Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."

In the years that passed by Izuku stayed unfortunately alone, children can be very fickle, regardless of the fact that Izuku now had a Quirk, he was still treated very much the same. Although thanks to Jango's support he managed to handle himself.

Jango helped him realize that a hero had to be both smart and strong in order to save people. So they both started to work out together. Unfortunately, Inko didn't have the money at the moment to send them to a martial arts class, nobody believed them when they said that Jango was a Quirk, or if they did, still tried to charge them for two. It made some sense but at the same time, come on.

And whenever Katsuki's inferiority/superiority complex reared its ugly head, they could always count on each other. Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost.

They grew together however and made sure to learn from their losses.

While Izuku still had a small part of him that held out for Katsuki to grow up, he stayed realistic and realized that the blond's decisions, were his own.

Unfortunately, Katuski's influence over their peers was still great, especially due to his own explosion Quirk, and as such, nobody really wanted to be friends with Izuku. For now, however, that was fine, he had Jango and the voices inside his head to help him.

Wow...does that make him sound insane.

Anyways, all of that came to a head one fateful school day.

"All right, it's your third year, and I have to give you all these career packets, but I'm pretty sure you all want to go to the hero course." Their teacher said, throwing papers into the air as the entire classroom started showing off their Quirks. Izuku refrained, however, as the phrase that could describe his and Bakugo's relationship was "ON SIGHT."

Said teen in true Bakugo fashion, let off an explosion to catch everybody's attention, and then loudly began to proclaim his own ambitions.

Izuku was in the middle of writing down some questions and notes in his most recent Hero Journal over the newest hero that had just debuted, Mt. Lady. It was only the fact that the last few years had given him great situational awareness that he pushed his desk forward while pulling his journal back and driving the desk into Katsuki's chest as he left off explosions.

"GUF-KA! Damn it, DEKU!" He screamed as Jango appeared.

"Look who's talkin', you feelin' lucky? Punk?" Jango sneered as he got ready for a fight. Izuku immediately stood as well and the three were in a standoff.

"What's the meaning of this, Bakugo?" Izuku asked tensely.

"The hell you think? Trying to join UA and ruin my record? Get real!"

"Where I go has doesn't matter to you Bakugo, get your head out of your ass and leave us alone."

"HA!? You wanna start somethin' DEKU!"

"Start something? No. But you know that we'll finish it." He replied with a cold glare, sometimes it still hurt to see how far his old friend had fallen.

The three tensed, ready to fight then and there, but finally, their teacher interrupted and sent them back to their seats.

Later, once class was over, Izuku was putting his stuff away when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Bakugo smirked, but that soon fell off his face when another hand grabbed his wrist.

Again the boys were in a standoff, and all three were glaring at each other.

"Che, you better not think about applying to UA, Deku, you and your useless Quirk got no chance against me." Katsuki sneered.

"As I said, screw off. You have no power over me, Bakugo." The unspoken 'anymore' rested between them, Bakugo's hand smoked, the beginning of an explosion begging to be released, but Izuku stared hard at him, already used to the pain.

Bakugo scoffed before heading towards the door.

"Ya know, if you really wanna be a hero, how about you take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a more useful Quirk."

This time, it was Izuku, not Jango, who lunged.

Izuku and Jango were walking home, the former bruised and burnt, the latter mostly bruised.

"Ok, I'm not complaining, but that's the first time I've ever seen you go on sight with that di'kut."

"He didn't just insult me, he insulted you when you're the best thing that ever happened to me. You and the rest, well, once I finally meet them. I couldn't stand that." The two continued walking and Jango smiled before he paused.

"Do you hear that?"

"A couple of meat sacks, shame I'll only need ONE!" A sludge-like being rose out of the sewers and attacked Jango, quickly enveloping him and going down his throat.

"GAH-IZU-KURG!"

"JANGO!"

The sludge villain threw out a tendril and smacked Izuku away as Jango struggled, acting quickly, Izuku called back Jango and sent him to the mindscape, the sludge that was in his body falling to the ground.

"What the-? A teleportation Quirk? That would have been so useful against him! Crap, I don't have time for this, you'll do!" He said as he charged at Izuku. In a flash, however, Jango reappeared and went for the eye.

"Over here shabuir!" [Jackass!]

"GAH! MY EYE!" Lashing out he knocked Jango into Izuku and both were knocked over.

"You little bastard! I'll kill you both!"

The sewer lid popped.

"NOT SO FAST!"

All parties gasped.

"It's too late!"

"NEVER FEAR! FOR I AM HERE!" The titan of a man rose from the sewers and cocked his fist back.

"TEXAS-"

"No, wait!"

"SMASH!"

As if the forces of nature were at his beck and call, All Might's fist punched forward and unleashed a wind storm so strong the villain was splattered away.

Two boys could only stare in awe at seeing the greatest hero in Japan before them.

"MY APOLOGIES YOUNG MEN, I DIDN'T MEAN TO GET YOU INVOLVED WITH MY WORK, UNFORTUNATELY, I'M NEW HERE, AND THIS DASTARDLY FELLOW EVADED ME IN THE SEWER SYSTEM! MY MOST HUMBLE APOLOGIES!" The hero smiled as he pulled the two up.

Quicker to get over his shock, Jango was the first to respond.

"Eh, it's big deal All Might, at least you saved us in time. That stuff was disgusting, blegh." Jango coughed out some spit. While the dematerialization did help him get the sludge out of his system, it did nothing for the lingering taste.

All Might nodded, and also slightly shuddered, he'd had more than his share of unwanted substances in his mouth. Turning to the other boy in front of him, just now he noticed they were identical in appearance, twins? He raised a brow at his silence.

Jango turned and chuckled. "Oh, don't mind him, he's just probably having a fangasm of epic proportions. Come on vod, make something of yourself!" He said while lightly tapping Izuku on the head.

Said boy flushed and shook himself before stuttering and mumbling out an odd response. Finally gaining his bearings he smiled and bowed.

"THANK YOU FOR SAVING US!"

Jango cackled.

Izuku punched him.

"Hahaha, well like he said, thanks for saving us. This is Izuku, and I'm Jango."

"A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU BOTH! NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE, I MUST PUT AWAY THIS VILLAIN AND GET HIM TO THE AUTHORITIES!" All Might said as he turned and began piling sludge into a soda bottle.

"Let us help, All Might, least we can do," Jango said as he and Izuku started to help, Jango took a certain vindictive pleasure in throwing All Might the eyeballs.

"SO YOUNG ONES, ARE YOU TWO PLANNING TO BE HEROES?"

"Yep! Planning to go for U.A."

"AH, MY OLD ALMA MATER THEN? WELL, I CERTAINLY HOPE YOU TWO MAKE IT, NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME! I MUST BE OFF! HAVE A NICE DAY!" All Might yelled out as he jumped into the air, leaving two smiling boys.

…

…

…

"I'm totally rubbing this into Bakugo's face."

"Yeah."

…

…

…

"Wait...NO!" Izuku fell to his knees in shock and dismay. His life was over as he knew it. Jango quickly reached him and asked what was wrong.

"I forgot to ask for an autograph!"

"Agh, Izuku."

Walking home with a depressed Izuku, Jango called Inko and let them know they were on the way home. The sounds of explosions and fire, however, brought the spark back into Izuku's eyes and quickly ran over there leaving Jango behind.

"Dank ferrik, Izuku!" He yelled out and ran after him.

Reaching the scene of the crime, they both were shocked at seeing the same villain that had attacked them loose and causing so much destruction, heroes around him helpless to do anything.

"What the hell is happening?"

"We helped All Might put that thing away! How'd it escape?"

"The bottle must've flown out, or maybe his pants ripped, I doubt that they were made for going at mach stupid high speed."

The two boys made their way to the front of the crowd and were still in shock.

"It's been like this for a while."

"Wasn't All Might going after that guy?"

"All Might? Where is he then?"

They continued to murmur and the fires continued to grow, the sludge monster turned and Izuku's eyes met Bakugo's.

In a burst of motion, he blasted through the crown and tape line, sprinting as fast as he could towards him regardless of the heroes calling him to come back.

"DANK FERRIK IZUKU! COME BACK HERE!" Jango yelled as he ran towards Izuku.

"YOU TWO! NOT AGAIN!"

Izuku without any thought for himself threw his backpack and nailed the same eye that Jango had grabbed earlier, the impact stunning the villain long enough for Bakugo to breathe.

With a gasp and a cough, Bakugo demanded to know why he was there.

"I don't know, my body just moved on its own! You're an ass but I can't let you die!" Izuku yelled as he started tugging on Bakugo's arms.

The villain raised a tendril and prepared to smack it down only for a rock to hit his eye and distract him. Screaming in pain, he paid no attention to the second boy running down towards him.

"Izuku! Duck!" Jango cried.

Jumping over his brother, he took advantage of the opportunity given to him and delivered a well-placed dropkick on Bakugo, serving not only to knock him out of the sludge villain's grasp but also make him hack up whatever sludge had gone down his throat.

If he took a certain vindictive pleasure in doing so through a dropkick...well...who was going to say anything?

The sludge villain had regained his bearing and lashed out once more on Izuku. This time, however, it was stopped by a large arm with a familiar face.

"ALL MIGHT!"

"IT SEEMS WE MEET AGAIN BOYS, AND LET ME SAY YOU'RE TRULY AN INSPIRATION!"

All stood in awe as the man effortlessly held back the villain.

"NOW LET ME FINISH THINGS UP! DETROIT-" He cocked his fist back and the sludge villain's eyes widened in fear.

"NOOOO!"

"SMASH!"

Once again the villain was scattered across the street and fast winds buffeted the crowd. Izuku, Jango, and Katsuki ended up being pinned to the ground and a tornado reached the sky.

Just as soon as the winds started did they end.

And it began to rain.

As everybody began to exclaim at All Might's power, Izuku couldn't help but look at the man in front of him, standing tall with his fist raised high.

Steam wafting off of his body.

Blood dribbling down his chin.

Something was wrong.

Later, after getting scolded/commended by heroes for interfering Izuku was walking home with Jango, although they'd had an odd interaction with Bakugo that they both decided to just ignore.

Jango called him a discount tsundere.

Izuku had to take a deep breath to process that one.

Both were startled at the appearance of All Might.

"ALL MIGHT!"

"HAHA, YES, I AM HERE TO-BLEGH!"

…

…

…

"Oh, crap..." The now skeletal man said as the three stared at each other.

"You know, I suspected that you were hurt, but to this extent?" Izuku questioned while tilting his head.

"THAT'S ALL YOU GOTTA SAY!? FREAKIN' ALL MIGHT JUST-SMERGH" Jango was cut off as Izuku covered his face with his hand and held him down.

"Keep it down Jango! I seriously doubt that this is something that should be yelled out di'kut." Izuku said as he held his struggling clone.

"Come on, let's go somewhere more private. Follow me, sir." Izuku pointed with his head and dragged Jango who at that point was more or less just following along in shock.

"You seem to be very unfazed young man."

"oH beLIEVE ME! Heh-herm...I am very much in shock and panicking but it's yet to fully register."

They ended up heading to a nearby park, fortunately, at this time, there weren't any people. At first, they simply sat in silence, as both boys stared at the emaciated man in front of them.

"How long?" Izuku asked first.

All Might and wasn't it jarring to call this man that name, sighed before replying. "It's been about 5 years. I got wounded, and the subsequent surgeries and recovery period turned me to this."

"No villain you've ever fought could have done that much damage to you. Even Toxic Chainsaw only managed to give you a few bruises and make your nose bleed. This was something else, wasn't it? A fight that wasn't publicized, a villain so strong only you could have had a chance of beating. Am I right?" Izuku analyzed and asked, startling the older man.

"That's...right, you wouldn't by chance have some analysis or mental Quirk would you?"

Izuku chuckled but shook his head.

"Nah, that's all him. He's a hero nerd through and through." Jango pointed his head towards his brother with a smirk but that soon gave way to a more somber expression.

"But I'm guessing that's also the reason why you're only active for a few hours a day huh?"

All Might nodded sadly, "I lost my stomach and half my respiratory system, and right now I can only do hero work for 3 hours a day."

"Dank ferrik..." Jango muttered.

Izuku began to softly weep, "Why All Might? You could have retired, sure things would be difficult, but we'd manage, why hurt yourself like this?"

All Might gave a soft smile in return, "Because when I became a hero, I made a promise, to help others, and keep their smiles alive through my own. I became a hero because I knew that Japan needed a Symbol of Peace, and I smile through the pain because every day I continue working, is another person I can save." He chuckled, "And after all, it is because of my resolve that we stand here today."

Izuku smiled and bowed.

"Thank you...not just for saving us. But for everything you've done All Might." Jango also bowed in turn and All Might was touched by their actions.

"But, I have to ask, why did you come after us?"

"I came here because I was inspired by your actions, young man. I was there in the crowd but felt that I could not do anything because my time was up. Then I overheard you saying to that boy, your body moved on its own right?"

"Che, this idiot's always getting into trouble before his mind even catches up." Jango chuckled out while punching Izuku.

Izuku rolled his eyes and returned Jango's punch.

"That...is one of the hallmark traits of a true hero, and starts the story for many. I am here today because I was inspired to act by you, to push beyond my limits. You reminded me of what it meant to be a hero, and for that I'm thankful."

Izuku was freely crying in joy at having been an inspiration to his idol, even Jango couldn't help but tear up a bit. His vod was definitely on the way to greatness.

"This next part I will tell you, however, is very important, and extremely classified...tell me, young man, how well do you trust your friend here?"

At this, the both of them started to laugh, which was a good sign to All Might, although now it should've been obvious considering their looks. Twins?

"Hehehe, well All Might, I think it'd be hard not to trust my own Quirk!"

Yes, they seemed to be the best of...wait, what?

"I'm sorry?" He was very befuddled right now.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves, I'm Midoriya Izuku and this is Midoriya Jango-"

"Izu-" Jango tried to protest.

"No matter how much you deny it you're still a Midoriya, Jango. Anyway, technically, he is my Quirk-"

"What do you mean technically, I am your Quirk-"

"Stop interrupting me, my Quirk is called Clone, I can create clones of myself but so far I've been limited to manifesting Jango. I've got about a couple thousand in my head, but they're asleep and I can't bring them out yet."

'A-a couple thousand!'

"So yeah, whatever you got to say, you can say it to us."

"Alright then...let me tell you about my Quirk, it's called One For All."

Okay, did he expect to be a part of one of the greatest kept secrets in history? No.

Was he honored? Yes.

Did he regret agreeing to this insane training plan? Most definitely.

But a chance to be All Might's successor was too good to pass up, along with the potential to boost his Quirk and access more clones, while it did feel like cheating at the beginning, Jango was quick to put a stop to it.

"As far as I see it, heroes use any and all tools at their disposal, if this helps you out, then it doesn't matter. All that matters at the end are the people you save."

Of course, that didn't mean that it didn't suck to be lugging around All Might on top of a fridge.

'I think I made it an inch.'

"COME ON YOUNG MIDORIYA! LET'S MOVE IT!"

Oh well...nothing ventured, nothing gained. Of course thanks to the workouts he and Jango did, they were physically fit, just simply not strong enough. All Might was working with him to develop more muscle so that he could handle One For All without busting his limbs.

He had a feeling it'd be a lot worse if he hadn't worked out.

Soon enough, however, he and Jango did it, and Dagobah Municipal Beach was rendered clean once more.

Three months to spare too!

Standing before All Might and bathed by the rays of the early morning sun, Izuku and Jango had their heads high with pride at their accomplishment.

"BOTH OF YOU HAVE MADE ME VERY PROUD, I AM TRULY GLAD TO HAVE MET YOU ALL THOSE MONTHS AGO. YOU HAVE RENDERED A GREAT SERVICE NOT ONLY TO THE COMMUNITY BUT TO YOURSELVES AND YOUR FUTURE CAREERS, YES, THAT MEANS YOU TOO YOUNG JANGO." All Might said as he plucked a hair from his head.

Jango smiled brightly, tears pricking the edges of his eyes.

Izuku was smiling brightly, fortunately, tears were absent.

"NOW REMEMBER THIS, BOTH OF YOU, SOMETHING I WAS ONCE TOLD: SOMETHING THAT YOU RECEIVE BECAUSE YOU'RE LUCKY AND SOMETHING YOU ARE GIVEN BECAUSE YOU ARE RECOGNIZED ARE DIFFERENT IN ESSENCE. TAKE THAT TO HEART."

They both nodded and All Might extended his hand.

"NOW..."

Izuku puffed up in apprehension, how exactly could a Quirk be passed on?

"EAT THIS!"

…

…

…

"I'm sorry but what?" Jango asked in pure disbelief as Izuku was currently frozen.

"In order to get my power you have to ingest some of my DNA that's how it works." All Might sheepishly said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Wow...never took you for a pedo All Might."

"BLAGH!" Said man coughed up blood in shock.

"WHAT?"

"I mean, here you are having a boy take in some of your DNA after preparing him for months, seems kinda sus to me." Jango shrugged while All Might looked at him in disbelief.

Izuku was still frozen.

"I mean, I guess that's why you picked the both of us up."

His eye was twitching.

"Must have a twin fetish too."

"Eh-ah-I-WHAT!? NO, THAT'S NOT-" POOF.' The sheer shock actually caused All Might to transform back to his skinny form. It had the added effect of making him look like an understuffed plush doll.

Noticing Jango's barely concealed chuckles made him scowl.

"Very funny, young Jango."

Jango started to cackle, it was too much for him to handle. Finally, however, he plucked the hair from All Might's hand and popped open Izuku's jaw before shoving it down his throat.

"Agh-hey! REH! J-JANGO! Blurgh!"

"Nope, close your mouth, do what All Might wants you to do, and swallow."

"Don't say it like that!" All Might hissed.

Finally forced to swallow, Izuku shuddered in revulsion after the last feelings of nausea left him. He could even feel nausea from his brothers in the mindscape.

"Well, now that that's done, let's get something to wash that down. Unless you want the taste of Old Spice to stay in your mouth." Jango remarked as he started to walk up the stairs.

"How do you know what shampoo I use?"

"All Might, I can smell it from here, plus, it's like the most American thing you could do...westaboo." He mumbled out.

All Might could only sputter. What happened to the nice young man who respected his every word and stared at him in awe?

He was starting to doubt if Clone should even be the right term to describe Izuku's Quirk. They certainly weren't identical personality-wise.

Soon enough, however, they moved along to catch up with Jango and deal with the aftertaste.

Yeah, it probably would have been better to skip the Old Spice today.

A few hours later, and they were back on the beach ready to test out Izuku's new power and see if it could help out with Clone.

"ALL RIGHT THEN, LET'S GIVE HER A WHIRL! CALLING UPON THE POWER IS SIMPLE, JUST CLENCH YOUR BUTTCHEEKS, AND FROM THE DEPTHS OF YOUR HEART YELL OUT A SMASH!"

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…

"You're really not helping your case there, All Might." Jango pointed out with a deadpanned expression.

Izuku just had his face in his hands, lightly shaking his head.

"I mean, first the 'ingesting of DNA', forcefully too-"

"That was you!"

"Now you're talking about buttcheeks and smashing."

"Shut up, Jango..." Izuku whispered out.

All Might's grin became more and more strained until he finally had enough.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I GET IT, LET'S JUST...move on." He mumbled out. He then motioned to Izuku and gave a wave of his hand. "Just...just go, young Izuku."

Izuku felt for him, he really did. There was a reason why it was 'ON SIGHT' between Jango and Bakugo, and it wasn't the fights.

Izuku walked forward to the edge of the beach and looked inside himself. At first, he couldn't feel anything, but soon he saw it, a spark inside of him that quickly grew to a roaring inferno.

Cocking his fist back, he pivoted and moved forward.

"SMA-"

"STOP!"

Izuku stumbled and blacked out as a cacophony erupted in his head, the last things he heard were All Might and Jango coming to his aid.

At first, it was dark, and while he could see it was as if he was looking through a blindfold, the slightest bit of light piercing through.

"Not yet, but one day."

"Honestly, Toshi, clench your buttcheeks and yell out smash."

"It does sound like something a pedophile would- SMACK- ow."

"Wake up, Ninth, you will see us again soon."

'These voices...they don't...sound like me.' Izuku thought as he continued to stare in the darkness.

"Wake up, ori'vod." [Big Brother]

And he did.

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…

"Izu-, Izuku!" He heard and he opened his eyes, focusing, he was met with All Might's worried face in an unfamiliar room.

"Oh no, Jango was right, you even took me to your house." Izuku deliriously mumbled out.

"Blagh! Not you too! If you must know you're at UA, I brought you here after you passed out." All Might replied after spitting out more blood.

Jango was a horrible influence.

Izuku groaned as he sat up, feeling the remnants of the mother of all headaches, seemed like he was on some good meds.

"Where's Jango?"

"After you collapsed he dematerialized, a certainly interesting flash of light to be sure. I brought you here immediately. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened, what happened is that Izuku's a di'kut!" Jango said as he reappeared.

"When did you get here?" All Might asked.

"I summoned him back, I can do it without the flash. Stealth, right?" Izuku mumbled out.

"So what happened?"

"What happened is that his little stunt woke up all the clones, cause all of them knew that he was about to bust his arm by going 100%. Also where the hell are we? This isn't your house is it, All Might?"

Jango asked as he sat down.

"No. This is UA. Stop insinuating that."

"Hehe, relax, I know."

"So your Quirk acted as an early warning system so that you wouldn't break your body with One For All? Is that right, sonny?"

"Yep." Izuku absentmindedly said before his eyes snapped open and he jerked his head up, the action obviously caused even more pain. "Ow."

