in my old man's crazy schemes now too.'

“This is wrong.” Jirou growled. “So wrong on so many levels.”

Todoroki angrily declared that he wouldn't become a tool for his bastard of an old man.

“You tell 'em Todoroki! You deserve better!”

Todoroki lost his detached expression for a moment and looked toward Hagakure in surprise. When was the last time someone had said something like that to him?

Todoroki recalled how his mother was always crying, and what she said to him just before she poured boiling water onto his face.

“She WHAT?!” Uraraka cried. “How could she-”

“Don't.” Todoroki cut her off coldly. “Don't talk about my mother.”

“But you just said-”

“Don't.”

Uraraka opened her mouth to protest again, but stopped when she saw how strained Todoroki looked. “I...I'm sorry, you're right. I don't know the whole story, so I shouldn't talk about it.” Uraraka bowed to him. “My apologies.”

Todoroki just nodded to her quickly. She sat back down, but fidgeted. Izuku looked back and forth between Todoroki and Uraraka, then cleared his throat.

“Uraraka is right, we can't judge without knowing your whole story. But whatever happened, you didn't deserve that.” Uraraka nodded along with his words, and Todoroki glared at him.

“And how would you know?”

“Because you were a little kid.” Momo interrupted softly. “No little kid deserves to be hurt like that, no matter what. Todoroki...have you told anyone about this before?”

“No one who didn't already know.”

“Why not? You clearly know this isn't okay.”

“He had enough money and resources to essentially buy my mother. He definitely has enough to get lawyers that will get him off of whatever I could accuse him of.” Todoroki bit back.

Momo winced. “I can see what you mean.” 'He'd probably throw his status around too, being such a high ranking hero. People wouldn't want to believe he could do something so bad.'

Todoroki hunched in on himself, as though he could hear what she was thinking.

And that was the crux of it wasn't it? This being done at all was rage inducing in and of itself, but the fact that it was being done by a hero? By someone who they had all been taught to look up to and trust implicitly? That made it even worse, and left the class and teachers seething with anger and betrayal, and without a proper place to put it since the perpetrator wasn't in the room with them.

All Might's chest felt heavy in a way that had nothing to do with old injuries or phantom pains. Enji did all this, caused this suffering, all because of some rivalry with him? One he hadn't even been aware that the man still had with him? How could he be so blind?

Todoroki explained he picked a fight to prove something to Endeavor, that he could succeed without using any of Endeavor's power.

Aizawa took a deep, calming breath. There was so much to unpack here...he was going to need to think carefully before approaching Todoroki about this topic again. It would definitely take time to work through it all, but it would be worth it if it helped his student to get past this and reach his full potential. 'And hopefully we can find a way to take Endeavor out of the picture while we're at it.'

The camera moved to reveal that Bakugo was standing around the corner, hearing everything.

Todoroki huffed. It figured that even when he tried to have this conversation in private he wouldn't end up being as alone as he thought.

Bakugo had remained silent through the whole reveal, but that didn't mean he wasn't reacting to it. He took in the way Endeavor talked about becoming number one through any means, and how Todoroki talked about Endeavor. He knew his own goals, and he would be an idiot not to recognize how much they sounded like Endeavor's.
'But it's different, dammit. No way I'd shove all my shit onto a kid. If I don't reach my goals on my own then there would be no fucking point! Endeavor's a fucking dumbass if he can't even get that straight. Whatever Todoroki does will belong to Todoroki, not to him.'

Izuku thought about how different things were for him and Todoroki, despite having the same end goal. Before Izuku could respond to anything Todoroki had said, he started to walk away. He said that he didn't care how Izuku was connected to All Might, just the fact that he was meant Todoroki was determined to beat him with just his ice. He apologized for wasting Izuku's time.

“You didn't!” Izuku immediately protested, jumping up to face Todoroki. Said boy looked at him, as did everyone else in the room. When Izuku noticed that he lost some of his energy, but pressed on. “You didn't waste my time, I mean. You...you just trusted me with something really heavy and important and hard to talk about and I...I'm not sure what all to do with it yet, because it was a lot, but I know it wasn't a waste! So you don't need to apologize.”

Todoroki's eyes narrowed. “I'm not looking for pity, not here and not there either.” he bit out, but a moment later his expression went blank again “I think I just wanted you to understand where we stood, and that you deserved a warning.”

Izuku's head tilted.. “A warning?”

“If my old man figured out there was a connection between you and All Might, he might start dragging you into his insane quest too. At least confronting you now means you have some forewarning, and you understand that what my father wants isn't what I want.” 'Pretty sure that's what I must be thinking anyway.'

Izuku's hand went to his chin. “So, your saying that you still want to beat me, but that it's not personal between us. It's just because of your dad.”

“Yes.” Todoroki gave a small nod.

“Well...thank you for letting me know.” Todoroki nodded again, and Izuku sat down. There was more he wanted to say, but he could still feel everyone's eyes on them. He couldn't exactly blame them, but he knew it was best to leave the rest until later. It was bad enough all of this got spilled to the whole class when Todoroki clearly hadn't wanted it to be.

Izuku thought that if this were a comic book, Todoroki would be the main character.

After how tense the last few minutes had been, Kaminari couldn't help but snort at such a line. “Little on the nose there, don't you think?” That earned him a few quiet chuckles, which he counted as a win.

Izuku wondered what he could possible say to all of that.

In that moment, he wasn't the only one. Most of the students wondered what they could possible do or say after hearing such a tragic story, especially after Todoroki outright stated that he didn't want pity. Would that mean trying to comfort him would just make it worse? Would he want to talk about taking his father out, like so many of them wanted to now? The teachers knew they wanted to get their student out of that situation as fast as they could, but they didn't currently have enough information to start truly planning. Well, most of them didn't. Nedzu's mind was already whirling with possible ideas on how to rectify the situation, but he knew he'd need more details in order to settle on the best one. Details that would likely be given in the 'show' or to individuals that Todoroki came to trust. So Nedzu would have to wait for that to come to pass, and hopefully he'd have a few plans to try by the time they left this place.

Despite those thoughts, Izuku started to go after Todoroki.

Yagi smiled when he saw his student move. It seemed Izuku really couldn't sit still when another was in trouble.

Bakugo had to resist the urge to sigh. Stupid nerd didn't know how to keep out of other people's business. Even if Icy Hot told him about the whole thing, he clearly didn't expect Deku to try and do anything about it.

Izuku told Todoroki that he had gotten this far because he had been supported by others, and his mind flashed back to the people who had done just that.

“Don't lump me in with the rest of them shitty Deku!” Bakugo yelled. Aside from an automatic wince from Izuku, he was ignored.

“Midoriya, my boy, I'm glad that you acknowledge all the help you've received and that it keeps you grounded, but I must ask you again not to discount your own efforts.” Yagi said.

“If you hadn't worked for it, no amount of help would have gotten you this far.” Aizawa acknowledged. “Don't forget that, problem child.”

A part of Izuku wanted to protest, but seeing the encouraging faces of All Might and his friends made him swallow his words. Instead, he gave them a nod and a teary smile.

Izuku explained how he wanted to be like All Might, and to live up to everyone's hopes for him, so he was going to try to win too. He returned Todoroki's declaration of war.

“This is all so manly!” Kirishima cried.

“Weren't you the one trying to get them to get along and not declare war before?” Sato asked.

“That was when I thought it was just a sports festival! I had no idea it would turn into, you know, all of this!”

Tsuyu nodded. “I didn't expect things to get this complicated and personal.”

“A fated battle between men.” Uraraka muttered to herself.

“What was that?” Izuku asked.

“Nothing!”

Todoroki just stared at Izuku for a moment before walking away. Once he did, Bakugo was shown to be doing the same.

“Normally I'd say eavesdropping isn't very manly, but if I started hearing that story part way through I don't think I'd be able to stop either. It was just, so intense, you know?” Kirishima said.

Bakugo grunted in agreement, but his eyes stayed fixed on the screen. 'Deku may be connected to All Might, but I'll be the one to make it to number one in the festival. The the war may start with him but it will end with me!'

The scene returned to the festival at large, where Present Mic was announcing some games and introducing the cheerleaders for them. Before he could go on, he and many others were distracted by the sight of the 1A girls in cheer uniforms.

“What the hell?!” Jirou cried.

“No need for such language! You all look magnifique!” Aoyama said with a bright smile.

“Nobody asked you!”

“Well, he's still right, we look great!” Ashido held out a hand for Hagakure to slap and received her enthusiastic high five.

“You're not wrong.” Ojiro said, pink dusting his cheeks. “But that doesn't explain why you're wearing the outfits.”

“The reaction we're getting doesn't suggest it's a scheduled event.” Momo observed, her monotone voice at odds wit h the way her eyebrow was twitching.

“Would the school schedule something like that?” Shoji wondered.

“Only if Midnight managed to sneak a last minute change into the roster again.” Present Mic said, grimacing at some memory. “Maybe we need to keep a closer eye on her this year.”

The next moment, Momo is yelling at Mineta and Kaminari about tricking her.

“Ah, so it's not her we need to keep an eye on.” Present Mic sent a glare at the two boys.

“I should have known.” Jirou growled.

Mineta and Kaminari were starting to look nervous. An angry Jirou was bad enough, but they didn't know Mic could glare like that.

There was a flashback to lunch time, where Mineta and Kaminari managed to convince Momo and Jirou that they were supposed to dress up as cheerleaders for an event, and that Aizawa had mentioned it to them.

“Ow!” “Ack!”

Tsuyu's tongue whipped out twice, first hitting Mineta and then Kaminari.

“Man, you can really pack a punch with that thing!” Kaminari complained, rubbing his face.

“You deserved it, kero.”

“Not gonna argue that.”

“Me neither.” Mineta whimpered.

“I don't care how drugged up I am in the future, I wouldn't forget to mention a scheduled event to you. And even if I did I certainly wouldn't send the message with one of those two.” Aizawa said, sending his own glare their way.

“I'll remember that in the future, sir.” Momo said, rubbing her temples.

“As for you two, I realize that the 'you' we are seeing isn't exactly the same 'you' that is here. However, I hope you know that this action or any similar one could get you expelled if you do it in here or once we leave.”

“Yes sir! Sorry sir!” They both yelped. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and after a moment Mineta realized what Aizawa was waiting for.

“Come up here.” Mineta said, grabbing Kaminari by the wrist and dragging him along as he made his way to the front. Once there he put his hands together and bowed. Kaminari caught on and did the same.

“We are both very sorry for what our future selves did, and we promise not to do it in our real future.” Mineta said.

“Yeah, what he said. It was dumb. We're sorry!” Kaminari said. Both boys looked up hopefully.

“Well, I guess since they haven't technically done anything...” Momo started.

“Don't give me that, they still got to see us in cheer uniforms when we didn't want to be.” Jirou groused.

“Well in that case...maybe turnabout is fair play?” Uraraka suggested, looking a little too innocent. Ashido had the exact opposite problem, as she grinned evilly.

“Oh I like how your mind works.”

The two boys glanced at each other nervously.

“Ashido, do you mean, we get them to dress up in cheer outfits?” Hagakure asked gleefully. The boys' faces fell, and suddenly Jirou was cackling.

“Guys, come on, you can't be serious!” Kaminari complained.

“You've seen us in them, the whole class has, and it's your fault, it only seems fair.” Momo said.

“Can we get them to do a cheer too?” Hagakure asked.

“Before this gets any further, I suggest we table this discussion for another time. Perhaps during the next break.” Nedzu said. “We can have a more nuanced discussion of appropriate action once tempers have calmed a bit, and we see if there is any actual fall out for this event in this future.”

The students all went back to their seats, with either reluctance or relief.

Momo bemoaned allowing herself to be tricked, while Jirou was just embarrassed in general. Hagakure actually tried to get some of the others on board with doing an actual cheer.

“If you like that sort of thing then why were you so into getting them to dress in cheer outfits as payback?'” Ojiro asked.

“Liking outfits like that doesn't change the fact that they tricked us.” Hagakure huffed. “Future me probably just figured she'd make the most of it.”

“Fair enough.”

“Wait, Jirou, why were you in uniform at all?” Sero asked. “You didn't look like you believed Mineta and Kaminari, but you went with it anyway.”

“Maybe I just didn't want to risk getting in trouble? I don't know, hard to say since we don't see what happened between the boys telling us and us showing up on the field.” Jirous said with a shrug. Her eyes landed on Momo in the uniform again, and the thought 'She looks really hot' came to her mind, but she shoved it back before it could get anywhere near her mouth because coming out was not on her list of things to do in the weird alternate dimension viewing room.

Present Mic started to explain that, after some games for those no longer in the running, there would be a tournament set up among those that made it through round two.

“Awesome! A tournament is a classic event in the sports festival, and has a lot of potential for seeing creative uses of quirks up close.” Izuku's eyes sparkled in excitement.

“I'll bet you filled up a few different notebooks by watching tournaments from the sports festivals before huh?” Uraraka said with a knowing smile. Izuku ducked his head bashfully.

“Yeah, at least a couple. It's harder to do analysis for the group activities because there's so much going on all at once, but with one on one fights you can pick up on a lot more details.”

“But doubtless this future you will have a harder time taking notes for this one, since he will be participating in it.” Iida pointed out.

Izuku's jaw fell open slightly. “You're right, the other me will be distracted...and because of us seeing them now these events might not happen again in the future. I've gotta take as many notes as I can now!” When Izuku jumped up to get another notebook, his two best friends shared a look of fond amusement.

“A tournament? Sweet! Who wants to start a betting pool once the matches are announced?” Kaminari asked.

“I'd be up for it.” Sero grinned. Mina jumped up and waved her hands.

“Me too!”

“I'll only allow it if you aren't betting money.” Aizawa called out, just loud enough to ensure he was heard.

“Can we bet favors?” Shoji asked.

“Within reason.”

“I'd put something on Bakugo making it to the finals.” Kirishima called.

“You should bet on me being first!” Bakugo growled.

“I'd bet on Ojiro getting past his first match at least!” Hagakure said, which made Ojiro blush slightly.

“Easy guys! I gotta prepare! And the matches haven't even been announced yet!” Kaminari complained. Now he was the one getting up for paper.

Midnight started explaining how things would move forward and how the matches would be set up randomly, but before she could assign any Ojiro raised his hand and said he was backing out.

Exclamations of surprise and confusion went around the room.

“What!? But you'd be great at one on one fights!” Hagakure complained.

“I'm not sure what's going on either.” Ojiro said, frowning at the screen.

Ashido nudged Hagkure “Bet you're glad Kaminari didn't start the betting early, huh?”

The students on screen were just as surprised as the ones in the room, and wondered how Ojiro could throw away such a good opportunity. Ojiro explained that he couldn't remember what actually happened during the second round and that his pride wouldn't let him go forward because of it. A student from 1B did the same, saying it wasn't right for them to take a win when they did nothing.

Both the Kirishima on screen and the one in the room couldn't help but cry over how manly the two were being.

“Oh, so that's why...” Ojiro said, disheartened. At least he finally getting some answers for the weirdness surrounding his cavalry group.

“I don't really get that logic.” Sato confessed. “I mean, even if you don't remember it because of whatever the purple haired kid did, you guys obviously didn't do 'nothing'. Your team wouldn't have made it through the battle if you guys did nothing.”

“Maybe that's true, but I agree with future me. I have no way of knowing if we'd have made through without that gen ed kid's influence. Without knowing how I'd perform on my own, under my own power, I can't say I deserve to be on stage with everyone else.” Ojiro explained.

“I guess I can see where you're coming from.” Sato said slowly. “Still, if it were me, I think I'd just take the win and do my best to show I earned it during the tournament.”

“I'd hardly judge you or anyone else for that, but I just can't do that myself.”

Midnight accepted their decision. Aoyama said he was going to go ahead anyway, and Midnight started to choose which two students would replace them. A 1B group let Tetsutetsu's group go ahead of them, causing the steel haired boy to let out a cry at their sacrifice.

Jirou's eyebrows rose at the display, and Kaminari rubbed his chin.

“Are we sure he and Kirishima aren't related?”

“Not you guys too!” Kirishima groaned.

Despite all the errant feelings still running around Todoroki's head, a part of him couldn't help but feel vindicated.

“I certainly hope you don't think less of me.” Aoyama said, wringing his hands. Ojiro smiled at him and shook his head.

“Of course not, like I said, I won't judge you for having a different outlook on it.”

Once the replacements were settled, Midnight started announcing the first tier matches. The first to come up was Tetsutetsu vs Kirshima.

“I'm not going to jump onto the 'secretly related' conspiracy theory that seems to be forming, but I must admit that these two continually coming into such close contact with each other is a bit odd.” Momo said with a slight frown.

“Midnight let the withdrawls happen because of her, uh, preferences. Maybe she picked a few of the matches based on them too.” Sato suggested.

“But it was supposed to be random.” Momo said, frowning even more. “Surely she wouldn't indulge in her likes to the point of ruining the spirit of the event itself.”

Over with the teachers, Yagi, Aizawa, and Yamada shared a look. They would definitely be keeping a closer eye on Midnight once the festival occurred in real life. Just to be on the safe side.

Momo vs Tokoyami was announced next.

“Best of luck to you in the ensuing conflict, I'm sure I shall give it my all.” Tokoyami said with a bow of his head.

“As will I!” Momo said, doing her best to smile despite her nerves. From what she'd seen so far, Tokoyami would be a fearsome opponent. She couldn't help but worry about how well she would do against him, especially with so many watching. At least her future self would have some time to plan...

Then Ashido vs Aoyama.

“Our battle is sure to be breathtaking!” Aoyama cried. “The combination of my sparkle and your exuberance will be a sight to behold!”

“The only 'breathtaking' I'm concerned about is how breathtakingly fast I'm gonna win.” Ashido said with a grin.

Midoriya was shown looking at the matches. He saw that if he won, and if Todoroki won against Sero, then he and Todoroki would fight.

Todoroki frowned in thought. An early win against Midoriya would be nice, since then he wouldn't have to worry about his strong classmate later. But it might not make his point as well if he beat Midoriya after each of them only beat one person.

“Oh man, I'm against Todoroki?” Sero whined. Mineta patted him on the back sympathetically.

“Nice knowing you dude.” Kaminari said.

“Hey! Don't count me out that fast!”

Midoriya saw who he was up against, Shinsou, remembering him as the purple haired boy that had challenged his class in the hallway. The boy surprised him by coming up behind him, and saying he was looking forward to the match. Izuku started to respond, but was stopped by Ojiro. Shinsou smirked and walked away, and Ojiro told Izuku not to answer the other boy.

“What the heck was that about?” Jirou wondered aloud.

“I must have figured out something to do with that kid's quirk.” Ojiro said. Midoriya was nodding along.

“That would make sense, since you and Aoyama are the only ones in 1A to have spent any great length of time with him. And it must have something to do with talking, if you stopped me from doing that specifically.”

“Hopefully I figured out enough to add a few details. Even if I'm not going forward, I'd hate for you to go into the next fight unprepared if I could do something about it.”

“Thanks Ojiro.” Izuku smiled.

“Would that count as unfair, kero? Sharing information like that?” Tsuyu wondered.

“No more unfair than Izuku happening to see Shinsou using the quirk himself, or any of the 1B kids using what they saw of us in the first round to do better during the next.” Shoji said.

“Good point.”

Todoroki was shown looking at the match pairings. He silently issued another challenge to Midoriya.

“He's really into this huh?” Hagakure murmured.

The intensity of Todoroki's thoughts and words, combined with Hagakure's comment, greased the wheels that had already started turning in Ashido's head.

It was shown that Uraraka and Bakugo would be paired up. Bakugo's reaction to this was much milder that Uraraka's.

“Well Uraraka, it was nice knowing you.” Kaminari said.

“Dude, stop that.” Sero griped.

“It- it's fine! I'll think of something, I'm sure of it!” Uraraka's words would have seemed a lot more confident if both her onscreen and real life self hadn't made such a distressed squeaking noise a minute ago.

“Yeah, sure, or the nerd will think of it for you.” Bakugo said.

“Big words from a boy who probably had to ask around to figure out who she was.” Jirou shot back.

“Shut it earlobes! I know perfectly well which extra she is!”

Hearing the argument, Uraraka quickly pulled herself together and sent Bakugo a challenging glare. She had no doubt her future self would do everything in her power to give Bakugo the fight he was always looking for.

“Um, I could help, you know. I bet my future self would anyway, especially if you asked.” Izuku said quietly. She turned to give him a smile.

“That's really sweet, but I'm kind of hoping my future self doesn't ask. It's...it's kinda like Iida earlier, you know? I want to see how much I can do under my own power, especially since this is a one on one fight. But I bet any plan you did come up with would be amazing!”

Izuku smiled, and his face turned a bit red. Uraraka couldn't help but think it was kinda cute.

Elsewhere, Mei approached Iida, seemingly to talk about their match.

“...I have a bad feeling about that.” Uraraka muttered.

“Me too.” Izuku said.

“I'm sure she is just showing her usual enthusiasm for her chance to show her work.” Iida said confidently.

A few snap shots of the recreational games were shown.

“Why would a cat be one of the things they are supposed to find during a scavenger hunt? Who would have a cat at the sports festival?” Shoji wondered in confusion.

“I believe Koda could summon a feline if need be.” Tokoyami pointed out.

“Really? Even with all those people?” Sato looked over at Koda for confirmation. The boy nodded shyly.

“A lot of strays forage in garbage. The food stands would be a draw for them.” Koda's voice was so quiet those around him could barely hear it.

“Still seems overly specific, but not as impossible as I thought.” Shoji admitted.

“You could be overthinking it. A cat key chain or plushy would probably be accepted.” Tsuyu pointed out.

Monoma getting dragged off as one of the 'found' objects got quite a few laughs.

Different 1A students were shown, each preparing for the tournament in their own ways.

“Th-that looks like a nice spot...” Koda whispered, upon seeing where Tokoyami was meditating.

“I'm sure we could find it once we leave here.”

Koda smiled gratefully at him.
--
“What's with all the orange juice?” Kirishima asked.

“I've found that it fuels my quirk better than most other liquids.” Iida explained.

“Really? I wonder if I have any foods like that...”
--
“You okay Midoirya? You look really intense.” Ojiro commented upon seeing the two of them in a room together.

“I'm hoping it means you had more information for me to make a plan around.” Izuku said with a helpless shrug.

The first match was about to start, and Izuku was shown trying to focus while Present Mic commentated. All Might came up to him and asked him about OFA, and Izuku confessed that, while he'd managed not to break his bones a couple times, he didn't feel confident in his abilities.

“At least you can recognize that managing not to break yourself twice doesn't count as having 'figured it out'.” Aizawa said.

“It definitely counts as progress, but not as much as you'd likely want before a tournament like this.” Present Mic said with a nod.

Izuku groaned. Even if it was what he suspected, that wasn't what he wanted to hear before he watched himself go up against an unfamiliar opponent.

All Might theorized that Izuku was currently able to use about 5% of his power safely. This causes Izuku to once again say he was there mostly due to support and luck. All Might's response to this was to give him a 'get a hold of yourself' smack and tell him he was speaking nonsense.

“Ow!” Izuku yelped, sudden pain shooting through his skull.

“My apologies young Midoriya, but you were talking yourself down far too much, and I know that sometimes a more physical jolt can be helpful in forcing oneself out of a toxic line of thought.” he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Still, I didn't intend for the hit to be quite that hard. I guess you're not the only one who needs to keep better control of his strength.”

“It's okay, I'm fine, it just hurt for a second.” Izuku insisted.

“Be that as it may, I will still work on it. A true pro never stops trying to improve after all.”

All Might then reminded him that the times when he is scared or worried at the times when he should smile to show off what a hero is supposed to be, even if it's a bluff. Izuku managed a wobbly smile.

Aizawa nodded slightly to himself. If nothing else, All Might knew how to inspire people, especially Midoriya. Perhaps because they were so similar.

“You guys...seeing you together always gives me such feelings. Manly feelings!” Kirishima cried. Bakugo rolled his eyes.

'At least he's willing to tell Deku he needs to cut the nerdy whining if he wants to be a hero.' Bakugo thought.

Izuku and Shinsou were shown walking up the battle area while Present Mic explained the rules. He had some fun introducing the contestants and the start of the fight.

“You ad lib too much sometimes.” Recovery Girl commented.

“But people love my style and improv!” Yamada protested.

“'Put aside all morals'?” Aizawa parroted future Present Mic with a raised eyebrow.

“...okay, I'll admit I could have phrased that a bit better.”

As the fight was about to begin, Shinsou started talking. He taunted Midoriya, and insulted Ojiro for his choice to drop out. Midoriya got angry, and ran forward yelling at him, then Midoriya suddenly froze.

“Huh?”

“What was that?”

“What just happened?”

Ojiro stood up in the crowd, alarmed, saying he'd warned Midoriya and everything. The camera moved to show that even Midoriya's expression was frozen, and his eyes were clouded and distant.
The episode ended there.

“Well, now I'm worried on a number of levels.” Ojiro said distantly. He eyed Midoriya. “I still don't know what his quirk actually is or what we talked about in between events, but I do know I told you not to answer him.”

“Yeah...you did.” Midoriya admitted.

“And then you went and did it anyway. Right off the bat.”

“I know.” Izuku groaned. “I know you did. What I don't know is why I did that.” He'd managed not to say things to his bullies in middle school! Well, he hadn't managed it often, he tended to start rambling, but he did it sometimes. So why couldn't he do that here? 'Maybe because it wasn't me being insulted this time?'

“I don't know man, if I heard that guy dissing your manliness I'd probably go off on him too. Especially after you just helped me.” Kirishima said.

“Yeah but you're known for having more heart than brains.” Kaminari teased.

“...somehow I feel both complimented and insulted.”

“It's also rich coming from you Kaminari. Just how high do you think you'll rank once tests really start?” Jirou asked.

“Why must you be so cruel to me?” he asked, making a show of looking hurt.

“Whatever the reason, it's true that letting your emotions get to you during a fight can cost you.” Tokoyami said. “Depending on just what Shinsou's quirk is, it could cost Midoriya the match.”

Izuku gulped. He really hoped it didn't turn out that way. He didn't want to disappoint All Might and Ojiro!

“All right everyone, we'll have a quick break before moving onto the next episode.” Nedzu declared.

*_*_*_*_*

While Aizawa, Recovery Girl, and Present Mic talked to the girls, Mineta, and Kaminari about what would be done about the cheerleader prank, All Might slipped away. He saw young Todoroki standing on his own. It seemed to be by choice, given some of the looks classmates were sending him. That was concerning, but it worked well for what he hoped to do.

“Young Todoroki.”

“All Might.” the boy said with a nod.

“I wanted to apologize. Your father's rivalry with me has clearly hurt you deeply, you and your family, and I can't help but think that if I'd been more present and aware of things around me that I could have...I'm not sure what I would have done. But if I was at all aware of what was happening and why I would have done my best to address the issue somehow. I'd have tried to find some way of convincing Enji to give up on this mad scheme. So I am sorry that I did not.”

Todoroki looked at him for a minute, is face blank and unreadable. Eventually, he shook his head and looked away.

“It's not your fault. He'd have been this way about anyone who was better than him so consistently, and he's done plenty to make sure the more obvious stuff stays under wraps.” He looked back up at All Might, his mouth set in grim line and his eyes alight with a steely resolve. “The only person to blame for my father's actions is my father.”

“That last part is certainly true.” All Might muttered darkly. His expression softened when he addressed Todoroki again. “If you ever need to talk, not just about issues with your father, but about anything else as well, I will be here to listen. I will listen, and I will believe you, and I know I'm not the only faculty member that would be willing to do so. I also know that myself and the others would be willing to help you leave that situation, if you are open to it.”

Todoroki frowned. “Endeavor's my father and we have no evidence aside from what I say. What could be done?”

“We'd certainly need further proof if we hoped to take this to court and remove you or your siblings from custody. Is that what you would want, assuming we could get that evidence?”

Todoroki looked down in thought. The idea of his father being publicly known for what he truly was was incredibly satisfying, but it would also put him, his siblings, and his mother through so much. One thing he really did learn as the son of a hero was what the media could do to a story that got people's attention, and this would certainly qualify. And his father did save a lot of people while doing his job, despite what he was like at home...though he did cause more damage than necessary sometimes too. Especially in pursuit of a villain.