"Relax my boy, Recovery Girl knows our shared secret, she's helped me out a lot of times throughout the years." All Might said as he let Izuku lie down again.

"It's a good thing too, otherwise this American bumpkin would have died years ago. So you tried to use OFA and almost broke your arm, as it is, your muscles were torn simply by activating it, so however or whatever you did that time, stop." The sheer gravity in that last word caused everybody else in that room to shudder in fear.

"Don't worry Recovery Girl, I don't plan to." Izuku groaned out, anything to avoid a headache like that again.

"Yeah, the Vod'e are all sorry that that happened, but in fairness, everybody panicked and decided to let you know at the same time," Jango explained while putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"Well...at least I have time to figure this out."

"Yeah, imagine if we had less time, or worse if you got the Quirk on the day of the entrance exam."

"That sounds like some shounen anime mc bs."

"Aren't we basically an anime right now? Quirks and all?"

"Humph."

Oddly enough, however, Izuku felt like he had to mention something, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what.

After some...mandatory, recovery time instituted by Recovery Girl, All Might pulled some strings and managed to get a training room in UA for themselves.

Izuku had to very much force himself not to fangasm. Unfortunately for him, none of the other heroes were here, so he was only able to get Recovery Girl's autograph. Oh well, maybe when he made it in.

It was during their training that Jango made a discovery.

"Ok, so I just found something out, whatever it was that you did when you first used OFA just opened up a section of the mindscape, an armory," Jango said as Izuku did some fight training with All Might, "Because of this I sincerely recommend changing your Quirk name, cause Clone isn't going to cut it." He pulled out from behind him a long rifle, a shorter carbine, and a pair of pistols.

"Wow, so my Quirk makes weapons too?"

"That is...slightly concerning. It seems that either there is more to your Quirk than meets the eye or One For All has already boosted it to incorporate other military-related items. Were there any signs of vehicles?" All Might asked as he crossed his arms in concern.

"So far no, but another thing I've noticed is that the clones are awake, ever since the blackout though they've been unable to break through, they've started taking the time to train. Especially with the weapons available." Jango said as he set them down on a small table that was set to the side.

"They look different than standard weaponry, they don't look like they fire any type of ballistics." All Might noted as he inspected them.

"That's cause they don't, look," Jango said as he grabbed a pistol and shot at one of the walls. A bright blue bolt of energy fired out and impacted leaving a hole with a scorch mark.

"Okay, that is certainly very dangerous, not exactly suitable for Hero work. Snipe's bullets don't even do that much damage." All Might said as they inspected the hole, it went over a meter through regular concrete, and most likely would penetrate at least a quarter of a meter through other reinforced materials. Perhaps less if it was metals, but still.

"I can reduce the settings," Jango said while fiddling with the pistol. A few other shots each showed less and less damage until oddly enough, a ring of energy came out and did no damage at all.

"Huh?"

"Huh, I guess this is the lowest setting, I wonder..." Jango said before turning and shooting All Might.

"J-JANGO!" Izuku cried out as the man stumbled and fell on his rear.

All Might groaned, somewhat disoriented but still conscious and poofing back to his skinny form. Raising a hand to his head in an attempt to assuage the headache he had he lightly glared at Jango.

"A little more warning next time?" He sarcastically asked before standing, "It seems that that setting is a stun setting, were it anybody else they'd be out like a light. As it is, I really don't want to transform right now. All I can say is that if you're planning on using those guns, you'll have to take a certification course with Snipe before being allowed for fieldwork and use only the stun setting." He then forced himself back to his bigger form, feeling like a good 15 minutes got knocked out of him he stretched a bit before fully facing the both of them.

"I MEAN IT, UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, SUCH AS A LIFE OR DEATH SCENARIO, USE ONLY THE STUN SETTING, ALRIGHT?"

"Yes, sir."

"Of course All Might, thanks for being my test dummy though." All Might grumbled at the remark but acquiesced.

They continued training, trying to figure out a way to get Izuku to handle at least a piece of One For All before the exams.

"Ya know, if you ever get a handle on this, it would be interesting to see if you can buff up your entire body like All Might," Jango commented offhandedly as he continued working on his marksmanship. He'd taken a liking to some unique pistols he'd found in the armory and some other equipment.

His comment though made Izuku pause before he slapped his face.

"I'm such a di'kut." He groaned out.

"Yeah, and?"

"I've been using OFA like I use Clone, but it's different, when I summon you I just focus on a single part or place and boom, you're there. But One For All is different, I need to focus everywhere..." He focused, and sure enough, sparks started to come off his body, veins of reddish energy crisscrossed his skin, and his eyes glowed.

All Might looked on with pride, his successor was finally figuring things out. He wished he could have helped more, but unfortunately, he didn't have the best experience in teaching.

'At least for now I don't have to call Gran Torino, one more day and I would have had no choice.'

"Huh, cool...okay so how much can you use?" Jango asked as he neared.

"H-hold up...it's too much...right now," Izuku grunted out as he focused even more, "20...15...10...7, 6 and 5." He sighed with relief and panted with exhaustion, feeling as if his body was ever so close to breaking apart just from a fifth of the power. Even now he was still pushing it.

"Right now...it's 5%, lower than I'd like but any higher and my body starts to strain."

"Well it's a start, can you hear the Vod'e?" Jango asked as he observed Izuku.

Immediately, feelings of approval and encouragement filled him, and he could hear the voices praising his hard work.

'I wonder...'

Reaching out with his power, he pulled.

ZWOOM

"HAHA, YOU DID IT VOD! I KNEW YOU COULD!" Jango cried out as he hugged Izuku, right next to him was another clone who was also brightly smiling. All Might stood beside them, smiling proudly at his successor and his personal victory.

"CT-00-0077, reporting for duty, sir!" The clone saluted at Izuku and then stood at attention.

"It's great to meet you, but you'll have to get a name for yourself soon. I don't think I can summon another clone right now, so we'll have to take this time to get ready for the exam." Izuku said as they continued to train, All Might had refrained from saying what the exam was, not that Izuku would have accepted it, not wanting special treatment. So for the rest of their training, they took to working on their fighting abilities and marksmanship, along with some team strategies.

Finally, however, the day came for the entrance exam and as Izuku stood before UA's gates, he prepared himself to begin the next chapter of his journey to become a Hero.

Chapter Text

"Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendships."

Arriving at the front gates of UA, Izuku found himself enthusiastic and ready to take on whatever challenges that would stand in his way. He found himself completely at peace with what the future had in store.

"Outta the way, Deku."

And the moment is ruined.

Izuku honestly just walked forward and kept ignoring Bakugo out of spite, the latter becoming incensed before noticing something, smirking, and moving away.

'Odd, that's a first.' He thought before an upturned stone caught his foot and sent him tumbling. Instinct had him rolling as soon as he tipped over, unfortunately, he soon found himself spinning in a circle uncontrollably.

"WHOAAAA, WHAT'S HAAAPPENIING!?" He cried out while moving like a wheel.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" A girl said before grabbing Izuku and straightening him out, then pressing her hands together. The effects of her Quirk were canceled and Izuku stumbled, trying to get over his sense of vertigo, idly he heard Bakugo's cackling laughter up ahead, neither expecting the turn of events.

"I'm so sorry, I tried using my Quirk so that you wouldn't fall, cause that would be bad luck, and well...yeah." The girl sheepishly said while twiddling with her fingers.

"It...it's alright, just got a bit confused there. I'm Midoriya Izuku, may I have the name of my attempted savior?" He asked with a smile as he continued to walk forward.

"Oh, I'm Uraraka Ochako, are you trying out for the hero course?"

"Yep, I have to ask, what exactly is your Quirk? I don't think it's levitation or telekinesis due to how you move your palms, and the glow that came from your fingers. Is it some sort of touch-based manipulation? Hmm, considering the effects of vertigo and how I seemed to roll in one spot, is it some sort of gravity manipulation?" Izuku rambled before a hand came out of nowhere and popped him on the head.

"Jeez vod, I thought that you already got that mumbling habit of yours under control," Jango said while turning to the girl.

"Sorry bout him, get a cool Quirk and a pretty girl in his face and he's lost."

"Jango!" Izuku yelled in embarrassment as the girl blushed up a storm. Izuku tried to swipe at him, but Jango dodged and circled away laughing.

"Sorry about him, he's an idiot.

"I-it's fine," Uraraka said while trying to gain control of her blush.

"Hehe, I'm Jango, nice to meet ya." He said staying just out of range. Izuku was tempted to shoot him. "Anyway, thanks for saving this di'kut, but it looks like we need to get inside. Come on!" He then ran ahead, leaving the other two behind.

Izuku sighed before turning to what was hopefully a new friend and classmate, "Shall we?"

Uraraka nodded and they both moved ahead.

"So...was I right? About your Quirk?"

Uraraka giggled.

Izuku had to admit he was only half paying attention to Present Mic's well, presentation. Truthfully he had already met the bombastic man before, a reward that All Might had provided after he had managed to finally use OFA safely. Getting the autographs of some of UA's teachers was one of the best days of his life.

Snipe had even dedicated that last few weeks before the exam teaching them proper firearm safety, if only because he as a hero would not stand for anything else.

If by chance another hero with firearms had the potential to enter the exam and continue against the stigma? Well... it good thing nobody had telepathy nearby.

Izuku had also managed to keep up the contact with the clones inside of him, somewhat. The connection was mostly one-way for some reason, but recent reports from Jango were that the clones were taking Snipe's lessons to heart and were steadily increasing their capabilities with weapons.

If by odd chance he heard the random explosion in his mind...well...nothing he could do about it now.

It still begged the question, could he enter his mindscape? If so, what was necessary?

Questions for later he supposed.

'Huh, he's sure...enthusiastic I guess.' Izuku thought while staring at some guy who was, well, asking wasn't really the right word here but still, should at least be polite, he might be nervous, about the different villains they would face.

He summarily ignored Bakugo.

Later, inside the training ground, and wow was this place huge, according to Jango who was currently in the mindscape, they'd asked and Quirks could not be activated until after the exam started, mentioned offhandedly that it was about the same size as the mindscape.

Izuku had some trouble processing that one.

Looking around he found Uraraka in the same training area and was about ready to walk over to her when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

The person holding his shoulder soon found his wrist grabbed and a gun in his face.

"Now let's just calm down eh? No need to try and start everything right?" Jango said with a grin as the other teen's eyes widened in shock.

"E-excuse me! Are you allowed to even have those weapons!?"

"Rules don't matter to me, I'm just a Quirk." Jango chuckled out as the group around them spread from the standoff.

"Really Jango?" Izuku sighed as he moved away from the teen's now lax grip.

"Midoriya? Jango? Everything alright here?" Uraraka asked as she just now noticed the commotion.

"START!"

Everybody paused and looked over to where Present Mic was.

"What are you waiting for!? There are no countdowns in real life! GO!"

As one the entire crowd moved towards the city, Izuku and Jango immediately grouped up, passing towards Izuku a carbine and some thermal detonators, (and wasn't that a shock to find in the armory).

"Alright, you go left, I go right. We'll meet up around the end of the ten minutes. Check your fire, DOWN!" Jango yelled, knocking down Izuku and quickly shooting a one-pointer.

"Thanks, behind you!" Jango ducked and Izuku took some shots, the robot exploding into a mess of shrapnel.

"Let's go! Stay frosty!" Jango said as they split up and went after points.

Izuku went towards a group of various robots that had actually pinned down some students against some rubble, grabbing one of the detonators, he tossed it towards the group, blowing up some and scattering the rest.

"Hey, aim for the head!" He cried out as he rolled and shot some more robots, leaving the rest for the group to deal with.

He charged forward and moved quickly, the embers of One For All sparking to life under his skin. "I always wanted to do this! One For All: Yaihi'l Beskar'gam!

Okay, so it was a work in progress.

Moving even faster he burst in between two one-pointers and shot them from behind.

After that, he moved upwards, jumping between the walls of an alleyway to get to higher ground.

"I hope Jango's doing worse than me, can't lose that bet!" Izuku said before a sudden rumble made everything shake. Turning around, he spotted the absolutely ginormous zero-pointer in front of him.

Izuku sighed.

Jango was actually doing pretty well, all things considered.

Well, if you didn't count the fact that he was surrounded by robots.

"Heh, this is just too easy, I'm winning that bet for sure!" Jango yelled in excitement as he started to spin and fire, fortunately, they were mostly one-pointers so they didn't have any ranged capabilities. Three were immediately eliminated within a few seconds of each other. Ducking and rolling, he ran and shot more, the blue bolts piercing through metal with deadly efficiency. Getting closer, Jango was forced to make space, constantly moving, constantly firing. His pistols were starting to overheat and burn his hands. The smell of burnt circuits and oil filled the air and Jango was getting tired. Putting away a pistol, he tossed two grenades towards separate groups of robots and blew them to smithereens.

Spotting a three-pointer, he bum-rushed it, firing at its supports and joints before leaping on jumping onto its body and scrambling to its head, and firing point-blank.

Its body crumpled and he rolled off onto the concrete before continuing forward. Spotting a blonde boy hunched over in pain and a two-pointer about to strike him, he rushed forward and tackled him to the ground.

Turning quickly and firing at the bot it soon became scrap metal under the barrage, hissing in pain as he was forced to let go of his gun, he turned to the boy he'd saved.

"You alright?" Jango asked, picking up the teen. The blonde nodded, still clutching his stomach, Jango noticed the specialized belt he was wearing and dragged him over to an alcove.

"M-merci."

"Welcome, you need anything else?"

"Just rest mon ami, I managed to grab 40 points, I think I made it." He said while panting before straightening out into a pose.

"After all, someone as glamorous as me can always shine!"

…

…

…

"Oookaay then...good luck," Jango said before quickly moving away and heading towards the middle.

'I lost track of how many points I got in that last scuffle, hopefully I made more than Izuku, either way though, we're totally making it in.'

Out of nowhere, debris shot upwards into the sky, sending him flying back, towering above him was what was apparently the zero-pointer.

Jango was not amused.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Hmm, the test hasn't even started and we already have a confrontation between applicants." Hound observed.

"Good instincts honestly, but shouldn't we be worried about the firearms? Where'd they even come from?" Midnight asked.

"Ah signed it off mahself, besahdes, they're praduced by 'is Quirk."

All Might would, until the end of his days, be jealous at how easily Snipe could pull off a Texan accent while speaking Japanese, the best he could do was a half-hearted west coast accent thanks to Dave.

And he'd lived there!

Completely unfair in his opinion.

"Snipe, please stop flexing on All Might, besides, young Jango was simply protecting young Midoriya." Nezu chided with some humor.

And wasn't that a sight, Nezu had taken a slight interest in both boys, although since Jango hadn't been training to wield OFA he was the one to spend more time with the principal.

They shared a dark sense of humor and made jokes that would make anybody else gape in shock.

"Aw, take my fun away."

So unfair.

"That's his Quirk? It's been a while since I've seen a duplication Quirk, and is he fully sentient, or just a copy?" Ectoplasm asked, interested in seeing a Quirk similar to his.

"I've had the opportunity to speak with young Jango, although he is a clone of Midoriya Izuku, he has his own personality traits, likes, and dislikes. We had a riveting discussion of military tactics and the Art of War by Sun Tzu the other day." He cheerfully said while focusing a screen on him.

As one the entire faculty shivered. Nezu having his eye on somebody was never good for their sanity.

"Him and his...progenitor?" Cementoss asked, he knew that some sentient Quirks had a preferred relationship term in some cases.

"They prefer to be called brothers actually."

"Hmm, interesting, it says here that Midoriya's Quirk registry recently got updated. It went from Clone to Arsenal. Although that is set to change in the future once he has proven to be able to make more than 20 clones." Midnight looked over in a tablet.

"What does he want to change it to?"

"Legion." The room seemed to vibrate at the potential of that word.

All Might took time to observe the boys before moving on to other applicants.

"Many applicants are showing what it takes to become heroes, speed, agility, situational awareness, adaptability, and pure combat ability." He noticed both Izuku and Jango helping people and it brought a smile to his face.

"And the capacity to help others, even at the expense of yourself."

Nezu smiled sadistically, "Let us see, however, what they're made of, Power Loader?"

"Yes, sir." Pressing a button that said PLUS ULTRA, the teachers leaned back to see what these applicants would do when the odds were stacked against them.

Izuku and Jango soon regrouped and retreated quickly but relatively calmly while everybody else panicked.

Yeah, not much fazed you after taking a smash from All Might and eating his hair.

Still though, giant robot.

"I can't believe this!"

"I know right? Where does UA even get the funding for this!"

"Is that really what you're worried about right now!?"

A voice crying out made them both pause, as one they turned.

Stuck under some rubble, and desperately trying to get out was Uraraka Ochako, and for one heart-stopping moment, their eyes met.

Immediately they both started to run towards her as the robot lumbers above.

One For All surged beneath Izuku's skin, crackling the air and making everybody's hair stand on end.

"Jango!"

"Got it!"

As the villain bot brought down its hand, Izuku lept up and intercepted it.

"Sorry about this boys!"

Focusing on his arm instead of his body, he charged his arm up to 100%, "From deep inside of your heart," Izuku grinned, "Detroit SMAAAAASH!" As if the powers of the heavens themselves were in his fist, a great tornado of force erupted from the impact point and knocked over everything in the vicinity. Explosions riddled from the point of impact throughout the entire until the entire thing popped off and the robot itself was knocked backward an entire block.

Izuku shot and crashed backward from the force of his punch to the ground but he was cushioned by both Jango and Uraraka, his arm shredded and bloody, a dark purple from the use of his Quirk. Jango had used the distraction to grab Uraraka from the rubble and that's how the two were there to catch Izuku.

"Yeah, good thing you didn't do that last time right?"

"Shut up Jango."

"Your arm Midoriya!"

"What this? Tis but a flesh wound!"

"No time for pre-Quirk references vod, that thing is coming back," Jango said as he set down Uraraka and they helped Izuku back up.

Adrenaline was an amazing thing now that Izuku thought about it.

"Agh should've aimed for the head," Izuku grumbled as the trio stared at the half-broken robot that was slowly making its way towards them.

"You still got them detonators?" Jango asked as he grabbed the ones he had, Izuku nodded and tossed them over.

"You managed to blow up a bunch of holes in that thing, if I pop these in I can blow it up more, maybe even the head. That thing could cause a lot of damage before the exam ends, let's get rid of it." Izuku nodded and grabbed the back of Jango's shirt. One For All charged again sparking wildly as he prepped to throw Jango.

"Wait! Let me help!" Uraraka said while tapping Jango's back, immediately floating in the air, both he and Izuku to express their appreciation. Moving forward, Izuku spun to gain some momentum, "I've always wanted to do this, OKLAHOMA!"

A small twister of wind and energy formed around Izuku's rotating body, Jango groaning as he was subjected to the force.

"SMASH!" He yelled while flinging Jango at breakneck speeds towards the zero-pointer.

Unfortunately, Zero Gravity had a negative effect on this situation because while, for training purposes, Izuku has thrown Jango, he was not used to the force necessary in this situation. As such...

BAM

Izuku and Uraraka cringed as Jango slammed into the zero pointer's face, leaving an indent in the metal and leaving him stuck there.

"Oooh, that is gonna hurt later."

"I'm okay!" Jango groaned out before shaking his head and turning, he saw the other hand coming close to reach him, jumping off his imprint, he went through the fingers and started running down the forearm, shooting wildly at the zero pointer's eyes.

Knocking out two, he felt the metal shift under him as the robot tried to get him off, diving towards an exposed ledge on one of its chest vents, he grabbed tightly and climbed his way up the top before sprinting and jumping across towards the other.

Making his way to the exposed sections along its left side, he climbed his way in and crawled through to its spinal base taking special care to avoid exposed wires and the broken framework, he could feel the entire robot shake and even was knocked over by impacts of the robot's fist against its own chassis.

"Made it, lot more hassle than I'd have liked but here I am." Setting off one, he then quickly made his way back towards the opening.

With a great eruption, the entire spinal base was blown to pieces, the neck and head collapsing onto the body as the entire thing flipped over. Jango himself was too slow to escape and so was flung out of the zero-pointer and into the air, the shockwave disorienting him and sending him careening towards the ground.

"Oh no, this is gonna end badly." He groaned as he fell.

His fall, however, was stopped by a slap and he started floating in the sky.

"Ow."

"Sorry." Uraraka groaned out while she and Izuku were on top of some floating rubble. Izuku grabbed Jango's flailing hand and brought him to the slab. Guiding them down, Uraraka soon let go of her Quirk, and the three rested on the ground.

Soon enough the absurdity of the entire situation made Izuku start snorting in amusement. Soon enough Jango started chuckling and Uraraka giggled before all three of them started to laugh.

As they quieted down, Izuku was the first one to notice and ask.

"Hey, where is everybody? Did the exam end?"

"Oh it ended about 5 minutes ago, young Midoriya."

"The three of them turned and looked to see the entire UA faculty near them, and all three were caught off guard."

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Wow, they both stopped at the same time, if that's not a clone thing then I don't know what is...IT TURNS ME ON!" Midnight roared out as her coworkers facepalmed.

"Really Nemuri?" Mic groaned out while Eraserhead continued to nap.

"Now they're heading over to rescue her, looks like Midoriya's charging up the strength aspect of his Quirk.

"Wonder if that, "strength of a thousand clones" actually appli-HOLY!" Ectoplasm and the others exclaimed in shock as they watch Izuku jump in the air and meet the Executor's hand.

"It blew the arm straight off!" Power Loader complained, he knew that that was gonna be a pain to fix.

"Well, that's the end of the exam, call it Mic-"

"Wait, something's wrong!" Power Loaded cried out as he tried various controls on the computer.

"What is it Hajima," Nezu asked as the other teachers got up, even Eraserhead was fully awake now.

"The Executor bot's not responding to my controls, after taking that damage it should have shut down automatically, but it's still moving! It's out of my control!" He frantically tried to regain control, but error messages continued to appear.

"Let's move out and-"

"Hold," Nezu said and the teachers froze.

"Present Mic, call the end of the exam, advise the students to immediately go to the gates. Everybody else, wait."

"But sir, that zero pointer's targeting system is on those students!" Power Loader protested and soon the other teachers began to interject.

"Nezu if you expect me to stand by and watch that boy destroy his body again-" Recovery Girl started only to be interrupted by Nezu.

All Might marveled at his audacity.

"He will do no such thing. After all, brothers work together, don't they, All Might?" As one the faculty turned towards the emaciated man, who continued to stare at the screen with a grin.

"You're right principal, brothers, and heroes."

So they watched, as Jango was flung towards the Executor, both All Might and Nezu laughed uproariously at his impact with the robot, and destroy it from the inside.

All were marveled at how the three worked together, saving each other, and laughing together like children.

"Let's go."

"And that is what happened, I must admit, you three have impressed me very much with your teamwork and capabilities. As a reward, I will tell you now that all three of you passed the exam, yes that includes you Jango, were you not a Quirk you would be a student. As it is, I cannot give you your direct scores until they're tallied but congratulations you three." Nezu said with a smile while Recovery Girl made her way towards the group.

"Hey, Nezu!" Jango yelled while the teachers choked at his boldness, "who won the bet!"

Nezu only chuckled and shook his head, "Now why would I ruin the surprise?" Jango only responded with a groan.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Let's fix the three of you up, no?"

"Hey, I'm just a clone Rec. Girl, I'll be-" Jango was cut off by the sheer terror he felt of having her glare turned towards him.

"-Right here waiting for treatment, ma'am." He quickly finished while lying still.

"As I thought," She replied before glaring at a chuckling Izuku, shutting him up, and kissing his arm, "I thought I told you not to do something so stupid."

Izuku sheepishly chuckled before replying, "Eh, well, instinct I guess. My body just moved on its own."

Recovery Girl hmm'ed in annoyance before checking him over, satisfied at the end, she gave him a gummy before he fell asleep from exhaustion.

Giving another kiss to Jango to heal him from his back injuries, the latter dematerializing back to the mindscape, she then turned to Uraraka.

Said girl eep'ed in apprehension, but Recovery Girl was much gentler with her.

"Now then deary, let's fix you up, and please, for the life of me, never bring yourself to be as stupid as those two knuckleheads. Uraraka nodded rapidly, unwilling to have the glare turned on her any time in the future.

Soon enough she was feeling better from her nausea and injuries, but she still decided to sleep off the adrenaline and exhaustion.

"They're so cute!" Midnight squealed.

"Nemuri," Eraserhead warned.

"And can you imagine him using that Quirk-" She continued her tirade.

"Nemuri!"

"Or better yet on me!"

"NEMURI!"

As the ensuing conflict grew behind them, Nezu, All Might, and Snipe approached the group.

"I want him in my course, the both of them. Midoriya's pretty good with that carbine but Jango's a natural with them pistols. Shot those eyes while moving and from a pretty good distance." Snipe commented before picking up said carbine.

"Ah still marvel at how 'e just makes 'im from 'is Quirk, think 'e can get meh ah permanent one?"

"Really Snipe?" All Might asked in exasperation.

"What? They're pretty useful, no need for reloadin', who knows? Mehybe 'e can mayke me a revolvahr?"

"I'm talking about the accent Snipe."

Snipe just chuckled, then he turned and went to break up the fight.

"You certainly picked a good one, Yagi," Nezu commented as they stared at the two who were now being taken away by medical bots.

All Might chuckled, "Yes, yes I did."

Later, after Izuku had woken up, thanked the faculty, and went home, he and Jango eagerly spoke to Inko about the day's events and the battle that they took part in.

Izuku took particular pleasure in mentioning Jango's faceplant.

Jango in turn praised the new girl that Izuku had made friends with.

Inko just smiled and laughed, enjoying the time with her two boys. Her own family, both born and, as she looked at a smiling Jango, created.

Later that week, the three of them stood with the UA letters in hand, Jango felt particularly touched with the fact that one was addressed to him. Although he was a clone, Nezu had recognized his sentience and semi-independence.

"Let's open yours last," Jango said while opening his letter. A little round projector was then placed on the table and they were greeted by All Might.

"I AM HERE! WITH YOUR TEST RESULTS!"

"PEDO MIGHT!"

This time Inko smacked Jango upside the head.

"NOW, YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY I'M HERE, IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT UA'S NEWEST TEACHER!"

"That's so awesome! He's gonna be with us!"

"Another school teacher scandal."

Inko smacked Jango again.

"NOW THEN, ONTO THE SCORES! YOUNG JANGO, YOU 40 VILLAIN POINTS, IF YOU WERE BY YOURSELF, THAT WOULD BE JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE IT IN!

"Bah, I got too many one-pointers, I killed like, 30 of them."

"BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! HERE AT UA, WE ALSO RECOGNIZE ACTIONS OF COURAGE IN HELPING THOSE IN NEED! LOOK AT THIS, YOUNG JANGO. YOU HELPED A YOUNG MAN IN DANGER, THEN THAT YOUNG GIRL AND FINALLY YOUR BROTHER! AS SUCH, YOU GAINED 30 RESCUE POINTS! CONGRATULATIONS! ALONE, YOU'D BE THIRD PLACE!"

"Alright! 3rd place! I wonder who got first though."

"Probably me, that means I win the bet Jango!" Izuku laughed out while Jango shook his head.

"Nu-uh, no way! We still got to see yours, you probably got less than me!" The two started to argue and wrestle while Inko rolled her eyes and made her way to Izuku's letter. Grabbing the projection disk, she set it on the table and turned it on.

"I AM HERE!"

The words shocked the two boys back into focus and they quickly paid attention to the man.

"NOW, I'M ASSUMING THAT JANGO HAS ALREADY SHOW HIS DISK!"

"How'd he know?"

"Probably Nezu."

"SO PRINCIPAL NEZU HAD ME RECORD THIS SECOND!"

"See?"

"YOU TWO ALREADY KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN, AND I'M VERY PROUD! NOW FOR YOUR SCORES! IZUKU MIDORIYA, YOU GOT 30 VILLAIN POINTS, A FEW SHY OF JANGO."

"HA!"

"Shush!"

"BUT YOUR ACTIONS WITH THE SURROUNDED GROUP, SAVING MISS URARAKA, AND YOUR BROTHER HAVE GAINED YOU 40 RESCUE POINTS, BRINGING YOU UP TO 70!"

"HA!"

"THAT BLASTED RAT DID THIS ON PURPOSE!"

"Wait," They both said, "if we both got 70 points, then that means..." They turned again to the projection.

"YES BOYS, YOU'RE BOTH CORRECT, ALONE YOU EACH HAVE 70 POINTS, THAT MEANS THAT TOGETHER, YOU HAVE A COMBINED SCORE OF 140 POINTS!"

They stared at the chart that was projected in front of them.

MIDORIYA IZUKU/JANGO – 30/40 – 40/30 – 140 1ST PLACE

"WELCOME BOYS, TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"

The boys loudly cheered and all three cried tears of joy as they celebrated their success.

This was the beginning of their journey!

To becoming heroes.

Together.

Izuku was slightly nervous as he stood in front of the large door for Class 1-A but, reminding himself of everything that it took to get here, and hardening his resolve, he opened the door.

'Of course, it had to be these two.' Izuku thought in exasperation while watching the confrontation between Bakugo and the teen that Jango almost shot. Said teen took one look at Izuku and immediately stomped over.

'He looks like a robot. Oh well, might as well get this over with.'

"I, TENYA IIDA, HUMBLY APOLOGISE! IT IS CLEAR THAT YOU ARE THE SUPERIOR STUDENT!" He said with a perfect bow, Izuku wondered if he could put a square and see if there was any space left over.

'Not what I was expecting...' He thought, honestly bewildered at the entire change.

'Huh, guess you can't judge everybody by the first interaction.' He heard Jango said from the mindscape.

"Uh...apology accepted but I'm no superior student."

"But you saw the truth of the exam! Returning for the girl." Iida recounted, a part of him still felt shame at not doing anything and simply leaving.

"Look, I saw someone in danger and I moved. That's it. I didn't even know about rescue points till the end." Iida was about to continue but he was interrupted by another arrival. Izuku noted that it was the last student and his first friend.

"Midoriya! You're here!" The bubbly Uraraka was very happy to have arrived, she had also cried in joy at receiving her ranking, 28 villain points, and 50 rescue points, putting her at 2nd overall. Both were very happy to see each other and even hugged before quickly splitting in embarrassment.

Izuku suddenly feeling a presence behind him turned and popped a pistol.

Face to face with a caterpillar, he blushed and apologized before turning and sitting in his seat.

'I can't believe I almost capped a teacher.'

'If you do that again, you should call it Chicago Smash?'

Izuku groaned.

'What? Why are you booing me, I'm right!' He heard Jango yell off to the clones.

"Hmph, good instincts, and at least you sat down, either way, it took 15 seconds for all of you to quiet down, that's time wasted, that's someone dead."

If anything the silence became more deafening.

"Either way, we're on a schedule today, I'm Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher, put these on," the scruffy man who was a caterpillar grabbed gym uniforms and set them on the desk," and meet me outside for a Quirk Assessment."

"Uh...what about orientation?" Uraraka asked.

"We don't have time for such frivolities, I'll see you in 10." He said before leaving the room. All of them simply stared before Izuku simply shrugged, grabbed a uniform, and headed out. Soon enough, the rest of the class followed suit.

After changing over, they found themselves outside near a large track area, most of them later than others.

"Obviously we'll have to work on your timing, that is if you manage to stay here. Either way, let's move on. Today we'll be doing a Quirk Assessment Test, so far you've all been limited by the government in an illogical attempt to be 'fair'. Here though we'll be pushing you to your limits," He paused as if he was deciding something, "Bakugo, you managed the most villain points in the exam. What was your ball throw in middle school?"

"About 67 meters," Bakugo said as he walked forward. Aizawa tossed him a ball and motioned for him to go inside a circle.

"Use your Quirk, stay inside the circle. Go all out, that's it."

Bakugo chuckled darkly as he rolled his shoulder.

"Alright then," He wound it back.

Immediately Jango appeared behind a girl with dark purple hair and covered her ears.

"What the-"

"DIE!"

BOOOM!

An explosion rang out the field sending the ball flying and making everybody cover their ears. The girl also clasped her hands over Jango's to add more pressure as the sound rang out and left some people reeling.

Once the sound died out, Jango let go and the girl nodded appreciatively.

"How did you know?"

"I saw you through Izuku's eyes, we immediately deduced that you had some sort of sound-based Quirk. I doubt that you'd like to go deaf the first day." Jango explained with a soft smile.

"Thanks." The gratitude was genuine, but she also felt slightly creeped out that her Quirk was so easily discovered by a mere glance.

Jango nodded before heading over to Izuku, unaware of a smiling blonde boy who was glad to see him again and was about to make his way over when the device in Aizawa's hand beeped.

"Over 700 meters!" They cried out in shock as Bakugo smirked, smoke still rising from his palm.

"This is all designed to push you beyond your limits, and today we'll discover them."

All of them immediately got excited, someone even shouting out that this would be fun.

Izuku and Jango both felt the atmosphere change.

"Fun huh?" Aizawa cut in, glaring. "Fine then, let's change things up, whosoever is last gets expelled."

Cries of shock and denial rang out from the class, calling it unfair and the like.

"Natural disasters, villain attacks, injustice, crime, the world's unfair. That's how it works, here at UA, it's our job to teach you to fight that unfairness as heroes. So either you step up to the plate or leave right here, right now." He beckoned at them, almost mockingly.

"So show me what you have, Plus Ultra style."

Over the afternoon, the students went through the eight tests, each one trying their best to not get expelled.

Izuku was practically in Quirk heaven, with so many new Quirks that he wanted to document. As it was, he had to rely on his clones for later. He particularly took notice of how many Quirks that weren't suited for some situations, excelled in others. For example, the side steps were overtaken by some short kid with balls on his head that used them like double trampolines.

Another used his Quirk to get over 500 kilos on the grip strength test.

Really the most interesting was the girl that made an entire electric scooter for the run.

Uraraka's was the funniest, sending that ball to space left him and Jango in stitches. Izuku wondered if that thing was still in orbit.

Izuku himself managed well on the tests, the most memorable moments being him and Jango working together on the grip test, him jumping with One For All on the standing long jump and landing on Jango's shoulders, having him run the rest of the way.

Some of the class laughed at the spectacle and Aizawa remained dead inside.

At the ball throw, however, Midoriya thought to himself about what to do.

'I can't use a big percentage of One For All, I'll just break my bones. Hmm..."

"Jango!" Izuku said as Jango reappeared, sticking the ball into his hands and grabbing him by the collar and waist, Izuku lied down on his back and held up Jango with his feet.

"I choose you!" Izuku kicked off while pushing his body up to 15%, straining his muscles and cracking some bones.

"WOAAAAHHH!" Jango cried out before landing in a crouch about 50 meters away.

"You ass!" Jango cried out as he started to run.

Aizawa merely shook his head before staring at the screen in his hand the number steadily rising, he could admit that the kid had some good running speed.

Honestly, he was actually interested in seeing how far this went.

At the same time though.

"Call him back after a minute, we don't have time to waste." Izuku shrugged and nodded and after the time passed, tried to dematerialize Jango but found that he couldn't.

"Huh...I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"He's too far away, our connection's really short...I can usually sense my clones but he's actually gone far enough that I can't. Never had this happen before, good to know." Izuku paused as he suddenly felt everything go silent.

All the voices, all the power.

Silent.

In a blink however it came back and he gasped in shock.

"Huh, looks like your clones are also independent of you and don't disappear after I use my Quirk," Aizawa said while applying eye drops to his eyes.

"Oh! You're Eraserhead! I thought I recognized you, you were there after the entrance exam."

"You're an odd case Midoriya, I was prepared to erase your Quirk after your stunt against the zero pointer, but you decided not to use your full power. Why?"

"Well, when I did that I completely destroyed my arm, and I can't keep doing that. I'm going to have full control of that strength one day but until then I'm leaving that as a last resort and using all the other abilities I have with my Quirk." Izuku explained, a bit nervous at the piercing stare that Aizawa was giving him, but he still stood tall.

"Good, you actually have some logic in that brain. Come on, let's go." Aizawa said, walking over to the rest of the class, and finishing the rest of the tests, Aizawa stood before the class and presented their scores.

"Too much of a hassle to put everything, so I'll just put down your rankings."

YAOYORUZU MOMO

MIDORIYA IZUKU

TODOROKI SHOTO

BAKUGO KATSUKI

And the list went on until the final name.

MINETA MINORU

Said teen fell to his knees in despair, already lamenting the fact that he'd never be with women.

Any nearby girl immediately took various steps away from him.

Izuku...half-pitied him.

"By the way, the expulsion thing was a lie, I just wanted to see you all give your best."

Various exclamations of shock and relief rang out, although Yaoyorozu declared it obvious. Izuku however, was less sure but decided to keep quiet. Now if Jango was here he'd immediately call Aizawa out and that wasn't really the best impression to give your teacher the first day of school.

"Go ahead and change back, you'll find syllabi on your desks. We're done for the day. Midoriya, stay back a bit."

Midoriya nodded and stayed while the rest walked back to the school.

"Look, this entire thing is about finding your limits, you're pretty logical, but I still want to see what yours are. Throw the ball with your strength aspect, do what you need to. We can discuss training management later."

Izuku nodded before stepping back into the ring.

'Alright, let's not bust my arm this time. Focus.' He brought One For All to life, charging it throughout his entire body, bringing his arm to a swing, and unleashing 100% at his fingers, the ball was sent soaring towards the sky, rings of air left in its wake as it went Mach 4.

Izuku brought his hand back and held it close to his chest, his index and middle fingers mangled but he still managed to grin.

"I think that's a good start, right Mr. Aizawa?"

Aizawa shook his head and gave a wry grin, he had a feeling that both he and that Jango would be problem children.

"Alright, go ahead and head to Recovery Girl, I'll give her a note, get yourself fixed up. I'll find your brother," Aizawa said as he started walking.

Izuku nodded and made his way back.

"And don't think I didn't notice that stunt you pulled with your legs," Aizawa called out, Izuku sheepishly ducking in response.

Aizawa stared at the little screen in his hand.

'Over a thousand meters with just two fingers, and according to this Jango's still going at 700 meters.'

"Just had to have the year with 21 students huh?" He mumbled out before moving along.

Unknown to the both of them, Bakugo had stayed behind, watching, glaring. He was furious, not only had he been beaten out by Deku and his worthless clone at the entrance exam, but he was beaten out today not only by Deku, again, but by two other extras!

Now, this!? Deku had super strength!?

Something wasn't adding up.

And Katsuki would find out, one way or another.

"I thought I told you not to injure yourself like this anymore," Recovery Girl asked in disdain as she healed up Izuku's body, "honestly, you're just as bad as Yagi."

Izuku could only chuckle sheepishly as the wounds healed, "I just needed to find my limits, at least the damage's less right?" He then hissed in pain as Recovery Girl took the opportunity to smack him upside the head.

"Just because it's less doesn't mean it's less stupid."

A continued tirade was stopped by the arrival of Jango who merely raised a brow at the scene before him.

"Imagine my surprise as I'm running when I hear a sonic boom and a ball soar over me."

"Yeah, turns out Aizawa helped us discover some things about ourselves."

"I heard, I felt the connection break but still maintained form. I thought of something similar when you were knocked unconscious." He said while sitting down across the room.

Once Midoriya was cleared to go they headed over to their classroom, picked up the syllabus, and headed to the front of the school for the train station.

They were, however, sidetracked by some of the students.

"Hey, guys!" Uraraka waved over to where she, Iida, the girl with dark hair and the effeminate blond were.

"Hey, you all stayed, were you waiting for us?" Izuku asked while walking up to them.

"Yeah! We wanted to get to know you better and walk over to the station together." Uraraka said as they started to walk.

"Alright, so I'm Midoriya Izuku, and this is Jango. You two are?" He asked the blond and girl.

"I'm Jirou Kyoka."

"And je m'appele Aoyama Yuga! It is a pleasure to meet you!" The blond said with a...certain flair, Izuku would describe.

'Is he actually sparkling or am I tripping?'

"I actually met monsieur Jango during the entrance exam and wished to express my thanks again."

"No need, Frenchie. It's just what heroes do."

"Yeah, and Jango here covered my ears when that loud pomeranian kid launched that explosion." Jirou snarked with a smirk, she was idly spinning an ear jack with her hand, Izuku immediately wanted to ask questions, but restrained himself.

Both Izuku and Jango started to chuckle at the rather apt description though.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two. I'm glad that Jango's already making friends. You're Iida right?" Izuku asked turning to the other teen.

Said teen nodded and introduced himself again, and they started talking about the beginning of the school year and what they had in front of them. Izuku and Jango found Iida to be a good person if a bit too earnest. Iida actually apologized for the confrontation at the exam, and Jango in turn apologized for pulling a gun at him.

The group of teens got to know one another as they made their way to the train station, and as their school year began, so did a series of friendships.

"By the way, Midoriya. Do you know that Bakugo guy?" Uraraka asked as they stood waiting for their train to get there.

"Hmm? Yeah, we used to be friends like, a decade ago. Now he's just an ass. Why?"

"Well, I know your name's Izuku, so why does he call you Deku?"

"Bah, an old nickname he gave me, it's an insult that means useless," Izuku snorted in derision.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Iida asked in concern, if this was a hostile relationship that translated to UA over the years, he'd report it.

"It's cause I'm Quirkless...or rather was. I even got the toe joint and everything, although later I discovered that relationship is more correlation than causation or proof," Izuku went on a small mumbling tangent before Jango slapped him upside the head.

"Eherm, right, anyway, Jango didn't appear till I was 10. So I'm a late-bloomer, but it didn't change anything between us." He shrugged as if it didn't affect him, but Jango could see the slight signs of regret and sadness.

"Oh, I thought it was like dekiru, like 'you can do it', so I was gonna call you that." She said with a slight diddy and a sheepish smile.

Izuku flushed at the cuteness of it but still shook his head.

"Uraraka, I'll be honest, considering how we saved each other's lives, you're more than welcome to call me Izuku."

"You already know me as Jango. As far as I and the other clones are concerned, you're one of us."

"Others and I."

"Shut up, Izuku."

Uraraka smiled in appreciation, nodding and accepting the honor. "Then you can call me Ochako."

"I am Yuga!"

"My name is Tenya!"

"Eh, what the heck, we're all gonna be together in class anyways. Might as well cut the middle man. I'm Kyoka."

And so they went forwards, six friends starting their journey as heroes.

Jango couldn't be happier for them.

Chapter Text

"Overconfidence is the most dangerous form of carelessness."

Izuku and his new friends were walking together early in the morning, they all decided to meet together before class started and had met up at the train station.

"So you've got about a thousand clones stuck in your head? Just waiting to come out?" Kyoka asked with her brow raised.