“I don't know.” Todoroki admitted.

“That's alright. Just know, that if you decide that is something you want, I'll do my best to help you. Endeavor isn't the only hero with strings he can pull in times of crisis, you know. But even if we don't go that route, we'd be willing to help alleviate some of the burden. We'd just need to know which ways would be best to do it.”

Todoroki was silent, but no longer unreadable. He looked conflicted and confused, and maybe just a tad hopeful. All Might gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

“Try to give it some thought when you can. We'll be here.”

All Might walked away then. Izuku stood a little ways off. He'd wanted to talk to Todoroki, about what he'd said about not using his father's fire. After All Might had talked to him though, Todoroki looked like he already had so much on his mind that he doubted Todoroki would be up for suddenly talking about all of that. It would probably be better to wait until next time.

Chapter Text

The audience was stunned by Izuku's sudden halt, and Present Mic went on about how this kid could be amazing despite not standing out before.

“What do you mean he didn't stand out? We've seen him a bunch of times the last few episodes.” Sero said.

“Well, just because we've seen him doesn't mean the audience did.” Izuku said. “I mean, the only reason we really recognize him is because he met us outside class that one day, and they wouldn't know about that.”

Uraraka nodded. “Yeah, and with all the flashy stuff going on with you and Todoroki and Bakugo, most people probably didn't notice him at all.”

“Perhaps that was what he was hoping for, like how 1B used the chaos of the obstacle course to try and figure out how to defeat us.” Momo theorized.

“That could be a viable strategy, depending on how his quirk works.” Iida conceded. “Still, I feel as though we've seen him more than many other participants, despite him 'not standing out'.”

“That's an interesting point.” Nedzu piped up. “I believe the way we've been seeing events purposefully drew our attention to this young man, where normally the events involving him would have garnered little notice save for the few interacting with him directly. Most curious.”

Aizawa interrupted Present Mic's surprise, saying this pairing showed off a flaw in UA's entrance exam. Shinsou had a very useful and powerful quirk, but it was one that didn't work on robots, so he couldn't get points when he tried the practical hero exam. The entrance exam was biased toward those with very physical quirks.

“Is...is that true?” Iida asked, shaken at the thought of such a huge flaw being inherent in the entrance exam of his esteemed school.

“It is.” Aizawa confirmed.

“And he'll take pretty much any opportunity to point it out.” Present Mic said.

“That's because it keeps going unchanged and no one else seems to care.”

“I do regret that.” Nedzu actually did sound sincere. “I've been attempting to find a way of evening the playing field a bit for cases such as Shinsou's. However being principle does not give me absolute authority over such things, and those that provide our funding do not see any problems with how the exam is currently set up.”

Aizawa grumbled under his breath while some of the kids looked at each other in confusion.

“Doesn't it just make sense that physical quirks are favored a bit? I mean, a hero should be able to pack a punch and take a hit, right?” Kirishima asked.

“That's true.” Aizawa conceded. “but physical defense can be made up for with things like body armor and other support items. Being able to deal a lot of damage isn't always important, either. If you can stop a villain in their tracks with a word, like Shinsou appears to be capable of, then it wouldn't matter as much if he could cause a lot of damage. Because he'd be able to stop the villain before they can get close to himself or anyone else.”

“It would also mean he could take villains down quickly, without a big battle, which would lead to a lot less property damage. That wouldn't be a spectacle though, so he might not score as well on popularity, so that could be a problem, unless he wants to be an underground hero...” Midoriya had gone into one of his mumbling trance again. Aizawa did manage to hear the bit about Shinsou possibly going for underground heroism, and that set a few wheels turning in his brain.

“I guess I'm lucky then, since I have a quirk that's not super physical but made it through.” Hagakure said. “I'm lucky I got some rescue points, and that I was able to find the robots off switches and stuff. I probably wouldn't have passed otherwise.”

“Don't even talk about such a horrible possibility!” Ashido cried, dramatically flopping onto Hagakure.

Shinsou called Izuku lucky, then told him to walk out of bounds. Izuku turned around and started to do just that. Then the show did a close up quirk explanation for Shinsou.

'I know I'm lucky for having met All Might and inherited his quirk, but why would he call me lucky?' Izuku wondered.

“Well that certainly answers a few questions. No wonder he wanted to keep a low profile earlier.” Jirou said.

“Yes, if anyone found out that his quirk had such an easy work around, it could cause him trouble.” Momo agreed.

“Easy, yet the nerd still managed to mess it up.” Bakugo grumbled.

The jab made Izuku wince and derailed his thoughts, though that might have been a good thing. His mind went straight from wondering about Shinsou's comment to analyzing his quirk, and if he stayed like that he might have missed something. It was already harder to focus than normal, since his head started feeling funny ever since Shinsou's quirk activated.

Aizawa's was shown thinking to himself. Given the scores they got on physical's, Midoriya could likely beat Shinsou even if they fought without quirks, but he'd have to break out of the brainwashing first.

Izuku leaned forward in his seat, and begged his other self to figure out how to break out of Shinsou's quirk. 'It can't end like this! I'll disappoint All Might, not to mention everyone else!'

On screen Izuku was shown to be having similar thoughts, desperately trying to make himself stop. He remembered back to his conversation with Ojiro, where he learned that a physical shock could break the control.

'But there's nothing for me to bump into, or even trip over. How am I going to give myself a shock?' Izuku wondered frantically.

Suddenly, as Izuku struggled mentally, something happened. In a stadium doorway, shadowy figures appeared, staring at Izuku. Sparks traveled across Izuku's body, like his quirk was activating. Just as Shinsou ordered Izuku to lose for the sake of Shinsou's own dream, Izuku's fingers twitched.

Izuku yelped and held his hand close to his chest. His friends fussed, but he couldn't be more relieved. Because if broken bones weren't enough of a shock, nothing would be.

The camera showed that Midoriya had come to a halt just before he reached the boundary line.

Uraraka, Iida, Ojiro, and All Might all sighed with relief alongside Midoriya.

“Okay, I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong, but I gotta ask: What the heck was that?!” Kaminari blurted. The numerous expectant stares at Izuku and All Might showed he wasn't the only one wondering what had just happened.

“You haunted or some shit, Deku?” Bakugo asked.

“I-I don't know! Nothing like that has ever happened before.” Izuku turned to his mentor. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”

“I believe I have once, in my younger days. From that brief glimpse, I believe it was the previous holders.”

“You mean the people who had All for One before me and you? Do you know who they are?”

“I know somethings about them, yes. But the main thing right now is how many held it before, and it looked like the right amount of people to represent the previous holders.”

“Okay...so...what does that mean?”

“Well, from my experience, it means you're getting a better grasp of One for All.”

“Really?” Izuku asked excitedly. Seeing himself manage not to break his bones a couple times had been encouraging, but the idea of this vision being some kind of milestone was even better.

“Indeed,” All Might smiled proudly at him “but perhaps a more full explanation can wait for another time, so we don't hold up the rest of this episode.”

“Oh, of course! Sorry everyone.”

The crowd went wild at the turn of events, and it was shown that Izuku had broken his fingers to get free.

“And now back to our usually scheduled programming: Midoriya breaking his bones to progress his budding career.” Sato said in his best announcer voice, which earned him a few laughs.

“Dang it, I was doing so well.” Izuku said, clenching his teeth. Though it was hard to tell if this was from frustration, pain, or both. 'All Might said I was getting a better grasp, but it doesn't feel like it right now.'

“I would hardly call this instance a break in your record. After all, you were not in complete control of your faculties when you used your quirk this time.” Tokoyami pointed out.

“Indeed, it is quite impressive that you were able to break out of Shinsou's brainwashing, even if there were consequences.” Iida agreed.

Shinsou started demanding to know how Izuku broke free, but Izuku knew better that to reply now. He tried to figure out what happened, and his mind flashed back to the strange figures he saw.

Everyone made sure to get a good look when those figures appeared on screen again, trying to glean some detail.

“Even if we're pretty sure those are all good guys, they still look creepy.” Hagakure murmured to Ashido, who nodded in agreement.

All Might quickly counted the figures, and found he'd gotten the number right the first time, which made him more sure in his theory that this was brought on from the traces of the previous holders. He'd never had an instance of the holders moving parts of his body before though, or helping him activate his quirk, but that could just be Izuku's mind misinterpreting what happened. One for All was supposed to get more powerful each time it was passed on though...perhaps that power was manifesting in a new way? If he didn't find the principle so terrifying, he might ask Nedzu for his theories.

Izuku shuddered when he saw the figures again. Not because he found them scary, but because he could now see that one of the figures looked a lot like All Might. Which made sense given what his mentor had said, but he REALLY didn't like the image of All Might looking so much like a ghost.

Midoriya started coming to the same conclusion All Might had given the class, but his thoughts were interrupted by Shinsou, so he was forced to focus on the present. Shinsou wondered if Midoriya had figured out how his brainwashing worked.

“Well, he always knew about it.” Tsuyu pointed out. “He's just controlling himself better now.”

Shinsou tried to get him to talk again by telling him to say something.

Jirou snorted. “Good job, very clever. I'm sure he'll fall for it.”

“He's probably feeling very unbalanced after Midoriya's unexplained recovery.” Momo allowed gracefully. “Still, he would have done better to go for another insult, or something with shock value if he wanted Midoriya to talk despite his foreknowledge.”

Shinsou started ranting about how privileged Izuku was for being born with an amazing quirk. Izuku managed not to respond, despite how much he empathized.

That was a bit of a jolt for some of the audience. With all the excitement from the USJ and then the sports festival, it sometimes slipped their minds that Izuku had been born quirkless.

Izuku ran forward and started trying to push Shinsou out of the ring. Shinsou fought back.

“Ah!” Izuku cried, his hand going to his face. “Dang, he might have scored lower on the apprehension test, but he still knows how to throw a punch.” He yelped when Shinsou hit him again. Recovery Girl took that as her cue to hop up and make her way over to him.

Uraraka had to hold in a sigh. She hated how much Izuku always ended up getting hurt when he fought. Even in a fight like this, where he could have won without using his quirk, he still ended up with broken bones.

After a bit more struggling, Izuku managed to pull of the same move he used on Bakugo during training and threw Shinsou out of the ring. Izuku was declared the winner.

The class cheered.
“Great job dude!”
“You pulled it off!”
“Rough start, but you made it!”

Izuku blushed at the congratulations being thrown at him. Then he caught sight of Todoroki's cold gaze, and he remembered what this meant. Assuming Todoroki won his own match, which seemed highly likely, then the two would be facing off soon.

Suddenly, the scene changed to three years ago at an unfamiliar middle school.

Needless to say, the change caused some confusion.

“What the heck?! Bring us back to the festival! I don't care what happened at some shitty high school years ago.” Bakugo griped. He wasn't the only one thinking that, though most wouldn't have phrased it quite like that.

“You'd be surprised over what past events can be relevant to what is to come.” Truth finally spoke after so long, startling the room.

The school turned out to be Shinsou's, as he was shown interacting with his classmates. It seemed fine at first, with classmates complimenting his quirk, but soon it devolved into comments on how easily it could be used for evil. Shinsou's thoughts revealed that his quirk had always gotten him labeled as a villain.

“Huh? But why?” Hagakure's confusion was clear in her voice. “I mean, I get how it could be used for bad stuff. But why would they call him that if he didn't use it to actually do anything bad?”

“That does seem like an extreme label to jump to.” Momo agreed.

“You don't always need to do something bad for other people to treat you poorly.” Yagi said, an uncharacteristic bitterness in his voice.

“Yeah, some people will take any reason to make fun of someone else, even if it's something that they can't help.” Present Mic agreed. Nedzu nodded along.

“I will admit, that is one of the problems human society has with how quirks are viewed. It is far to easy to put damaging labels on someone who has done nothing to earn them. Society's views on what is 'acceptable' for quirks really is too narrow, causing a lot of unnecessary pain.”

Midoriya hunched in on himself a bit. Shinsou's bullies sounded so much like his own; they'd just used different words. Uraraka didn't hesitate to scoot a bit closer and offer him some subtle comfort. She could empathize, to some degree, with both Shinsou had Izuku. She hadn't really been made fun of for her quirk, but her family's financial troubles had forced some stigma and assumptions on her.

“I guess I can see that.” Hagakure said. “I mean, it's not as nearly as bad, but my quirk did make me miss out on some stuff. Like sometimes kids would pretend I wasn't actually there, and school pictures were always weird for me.”

“Mutant type quirks can get some of that too.” Shoji said. “It's harder to find stuff made for us, and it tends to be more expensive.”

“I didn't realize how quick to judge some people were about such things.” Iida said.

“Well, I suppose privilege does tend to be hardest to see when you're the one that has it.” Momo said. She knew there was some stuff she tended to take for granted, having grown up so well off.

“Wise words, Yoayorozu. Still, it seems like more people should realize how damaging it is to judge someone for their potential actions rather than what they actually do.”

“I think it's less about the potential to do bad, but more how much potential people see for heroics.” Izuku finally spoke up.

“What do you mean, Midoriya?”

“Well, a lot of quirks could be used for bad things, even ones in here. Kaminari could hurt people a lot with his shocks. Yoayorozu could make weapons or fake money. You, Iida could use your speed to rob places and people. Kirishima's, Sato's, and Shoji's quirks would serve a mugger well. But have any of you ever been told you're destined to be a villain?” He wasn't surprised when they reported they hadn't. “Right, because all of your quirks can be used for hero work too. People like Shisnou and people like...people who are quirkless, others have a lot harder time seeing how their abilities can be heroic.”

“Put like that, hero and villain seem like pretty subjective terms.” Tsuyu noted.

“Yeah, think about if Bakugo's explosions got labeled as villainous instead of heroic. He'd probably be even louder than he is now!” Sero teased.

“WHO THE HELL YOU CALLING A VILLAIN?!”

“See?”

Izuku flinched when Bakugo yelled, which made him press against Uraraka a bit more, so she put her hand over his. For once, it didn't make him blush like crazy.

“There really should be more of a middle ground between hero and villain. Or hero and useless.” Uraraka said softly. Izuku swallowed hard, and nodded.

Aizawa had to intervene briefly for the yelling to stop. Before he retook his seat, he decided to make sure the message of what they'd just been talking about got through.
“In the end, quirks are just tools you are born with. While some can more easily be used for one thing or another, how it's used is up to the individual, not the quirk itself.” 'Damn if I don't feel like I'm delivering the moral of a story. Still, too many people forget that; I won't have my class be a part of that number.'

Aizawa was shown thinking about how Midoriya was really using his previous experiences to add more and more to his arsenal.

Now Izuku did blush a bit. Aizawa made it sound so impressive, but he was just doing his best to learn from everything. They should all be trying to do that right?

Present Mic declared the first match to be kind of boring.

“Speak for yourself, I was on the edge of my seat!” Ojiro said.

“Same here!” Uraraka, Iida, and Izuku all called out.

“Well, most of the audience isn't so personally invested.” Mic defended.

Izuku asked about Shinsou's motivation to be a hero, and the boy said “You can't help the things you long for.”. Izuku's thoughts showed he used to feel very similarly before meeting All Might.

“I hope he's able to make it, some day.” Izuku said. He kept his eyes on the screen, so he didn't see it, but several people nodded in agreement.

“I'd say he has the potential for it.” Aizawa said. Everyone knew that was high praise coming from him.

Before Shinsou could leave the arena, he was stopped by a group of kids calling out encouragement to him from the audience, and several pro hero audience members were shown complimenting Shinsou's quirk.

“It appears he's found some friends that aren't as biased as the students at his middle school, that is good to see.” Iida said. Izuku couldn't help smiling at his friend.

“Yeah, UA's pretty good for that.”

Aizawa was heartened a bit by the scene too. It was good to know the boy's quirk would be appreciated if he finally made it where he wanted to be. Plus, seeing Miss Joke being serious was very refreshing.

Shinsou reminded Izuku that he could still get transferred to the hero course some day, and declared that he'd become a better hero that any of them!

“That's the spirit man!” Kaminari gave the screen a thumbs up.

“That determination is so manly!” Kirishima cried.

When Izuku responded to him, the brainwashing activated again, but Shinsou dropped it and then told him not to lose too embarrassingly. Izuku got caught in the brainwashing again when he replied.

“I think he's trying to tell you not to be so gullible.” Jirou pointed out.

“But we're not fighting anymore.”

“The fight is over, but with him still in general studies you still count as his competition.” Ojiro countered.

Izuku was shown getting treated for his broken fingers. He talked to All Might about the match, and how challenging it was for him, but he knew he had to win. Which resulted in Recovery Girl smacking All Might for putting such pressure on the boy.

“Gak! Easy! That right where the old injure is!”

“The scar is on the other side of your chest.” Recovery Girl retorted.

“The two sides are pretty close to each other these days.”

“Well maybe if you took better care of yourself they wouldn't be!”

Izuku started telling All Might about the vision he'd had, and All Might's response was about the same as what had already been discussed, but now he went more in depth. He explained how he thought the figures were like imprints left over from the previous holders, and that it was Izuku's own will that managed to break the brainwashing, not those in the vision.

Izuku's pen tapped his notebook as he thought. It's not that he didn't believe All Might, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. What would be the point of seeing the previous holders if they couldn't actually influence each other? And why would seeing them be a part of the quirk? He really should ask All Might more questions about how One for All worked, both in general and if it affected everyone the same. Assuming he had those answers. All Might never talked about the person who held it before him, and Izuku didn't want to pry into anything personal, but he couldn't help but wonder...

Apparently, the on-screen version had wanted a more in depth answer too, since Izuku said the answer wasn't satisfying at all. All Might barked back not to get so hung up on it.

Izuku's line and All Might's reaction got quite a few snickers from those watching.

Next thing, Izuku was running off to see who would win the next fight.

“As if we don't already know.” Mineta said. Sero scowled.

“Stop acting like I already lost! I bet I put up a heck of a fight!”

“That sort of makes it sound like you think you'll lose too.” Kaminari pointed out.

“Shut up.”

“Indeed, the flair is a very important part of the fight!” Aoyama flicked his hair and it practically sparkled.

Sero kind of wished he had a desk to smack his head on.

Recover girl pointed out that Midoriya had seen All Might in the vision, and the hero said that was good.

“Good? Why is it good?” Izuku asked, still a bit hung up on how ghostly All Might had looked.

“Because, while I still have access to some of the quirk's power, it shows it now views me as a past holder instead of the current one.”

“I see...” that made sense with what All Might had said about the vision's meaning. Still, he found it hard to think about his mentor not being able to use One for All at all, which is what would eventually happen.

Todoroki was shown walking to his first match, and met his father in the hall.

The tension in the room instantly spiked, with the majority of people now glaring or scowling at the screen.

“What does this asshat want?” Bakugo growled. For once, no one disagreed with his language.

Endeavor scolded Todoroki for his rebellion, reminding him of his 'duty' and what a 'masterpiece' he was compared to his siblings. Todoroki kept walking, but it was clear that the words were getting to him.

“Nobody cares about your stupid inferiority complex or whatever it is, so stop putting it on Todoroki!” Uraraka yelled at the screen.

“And stop talking about him like he's a thing!” Kirishima joined in.

“Your flair will never make up for the grime you hide underneath!” Aoyama declared.

While on-screen Todoroki was angry, the one in the room looked at his classmates in surprise, and seeing the expressions most of them wore made him even more surprised. He hadn't expected them to react so strongly to hearing his story, and wasn't sure what to make of it.

'He has siblings.' Izuku thought to himself, his own eyes boring holes into Endeavor's image. 'Did they get treated as badly as Todoroki? How many people has Endeavor hurt with his obsession?'

Todoroki declared his intention to only use his mom's power to fight, and Endeavor taunted that he'd soon reach the limits of that.

The whole room was taken aback when Todoroki's face was shown. None of them had ever seen him look so angry.

Midoriya found his seat next to his friends in the audience, since they'd saved a seat for him, and was there to watch the match start. Mic announced the competitors, and overly commented on Sero's plainness as he did so.

“Dude.” Sero made a show of looking hurt at Mic's description of him.

“I call it like I see it kid.”

Midoriya was having a bit of a moment, caught up in the happiness of having friends who would do things like save a seat for him.

Sero acted casual, right up until he shot out his tape at Todoroki the instant the match started, and yanked him toward the boundary line.

“Whoa! Nice shot man!” Kirishima praised.

“Clever, making it look like you were overly relaxed to hide what you were planning.” Iida said. Kaminari's eyebrows shot up.

“Huh, maybe you actually could win this.”

Before he could reach the boundary, Todoroki used his ice. Within seconds, there was a glacier so big it nearly touched the audience and rose out of the top of the stadium.

Everyone gaped at the screen. Todoroki shivered slightly. Sero shivered a lot.

“Well, I suppose it's a good thing we opted for open air arenas.” Nedzu said.

“I...I'd like to think I'd have kept it from the roof if there was one.” Todoroki said softly.

“That was just a little joke. I'm sure you would have, you made it stop before reaching the audience after all.”

“Y-yeah, thanks for stopping it there.” Mineta was shaking a bit himself after seeing how close the ice came to their section of the stands.

Todoroki was declared the winner, since the icebeg kept Sero from moving. Once the audience got over its shock, they actually started trying to comfort Sero, rather than just cheer Todoroki.

“There's a reaction you don't see at most sports festivals.” Mic said. Aizawa nodded. The loser of a match getting sympathy for an unbalanced pairing wasn't so unusual, but it being so unbalanced that the whole audience went into comforting mode was pretty rare.

Todoroki apologized to Sero for taking it so far. Todoroki started melting the ice, and said he'd just been angry.

“I am sorry for that...and the pain you must be feeling now.” Todoroki said, partially turned toward Sero.

“D-don't sweat it. I m-mean, I g-get it. I-I, ugh...”

“I think what's he's getting at is that we don't blame you for being angry after seeing your dad and having him say all that stuff to you. We only watched it and we are plenty angry.” Ashido translated. Sero pointed at her and gave a shaky thumbs up.

“Still, I should have controlled myself better.”

“It would have been better to control yourself yes, but someone with such a negative influence on you should have access to you before a fight like that either.” Aizawa said. “As we've said before, letting your emotions influence a fight can be dangerous, but almost no one is perfect at control at this age. It's just something we'll have to work on.”

“Yes sensei.”

Aizawa made another note to himself. He'd like to work through this problem of Todoroki thinking of his quirk as 'half my mother's and half my father's' rather than as his own, but now didn't seem like the best time to bring it up. He'd have to talk to Nedzu during one of the breaks about his growing list of 'students who should get some kind of therapy'.

Sero continued to shiver even as Todoroki began to melt the ice on screen. He'd never be able to perfectly describe oddity experiencing the heated hand on his chest second hand, not to mention the radiating warmth it gave off.

Izuku's voice over stated that Todoroki seemed sad.

Todoroki clenched his teeth. He'd already said he wasn't looking for anyone's pity. 'But you are sad. Sad that you let your father get to you once again and that you let it show in such an obvious way.'
He scowled to himself, and avoided looking at anyone else. He didn't want to know if that last line made them look at him differently. He didn't need to know anyway, it didn't matter what they thought. He'd find his own way to deal with this, just like he always had.

Chapter Text

Present Mic announced that the stage was now dry and ready for another match.

“I wonder how long everyone had to wait for that in real time. The media would probably get antsy if they had to wait too long.” Sato mused.

“Oh I'm sure they could find someone to bother during the wait.” Aizawa grumbled. He just hoped they stayed away from the booth where he and Hizashi were.

“I hope they didn't bring Endeavor out to melt it. That would be super awkward.” Mineta said. Several cringed at that massive understatement. Todoroki just scowled at the floor.

Present Mic announced the next fight, Kaminari vs Ibara.

“Alright, I've got the bets all listed up here, let's see how this plays out.” Kaminari said, bringing out his own notebook. His own match wasn't one of the ones with a lot of bets, but the ones that were on it were all for him winning. Well, except for Jirou, she'd put a hefty amount of homework help on Ibara winning. He was looking forward to getting her to pay up.

Before the match could start, Ibara interrupted to gently scold Mic for implying she had impure reasons for being here in his description of her, making Mic stumble to apologize.

“Is that light shining on her actually happening, or is it just another symbolic thing?” Ojiro wondered.

“The context does not make it clear.” Tokoyami said distractedly. He was internally trying to shush Dark Shadow, who had taken some issue with such blatant 'revelry in the light'.

“Maybe it's symbolic of how Kaminari is looking at her during that speech.” Sero said, elbowing the blonde and smirking at him.

“Knock it off.” Kaminari pushed him back with a grin.

Kaminari's thoughts showed he was a bit dismayed that class B also had 'people like this' in it.

“Oh, I see how it really is. 'people like this too'? What, you saying our class is full of a bunch of weirdos Kaminari?” Sero demanded in mock offense.

“Of course there is, he's in it!” Mineta laughed.

“No comment.” Kaminari said, as diplomatically as he could while trying not to laugh.

“Why not? I'll have you know I wear the label of 'weirdo' with pride.” Ashido declared.

“Shut up so we can get on with the fight!” Bakugo yelled.

Kaminari started to psych himself up for the fight, but got distracted by Ibara's looks and thoughts of asking her out sometime.

While the ribbing by Sero and Mineta started anew, Ashido took the opportunity to whisper with Aoyama.

“We've got a potential paring here, what do we think of it?” Ashido asked.

“Hm, they would certainly look adorable together, but I don't think that's enough here.”

“You're right, I think we need to watch more and see if they have any chemistry.”

“Of course, we'll discuss it's potential later then.”

Kaminari asked Ibara if she wanted to get together later so he could comfort her about the loss, since this fight would only take a second, then immediately attacked her.

Aoyama tsked. “Mon amie, you must at least give the lady a chance to reply.”

“I'm pretty sure that line would have worked better on a villain too, instead of a potential date.” Ashido said, nodding sagely.

“Yeah, against a villain that would be cool, but to her you probably just sound arrogant.” Hagakure added.

Kaminari now looked confused. “How did this turn into critiquing my pick up lines?”

The confirmation of what he was doing made Ashido shake her head in disappointment. “You've got a lot to learn, but we'll try to help you over the next break, okay?”

Kaminari looked more confused than ever. Mineta made a mental note to see if they'd let him join in on whatever was going to happen during the next break.

Ibara used her vines to block Kaminari's attack and restrain him in one swift action. She was declared the winner.

Jirou cackled. “You were right! It only took a second!”

“Buhhh...” Kaminari moaned, slumping in his seat.

“Aw man, he buzzed his brain again. Now I gotta wait till he's better to rub our bet in his face.” she sighed dramatically.

Recovery Girl grimaced, and made her way over to him. As amusing as the after affects might be, they couldn't be good for him. She might need to have a talk with the students about how serious electrical damage could be, or at least remind Aizawa to do so. She was going to talk to Kaminari once he was lucid, so she could start thinking up what to do about that side affect once they were out of here.

Ibara got a close up quirk explanation, and her classmates cheered her on.

“Okay, that light affect can't be natural.” Ojiro said.

“It did mention her needing water and sunlight for her quirk, perhaps that was merely her 'reaching for the sun' as plants are wont to do.” Tokoyami theorized.

Monoma stuck his head over the barrier between the class 1A and class 1B seating areas so he could mock them for the loss, but was quickly stopped by his classmate, Kendo.

“Shut up Monoma, nobody asked for your opinion.” Hagakure grumbled. Others just sighed or shook their heads in exasperation. After a while, Monoma's vitriol was more tiring than anything else.

The heroes on guard duty were shown admiring Ibara's victory before Kamui woods told Mt Lady to get back to work.

“Having screens even out there does seem a bit excessive, and distracting for those on guard duty.” Momo said.

“I guess they really don't want to risk the audience missing a moment, even if they have to step out, kero.”

“I suppose. It makes me feel like their priorities are a bit skewed though.”

Audience members discussed Ibara's victory and quirk use, and Kaminari was shown being carried away on a stretcher.

Kaminari straightened back up. “Oh, I think I'm good now.”