"More like 2000 apparently, I 'make' a clone a day, and they're all just waiting there. I recently discovered how to 'boost' my production but summoning clones takes energy, I just recently managed to get somebody other than Jango." Izuku explained while the others walked slightly ahead.

"Dude, imagine just having entire squads of clones out on the streets patrolling."

"Exactly! Imagine! Clones everywhere, all of them keeping the peace. I'd be exactly the hero everybody needs." He said with a smile.

"And your quirk includes armaments, correct Izuku?" Iida asked as they neared the school.

"Yep, so far I've got the rifles, carbines, pistols, thermal detonators...I'm pretty sure I might have some missile launchers too if the explosions I keep hearing in my head are accurate," Izuku chuckled out.

Iida sputtered and the rest paused in surprise.

"You got any vehicles?" Ochako asked while popping up next to Izuku.

"Uh, well...so far no. But I might! That'd be really cool. So far my quirk's provided me with some unique stuff so I can't wait if I do. I want to see what my quirk comes up with." Izuku replied with a grin full of anticipation.

"Well mon ami, you certainly will become a puissance to be reckoned with against any villain." Yuga dramatically said as they finally entered the school.

"By the way, where did Jango go? I know he ran up ahead of us."

"Ah, we actually been doing some tests, to see if we can bring stuff back into the mindscape, as it turns out, anything that Jango's wearing or carrying can go in, but it's limited to nonliving things. We actually got special permission to make him a personalized costume. He was super excited and ran ahead to try it on."

"Well I'm certainly glad that you and your brother are taking such care for your careers, you know, sometimes I find myself astonished at how easy it is to forget that he's a part of your quirk," Iida commented as they neared their classroom.

"Yeah, I forget it too. I wouldn't change a thing, however," Izuku smiled as they walked in and took their seats.

Once class was settled, Aizawa came in and they started their day, all of them however were eagerly anticipating their last class of the day.

Heroics 101.

The door opened with a flourish, and the Number One Hero came sliding in.

"I AM!"

All gasped in wonder.

"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

"IT'S ALL MIGHT!"

"We really get to be taught by the number one hero!"

"It's really him!"

"This is so awesome!"

"That's not his regular costume."

"I think that's his silver age."

"Heroics is gonna be so badass!"

"PEDO MIGHT!"

…

…

…

Izuku slammed his head down on his desk and held his head between his hands, shaking in pure disbelief.

The rest of the class was completely silent, all of them in shock at what they'd heard, even Bakugo had no words and was staring at Jango in pure disbelief, the slightest sparks of horrified rage in his eyes.

Said culprit unashamedly stood next to Izuku, wildly pointing at All Might with an unrepentant grin on his face.

All Might in turn was pinching the bridge of his nose, smile significantly strained and he groaned in slight frustration. He already knew that today was going to be a long day.

"Sigh, hello again, young Jango." He forced out.

"Wait, you know Jango?" Kyoka was the first to ask, the first to get out of their shock.

All Might sighed again before nodding, "I feel as if I should explain so as to not let any ideas roam free, I have known these two for a while now, and some time back we got involved in a situation that TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT," He glared at Jango who kept grinning, "could be taken very inappropriately." All Might slumped a bit, "Since then he's never let me live it down." All Might finished with a slight reddening of his cheeks.

"Midoriya, I can't believe you have the balls to call All Might a pedo to his face," another student called Kaminari commented from a couple of desks over.

"IT'S NOT ME!" Izuku cried out in embarrassment, "I can't control Jango like that!"

Jango simply cackled.

All Might sighed again before continuing, "Anyway, HEROICS 101, TODAY WILL BE BATTLE TRAINING!"

Bakugo now snapped out his shock laughed loudly in excitement, the rest of the class soon followed.

"THE FIRST RULE OF HEROES, HOWEVER, IS LOOKING GOOD!" Pressing a button, a series of suitcases appeared each one with a specific number from 1-21.

"GO AHEAD AND MEET ME IN GROUND BETA! I'LL SEE YOU SOON YOUNG HEROES!" All Might said with his signature smile back in force before quickly zooming over to the class.

Izuku and Jango grinned, the latter being especially touched at having his own suitcase. Earlier when he'd when to the support studio to try it on he'd been denied as the suit had already been sent to the classroom. He'd taken the time instead to talk to Snipe for some more shooting tips and practice until school started.

The class rushed to the locker rooms to change over, and one by one they came out looking like heroes. Jango came out wearing a gray, somewhat loose body suit, with silver armor plates all over his body but kept the joints free to keep his mobility. He also had specialized armored vambraces, with some gadgets inside them already. Carrying a brown belt with many pouches for medical supplies, the most interesting thing was on his back. A nice, silver jetpack with what appeared to be a torpedo on it, the nifty helmet with a narrow visor, antenna, blue decals and what appeared to be rising yellow wings on the forehead completed the overall aesthetic.

"Please tell me that missile is for aesthetics." Iida's voice was recognized even though he was in even more armor than Jango.

"Hehe, what do you think?"

Iida shuddered, having already heard of the animosity between Bakugo and the Midoriyas he could only pray that they were not paired against each other.

"Wow Izuku, your costume looks so cool!" Izuku turned and immediately flushed at Ochako's costume.

'Why is it skin tight!'

"Uh...I saw your costume design, wasn't it suppose to be like Thirteen's?" Izuku asked while desperately trying to fight down his blush.

"Y-yeah, I guess there was a mistake," She shyly looked down in embarrassment and Izuku rubbed the back of his head.

Izuku himself was wearing a dark green body glove instead of a suit like Jango, he was covered in white armor pieces instead of silver like Jango, and at all the same spots but with a bit more coverage and added protection to his hands and the collar piece was wider, segmented, and covered his chest pieces. His shoulder pauldrons were longer too, with the left having the UA emblem (he would save the leaves till after he graduated), and on the right were the same rising wings as Jango's helmet. Around his waist was a similar belt to Jango's but added a half-robe around his waist.

He had forgone a helmet like Jango, wanting to have the world see his smile.

"Well, at least you run less risk of tearing or getting caught on something." Jango shrugged out.

"Oh, Jango! I didn't even know that was you! You look amazing!"

"Thanks."

Izuku looked around and saw Kyoka and Yuga in their costumes nearby, and waved at them. All Might soon came in with a whoosh, and loudly announced his arrival.

"YOU ALL LOOK GREAT! LET THIS BE THE FIRST START OF YOUR JOURNEY AS HEROES!"

"Sir! We're in the same training ground as the entrance exams, are we going to be doing urban battles again?" Iida asked with his hand held high.

"NOT QUITE! YOU SEE, MOST VILLAIN ATTACKS YOU SEE ARE BROADCASTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, BUT TRUE VILLAINS KNOW TO STAY IN THE SHADOWS, BACKROOM DEALS, NEFARIOUS BASES, AMONG OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES ARE DONE OUT OF SIGHT, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE DOING INDOOR BATTLE TRIALS, WITH YOU ALL AS TEAMS OF TWO, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, FACING AS HEROES VS. VILLAINS WITH THE GOALS OF CAPTURING EITHER THE VILLAINS OR A BOMB, AND DEFENDING SAID BOMB OR CAPTURING THE HEROES. QUESTIONS?"

"Will we be expelled if we fail?"

"How much can I beat them up?"

"Is this cape magnifique?"

"How will we be graded?"

"HOLD ON, I'M SUPER STRONG NOT SUPER FAST AT HEARING, IN ORDER, NO, THERE IS A LIMIT, YES, BY A VARIETY OF FACTORS BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCES, HONESTLY I'LL ONLY BE HALF GRADING SINCE I'M STILL NEW AT TEACHING."

"Will you admit to your pedophilia, All Might?"

"SHUT UP, JANGO."

"How will we be deciding teams?"

"BY BALLS!...SIGH, YES JANGO, I KNOW, NO NEED TO SAY IT OUT LOUD." All Might said while holding a box of balls.

"Is that really the best way?" Iida asked in concern.

"Well, far as I see it, it makes sense, on the field we won't be able to choose our partners whenever something happens," Izuku answered, Iida quickly understood and apologized.

"NO SWEAT! NOW FOR THE SELECTIONS!"

"Wait, hold up." Another student asked, the boy was wearing a gi and had a tail, other than that, pretty normal-looking guy.

"You said that there was an exception to the whole 2v2 thing?"

"I can answer that." A new voice said from behind All Might, the class was dumbfounded when the principal popped into view from behind All Might's shoulder.

Most of the girls found it adorable but were too respectful to say it out loud.

Jango was not one of them.

"Ha! You look like a plushie, Nezu!" All Might froze at the audacity, but he really should be used to it right now. Jango and impulse control did not have a good relationship.

"So says the discount Snipe, Mr. Jango."

"Oi!"

"You see students, quite simply I wish to try another one of my experiments, as such Mr. Jango will be separated from his brother here during this exercise. Officially, the reason is to introduce the concept of unexpected variables early on in the classroom, unofficially, Cementoss would be rather cross at having to fix another one of Mr. Jango's incidents." The principal explained while remaining perfectly balanced on All Might's shoulder.

"Oi, how was I supposed to know that the missile would do that much damage to the building." Jango protested semi-seriously, the effect was ruined by the chuckles that would escape.

"The issue was not the missile launcher, rather the chain reaction it caused due to all the thermal detonators you left lying around," Nezu replied with a smirk.

…

…

…

"Okay, that's fair."

'THEY'RE BOTH INSANE!' Almost everybody else thought at the same time. Izuku merely shook his head in exasperation.

"As such, one villain team will have Mr. Jango on their side to help."

"How come a villain team?" A boy by the name of Sato asked.

"BECAUSE IN REAL LIFE, VILLAINS WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE UPPER HAND, WHETHER IT BE KNOWING AN AREA, PREPARATION, OR OUTNUMBERING YOU." All Might answered for the principal.

"Amazing, for UA to prepare us for this already, this truly is an amazing institution, "Tenya praised. Izuku nodded along but wasn't about to sing praises like his friend.

"Alright then, let's set the teams!"

MIDORIYA IZUKU AND AOYAMA YUGA (A)

BAKUGO KATSUKI AND ASHIDO MINA (B)

TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE AND KIRISHIMA EJIRO (C)

ASUI TSUYU AND MINETA MINORU (D)

SERO HANTA AND KAMINARI DENKI (E)

HAGAKURE TORU AND SATO RIKIDO (F)

KODA KOJI AND SHOJI MEZO (G)

JIRO KYOKA AND OJIRO MASHIRAO (H)

URARAKA OCHAKO AND IIDA TENYA (I)

TODOROKI SHOTO AND YAOYOROZU MOMO (J)

"AND LET'S START IT OFF, FIRST TEAM TO GO WILL BE THESE GUYS!" All Might yelled while grabbing two balls.

Of course, it had to be A and B.

Izuku and Bakugo glared daggers at each other, neither refusing to back down.

All Might was suddenly a lot more thankful that Principal Nezu had decided to implement his experiment. He had a feeling that things were about to get...tense.

"So, you got any ideas?" Ashido asked while stretching, Bakugo simply scoffed before walking towards the door.

"Just stay outta my way extra, and guard the bomb. I'm going to destroy Deku." He snarled while stomping down the hall.

'This time it's you're gonna die Deku, and I'll prove to you once and for all that you're nothing but a pebble in the road."

Ashido's indignant cries were unheard to him, and she ended up staying behind to guard the bomb.

"Well, that was rude!"

"Mon ami, are you alright?"

Izuku exhaled sharply through his nose, staring at the building in front of him.

"Let's just say that Bakugo and I have a bad history, he's going to go straight after me, I know it. From what I saw, his partner's got an acid quirk, and she did great on the flexibility tests...how rapid can you fire?" Izuku asked his partner, who, fortunately, was keeping the dramatics to a minimum.

'I wonder if it's just a side effect of his quirk, or he just loves to pose around.'

"Mm, I'm not good ta rapid-fire, mon ami, but thanks to these mirrors I can launch multiple beams at once!"

Izuku nodded before asking his next question, "But too much and it hurts your stomach right?"

Yuga slumped in disappointment and nodded but cheered up a bit as Izuku patted his shoulder.

"I've got an idea then, but first we'll need back up." Extending his hand, he summoned 77, who surprisingly enough appeared in his own armor.

"77 reporting for duty, sir!"

"You have armor?"

"Recent addition to the armory, from when you overloaded your quirk at the entrance exam! Well, kind of. It was an armor manufacturer, and we decided to design something that would work."

Said armor was a black body glove covered in white armor similar to Izuku's although the chest plate and abdomen armor weren't split, and the helmet was completely different, rounder, with what appeared to be a filtration system around the mouth, Izuku commended their initiative.

"Alright, more questions for later. First, Yuga, you and 77 are going to look for the bomb, I'll face Bakugo."

"Are you sure, sir?"

"I have to."

"ALRIGHT THEN, HERO TEAM, YOU CAN GO IN!"

The three entered with caution, and having read the floor plan headed up towards the stairs, reaching another floor, 77 took the lead, but held his fist up, pointing to his helmet and then towards an adjacent hallway, Izuku nodded and charged up One For All and clothes-lined Bakugo.

"77, Yuga! Head on up and find the bomb, I'll take him out." Izuku said while palming his pistol before deciding not to use it, this was personal. He wanted to beat Katsuki with his own strength.

"Deku..." Bakugo snarled in fury, practically frothing at the mouth, Explosion roaring to life in his hands.

"Bakugo," Izuku replied in turn. One For All already charged, and the two stood off.

"You think you can take me out? You're nothing with or without your quirk!"

"Today I prove you wrong, it's you and me, Bakugo."

"No, it's just me, DEKU!"

And with that, they charged.

"Wow, they're really going at it." One of the students commented as they watched the admittedly savage fight going on between the two.

"Sir, should we really let this go on?" Another question, the amount of violence they were showing was...disconcerting.

"All Might," Jango called from a corner, the class as a whole turned to him, "You and I both know that Izuku needs this. He's got a score to settle."

All Might's smile strained, but he simply turned to the screen, and the others were left wondering what exactly was All Might's relationship to these boys.

In particular, this drew the interest of one boy with dual-colored hair, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the armored boy across the room.

Izuku grunted as he impacted against the wall before crashing to the floor.

"You're still weak!" Bakugo growled as he grabbed Izuku by the shoulder and threw him back with an explosion.

"That is why YOU LOSE!"

Charging from above with explosions at hand, Izuku lashed out with a double kick, striking Bakugo in the chest and sending him into the ceiling, he blew his hands against the ceiling and launched himself back down with a kick, Izuku rolling away just in the nick of time.

Spinning on his back he kicked out Bakugo's feet and took the opportunity to get back up. Bakugo used his explosions to gain some distance and rolled over before blasting forwards again, Izuku in turn had launched forwards and their fists met each other's face, the two spinning around from the impacts and falling to the ground.

Izuku groaned before activating his ear comm, "Yuga, what's your status, have you found the bomb?"

"Oui mon ami, but we've run into a bit of trouble," Yuga replied, he was currently hunched over, stomach rolling in pain while 77 was in a standoff with Ashido, said girl had planted various acid traps throughout the room and proved herself highly athletic jumping and flipping around the room, avoiding the stun shots from his pistols and Yuga's beams and fling acid at them. 77 already had to remove his chest piece from the acid.

"Alright, I'll...head over there right now," Izuku groaned out before getting to his feet and slowly heading down the hall.

"Hey Deku."

'Crap.'

Izuku turned and saw Bakugo on his feet, a wild, maniacal look in his eye. As if something had completely shaken him, pointing a gauntlet towards him.

"I'm going to prove to you right now that you're nothing! If those support extras made everything right, then all the sweat I've made has been collected and ready!"

Izuku's eyes widened as he made the connection.

"YOUNG BAKUGO DON'T, THAT WILL KILL HIM!"

"NOT IF HE DODGES!" He yelled while pulling the pin. The sheer power of the explosion was enormous as it cracked the concrete in the hallway, blew out windows, and traveled down the corridor at great speed.

Izuku barely moved out of the way into an adjacent corridor but the blast still hit his side, scorching his armor and leaving it cracked. On the upside, however, he was relatively unharmed thanks to it, but the fall hurt his leg.

"Oh, I could kiss whoever made this armor." Still, however, his movement was severely limited.

He idly overheard Bakugo arguing with All Might in the next hallway before focusing on his own partner.

"Mon ami! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I managed to avoid the worst of it, stay on Ashido and get that bomb!"

"FINE THEN! COME ON OUT DEKU! LET'S FINISH THIS ALREADY!"

Izuku glared at the ground, knowing what he had to do.

"YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME, DEKU! WHERE'S THAT GREAT STRENGTH YOU SHOWED AT THE EXAM! YOU THINK YOU'RE TOO GOOD FOR ME! YOU'RE STILL NOTHING!"

"Tch, I can't believe I've been forced to do this," Izuku grumbled as he exited the hallway.

"THERE YOU ARE! FINALLY READY TO DIE!?"

"Shut up already, let's get this over with," Izuku said as One For All surged to life again.

"YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME! I'LL BEAT YOU SO BAD YOU'LL NEVER THINK ABOUT BEING A HERO AGAIN!"

"Let's go!" Izuku and Bakugo jumped forward, Explosion and One For All at the ready.

Unheeding of All Might's warnings to stopped, Izuku drew his hand back.

"CHICAGO!"

All Might paused.

"SMASH!"

And Izuku shot Bakugo.

The stun round did its work, and Bakugo flopped hard to the ground, the sparks of his quirk going silent.

Izuku stayed bent on his knees, breathing deeply, sweat dripping off his body and blood dribbling in his mouth. Honestly, the funniest thing was how the air smelled like caramel.

Izuku sighed before wrapping the capture tape around the boy's wrists, while he won, the victory felt hollow, he'd wanted to win with his own strength, not just shoot him. He absentmindedly noticed Bakugo's elimination announcement but continued staring.

As it was though, he couldn't help but feel saddened.

"What happened kacchan? We were brothers once," He whispered before heading over to the others.

Back with 77, he and Yuga continued wearing down Ashido, who'd taken to skirting near the bomb, the two couldn't shoot directly at it for fear of shooting the bomb and 'detonating' it. They couldn't get close because she'd surrounded herself with an acid moat that melted the concrete around her.

That, however, gave Yuga an idea.

Spotting the only place that she hadn't put acid, he called to 77.

"77! Run towards the bomb when I tell you to!"

77 nodded but Ashido continued to grin. "Sorry boys, but you're not getting this bad boy! So declares the Alien Queen."

"Desole, Alien Queen, but heroes always find a way! Now!" Yuga yelled as he shot his Naval Laser towards the last support, the floor underneath the bomb quickly started to fall and Ashido stumbled while 77 ran ahead and tackled the bomb before turning and landing on his back.

Ashido herself fell through the floor landed on the concrete pile on the next floor.

"Owie."

"HERO TEAM WINS WITH ONE MINUTE TO SPARE!"

Both 77 and Yuga sighed in relief.

"Great plan, Aoyama."

"Only because you are so formidable a comrade, and Yuga, s'il vous plait.

"Formidable, huh?

"You know Francais as well?"

"Meh, not really but it sounds similar to English and Izuku studied that, All Might obsession see?"

They sat down for a bit before looking over to the hole where Ashido fell.

"You alright?" 77 asked in concern.

"Uh, I kind of hurt my legs."

"Alright, let's get you out of here. Yuga?" 77 asked as he got up on his feet, Yuga nodded and rose as well, secretly glad that he had the foresight to wear a diaper under his hero costume.

Not that he'd let anybody know of course.

Crawling down to where she was, they helped her get up and then supported her so that she could walk out, stumbling a bit due to the damage to her leg, they decided to do a two-man carry by linking their arms and having her sit like a chair.

Along the way, they met with Izuku who congratulated them for their success, eventually, the medical robots came and took away Bakugo, Izuku, and Ashido towards Recovery Girl and 77 and Yuga went back to the observation room.

"WELL NOW, WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THE OTHERS TO RETURN, LET'S QUICKLY REVIEW, NOW, ALL OF THEM DID DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MVP OF THE GROUP?"

77 and Yaoyorozu raised their hands. All Might chose Yaoyorozu to go first.

"I would say Aoyama sir since he was the one who had the most focus on the mission and caused the least amount of collateral damage. Midoriya and Bakugo's fight became a slugfest and they lost focus of the objective, Midoriya himself should have simply shot Bakugo from the beginning instead of letting the fight drag on like that. Ashido did well in defending the bomb, but her liberal use of acid and lack of foresight left her exposed to Aoyama's quick thinking and adaptability. I...I'm not sure if 77 counts, sir." She finished with a slight mumble.

"Don't worry, I don't. I'd also like to say that I agree, boss needed to do it, but from an objective standpoint it would have been better to shoot the angry pomeranian, pom-pom's self-explanatory and pinky was great, dodged every shot I gave her and got some good licks in, but she left herself open." 77 continued even with the slight giggles of the class over some of the nicknames.

Yuma was beaming in satisfaction as All Might nodded and agreed with him being the MVP of the exercise.

77 clapped him on the back and for once Yuga felt that he didn't need to worry about being normal.

"By the way, call me Fordo."

Yuga paused at the word and smiled.

All Might had the other teams go and do their trials, and Jango took notes on each one for Izuku. Idly, he noticed Yuga and the newly named Fordo talk to the side, he was glad that his vod'e were making friends, he hoped that once Izuku managed to manifest the rest, they'd also make friends.

Quite honestly he was still very angry at how Bakugo almost killed Izuku, he'd almost barged right into the trial, but Nezu stopped him and had promised to address the situation.

He'd also reminded him to deactivate his jetpack rocket.

Whoops.

Still, he was glad that Izuku managed to win on his own, even if the victory would be hollow.

'You're doing great vod, you'll make it one day.' Earlier, Jango had done lots and as such was designated for the final villain team.

He was completely unaware of Nezu standing next to him, looking at his notes, attempting to read them but unable to.

"Oh? What language is this?"

Jango jumped off his seat before staring at the furry principal next to him.

"Really?"

"What?"

Jango just sighed, "It's called Mando'a, me and Izuku ("Izuku and I") came up with it to encode our notes. We also plan on using it to discuss battle plans and moves, surprise the enemy you know?"

"I see, and what notes have you taken on your classmates?"

"I'll read them out to you."

2nd match. Teams D and F.

Team D: Asui Tsuyu (Frog) Mineta Minoru (Pop-off) - Heroes

Team F: Hagakure Toru (Invisibility) Sato Rikido (Sugar Rush) - Villains

Team D attempted to do an infiltration through the roof, Asui threw Mineta upwards before leaping herself. Noted for some excessive force in the throw. (possible causes?)

They entered quietly, although it should be noted that Mineta spent the entire time staring at Asui in a perverted manner. They were discovered by Hagakure, who was patrolling the hallways around the bomb room while Sato stayed to guard.

Once they reached the bomb room, Mineta was ambushed by Hagakure and Sato engaged Asui.

Mineta...groped Hagakure, and I very much hesitate to call it an accident 'due to invisibility' as he attempted to excuse. Should keep an eye on him in the future.

Needless to say, revenge was swift and brutal.

Sato finally managed to pin Asui despite her better speed and agility.

Questions to be answered.

Asui – What are the limitations to her quirk, can she embody all kinds of frogs, or a specific family/species, if so, there is potential for camouflage, poison, and stomach expulsion. Blue dart frogs?

Mineta – Quirk is excellent for trap placement and restraint, personality leaves much to be desired.

Also while I understand what he's going for that costume does him no favors. How many can he make? How long do they last? Possible counters?

Hagakure – Her costume is literally boots and gloves, utterly ridiculous. The chances for sexual assault against her are extreme, especially due to her invisibility. Perhaps the armory can manufacture specialized armor that can be turned invisible, should ask that crazy girl at the support course.

Sato – Seems to lose cognitive function with the more sugar he consumes, does it vary with other sugars? Do sweeteners work? What about countermeasures?

"I've got some more based on what I've observed so far through the matches."

Nezu had a certain gleam in his eye that honestly, unnerved Jango a bit, even with the lax relationship they had.

"Oh? Tell me more."

Jango then went over the various notes he had made throughout the trials, some notable entries were on Tokoyami's Dark Shadow and how it reacted negatively to Kaminari's Electrification, and how the latter's powers seemed to be limited to surrounding himself in electricity and large discharges. The resulting cognitive malfunction was also a worrying factor.

Koda and Shoji's match-up was somewhat redundant as they both had excellent potential for scouting and reconnaissance, even knowing their enemy positions however did nothing as Shoji's strength was nullified by Ochako's Zero Gravity and Iida was too fast for Koda.

Izuku, Bakugo, and Ashido all came back at different times during the matches, the latter having been the least injured, she quickly stood next to Yuga and Fordo, the latter who was quick to officially introduce himself with his new name.

Finally, the last match came up.

TODOROKI SHOTO AND YAOYOROZU MOMO VS JIROU KYOKA AND OJIRO MASHIRAO (+ JANGO)

"Alright then, let's do this," Jango said as he and his fellow villains walked forward into the building. Finding the bomb on the top floor, Jango paced around and messed with his pistols.

"Huh, those pistols are new Jango," Kyoka said while using her jacks to try and get a layout of the building.

"Snipe helped me make 'em, we grabbed a pair of pistols from the armory, stripped them to get a better look inside, and then modified them with a new casing and a better heat capacity," Jango replied before turning to Ojiro.

"So, any ideas so far?"

"What me?"

"Well yeah, kinda want to hear everybody's opinion."

"Well Todoroki has ice powers, so maybe he'll start off with that?"

"That Yaoyorozu girl can create stuff from her body, so we're looking at overwhelming force and a lot of variety," Kyoka said as she kept her jacks in the wall, listening for any cues.

Her eyes suddenly widened in fear and she turned to warn them.

"Look out!" But it was too late, in less than 30 seconds the building had been frozen completely, Kyoka's face was stuck to the wall and Ojiro was frozen on his feet.

Jango was just pissed.

"This guy thinks he can just waltz right through us? Well, I have a surprise for him." He said as he bent over and prepped his jetpack rocket."

"Young Jango, no rockets," Nezu said through the comms.

Jango groaned, but set it back, crouching he turned on his jetpack and the heat melted the ice around his feet just enough so he could break out.

"I've got an idea, he thinks he can just walk in, we'll let him think that way. Kyoka, you still hear anything?"

"Y-yes, h-he's on the s-second f-floor." She shivered out, Jango felt bad for her, those jacks must be sensitive. He put his jetpack on the lowest setting, and let the heat off near her head, the ice soon melted and she gave a gratified shiver.

"I need you to stay here, Kyoka, pretend to comm me saying that Todoroki's here, and Ojiro if he gets close to you, knock the wind out of him with your tail. I'll stay hidden by the bomb and shoot him if he gets close or after you hit him."

"Right."

'He even froze the bomb, in real life that'd probably cause something to go wrong.'

Soon enough Kyoka heard a single pair of footsteps approach and pretended to comm Jango.

"Jango, he's up here in the bomb room."

'Must have missed him on the way up.' Todoroki thought to himself, completely disinterested in his opponents.

"Sorry, the difference in power is too great." He said while walking past Ojiro, who in a rare moment of indignant anger, swiped with far more force than he intended to. The blow from his tail to Todoroki's sternum not only knocked the breath out of him but cracked bone, out of breath, Todoroki was unprepared for the arm that reached over and under his neck, cutting off his breathing.

Panicking, Todoroki completely froze his right side along with Ojiro, which allowed him to get his breath and fall to his knees, coughing and trying to regain his composure. Glaring at the frozen boy next to him, he kneeled back up with a cold rage in his eyes.

"A valiant attempt, but ultimately futile."

"You sure about that?"

Todoroki gasped in surprise as he turned towards the left and was face to face with the barrel of a gun.

Jango quickly stunned him and the boy fell over in a slump.

"Hm, jetpack's too slow, and if I go high I'll just blast myself. Flamethrower it is."

"Flamethrower!" Kyoka gasped out as Jango unleashed a torrent of flames over the ice, turning it off when it was melted enough.

Ojiro was violently shivering, but Jango could make out the thanks in between the chattering of his teeth.

Kyoka was already free, having used her jacks to break the ice apart, doing the same to Ojiro who continued to shiver. Jango grabbed Ojiro and held him close, "I need to get him outside into the warmth., you think you can handle being here alone?"

"Yeah, I can manage."

"Good, stand back."

Using his flamethrower, he melted a section of the wall before moving back a bit and blowing up the wall with his rocket.

"Don't forget to tie him up," Jango said before flying off with Ojiro to the next roof.

Kyoka quickly tied up Todoroki, who was still out like a light and stood guard in case Yaoyorozu made it in.

"Kyoka, you hear me?"

"Yeah Jango, what's up?"

"I've got eyes on Yaoyorozu, she's got making her way up with ice boots and a bo staff."

"Understood," Kyoka said as she vibrated the remaining ice that wasn't melted around her to break it apart and get better footing.

"I'm ready."

"Halt evildoer!" Momo yelled as she entered before slipping on the water that flooded the room and sent her sliding towards the wall with a crash.

…

…

…

"Are...you okay?"

Yaoyorozu merely groaned in defeat.

"GOOD JOB EVERYBODY, WE MADE IT THROUGH CLASS WITH ONLY SOMEWHAT MINOR INJURIES, THAT'S GREAT! TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN FROM WHAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED TODAY! NOW WATCH A HERO GO, AS IF HE HAS SOMEWHERE TO BE!" All Might said as he rushed away in a gust of wind.

Everybody stood in awe at his sheer speed and Nezu chuckled before gaining his attention.

"Apologies for him, he's a very busy man you see. But what he's said is true, today you all ventured into your first steps to become heroes, as such you were bound to make mistakes, use the resources you have to analyze your performances, critique them and develop new ideas and plans so that next time you can be better. Class dismissed."

One by one, the class left the room, all of them excited and talking about what they learned and what they wanted to improve.

Except for two, one a boy who'd been raised to be the perfect weapon, who in rejecting one side of his quirk had completely, utterly lost.

And the other, a boy groomed to believe that he was everything, his expectations broken in a single day.

"One more thing, Bakugo Katsuki. Please stay behind."

Bakugo gulped in fear.

Looks like the day still wasn't over.

Later on, Izuku and his friends were in the classroom, discussing the trials, Izuku was actually reviewing Jango's notes and adding his own analysis and hypotheses.

He really needed to get a one-on-one session with his friends soon to discover more. On that note, it'd be awesome to have some time with his other classmates too.

He peered out the window and noticed Bakugo walking down the courtyard, already heading home.

Izuku felt conflicted, but as he stared at his new friends and classmates having fun, especially Jango and Fordo, he decided to put his mind at ease.

In one universe, Izuku would have gone after Bakugo, and told him about One For All.

In this one, he decided to let go.

The consequences of that decision, would not be fully realized until far into the future.

Chapter Text

"Great leaders inspire greatness in others."

The day after the battle trials, the group was unfortunately caught up in a huge crowd of reporters that were clogging up the entrance to the school. Practically harassing students with questions.

The topic?

All Might.

Because of course, it had to be him.

While the group tried to make their way through, Tenya, bless him, sacrificed himself by giving a monologue interview and subtly motioning everybody to walk past.

Jango tried the same thing but everybody immediately grabbed him, shut his mouth, and dragged him inside.

No need for an All Might PR scandal, right?

"You won't be forgotten Tenya," Izuku whispered as he and the rest entered.

Eventually, however, the teachers came by and cleared the crowd, as the last of the students went inside, a reporter had the bright idea of trying to go in, ignoring the warnings of her peers, she was stopped by the UA barrier.

None noticed the man in black behind the crowd. Staring.

Smirking.

Izuku was one of the last to enter the classroom. He noticed that Bakugo was already in there, but he was oddly quiet, reserved.

His eyes spoke wonders of hatred.

Izuku merely sighed before taking his seat. The rest of his classmates followed suit, soon enough Aizawa came in and started homeroom.

"Alright, I've reviewed the videos from yesterday's class, we'll be doing in-depth analysis later, but I want to cover some key points right now," He said before directing his gaze to Bakugo.

"Bakugo, you already spoke with the principal, so I won't repeat it, but you're not a child, don't let your ego control your actions."

Bakugo grunted but nodded, still stuck in his thoughts.

"Disobey another direct order from your teachers young Bakugo, and you will be summarily transferred to General Education."

"That being said, Midoriya," He faced Izuku who stilled, "You could have ended the fight much quicker, this isn't the place for grudge matches, in the real world, you take care of threats quickly and efficiently."

"Yes, sir."

"Bring out Jango."

"Uh, ok." Summoning him, Jango was uncharacteristically quiet, or rather, he already knew that the situation was more serious.

"You already knew about this, don't encourage your brother."

"Todoroki, don't underestimate your opponents, and remember, heroes aren't one-trick ponies."

Todoroki also grunted but nodded.

"All of you have taken the first steps into your careers as heroes, you'll make plenty of mistakes, which is why it's important to fix them now. Plenty of heroes go into the field unprepared, it's why they die. All of you need to work hard otherwise you'll be expelled at the drop of a hat." Aizawa stated, some of the students shivered but others took it as a challenge to honestly improve.

"Now, onto the next part of your careers."

The atmosphere was turning intense, and all of them stared at their teacher with apprehension.

"You need to pick a class president."

…

…

…

"IT'S A NORMAL HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITY!"

The sheer cacophony of students vying for the position was ridiculous, each one trying to come up with their own reasons as to why they should be chosen.

Izuku himself was a bit unsure if he wanted to but after discussing it with Jango and some of the clones he agreed that it would be good for developing leadership experience.

"One day you'll be leading thousands of us, you need to start now. Just because we know each other, doesn't mean that it'll be the same in a fight."

"EVERYBODY, LET US DECIDE THIS BY A VOTE!" He was broken from his thoughts by Iida's loud declaration. Izuku admitted that the idea was sound, however-

"What's to prevent everybody from just voting for themselves?"

"Then whoever gains the most votes will have proven themselves in the eyes of the classroom!"

"That...or we could just make a rule that you can't vote for yourself..." Izuku trailed off.

Iida paused, blinked, and nodded.

"That could work. Aizawa-sensei?"

"I don't care. Just let me sleep."

An awkward pause filled the room before everybody collectively shrugged and continued their clamors for the presidency.

Izuku Midoriya – 12 Votes

Iida Tenya – 5 Votes

Yaoyorozu Momo – 2 Votes

Bakugo Katsuki – 1 Vote

"You still voted for yourself!" Jango chuckled out as Bakugo growled.

"Ok...didn't expect this." Izuku admitted as he and Tenya stood next to each other in front of the class. Bakugo had returned to his normal self and was going apoplectic in rage, but Izuku had long since learned how to tune him out.

"I'm glad to be able to work with you, Izuku."

"So am I, Tenya."

Aizawa merely slept.

During lunch hour, Izuku's little group of friends were talking about the classes they'd already started.

"It's kind of surreal, our teachers are heroes yet they act so normal." Izuku hummed while eating his food, Jango and Fordo were actually next to him. The having discovered the joy of food thanks to Inko and was taking advantage of the opportunity.

"So, class prez, how does it feel?"

"Bit surreal, but I'm glad that I have the opportunity and the class' trust. I honestly didn't expect that many votes."

"Well, you and Jango have both proven yourselves to be pretty good leaders during the battle trials." Ochako said while snacking on some mochi.

"True, I voted for Tenya, you're a bit stiff, but you'd get the job done."

"Thank you, Izuku! I am honored by your choice! I admit that I voted for you as well!"

"Tenya, be honest, you're stupid rich. I mean, you certainly look like it!"

Jango snorted at Ochako's bluntness but couldn't help but agree.

"I-uh, well, I wanted to hide this until later, but have you ever heard of the Idaten Agency?"

"Led by Ingenium right?" Fordo asked while eating rice.

"He's got over 65 sidekicks." Jango said while scarfing down some dumplings.

"Family legacy too." Izuku finished as he drank some water.

'It's a trio of hero nerds.' The rest thought with amusement.

"Yes, well, he's my older brother!"

"That's awesome!"

"So cool!"

"That's super cool Tenya, I won-hey! That's my katsudon!" Izuku yelled as he fought off Jango's chopsticks before slamming Fordo's arm onto the table and pinning it.

The rest of the group stared as the 3 started to fight over the last piece of katsudon, it became an entire martial arts battle of chopsticks with admittedly good choreography and a compelling script somewhere in the end before degenerating into a slapstick show.

'This is our class president now.' The group thought in amusement, but they couldn't help but feel a certain joy in seeing the group of brothers.

Unfortunately for them, that joy would not last as an alarm sounded off. Tenya was the first to ask what was happening, and hearing about an intruder on the grounds made all of them panic.

Caught up in the crowd of students, Izuku was slammed into a window where he saw that the entire problem was due to the media.

"The media? You've got to be kidding me!" He growled out before turning towards his friends.

"Guys, it's just the media!"

"The media!? Those hooligans have no sense of respect or propriety, why-"

"Not now, Tenya! See if you can find Ochako, we need to get this crowd controlled or somebody's gonna get hurt!"

"Right!"

Pushing through the crowd, he finally find her and managed to get zero gravity applied to himself, the ensuing slam into the wall above the door had Jango in stitches, but at least Tenya got the job done.

Jango would never let him live down the emergency exit nickname however.

Nezu and the teachers stared at the remains of the gate. The wind picking up made the ashes stir in the wind, and he could smell the lingering taste of death in the air.

"Now the question? Is this merely the act of a lone villain? Or a declaration of war?"

He knew that having All Might here would serve as both a boon and a risk.

A boon.

This was something that few understood about UA, and especially his position as principal, if anything it could be compared to the Underground. Backroom deals, favors, concessions, and negotiations.

Aizawa didn't understand, or rather, while he understood how the Underground worked, he didn't live through it every day.

Not like he did.

Now, it should be noted that the keyword is compared, which in itself insinuates that the relationship between these two is not exactly the same.

The HSPC has always wanted UA, the latter being one of the only schools that were not under their direct control. Especially with him at the helm.

As such, there has always been a conflict of opinions, goals, methods, management.

Everything.

Unfortunately, a good amount of funding also came from the HSPC as such, the battlefield was always tense, a balance held upon a knife's edge.

So many programs he would like to begin, especially to help the students that fell through the cracks.

Shota Aizawa was an exception to the rule.

The rules needed to be changed.

And All Might's influence could be the push needed to implement those programs, change the requirements, create the heroes that the world needed. Not just the heroes that the HSPC wanted.

And a risk.

Because now that everybody knew that All Might was here, students were even more at risk of becoming targets.

It was not rare for villains to try and attack the hero students in the making, although the few that attempted so were...ruthlessly eliminated.

It was worse for those that weren't even in the Hero Course.

If anything serious happened, it could very well be the excuse needed for the HSPC to demand more control especially with the support of the people.

Ah, humans, such fickle creatures. So much potential.

So much wasted.

Either way, it seemed as if a new adversary has entered the game.

Now the question.

What will happen next?

Everybody was eagerly anticipating class, they'd heard that today was going to be another big day and as such were wondering what exactly was coming up.

Aizawa walked in noticed that everybody was already in their seats, commending them for their improvement.

"Today we're doing rescue exercises, take your costumes, or not, don't really care but it's a good idea to see what can be improved. We'll be taking a bus to another part of campus, so meet me in 15." Aizawa finished before walking out.

Immediately, everybody got excited and changed as fast as they could to make it in time.

Izuku himself barely paid attention to everybody's comments, himself remembering the countless times that he saw All Might's debut.

Rescuing people had been the entire reason that he wanted to be a hero.

He wanted to save them with a smile.

Just like All Might.

He could hear the reassurances of his brothers inside of him, and he could feel One For All surging inside of him. As if it recognized a part of its purpose.

Bah, he was overthinking things.

It's not like One For All was alive, right?

Either way, as they rode the bus towards their destination, Tenya had tried to do a seating order only for it to fall through at the bus' design, Izuku began speaking with his clones, discussing ideas as to what to do so that they could also practice rescue techniques.

There was serious consideration of seeing if they could drag a teacher into the mindscape.

Or at least some teaching tools.

Recently Jango had been discussing with the clones as to what specific aspects of heroism they wanted to do. However, the general consensus is that they should learn all aspects before devoting themselves to specific jobs.

Already some clones were asking about finding resources to become certified medics.

Others were asking for more training with demolitions experts and more marksmanship training with Snipe.

His biggest problem at the moment was simply summoning them.

He didn't know what was happening with his quirk, it seemed as if something was blocking him from summoning more clones, which was odd. He thought that by using One For All, he'd be able to summon them, such was the case with Fordo, but so far all that he'd done was just create more damn clones.

According to them, it was starting to get a bit overcrowded.

He hoped that he would figure it out soon.

"Midoriya-chan." He heard, breaking him from his thoughts. Turning to his classmate, he remembered her as Asui Tsuyu, the girl with the frog quirk.

"Yes, Asui?"

"Call me Tsu," She interjected, "Other than the clones, your quirk kinda reminds me of All Might."

A few noises of agreement rang out but Kirishima was quick to butt in.

"Well yeah but, All Might doesn't break himself with his strength either."

"Yeah, what's with that?"

"Oh, it's simple. My strength is proportionate to the clones I have within me. On my papers, it's said as 'the strength of a thousand clones'. Although that's a bit of a lie since I have more. I should be able to control that strength one day, but until then...well. It is what it is."

"It IS WhAt iT iS!" Kaminari laughed out only for everybody to stare at him awkwardly.

"S-sorry, pre-quirk memes." He sheepishly said while rubbing the back of his head. His face red from embarrassment.

"Dude, that was so cringe even I'm feelin embarrassment for you," Kyoka said while shaking her head.

Izuku mildly snorted but was soon distracted by Kirishima.

"Man, you're quirk's super flashy and versatile though. You've got a literal army at your fingertips! You'll definitely go into the big leagues! I can just harden my skin."

"That may be true, but don't put yourself down Kirishima, each quirk has its own use and potential, you can make it too."

"Speaking about flashiness, I guess we should include Todoroki and Bakugo," Tsu said with a finger on her cheek.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SHOULD!?"

"Although with that personality, I doubt that Bakugo will be popular."

"SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU FROGGY EXTRA!"

"Yeah, I mean, we've been in school only for a couple of days and everybody already knows that your personality's like a dumpster fire full of trash."

Bakugo roared in anger at Kaminari who in turn scooted back.

"Ah don't worry Baka-go, maybe you'll be popular like those angry pomeranians," Jango intervened causing Bakugo to turn his attention to the clone.

About to start another tirade they were all interrupted by Aizawa. Ordering them off the bus, they made their way in front of a large building with the letters USJ in the front.

"WOW, IS THIS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN!" The class said as a whole, many of them taking in as much detail as they can.

"Actually, it's the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" Another voice said cheerily, said voice was another hero in a large puffy spacesuit with a black dome for a helmet.

Ochako was the first to recognize her.

"AH! It's the Space Hero: Thirteen! She's my all-time favorite!" Ochako squealed and started to bounce around in excitement.