Jirou grinned. “Great! Good to hear it, now about our bet- hey! Don't you try to act all brain dead again, because I'm not buying it!”

In the stands, Izuku was gaining some looks due to him getting into another mumbling trance as he wrote down theories.

Roughly the same thing was happening in the room right then, with Izuku frantically writing down his theories despite everything else that was going on. Both on screen and in real life, Uraraka was the one to break him out of it.

“Deku, your observations are really amazing! It might be a good idea to talk a little quieter when others are trying to watch though.”

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry! I just get so into it I forget, but I'll try.”

Izuku showed off that he'd done a page in his book for Uraraka too, which prompted her to say how amazing he was again before looking away.

Izuku shifted nervously in his seat. “Um, you, you're amazing too, you know?”

Uraraka blushed. “Thanks.”

“That's why you're one of the first entries for class 1A.”

“Really? Thank you! Um, you're drawing was good too.”

“Thanks...”

Ashido watched the exchange with a big smile, and Aoyama had his arms crossed in satisfaction. Even if they weren't close enough to hear what exactly was being said, the body language between the two spoke volumes.

The next fight was Iida vs Hatsume. He was shown to be wearing a support item, and when Midnight called him out on not having asked previous permission he explained that Hatsume had offered it to him in the name of fairness. Midnight allowed the use of the equipment.

“I see! Of course I was moved by such an offer! It shows true sportsmanship!”

Izuku and Uraraka gave each other a wary look. It wasn't that they distrusted Iida, but after what they'd seen of Hatsume during the cavalry battle they didn't entirely trust her not to have ulterior motives.

On screen Izuku seemed to agree that Mei was up to no good, and Mei was shown giggling to herself.

Only now did Iida himself start to feel a bit worried.

What followed was unlike any one on one 'fight' any of them had seen. It turned out Hatsume had a mic and speakers on her, and used the fight purely to show off all of her inventions. Each time Iida tried to get her out of the ring, she used one of her inventions to avoid it, and continue the sales pitch, much to Iida's mounting frustration. When she was all done, she stepped out of the ring and let Iida win.

One of Iida's fists was clenched and the other was covering his face. “I can't believe I let myself be used like that.”

“Well, to be fair, none of us really saw that coming.” Uraraka said. 'Well, we didn't see that specific thing coming, anyway.'

“Yeah, and even if you had suspected her of tricking you, turning down a piece of equipment like that would have been hard. Especially since you saw how good her stuff was during the cavalry battle.” Izuku agreed.

“That doesn't change the fact that she used my humiliation, which was on live TV, to promote herself.” he bemoaned. This was punctuated by a few class members who were still recovering from laughing earlier.

“That's true...but hey! We're seeing the future! So if this still happens after we change things then you'll know not to trust her about stuff like that.” Uraraka pointed out.

“Right! Plus you still get to go on, so even with things as they are now it's not your last chance to prove yourself.” Midoriya added.

Iida took a breath, and let his fist relax. He dropped his other hand so he could look at his friends properly. “You are both right. I'll just have to take this as a lesson for next time, and do better going forward.”

“That's the spirit Iida! And look on the bright side, even if things were to play out like this for real you'd end up being unforgettable!”

“Not helping Kaminari!” Both of his friends yelled back, making Iida smile.

Izuku was taking notes up in the stands again, while Uraraka was shown to walk out with a strange look on her face.

“What's wrong?” Shoji asked.

“I'm not sure...” Uraraka admitted, she'd been so focused on comforting Iida that she hadn't thought of what her other self might be thinking. “My match isn't coming up yet is it?”

“No, it shouldn't be for a while yet.” Izuku confirmed.

The next match was Aoyama vs Ashido. A couple of the girls started rooting for Ashido.

“Awww! Thanks guys!” Ashido addressed Tsuyu and Jirou. Jirou gave a thumbs up.

“Girls gotta have each others backs.”

“I'm sure we weren't the only ones cheering for you, kero.”

Then Mineta yelled for Aoyama to win in a way that would strategically rip Ashido's clothing.

“Sorry!” Mineta cried quickly. “I'm sorry that was very rude and I promise to not to say anything like that for real.”

Tsuyu looked at him appraisingly, and slowly closed her mouth without giving him a tongue lashing.

“We'll hold you to that.” Jirou warned.

“Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't slap him in the stands.” Hagakure confessed. Momo nodded thoughtfully.

“Perhaps she didn't want to risk getting in trouble with any of the event's security.”

“Probably, kero.”

Midoriya immediately started predicting how each of them would fight and how the match might go.

Several people turned toward Kaminari.

“No, I'm not making any last minute changes to the bets.” he said, and they turned back in disappointment.

Aoyama took the first shot, and Ashido ducked out of the way. They both pointed out that being on the same team for the battle trial meant they knew all about each others quirk.

“Oh, I didn't even think about that....” Izuku started muttering again. Those that had made bets leaned forward a bit, trying to hear what he was saying while still paying attention.

Ashido reminded Aoyama that he'd already told her and a few others his quirk's duration based weakness.

Aoyama sighed dramatically, “I revealed too much too soon!”

“Take this as a lesson.” Aizawa announced. “Only reveal the specifics of your quirk's downsides to people you trust.”

“The moment it becomes common knowledge is the moment it becomes exploitable.” Nedzu agreed.

Yagi took a surreptitious glance around the room, and his hand unconsciously moved to his side. He really hoped his trust in these students and teachers was well placed.

Aoyama continued to shoot his laser at Ashido, while she pulled off some truly impressive dodging.

“Look at you go!” Uraraka cried.

“You're so cool!” Hagakure squealed.

“Yeah! Nice moves!” Kirishima gushed.

“Never underestimate the dancer!” Ashido cried triumphantly, soaking up the praise.

Izuku was wresting with his desire to watch and his desire to jot down the new information on just how flexible and athletic Ashido was.

Ashido ducked forward, close enough to throw some acid at Aoyama's belt, which destroyed his support item and, apparently, his regular belt as well as he now had to struggle to keep his pants up.

The room burst into laughter.

“Hey, it's just like with Iida! Even though you lost you'll still be super memorable!” Kaminari snickered.

“Aoyama I think you misheard Mineta earlier.” Sero said with mock seriousness.

“Yeah man, I so didn't need to see that.” Mineta said. At least he could enjoy some of the poses Ashido had pulled off.

Then she ran in and socked him in the jaw, knocking him out.

Aoyama let out a loud yelp and slumped into the couch.

“Uh, you okay?” Sato asked.

“Ugh, I am, oof, alright. Ah...or I will be.” He said, sounding very pained. “You, mph, pack quite a punch, dear Ashido.”

“You bet I do!” She said with a smile, which quickly went from triumphant to sheepish. “Sorry for the pain right now though.”

“It is fine, a natural consequence of our line of work as they say.” He still didn't sound fine, but at this point he was just happy that, apparently, none of her acid had made it's way to his skin. Mineta patted him sympathetically on the back, and was suddenly grateful that Tsuyu was the one to respond the most to his comments rather than Ashido.

Mineta bemoaned the outcome, specifically about the clothes, while Midoriya continued to update his notes based on what he was seeing.

“Should I saw sorry again?” Mineta quietly asked as a couple of glares were sent his way.

“Couldn't hurt dude.” Sero said.

While Mineta did just that, Izuku hoped his memory would be good enough to reproduce his notes on the class once he left this place. Maybe he should ask Truth for clarification on whether or not they could take anything with them.

Ashido once again puffed up with pride when Midoriya noted that her quirk wasn't he only reason she'd won, and how great her athleticism once.

“This is why we do physical training on top of quirk training people, make a note of it.” Aizawa said. Momo did exactly that.

The next match was Yoayorozu vs Tokoyami. Ojiro asked Izuku about his prediction, and it was shown that he and Momo were having similar thoughts about how time would be of the essence. Unfortunately, Momo got too caught up in her head and was taken off guard by the match start. She created a shield to defend herself, but she wasn't fast enough to keep Dark Shadow from pushing her out of the ring. The fight was over in a minute.

Both the on screen and real Momo wore similar looks of shocked devastation.

'I lost so quickly? So easily?' she thought in disbelief.

“It was a good fight.” Tokoyami said once he'd mentally congratulated Dark Shadow.

“...you are too kind.” Momo said softly, shame filling her mind and core. “I was clearly outmatched; you took care of me easily.”

“Not as easily as it appeared, I think. Dark Shadow informs me that he had to push very hard to get you to move back that much, and I don't think he could have broken through your shield.”

“You made mistakes.” Aizawa acknowledged. “You should have used the time before the match to better advantage, so that you wouldn't get caught up in thought just before it. But part of the reason why the sports festival is so important is that it gives the students an opportunity to learn, to find out how they fight and use their quirks in an environment that is more high stakes than that classroom, but not as dangerous as a real fight. You should take this as an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong, so you can find ways of getting past it in the future.”

“I see...I will do my best, sir.”

“It's also important to remember that things like thinking on your feet and reacting quickly are going to come more easily with experience. You may regret your performance here, but you have already shown you can defend yourself and your classmates admirably when it counts. Now you just need to hone that.” Yagi said, seeing how down the girl still looked down. Aizawa nodded in agreement.

This got a small smile out of her. “I'll remember that. Thank you.”

Present Mic's narration speculated that Tokoyami's quirk may be the greatest ever.

“I appreciate the praise, but I feel that is overselling it.” Tokoyami stated.

“I'm not saying it is, that's why I phrased it as a question. It keeps the fun atmosphere going while also giving the audience something to discuss. If you wanna get the hype up you gotta give people something to talk about.” Present Mic explained.

Momo was still in some level of shock. Midoriya and Ojiro talked about the match in the stands, and theorized that Tokoyami must be pretty amazing if he'd got her out of bounds so quickly while also trying not to hurt her much.

Shame once again filled Momo, sinking like a rock in her stomach. Jirou looked at her in concern, and even Todoroki gave her a glance.

“Uh, sorry Yoayorozu, we didn't mean you did bad.” Ojiro said awkwardly.

“Y-yeah! You created a really good shield and did it quickly, and I bet it would have gone a lot different if the you in the future had known about Dark Shadow's weakness.” Tokoyami nodded in agreement as Izuku said that. “I just, um...”

“We learned more about Tokoyami's abilities than yours.” Ojiro explained.

“Right!” Izuku agreed quickly.

'And you didn't think I'd hear you.' Momo thought glumly. “It's okay, he did well. It would be silly to assume people wouldn't talk about it.”

“It was a bad type match up. You'll get better, just like the teachers said.” Jirou assured her, patting her arm, and Ojiro and Izuku were quick to voice their agreement. Even thought Momo was having a hard time believing it, she was grateful for their confidence in her.

“Just remember that I'll do my best to improve too. I look forward to fighting you again after we've both grown.” Tokoyami said.

Momo felt just a little bit of her confidence return. They were all still learning after all, she just needed to do more than she thought before.

It was at this point that Izuku noticed that Uraraka had not come back in a while. Then the match of Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu was announced.

“This is sort of a bad match up too.” Shoji said.

“I agree, their quirks are so similar in the way they provide offense and defense that I'm sure both of them will have difficulties with this match.” Iida said.

“Maybe that will force them to get creative?” Sato suggested.

“I hope so.” Izuku's pencil was already poised over the paper, ready to record even slight differences between the two quirks.

Todoroki said nothing, but he couldn't help studying the two boys faces for any resemblance.

Present Mic gave very similar intros for the two. Jirou used her headphone jack to wake a sleeping Mineta.

“Yow!” Mineta yelped.

“Serves you right.” Bakugo muttered.

“I didn't actually do anything! I mean, not yet anyway.”

“We'll call that the other Jirou's delayed reaction for your comments during Ashido's match.” Jirou said dryly. Mineta thought about that for a moment, then nodded his acceptance.

“You better not sleep on our fight in the future! It's gonna be so manly when I beat this guy!” Kirishima declared, hoping that it wouldn't come back to bite him.

The two opponents ran forward and struck each other...and then the scene immediately shifted to one of the waiting rooms.

“Oh come on!” Kirishima shouted.

“They better go back to that.” Bakugo muttered. He'd much rather see the fight than listen to whatever was going on backstage.

“Yeah! My hand actually felt that hit, so it'll definitely be a manly match!”

Iida walked into the room and saw a very nervous Uraraka. She admitted her fears about the match, and he said it was understandable given her opponent was Bakugo. Then Izuku entered the room.

'Don't remind me...' Uraraka thought when the on-screen Iida spoke. Whether her other self managed to win or not, and she was hoping the strategy she had brewing in her mind would work if she used it, she knew the match was going to be a big pain. Literally.

'Psh, stupid extra. Deku's probably gonna try and win this thing for her anyway.' Bakugo thought dismissively.

Izuku mentioned who was currently fighting, and the scene briefly switched back to the fight.

'Well, clearly the other me is lying about it not hurting.' Kirishima thought, rubbing his jaw. 'I hope he's lying about it too.'

Iida suggested that Bakugo wouldn't use his full strength against a girl. Izuku immediately refuted that he would.

“Shows what you know, Glasses.” Bakugo said snidely. He tried not to think about how Deku had immediately known he wouldn't hold back.

“Bakugo takes these things too seriously to hold back for something like that.” Izuku acknowledged, and Bakugo grudgingly nodded in agreement.

“So you better bring your all!” he growled at the girl. He was surprised when she looked right back at him and said.

“I will, all I've got.”

“Plus, dude, not giving your all just because your opponent is a girl is so not manly.” Kirishima said.

“You didn't hold back for me did you?” Ashido asked, narrowing her eyes at Aoyama.

“I assure you I would not do such a thing.”

“Good.”

“I admit that my attempt to comfort was misplaced.” Iida said with a bow of his head.

Izuku offered to share a plan that he'd come up with based off the information he had about Bakugo's quirk, but Uraraka declined. She didn't want to rely on him too much, and wanted to see what she could do on her own.

Bakugo sat up a bit, and gave the screen, and the girl near the front of the room, speculative looks. So she wasn't going to go with whatever Deku came up with? This might end up being interesting after all.

“That's an excellent step forward.” Iida said proudly.

“I'm disappointed I can't help, but I respect you wanting to do things your own way.” Izuku said.

“Thanks guys.” she smiled warmly at them.

“Yeah! Go out there and kick is butt Uraraka!” Ashido cheered, which made Uraraka blush.

The scene switched back to the fight, only to have both boys fall after a few more hits and the match to be declared a tie.

“Seriously?!” Kirishima whined. He winced as the pain of those last blows hit him, and he sank into the couch with a moan. 'Yeesh, talk about a crick in the neck.'

“At least you gave as good as you got, man.” Kaminari gave him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, even Monoma would have a hard time spinning this as Tetsutetsu being better than you.” Hagakure said.

“At least you duked it out that long. Still cheap that a whole round is gonna get decided by an arm wrestling match.” Bakugo declared.

“Assuming that doesn't end in a tie too.” Shoji pointed out.

“Don't jinx it.” Kirishima sighed.

The crowd discussed the match, while the boys were taken away to the medics.

“Well, at least we made an impression.” Kirishima said, upon hearing someone call them sidekick material.

“That's half the battle listener!”

“You know, I didn't think about it too much before, but it's kind of concerning how many people get carried away on stretchers during this.” Tsuyu pointed out.

“I can see what you mean, since physically defeating your opponent isn't strictly necessary.” Momo said, her own fight had shown that. She turned to Recovery Girl. “We're lucky to have you ma'am.”

“Thank you dear. I do wish I weren't quite so necessary though.” It wouldn't be the first time Chiyo wondered if her abilities fed into the students general recklessness.

The match of Uraraka vs Bakugo was announced. Jirou admitted she almost didn't want to watch.

“Sorry.” Jirou said in response to Uraraka's pout. “I'm not trying to say you're a pushover or anything. It's just that we've all seen what Bakugo is like.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean Earlobes?!”

“You should know perfectly well at this point.”

Izuku wished Uraraka luck from the stands as the two opponents walked out to face each other.

Uraraka felt just a little more confident seeing how determined Izuku looked.

“Dude, what is that face.” Kaminari asked with a laugh.

“You should really remember there are camera's watching, dear Bakugo.” Aoyama chided.

“Shut up.”

Present Mic said he was rooting for Uraraka in his announcement.

“Such blatant favoritism.” Aizawa shook his head.

“I'm aloud to have my favorites! At least when it comes to he festival, when it comes to grades and classwork then everyone is equal.”

The two faced each other, and the episode cut off just as the fight was about to begin.

“Every time!” Bakugo complained.

“Yeah, come on! I wanna see what our girl can do!” Hagakure cheered.

“Same here!” Ashido cried.

“Now, now, the match isn't going anywhere. We should have another quirk break before moving on.” Nedzu said.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“Are you alright Uraraka?” Iida asked as they milled about the room.

“Um, mostly, just worried.” she said, biting her lip.

“About the match?” Izuku asked.

“Well, that's some of it, yeah.” Though a portion of that had been assuaged by the other girls and a few others coming up and wishing her well and such. “But, more about the timing. I mean, if the 'episode' stopped there that means our fight is probably gonna take a while.”

“Ah, I see, that means you likely don't have to worry about it ending too quickly, but drawing it out could mean more pain.”

“Yeah...but either way, I'm excited to see how it goes. Even if its painful, others have gotten worse here, so I can deal with it.”

“Others being mainly me.” Izuku said with an embarrassed laugh. “But really, I hope you never have injuries that bad. Um, can you tell us what you plan to do? Assuming you know, I mean.”

“I've got a good idea...but you'll just have to wait and see.” she teased.

The boys spent the rest of the break trying to badger a hint out of their friend.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Elsewhere, Momo psyched herself up, then went to talk to Tokoyami, and hopefully the teachers afterward, about her match. The advice and encouragement she'd gotten had been good, but she wanted as many details as possible to assist in her future training. Plus, Tokoyami might be able to give advice on how to become a bit more decisive in battle. If Dark Shadow had as much of a mind as he seemed to, then he must have had to put a lot of effort into it after all.

Meanwhile, the other girls gathered together with Kaminari and Mineta and started giving a lecture about pick up lines and why some were genuinely sweet while others were unsettling or off-putting. The boys listened very attentively.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“Todoroki.”

“Sir.” Todoroki acknowledged the principle.

“I know you may not want to talk about your home life at this point, and possibly not with me, but I wanted to assure you of something. If you ever feel you are unsafe at home, you may contact me about staying at the school. We do have some sleeping quarters for when the teachers work long hours, and I'd be more than happy to lend you that space for a while.”

Todoroki just stared at the principle for a minute, then slowly nodded. “Alright.”

“The number for the school is on the website, or you could inform Aizawa or any other teacher at any time before or after class if you wish to take us up on it.”

Todoroki nodded again, and the principle smiled at him, a nice one this time, before leaving. Todoroki watched him go, unsure of what to do with this new knowledge and the feelings it brought up.

Chapter Text

The episode started with a revisit of Uraraka's motivations, including wanting to care for her parents and to prove her abilities on her own during the upcoming fight.

“We're rooting for you!” Ashido cheered. Hagakure waved a couple of paper plates around like they were fans and she was a cheerleader.

“I'm expecting a good show from both of you.” Kirishima grinned.

“I won't make it easy for you.” Bakugo warned. Uraraka let out a breathy laugh.

“I wouldn't expect you to.”

Before the round began, Bakugo warned that the match would be painful and gave her a chance to back out. Uraraka only looked more determined.

“Don't think it'll be that easy to scare me off.” Uraraka declared. She was putting on a bit more bravado than she felt, still a bit nervous about how the pain factor would play out here, but only by a bit. 'I know I'll give it my all, no matter what!'

Aizawa hummed thoughtfully. Bakugo's choice of words was interesting. When he fought with others, especially Midoriya, he didn't seem to care about how much pain he put them through. Was this a sign that he was going to start changing that? Or that he didn't want to bother with the fight if it wouldn't meet his standards for a challenge?

Iida asked Izuku what advice he'd been planning to give Uraraka. Izuku broke down how strong Bakugo was in close combat and how difficult that would make things for her, but if she could just get close enough to touch him once, things would turn in her favor.

“That makes sense.” Momo said. “Even with Bakugo's ability to propel himself with explosions, the affects of zero gravity would change how much those explosions moved him. If he tried to use them he might accidentally propel himself right out of the ring.”

“The problem is getting that close to begin with.” Ojiro noted.

“I can keep her back.” Bakugo said confidently.

“Is that what you're planning to do, you think?” Izuku asked.

“I guess we'll see.” she said with a small smirk.

“Not even a hint? You wound us Uraraka!” Iida gestured dramatically, but wore a small smile.

“Hey! Even I don't know for sure!” she giggled a little. If nothing else, teasing her friends was a good distraction.

When the match started, Uraraka dashed forward. She kept herself low, and tried to dodge when Bakugo made his move, but she still got blasted back.

Uraraka yelped when the explosion went off on screen. Her whole body jerked, and she swore she could feel the heat of the flames on her face and gravel scraping against her limbs.

“Uraraka!” Both Izuku and Iida cried in worry.

“I'm okay. It hurt, but I'm okay.” She rushed to reassure them.

“Um, would you like to sit in the middle a while? So we can both help you like you do with me?” Izuku asked.

A part of her wanted to say it was fine and that she could deal with it, but they both looked so worried. “Sure, probably a good idea, just in case, you know.”

Tsuyu made a comment about Bakugo not holding back for a girl.

“You thought I would?” Bakugo asked. Tsuyu shrugged.

“Thought you might. You see a lot of macho movie guys who are all about winning but say they don't hurt girls, kero.”

“I'm not some actor, I'm the real deal!”

“Good.”

Uraraka was shown thinking about how she could get past his defenses. In the next shot, Bakugo caught sight of a something in the smoke of his explosion and blasted it. This was revealed to be Uraraka's uniform jacket, which she'd used as a distraction.

“Brilliant!” Aoyama declared.

“Using the darkness he himself created to your advantage, clever.” Tokoyami nodded in approval.

He wasn't distracted enough though, and blasted her back again when she made a move.

“Ahhh!” Uraraka's body burned, first from the heat and then from the flares of pain as her body rolled across the ground on-screen.

Izuku picked up the notebook he's used before, looked at the teeth marks on it, then went and got a new one from the back table. Uraraka couldn't help the amused quirk of her lips when he handed it to her.

“Dang, you move fast!” Kaminari said in awe.

“Yeah man, and you've barely moved from where you started.” Kirishima noted.

“Yeah...” Bakugo's said lowly. 'The jacket thing wasn't bad, but she won't get anywhere if she just keeps rushing at me...' Yet as he pondered this, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. 'You didn't talk to Deku, so what else do you have up your sleeve?'

The battle went on, with Uraraka dashing toward Bakugo again and again, and getting blown back every time.

Uraraka was suddenly very thankful for the notebook. The paper absorbed her shriek as she was shown getting thrown around the stage, 'You could have at least shown me running to give me a break!' she whimpered internally. Though, with how much she was rolling on the ground she'd probably get some pain just from moving at this point. She yelped again when another explosion went off, and squeezed her friends hands. Funny, she didn't remember grabbing them in the first place.

“It'll be okay, you'll get through this.” Izuku assured her.

“It won't last forever.” Iida agreed.

“Oh no oh no...” Hagakure wiggled in her seat as she watched Uraraka's body fly away among the rubble. She clearly wasn't the only one having trouble with having to watch this. Many other students were tense, or had their hands pressed against their mouths or stomachs, and Koda wrung his in worry. He murmured something to Shoji who replied softly: “Kirishima and that other kid's match didn't stop until they passed out, so maybe not.”

A couple audience reactions were shown, including Monoma saying 'what an idiot'.

“Was that meant for Bakugo or Uraraka?” Mineta wondered.

“Either way, he's more of an idiot than either of them.” Sero folded his arms. “I mean, Uraraka's move from earlier was smart even if it didn't work, and Bakugo isn't doing anything dumb right now.”

“Perhaps he referred to Uraraka seemingly doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Tokoyami pointed out.

The crowd started acting up, accusing Bakugo of bullying and toying with Uraraka as he blasted her back once again.

Jirou dared to look away from the screen long enough to look at Midoriya and Iida comforting Uraraka over the newest wave of pain. “I'm insulted that the audience seems to think he should hold back for a girl, but I still don't feel good watching this...”

“Kero, I think I know what you mean. I want her pain to stop, but if he ends it quickly like Tokoyami did then Uraraka misses out on her chance to show what she can do.”

“Stupid extras.” Bakugo growled. “I don't mess around in a fight, no matter who I'm facing.” 'No way am I letting my guard down, not this far in.'

Present Mic started to agree with the audience, and got an elbow to the face from Aizawa.

“Ow! What the heck was that for?” Yamada asked, rubbing his jaw.

“Looks like the other me is about to tell you, and everyone else.” Aizawa noted, looking at the screen.

Aizawa took the microphone and scolded the audience member for their comments. He said that Bakugo wasn't playing, he was acknowledging how strong his opponent was for getting so far and not underestimating her by letting his guard down.

Bakugo sat up in surprise. He knew Aizawa was the real deal, but he hadn't expected the teacher to mirror his thoughts so closely.

Kirishima smiled and glanced at the boy next to him, that's just what he'd expect from Bakugo.

Murmurs of surprise and understanding briefly went up around the room. Uraraka, briefly free from her pain, thanked her friends and shot Bakugo a considering look.

'Perhaps I actually did both Yoayorozu and myself a disservice by ending things so quickly.' Tokoyami thought to himself. 'No, our situations were different, I think. I would not be in such danger from my opponent touching me the way Bakugo is here. I didn't have much of a reason to play defensively, the way he is.'

Uraraka stood up straight now, rather than rushing forward. She thanked Bakugo for not letting his guard down.

The class and teachers leaned forward, immediately interested. It seemed like Uraraka had just been uselessly rushing Bakugo the whole match, so what was she doing now?

'She's bringing her hands together like she's about to use her quirk.' Izuku realized. Suddenly, observations clicked together in his head, the way she held her hands, the way she had kept so low to the ground while running. He turned to look at Uraraka, and saw she had a satisfied smirk on her face.

Monoma's voice was heard, explaining what Uraraka had been doing this whole time. The camera panned up to show a bunch of rubble hovering far above the ring.

“That's brilliant!” Izuku blurted upon seeing what looked like a mini asteroid belt.

“I hadn't even suspected! You did a wonderful job of misdirecting both Bakugo and the audience.” Iida praised.

Uraraka gave them a tired, but appreciative, smile.

“Huh, the 'idiot' line makes more sense now.” Mineta observed. “And ho boy, that's gonna hurt.”

“No kidding, some of those rocks are nearly as big as his head.” Ojiro agreed.

Sero gulped. “Yeah, Recovery Girl's gonna have her work cut out for her.”

“Heh, not bad round face.” Bakugo leaned forward, elbows on his knees. The more intense interest was the only sign he showed he was worried about whether or not he'd be able to fend the attack off in time.

Uraraka let the debris fall, and started running forward. She used her quirk on herself, trying to get to Bakugo faster, but she was blasted back when he used his quirk to fend off the hail of meteorites.

Uraraka's cry of pain blended together with the room's yells of surprise and astonishment.

“After all those previous attacks, I wouldn't have guessed Bakugo had enough left for such a large explosion.” Yagi said in slight awe.

“The explosions he used against Uraraka were rather small compared to ones he's been shown to use before, so he might have been saving up a large attack, just in case.” Present Mic theorized.

“He might be brash in personality, but he plans well when it comes to fights.” Aizawa said.

Bakugo kept his tense posture, waiting to see how things played out before celebrating. Plus, his shoulders naturally tensed at the familiar pain in his shoulder and arm.

Debris was shown falling outside the stadium.

“You ever wonder how the audience manages not to get hurt by anything here? Or at any other sports festival?” Shoji asked.

“I never thought about it before.” Ashido admitted.

“We are lucky none of that debris landed in the audience.” 'Or on Uraraka as she was running.' Recovery Girl thought.

Bakugo told Uraraka, who was now sitting up, that he expected a trick since she was friends with Deku. To himself, he admitted it was close and held his arms stiffly.

Bakugo grunted, and clenched the arm of the sofa as pain radiated through his arm. Big blasts like that always did do a number on him.

“You okay?” Kirishima asked.

“Fine.” Bakugo said.

Despite her despair at her plan not working, Uraraka forced herself to get up.

Uraraka gasped in pain, and ended up spitting out the notebook to get more air. She noticed the teeth marks she left in it. 'At least I'm like Deku in one way.' A strangely giddy part of her brain supplied.

“Uraraka...” Izuku whispered. He hovered over her, wanting to help but knowing there was nothing he could do. Iida sat stiffly on her other side, bemoaning his own inability to help.

Uraraka started to run forward, and Bakugo grinned and ran to meet her, but he stopped when Uraraka's legs suddenly gave out.

“Uraraka!” Iida and Izuku cried when Uraraka suddenly slumped in her seat. Recovery Girl got up and started to make her way over, while the others stared resolutely at the screen. As amazing as the fight ended up being, everyone was eager for it to come to a close now.

Uraraka started trying to crawl forward despite being wiped out, thinking of her parents as she did so.

“Here w-we go ag-gain.” Hagakure managed to say through her tears.

“Where did we leave that toilet paper roll?” Ashido asked, swiping at her own eyes as she looked around. Kirishima handed it to her after taking a bit for himself. When both girls had gotten some, Ashido placed it next to Midoriya's seat. The boy didn't notice it then, but he'd be grateful for it later.

Finally, Uraraka stopped moving, and Midnight came forward to call the round to a close.

There was a near collective sigh of relief at this. Midoriya now noticed the roll he'd been given, and picked it up as he made room for Recovery Girl to look over his friend. He passed few squares to Iida when he saw the other boy's eyes glisten slightly.

Uraraka was sent off to recover, and Bakugo was shown leaving the battle. Present Mic had to pull himself together to get back into announcing.

“You really do get a little too involved with that job sometimes.” Aizawa said, agreeing with his on-screen self.

“That's half the fun!” Present Mic went from a smile to a grimace. “Usually anyway.

Bakugo clenched and relaxed his hand in sequence. He'd won, but he didn't feel like he usually did after winning.

Izuku was shown walking down the hall and thinking about Uraraka.

“It s'okay Deku.” Uraraka patted his hand, despite being so tired now that she slurred the words a bit. Izuku's heart clenched at her comforting him after she just went through all of that

Izuku ran into Bakugo in the hall and Bakugo yelled at him before Izuku tried to leave to go to the waiting room for his own fight.

There was some sighs and grumbles of “He was just standing there” in response to Bakugo's reaction. But everyone was feeling a little too emotionally wrung out to yell at him.

Izuku found himself swallowing dryly. He got so caught up in his friend's fight that he hadn't thought about what fight was coming up next...

“Oh man, Midoriya's fight coming up means that we're probably gonna see him vs Todoroki next!” Kaminari voiced his realization to the whole room. Tension started to creep back into the air again, and a couple people had to resist the urge to groan. If that last fight had been tiring to watch, they could only imagine what the next fight would be like.

Bakugo accused Izuku of thinking up that plan for Uraraka, but Izuku told him that plan had all been Uraraka's idea, she was the one to trick him.

Uraraka's lips turned up just a little at that. If nothing else, she'd managed to catch Bakugo off guard and mess with his expectations. She felt that counted for something.

“You rocked that.” Ashido said quietly behind her.

“Yeah, that whole plan was really cool.” Jirou agreed.

“You surprised everyone, kero.”

Her ghost of a smile became a little more visible.

The classmates in the stands talked about the match when Bakugo joined them. Kaminari said he couldn't send such a powerful attack at a frail girl. Bakugo asked what part of her was frail.

'Huh, I think Uraraka just took a level badass in Bakugo's eyes.' Kirishima mused. He looked at Bakugo, who was staring off in deep thought.

“Oh, is that why that vine girl won? Because you were going easy on her?” Sero teased.

“Shut up, Tsuyu already gave it to me on screen.” Kaminari grumbled.

“I should have scolded you for calling her frail after all of that, kero.”

“You know what? She's right! How dare you call her frail!” Jirou yelled. Kaminari shrunk down in his seat.

“You know, Ibara might be up for going out still. I mean, I always thought girls liked guys who looked good, but it would make sense for them to also like guys who make them look good too right?” Mineta said, trying to find a way to cheer up his friend. Kaminari just groaned.

Izuku entered the waiting room, and was very surprised to see Uraraka already there. She was overly upbeat as she talked about the fight and how frustrated she was that Bakugo had won. When Izuku showed clear worry over her seemingly brushing the whole thing off, she said that she wanted to be like him and look to the future.

“There is no shame in taking time to mourn a loss, Uraraka. There is no need to hide your feelings from us.” Iida said. Izuku nodded.

“Yeah, um, I mean, neither of us would judge you for that.”

“I, I know that, I just, I probably didn't want you guys to worry even more after all that.” Uraraka explained. Izuku snorted.

“Well, now you're being too much like me.” To his surprise, this earned him quiet laughter from both of them.

The scene changed to the tie breaker arm wrestling match, which Kirishima won.

“Yes! Finally!” Kirishima cheered, as did many of his classmates.

“Heh, nice take down.” Bakugo complimented.

After the match, Kirishima extended a hand to his opponent, and they shared a moment of solidarity as the light shined around them.

“Is it manly to sparkle like that?” Mineta asked. Kirishima took on an uncharacteristically solemn air.

“Mineta, the manliness isn't always about what you do, it can also be about how you do it. If you do it right, there's a lot of things that can be manly.”

“Even sparkles?”

“Even sparkles.”

“Huh...” Mineta looked thoughtful for a moment, and made another note to himself.

Present Mic announced the next round. Uraraka apologized for getting in the way of Izuku's preparation, and he brushed off her concern. She wished him luck as he left.

“You two are so cute.” Aoyama said. Ashido just watched the screen with dreamy eyes.

Uraraka and Izuku just looked at Aoyama in oblivious confusion.

Uraraka was shown calling her father. The man talked about seeing her fight on TV, and said she got really close and was amazing. Uraraka said she was neither of those things, and should have planned more.

“Uraraka, if you are going to keep telling Midoriya not to talk down to himself then I insist you give us the same courtesy.” Iida said, chopping his hands through the air. Izuku nodded along eagerly.

“Y-yeah! Plus, you really were close! I bet that if you'd kept running instead of using zero gravity on yourself at the end then there's a chance your plan would have worked. That really is amazing!”

“You came up with a clever plan using your quirk and your opponent's all while playing on everyone's expectations. Even if you didn't plan for afterwards, that is still quite a feat.” Momo agreed.

Uraraka blushed at the praise. “You're right about one thing.” she turned to Deku “I won't talk badly about myself if you promise to do the same, okay?”

“Okay, I'll try.” Izuku promised.

Her father tried to comfort her, saying that this wasn't the end and she had plenty of time to prove herself still. She was still being down on herself, and her father told her there was no rush. Her kindness and desire to help would make her a great hero no matter what.

Uraraka started crying along with her on-screen self. It had been a long day...

“You're dad is pretty great too.” Izuku told her. She could only nod in agreement, and let out a tearful laugh when the toilet paper roll got passed up from behind her.

While walking down the hall toward his match, Izuku lamented that he couldn't do anything to help Uraraka and that she ended up encouraging him instead.

“Heh, we can't go one minute without talking down at ourselves right now, huh?” Izuku said.

“Yeah.” she said with a sigh. “It's not your fault I hid it from you, though, okay?”

“If anything, I should be the one to apologize! I didn't come to offer any help at all!” Iida got up to bow and that and they hurriedly talked him into sitting back down.

Endeavor suddenly came to the corner at the same time Izuku did.

“Oh what fresh hell is this?” Sato asked in exasperation. Todoroki stiffened upon seeing his father.

“I know right!? First that whole fight, then the aftermath, now we have to deal with this jerk again? I'm starting to really hate this episode.” Ashido ranted.

“Exactly! The only reason it's not the worst one so far is because there haven't been any villains trying to kill people.”

“Doesn't that say something about our lives?” Jirou muttered.

The teachers all scowled upon seeing Endeavor, save for Nedzu whose smile went from small to sharp.

Endeavor turned and got into Midoriya's space.

Todoroki's grit his teeth and his hands clenched. Surely his father wouldn't dare to hurt someone outside their family...
Unnoticed by Todoroki, he wasn't the only one to become tense when Endeavor got close to Midoriya. Yagi's urge to put himself between the two was so strong he almost went and sat by Midoriya to satisfy it.

Endeavor commented on how powerful Midoriya's quirk was and compared it to All Might's. Izuku took that as his cue to leave, knowing that this was one person he couldn't let find out about All Might's secret.

“Good.” Todoroki nodded, unconsciously relaxing at the distance put between his father and classmate. “At least you can tell that much.”

Endeavor said it was his son's duty to surpass All Might, and ordered Izuku to put up a good fight so his son could use the fight as another step toward that. He apologized for interrupting Midoriya.

Todoroki was almost tempted to laugh. He honestly thought his father never apologized for anything outside of PR interviews.

“Get your own life you flaming trash heap!” Jirou yelled.

“I agree! Todoroki is not obligated to do such things for you.” Iida declared.

Todoroki looked at him with his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. Iida was from a hero family as well, so didn't he get pressure to become a hero a certain way too?

Izuku stared intensely at the screen, too many emotions and thoughts running through his mind for him to know what to do with them.

On screen Izuku didn't have that problem. “I'm not All Might, that's obvious, right? Todoroki isn't you either!”

There was a small chorus of 'ooo' after that and Kaminari gave a soft 'oh snap'.

“Very well put, my boy.” All Might said, instantly proud of him for finding something to say that dismissed Enji's entire speech. When Izuku turned to look at his mentor, Yagi gave him a thumbs up, which Izuku returned.

“The darkness of the parent should not be the responsibility of the child.” Tokoyami said.

Todoroki frowned. He'd only talked to Midoriya once about this, and challenged him the whole time. Why would this boy care enough to talk back to Endeavor after just that? And why did those words leave him feeling something akin to validation?

Midoriya, Todoroki, and All Might were all shown to be thinking about things they'd heard from or about Endeavor as the two boys approached the arena.

“I am truly sorry that the weight of this has been placed upon you two. Endeavor has no right trying to put it there.” All Might said gravely.

Ashido, meanwhile, had sat up a bit straighter when both Todoroki and Izuku had said the others name as they started to go out, and gave them both thoughtful looks.

Uraraka joined her classmates in the stands. After a brief talk about Uraraka recovering from her match, Tokoyami gave advice to use the next fight as encouragement for later on.

“Not sure how effective that will be if this match ends up as draining as the last one.” Sato said.

“True, my other self does not know the context that we do.” Tokoyami admitted.

“Still, if the two of them can fight even with everything else going on, that can serve as a reminder that we can too.” Iida declared loudly. If nothing else it would distract him from how bad his own first round fight had been.

Present Mic announced the next match, making a point to mention that Midoriya barely passed the first match.

“Way to call the guy out.” Sero said.

“Well it was true.” Mic muttered.

The two boys entered the ring, and stared each other down.

Just watching the two made tension start to rise in the room.

“Deku, please be careful.” Uraraka urged. Izuku scratched the back of his head.

“I don't really have control over that right now...”

Uraraka sighed. “I know...”

Students started discussing how the match would go down, but then the match went from being seen in person to being seen on a screen. They were shown to be at the villain hide out again, where Shigaraki's 'sensei' was telling him to keep a close eye on these two.

The tension in the room suddenly skyrocketed.

“Oh man, oh man, its not even just Shigaraki watching us its the big bad guys behind him too!” Mineta wailed.

“He's not really watching us right now, just those two.” Momo said, holding her pen too tightly in her hand. She, and most everyone else in the class, was suddenly even more worried about their two classmates than before.

“He's probably watching anyone that makes it far enough.” Shoji pointed out.

'I knew there was a chance of this when I took All Might's quirk.' Midoriya reminded himself. After what All Might told him about this particular villain, it didn't really help.

Yagi felt like he'd swallowed a stone. He knew Izuku had been brought up to his old nemesis by Shigaraki, but to see the man taking such an active interest in young Midoriya...

“Maybe we really should cancel the festival this year.” Present Mic said.

“Perhaps, but knowing you are being watched allows for certain advantages as well.” Nedzu pointed out.

Inko was shown crying her eyes out in a sea of tissues.

Well, now Izuku felt bad for an entirely different reason. Though the chuckles around the room suggested the scene eased the tension for some of the others.

Koda looked sadly at the distraught woman. Maybe he should recommend to Midoriya that they get his mother a pet? Having a cuddly critter to hold might help her some, and he knew of a number of shelters.

All Might and 13 talked about how both of those boys had come to try and help during the USJ fight, and All Might said the two gave off similar vibes.

Todoroki frowned. What on earth could that mean? Was All Might saying that he was similar to Midoriya? How?

The episode ended just as the fight was about to start.

“Of course that's where it ends.” Kirishima sighed.

“I'm actually glad for once, I need a break after all that.” Ashido admitted.

“I think we all could, so let us take one now.” Nedzu announced.

*_*_*_*_*_*

“Um...” Izuku fidgeted nervously while Todoroki stared back at him. “I just wanted to say, do your best! And I'll do mine too!”
There was a lot more he wanted to say to Todoroki, but he kept going back and forth on whether or not he should wait until after their Sports Festival fight was over.

“I hope that effort isn't because of what my father said.” Todoroki's voice held a bit of an edge, and Izuku quickly shook his head.

“No, no it's not. It may not have been me that said it exactly, but I know I still meant it when I said that I'm not All Might and you're not Endeavor. Whatever happens, it's going to be a match between us, not the two of them, or me against Endeavor or anything like that.”

“You're right. I won't use his fire, so it won't be like fighting him at all.”

“Th-that's not-” but Todoroki was already leaving. Izuku sighed. Maybe he'd have a better idea of what to say and do after the fight.

Chapter Text

The episode started with Izuku remembering what Todoroki had told him earlier that day about his past, and Izuku repeating his own motivation to beat Todoroki.

Izuku was already sitting on the ground with a newly obtained towel in his mouth. Recovery Girl insisted upon it just before everyone else sat down, stating it would be much more practical than using the notebook. Izuku had started to argue that they didn't really know that it would get that bad yet, but didn't even get to finish his sentence before the collective looks from the nurse, his friends, Aizawa and All Might silenced him.

Everyone else was on the edge of their seats, either literally or figuratively, as they waited for the fight to start. No one doubted that, if nothing else, this fight was going to be very intense, and likely very painful, for those involved.

The scene suddenly changed drastically. A very young Todoroki was seen crying in his mothers arms, while she told him it was okay if he wanted to be a hero.

Todoroki's hands clenched into fists, bunching up the fabric around his knees. 'Dammit, flashbacks too? The whole class already heard my talk with Midoriya when they shouldn't have, why did they have to see more? What is Truth trying to do?!' He sorely wished he could see Truth right now and freeze the answer out of them. He held tight to that idea, as it helped keep him from dwelling on how much he missed the gentle touch he'd just seen. He swore he could feel it ghost along the back of his head, and wasn't sure if it was from Truth, or his own memories.
The class didn't know how to respond to the scene. They'd never seen Todoroki show sadness before, much less to the point of crying. Plus, the gentle words and touch was very incongruous with what they had pictured of a woman who would later give Todoroki his scar.

Izuku though, found himself wondering about what Todoroki's mother had said. It implied Todoroki had wanted to be a hero when he was younger, just like him, but he wondered how true that was now. Did Todoroki still dream of being a hero? Or did he just want to spite his father?

The scene went back to the Sports Festival. Everyone watched as Present Mic announced the match and the two boys sized each other up and got ready.

There were a number of grumbles and insults when Endeavor was shown watching too. Hagakure went so far as to yell 'booooo!' at the screen. Everyone else was just as focused on what was about to happen as the two contenders were on screen.

The match started. Todoroki sent out a wave of ice. Izuku flicked it away.

“Mmmmmmpphhhh!” Izuku's cry of pain was muffled by the towel in his mouth. He was suddenly grateful for Recovery Girl's insistence, since the notebook wouldn't have blocked the sound nearly as well. He was even more grateful that Uraraka and Iida were already sitting down next to him, ready to help steady him as the match continued.

The ice wave shattered, and rained down around Todoroki. Cold wind buffeted him and the audience behind him.

The teachers and some of the class shivered as they suddenly felt the cold ripple across their skin.

“Shurry gush.” Izuku tried to apologize through the cloth. He'd tried to take it out, but Iida quickly insisted it stay in since they didn't know just how fast any blows would be coming.

Todoroki was still standing due to an ice barrier behind him, and the show revealed that Izuku had indeed broken one of his fingers to combat the ice. All Might was shown thinking about how not holding back was the only way Izuku was guaranteed to fend of the ice attacks, but that thought clearly made him nervous.

“This strategy is effective right now, but it's not sustainable.” Momo noted, worry clear in her own voice. Jirou nodded in tense agreement.

“Yeah, I mean, he's only got ten fingers. Doesn't seem like that will be enough to outlast Todoroki.”

Another wave of ice, another finger broken.

Another muffled cry followed quickly by his friend's comfort...oh look, All Might was coming over to sit with them now too. That was nice of him.
The detached part of Izuku's brain that picked up on these things also noticed his other self's expression. That was the first time it looked like his own pain and the pain of his on screen self matched. Weird. Maybe it was something to do with the setting...

Despite the pain, Izuku's brain was still going, bemoaning how little information he had about Todoroki and wondering how he was going to find an opening.

“You're mind never really stops working, does it young Midoriya?” Yagi gave the boy a comforting smile as he sat down on the couch. Midoriya shifted until his head rested against Yagi's knees, which surprised the hero. He figured one of Midoriya's friends would be much more comfortable that his bony self.

“Midoriya can look kinda scary when he's so determined.” Tsuyu noted, taking in the boy's intense expression. This earned her some nods from classmates, and one scowl from Bakugo.

'First Loudmouth calls these two rivals, then Deku starts getting more worked up fighting him than me? What the hell man...'

Another ice attack, another flick.

Yagi combed his fingers through his successors hair as the boy flinched and let out another cry. He hoped that having another sensation would at least serve as a distraction from some of his pain.

Kirishima made it back to the stands, now recovered from his match. He talked to some of the class and pointed out that he'd be going up against Bakugo soon. Bakugo deadpan said he was going to kill him.

Some people felt a little more at ease after seeing the easy interaction between the boys, finding it a good distraction from the worry for their other classmates. Sero and Kaminari poked fun at his Bakugo's signature response again. Kirishima though, picked up on how strangely focused Bakugo looked right now. As did Izuku, though he did it through seeing the on screen version.

'It's not like him not to get fired up after a challenge...'

Kirishima compared Bakugo and Todoroki, saying they could both fire off powerful attacks in quick succession. Bakugo quietly refuted him, saying there was more to it than just 'shooting off' attacks and that he had to be careful not to hurt himself too. Since quirks were physical abilities, they all had their limits.

“Huh, look at Bakugo getting all introspective.” Mineta muttered. Kaminari nodded.

“Yeah, honestly didn't see that one coming.”

“You saying you don't think I'm smart?” Bakugo glared at the blonde, who held his hands up.

“I didn't say that, just that I didn't expect it right now. Figured you'd be bragging about winning your next match or something.”

“I gotta figure out who I might be up against later and what weaknesses they have, so of course I'm paying attention.”

“Alright, I get it.”

Aizawa's brows rose in surprise. The boy had directed attention away from the fact, but he had just admitted in a round about way that his own power had limits too.

“He's not wrong.” Todoroki said to himself. Momo glanced at him, wondering if she heard that right.

Todoroki realized that Midoriya was going for an endurance match, and decided to get more proactive. He sent out another ice wave, and used it as cover. While Midoriya was distracted smashing that one, Todoroki got in close, forcing Midoriya to break two fingers in quick succession. Midoriya then had to immediately jump out of the way of Todoroki's punch. Ice shot up, starting to encase Midoriya's leg, and he resorted to using his whole arm to break the hold. Even this did not blow Todoroki from the ring.

The screams of the two different Midoriya's blended together. His body jerked, and his jaw ached from the pressure he was putting on it.

“Midoriya!”
“Holy shit!”
“His whole other arm already?!”
“How is he still in the ring?!”

“Deku! Hang in there!” Uraraka pleaded. One of Izuku's hands was firmly clasped around her own, and squeezing very tightly, but she held back any sign of pain. She could deal with it for a while, if it made things a little easier for her friend.

“Remember to breath through your nose!” Iida instructed. Recovery Girl was making her way over now, and silently chiding herself for not just staying there after she gave Midoriya that towel.

Midoriya was shocked that Todoroki was still in the ring, and marveled over his skill. The audience did two, saying they should have expected it from the son from the number 2 hero.

Todoroki's teeth ground together. Every time...every damn time they said that...and he'd only used his ice the whole time! Would he ever be able to escape his old man's shadow?
Unbeknownst to Todoroki, he wasn't the only one put out by this. Much of the class huffed or scowled at the comparison, and Present Mic frowned. 'Is it really that hard for them to see the kid's own efforts too? It's not like Endeavor would have had much to teach him about how the ice part of his quirk worked after all.'

Todoroki mocked Izuku for being so beat up after only evading attacks. Izuku though, noticed that Todoroki was trembling.

This got some people looking over to Todoroki. Much to their shock, he was visibly shaking.

“Todoroki, what's wrong?” Momo asked. He refused to look at her, and the show continued.

Todoroki apologized for Midoriya's current state, but also thanked him because Endeavor's face made it clear he found the match unsatisfactory.

Sato crossed his arms. “As much as I've grown to hate Endeavor over the last hour, given how hurt Midoriya is that line still feels kinda...” he trailed off, not sure how to word it.

“Cold?” Shoji suggested. Sato let out a surprised chuckle.

“Kinda, yeah.”

Izuku found himself clenching his teeth again, but not in pain this time. Things were slotting together in his mind, and he was beginning to realize just how skewed Todoroki's way of thinking was.

Todoroki said Izuku couldn't do much now, so he'd end things. He sent out another wave of ice. Izuku suddenly demanded to know where his opponent was looking, and the ice berg shattered once again.

“AHHHHHHH!”

Everyone in the room jumped. The four people around Izuku leaped into action, either to avoid a flailing limb or to keep the sudden, violent movements from hurting Midoriya himself.
People gulped, lips were bitten, shivers ran up spines. That scream from Midoriya was louder than any they had heard yet, and they soon saw why.

Todoroki only just managed to keep himself in the ring. Then it was shown that Izuku had used OfA with one of his already broken fingers.

“Oh my G-”
“Holy fuck!”
“Are you insane?!”

“Idiot boy!” Recovery girl seethed. “It's the sports festival, not life or death! You don't have to break yourself this much! Not for this!”

Fear and shame settled over Yagi's heart. 'Is this my fault? Did I stress the importance of the festival to young Midoriya so much that's he's willing to hurt himself like this?'

Tears ran down Uraraka's cheeks, and Iida's face twitched with the struggle not to show how upset he was. They didn't understand why their friend was going so far, and that made their inability to help him even worse.

There was one person who suddenly did understand, to some degree, though. The words 'Where are you looking?' caught in Bakugo's brain, and he almost wanted to smile. He doubted it would be for the same reason, but he wouldn't have accepted either loss or victory like that either. Who knew they actually had something in common?

Izuku wanted to tell them that this wasn't about the festival, not anymore. There was something bigger going on now, but even if he wasn't gagged he'd never be able to pick the words from his pain addled brain before the show continued.

“Why are you going so far?” Todoroki demanded.

“That's what we'd like to know!” Ashido cried.

“I get being determined but this is ridiculous.” Ojiro agreed faintly.

“You're trembling Todoroki.”
Izuku brought up how quirks are physical abilities with limits, and surmised that the trembling meant that Todoroki could only stand so much cold.

“Wow, that's almost the same exact thing you said.” Sero pointed out.

“Shut up!” Bakugo snapped. It was one thing for him to admit in his head that he and the nerd had some similarities, but that didn't mean others should point it out.

“For all of Midoriya's friendliness, he pounces upon weakness without hesitation.” Tokoyami noted. Koda nodded along, admittedly disturbed by how intense things were getting.

Midoriya pointed out that Todoroki could fix that problem by using his fire side, yet he was refusing. He shook as he explained how everyone was fighting with all they had to get ahead and reach their goals. Yet here was Todoroki, fighting with only half his strength.

That's when it clicked for the teachers and the majority of the students. Izuku wasn't just determined, he was angry.

“Note to self, never piss off Midoriya.” Hagakure muttered.

“Never thought I'd say that, but yeah.” Ashido agreed fervently.

Todoroki stared hard at the screen, ignoring the bone deep cold settling through his body. Just what was Midoriya trying to say?

Yagi's worry lessened as he began to understand that, whatever was going on right now, it wasn't about what he'd said to the boy. Well, it wasn't only about that at least. He carded his fingers through Izuku's hair, ignoring how it was becoming damp with sweat. 'What am I going to do with you, my boy?'

Izuku squeezed Uraraka's hand when his other self talked about the others trying their hardest. Uraraka's mouth fell open. This...this couldn't have anything to do with her own match being so recent could it?

At this point, a part of Aizawa was thankful Midnight hadn't been transported here with them. He was pretty sure she'd start going on about 'youthful spirit' after seeing that and he didn't think he could handle that right now. Present Mic put a grounding arm around his shoulders, sensing the other teacher's worry about his students.

Izuku told Todoroki that he hadn't landed a single hit on him yet, and demanded Todoroki come at him with everything.

“I guess that is technically true...” Momo said uncertainly.

Bakugo once again felt a bit of grudging respect for Izuku, as he once again saw the nerd doing exactly what he would. Though his version would admittedly be louder.

Uraraka had to stop herself from groaning. If they were going to keep going at it then Deku would get hurt even more than he already was! I quick look at Iida and All Might showed they were of a similar mindset. Recovery Girl seemed to be muttering something about 'kids these days' as well.

The scene briefly flashed to All Might and Endeavor watching, All Might clearly worried and Endeavor angrily remembering what Izuku had said to him before the match started.

“Okay, the lengths you're going to are still insane, but I gotta give you credit for pissing off Endeavor.” Jirou said. Izuku felt the sudden urge to laugh.

Todoroki demanded to know if Endeavor had payed Midoriya off to try and get him to use his fire, and rushed at him angrily.

“That...I get this is a high stress fight and all but that sounds kinda ridiculous.” Ojiro said with a frown.

“I know! Like, I can see Endeavor trying that, but not Midoriya going along with it.” Ashido agreed. “He's way too nice for that!”

“To be fair, that Todoroki doesn't know Midoriya as well as we do now, kero.”

'Obviously I know that's not what he's doing now. Can't imagine Truth would have skipped over that offer if my father had done that, but that doesn't mean I get what he's actually doing.' Todoroki's frown was the only thing betraying his frustration.

Todoroki was moving slower now, and Bakugo noticed and deduced the reason why. Todoroki tried to get a close up hit in, so Midoriya couldn't avoid it. But Midoriya surprised him by finding just the right time to power up OfA and sock Todoroki in the stomach.

Pain flared through Izuku's entire arm, and his yelp of pain was once again muffled by the gag. He was quickly tended to by the group surrounding him, but Todoroki was taken by surprise. He doubled over in pain so quickly he almost fell out of his seat. He would have yelled out in pain, if he'd felt like he had any air to do so.

“Todoroki!” Momo was suddenly kneeling at his side, and looking at him with wide, worried eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Fine.” He grit out. 'Why is she here? She can't be that worried about the pain factor; she didn't fawn over anyone else feeling it.'

It was shown that Todoroki had managed to put ice on Midoriya's arm before being sent flying.

“Damn, can't believe they both got a hit in like that.” Sato said in awe.

As soon as Todoroki got back up, they started going at it again. Todoroki put out more ice and Izuku deflected some more with another finger. On the sidelines, Cementoss asked Midnight if they should stop the fight. Yagi was heard thinking that Midoriya was probably planning on Recovery Girl healing him anyway and was too hyped up on adrenaline to fully feel the pain of his actions.