Her friends chuckled in amusement, but that didn't lessen their excitement.

Aizawa walked up the steps until he was close to Thirteen, they all heard something about All Might but only Izuku and Jango noticed the three fingers that Thirteen put up.

'Damn it All Might, you overworked yourself again.' Izuku thought before glancing at Jango. Their eyes meeting, they both knew that they would have to talk to All Might about his bad habits.

'Oh well...nothing we can do now.'

Heading inside, Thirteen addressed them.

"Now, before we begin, I have a couple of points that I'd like to go over, as many of you may know, my quirk is called Black Hole."

"Yeah, you can suck up and disintegrate things! You've been instrumental in countless rescue operations!" This time it wasn't Izuku who gave the analysis but Ochako with stars in her eyes.

"That is true, but what is also true is that my quirk has the extreme capability to kill."

That took the wind out of everybody's sail and a somber silence filled the atmosphere.

"The entrance exam was the first time you could go all out with your quirks, Aizawa's apprehension test helped you discover your limits. All Might's class helped you see your capacity to do harm, today, it is my goal for you to discover how to use your quirks to save lives." Thirteen said, the class soon started clapping in appreciation, hoping to take these words to heart and learn.

Heading inside, they were all amazed by the sheer scale of the building and the various zones that were available for rescue simulations.

As the doors fully shut, however, the lights began to flicker and their attention was brought to the center of the plaza.

A dark mist began to appear tinged with purple before spreading out widely, from the mist came dozens of villains, the most prominent being a man in black with hands all over his arms and head and what looked like a monster, larger than All Might with charcoal skin. The thing was scarred, with a beak for a mouth and an exposed brain.

Izuku didn't know what he was looking at, only that it was an abomination.

"Woah, is this a part of the simulation?"

"GET BACK!" Aizawa yelled as he prepped his capture scarf. "These are real villains!"

"The doors are shut!"

"Real villains?"

"What the hell is happening?"

The students started to panic and huddle together, meanwhile, the apparent leader made his own observations.

"What's this? Just Thirteen and Eraserhead? The schedule said that All Might was supposed to be here."

"So you're the cause behind yesterday's trouble."

"No matter, I guess we gotta take care of the grunts before we get to the boss level."

"Thirteen, protect the students! Try and reach the main campus!"

"Eraserhead wait! There's too many-"

"No hero's a one-trick pony, Midoriya!" Aizawa yelled while leaping towards the crowd of villains.

"NO! That's not-ah, dammit! He should have stayed here and Thirteen could have sucked up the doors!" Izuku cursed before summoning Fordo and calling Jango to his side.

"Keep an eye on him, use the snipers!" Izuku paused as he considered the range and the situation.

"Don't bother with stunners, but keep it nonlethal." He shuddered a bit, not wanting to cause such damage. But these were real villains, and considering the ringleader's words, this was a situation of life and death.

"Dammit All Might, once we get out of this I'm gonna shove my boot so far up your ass." He then turned towards Thirteen, "Thirteen! The doors!"

Thirteen paused at the order from a student but nodded and aimed her quirk at the doors. The priority after all was evacuating the students.

Just as the door started to crack and break apart, the same shadowy mist appeared in front of them.

"Pardon the intrusion young students, but we are the League of Villains. There seems to be a scheduling error, was All Might not supposed to be here? No matter, either way, today he dies."

Kirishima and Bakugo leaped at the villain disregarding Thirteen's warning, their attacks proved themselves useless as the mist simply reappeared somewhere else.

"Oh? Such initiative, unfortunately, it was useless. Either way, I must complete my duty and SCATTER YOU TO YOUR DEATHS!" The mist expanded and consumed the majority of the class.

"NO!" Izuku cried out, One For All charged through his body and he shot forward towards the mist's center.

'15%!'

Izuku spun his body like a corkscrew and aimed true.

"KANSAS SMASH!"

His fists impacted against the metal collar that the villain wore, sending him crashing against the doors.

"As I thought, you can't be all mist, those two knuckleheads might have jumped the gun, but at least they revealed a weakness!"

The mist man groaned in pain, perfect indents of Izuku's fists had been left on his collar and his body had been revealed, showing him to be a well-dressed man with a misty body.

"It seems that I left the true golden apple here, ugh, no matter. My duty remains the same."

"Midoriya, move!" Thirteen cried out as she uncapped her finger.

Midoriya leaped away with a grimace, landing and stumbling slightly, his body screaming in pain. He had gone way over his current limit to do that Smash.

Looking he saw that Ashido, Ochako, Tenya, Satou, and Shoji were still here at the plaza, and Jango and Fordo were focusing on the plaza.

"We need reinforcements, we need the teachers here! Tenya can sustain his speed a lot more than I can, I just need an opening!"

Izuku's mumbling was cut off as he heard a horrifying scream, turning he saw Thirteen's own quirk used against her, half her suit was torn apart and her body fell to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry...kids." She groaned out.

"No..."

Aizawa was in a pickle, and he admitted to himself that he probably should have stayed up there with his students, especially since he lost track of the warper. He could only hope that Thirteen was handling it.

Using his capture tool to bind two villains and slam them together, unfortunately, another mutant type, one that reminded him of a minotaur, came behind him and nearly clipped him.

That is if it wasn't for the two energy bolts that impacted against the beast, putting him out of commission.

'That must be Midoriya or his clones. They're supposed to be getting out of here-' He pulled another villain towards him before snapping her chin back with a kick and using her as a bowling ball.

"Looks like they have a sniper, tch, Kurogiri better take care of it."

The battle slightly paused as a small explosion of wind appeared at the top of the stairs, but a few more sniper rounds and Aizawa breaking more bones got the villains back on track.

'Looks like something's going on up there. At least I have some cover.' Aizawa thought as a few more villains around him were shot.

Fortunately, the shots weren't piercing, but they were certainly burning them.

Not that he cared very much at the moment.

Kurogiri rose weakly, quite simply he was still rattled by the hit he'd taken.

'If he were not to die today, he would surely be a threat.' He thought before a searing pain made itself known in his stomach. Falling to his knees, Kurogiri had to force himself to stay awake.

"ARGH!"

Izuku's smoking barrel was pointed at him, a hard glare in his eyes spoke wonders of his intent.

"Tenya! I'm gonna blow the doors wide open! When I do, RUN! GET HELP!"

"I can't abandon yo-"

"THAT'S AN ORDER!" Izuku screamed as he sped towards the door, he didn't want to risk not opening the doors on the first try, so charging One For All to 30% he prepared to unleash another smash.

"SMASH"

"Not so fast!" Kurogiri yelled as his body exploded into mist, both were consumed and disappeared.

"IZUKU!"

"VOD!"

The main plaza was a mess of bodies, Aizawa having decimated the villains around him with the help of the snipers.

"Tch, I hate it when pros live up to the hype. But at the same time...3, 2, 1." He sped forward and grabbed Aizawa's elbow, the cloth and skin immediately cracking and falling apart. Aizawa quickly knocked Shigaraki away.

"Your hair's a nice tell, you've been erasing quirks left and right, and that timer's gone down. You're a rogue, not a paladin, so you're not used to big fights like this, even with your ranger budd-" The shot almost, almost hit him.

But it was blocked by the absolutely enormous beast that stood before him.

"That sniper's annoying...Nom-" He was cut off by the appearance of Kurogiri's portal and the absolute explosion of wind that appeared knocking everybody on their ass.

Kurogiri's body flopped onto the ground, unconscious from the last portal he'd made while Izuku was flung towards Aizawa, the force of his strike making him a rocket.

"Midoriya-ugh!" Aizawa grunted as the two were sent towards the stairs.

"Kurogiri...tch, you're useless. If you're here and out, then that means somebody's probably escaped. That means reinforcements. It's game over. We might as well leave!" The man started to rant and rave about the situation before calming down and talking about leaving everything behind.

Midoriya and Aizawa stared at him in disbelief before looking at each other in suspicion.

'That's not right.'

"But first, let's wreck the Symbol of Peace's pride!"

Izuku saw it happen in slow motion, the man's hand extending towards Asui's face, the latter frozen in fear.

One moment he was with Aizawa.

The next he stood before her, fist raised at the ready.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! DETROIT SMASH!"

The ensuing force ripped through the plaza, the water from the water zone was pushed back, basically becoming a reversed tidal wave, the cement cracked and cratered around the epicenter of impact, and the resulting winds blew everybody away, including the various bodies on the floor.

Izuku's eyes were wide in shock, the same black creature from before had taken Izuku's 100% punch.

And it did no damage.

The same could not be said for Izuku, already damaged from going over his limit, and popping off a 30% punch before this 100%, his arm was a mangled mess now. His right leg, which he used to push off was now an angry purple and blood was starting to pour down his body.

Perhaps if he had started off with the 100% against this creature, it wouldn't have caused so much damage.

"Detroit Smash...huh...I guess you're a fan of All Might?" The main villain said, his attention was completely on Izuku, even choosing to ignore Aizawa who had grabbed Tsu and some other students with his capture weapon and brought them back towards him.

"Midoriya! Get out of there!"

"And that strength is nothing to laugh at, Eraserhead was the miniboss, but it looks like you're the gatekeeper to the final dungeon."

"Are you seriously quoting gaming stuff to me?"

The man ignored him, continuing on with his spiel.

"So let's continue, either way, I have to wait for my escape teleport to work."

Izuku deadpanned at the...childish man.

"Nomu."

Izuku stiffened as he felt the creature rise and look even taller.

"Kill the-"

PHIEW!

Nomu groaned as it collapsed, the large burning hole in its head smoked from the full charge round that punched through its head.

"WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! NOMU WAS MADE TO TAKE ON ALL MIGHT AND HE'S TAKEN OUT FROM ACROSS THE MAP! I CALL HACKS! AIMBOT! WHATEVER!"

"Looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew di'kut. Now surrender, or that next shot goes through you." Izuku growled while prepping One For All again.

Aizawa had already ordered the students to go up the stairs and found himself next to Midoriya.

"Midoriya, leave this to me." He said but Izuku shook his head.

"All due respect sir, I got range." He said while pulling out his pistol.

The man started to rage and scratch his neck compulsively, growling at everything.

Then something else growled.

Everything went still and everybody stared as the creature stood up, the hole in its head slowly regenerating until it was left exactly as before.

The man began to laugh.

"I can't believe I forgot about that."

"That's impossible...the strength that he has, the sheer durability, and now regeneration?"

"Haaa, like I said, Nomu was made to take out All Might, he's the bioengineered Anti-Symbol of Peace. Shock Absorption, High Speed Regeneration, super strengths and speed. He's exactly what we need."

Izuku gulped, if this guy was serious, then that means that they really did need help. Hopefully, now that Kurogiri was here, the others managed to get Tenya out for reinforcements.

"Get them Nomu!"

Faster than the blink of an eye, Nomu struck.

Aizawa screamed as he was slammed into the stairs, the creature having been too fast for him to react. The dust settled and he was unconscious, bleeding horrendously from his body.

"SENSEI!"

Pulling out his pistols, he fired them at max power, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air as he assaulted the Nomu with relentless blasts, soon enough however.

Click-click.

'Damn it, the higher settings punch through him like paper, but it wastes the battery!'

The Nomu moved before he could even think, he raised his arms and just barely missed getting a fist to the chest. The impact itself was brutal, and he was also sent flying into the stairs.

As the dust cleared, Izuku's body was broken, his arms were shattered, and he'd broken multiple ribs from the impact and his leg was destroyed from the earlier jump.

"D-damn it...I couldn't do anything." Willing himself to stay conscious, Izuku knew that he had to stand up, had to do something.

He could not let his friends die.

'I...have to...rise.'

…

…

…

'Brothers...help me.'

BOOM!

Heat and smoke waved over him, and Izuku stared at the Nomu's new position, just in front of the ringleader who'd been knocked on his ass by the shockwave of the explosion.

"Think it's gonna be that easy, Handjob? Think again!" Jango cried out as he landed on the ground, pistols at the ready.

"Another miniboss? Or just a mob? No matter, let's just clear this level and go home."

Jango cracked his neck, truth be told he was afraid, not for himself, but for his brother, his friends.

All Might.

But like All Might said.

"Whenever you're afraid...smile to trick the fear inside you."

Well. He was wearing a helmet, but it was the thought that counted.

Izuku stared, breathing heavily.

"Jango...good luck."

They were all going to need it.

And that's a wrap for now! I admit I want to write more but hey! Dramatic tension and all that.

Again, thanks to everybody for sticking by this story. The next update will come by soon! In the next chapter, expect to see the rest of the USJ!

Now, for an Omake.

The Sacred Food

On the day of the entrance exam, Izuku and Jango felt confident that they could handle it, as it was, 77 still needed a bit more time and they needed to practice more in working as a team. As it was, Inko took the opportunity to get to know 77, knowing that Jango had a different personality than Izuku, she expected all of them to be different, and introduce him to her sons' favorite food.

'I know that Izuku and Jango love this stuff to death, but it can't be that good right? At least have some variety.' He thought as Inko set a plate in front of them.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh there won't be any ma'am here, I consider all you clones as my boys," Inko said before heading back to the kitchen.

77 smiled before grabbing one of the cutlets and taking a bite.

His eyes widened.

Needless to say, 77 didn't care much about variety anymore.

Chapter Text

"Trust in your friends, and they'll have reason to trust in you."

All Might honestly felt like utter trash, he'd started off this morning coughing up blood but still smiling brightly. He'd at first been unsure about joining UA to find a successor, the entire reasoning becoming mute once he found young Izuku.

Since then, he'd started waking up with an old forgotten feeling in his chest.

Excitement.

Actually looking forward to a new day.

Of course, being a hero was never boring in any sort of way, except for the paperwork, but somewhere along the line, he'd become stagnant. His actions as All Might were so encompassing in his life that he practically knew nothing else.

And so it became the same thing every day.

Of course, he loved his duty, and he loved seeing people smile, and he most certainly didn't want to appear ungrateful to his master's sacrifice.

But before he knew it, he'd become a robot.

Merely doing the same actions every day.

Or rather, for three hours every day.

A part of him wondered for how long had Yagi Toshinori and All Might become two entirely separate people.

A part of him wondered if it even started before his fateful fight almost six years ago.

And then he met Izuku and Jango.

And he felt happy, he felt true joy! Helping the both of them understand some of the truths of being heroes, the old roots of community service, and helping people smile and be happy.

What it meant to truly be a hero.

He wondered if this is how Nana felt? When she met him?

Maybe even Gran? When he wasn't making him puke up breakfast, last night's dinner, and yesterday's lunch?

All Might woke up today with excitement in his heart to see his protege and be a part of his growth, and for the longest time, All Might smiled as Yagi Toshinori.

Now, however, Yagi Toshinori sat on a couch in the teacher's lounge with a cup of steaming tea in his hands, about to be lectured by Nezu over wasting his three hours before the school day even started.

Ah yes, Nezu.

Yagi knew admittedly, little of the workings of the chimera's inner mind. Not that he wanted to, but he was no fool, he understood perfectly how his recent position as a new teacher would help in Nezu's little games.

Sometimes he thinks even his old nemesis would shudder in fear had the principal become a villain instead of a hero.

He prefers not to let such thoughts arise.

"Thinking about your boys, Yagi?"

He grunted in surprise at the question, and slightly blushed but nodded.

"Among other things, sir," He murmured with a fond smile as his thoughts were returned to the two boys.

"Careful, All Might, or else rumors might spread if you keep smiling like that," Nezu chuckled as Yagi blushed even more and grumbled in indignation.

"Not you too, sir."

If there was one thing he would change, it would be Jango's penchant for unsavory jokes.

"Sorry old friend, but I'm afraid young Jango is rubbing off on me," Nezu said with a grin as Yagi shuddered.

The day that Nezu met Jango was the best/worst day of his life.

A few months ago

Well, All Might was certainly having a good day, he'd just recently passed on his quirk to Izuku, and by now he should have finished digesting it.

Now if only he could get Jango to stop making the jokes about his character.

He watched proudly as he saw his successor cock back his fist, ready to be blown away just as he blew away Nana the first day that he used it.

He did not expect Izuku to stumble and fall onto the ground nor for Jango to retch and also stumble before half-crawling half-running towards Izuku.

All Might was quick to follow.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?"

"Blegh, the power, One For All, the di'kut tried to shove all of it into his arm and release, the energy build-up was too much and woke up every single one of the Vod'e and they shouted at once in the mindscape," Jango said as he shuddered while All Might looked over Izuku and applied what first aid he could.

"The Vo-what?"

"The Vod'e," Jango tried to explain but then shook his head, he'd save it for later, "the brethren. All the clones are in the mindscape right now and they're probably panicking," Jango trembled in shock, he wasn't used to this, and while he was doing admirably well, All Might could see the sheer worry in his frame.

"He needs medical attention, I can take him to UA, there's a doctor there who knows everything," All Might said while picking up Izuku's unconscious body.

Jango gulped and stared in apprehension, this would be the first time that he would ever leave Izuku alone, but he trusted All Might to help his Vod.

With a shaky nod, he disappeared.

All Might always felt wonder at the relationship the two held. If he didn't know the truth, the brotherhood they shared was simply unreal.

Rocketing into the sky with Izuku, within a few minutes he was barreling through UA's gates, opened of course, and speeding through the halls and surprising quite a few students.

Recovery Girl was not amused when she walked into her office to find Yagi huddled over a boy who was burning up with a fever with a sheepish grin.

"Now what?"

It would be later after she'd heard the explanation and treated the boy, that Nezu would then come by, tea in hand an interesting grin on his face.

"Such an interesting day, huh, Yagi?"

Said man was already in his shrunken form, hunched over and waiting, for his successor.

'Perhaps more than just a successor?' Nezu thought before a sudden voice made him spill his tea.

"He'll be fine bui-All Might," Jango said tiredly from behind Nezu, he looked utterly exhausted and blearily looked around the room, looking down and seeing the creature below him, Jango had one thing to ask.

"Who's the plushie?"

All Might spat blood.

"Y-young Jango! That's principal Nezu!"

"Huh..."

All three of them stared at each other, All Might in shock, Jango in slowly growing realization and horror, and Nezu in amusement.

"Well then, this is certainly interesting."

Present Day

Since then, Nezu had taken a special interest in Jango, as one of the few recorded instances of sentient quirks.

But Nezu did not see Jango as a mere quirk no, he saw him, and potentially the rest of his brothers, as something else.

What that was, Yagi held only an inkling to, but even he had his theories. That Jango was more than meets the eye.

More than just a quirk.

He knew that while he'd been focusing on Izuku's training before school started, Nezu had spoken multiple times with Jango.

And recently, he'd started to learn Mando'a.

Or rather, from just a few pages of notes and translations by Jango, Nezu had deconstructed and then helped reconstruct the language into something a bit more complex and official.

Yagi had his suspicions that Nezu would more than likely try and get the language officially recognized.

He chuckled at the thought.

"Now Yagi, we already know what I'm going to say, but it must be said, you must take care and manage your time wisely. Over 20 incidents solved today but All Might, and a day's worth of teaching lost."

Yagi sighed before nodding, unfortunately, this was the hardest part of being a teacher, having to choose between the calls for help that he'd heeded habitually for the last few decades, or the calls of the young heroes in training, who needed help to become the heroes of tomorrow.

"Especially when the future of your successor is on the line," Nezu added.

And All Might felt worse.

"Yes...I know..." There wasn't much else he could say to that.

"Now, moving on to other matters, I believe we should discuss-"

Yagi grunted in pain, as his mind was suddenly assaulted.

He could feel it, coursing throughout his body, an inexplicable pain that made him choke.

FEAR.

ANGER.

HATRED.

SUFFERING.

One For All screamed.

Yagi Toshinori collapsed on the ground, blood spewing from his body, wondering if he was finally dying. Oddly enough, he wasn't afraid for himself, he'd completed his duty honorably, and had even avenged his master, even though the action had led to his current state.

He was worried for his successor, Izuku and Jango.

He didn't want them to live without him.

As he absentmindedly noticed Nezu calling for help, the other teachers soon arriving with Recovery Girl, the black in vision slowly consuming him...

He wondered.

When did All Might and Yagi Toshinori start becoming one again?

Bakugo Katsuki was in one word pissed. Yesterday had been an absolute blow to his pride, Deku had not only beat him, he'd shot his ass.

And then! The principal scolded him over blowing the hell out of that building and almost killing Deku?

Since when did people even care?

What did it even matter if, in the end, he won?

That's the entire point of heroes after all.

Either way, today was even worse, not only did he fail to beat that misty bastard, but now he was even worse than useless after falling into the water and having to get saved onto a boat.

If All Might could see him now.

Now he was with the frog extra that had dared to insult him, and the midget extra that dared to cry in his presence like the whiny extra that he was, and what was with that costume?

He hated his father's career, but some things had bled in.

And that monstrosity wasn't even worth the insults that would come out of his mouth.

As he stared at the sparky extra that was next to him, however...

Well, at least one thing was good today.

"Hey, what are you-AH!"

ZAAAAAPPPP!

Later, after the four of them finally managed to make it to shore, Katsuki was finally dry enough to explode and really cause some damage.

"We need to get out of here! Back to the door!"

"Screw that! I'm going to kill some villains, if you extras want to run away then you might as well be useful and take numbnuts with you!"

Asui grimaced at the boy but nodded and drug Kaminari away, Mineta trailing behind.

At least, she tried to.

As they walked, they were suddenly surprised by finding the battlefield right in front of them, dozens of bodies littered the ground, many of them were groaning in pain, a few silent.

Many of them had round burns on their bodies.

The tougher ones had holes.