“I wish we had some of that adrenaline now.” Iida found himself saying. His mouth was set in a hard line as he looked down at this friend. Midoriya's eyes had taken on a slightly glazed look, and he was breathing fast through his nose. He honestly wished Midnight would choose to end the match, if only to give his friend a respite from feeling his bones break.

“Based on his symptoms, he likely is getting some.” Recovery Girl said. “It's been long enough now for his body to register the pain and release it, even if there's no physical reason for the pain to be there.”

“Then why is he still in so much pain?” Uraraka asked desperately.

“Because that would take away from his toll.” The sound of Truth's voice, after such a long silence, made everyone startle.

“What does that mean?” Yagi asked lowly.

“Even if the Midoriya you are seeing is going through an adrenaline rush, his pain is still there. The adrenaline just helps him focus on something else. But if I allowed the same to happen here in this room, his toll would be unbalanced. After all, the deal was that he feel all the pain of his on-screen self, not just the pain that self bothered to pay attention to at the time.”

“I see, so he will still experience the symptoms of an adrenaline rush, but not get the 'distracting' benefit from them.” Recovery Girl surmised gravely.

Yagi grit his teeth. Truth sounded just a bit too smug for his liking, but it wasn't like there was any point in arguing. Truth was unlikely to change their stance, and taking the time to do so would just prolong young Midoriya's pain. If adrenaline would not do the job of distracting the boy from his pain, Yagi would have to try and take up some of that mantle himself.

Aizawa was shown thinking about the progress Izuku had made so far, and concluded that he wasn't actually being reckless. He was doing everything in his power to win while still controlling his power to some degree.

Despite getting to the point where he was feeling 'out of it', Izuku still managed to catch what Aizawa was thinking as he watched the match. That praise, on top of the comforting presence of his mentor and friends, did make him feel just a bit better.

Izuku thought about his desire to be like All Might, just before using his cheek to flick his thumb and use it to deflect another ice attack.

Numerous protests went up when people saw what Izuku was about to do, and they all cringed when he actually did it. Another shriek of pain from Izuku sent the group around him into action once again, trying to comfort and distract him.

Todoroki grunted when his other self hit the ground.

“Todoroki, you're shaking even more now.” Momo pointed out.

“I'm fine.” he repeated, exasperation leaking into his voice. She frowned at him, then stepped away and said something to Jirou before coming back to sit beside him. A few moments later, Jirou showed up with a blanket taken from one of the bedrooms.

“That's not actually going to help.” He pointed out.

“Humor me.” Momo insisted, taking the blanket and draping it over his shoulders. “Besides, sometimes the weight of a blanket can help.”

She didn't specify what it was supposed to help with, but Todoroki decided not to bring that up. She sounded determined to have it there, and he wasn't in the mood for a prolonged argument. It's not like the blanket would do him harm, and if he argued with her he might miss something important. He pulled the blanket around himself so it would sit more securely and comfortably.

Todoroki demanded again why he was going so far. Izuku yelled that he was going to live up to everyone's expectations of him, and be a cool hero. The phrase triggered another brief memory in Todoroki, distracting him enough that Midoriya was able to headbutt him. Izuku declared that he didn't know all of Todoroki's situation, but if Todoroki was planning to be number one he needed to stop screwing around and holding himself back.

Todoroki felt the wind get knocked out of him again and flinched hard. Momo started murmuring instructions and encouragement for getting his breath back. A part of him wished it wasn't as effective as it was because the attention was still so confusing.

“Damn, problem child.” Aizawa found himself muttering. He thought about what he said to Midoriya when the boy asked if Aizawa would have let him into class if he didn't have a quirk. If the boy had managed to show off even a quarter of this resolve during the first day assessment then he would have been a shoe in, quirk or no quirk.

The words triggered something in Todoroki, and they were suddenly in another flashback. Endeavor stood over a very young Todoroki, who had just vomited onto the floor and was trembling. Todoroki's mother begged her husband to stop, saying he was too young for this. Endeavor hit her and told her to get out of his way.

For a moment, those in the room could only stare at the screen in shock. Then, the room began to fill with an enraged energy so palpable one could almost feel it crackling in the air.

“FIVE?” Present Mic seethed. “Endeavor trained him to the point of throwing up at fucking five?!”

“I wouldn't call punching a five year old training.” Aizawa growled. His face felt so hot with his anger that he wouldn't be surprised if someone told him his eyes had turned red despite not having access to his quirk.

“Ah, so this is what Todoroki meant by Endeavor 'preparing' him to face All Might one day.” Nedzu's smile had become something sharp and threatening. “Now that that has been confirmed for us, I'll have to do some information gathering when I get back. I wonder just how many skeletons will come tumbling out of Endeavor's closet once I set myself to opening the door...”

“So, are we allowed to start a new after school club? One that may or may not involve discussing how best to take out Endeavor?” Sato asked.

“I'd join it!” Hagakure cried, her sleeve going up in the air. Shoji held all of his arms up, asking to join too. Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero were all quick to say they'd attend too. Even Koda shakily raised his hand.

“Not gonna try to stop them?” Ashido asked of Iida.

“As class president, I approve of my classmates finding fulfilling extra-curricular activities to be involved in.” He replied stiffly, his eyes boring into the screen.

“I believe you need a teacher to supervise. I volunteer.” Yagi said. The last time they heard his voice that low and dangerous was when he'd strode into the USJ.

Izuku could only find the energy to look at the screen, willing his other self to be successful.

Todoroki didn't really here any of this. He caught parts, but most of him was too caught up in the sudden muscle pain and nausea that assaulted his senses. He curled in on himself, and pressed a hand to his mouth. He came back to himself a bit when Recovery Girl was suddenly there, trying to get a look at him. He tried to say he was fine again, but was cut off.

“You're a part of this class, and it's my responsibility to make sure you're alright, no matter what the circumstances. So please, let me do my job, young man.”

Todoroki tried to swallow down some of his nausea, then nodded and let her get to work. Unbeknownst to him, Momo had been carefully watching his reaction. When he'd seen the memory and the pain had come, he'd pulled the blanket tighter around him and curled up; like he was trying to put a barrier between himself and the world. She saw some of her classmates, Jirou, Kirishima, Tokoyami, among them, looking over in worry or starting to get up to come over. She glanced at Todoroki, then waved them all back. She might not know him very well, but she got the feeling the crowding him any further wouldn't be welcomed.

The fight continued. Ice spread over Todoroki's skin, and Midoriya kept trying to get through to him. As they fought, more memories started to crop up. Todoroki cried in his mothers arms, declaring he didn't want to be like his father. In another he watched his siblings play, only for his father to drag him away while saying he was in another world from them.

“That bastard has other kids?” Present Mic demanded, both anger and worry clear in his voice.

“None of them came to UA, but I am aware of them. Thankfully, they are all older and should be out of Endeavor's custody by now.” Nedzu explained. That did remind him though, it would be a good idea to talk to them. Both as a part of his information gathering, and to get an idea of how to approach the situation without causing them further pain. Talking to Todoroki himself was a given, of course, after he'd had some time to process everything.

Todoroki continued to be tended to by Recovery Girl. Momo, unsure of how exactly to comfort him, ended up adjusting the blanket when his flinches made it go askew.

Another flashback started, with Todoroki's mother saying she was going crazy.

Todoroki suddenly jolted upright so fast he almost hit Momo. “No.” he said, his voice more strained than any of them had heard before. “Please, not this. Not again.”

Shouto's mother could be seen standing in front of the stove with a tea kettle, talking to her mother on the phone.

Dread began to suffuse the room, as those who remembered the details of Todoroki's scar realized what this must be leading up to.

Todoroki Rie told her mother that the kids kept reminding her more and more of her husband, that she couldn't take it any more, she couldn't raise them like this. When Todoroki called out to her, she suddenly jolted, and turned to him with a crazed look. The scene suddenly went black.

When the scene cut off, Todoroki suddenly deflated. 'Truth didn't show it. Not that moment...' he was far from grateful, with all of his secrets being held up for all to see, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved that he didn't have to relive the moment he got his scar.

He wasn't the only one who was relieved. Momo and Recovery Girl had both been bracing themselves for helping Todoroki through that exact thing, and each let out a sigh when it didn't come. Even those who had only been gearing up to keep looking at the screen no matter what they heard felt themselves relax a little.

Next they saw a young Todoroki with a bandaged face. After hearing that his mother had been put away in a hospital for hurting him, Todoroki declared his mother's actions were Endeavor's fault. In the present, Todoroki once again said he would reject his father's power.

Uraraka had tears streaming down her face. She hadn't realized...she really shouldn't have started going on about Todoroki's mother before. What she went through didn't make hurting him okay, it never would, but it was so much more complicated than what she'd assumed from her classmate's first explanation. She couldn't imagine her own mother being driven to do something like that, and could only imagine what all Todoroki's mother must have gone through to reach that point. She'd have to apologize later.

Todoroki's lips pressed together when he felt a dull pain throbbing through his scar. He'd forgotten how long it had taken for the wound to stop hurting.

Izuku heard him and yelled “It's your power, isnt' it?!” This made Todoroki remember something once again. Young Todoroki excitedly watched a TV program with All Might on it, and his mother told him that he didn't have to be bound by his blood. That it was okay if Todoroki became a hero.

Todoroki found himself watching the screen with wide eyes, drinking in every word and image. His other self was right, he had forgotten that. He'd forgotten that his mother had already given him permission to use his father's- to use his power. It was his power. She'd said it was okay for him to use it, and she showed him that video to help tell him he could be a hero without being like his father. He could do it his own way.

Why...how could he have forgotten that?

Fire suddenly burst from Todoroki's left side. Waves of heat buffeted the audience. All Might was shown, wondering if Izuku had done all this to try and save Todoroki.

Todoroki turned his wide eyes onto Midoriya, who he could barely see around the couch and those surrounding him. Midoriya really did that? He made himself go through all that pain just to get through to him?

Todoroki said that if Midoriya really wanted to win, then he was the one screwing around by helping an enemy. Still, he now knew, he wanted to be a hero too. Izuku smiled, and Todoroki did too.

“That worked. I can't believe that worked.” Bakugo muttered incredulously.

Momo smiled, and felt brave enough to rest an encouraging hand on Todoroki's shoulder. He didn't really acknowledge it, but he didn't shrug it off either. She figured that counted for something.

Endeavor suddenly started shouting in the stands, proclaiming how happy he was that Shouto accepted himself and could now start to fulfill his fathers desire.

“Oh SHUT UP you flaming trash heap!” Uraraka yelled.

“That had nothing to do with you!” Momo declared loudly.

“Your brightness is tacky and unwelcome here!” Aoyama said disdainfully.

Insults and protests filled the room until Present Mic was forced to whistle and calm everyone down. The one student that stayed quiet was Todoroki, who just switched between watching Midoriya on screen and off screen.

Todoroki asked why Midoriya was smiling under these circumstances, and said he couldn't be blamed for what happened next. He started to use his full power, and Midoriya smiled and did the same. Now, Midnight and Cementoss finally stepped in to try and stop things, but it was too late, all they could do was damage control. The display of power that followed was indescribable. The screen briefly went dark when the two finally clashed and exploded against each other.

“Oh my g-”
“That's amazing!”
“Are you trying to kill each other?!”
“So manly!”
“Holy shit!”

Cementoss managed to contain most of the debris, but wind still buffeted the audience and pelted them with grit. Shoji had to keep Mineta from being sent flying.

“Ow, oof, hey! I'm happy for whatever just happened between you guys, but could you tone it down just a little?” Ojiro asked, wincing as he felt bits of gravel sting his face.

“Thanks Shoji.” Mineta called from his seat, rubbing his own face. Shoji gave him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, geeze guys, look at that! You almost killed Mineta!” Kaminari teased.

“It wasn't that bad!”

“I suppose it would have been too easy if some of the bigger debris had hit Endeavor huh?” Sato said with a sigh.

“I know right?” Hagakure agreed. “We didn't even get to see his flame hair blow out! Talk about disappointing.”

“I'm glad it didn't. If a brick took him out we wouldn't be able to have a straight up fight with him, which wouldn't be manly at all.” Kirishima said.

“He doesn't deserve an honorable fight.” Tokoyami disagreed.

“Just because he doesn't deserve it doesn't mean I should deprive myself.”

Everyone reoriented themselves as things began to settle down, and Midnight was called on to identify the victor. When the last of the dust finally settled, Midoriya was shown with his back against the wall behind him. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Finally, Midoriya body relaxed. His eyes came back into focus a bit, and he shakily reached for the gag. Uraraka got their first, and carefully took it out while Yagi helped him sit up and Iida handed him a glass of water.

Todoroki was still in bounds, so he was declared the victor while the audience roared with applause. The episode ended.

“I believe this calls for a break.” Nedzu said.

“A longer one, this time.” Aizawa clarified, looking over at Midoriya and Todoroki.

*_*_*_*_*_*

“So...that was something, huh?” Kirishima started. He was surrounded by a fairly large group, but no one seemed to know quite what to say after all that.

“I never would have guessed someone so admired would use it to spread such a deep darkness.” Tokoyami said solemnly.

“I'd still be up for joining that Endeavor murder club we talked about.” Hagakure bounced in place as she said it.

“We'd probably have to call it something else.” Sato warned.

“I heard All Might endorse us, so I say we should call it whatever we want.”

“We should really discuss that sort of thing with Todoroki first. It is his life after all.” Momo reprimanded lightly.

“Could you do it?” Jirou asked.

“Me?”

“Yeah, I mean I'm all for helping Todoroki out but that doesn't mean I actually know how to talk to him.” Kaminari played anxiously with his hair.

“You seemed to get what he needed during the episode, and if we all tried on our own we'd probably screw it up. I know Kaminari would anyway.” Jirou said.

“Hey!”

“Well, if you're sure, I suppose I could take the first step in bridging the divide between Todoroki and the rest of the class.” Momo said. That's kind of what she was trying to do during the episode anyway. “What is it you all wish to say?”

*_*_*_*_*_*

“Come along, young Midoriya.” Yagi said. He stood up, then helped Midoriya do the same.

“What's up?” He asked, tiredly.

“After all of that, you deserve a rest. Now, which bedroom did you use again last night?”

“I- I don't need a nap, I'm not a little kid.”

“You have been through a lot though, and you deserve a break to recover from it without being bothered.” Iida declared.

“Yeah! And you should never say no to nap time Deku!” Uraraka teased. Izuku smiled at that, and let himself be lead away.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Todoroki watched as All Might lead Midoriya into one of the bedrooms. The hero left a minute later, and Todoroki continued to stare at the door. After a minute he stood up and started walking toward it, but was stopped by Yoayorozu.

“Do you have a minute?” she asked. He looked at her in mild surprise, but nodded. She'd gotten up just after the episode ended, and he'd seen enough to know she had started talking to Jirou but was too caught up in his own head to notice anything more.

“I guess.”

“Well, first I wanted to make sure you were okay with what I did during this last episode. Did I make you uncomfortable at all?” she asked, fiddling with her hands.

“Hm...I didn't mind it I guess, but I didn't get it either. Why'd you come over?”

“Well, Midoriya had others to support him, and that seemed to help him. So when you started to feel the pain of the episode, I wanted to make sure you had the same.”

He nodded to himself. Yoayorozu did seem like the kind of person who might worry about everyone being treated fairly, and she was one of the class reps.

“While I was talking, I found out that others wanted to give you some support too, but were unsure if that would be well received.”

“...probably not. It was already a lot.”

“I thought that might be the case...and some of the others did too. So, they sent me over with some messages.”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow at her.

“First, we wanted to apologize for the intrusion into your life. We know those were things you wouldn't have shared willing.”

“It's hardly your fault.” He said with a frown. “You didn't choose what went up there.”

“I know, but it was still an intrusion, so we still wanted to apologize. On that subject, we would understand if you don't want to talk about it, and won't bring it up if you don't want us too. But, if you ever do want to talk about it, we'll listen. Does that sound agreeable?”

Todoroki looked down as he thought. After a few moments he looked back up and nodded, making Yoayorozu smile.

“Very well. I'll let the others know you are amenable. Ah, also, I should let you know there are several offers to help you 'take out your old man' if you want them.”

Todoroki actually let out an amused huff. “I'll keep that in mind...thanks.”

*_*_*_*_*_*

After Yoayorozu left, Todoroki continued to Izuku's room. He went inside quietly and walked up to the bed Midoriya was laying on. The boy was breathing much easier now, and sat up a bit when he saw Todoroki.

“Oh, h-hey Todoroki. What's up?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay.” Izuku nodded and waited.

Todoroki breathed in, then out. “Why did you do that?”

Izuku cocked his head. “What?”

“You pushed yourself to breaking, far more than normal, to get me to use my fire. To...to reach out to me and get me to...really think. I want to know why.”

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise, then took on a familiar determined glint.

“Well, I can't entirely speak for my future self, since we have different experiences now. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was because he knew you needed help. And that's what a hero is supposed to do, right?”

“That would be nice, if that's how all heroes thought.” Todoroki admitted.

“So, yeah, I'd say it was to help. To be like All Might you know?”

Todoroki stared at him for a long minute, and Izuku began to worry that he might have said something wrong. But then he said “It's your power too.”

“Huh?”

“You got your power from All Might, but it's yours too now. So you should be yourself too.”

“Oh...” Izuku smiled. “Okay, yeah, it...Thanks, I'll try to remember.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

While that was going on, Ashido and Aoyama were staring at the door they'd seen Todoroki go through.

“So,” she began. “Uraraka and Midoriya are great together.”

“They are. Very supportive of each other, and soft.”

“Exactly! On the other hand.” she gestured to room Todoroki and Midoriya were in.

“Hm...” Aoyama rubbed his chin throughtfully. “It has potential as well.”

“It's a fire forged bond, literally!” she giggled.

Well, the two of them knew what they were going to be talking about until the next episode started.

Chapter Text

Once both Midoriya and Todoroki had some time to rest and recover from the previous episode, they started the next one. Everyone felt either wary or excited, wondering what the fallout of such a match would be. All Might, still worried about his young charge, decided to sit by him for the episode. After a brief discussion, Iida ended up perching on the arm of their couch so All Might could sit in a proper seat, and he wouldn't move no matter how much All Might insisted it wasn't necessary.

The crowd was shown wondering and talking about Midoriya. They couldn't figure out what the boy's end goal had really been, but they agreed that his tendency to injure himself would be a big drawback no matter how much power he had.

Izuku swallowed anxiously, but tried not to let the words discourage him. He'd already seen himself get in a few more hits that didn't majorly damage himself or destroy others. That showed progress, right? He just had to use this time to try and figure out what made those hits different, so he could replicate consistently.

As though sensing his worry, All Might gave him a smile. “They can't see the progress you've made from the start of the school year, but it is there. I'm sure you'll continue to improve, my boy.”

“Most kids take a couple years to really get their quirks under control, so you're not doing bad.” Aizawa acknowledged.

Izuku felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. “Understood! I'll do my best to continue forward.” he blinked then, a thought occurring to him. “They didn't say anything about Todoroki though. Isn't that weird? He was really impressive, especially at the end there.”

“Perhaps they merely needed to get past the shock of the fight's end before they acknowledged his prowess.” Iida suggested.

“Maybe.” Izuku hoped it was that. He hated the idea of Todoroki not getting credit for his work just because people expected Endeavor's son to be impressive. He didn't notice how surprised Todoroki looked when he realized that Midoirya was genuinely concerned about his opponent not getting enough credit.

The next scene showed Todoroki exiting the area, only to be stopped by a far too pleased Endeavor. He went on about how Todoroki needed to learn control over his fire, but now that he'd given up his rebellion the boy could become a 'perfect upgrade' of himself.

The class and teachers muttered and grumbled angrily at Endeavor's appearance, until it was broken by Midoriya yelling: “Todoroki isn't an upgrade of anything! He's his own person!”
“Exactly!”
“I agree wholeheartedly!”
Uraraka and Iida's agreement sparked additional shouts from the class, either further agreeing or yelling insults at Endeavor.

Todoroki stared at Izuku, stunned by his words and how quickly they were followed up. He really wasn't used to this much positivity being directed at him, or such blatant disrespect for the number two hero. A part of him also hadn't expected the 'real life' Midoriya to take up the mantra the on-screen one had thrown at him, but it looked like this Midoriya had only stayed quiet during the fight due to the pain factor. That was...that was something he'd have to think about.

Todoroki corrected him, saying he hadn't given up anything. It wasn't something that could be changed so quickly.

Izuku nodded in acceptance, despite the small part of his mind that ached with disappointment. It was ridiculous to think that one fight, no matter how mentally and physically brutal, could make Todoroki do a complete 180 on something he'd struggled with for so long.

“That's completely understandable.” Momo said softly, earning a few murmurs of agreement.

Todoroki then said that he only used his fire in that moment because, for once, he'd completely forgotten about Endeavor.

“Oooooo!” Mineta, Kaminari, and Sero all said at once.

“Oh my gosh the look on his face!” Hagakure crowed gleefully.

Todoroki walked away from Endeavor, saying he'd have to think about whether or not that was right or wrong.

The mood sobered once again, either out of respect or worry.

“If it were me, I'd keep forgetting about him because he's not worth the waste of head space.” Jirou said.

“I don't think I can just forget him, not completely, or all the time.” Todoroki said slowly. “That wouldn't be...it wouldn't be a good idea.”

Jirou wondered if he'd been about to say 'it wouldn't be safe' and winced. “Yeah, that...that's a fair point.”

Momo rested a hand on the arm of Todoroki's chair. “Remember what I said during the break.”

Todoroki nodded to her. He hadn't forgotten the offer.

The scene changed to the temporary nurse's office, where Recovery Girl was delivering some bad news to Midoriya and All Might.

Izuku braced himself when he saw the sign for the nurse's office, as did Uraraka and Iida. They collectively relaxed when they saw that Izuku was still passed out from the fight.

Midoriya had broken his arm so badly in the last fight that there would be lasting damage.

“Seriously? Even with your quirk?” Sato asked in wide-eyed surprise.

“There are some things even my quirk can't fix, not without risking the patient even more.” Recovery Girl said with a shake of her head.

Izuku swallowed dryly, anxiety building in his gut. 'Just what does 'never be the same' mean?' Iida pushed a glass of water into his hands, but Izuku couldn't quite find the energy to drink it.

Yagi's throat had also gone dry, and his hand subconsciously moved to cover his old injury.

Recovery Girl explained that she'd need to do surgery to get the bone fragments out of his joints before she could use her quirk.

Nearly the entire room cringed at the idea of bone fragments in finger joints.

“But, after the surgery is done and Recovery Girl uses her quirk, shouldn't everything be back to normal then?” Kirishima asked.

“Not if she has to take the bone fragments out Shitty Hair, he'd be missing those then.”

“Bakugo is correct, our esteemed nurse's quirk can speed healing but it cannot regrow what has been lost.” Iida explained further.

“Oh man, I didn't think about that.” Kirishima rubbed his knee anxiously.

Recovery Girl was solemn as she bemoaned how far Izuku was pushing himself for his goal. She told All Might that they were both going too far, and instructed All Might not to praise the boy for it.

“It, it wasn't just me and my ambitions, I was trying to help Todoroki, and live up to all the faith put into me and-” The anxiety swirling in Izuku's stomach was condensing into a hard lump. “I have to go farther because I'm already so far behind and-”

“Deku! Deku take a breath!”

Izuku pulled in a breath, as Uraraka instructed, and it nearly started a coughing fit.

“Midoriya, my boy.”

Izuku looked up and saw that, at some point during his mutterings, All Might had move to kneel in front of him.

“My boy, I understand how you feel, and I do commend you for having such a strong desire to help those around you. However, Recovery Girl is also correct; the sports festival should not have resulted in you getting so drastically hurt.”

“It wasn't just about the festival.” Izuku insisted.

“I know, but...” All Might sighed. “I know I'm the last one who should lecture anyone about this, but you must also learn when such sacrifices are needed and when they are not. You must choose your battles, at least until you gain some real control over One for All.”

“It's just like the first day, Problem Child. You can't help others if you break yourself too much to be of use, and that's what will happen if you keep breaking your bones like this.” Aizawa added. Present Mic nodded vigorously.

“You gotta remember Listener, setting yourself on fire to keep others warm doesn't work in the end. Not unless you're Todoroki over there.”

The mentioned boy gave his teacher a flat look. All Might took the opportunity to regain control of the conversation.

“It's important to rely on others; that's something we both need to work on, I think. In the future, if a classmate truly needs help, you don't have to try and tackle it on your own. I will be here to help, as will the other teachers here.” The other teachers voiced their confirmation of this.

“We can help too!” Uraraka piped up.

“You help us enough, after all.” Iida agreed.

Izuku's eyes shimmered, and tears began to spill. He could guess why the other him hadn't been shown trying to tell anyone yet, and it wasn't just because Todoroki had said everything to him in private. Izuku had grown used to taking care of things on his own; he was used to classmates that mocked and teachers that didn't listen or care. But as he looked at his friends, and at All Might and the other teachers, he was reminded that things were different at UA. Maybe here, he really could trust others to help, one day.

So Izuku swallowed a sob, and gave All Might a wobbly smile. “Okay, I'll try. Can't make any promises for him though.” he gestured at the screen.

All Might chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. “Well, we can work on it once we're out of here.”

The moment was interrupted by Iida, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Mineta all bursting into the room. Yagi was so surprised that he coughed up some blood.

Izuku's mouth fell open. “You ALL came to visit me?”

“Of course we did Deku! That fight was brutal!” Uraraka said, scandalized at the idea that they'd just ignore him during such a time.

“Yeah, after a fight like that I'd want to make sure you were still around!” Mineta agreed.

“Same here, kero.”

“But Iida has a fight coming up...” Izuku tried to reason.

“I see no reason why that should prevent me from ensuring my friend's well-being when you yourself visited Uraraka after her own fight.”

“Well...I mean...”

“Just accept the care, Midoriya.” Tsuyu instructed. Izuku obediently swallowed any further objections and just gave them all grateful smiles instead.

“We probably should apologize for making All Might bleed again though...” Mineta pointed out. This resulted in several chagrined apologies from the group while Yagi insisted that it hadn't actually hurt that much and it was fine.

Uraraka said hello to the unrecognizable All Might, and Recovery Girl complained about the noise. That noise must have been enough to rouse Izuku, because he opened his eyes and asked about what was going on with the upcoming match.

Izuku made a strangled noise and sort of jolted in his seat. Within a moment he had Uraraka and Iida offering him a notebook and a towel respectively. He managed a strained smile and waved them off. “It's okay, really, it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would.”

“Well, having the injuries tended to and made still probably helped, and it's possible you've got some painkillers in you at this point.” Recover Girl shook her head. “Still, you go through all that and the first thing you ask about is the upcoming fights. You've got to learn some priorities, boy.”

Iida explained that the stadium was still being repaired after the last fight. Mineta said that Midoriya's fight was scary and that pros wouldn't want to deal with all that. Tsuyu took issue with that and stuck him with her tongue.

“Okay, that just feels weird.” Mineta muttered, rubbing his ear.

“Really dude?” Sero raised an eyebrow at the shorter boy.

“Well it's true isn't it? We just heard people in the audience talking about it.”

“Even if it is true that doesn't mean you should say it in someone's hospital room.” Kirishima said. Kaminari frowned.

“It's not a hospital room, it's a makeshift nurse's office.”

“Close enough.”

Recovery Girl shooed everyone out, stating she needed to get ready for surgery. This just caused everyone to freak out more and she had to push everyone out. When she did, Izuku apologized to All Might for not being able to announce himself to the world.

Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh. 'The problem child goes through all of that and he's still apologizing for it not being enough. What are we gonna do with this kid?' He made another mark in his notebook about Izuku's self sacrificing tendencies. He hoped Midoriya would agree to going to therapy, because he could really use some additional help in that area. Maybe he could have a session on accepting mental health assistance for the whole class...

For once, Uraraka and Iida were silent. Both had the urge to tell Izuku that he'd done plenty and to stop apologizing, but both also knew they weren't much better in this regard. Uraraka had fought Bakugo to the point of exhaustion to make an impression and Iida knew he'd be willing to go much further than normal in order to impress his brother. So they each lay a comforting hand on Izuku instead.

Midoriya said that he should have let the issue with Todoroki drop so that he could do what All Might had asked. All Might asked if he'd been trying to get Todoroki to realize something, and Izuku admitted that Todoroki's sadness had made him meddle in the other boy's affairs when it wasn't needed.

Todoroki felt...something when Midoriya made that admission. He wasn't sure what it was, just that it made his stomach feel strange. 'I wouldn't be so sure that it wasn't needed just yet.'

Izuku admitted that he'd lost perspective during the fight, and become too focused on his own frustration.

Present Mic nodded sagely. “Tunnel vision, it can happen to the best of us.”

All Might admitted that, for the match, it had been a poor decision to make. But that meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero.

All Might nodded and gave Midoriya a soft look. “Perhaps, in this future, you did not succeed in the goal I placed for you, but you did continue to demonstrate that you have the heart of a hero. That's why I chose you in the first place, so I could never be angry with you for that.”

Tears flowed and Izuku buried his face in All Might's shoulder. All Might patted his back as the boy cried.

The other students looked at each other with varying degrees of confusion and curiosity. Was 'meddling when it wasn't needed' really such a big part of being a hero? It must be if the #1 pro said it, but what exactly did that mean? The show continued before any of them could voice these thoughts though, so it would have to wait until later.

The scene switched back to a now repaired stadium, where Iida was facing off against Shiozaki. The match was very short, as Iida was able to use his speed to dodge her vines and then just push her out of bounds.

“That was awesome!” “Great job Iida!” Izuku and Uraraka immediately praised. The impressed murmur sounding from the rest of the room showed they weren't the only ones who felt that way.

Jirou let out a low whistle of appreciation. “That may have been the fastest match yet. Except for Kaminari's.”

Kaminari groaned. “Man, you did so good against her that it makes me look even worse.”

“I'm sorry...?” Iida said uncertainly. Kaminari waved him off.

“Nah, you're fine, I get it, I'm just feeling bummed about my match all over again.”

“I'm more impressed that she stayed on her feet that whole time. Shoes aren't exactly meant for that you know? You think she needs new shoes now?” Hagakure wondered. Ashido laughed.

“Yeah Iida! You ever pull this move in the future you better be prepared to go shoe shopping!”

“I would naturally pay back any damages!”

The next match was Tokoyami vs Ashido. This also ended very quickly with Ashido getting pushed out of bounds.

“Ow! My butt!” Ashido complained.

“My apologies.” Tokoyami muttered, looking away awkwardly. Ashido smirked.

“Will you take me shopping as an apology?”

“Why are we all going shopping all of a sudden?” he asked, bewildered. Ashido laughed again.

In the stands, Tsuyu and Mineta talked about how great Dark Shadow was.

Tokoyami could feel his companion's proud preening in his mind, and he gave his friend a mental pat on the head.
Meanwhile, Momo was now feeling just a little bit better about her own loss against Tokoyami. As unsportsmanlike as it was, it helped to see she wasn't the only one to be quickly thwarted by Dark Shadow's power.

Tsuyu noticed how tense Uraraka was, and asked her about it. Uraraka was worried about the fact that Midoriya needed surgery, but Tsuyu and Mineta were both quick to reassure her.

Uraraka smiled warmly at her two classmates. “That was really sweet of you guys, thank you!”

“No problem, kero.”

“Y-yeah! No problem!” Mineta said just a little too loudly. A cute girl like Uraraka was smiling at him...even though he was pretty sure she was more into Midoriya it still felt pretty good. He wrote down what just happened in his own notes. He'd like to get more smiles like that, if he could.

The scene switched back to the nurse's office. Recovery Girl was just finishing using her quirk on Izuku, who was now very tired but healed enough to be able to get around.

“Ugh...” Izuku sank back into the couch as the quirk too affect on screen. “It's probably a bad sign that I'm starting to get used to this, huh?”

There was a buzz of general agreement that, yes, yes it was.

Over with the teachers, Present Mic nudged Aizawa and asked “Does anyone know why she makes that face every single time she uses her quirk?”

“Don't think so, but you could ask.”

“No way, I'm not risking getting on her bad side!”

Izuku's hand was shown to be scarred and a little crooked. Recovery Girl said that was to be expected after all the abuse Izuku had put his arms through.

Several students winced at the sight of Izuku's hands. It said something about how much damage there had been if there was scarring like that even after Recovery Girl used her quirk.

“Hey! Now we match!” Kirishima declared. “Well, kinda anyway. We both have scars from our own quirks now.”

This successfully distracted Izuku from the shock of the permanent damage. “Oh! Is that where the scar on your eyebrow came from?”

“Yeah, I tried to rub my eye just as my quirk really came in. It taught me really quick that if I'm gonna use my quirk I should try to harden my whole body rather than just one part, since I'm still vulnerable to it, you know?”

Izuku nodded along, fragments of ideas going through his mind to later be written in his journals. Meanwhile, Bakugo suddenly wished he'd gotten a scar from his quirk earlier in life. Which confused him because he usually thought of that sort of thing as a sign you don't know what you're doing.

That was why she was going to refuse to heal him from here on out. So they'd have to figure out how to use Izuku's quirk without breaking anything.

“W-what?!” Izuku squeaked. “I can't just, just, figure it out like that!”

Nedzu laughed “Well, not with that attitude you can't!”

“Sir please...”

“Are you really able to do that? I thought as one in a healing position you had a duty to help anyone who needed it.” Momo asked worriedly. Recovery Girl raised an eyebrow at her.

“I'm hardly saying that I plan to leave the boy laying on the ground if he gets hurt again. I'm sure I just mean that I'll treat his wounds in the same way a doctor or nurse without a healing quirk would. Withholding my quirk is never a decision I make lightly, and I'm sure I have a good reason for it.” she tapped her cane against the ground, thinking for a few moments before continuing. “I have not seen the x-rays Midoriya would have had after the fight, so I can't know for sure what my future self's reasoning is, but I can take a good guess. I've seen the damage that can happen when someone breaks the same bones over and over, and that's when it happens over years rather than months. If things continue on like this then it could lead to some very bad consequences.” she sighed “Plus, it's important to remember that, as far as the other me, all those bones were broken for the sake of a single competition. She” Recovery Gestured pointed at the screen “probably sees this as a way of discouraging a student from pulling moves that will badly hurt him for 'frivolous' reasons.”

Momo nodded slowly, taking in Recovery Girl's reasoning. Izuku nodded too, though much more jerkily since he was still very nervous about the whole idea.

“I agree that the sudden cut off is daunting, however this may actually be the best time for it.” All Might tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Internships are the next thing after the sport festival, so we could finally have some dedicated time to figuring out how to solve this problem.”

Recovery Girl gave a sharp nod. “My thoughts exactly, I'm sure. So glad we're on the same page.”

“I guess.” Izuku said slowly. “Still, I've, er, the other me, has only gotten a few non-lethal hits in now, I'm not sure I can get it down to every time after just the internship...”

“You don't have to master it, just make enough progress so that you can have more consistency.” Aizawa pointed out. “Besides, you're a fast learner.”

Izuku's face went a bit red; he was emboldened by such a direct compliment from his homeroom teacher. “Okay, I'll do my best sir!”

Uraraka and Iida shared a look over their friend's head. They both hopped Izuku wouldn't get into too much trouble while the internships were going on.

All Might was thoughtful as he and Midoriya walked down the hall, away from the infirmary. Midoriya asked All Might about how he'd come to UA to look for potential successors, and talked about how he could feel how determined the other students were during the fights. All Might put two and two together and figured out that Midoriya was suggesting someone else at UA might be a more worthy successor than himself.

There were a few sighs and some rolled eyes in response to this, some fond and others exasperated. All Might and Aizawa thought about how their student too easily dismissed his own progress. They both made a note to look out for similar behavior, so it would continue to be addressed even after they left here.

Midoriya himself felt his heart sink. Maybe it really would be better if All Might had chosen one of his classmates, or even a worthy student from general studies. Someone who already had a quirk and knew how to use them better and maybe not break themselves so much...

All Might admitted that someone with a powerful quirk could use One for All to become a very powerful hero. Midoriya was crestfallen, until All Might revealed that he himself had been born quirkless.

Jaws dropped open. Some to loudly exclaim “What?!” or something similar, while others just stared dumbfounded. All Might, known far and wide as one of the greatest heroes ever and the number one pro in Japan, had been born quirkless.

Izuku stared at the screen. A budding warmth started to fill him, ebbing away the shock as he turned to stare at All Might instead.

“You...you never said anything before now.”

All Might scratched the back of his head self consciously. “Well, I received One for All at a fairly young age myself, so it has been quite a while since I've had to deal with anything that comes along with being quirkless. Honestly, it seems like such a far away time now that I hardly even think about it myself, so I guess it just didn't come up.” There had been some things he wanted to forget of course. It may not have been as rare back then, but the quirkless still hadn't been treated very well. Still, that was something he and Midoriya could discuss later, if the boy wanted to. “You didn't ask about it either, which I was surprised by. With how much you write down about hero's quirks, I figured one day I'd have you falling over yourself to ask about my 'original' quirk.”

While Izuku sputtered in shock at his own lapse of thought, Present Mic scratched his chin.

“Huh, have to admit, I didn't see that coming.” he admitted. “Though, maybe I should have? I mean, he never mentioned having any other quirk beside One for All, but I guess a part of me always thought his 'bigger' form had something to do with it.”

“It is interesting that Midoriay doesn't seem to do that size shift, despite having even more power.” Aizawa said. 'This also makes his advice to Midoriya when they first met hold a certain amount of irony.' he thought. He decided not to say anything about it though; Midoriya had enough problems on his plate without making an issue of that one again.

“One for All is certainly a unique quirk, that is certain! I don't doubt we'll discover even more eccentricities as time passes.” Nedzu mused.

Most of class 1A was slowly processing the information, and trying to figure out what to do with it. For many of them, quirk biases had never been much of a problem for them. A few had had issues with people making assumptions based of their quirks, but after seeing how people reacted to a quirkless Midoriya they now knew that wasn't quite the same as what their friend went through. Quirklessness was so rare in their generation that Midoriya, and now All Might, counted as the first quirkless people some of them had actually met. They didn't think they had thought poorly of quirkless people, especially not as poorly as Midoriya's former classmates and teachers had, but it now occurred to them they also hadn't thought much of quirkless people at all. While some would have encouraged Izuku to try to be a hero even if he were still quirkless, none of them had thought of the possibility that All Might may have been quirkless once upon a time. Maybe it would be a good idea for them to think about what exactly that meant for their own biases...

Then there was Bakugo, whose brain had gone into such a shock at this information that he wasn't processing much of anything. He'd already been having a hard time coming to terms with what All Might had said to him after they watched the USJ incident, about how real strength was about not giving up after losing. It just didn't make sense compared to everything he'd always seen and been taught. Everyone around him growing up had said that All Might never lost because he was strong, but then the man himself told him it wasn't like that. Now he'd learned that the same man he'd admired and strived to beat hadn't been born with any power at all. He'd learned that the number one pro hero had more similarities to Deku than to himself.
And he had no idea how to deal with that.

All Might admitted that quirklessness wasn't as rare when he was young, but it was still uncommon. Despite being quirkless, his master believed in him, and helped him become a hero by training him and giving him OfA

While talking about his master, the screen had shown an image of Nana from the back. Yagi's heart ached at the sight of his lost mentor, even though he couldn't see her face. He had some pictures of her, but not much in the way of video. It had been a long time since he'd seen an image of her that looked anything close to alive. A part of him wished Gran Torino was there, even though he was still afraid of the man. He'd been just as close to Nana, and he deserved to see her again too.

A murmur of interest swept through the room. Some of them had wondered about the holders that came before All Might when the nature of his quirk had first been revealed, and they were very interested in the new lead.

“Was your master a famous hero too?” Tsuyu asked, tilting her head at All Might. The man smiled and shook his head slightly.

“She had her fans, I know, but she didn't flaunt her abilities the way I did. It was my plan to become a symbol for the world, not hers.” Thankfully the show continued before anyone could ask why that might be. He caught young Midoriya's gaze as he looked away from young Tsuyu though, and saw the boy was giving him a look similar to the one he gave his notebooks when writing down newly gained information. Yagi nodded at him, confident that young Midoriya had just put together why some of the previous holders might have decided not to draw attention to themselves.

All Might told Izuku that he'd seen something of himself in him, but that Izuku had gone beyond his expectations. There were things only Izuku could do with OfA, he was sure. Izuku was near tears by then, and apologized. All Might just cheerfully told him to take in the rest of the sports festival.

Izuku was having a hard time fighting his own tears as his mentor praised him so highly, and he let them spill over when All Might put an arm around his shoulder and brought the boy into side hug. Uraraka and Iida patted him on the head and shoulders, and hoped that one day their friend wouldn't have such troubles seeing his own worth.

“My, even a beautiful rainbow to top of the scene, my heart cannot handle such sweetness.” Aoyama declared, collapsing against the back of his seat.

Kaminari, who tried to swipe at his own eyes without anyone noticing, laughed. “Yeah man, gotta stick to putting big speeches and reveals at the end of episodes so people can have a moment or whatever.”

“Yeah, going back into the festival now's gonna be some kinda mood whiplash.” Sero agreed.

The scene changed to one of the waiting rooms, where Iida was. He tried to call his brother, but it went to voicemail. Iida wished his brother well.

Iida felt a pang of hurt at that, but squashed it back down. It would be selfish to expect his brother to skip out on his work as a hero to watch Tenya perform live, especially when it could be recorded and watched later.

The scene suddenly changed to show Ingenium. He was running down the street in full costume, shouting orders into an ear piece while sirens went off somewhere.

Iida leaned forward with marked interest. He'd assumed that his brother had been saddled with his usual patrol, but this sounded much more involved than what his brother usually described for his shift. Izuku had his eyes glued to the screen of course. He was eager to see what the hero was up to, on top of being curious as to what his friend's brother might have gotten involved with.

Many of the other students were a bit confused though. They had nothing against seeing Iida's brother, but this seemed like a strange thing to jump to after staying with the sports festival for so long.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere among the teachers was tense. Nedzu had kept track enough to recognize that the show had only taken away focus from the 'main cast' when something relevant to major events was happening, and he couldn't help but wonder just what the Ingenium agency was working on. Aizawa and Yamada glanced at each other, having similar thoughts. They had both known Iida Tensei from school, and were wondering if it was a good thing for him to suddenly show up here.

Ingenium saw something in an alley he passed, and flipped himself into it. When he landed, he called out to his team that he'd found the Hero Killer.

Gasps of alarm mixed with noises of confusion.

“The Hero Killer? Who the heck is that?” Sato asked.

“I-I've heard about him, on the hero news apps I use.” Midoriya stammered, much more nervous than excited now. “Only somewhat, but, that's the name that was given to a villain who has been, uh, well...”

“Killing heroes.” Todoroki stated grimly.

“Um, yeah...” Izuku glanced nervously at his friend.

“Tensei will be fine, he's been a hero a long time and knows how to handle himself.” Iida's voice did not shake, but his hands stayed on his knees gripping the fabric tightly.

“Of, of course! I'm sure he will be!”

“Plus he has back up coming, so he won't be fighting alone.” Uraraka joined in.

“The Hero Killer must have gotten more active recently, if the Ingenium agency was asked to come in and help.” Momo noted.
Iida nodded sharply. “True, and I'm sure they will be successful in catching him.”

The scene changed back to the sports festival, where Bakugo and Kirishima were having their match.

The majority of the class allowed themselves to relax, glad to be back in familiar territory. Iida remained tense however. A part of him desperately wanted to know what was going to happen to his brother, another part of him was afraid of the answer. As confident as he was in his brother, he knew that even skilled heroes could be gravely injured in the line of duty. Some examples of that were sitting right in the room with them. Izuku lay a hand on top of Iida's clenched fist, and Uraraka reached across the back of the couch to lay a hand on his shoulder. He managed a small but grateful smile for them.

Bakugo was having a hard time fighting Kirishima, since his Hardening countered his explosions so well. Tetsutetsu cheered Kirishima on, much to his classmates' bemusement.

“Heh, looks like I made a friend.” Kirishima grinned.

“Good, he can come help you hobble to the infirmary after I beat you.” Bakugo said, resisting the urge to scratch at his face where the on-screen Kirishima had cut him. It was said in a surprisingly subdued way for Bakugo, more of a grumble than a growl.

Izuku came out to watch the match. He bemoaned the fact that he'd missed seeing Iida and Tokoyami advance to the next round.

“Well, at least you got to see them here.” Uraraka pointed out.

“Not that there was much to see.” Jirou said. Momo gave her a look. “What? Both of those match's happened really fast, it's no wonder he missed them.”

Izuku started analyzing the fight, but was interrupted by the arrival of Iida. It was brought up that Iida would be fighting Todoroki, and he told Izuku that he would use Izuku's fight with Todoroki and learn from it.

Mineta made a show of turning to a new page of his notebook. “Lesson #1: Break fewer bones.”

That earned him some giggles and a few surprised chuckles, including one from Izuku. “Yeah, you should try to avoid that if you can.”

“I will try my best if you will.” Iida promised.

“Sounds fair, I'll try.”

Izuku asked if Ingenium was watching, and Iida said he was working. Iida had decided that was for the best though, because he wanted to be able to tell his brother he was number one.

It was a testament to how out of sorts Bakugo was still feeling after earlier revelations that he didn't really register what the on-screen Iida had just said. That may have been for the best.

Their attention was drawn back to the fight below them. Bakugo figured out how and why Kirishima had weakened as the fight went on, and knocked Kirishima out with a bunch of quick and powerful blasts.

Kirishima had just enough time to comment “Damn man, you hit hard!” before is onsxreen self conked out and he was once again pain free.

“You still with us, Shitty Hair?” Bakugo asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I think so...just really weird to get hit hard enough to make you pass out and then wake up fine a second later. Well, painful too, but just as weird.”

Bakugo huffed. “At least the nerd's dumb conversation didn't keep us from seeing how it ended.”

“Oh yeah, that would have been even worse!”

Izuku rejoined his friends, who were happy he was well but surprised he was up. Izuku wanted to be able to see everyone's efforts properly though. The next match was announced, and Iida and Todoroki took the stage.

“Good luck, I hope we'll both do our best.” Iida said to Todoroki. As worried as he was about his own performance and his brother's well-being, he still felt sportsmanship was important.

“It's not really us.” Todoroki pointed out. He frowned slightly after a moment. “But, um, thank you.”

Iida thought about what do. He knew he couldn't counter like Midoriya could, and Todoroki would have more options if he was using his fire now.

Todoroki looked down at his left hand. 'I don't think he'll have to worry about that.'

Todoroki attacked with ice as soon as the match started. Iida tried to run and give himself more time, but soon found the rest of the field blocked off by another ice barrier. When the next attack was aimed at him, Iida did a standing long jump and used his special move to try and kick Todoroki. His first attempt missed, but his second didn't.

Todoroki wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him. 'Damn, I need more practice against fast opponents.'

Momo and Izuku looked over in concern, but kept their places for now.

Iida took advantage of his opponents winded state and grabbed him by the collar. He started to haul him to the edge to throw him out of bounds, but suddenly his engines stalled, the muffler was plugged with ice.

Iida shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Partly because he didn't like where this was going, and partly because it was very strange to feel his engines stutter when they weren't actually on.

Todoroki took advantage of his opponents surprise to freeze Iida in place. It was revealed that Todoroki had managed to ice over his engines when he got kicked. He said he'd tried to watch out for Iida's special move, but he'd still been hit by it.

'Well, maybe I don't need as much practice as I thought. Still something to look out for though.' Todoroki mused.

Iida chattered with the cold. “G-good g-game.”

Todoroki nodded.

Tokoyami hummed thoughtfully. “There was some irony to the last two rounds. Both times the two opposing forces had earlier been a part of the same team, and were now pitted against each other.”

“Guess there's something to be said for choosing your team based off of who you don't want knowing about your weaknesses or moves later.” Sato said.

“Can't really tell who you'll be fighting ahead of time though.” Shoji pointed out.

Todoroki was declared the winner, and Present Mic called attention to Todoroki not using his flames. Endeavor was clearly displeased with his son's 'foolish hesitance'.

Many glares were leveled at the screen.

“Maybe I really should put a little more thought into what goes into the commentary.” Present Mic said thoughtfully.

Iida's friends were shown to be worried about him, and Iida also looked upset about the loss.

Iida frowned. He'd been trying not to dwell on it, since this was only a potential future now, but he was very disappointed in himself for not making it through one more round. The next scene completely dispelled such thoughts from his head though.

The scene changed to an alley once again. The camera panned to reveal Ingenium, lying in a pool of blood, while a menacing voice and shadow declared that all these heroes were fake and only All Might would be allowed to kill him.

Something seized in Iida's chest, and all the blood drained from his face. “No...no that, that can't be, he can't-”

“Iida! Iida breathe!”

“It, it's probably not as bad as it looks! And, and like I said! He had back up coming! His people will be there any second to get him help!”

If Iida were just a little calmer, his friends' words may have had an affect. But as it stood, all he could see was his brother's blood and his brothers broken armor and that villain still there and calling his brother unworthy and-

“Iida.”

Aizawa's firm and steady voice finally drew Iida's attention away from the screen and to his teacher, who was kneeling in front of him.

“Good. Now I need you to breath with me.”

Aizawa continued to give calm and straight forward instructions, and Iida was slowly able to calm down.

“You're still hearing me?”

Iida nodded.

“Good. I know this looks bad, and you have every right to worry. There's still a chance that he could get out of this though, and even if he doesn't, you need to remember we can change things.”

“Change things?”

“It's why we're here isn't it? If we gain enough information here, then we can stop this from happening to Ingenium when we return.”

“We can save him Iida.” Uraraka added, quiet and earnest.

“We will save him.” Izuku's tone left no room for argument.

Iida took a few more deep breaths. “You make an excellent point. I'll...I will try to focus on that.”

Aizawa settled down on the floor next to their couch, just in case, and Uraraka and Midoriya both lent Iida a hand to help ground him as the episode continued.

The scene changed back to the sports festival, just as the match between Bakugo and Tokoyami began.

Tokoyami grimaced. He wasn't very confident that this match would end in his favor, given how directly Bakugo's powers countered his own. They'd managed to keep their distance from Bakugo for most of the cavalry battle, but a one on one fight would doubtless be much more troublesome. He felt Dark Shadow shiver a bit at the memory of Bakugo's explosion, and gave him a few mental pets.

Bakugo attacked over and over while Tokoyami and Dark Shadow did their best to fend him off. Present Mic noted how Tokoyami was completely focused on defense this time around. Bakugo made a comment about being annoyed with this 'thing'.

Tokoyami frowned as deeply as his beak would allow. “Do not refer to Dark Shadow as a thing, he is not an object.”

“The hell am I supposed to say then? It's just your quirk right?” Bakugo challenged.

“Dark Shadow is indeed my quirk, but he has his own intelligence. I will not stand for him being referred to as something other than a living being.”

“An excellent point.” Nedzu cut in. “Dark Shadow is not the only quirk I've heard of that houses some level of sentience, it's truly a fascinating phenomenon. Tokoyami, Dark Shadow, would you be willing to speak to me about your experiences working together some time?” his black eyes shifted slightly to focus on Bakugo. The boy instinctively tensed. “We may even be able to commiserate a bit. It can be so frustrating to have others judge you based off your physical appearance after all.”

Tokoyami looked at the floor for a few seconds, then looked back up to reply. “He seems amenable. Perhaps we can discuss details during the upcoming break.”

“That would be most appreciated, thank you!”

Bakugo found himself having to shake off the strange pressure he'd felt under Nedzu's gaze as the story continued.

Momo and Ashido wondered about why Tokoyami might be doing so poorly. Izuku and Uraraka did the same, but they knew the exact reason why the match up was a bad one.

Momo had wondered if she might actually like to see Tokoyami lose after he'd beaten her so handily in the first round. She was happy to find this was not the case; him losing now wouldn't change her own performance after all. Plus, now that it was confirmed that Dark Shadow wasn't just a thing Tokoyami used, she disliked seeing the shadowy figure getting hit by something so detrimental to it.

Tokoyami's thoughts revealed that things weren't going well. He was running out of 'darkness' and didn't have time to recharge Dark Shadow.

Izuku's eyes widened a bit at what Tokoyami had said. He turned to look at Tokoyami, his curiosity and eagerness written clearly across his face. Tokoyami stared back for a moment, then let out an amused huff.

“You'll have to wait until I'm done speaking with the principle.”

“I can do that! Thanks Tokoyami!” Izuku then started jotting down questions to ask during the break.

Tokoyami managed to fend off Bakugo for a bit longer, but then Bakugo got behind him. He used an attack that caused a lot of light and smoke, which was enough to get him past Dark Shadow to take down Tokoyami. He admitted that he'd figured out Dark Shadow's weakness after attacking for a while, and said he felt for him for the bad match up.

“That was awesome bro! So manly!” Kirishima cheered.

“Gotta agree with that one. I mean, you figured out the weakness and made up an attack to counter it all in one go!” Sero grinned.

“I never said that I only thought of that stun grenade move during the fight.” Bakugo argued. The way he smiled while saying showed how pleased he was though.

“I was kinda hoping that Tokoyami would win since he beat me.” Ashido admitted. “But oh well. You both put on a good show!”

“I'm weirdly impressed that Bakugo admitted it was a bad match up and didn't use the loss as an excuse to call Tokoyami an extra or something.” Uraraka said.

Jirou snorted. “Maybe there's hope for him yet.”

After Bakugo was proclaimed the winner, it was announced that the final match would be between Todoroki and Bakugo. The two stared each other down while the crowd discussed the fight.

All of Bakugo's attention was focused on the back of Todoroki's head. Half and Half had stuck to his ice fighting Glasses, but he better not pull that half-assed shit during the final round.

Todoroki was looking down at his left hand again, wondering if he'd end up resorting to using his fire again during the match. He suspected not. His other self said he'd managed it before due to forgetting his father for a bit, and Bakugo reminded him too much of the man for that to happen during their fight.

Iida rejoined his friends in the stands, saying they'd have to do better against the two leading students next time. Before he could sit down though, he got a phone call from his mother.

All the anxiety that Iida had been distracting himself from came back in full force. Whatever Tensei's fate, he was about to learn it. Izuku and Uraraka were there once again, and he repeated their words to himself. 'We can save him, we will save him.'

Iida wasn't the only tense one in the class of course. Even those who weren't especially close to him stared warily at the screen, bracing for whatever news was about to be revealed.

Iida found a private place to talk. He started to apologize about losing, but his mother brushed him off. She tried to break it gently that there was news about his brother, that 'a villain got him'.

Iida took in a sharp breath. His hands clenched into fists, and something heavy settled throughout his whole body.

“Iida, remember what Aizawa said.” Uraraka urged.

Iida did his best to start up the breathing exercises Aizawa had done with him earlier. After a few steady breaths he'd stopped shaking, which was a weird thing to realize since he hadn't noticed he'd started shaking in the first place.

“Whatever she means by that Iida, we'll find a way to stop it.” Izuku assured him, his voice steadier than Iida had ever heard it before.

After a few more breath's Iida nodded. “We will.” 'I'll make sure of it.'

The rest of the class shifted or murmured in worry, either for their friend or over the fact that there was another villain out there that could take down such a well known hero.

“I wonder if he's affiliated with the League at all...” Momo muttered, looking over a few of her notes.

“I sure hope not.” Jirou said.

The next scene was an extreme close up of the hero killer's face. He smiled far too wide at something off screen, and licked some blood off his blade.

The whole class physically recoiled at the sudden close up. Except for Iida, who stared intently at the screen with narrowed eyes.

“Okay, one, way to close! Two, stop smiling like that. Three, there are so many better things to do with your tongue!” Mineta wailed.

“Shigaraki was creepy enough! I don't need blood licking added to the creepiness we have to deal with.” Hagakure complained.

“Everyone, look away now!”

Any further complaints were cut off by Present Mic's shout. A few students looked at him in surprise, but most everyone found a new direction to look right away.