The group paused, and even Bakugo was surprised at the brutality, he recognized these marks.

"What happened here?"

"Look, Aizawa-sensei!" Asui pointed towards the man who was fighting off some villains, every now and then they'd catch a flash of blue and another body would fall to the ground.

"That must be Midoriya! He's sniping from up top!"

Bakugo growled at his mention but they were all distracted by a black portal arriving and the absolute windstorm that threw them all off their feet.

Asui was heavily disoriented from the blast, having knocked her head against the ground, shakily getting to her feet, she was completely unprepared for the hand man to come after her.

Nor for Midoriya to defend her.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! DETROIT SMASH!"

The wind attack blew everybody away even more, even she wasn't able to escape it and was sent flying away as well.

Before the darkness took her, the last thing she saw was Midoriya standing tall and the creature falling.

Todoroki stood alone, as he always did. He needed nothing and he needed no one to prove his strength.

Regardless of what happened during the battle trials, he would still become the Number One Hero.

And he would do it all using only his mother's power.

So, when he finds himself surrounded by fire, fire that paled in comparison to his but still managed to piss him off.

He decided to freeze the entire zone.

What villains were with him were also completely frozen solid, and dearly afraid.

"W-w-hat t-the h-hell is this?" One asked as Todoroki walked forward, his right side having traces of frost covering it, but he paid no mind.

"I'd rather not be forced to kill, but pretty soon frostbite is about to kick in, I can settle for amputation, however."

The man was shaking at the monster that was before him, this was a UA student?

"Now, tell me...what exactly is your plan here?"

Later after knocking all of them unconscious, Todoroki left the zone to see if he could find any other villains to eliminate.

Suddenly, from the center of the plaza, was an explosion of energy, a large pillar of green erupting from the center plaza, lighting coursing all around it.

Lightning that was familiar.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes.

'Midoriya.'

Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, Kyoka, and Yuga had found themselves alone on the mountaintops. The latter had taken a very nasty fall against a cliffside and had tumbled down a good 15 ft before stopping. His armor, dented, cape ruined, and bloodied from the many cuts and bruises he had, he was honestly considering having his armor upgraded like Fordo recommended.

The worst part was that his belt was cracked, so he was completely useless.

Again.

'All that shiny armor won't do anything to help you Yuga.'

'Ah, but then the people shall not see my sparkle!'

It had become a recurring argument in their newfound friendship.

'Never again.'

Yuga was hoping to at least keep the cape, however.

If he lived through this that is.

Groaning and trying to sit up, he winced at the sharp pain that went through his ribs.

The girls had quickly found him, however, and drug him to an alcove before they were assaulted by villains. Kyoka and Yaoyorozu worked together to defeat them, while Hagakure applied what little first aid she knew.

Kyoka and Yaoyorozu did not know each other. Having gone from barely interacting class to fighting back to back against a couple of dozen villains, quickly made them learn to trust each other.

As it was, Kyoka was seriously concerned about the lack of protection that both of them had. She'd been lucky and landed close to the ground, but she saw how Yuga with all of his armor ended up.

Yeah, definitely was gonna look into something.

Maybe Izuku could help? She'd at least like to keep her rocker style.

Definitely gonna talk with Momo about her costume though, because as it was, that leotard was not helping.

The cannon she made though was helpful.

As she blasted another group of villains with her sound waves, she forced herself to ignore the screams they made and the blood that ran down their ears and noses.

But she didn't know how much longer she could last, exhaustion seeped into her bones and fatigue plagued her. She could feel the stress on her jacks and heart and every blast now caused her to wince as the vibrations traveled through her body.

Finally, the last villain was defeated, rendered unconscious by a cannonball to the torso.

Kyoka allowed herself to fall to her knees and rest.

She shouldn't have.

A hand grabbed the back of her neck and she felt electricity burn her while she screamed in agony.

"Now that I have your attention, little heroes," The final, hidden villain said as Kyoka cursed for letting herself get taken hostage.

She should have heard him coming.

But she was so tired that she couldn't even resist his grip.

"Now girly, why don't you and the rest of your friends come out of that hidey-hole, don't want anybody to get hurt, right?" He said maliciously while Kyoka weakly struggled against him.

Yaoyorozu grimaced but was saved from having to do anything as Hagakure and Yuga walked out of the alcove, the latter leaning heavily on the girl and having torn up parts of his cape serve as bandages across his armorless chest.

"Now, this is what's going to happen-" The villain was cut off as everybody was startled by the eruption of energy coming from the main plaza, like living lightning it tore through the air vividly, almost as if it were alive.

'Izuku...' Kyoka thought before taking advantage of the opportunity and jamming a jack into the man's chest and blasting away.

The man screeched in pain as he let go but not before delivering a brutal shock to Kyoka that sent her flying towards her friends.

She was grabbed by Yaoyorozu and dragged back towards the other two, just barely keeping consciousness.

"YOU BRAT! I WAS PLANNING ON LETTING YOU GO AFTER A BIT OF FUN, BUT NOW I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" The man yelled as he started to charge up his attack.

Yaoyorozu tried to create something, but her body's stores had already been depleted, and she was exhausted.

Yuga started to charge an attack, ignoring the pain that was already setting into his stomach, weak blue sparks started to appear around his belt's cracked mirror, and he groaned as he tried to do something.

Hagakure could only hold onto them both, trembling, unable to do anything to help her classmates.

The man roared.

A flash of blue.

The smell of burnt flesh filled their noses and they could only stare in shock.

He choked, a sort of weakened gasp only just barely escaping from his throat as the four stared at him.

They could see the other side of the mountain through his head.

A few sparks came out of his body as he twitched and fell over, his body landing with a harsh crash and a rattle came from his throat as he expired.

Yaoyorozu heaved, but nothing came out, Hagakure shakily fell to her knees before retching behind them, an odd scene of vomit coming out of thin air that would be amusing at any other time.

Kyoka could only stare before the day's events caught up to her and she finally passed out from adrenaline and exhaustion.

And Yuga could only stare, forcing himself to look away, he returned his vision to the pillar of energy that was still raised in the sky.

And the sounds of war that he could hear from oh so far away.

'Izuku...Jango...Fordo...'

"I'm sorry."

Ojiro and Kirishima had found themselves fighting together and had actually proved themselves to be pretty good at working together even with the constant risk of the ground giving away under their feet in the landslide zone.

As Kirishima bashed his opponents with his hardened fists, Ojiro managed to use him as leverage to deliver brutal strikes against his opponents.

Such as now.

Kirishima head-butted a man that looked like a goat, and Ojiro leaped off his back before spinning and crashing down his tail on the man's head with all the force of a Beyblade.

Granted, a 180 lb Beyblade, but a Beyblade nonetheless.

"Man, these villains are so unmanly, not only do they attack a school but they really suck."

Ah yes, and then there was Kirishima's manliness thing.

Ojiro honestly had no clue what the hell he was talking about, but considering how he was comparing himself to a Beyblade he had no room to say anything.

"We need to make it back, gotta make that mist man pay," Kirishima said while delivering a haymaker to some villain with a dog motif.

And no, it was not his quirk.

Ojiro shook his head before breaking another villain's arm when he tried to pin him, the man's shrieks soon being silenced by a tail to the head.

"We need to find the others and regroup, they may not be handling themselves as well as we are," Ojiro replied as the area around them was finally cleared of villains.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, I wonder how-" Kirishima's thoughts were interrupted as the both were startled by the pillar of green energy that exploded in the central plaza, from their angle they could see that it was just at the bottom of the stairs, but other than that, they couldn't see any details.

"We need to move, quickly!"

"Right!"

Sero was having the time of his life actually, sure he was in mortal peril, but being in the ruins zone was the best thing that could have happened to him, all the buildings and high places allowed him to swing around, make traps, and use ambush attacks to defeat his enemies.

Sure, hit and run attacks might not be the most heroic thing, but since his life was on the line, there wasn't really much he could say.

As he led another group of stupid villains into an alley and plucked them off one by one, he did his best to keep himself out of sight.

At once all of the villains that were below him were distracted, and admittedly he was distracted too by the giant green pillar that just appeared out of nowhere.

Let it not be said, however, that Sero Hanta was not an opportunist.

Trying his best at imitating a move he'd seen Aizawa-sensei move as he tried to wrap a bunch of villains and then smash them into the ground.

He managed the first part, not the second.

He soon decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and simply noped the hell out of there.

He'd already exhausted a lot of options, and his tape would provide time, and he was running out. Already he could feel the effects of dehydration...yeah, he could really use a drink right now.

'I need back up, hopefully, I can get ahead far enough to warn the others in time to face off against these villains.' He thought as he swung down the ruins zone towards the main plaza.

Tokoyami and Koda did not expect to find themselves together inside the rain zone, Koda did not expect his new companion to utterly devastate the enemies that were in the downpour storm zone with them. His quirk Dark Shadow, proved itself to be a worthy adversary when inside the darkness of the zone as he grew to monstrous size, just barely within Tokoyami's control as the monster reveled in the destruction it caused and the pain it unleashed against the villains that dared to attack it.

Koda was more than thankful that his quirk was merely speaking with animals.

Neither of them noticed the pillar of light that pierced the skies, separated as they were from the rest of the USJ.

But Koda was worried.

Due to his quirk, he could not only understand animals, but understand their instincts as well, and could gain some insight from them.

So when the rats that he'd found suddenly cowered, crying out of great fear and rage and suffering that permeated the very essence of the building. Of hatred that filled their very being.

He could only hope that his classmates were alright.

That they'd all make it out alive.

Tenya felt horrible, unable to do anything as his friend was whisked away by the same mist villain that had sent away his classmates, his friends.

And he could only watch.

He prepared himself to barrel down the steps and help out his friend when Jango stopped him.

"No."

"But Jango-"

"But nothing, he gave you an order Tenya, but more than that he asked you as a friend," Jango said as he held onto Tenya's wrist.

"You're the only one that can make it to the teachers and get us the reinforcements we need. Thirteen is down, and the others are unaccounted for. We need back up. Izuku gave you that order because he believed in you, now ner vod! GO!" He yelled as he motioned for Shoji and Sato to pry open the door.

With a great heave, they allowed enough room for Tenya to burst through and make his way towards the main campus.

"K'oyacyi..." Jango whispered as he saw his friend leave.

"Ashido, can you melt the doors?"

"I might be able to, but the acid that I need will burn me too," She said as she started to fling acid at the doors. Jango noticed her trembling and gave her a nod and a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Do your best."

Turning towards Ochako, who was tearfully holding on to Thirteen, Jango hugged her lightly before telling her to do her best to keep Thirteen alive and that they'd all get out of there soon.

"Where are you going?"

"To help out my vod."

"Ok, good luck."

Jango nodded and Fordo rose to help him, but he shook his head.

"No Fordo, keep an eye on the other zones, see if you can see anybody that sees help..." Jango paused, as he considered everything that happened. Earlier, they'd been forced to stand by and hear Izuku get taken away by the enemy.

Already they'd been forced to do some serious damage to the villains, some of the tougher ones being too strong for the lower levels, having holes put into them instead.

Those shots, however, they made nonlethal.

They were caught off guard by another explosion of wind from below, and they both stared at the plaza through their scopes.

"Haar'chak! That thing just took 100% and it did nothing. We've got no choice, aim for the head full power! On three, one, two, three!"

Both shots fired at the same time, practically becoming one, and with a snap it bored through the beast's head, leaving a smoking hole as it collapsed.

"That wasted my battery, all I have is my pistols," Jango said as he tried to ignore what he'd just done.

"I've got one shot left, after that it's my pistols too," Fordo said while gulping heavily, they couldn't see each other past the helmets, but they didn't need to.

Fordo then looked back through the scope and gasped in shock.

"I don't believe it, that thing's getting back up!"

"That's impossible, nothing should have that level of regeneration, especially not from a head wound like that! To the brain even more so!"

"That thing's not human, I don't know what it is, but it's not human."

Jango rose to his feet and grabbed his pistols, cracking his neck he relayed orders to Fordo.

"Make sure they get out of here, see if you can find the others with your rifle, I'm heading down there."

"K'oyacyi, vod," Fordo murmured as he looked through the scope at the other zones.

"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur," Jango replied as he targeted the creature once more and shot his rocket before launching himself down with his jet pack.

Fordo snorted, but then turned his scope, trusting his elder brother. Deciding to look at the zones furthest away, he noticed that the conflagration zone was completely iced over.

'Huh, interesting. That Todoroki kid sure knows how to make a presence.'

Turning then towards the mountain zone, his blood chilled as he saw Yaoyorozu, Kyoka, and Yuga against a villain with the second in his hand.

'Haar'chak, this is bad. I can't get a good hit on him.' Fordo thought with slight panic as he tried to see if he could get a better angle.

'Oh, Hagakure's there too, wonderful, another person to worry about.'

Then an explosion from below the stairs, someone screaming, and a pillar of energy erupted over the bottom of the stairs, right where the fighting was.

Fordo couldn't see what in the world was happening. But he had different priorities right now, he had to trust his vod to take care of the situation.

Looking through the scope once more, he saw that Kyoka had taken advantage of the distraction and was now away from the villain, albeit probably highly injured.

He noticed that the villain was charging up an electrical attack and that the group was well away from him, and wondered if he was the reason that communications were down.

Either way, he took the shot.

He realized too late that the rifle was still set to full power.

The shot sped out the barrel and traveled quickly, and Fordo saw as it spanned hundreds of meters in seconds.

He saw the hole appear in his head.

He saw the man stumble, before falling.

He saw it all.

Jango was afraid, not for himself, okay, yes for himself, but mostly for his vod, his friends, his classmates.

His ever-growing family.

But he could not, would not, call himself a hero if he could not stand in front of this villain and defend his brother and teacher.

Defend all of them.

"Copaani gaan, vod?" He asked Izuku without turning, but it seemed that Izuku could barely hear him.

"Good luck, vod." He heard Izuku whisper, and gulping in apprehension, he nodded while facing the creature in front of him.

"Alright shabuir, prepare to get both your shebs kicked to kingdom come!" Jango cried out as he fired his pistols in rapid succession, all of his shots aiming for the head.

He could only hope that Tenya would come back in time.

Tenya barreled through the roads of the UA campus, pushing himself to go faster than he'd ever had before.

His classmates' lives were in his hands.

Already he could feel the harsh burn of his pipes as he was pushing Engine to its utter limit. The metal becoming red hot and the edges of his vision blackening.

"No.!" Gritting his teeth and growled as he pushed himself further, the main campus already within sight.

Busting through the doors (and wouldn't Tensei be shocked at his lack of decorum?), Tenya blasted through the halls between passing students with the speed of the bullet and the force of a rampaging bull.

Not seeing any teachers, he went directly for the teacher's lounge.

His engines sputtered and smoked and he almost tripped from the sudden fault.

"NO! BURST!"

His legs exploded in pain as he crashed through the doors of the teacher's lounge, half unconscious from the fatigue and stress he'd built, he absentmindedly noticed the teachers there with a skinny man that looked to be recovering from some fit and unconscious on the couch.

He couldn't hear their exclamations nor demands for an explanation, just an odd ringing sound in his ears.

Funny, he wondered what that meant.

He could only muster enough strength for two words.

"Villains...USJ." He muttered before finally passing out.

Yamada Hizashi was an outgoing man, he sometimes wore his heart on his sleeve, and could admit that he could sometimes be prone to panic. Fortunately, his friendship with Shota and more than a decade's experience had tempered himself...somewhat.

That still didn't mean that he was prepared for the principal to call for an emergency meeting in the lounge, nor to see All Might, in his skinny form, and wasn't that a surprise to see all that time ago, convulsing and coughing blood.

Nor were he and the other teachers prepared for one of Shota's students to break down the door with his body and collapse on the ground, the engines on his legs ruptured and smoking like a car fire.

He almost, almost screamed in surprise.

The boy didn't seem to be all there and looked delirious, which made sense because if he wasn't mistaken, Shota's class was supposed to be at the USJ right now and that was a good 30 minutes away by bus.

Yeah, this kid just ran that.

'Tensei would be proud.' Hizashi mused before the boy's last words sent a spike of fear through his heart.

"Villains...USJ..."

The lounge froze before Nezu quickly had them rally together and head back to the USJ, All Might left behind with Recovery Girl who promised to get there as soon as possible once she deemed him stable.

All together it took them two minutes to put the entire campus on lockdown and get outside to one of Power Loader's custom transports which they used to get everybody there as fast as they could.

It then took them 10 entire minutes to get to the USJ.

"Alright everyone, be prepared to face villains, and remember, retrieving the students is our top priority!" Nezu said, having already called reinforcements.

Right before they could even enter, however, the doors exploded.

And that's a wrap for tonight. It is currently past three. I'm so glad it's Sunday.

Next chapter, we get into the fight of the hour! Jango vs. Nomu!

What will happen? What happened to All Might? Why did the doors explode? What will happen to Fordo?

What is the pillar?

All to be answered soon!

I hope that this chapter was better than the last one, I really tried to give some of the others a little chance to shine, and at least get some changes in canon.

At the same time, however, I'm always open to suggestions and ways to improve my writing.

Some Mando'a translations.

Haar'chak- damn it

k'oyacyi – means a lot of things, but the general gist is 'come back safely', it can also be used as a toast! Literally means "stay alive"

Shabuir – jerk but like, super hard. You say this one to mean a fight.

Shebs- literally butt/ass as in, I'mma kick your ass.

Ner vod – my friend

Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur – today is a good day for someone else to die.

Copaani gaan – Need a hand?

Again if I make a mistake, please let me know in your reviews, and I'll make sure to edit it as soon as possible.

Also, question, should I keep the italics for the Mando'a? To help keep it separate, or simply just leave it regular and keep the translations at the end.

Also, would y'all like pronunciations?

Again, thank you all for your support.

Enjoy this omake I made, it's completely unrelated to Legion but I wanted to put it out there. Chief, if by chance you're a gigantic nerd like me, then yes, your not-favorite star wars fan, Yeoman turned EPO/jack of all trades, is this level of nerd.

OMAKE: A Commanding Quirk

Izuku and his male classmates were currently changing in the locker room after class when they suddenly heard a lustful giggle.

Turning, they found Mineta beckoning at them to see through a hole that was in the wall.

Izuku froze.

Mineta then commented about the various parts he wanted to see, commenting on every girl except Jiro while the guys were scolding him.

Iida in particular was the most vocal.

Just before he could look through the hole, and be summarily attacked by Jiro's jack, Mineta jumped as a loud voice suddenly erupted from behind him.

"WHAT THE #$! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Izuku yelled as he suddenly changed in demeanor.

Clothes too for that matter.

As a matter of fact, everything changed around them.

The locker room became a large room that was filled with double-decker beds with metal frames, odd posters appeared in English with men and ships.

Mineta suffered a change into a camouflaged uniform while Izuku...

Was in a tan uniform, with a white cover on his head, and a red rope on his shoulder.

A chief's cover.

An RDC aiguillette.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN GO ABOUT HARASSING WOMEN ON MY WATCH, RECRUIT!?"

"N-no Chief!"

"WELL, YOU CERTAINLY WON'T BE DOING IT AGAIN! HYDRATE!"

Mineta shakily did so.

"8-COUNTS! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8!"

"One, Chief!" Mineta said as he lost control of his body and started to do the exercise.

This went on for quite a while actually.

"-7, 8!"

"T-t-twelve, Chief..." Mineta muttered, already in pain.

"WHAT'S THIS? ARE YOU QUITTING NOW? YOU CERTAINLY WEREN'T ABOUT TO QUIT EARLIER WITH THAT HOLE WEREN'T YOU! I CAN BARELY HEAR YOU! BUT DON'T WORRY, IF YOU NEED SOME MOTIVATION, WE'LL JUST START AGAIN! HOOYAH, ZERO!"

"W-what!?"

"HOOYAH, ZERO!"

"Hooyah, zero!" Mineta sobbed as he continued doing his exercises.

Izuku then turned to the other boys.

"THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN, DOESN'T IT RECRUITS!"

"NO, CHIEF!" They all shuddered, Izuku became a completely different person whenever he had the red rope on.

"I THINK IT IS, SO WHY DON'T YOU JOIN HIM HYDRATE! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!"

"ONE CHIEF!" They all yelled as their bodies also lost control and they were placed in uniform.

"Why are we even getting beat? We didn't do anything!" Kaminari grumbled as he went through the exercises.

"Cause Chief said so," Kirishima said with a grin, he was one of the few that actually liked getting beat, it was why whenever Chief came out, he always ignored Kirishima.

Katsuki was just pissed.

The girls were very happy, however.

And Mineta learned his lesson.

At least for a time.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!"

"20, CHIEF!"

Midoriya Izuku. Quirk: Chief. Becomes a US Navy Chief with the power to change his surroundings fitting the situation. Beware the red rope version.

"I STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU! HOOYAH, ZERO!"

"HOOYAH, ZERO!"

Ah, boot camp, how I do not miss you. Well, in any case. Thanks again for reading this. Until next time my friends

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

LEGION: GRIEF

Chapter Text

Hello again everybody, and thank you for waiting! So very sorry about the wait, but I'm almost done with A-school and that means a lot of studying.

Sucks but hey, as they say in the Navy, embrace the suck.

You all make me so happy with your comments.

I'll try not to let the next chapter take a month. Thanks again.

LEGION: THE SPORTS FESTIVAL

"Balance is found in the one who faces his guilt."

The class was utterly surprised at the mob of students that appeared at their door.

"Uh, who are all you guys?"