“Ah, an excellent idea, Yamada. If only some are paying attention to this we can make sure more than one of us has time to take in all the details of this villain's face. I'm sure that will be helpful later, even if it is partly covered in bandages now. This is the first time we've seen him and more than shadow after all, and I hear the police have yet to get a clear description of him in our timeline.”

Once Nedzu was confident they had made note of enough details to be useful, everyone was allowed to look back and the episode continued.

The Hero Killer was shown to be looking down at the alley he'd attacked Ingenium in from a distance. He talked about how society was twisted, and that included the heroes that served it. He suddenly stopped and whipped a sword out when he heard something behind him. This something was Kurogiri, who seemed to be inviting him to talk to the League. The episode ended with Shigaraki staring hungrily a blurry picture of Hero Killer Stain.

“Oh dammit.” Jirou muttered. Louder she said. “If he wasn't a member before it looks like he will be soon.”

“Nooooo...” Hagakure groaned.

“He might not join them.” Present Mic pointed out. “Villains can have very different reasons for doing what they do after all.”

“He did seem to have a strange sort of respect for All Might when he talked about you.” Recovery Girl said to Yagi. “He might end up taking issue with the idea of actually trying to kill you.”

Yagi chuckled wryly. “Wouldn't that be nice.”

“Either way, we'll deal with that as it comes. Let's have another break in the mean time.” Nedzu declared.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Nearly every student came up to express their concern to Iida about him and his brother and some of them also promised to help prevent this from happening. Iida received each one with gratitude, but Uraraka and Midoriya couldn't help but feel there was something a bit off about how he was doing it. Neither could pin point what, and it would honestly be weirder for Iida to be completely fine after seeing those scenes. Still, they couldn't help but worry.

Tokoyami sat at a table with the principle, and drank tea while discussing how his relationship with Dark Shadow worked and how it was similar or different than other sentient quirks the principle had heard of. Tokoyami wasn't sure where he'd gotten this tea exactly, or how he'd made it so quickly. At first he was too busy talking and relaying the words of Dark Shadow to ask. Then once the principle started doling out possible methods they could use to work together even more efficiently, he decided it probably wasn't that important in the long run.

Bakugo stood against the wall, staring at it again. Most assumed he was psyching himself up for however his match with Todoroki would go in the next episode, but they would only partially be right. He was also trying to process the revelation that All Might had been born quirkless.

He wasn't the only one. After talking to Iida, the students ended up mulling over the idea either alone or in small groups. Looking back on it, it really was strange that none of them had even thought of the possibility that All Might may have been quirkless before the torch was passed to him. Those who had quirkless family members thought about their relationships with them. Some wondered if their distant relationship with that family member had anything to do with them being quirkless, while those who were closer tried to think if they'd ever acted dismissively toward them. Plus there were other issues that came up.

“I remember All Might telling Midoriya to try out for the police force. You think they would have accepted him?”

“It's hard to say. I mean, the police can't use their quirks in quite the same way pro heroes can, but they still use them sometimes right?”

“I think they have to get special permission or something, but yeah, some do. I wonder how open different precincts would be to an officer without a quirk...”

*_*

“Do you, do you think Midoriya would have been treated the same way at UA as he was in middle school if he still didn't have a quirk when he came?

“I'd like to think the teachers would step in more, but I don't know about the other kids. Maybe it would depend on what department he got into.”

“You think Midoriya would have gotten transferred to the hero course if he got into Gen Ed instead?”

“If anyone could do it, he could.”

*_*

“I wonder how common Midoriya's experience was. You think all quirkless kids go through stuff like that?”

“I don't know...at least some probably do.”

“You ever think they try to find each other? Like, is there a quirkless support group out there somewhere?”

“It wouldn't surprise me.”

*_*

“You think people would still look up to All Might as a whole if it was known he used to be quirkless.”

“I'd like to think his actions would speak louder than any stereotypes, but after seeing what Midoriya went through...”

*_*

Nedzu may have overheard these discussion topics and extended his talk with Tokoyami longer than he'd originally planned. No need to cut those sorts of discussions off too quickly after all, and Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were a truly fascinating pair.

Chapter Text

The episode started with Todoroki in a student waiting room. He stared at his hand as memories of his mother and Midoriya ran through his head. He mused about how he'd never considered certain things until Midoriya had said something.

The class shifted uncomfortably when the images of Todoroki's mother appeared again. They'd already intruded on their classmate's traumatic past enough for one day.

Izuku was unsure of how to feel about this. A part of his brain said he should be happy that his actions were having an affect on Todoroki even after the fight, while another part felt bad that he was partially responsible for Todoroki struggling right before the final match.

Todoroki himself just took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was going to be even more distracted during the final fight, now that he was facing Bakugo and that he'd had time for Midoriya's words to sink in a bit. He probably wasn't going to do as well as he normally would, he might even lose. He was surprised that the idea didn't bother him as much as it would have previously.

Todoroki's thoughts were disrupted by Bakugo kicking the door open. After a brief exchange Bakugo realized he was at the wrong waiting room.

“Oh, that's not so bad. I thought he went there on purpose to talk about the whole 'declaring war' thing again.” Hagakure said.

Todoroki turned away from Bakugo dismissively, which made Bakugo angry.

“Looks like you spoke too soon.” Ashido said.

Bakugo brought down a fiery fist and demanded to know where Todoroki was looking. Todoroki was unruffled, and simply noted that Midoriya had said the same thing to him, and blown away so much of his prior thinking. He asked Bakugo if Midoriya had been like that when he was younger too.

“Bakugo used intimidation. It wasn't very effective.” Kaminari intoned. Several people laughed and giggled in response. Jirou was among them.
“Absolutely no fucks were given.” she said, earning more laughter.

Bakugo, despite still being out of sorts about the reveal of All Might previously being quirkless, was present enough to be incensed by Todoroki's continued dismissal and focus on Deku. 'It's always about Deku. Some way or another, things always go back to him.'

The teachers were taking this scene in a much different light than most of the students. Normally they'd just be happy to see a student not raising to the bait Bakugo was setting, but now they knew more. They knew that there was a very high chance that Endeavor's 'training methods' were likely the reason Todoroki had so little reaction to a fire being used so closely to him.

Memories of Deku made Bakugo angry enough to kick the table away from Todoroki. He declared that he didn't care about Todoroki's family situation or feelings, and demanded the other boy use his flames no matter what before storming out.

“How rude!” Aoyama declared with a sniff of disdain.

“So not manly dude...”

“You saying you wouldn't go off on someone who brushed you off right before fighting you?” Bakugo challenged.

“That's, I mean-” Kirishima stumbled over his words loudly before suddenly getting quieter. “I mean, I'd be pissed off about it yeah, but that doesn't make it okay to yell at someone about their history of abuse!”

“He may not know that's what Bakugo was talking about.” Shoji pointed out. “The way he phrased it was pretty vague.”

“Yeah, Todoroki and Midoriya don't know you overheard them talking in this timeline.” Sato reminded them.

“Oh yeah, he wouldn't know that.” Kirishima's brow furrowed. “But I'll bet he's wondering if you know now, so you probably just made him more confused."

'Which means he's gonna be stuck in his head even more than before.' Bakugo realized. He ran a hand down his face. “Fuck.”

“Are you okay, Todoroki?” Momo asked in concern. The boy shrugged.

“Hard to get too worked up about Bakugo when I've dealt with Endeavor my whole life.”

“I'm sorry, Todoroki.” Izuku murmured, feeling partially responsible once again. Todoroki shook his head.

“You were trying to help him in those memories. Not your fault he has a bad reaction to it.”

The camera focused on Bakugo's wide smile as he walked away, internally declaring how he was going to beat Todoroki completely.

“Dude, I'm gonna need you to dial that smile down a couple notches.” Sero said, making the motion of turning a dial in the air.

“Yeah, you're gonna scare all the girls watching the match.” Mineta said.

“Like I give a shit about that!” Bakugo really didn't care if he scared any audience members. However, he was a little disturbed by how much his smile looked like the one he'd been wearing during the battle trial against Deku.

The two boys were shown to be on the stage now, with various audiences watching. As soon as the match started, Todoroki sent out waves of ice. Bakugo deflected them as fast as he could, but he was soon overtaken by a huge glacier. Midoriya noticed that the glacier was more focused than what he'd used on Sero, and the audience wondered if it was over already.

Tsuyu shook her head. “That doesn't seem likely with these two.”

“Don't you dare count me out that fast!” Bakugo snarled at the screen.

Midoriya felt a small part of himself unwind at his other self's observation. At least Todoroki wasn't at the same level of emotional turmoil that his father had caused earlier.

A strange pulsing was felt and heard through the stadium, which turned out to be Bakugo's explosions as he blasted his way out of the mountain of ice. He threw himself at Todoroki, and managed to grab his 'fire side' while yelling about being underestimated. Todoroki managed to get out of Bakugo's grip and circle his way around him. When Bakugo went for him again, Todoroki grabbed Bakugo's arm with his left arm. In the stands, Endeavor yelled at Todoroki to use his fire.

The students were on the edge of their seats watching the fight, eager to know how a clash between two of their most powerful classmates would go down compared to the previous one. Those that were curious about whether or not Todoroki would use his fire stopped wondering after that though.

“Well, there went any chance that Todoroki would use all of his quirk.” Kirishima sighed.

Bakugo ground his teeth, but knew Kirishima was right. Half and Half had outright stated that forgetting about Endeavor was what made him use his fire before, and there was no chance of that happening now.

“He couldn't even remember what Todoroki said after his match with Midoriya well enough to know that was a bad idea? How has this guy managed to stay at #2 so long?” Ojiro wondered. Tokoyami hummed an agreement.

“It seems the man has gotten far too used to ignoring his family's words and desires.”

As predicted, Todoroki chose to throw Bakugo rather than use his fire. When Bakugo landed he accused Todoroki of messing around and asked if he wasn't strong enough to make Todoroki use his fire.

“I don't think that's the problem here.” Sero pointed out.

“I haven't overheard every conversation Half and Half has had.” Bakugo reminded him irritably. Katsuki wasn't stupid. As much as he bitched and moaned at Todoroki for not taking his fight with him seriously, he knew the other boy's reluctance to use his fire wasn't truly about him. That somehow made it worse though. Katsuki was Todoroki's opponent, Katsuki should have been the other boy's focus, yet all Half and Half could think of was his shitty father and the nerd. Why was it that people gave him praise for his quirk when he didn't do anything but when he was actually trying to earn it they ignored him?

'That's another thing he has in common with my old man.' Todoroki thought to himself 'Somehow, things are always about him, no matter what evidence to the contrary there is. Even if Bakugo hadn't overheard my talk with the old man, that doesn't mean there isn't evidence that this isn't about him.'

Aizawa started to give more of his rare commentary. He noted how Bakugo's moves showed how closely he'd been paying attention to Todoroki's previous fights, and how much his skills showed in each fight. Todoroki was doing well too, but it was clear he was still off his game since his fight with Midoriya.

Some of Bakugo's ire eased at his teacher pointing out his efforts, but the reminder of Midoriya's affects on his opponent still had him scowling.

Midoriya's almost apologized to Todoroki automatically, but stopped himself. He had to remind himself that, despite his anxiety making him feel bad about affecting Todoroki's final match, he didn't regret what his other self had said. He didn't regret breaking through the walls Todoroki had built around himself and his own potential; it was needed even if it was unpleasant.

Bakugo yelled at Todoroki, saying he wanted a complete victory and that his victory wouldn't matter if Deku was still higher than him by making Todoroki go all out. He rushed at Todoroki, and Todoroki started to stand down as he got lost in how unsure he was of his own goals. But then Midoriya yelled from the stands for Todoroki not to give up. Only then did Todoroki start to use his left side, as the ice melted off of him and flames burst to life.

Cheers went up, either in support of Todoroki or just in the excitement of it all. Aizawa found himself frowning instead though. It wasn't the first time Bakugo had expressed the idea that nothing mattered if he wasn't number 1, but it was one of the times he'd said it so blatantly. It was definitely something that needed to be addressed. After all, not being in first place didn't mean that your own accomplishments and efforts were worth nothing. The problem lay in getting that idea through Bakugo's stubbornness.

'It always come back to Deku.' Bakugo's mind whispered again. This time that thought was outweighed by his excitement though. Finally, he was going to see himself fight Half and Half at full strength!

A rush of warmth spread through Izuku when he saw the ice melting off of Todoroki's skin. He did that, it was his words that had broken through to Todoroki once again. Is this what All Might had meant about interfering being part of being a hero?

Bakugo was very pleased by this development. He threw himself up and into an impressive spinning attack. Todoroki moved to counter it, but something stopped him. Something brought thoughts of his father and mother back to mind, and he extinguished his flames just before Bakugo struck and the stage was covered in a cloud of smoke and debris.

If Bakugo were capable of it, his hands would have been popping with small explosions. “WHAT THE HELL! Why-!”

“Todoroki!”

Bakugo's rant was cut off by Momo's cry. Unnoticed by the explosive teen, the moment the blast hit, Todoroki had doubled over in pain. A couple seconds later, and he was sliding off his seat and toward the floor. Momo leaped from her seat and managed to catch him before he fell all the way down. Midoriya wasn't far behind her, and Uraraka and Iida followed along after him.

“Is he okay?” Uraraka asked anxiously, looking over Momo's shoulder.

“I think his other self must been knocked out.” she replied. She moved to push dazed boy back into his seat and Midoriya and Iida quickly moved to help her, despite Todoroki's quiet protests. By the time that was done Recover Girl had made her way over.

“Quick reflexes you've got there Miss Yoayorozu. Thank you very much for saving him from any bonks to the head.”

“Of course.”

“Well, looks like that awesome spinning attack did it's job.” Kaminari said, looking over at the scene surrounding Todoroki.

“We can't know that, not with Half and Half chickening out at the last second.” Bakugo grumbled. He was still cursing internally, he just didn't want to get in trouble for doing it out loud and disturbing Recovery Girl's work or something. Aizawa had already given him a look when he started yelling earlier.

Kirishima grimaced. “I mean, I get it, but yeah, it kinda sucks that now we won't know which of those attacks would have won out.”

When everything settled, Todoroki was shown to be laying unconscious out of bounds. Bakugo did not take this well. He knew Todoroki had not used his fire at the last second, and he grabbed the unconscious boy by the front of his uniform and demanded once again why the other boy was screwing around and giving him a pointless victory. Midnight used her quirk to knock him out before he could say anymore, and she declared Bakugo the victor.

Now it was Kirishima's turn to steady Bakugo as he slumped when Midnight's quirk affected his other self. Given how his other self was reacting to the end of that fight, him being suddenly out of it might not be a bad thing. To be honest though, Bakugo wasn't the only one who felt that the end of that fight was...unsatisfying.

“That was...uncomfortable.” Jirou admitted. Normally she didn't have much patience for the specific brand of arrogance that Bakugo gave off, but there had been something about the way he'd been at the end of that fight. His words were more raw than usual, like he was truly upset rather than just angry.

“Yeah,” Kirishima looked down at Bakugo with worry, then over at the groups surrounding Todoroki “that whole thing just...it feels unfinished. For both of them.”

Nedzu hummed thoughtfully. “Typically the final round of the Sports Festival is meant for the best of the year to, well, show off their best efforts. Due to the circumstances, neither one of them was truly able to do so. So it is understandable that things feel unresolved.”

The scene skipped ahead to the award ceremony. Midnight announced it, and much confetti was blasted off as the podiums for first, second and third place came into view. Tokoyami was on third, Todoroki on second, and Bakugo was first as expected. What was unexpected was the fact that Bakugo was muzzled, cuffed, and tied to the stand, and this appeared to be the only thing keeping him on the stand at all since he was struggling so much.

This received a variety of reactions. There were some snorts, either of surprise or amusement, but most looked highly uncomfortable. There was a quiet but heartfelt 'What the fuck?' from Kirishima. Bakugo was clenching his teeth, trying to ignore the bite of the restraints pulling on his limbs and the embarrassment that colored his cheeks and sat heavy in his stomach.

Izuku stared at the sight in shock, then started biting his lip. He didn't like arguing with his teachers, but... “Was that...really necessary?” he asked slowly.

“Hmph, I was just wondering the same thing myself.” Recovery Girl said. “If the boy was in such a state and for the length of time implied he should be getting either treated or talked to, not shoved in front of the media against his will! I know how this whole thing was supposed to help UA keep its image going strong but I fail to see how making a student look like a rabid animal in front of the press is going to help with that, much less with the young man's mental state!”

The rest of the teachers took in Recovery Girl's words, and stared at the screen in growing shame.

“Yeah that's...this really wasn't a good idea. For anyone really.” Present Mic cringed as he spoke.

“It would probably have been better to make up some excuse for why he couldn't go up.” Aizawa agreed.

“Hmmm, it's possible I may have approved this in the hopes that it would forcibly calm down or humble the boy.” Nedzu admitted. He knew he had a hard time understanding humans sometimes still. “But seeing the actual result, I find it hard to justify such a thing.”

All Might suddenly remembered how Bakugo had reacted to be recognized from the slime villain incident before, and grimaced. This event would have a very similar affect, and on a much grander scale. “I agree. You should not have been put in such a position young Bakugo. I apologize that any of us allowed this to happen in this timeline, and I will try to stop it from happening to you or anyone else in the future.”

“...I don't need your pity.” Bakugo muttered lowly.

“We're not pitying you.” Aizawa explained. “We're realizing that we put you in a bad situation and apologizing for apparently being okay with it. Physical attacks from villains aren't the only thing we're supposed to protect our students from, harassment from the media also counts, and this will likely open up a big opportunity for that to happen. I can't say I approve of the behavior we're seeing, but we should have responded to it differently.”

“...okay...”

Not knowing what else to do or say, people put their attention back on the show.

As the cameras flashed, Mignight said that Iida shared third place, but had left for family reasons.

The already uncomfortable atmosphere got even heavier as they were all reminded what Iida was going through. The boy himself sat rigidly in his seat, fists clenched on his knees.

Izuku was shown remembering Iida explaining the situation to him and Uraraka. She asked how Ingenium was doing, and Iida admitted he didn't have details and was leaving to see him.

Iida clenched his jaw, and desperately wished his mother had given his other self more details.

Midoriya mentally wished for both Iida brothers to be well, and Iida was shown riding the train.

Midoriya wasn't the only one wishing dearly for things to be alright. Nearly everyone in the room sent out a wish or a prayer or crossed their fingers, hoping things would be alright.

'I'll save him, no matter what.' Iida thought.

Midnight announced that the medals would be handed out, and All Might appeared to do so. The two heroes accidentally talked over each other as he landed.

A small chorus of chuckles and giggles swept through the room at how the pros reacted to the faux pas, and a bit of the tension eased a bit.

All Might gave Tokoyami his third place metal. He hugged the boy, quietly giving advice on how to improve his versatility as he did so.

“Thank you, sir, I'll take that to heart.”

All Might smiled at Tokoyami. When the boy looked away, his gaze shifted to Iida's stiff back. He wished his other self had a chance to learn what was going on and give him some comfort.

He gave silver to Todoroki, noting that there must have been a reason he didn't use his fire during the last round. Todoroki admitted to feeling unsure of himself after his fight with Midoriya, and that he was starting to see what All Might saw in him.

Izuku turned red at the praise, and Todoroki also looked like he was blushing a bit. Ashido raised her eyebrows at Aoyama and he gave the two boys a speculative look.

Todoroki said he wanted to settle something before moving forward. All Might praised him and said he was confident Todoroki would do what he needed to do.

All Might let out a small sigh. A part of wished he'd taken his own advice and pried a bit more despite Todoroki seeming not to need it anymore. The more reasonable part of him said it would be more likely to make Todoroki clam up until the boy had time to process the events of the day. He just hoped Enji wouldn't do anything bad because of his son earning second rather than first.

All Might got to first place. He took the muzzle off and congratulated Bakugo on coming through with his speech's promise. Bakugo angrily replied that first place like this wasn't worth anything. The affect was somewhat mitigated by the expression Bakugo was making.

Even more people laughed this time. Even if the whole 'tied to the podium' things was messed up, there was no denying how weirdly funny Bakugo's intense expression was.

“I'm sorry dude, but your expression just- pfff!” Sero covered his mouth to try and stop laughing so much.

“You look like you're about to transform into a demon or something!” Kaminari giggled.

Bakugo ground his teeth together. 'Damn extras, when this happens in real life I'm not gonna let this slide! Every one of my victories will be undisputed or they won't happen!'

All Might tried to give him the medal, saying he could think of it as a wound. Bakugo tried to avoid it, but All Might managed to hook it on his teeth and called it a day.

This earned just a few snickers this time.

“I don't know how to feel about this.” Jirou confessed. “The whole things is simultaneous very funny but also super weird and just...”

“I understand what you mean. If he were untied and a similar exchange happened in a more private setting then this might be amusing, but putting it on display makes everything uncomfortable.” Momo agreed.

Bakugo relaxed his jaw just a bit when All Might called the medal a wound. At least the number one pro understood his feelings a bit.

All Might made a speech to the crowd, saying that anyone could have made it to these podiums and that everyone here would continue to compete and improve. In the middle of this, a close up of Shigaraki's face was shown, before it switched back to the Festival where All Might messed up the ending cheer.

Students grimaced at the sudden reminder that Shigaraki had been watching the whole time. Bakugo felt hot with anger at the thought of that whole display being shown to the villains as well as the crowds.

“This ending really isn't giving us a break.” Hagakure whined.

“Tell me about it.” Ashido said. None of them had even managed a laugh at the botched cheer after that reminder.

Izuku's voice was heard, saying how 'worthy opponent' could also mean 'friend' in their current environment.

Bakugo scoffed at the idea, but Izuku found himself glancing over at Todoroki. The two boy's eyes met, and Izuku gave him a smile and small wave. Todoroki returned the wave.

The kids were shown gathered in the classroom that evening, Bakugo still shaking. Aizawa announced that they wouldn't have school for a couple days so that intern requests could be received and sorted through. Izuku thought about how things were changing, and the scene switched to the Hosu General Hospital.

Iida sat forward so fast he nearly fell off the couch. He and the others watched with baited breath.

Iida bowed to a receptionist, then ran down the hall.

Several people looked at that with wide eyed surprise, and Uraraka and Izuku shared a worried look. Things were definitely bad for Iida to so blatantly ignore a rule like that. Not that anyone could blame him, of course.

Iida ran up to his mother, and immediately asked how his brother was doing. Before she could even reply he was yanking open the hospital room's door. His mother urged him to put on a mask, but Iida could only stare at his brother.

Gasps and soft curses were heard around the room at the sight of Ingenium. He was hooked up to machines and had a big bandage over his stomach and more covered his head.

Tensei was alive. That news alone should have been some comfort to Tenya, but the ice in his veins didn't dissipate. How could it? His brother, the man he'd looked up to for his whole life, who he'd often thought strong enough to endure anything, was laying battered and unresponsive in a hospital bed. Him being alive was infinitely better than the alternative, but there was no way he could feel okay when Tensei was in such a state. He felt a hand rest on top of his fist. He wasn't sure which of his friends it belonged to, as the only thing he could do in response was hunch in on himself.

The doctor explained that Ingenium was still in a haze from the operation, and that if he'd been brought in just a couple minutes later it would have been too late.

Iida flinched, and tears started to fall. Just a couple minutes, that how close Tensei had been to dying.

“We'll stop this Iida. We'll figure out how to save him.” Uraraka said, quietly. Izuku couldn't say anything, his own tears were making it too hard, but he nodded vigorously to show his agreement.

Once again, Iida latched onto the words. “We'll stop this. We'll save him.” he uttered the words lowly and fiercely. He would make them be true, no matter what.

Tensei opened his eyes, and acknowledged his mother and brother. Tenya hurried to his side, and gripped the rails of the bed. Tensei expressed shame at failing when his brother looked up to him so much, and apologized for losing. That's when the dam broke, and Tenya cried over his brother's bed.

Tenya's body shook as he crumbled in on himself. He felt the tears spill from his eyes, and knew they were his own and not just an affect from Truth's abilities. Because there was no way he could have felt everything he was feeling in that moment and held it all inside, it simply wouldn't have been possible.

His brother. His amazing, kind, heroic brother was laying in what could have been his death bed. He lay there, and he apologized to Tenya for losing to a villain when Tenya couldn't even win against a support student. If there was anyone who was unworthy here, it was himself!

He felt someone tug at his shoulders, and didn't resist as he was guided to slump against them. A pair of arms squeezed him around his middle, and a separate hand rested against his back. They were the only thing that kept him from spiraling completely as he sobbed.

Izuku met Uraraka's eyes over Iida's shoulder. They didn't murmur words of saving anyone or fixing things, they simply let Iida mourn this possible future, but their gaze held a promise to each other. They would protect their friend from this future.

The others in the room silently battled with themselves as well. They didn't want to look too closely at such a private, vulnerable moment for Iida, but the tragic intensity of the scene also made it hard to look away. For Aizawa and Mic, who had known Tensei personally, it was even harder. Uraraka and Izuku weren't the only ones to make a silent vow in that moment.

After a short view of Stain, and a moment of darkness,

Iida was still in too much of a state to see this part, which may have been for the best. That didn't stop plenty of others from shooting hateful looks at the villain's back though.

The scene switched to the Todoroki house, where Shoto was telling a woman with white and red hair he was going to the hospital.

The atmosphere in the room didn't dissipate despite he scene change. It was too heavy to change so quickly, and people were partly worried that being at the Todoroki house meant they would see more upsetting things.

“Is that your sister?” Momo asked quietly. When Todoroki confirmed she was, she nodded thoughtfully. “I'm glad you get to see and talk to her now. It looked like you didn't before.”

“We weren't completely separated before. The house was only so big after all.” memories ran through Todoroki's mind, of Fuyumi doing what little she could to warn him about his father's moods and keep the peace in the household. “But we do see each other more now. Which is...it's nice.”

Fuyumi worriedly asked if it was okay for Shoto to go without telling their father.

“Endeavor deserves nothing. Todoroki could never say another word to the man and he would deserve it.” Aoyama declared.

“True.” Ojiro agreed. “I just hope he doesn't get in trouble for it.”

Fuyumi asked why her brother was going to visit their mother so suddenly. Shoto didn't answer, just said he'd be back and left.

Todoroki nodded to himself. He'd been pretty sure that visiting his mother was what his other self meant by going to the hospital, since he was pretty sure that's what he'd been referring to when he talked to All Might as well. He knew now that he wouldn't be able to truly start toward his goals without settling things better with his mother. He took a deep breath, and let it back out. He just hoped it went well.

The words Todoroki's mother had spoken before burning him echoed in his mind as he walked. His thoughts revealed that he had never visited because believed his presence would only cause his mother more grief. He was sure she was still bound by her past with both him and his father, but that's why he had to do this to move forward.

People once again felt torn for looking into such private thoughts and emotions, but they couldn't help but be on the edge of their seats. They wanted both Todoroki and his mother to be okay, or at least be able to take the first steps toward that.

Todoroki hesitantly opened the door to his mother's room, only finding the strength to do so when he remembered her words of encouragement from long ago. His mother sat by the window, and when Todoroki called for her, she began to turn toward him.

Many, including Todoroki, couldn't help but remember the pain and fear that she had shown the last time she faced him, and held their breath as she began to move.

She faced the camera, and gazed at Todoroki with nothing but surprise. Todoroki vowed to himself that he would save her from here, and that would be his starting line.

Tension leaked out of the room like a sieve. Finally, finally something was starting to go right for at least one of them this episode.

“I'm really happy for you Todoroki.” Momo said. A small chorus of soft agreements followed.

“Thank you.” 'It's only a first step, but like I said, it is just the starting line.'

Over with the teachers, Present Mic was drying his eyes of tears while Recovery Girl patted his shoulder.

Izuku was still holding Iida. Iida's sobs had mostly quieted now, but he still leaned on Izuku for support while Uraraka rubbed soothing circles across his shoulder blades. Despite the anguish at seeing one of his best friends in such a state, Izuku felt a bit of warmth return to him at seeing Todoroki take such an important step.

For a moment the episode seemed to be over, then they saw Uraraka walking home some time later. When she got home she found the door unlocked, and when she opened the door her parents scrambled down to her like a couple of crazy people.

People got tense when Uraraka found the door unlocked, suddenly expecting more bad news. So on screen Uraraka wasn't the only one to shriek when her parents appeared. Once it was revealed who they were though, the room collectively slumped.

“Yeesh Uraraka, your parents are gonna give me a heart attack.” Ashido complained.

“I hope in the future you'll be smarter about responding to your own door being unlocked. You should have called someone instead of just going in yourself.” Aizawa chided.

“Heh, sorry about that! I'll definitely be more careful!” She assured with false cheer. When Uraraka had opened the unlocked door and suddenly been rushed, Iida had stiffened and grabbed her hand in a vice grip. It didn't take a genius to put together that, in that moment, he was terrified that someone else he cared about was about to be attacked. His grip had loosened now, but he still held her hand. “It's okay Iida, I'm fine. I'm right here.” she said softly.

Her parents cheerfully declared that they had come to throw her a party in honor of how well she'd fought. Once she got over her shock, Uraraka was touched and joyful to see her parents.

Seeing one of their classmates so happy, the class couldn't help but forgive the jump scare.

“I guess we know where she gets her cheerfulness from now, kero.”

“Yeah, when they aren't giving me heart attacks your parents seem really awesome.” Ashido teased.

“They are, they really are.” Despite everything, Uraraka felt herself smile as she looked at her parents.

The scene switched to Izuku's home. Inko was explaining to her son that she fainted 7 times during the whole sports festival. Unfortunately Izuku was a little too distracted trying to eat with his non-dominant hand. He did say that she was more heroic than him, which she agreed with in a deadpan way.

The class couldn't help but giggle a bit at the whole exchange.

“I'd say she was heroic to continue watching despite fainting so much.” Yagi joked.

“I rather hope she got a check up as well. Losing consciousness so often sounds unhealthy for the brain.” Momo noted.

“I believe she would have been fine with some rest and relaxation. Though I'm not sure how well she would manage that with this one around.” Recover Girl pointed her cane at Izuku.

Iida, now feeling the exhaustion one does after anguished crying, had now slumped back into the couch. Iida actually let out a breath of the laugh at the nurse's words, which made Izuku feel light enough that he hardly felt embarrassed for once. He did hope that he helped Mom recover from her watching, and didn't just let her take care of him exclusively.

Inko recalled how Izuku had 'explained' suddenly getting a quirk, and how happy she had been for him. But she also said that supporting him didn't mean she wouldn't worry. Izuku thought about her, and the others he'd worried during the festival, and became all the more determined to find a way to go forward without worrying anyone.

Bakugo snorted in amusement. Like that was ever going to happen. He knew Izuku's mother worried about anything and everything, and it seemed like Deku was even more of a trouble magnet now that he was before.

Unknowing of his former friend's thoughts, Izuku nodded along with his other self's words. He had to figure One for All out, one way or another, both to live up to expectations and to live up to his vow to help and protect Iida from this future.

One last scene showed Bakugo yelling 'die!' at his own mouth as he brushed his teeth so hard it was a wonder his gums didn't bleed. His mother yelled at him about the yelling.

Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero fell over themselves laughing at the scene.

“You're dentist isn't very happy with you is he?” Kirishima asked.

“Shut up!”

“Seriously though, how many brushes to you go through? You wanna bet whether is lower or higher than the amount I go through?”

“...You're on.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Finally, the episode was at an end. Nedzu declared that it was about time that they had another break to eat, relax, and sleep. If anyone knew that this was partially motivated by giving people, especially Todoroki and Iida, time to recover from the emotional roller coaster of the last several episodes, no one brought it up.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Since they had some extended down time, some of the students decided to try out the kitchen they had found. Sato immediately started gathering ingredients to make a bunch of different kinds of cookies, since he really felt the need for a sugary pick me up and figured that others might too. Hagakure, Ashido, and Koda all volunteered to help him out; though Koda ended up being his main helper since Hagakure and Ashido were a little more interested in eating the dough rather than putting it on the pan.

Bakugo, to many people's surprise, ended up taking over a portion of the large kitchen to do some cooking. He accepted assistance in watching over the food only from Kirishima, though a couple times he ordered a passerby to grab some ingredient or utensil for him. Kirishima and Bakugo talked a bit while they did meal prep.

“It just sucks that everyone seems to go gaga for the thing I was born with instead of the things I do for myself, ya know.” Bakugo had muttered quietly at one point.

“You're right, that does suck.”

While some may have said that he put a little too much force into chopping and crushing some of the ingredients, no one could deny that it all tasted delicious and that Bakugo seemed calmer when he was done.

*_*_*

Outside the kitchen groups of students stretched and talked.

“You think there are other pros out there like Endeavor?” Shoji asked, slowly working kinks out of his numerous muscles.

“You mean others that use the light provided by the title of hero to hide their darkness?” Tokoyami asked from his place next to Jirou on the back of the couch.

“Yeah, I mean, I never thought heroes were perfect, but I never thought one would do something as bad as abuse.”

“Neither did I, though that may have been naive. The brighter the light the darker the shadow after all.”

Ojiro, who had been stretching alongside Shoji, spoke up. “I guess I'm not exactly surprised. I mean, history class alone has all sorts of accounts of people using positions of power to get away with crimes. Still, the thought of it just...it's infuriating as well as disappointing. I mean, heroes are supposed to be all about helping people. Even if they get money and stuff, helping is supposed to be at the core of it.”

“It's like finding out a doctor has been secretly hurting their patients for their own benefit.” Jirou agreed. “They're in a position where people are supposed to be able to trust them, but then they twist that trust to get away with awful stuff.”

“So how many pros do that?” Shoji wondered.

No one had an answer for that, not with the information they had here. All they could do was hope it wasn't many, and vow to try and keep an eye on their fellow heroes once they made it that far.

*_*_*

In another corner of the room, Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka knelt around a table, discussing how to stop the attack on Tensei. Uraraka and Midoriya had offered to make sure Iida got some alone time if he wanted it, but he had made it clear that right now he was much more interested in doing something rather than sitting around.

“Would it have to be anything overly complicated?” Uraraka asked “I mean, if we get the teachers to back up our story of having future information, couldn't we just tell Tensei what happens so he could stay away from the investigation?”

Iida shook his head. “I'm afraid that simply wouldn't be enough. Even if we told Tensei what happens, I don't believe he would just give up looking for the hero killer. Especially not if he believed it might lead to another being hurt in his place.”

“Well, then we'll just have to go bigger then.” Izuku reasoned. “I mean, Tensei might not stop on his own, but if the teachers can convince your agency and a few others that we have accurate information, then they could possibly use it to track down Stain and coordinate an attack against him. That way there would be a whole group there to take him down rather than just one person getting cornered.”

“But we don't have any information about where Stain is or anything.” Uraraka pointed out.

“Not yet we don't, but I'm willing to bet that this isn't the last we've seen of Stain. I don't think Truth would have gone out of their way to show him off as much as they have if this would be his only appearance, especially since we don't know how his meeting with the League went.”

“Oh, I'd forgotten about that...”

“Then I will take a page out of your book, Midoriya. During the next episodes, I will write down any scrap of information we get about Stain, and make sure it is remembered and passed on.” Iida promised. 'And if the agencies don't make appropriate use of it, then I can use it to track down Stain myself before he has a chance to get anywhere near Tensei.'

*_*_*

Aizawa had called Todoroki over just after the break began, and the boy found himself sitting in front of both his teacher and the principle. They had praised him for his decision to try and reconnect with his mother, and offered their help in finding resources to help his mother's living situation as well as his own. Todoroki was grateful for it, if a little confused. He wasn't sure why they cared so much, doing this was going beyond their obligation to keep him from getting hurt at school after all. He hoped they followed through. Fuyumi had told him once that she'd tried to tell one of her teachers about what happened at home, but as far as she knew nothing had come of it.

After Aizawa and Nedzu left, he was approached by All Might.

“I wanted to make sure you knew that I agree with my other self said to you during the award ceremony. I have confidence you will find your own way forward despite all that your father has done to keep it from happening. However I...I wanted to make sure that you are alright with my presence. I know you have said that you do not hold me responsible for your father's actions, but I would understand if you felt uncomfortable despite that. I also wanted to make sure that my position as your teacher has not caused trouble for you at home.”

“I'm not uncomfortable, and my old man wasn't mad about you being one of my teachers. He said I should use the time to figure out any weakness you might have so I can surpass you easier someday.”

“...ah.”

“I don't plan on telling him about your quirk or anything.”

“Oh, no! Of course not, I didn't think you would. I was just struck once again by how oblivious I've been concerning that man. However, I am glad to hear that I'm not causing you any further trouble, but if anything I do does then please let me know.”

Then, after All Might had taken his leave. Todoroki found himself standing with Iida.

“Though I regret that we have intruded on private matters of you family life when you would normally have chosen to keep them more private, I wanted to wish you well in any attempts you take to move forward once you leave here.” Iida said

“Thanks.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. I hope it can be stopped.” Ingenium sounded like a good hero, after all. Todoroki didn't think someone like Iida would look up to him so much if he wasn't.

“It will be. Midoriya, Uraraka, and I are already starting to make plans.”

“That's good, Midoriya's good at that.” he thought for a moment. “Uraraka can be good at it too. If you need any additional strength, I could help.” It would be nice to help Midoriya with something after he helped Todoroki so much after all, and he wasn't opposed to getting to know his classmates better now.

“That is appreciated, thank you. Would you perhaps like to eat with us? It sounds like supper will be ready soon.”

“Sure.”

*_*_*

Sleep was easier for some this time, and harder for others. But the emotions of the day had left everyone quite tired, and everyone had eventually found their way into slumber.

Chapter Text

Izuku was once again awoken by Iida the next 'morning'. Which, after he woke up fully and thought about it for a bit, felt strange. After everything that had been shown about Iida's brother yesterday he figured Iida would have been exhausted, since that's how he felt after that kind of cry, so Izuku figured he would sleep in a bit. Yet it seemed that Iida had once again been the first to wake up.
He had even gotten breakfast ready. As in, he'd made food rather than just set up and rearranged the ready to eat items that Truth had dropped into the kitchen.

“Take it easy, young Iida, you've already done plenty for one morning.” Yagi had said at one point, gently guiding Iida out of the kitchen and to a seat. “You need to eat yourself at some point too.”

“Says the man who looks like a skeleton.” Aizawa grumbled from nearby. Present Mic pushed the coffee cup in Aizawa's hands to his lips and reminded him about some self imposed rule about not talking to anyone in the mornings before he's had his caffeine.

Iida had relented and sat among his classmates, which made many of them grow tenser or quieter. Because what exactly did one say to someone who had seen a possible future where a family member suffered brutal injuries?

“So, how are you doing Iida?” Kirishima asked.

“I am alright.” Iida said, not looking away from arranging food onto his plate. “Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, yeah, pretty well.”

“That is good to hear.”

Given the bags under Iida's eyes, he probably couldn't say the same. No one could blame him though, so they didn't bring it up, and no one knew how to go on with the conversation from there. Eventually conversations resumed, but kids and adults alike would shoot worried looks at the class president up until everything was put away and the next episode started.

The episode stated off with Midoriya on the train to school, saying how they had gotten a day off after the festival but were now going back to school. Midoriya was surprised during the ride when people started to recognize him and comment on his performance in the sports festival and telling him to do his best. As this happened, the top festival results flashed across a screen on the train, including an unflattering picture of Bakugo.

Midoriya soon became just as flustered as his on screen counterpart with the sudden attention.

“Were you really that surprised to be recognized? Pretty much everyone watches the festival.” Tsuyu pointed out.

“Apparently? I mean, I know I shouldn't be, because the festival is so popular, but at this point I've never really thought about being recognized, not until I became a pro or at least got my license or something...so I guess the other me didn't think about it either.” The idea of sticking out in general was strange to him as well, since he'd gone through most of his life being described as 'plain' and not having a quirk to draw attention. That itself drew some attention to him sometimes, but nothing like the positive encouragement these people were giving him. “But I guess it's something I'll have to get used to.”

“We all will.” Uraraka agreed. She herself was wondering if her other self would get recognized on the way to school, and what kinds of things people would say. She hoped they talked like those surrounding Deku were, and not like some of the festival crowd did.

Kaminari snickered. “If anyone is gonna be getting attention now it's gonna be Bakugo. Did you see the photo they're showing of him?”

A couple other students laughed at that, and Bakugo yelled at them. The teachers grimaced though, as they were once again reminded why putting Bakugo in front of the cameras when he was in such a state was a bad idea.

'What in the world were any of us thinking? Of course the media would jump at a chance to use a shot like that.' Aizawa berated himself.

Izuku was then shown walking to school in the rain. As he walked, Iida suddenly ran up behind him and exuberantly declared that they needed to hurry if they didn't want to be late. Izuku pointed out they still had 5 min, but Iida said one should always be 10 minutes early to class.

The reactions to Iida's appearance were mixed. Some laughed and felt relieved at Iida apparently showing some of his usual self after everything he went through during the last episode, thinking he was now starting to handle it okay. Others, Izuku and Uraraka among them, felt uneasy, just as they had when Iida woke them up. It was understandable if he didn't want to wallow in what happened, but the normality of it all seemed forced, which was concerning for other reasons.

Recovery Girl shook her head. It seemed heroes and their students never knew when to take a break for their own good. If there was ever a time to take advantage of allowable school absences, this was it.

When they got inside Midoriya tried to say something to Iida. Iida cut him off, saying that if this was about his brother it was okay and he didn't mean to worry his friend so much. Then he left before Midoriya could say anything more.

Uraraka bit her lip, and glanced between the on screen Iida and the one sitting by her. “Um, you know, we'd get it if you don't want to talk about it yet, or at all. But, you don't have to act like it's all okay, just so we don't worry, you know? I'd rather be able to be there for you.”

“Same here...and I look like I'm worrying either way.” Midoriya agreed.

“I...” Iida looked torn, with his furrowed brow and his lips pressed together. “I will try to remember that here, but that won't change how my other self is acting.”

“Right...” Uraraka sighed sadly.

In the classroom kids talked about getting recognized in various ways on the way to school. Hagakure was one of the ones who was pleased at being noticed, eliciting a comment from Ojiro, and Sero lamented that some kids had told him “Don't worry about it”. Which prompted Tsuyu to say the same exact thing about the kids' words, much to Sero's dismay.

Sero let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Didn't know you had it in you Tsuyu.”

“Yeah, nice one!” Kaminari laughed.

“I've mostly gone unappreciated in my time, kero.”

“Yay! People actually did recognize me!” Hagakure cheered, then turned to Ojiro. “And I mean, yeah I do get looked at for being invisible sometimes, but I'm used to that so I bet I can tell the difference between the usual looks and fan looks.”

“I guess that makes sense.” The boy admitted. “I hope I can tell the difference between getting recognized for the festival and just getting looks for my tail.”

“It seems that most of the ones who spoke up about getting recognized were the ones who made it into the one on one battles.” Momo observed. “Though I suppose that makes sense, given how the first two activities were more group based. It would be easier to recognize those that got more individual attention.” 'I just hope I didn't get people saying “don't worry about it” to me like they did with Sero.' She already knew she didn't make the best showing, having strangers comment on it would just make her feel worse. She'd rather have people not comment at all than say something like that.

Aizawa walked through the door then, and Tsuyu commented on his lack of bandages. Aizawa said Recovery Girl went overboard.

“Congratulations sir!” The class said as a whole.

“Ah, that's why I suddenly feel so tired.” Aizawa noted after saying a quick thanks.

“Hmph, you should be grateful, sonny. Looks like I finally made it so you can use your arms fully again, and that's after I refused to use my quirk on Midoriya.” Recovery Girl sniffed.

“She makes a good point.” Present Mic said, then sighed dramatically. “I think I'm gonna miss mummy man a bit.”

“You technically haven't even interacted with 'mummy man' yet, and I'm gonna go back to being him once we get out of here.”

“Oh yeah!”

“Don't sound so happy about that.”

Aizawa then quickly changed the subject to talk about how they were having a special class. Some of the kids started to panic about the possibility of a pop quiz and such, but then he announced they were choosing code names. The kids got super excited then, and Aizawa turned on his quirk for a moment to get them to quiet back down.

The kids instantly fell into chatter about various hero names they'd considered and which ones were their favorite, too caught up in their excitement to be very put out by their teachers use of a quirk to quiet them on screen.

“If I didn't know any better, young Aizawa, I'd say you took those pauses on purpose just to build up tension.” Yagi chuckled. When no one laughed with him, he frowned. “Did you do that on purpose?”

“It's the future so I can't say for-”

“Oh he totally did.” Mic cut Aizawa off with a grin. “Shouta may deny it, but he's been hanging out with me long enough to appreciate a good dose of drama.”

“I also see you didn't waste a chance to show off that you can still use your quirk now that you've recovered.” Nedzu said.

“Which I'm sure had nothing to do with wanting to let your students know you truly were fully recovered, both for the reassurance and the authority that grants.” Recovery Girl added.

“...why are you all ganging up on me?”

Aizawa went on to talk about the drafts, and how they got more common in 2nd and 3rd year but that getting selected now could be a boon so long as you managed to keep interest as the years go on, and confirmed that they'd have to make a good showing at the internships if they hoped to do that. Then he revealed which students had been given internship offers, with numbers in the thousands going to Todoroki and Bakugo and then going into the 100's and double digits for just seven others in the class.

“Oh come on! How can it be that skewed!?” Hagakure complained. “And here I was starting to feel noticed and everything...”

“I suppose it makes sense. Those top two certainly made a number of spectacles.” Momo admitted. Honestly, she was just happy and relieved that she had made it onto the list of those specifically sought out. She'd had doubts any would reach out to her after her dismal showing in the one on one battles.

“That many made offers to me?” Uraraka asked in delighted surprise. She too had been worried about getting recognized as competent after losing to Bakugo in the first round.

“I guess your fight left an impression, which I'm not surprised by. Even if it didn't get you the win, your plan was still great.” Izuku said. He was a little disheartened by the fact that he himself wasn't on the list. It seemed All Might would be setting something up for him, so he wasn't nervous about not having an internship at all, but it would have been nice to have gotten a couple of offers. He'd made it past the first round after all. Apparently breaking so many bones was a big turn off for a student intern...maybe that was it. The hero agencies might not want someone who was likely to get badly hurt under their watch.

“Dude I can't believe we both got offers!” Kaminari cheered and gave Sero a high five.

“Looks like I just managed to get on there, but still, I'm not gonna complain about 14 offers!” Sero agreed.

“Normally the numbers aren't that stacked, and there are internships open for those that didn't get an invitation, but I'm sure the other me will explain that.” Aizawa said.

Aizawa did go on to explain that normally the numbers would be more spread out. The students started commenting on the big difference in the number of offers, and that Todoroki was offered more than Bakugo despite their placings in the festival. Sero pointed out that some agencies might not want the kid who had to be tied to the podium.

Bakugo ground his teeth, and started grumbling about 'stupid media' and 'dumb agencies'. He was somewhat regretting his future self's freak out, but he wasn't about to admit that out loud.

“I know we've said it once before, but I do apologize Bakugo for our future selves making the decision to force you onto the podium.” Yagi said.

“Indeed, it shows a supreme lack of forethought.” Nedzu admitted.

“I get it, I get it, just don't tie me to anything for real.” Bakguo sighed.

“We'll be sure not to.” Yagi assured. “As for those who didn't get any offers, I'd like to remind you that you still have 2nd and 3rd year to really 'build your brand' as they say.”

“Yeah listeners, you definitely got time.”

“Now is a good time to try and get an internship under the type of hero that you think you want to be, and then use the experience to decide if it's really what you want.” Aizawa added.

Momo congratulated Todoroki on getting so many offers, and the boy said they were probably just because of who his dad was.

“Don't sell yourself short Todoroki, like I said you did some things that turned quite a few heads during the festival.” Momo reminded him.

“Exaclty. Even if some of those offers are just because of your dad, or if they think your skill is because of him, it doesn't matter because it was still your power and skill that you showed off. You probably wouldn't have gotten nearly as many offers if you did a really bad job and got defeated early or something, you know?” Izuku said.

Todoroki frowned in thought as he took in their words. “I suppose you both have a point.” And didn't that feel different? Having people around him actively acknowledge what he himself had done and chosen to do; it was very different...and also nice.

Uraraka shook Iida in her excitement over both of them getting offers. Mineta also shook Izuku to inform him that he didn't get offers due to his crazy fighting style.

Uraraka blushed. “Uh, sorry Iida, that probably wasn't helping...and I'm sorry you didn't get offers Deku.”

“It's fine, Uraraka, getting offers is indeed a good sign for both of us.” Iida said, even though he had suspicions that he had already chosen what hero, or rather what area, he'd be doing his internship in.

“Y-yeah, plus, All Might is already setting me up with someone, so I would have to turn down anyone that offered anyway, you know?”

“Still, it can't feel good not to get any, or for Mineta to point it out like that, kero.”

Mineta winced. “Uh, yeah, I guess that was kinda rude...”

“It's okay, you're probably right after all. I mean, I figure part of why I didn't get any was of how hurt I got during the festival. It just means that dedicating myself to learning control has become even more important!” Izuku declared. Yagi nodded.

“That's a good way of looking at it, my boy. I'm sure with some dedicated time to practice that you will make great strides!”

“Th-thanks All Might!”

Aizawa went on to explain that, regardless of whether or not they got offers, the students would participate in internships. Despite already having a taste of combat from the USJ, it would still benefit them to work with pros in person.

“Yeah, thankfully your typical hero patrol isn't as dangerous and crazy as the whole USJ thing.” Mic said. “You guys deserve the chance to see what things are normally like too.”

Tokoyami felt a slight shiver run up his spine. “I feel like one or more of us just got jinxed.”

“Don't say that...” Koda murmured.

The students realized that they were choosing names for being out in the field and started to get excited again. This was when Midnight waltzed in to announce that she would be helping them choose names, since even the early ones had a way of sticking to you.

The teachers were not surprised by the appearance of Midnight, she always handled these things after all. What was surprising was some of the angles the camera had taken as she walked in. Numerous eyes went to Deku, some leering and others surprised. Given how he was usually the 'perspective' character for most things they couldn't help but think those shots had something to do with him.

“I, that wasn't, I mean-” Izuku took a deep breath and let it out. “Um, whatever just happened with those shots couldn't have been me, I mean, with how far away I'm sitting there's no way I could have seen her, um, her back like that!”

“Well, he does have a point there.” Jirou admitted. “And Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero were the ones doing the most obvious staring there.” she threw a glare at them, and the three instinctively drew back.

“Hey, with the way she walked in she clearly wanted to be stared at.” Kaminari defended.

“There's nothing wrong with looking when a girl wants to be looked at, right?” Mineta asked.

“Yeah, I can tell you here and now that Midnight was definitely going for that kind of entrance.” Mic said confidently. “She'd probably be more offended if she didn't get a few stares.”

“Either way, if we are going by Midoriya's logic, then very few members of the class should have been able to see her from those angles.” Momo reasoned. She looked up. “I don't suppose you have anything to say about this.”

“Only that you are all choosing to fixate on something fairly inconsequential when you could be progressing with the story.” Truth said blandly.

“Don't act like you have nothing to do with this.” Jirou grumbled. But still, the show continued on.

Aizawa said Midnight would be helping them with names because he couldn't do that sort of thing, which was proven by a flashback to Aizawa's school days where a young Present Mic was the one to choose 'Eraserhead' because Aizawa couldn't be bothered to care.

It had been quiet a while since Aizawa had felt enough embarrassment to want to sink into the floor, but this came pretty darn close.

“Dawww, I forgot how young and innocent you used to look before you got all tired and grown up.” Present Mic cooed.

“We're the same age.” Aizawa grumbled.

“True, but unlike you I try to take care of my appearance and I have style.”

“If that's what you want to call that style, then sure, you do that.”

“So, Present Mic's hair really has always been like that, huh?” Sato mused.

“Seems like it.” Shoji agreed. “So has Mr. Aizawa's.”

“I didn't realize those two went that far back, but I guess it makes sense. I haven't seen a whole lot of the teachers interacting, but I always thought that Mr. Aizawa tolerated a lot more from Present Mic than he did from others. Plus we've seen how they can bicker in here.” Ojiro said.

Ashido meanwhile was squeeing almost as much as she did when she saw the kid versions of her classmates, and explained it to Hagakure as 'being a sucker for such long lasting friendship'.

While he didn't assist them in choosing, Aizawa did make a quick speech about how important a good name could be in shaping their image and what kind of hero they wanted to be, and Izuku was shown to be thinking on it deeply.

Aizawa felt a little of his embarrassment die down when that happened. It was always satisfying to see a student take his words to heart. Though he did refuse to acknowledge how much using 'All Might' as an example for how names shape things had made Yagi smile.

A time skip later, long enough for Aizawa to now be napping, and Midnight called upon those who were ready to present their ideas. This made some students nervous.

“It's a good way to test it out really. After all, if you are too embarrassed to show the name to your classmates then it is hardly fit for being known by the public, now is it?” Nedzu said. This immediately quieted any protests, since they all knew he had an excellent point.

Aoyama went up first. His name turned out to be a whole sentence, in English. The other students were shocked when, after simplifying it a bit, Midnight allowed it.

“Why would it be so surprising? It is very accurate and unique.” Aoyama declared proudly.

“Well, you won't get mixed up with any other hero, that's for sure.” Hagakure admitted, her sleeve moving like she was scratching her head.

“Gotta be honest though, listener, I can't imagine many news anchors are gonna be happy with it. The longer the name the more likely they are to get tongue tied when talking about you.” Present Mic pointed out.

Aoyama frowned. “I didn't think about that. Perhaps I'll have to give it some more thought.”

Ashido was up next. She submitted 'Alien Queen' but Midnight sent her back to try again on account of the image being too scary. Others in the class started thinking that they felt pressure to make the names funny after those two.

“Aw man, no fair! Aoyama gets his whole twinkling thing but I can't have Alien Queen? It doesn't have to be a scary alien, aliens can be cool too!” Ashido complained.

“I think it sounds cooler than Aoyama's anyway.” Jirou agreed.

“Maybe it was the 'queen' part.” Momo suggested. “It could put many into the mind of a hive of insects after all, which I think most people wouldn't consider the 'cool' type of alien.”

“Mmm, I guess.” Ashido admitted reluctantly. “Gotta say though, thinking ours were both weird? Rude.”

This gained her a few apologies from around the room, a few were even sent to a now downtrodden looking Aoyama.

Tsuyu went up next, and came up with the name Froppy, which everyone loved.

“Wow, thanks guys.” Tsuyu said, slightly stunned as the future class took to chanting her new hero name, which got some in the room doing it too.

“Still think I should have gotten Alien Queen, but I'll admit that Froppy is super cute!” Ashido said.

Kirishima was next with Red Riot, which Midnight correctly guessed was based off of Crimson Riot. A picture of said hero was shown behind Kirishima as he took responsibility for the weight the name would carry and treat it as a challenge.

“Hey, looks like I'm the one taking a page out of your book this time, making people put pressure on me early and all.” Kirishima nudged Bakugo.

“Bout time I started to rub off on you a bit.”

Izuku was shown thinking about his own hero name, which resulted in a flashback to toddler Izuku excited bouncing on the couch while his mom read off different hero names that were all based around All Might's name.

'Here we go again.' Izuku thought as he blushed so hard he wouldn't be surprised if Uraraka and Iida could feel the heat of it.

“Yes! We get to see baby Midoriya again!” Ashido cheered.

“And he's cuter than ever! Look at that big smile, oh I bet his mom misses him being little enough to 'fly around' like that!” Hagakure cooed.

Izuku sank in his seat, and Uraraka patted him on the shoulder. “It's okay, it's not that bad really. I bet every kid came up with silly hero names at that age. Mine were all variation of 'gravity girl'.”

“Mine all had the word 'dark' or 'shadow' in them.” Tokoyami admitted.

“I mean, when you think about it, mine isn't that different than what your kid ones were, Midoriya. I just used a less well known hero.” Kirishima reminded.

Izuku was still embarrassed about the class seeing even more of his early childhood, but their words did lessen it enough so that he no longer felt like his face was on fire.