The students were perplexed and more than wary. A few had even subconsciously taken battle stances. Izuku looked around the classroom, he noticed that Kyoka's ear jacks were twitching, and Kirishima's sleeves looked tighter around his arms, Sero had his elbow faced forward, not that it would do much under the blazer.

'They're all subconsciously reacting, this crowd…isn't good for them.'

"What business do you have with Class A!" Tenya asked, his arm chopping wildly, the boy had fortunately recovered quickly from overtaxing his engines to the point of blowing them out. Izuku had, once he heard of Tenya's injury, all but ordered for Tenya to go into the bacta pod, the miraculous device helping heal his legs and give him the energy needed for Recovery Girl to use her quirk.

His brother, Ingenium, had pulled Izuku to the side after the funeral to thank him alongside Tenya's parents.

He had simply nodded and left, saying that it was what friends did.

"We can't get out!" Mineta cried as he absentmindedly scratched his head, slightly tugging at the balls.

Izuku stood up.

He paused as Bakugo started walking towards the door.

"They're checking out the competition, grape stain." Mineta choked at the remark but held his tongue as Izuku glanced at him, shaking his head.

"We're the ones that made it out of the villain attack. Testing the waters for the Sports Festival,
He said as he stopped right in front of the other students, "There's no point."

He smirked.

"So get the hell out of my way, extras."

The students gasped and Tenya immediately reprimanded him, telling him to stop calling people extras just because he didn't know them.

Izuku merely sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, already fed up with Bakugo's crap.

'He's going to make an enemy for all of us if he keeps this up.'

Then they heard a new voice.

"I came to see what the famous Class A was like, but you seem pretty arrogant." A new guy walked through the crowd and made his way to the front. He looked tired, extremely so, and had a wild mane of purple hair.

'Exactly as I thought.'

"Sorry about him, he's an idiot," Izuku interrupted as Bakugo growled. Izuku merely glared at him and the boy huffed.

"Anyway, I'm 1-A's president, what can I help you with?"

The other teen raised a brow.

"And here I thought that all of the class was like him," the rest of the class quickly shook their heads in denial and Bakugo growled again, the teen raised his arm behind his head and looked at Izuku's equally dead eyes.

"There are quite a few people who enrolled into general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?"

Izuku closed his eyes and nodded. "I imagined so, and?"

"'And', he asks? Hmph, the school's given us a chance, if we do well enough in the Sports Festival we can get transferred into the hero course, of course, that means that they'd have to transfer people out."

At that the class as a whole tensed, some of them getting closer to one another. A few even glaring.

"Checking out the competition," He quoted, "I'm here to tell you that even if you are hero course students if you're not careful, I'll swoop right in, and take your place."

He dropped his arm and stared at them all.

"I came with a declaration of war."

Many of the students found him extremely bold.

Izuku merely snorted, a slight chuckle coming out of his mouth.

The act surprised them all.

"Is this, how the rest of you feel?" He asked with a sweep of his hand, gesturing at all of them, the students around the purple-haired boy, all of whom had been inspired by his words, started to mutter and nod vigorously.

Izuku chuckled again and snarled.

"Get out of our way, we have no time to deal with children."

The students gasped and some started to curse him, meanwhile, 1-A started to ask why he would say something like that. Izuku and the other boy glared at each other.

Even Bakugo was shocked at the declaration.

"HEY, HEY!" Another voice cried out.

This time another boy with silver hair and the strangest eyebrows barged in through the crowd.

"I'M FROM CLASS B NEXT DOOR! I HEARD YOU FOUGHT VILLAINS AND CAME TO HEAR ABOUT IT! DON'T GET SO FULL OF YOURSELVES! ESPECIALLY YOU! GREEN MOP!"

Izuku glared at the new boy that interrupted and was about to speak when even another voice interrupted.

"Now, now, Tetsutetsu-kun, there's no need to antagonize our rivals this early on."

Something about the new kid's voice immediately grated on Izuku's already frayed nerves.

"After all, we'll have plenty of time to prove Class B's superiority during the Sports Festival." The new boy was blond with dark eyes full of mischief and arrogance.

'What now…'

"Although, I am surprised to hear that Class A's president to be such a foul person, especially after what we heard from our own beloved president Kendo."

He walked closer to the group, the crowd parting for him slightly as he extended his hands dramatically.

'Is he serious?'

"I'd recognize that face however, after all, we see it so often now, even under all those helmets. Couldn't help yourself, could you? Offering your clones as security forces to the school, why, I'd be surprised if they even let you participate in the Festival, it might be considered a…conflict of interest."

Izuku narrowed his eyes, the guy was annoying, but he made a good point. He'd have to talk to Nezu or All Might about it.

"Of course, it's also hard to not recognize that face, after all, we see it every morning when we walk through the main entrance at that memorial, can't forget the news too, what was his name again? Jango?"

Izuku stiffened and the rest of the class sucked in a breath at the boy's audacity.

Izuku cracked his neck and his hands turned to fists.

"You better choose your next words carefully." He whispered.

"I'm just saying, why would UA go through all the trouble? A memorial? A funeral? All for what? Just some random clone?"

SLAM!

The boy went flying down the hallway, blood gushing out his nose, the crowd of students immediately panicked and spread out as Class A stood frozen.

"Say that again!" Izuku snarled, One For All already surging through his body in a storm of frenzied sparks and bolts.

"You bastard!" The other teen from Class B immediately turned to metal and tried to strike Izuku with a right haymaker.

Izuku caught it with his left hand, swept the boy's legs, and dropped his right fist into the boy's chest, spiking him into the ground out of breath.

"SAY THAT AGAIN ABOUT MY BROTHER! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" The boy was completely disoriented as Izuku grabbed his blazer only for a multitude of hands to grab him and pull him back, Izuku immediately tried to shake them off but Shoji yelled at him to calm down.

"Midoriya! Jango wouldn't want this! Remember what he said to you, raatin aliit!"

Izuku froze at the reminder and turned toward Shoji.

"How do you-"

"Alright, what's going on here!" The crowd turned towards the arriving teachers, with a small squad of clones behind them.

Aizawa and Vlad King.

The latter's eyes were already red.

"Vlad-sensei, this brute attacked me!"

"Yeah, I did! Like I said, insult my brother one more time and see what happens!"

The squad started to disperse the students, and one helped out Tetsutetsu with the bruise, he tried to shake the clone's help off but stumbled. The punch had practically shattered his iron armor, and he wouldn't let himself show it but he was shaken. Finally, the clone gave him a bacta patch, told him to put it on his chest, and then make his way to the nurse.

During the commotion, the rest of Class B had also filled out into the hallway, a few tending to the boy, another clone handed them a smaller bacta patch for his nose, after the boy tried swiping at him.

Aizawa sighed before walking forward. Izuku already knew he was in trouble and followed.

He paused however and turned back to the crowd.

"You want to know why I called you children?"

"Midoriya," Aizawa warned.

"No, sensei! They weren't there, they need to hear this! All of you! Came to us for some childish declaration of war! You didn't even realize that my class was about ready to attack you, not because you were inferior or something like that, but because you idiots surrounded them and left them with no way out, JUST LIKE THE USJ!" He roared.

"All of you! Came here because you wanted to see what life could have been right? Well, guess what? NONE OF YOU, DESERVE TO BE HEROES! NOT LIKE MY CLASS! NOT UNTIL YOU FIND YOURSELF SURROUNDED BY BLOOD AND TEARS AND PAIN! MY FRIENDS! FOUGHT FOR THEIR LIVES IN A PLACE THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE! DO YOU THINK WE TAKE PRIDE IN THAT? THAT WE WERE FORCED TO FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES!?"

He started to move forward and most of the crowd backed away, except for the first boy who was frozen on the spot.

"MY FRIEND WAS ALMOST CRIPPLED FOR LIFE AS HE PUSHED HIS QUIRK TO THE MAXIMUM JUST TO GET HELP! A TEACHER! A HERO! HAD HER BACK TORN TO PIECES! AIZAWA-SENSEI IS STILL IN CASTS, AND LOOK AT HIM NOW!" Izuku yelled as he motioned to the frozen man behind him.

"MY BROTHERS DIED!" At this, his voice cracked and hot tears of rage poured down his cheeks.

"OVER 1,000 OF MY BROTHERS, GONE! I CAN'T BRING THEM BACK! YOU MAY THINK THAT THEY'RE JUST CLONES, THAT JANGO WAS JUST A CLONE!" Izuku pointed at the blonde boy who was petrified on his knees.

Izuku panted as he finally started to run out of energy, a few noticed the specks of blood going down his hand and dripping to the floor his head had fallen and a few tears dropped onto the floor.

"But he wasn't…he was my brother, a part of my family. I would trade anything in the world to have him back. But I can't…so now I ask. Are you ready for that?" His question pierced through all of them as he looked up and faced them again.

"Because if the USJ taught us anything, it's that Hero work isn't about glory, or money, or fame, or being Number One, or any of that!"

Bakugo narrowed his eyes.

"It's about the ones back home, the people we want to come back home to."

Kyoka hugged herself as she thought of her parents.

"It's about the legacies, and responsibilities, and duties that we support on our shoulders."

Tenya thought of his family, especially his older brother.

"It's about supporting our loved ones."

Ochako blushed as she remembered the conversation that she, Tenya, and Izuku had earlier about their reasons for becoming heroes, after the funeral.

"It's about the people who fight by our side, who fall by our side. The people that we save and fail. To. Save."

Aizawa closed his eyes in remembrance.

Yuga closed his in shame.

"You cry about unfairness because you didn't make it in. Well, guess what? Natural disasters, villain attacks, injustice, crime, the world's unfair. That's how it works, here at UA, it's our job to learn to fight that unfairness as heroes. So either you step up to the plate or leave right here, right now."

Aizawa's eyes opened in slight shock as he heard his speech being used.

"So if you're willing to pay the price, show me, show us, at the Sports Festival. Plus Ultra Style."

The crowd was completely silent. Izuku was already face-to-face with the purple-headed boy.

"But if you're not, then get out our way. Because I for one, refuse to let more children die," Izuku finished as he left without another word.

Aizawa stayed there for just a moment, glanced at his class and then at the students, and uttered one phrase.

"Go to lunch."

"...Now, we understand you're in the process of grief, and as such, we'll only be giving you detention, but Young Midoriya, you must understand that assaulting your classmates outside of sanctioned exercises is forbidden for a reason." Nezu finished as he sipped his tea. His beady eyes stared at Izuku with regret in them.

The teen simply stared at the ground in a mix of shame and anger, refusing to meet his eyes.

All Might and Aizawa were off to the side, staring at him in concern.

"I understand sir, it…it won't happen again."

Nezu sighed, "I, understand at least part of how you feel Young Midoriya, Jango was somebody I considered a friend and a fellow sentient being. His loss is heavy, but there was nothing you could have done-"

"You're wrong," Izuku whispered.

They stayed quiet for a moment, and then All Might sighed and rested a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you? What you could have done, what you should have done, all the what-ifs…"

Izuku gulped deeply and was shaking.

"Y-yes."

"Izuku, I know how you feel-"

"I could have dematerialized him!" Izuku cut in as he started to glare at his own hand. "I can summon and dismiss my clones! Take them back to the safety of the Mindscape! But I froze! My mind went blank and I-I" He started to choke and hunched in on himself, his body shaking with wretched sobs.

The teachers let him be for a moment as they thought about what to say.

All Might sat on his haunches and stared at Izuku's form in understanding.

"Have I?...Ever told you about the day I lost my master?"

Izuku paused and looked up at him, Nezu raised an eyebrow and Aizawa's eyes widened slightly in shock, not expecting to know a bit more about the Symbol of Peace.

"What?"

"Like you, I didn't have the power I have today when I was young, and my prospects for being a hero were small, to say the least."

Nezu snorted slightly, that was an understatement if anything, with how worse society was back then.

"But one day, I met a heroine who took me under her wing and helped me fulfill my dream of becoming a Pillar for the people to rely on so that they could smile without fear. She helped me gain the power that I have today."

'One For All…'

"What happened to her?"

"The same villain that dealt this wound to me, took her from me all those years ago. I defeated him, once and for all, but it did nothing for the loss I still felt," All Might said as he took a deep breath and admitted something he had only admitted once.

"I loved her as if she were my mother."

Aizawa now felt that he shouldn't have stayed for this conversation. It felt far too personal for his tastes.

Izuku was filled with feelings of understanding and empathy, and oddly enough in some part at the back of his mind, a brief spark of affection.

All Might knew, and more than likely so did Aizawa-sensei, and all the other teachers.

They all knew how he felt.

The uselessness, the fear, the anger…

The hatred.

"Did you hate him? The villain that did that?"

"With all my being, hatred is merely an emotion, a powerful one that can affect us and even give us strength, but it blinds us. That is what led me to get this wound. I was blind to my hatred, and paid the cost."

Izuku gulped as paid closer attention to All Might's emaciated form.

"You hate Shigaraki, that's fine, that only means that you're human. But you cannot let your emotions control you. That…only leads to suffering.

Izuku stayed silent but nodded.

"Come on, let's get you some lunch."

Walking together, All Might had buffed up since he was heading to teach his next class.

"Vlad King will take care of his students, let them know that it was, and is, highly inappropriate to disparage Jango's memory like that."

"...Thank you, All Might."

They stopped at a junction in the hallway.

"Look, Izuku, I just want you to know that," He gulped, remembering the words that Inko had told him while they were in the hospital, he'd yet to confront Izuku about it however, it was still…too soon. "I'm here for you, my boy. I always will be."

Izuku slightly teared up and nodded, hugging the man, Izuku relished the feeling of having an older male figure that he could look up to.

After a bit, they parted, and All Might grabbed his shoulder.

"Come by my office after school, I'd like to talk to you about the Sports Festival, it's an important event, and you need to make your mark."

"Sure thing, b-All Might," Izuku said, walking towards the cafeteria, Lunch Rush had already been notified and had something prepped for him.

Neither of the two noticed the mismatched eyes that had been staring at them.

Todoroki narrowed them and he remained deep in thought.

Izuku and All Might were sitting across from each other, talking about various things before they got to the root of the matter.

"Now, about the Sports Festival, you already know that this is one of the most important events in Japan, and it's your turn to make your mark! People are already hearing about the security forces, but now it's up to you!"

"I understand, as your successor, this is my first impression to the world."

"Exactly! Izuku, I want you to do your best! I want you to win! I want you to declare to the world that YOU are here!"

Izuku felt the responsibility weigh heavily on his shoulders and nodded.

"I'm going to do my best, All Might! For you, for mom, for everybody who's ever believed in me! The vod'e!"

He paused and swallowed thickly.

"For Jango…"

All Might smiled sadly at him. The man was also dealing with his internal guilt over not being there that day.

"I…I know that it's hard, Izuku. For the longest time after my master died, I was angry and full of so many emotions that I was lost. People say that we follow the Five Stages of Grief in order, but sometimes, it's not that simple."

"Does it get easier?"

"...Yes…one day, you'll realize that the pain's not as sharp, more bittersweet. As you surround yourself with loved ones, you'll fondly remember those that have gone. You mourn for them of course, but you feel joy for their memory. That they were a part of your life."

Izuku closed his eyes and thought to himself.

That sounded like something very beautiful, something that he hoped to one day reach, but right now. His heart was still in turmoil.

But still, something special like that deserved a name.

"Aay'han."

"What was that?"

"Something for Nezu's dictionary…aay'han, the bittersweet perfect moment of mourning and joy."

"Aayehan?"

"Close, ah-ye-haan, aay'han."

"Aay'han."

They stayed silent for a moment longer, simply drinking tea.

"Can you tell me about her?"

"Of course."

And for the rest of the afternoon, Izuku learned about Nana Shimura, and Toshinori learned about Jango Midoriya.

Soon enough the day of the Sports Festival arrived, and thousands upon thousands of spectators were filling the stands. Fireworks exploded over the UA campus. At the gates themselves, reporters and other civilians complained at the wait lines but were quickly moved along by the clones that dotted the grounds.

"Tickets please, then place your bags on the scanner." A clone directed as the family grabbed their stuff and put it on a conveyor belt, another clone was working on an x-ray machine and quickly scanned the bags, soon enough the family was let through and picked up their stuff, but the first clone noticed something on his terminal and asked them to halt.

"Is there something wrong, sir?"

"No no, but my terminal just got a notice, you're the Asui family right?"

The father, who appeared very similar to a bullfrog smiled and nodded, the rest of his family, who all had frog traits were also a bit confused but also nodded.

"Great, just stand over here, will you? I'll call an escort for you, we've got special seats for your family."

The family was surprised, but nodded and waited patiently, soon enough another clone came by and led them towards another part of the stadium. They slightly overheard some complaints about the special treatment they were given, but the clone merely told them to move along.

Ganma was at first, a bit off-put by how many clones he could see patrolling the campus, but it made sense after what Tsu told him, and he could never think bad about the clones, after all, they had saved his princess.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Ah, uh, I don't really got a name yet sir. Us clones start with numbers, and we try and find our own identities and name ourselves."

"Oh…" Ganma was struck speechless, Tsu sure wasn't kidding when she said that the clones were unique, not only as individuals but as a group.

"Do you by chance know which one of you saved my daughter? Carried her up the stairs of the USJ?"

"I wish I could say, I was in the middle of the fighting against the…abomination."

"We heard that many of your brothers lost their lives," Beru said placing her hand on his shoulder. "And Tsu explained to us what that means, none of them can come back, right?"

They stopped a bit in one of the halls, already near the VIP section.

"Yeah…I should be happy, they died as warriors, and we finally managed to kill that thing, I executed it myself, taking the last shot, or shots as it were. But…"

Beru pulled the clone into a hug, surprising him.

"I think that all of you are children, and have been exposed to far too much for your age. You may be clones, but if what I've gathered from Tsu and talking with you is right, you're still people, and none of you have killed before, even if it was an abomination, that still carries scars."

She grabbed his helmet, and with his permission took it off, gasping softly as his face was exposed.

"Just a boy." She murmured. The clone would have taken offense were it any other person, but she reminded him of Inko.

They stayed like that for a bit, and the clone simply relaxed, not crying, he didn't feel the need to, but relaxed.

"You carry a heavy burden, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"But a necessary one."

After a bit longer, she let go and smiled sweetly at him, and 782 smiled back. Ganma then came and pat his shoulder while the smaller ones hugged his waist.

"We might not be able to find the one that saved our princess, but we all thank you for what you and your brothers did for us."

The clone nodded gratefully and put his helmet back on, soon enough they found themselves in the VIP section where other families of Class A were, a gift from Nezu after everything that had happened at the USJ.

"Here we are…thank you." He turned away and walked a step forward but then turned back.

"You know, I didn't get a chance to meet your mother at the funeral, who is she?"

"Ah, the All-Mother (All-Mother?) is right there, with the green hair, Midoriya Frigga." The clone looked to be holding back a chuckle.

'Odd name for a Japanese but okay.'

The clone looked to be holding back a chuckle again, but she couldn't tell with the helmet on though. He quickly gave a jaunty salute, waved goodbye to her children, and left.

As he walked down the hall, he was waved down by a few other clones who had also been escorts.

"Hey, 782! You good?"

"Yeah, I'm feelin great."

He joined their patrol and they made their way down to the main gates.

"By the way, call me Hevy."

"Sure thing, Hevy."

"Excuse me, Midoriya Frigga?"

"OH MY GOODNESS NOT YOU TOO!" The lithe green-haired woman said as she held her face in her hands, the slightest tinges of red from embarrassment leaking out. The blond, almost skeletal man next to her started guffawing and coughed up blood. It made them freak out a bit but he waved them off and said that he had a condition.

"I'm…sorry?"

"No, no…it's not your fault. It's those blasted boys!" She gave an indignant shout as she then leaned over the handrail and glared at three clones who were below them, the three started to laugh uproariously before scurrying away.

"I know your names! Get back here, Waxer! Boil! MAYHEM!"

Their laughter echoed back and she merely grumbled as the man next to her continued to chuckle.

"Ugh, sorry about that, you see, my boys thought that it'd be funny if they gave me a nickname, so they started calling me the All-Mother, then one of them got into the idea of doing actual research and now tell everybody they come across that my name's Frigga. The goddess of Norse mythology."

Beru started to lightly chuckle, idly noticing her children playing with the other children in the room.

Midoriya sighed before nudging the man next to her, her husband perhaps?

"I'm Midoriya Inko, and this is Toshinori Yagi, a family friend."

"A pleasure to meet you both, I'm Beru and this is Ganma."

"Oh right, the Asui's, it's so good to finally meet you, I-"

And as they got to know each other, Beru noticed three things.

The first, Midoriya Inko was a strong woman, extremely necessary for someone who reportedly now had thousands of kids.

Beru appreciated what they did but still shuddered at the thought.

Second, she was still heavily grieving, which made sense because she had also lost a lot of her kids, according to the memorial by the main entrance anyway, all of them would never get the chance to know her. Except for one, Jango. Tsu had told her about Izuku and Jango and the brotherhood that they had, she could only imagine how hard it must be for Inko. She couldn't even fathom losing one of her kids.

She almost did.

And third, Midoriya Inko was so very, very proud of her sons.

Well, that and she detected a hint of something between her and Yagi, but decided to let it be for now.

Izuku had hoped to start this day brightly, but recently nightmares had been plaguing his sleep, haunting him with images of what had happened and what didn't.

Although fortunately this last one, had…stopped rather suddenly.

Oh well, small mercies.

He rose out of his bed, early in the morning, and went out to the main hall where they had their own, private memorial for Jango.

He kneeled, and bowing his head uttered a small prayer.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Jango, Vod'e."

He absentmindedly felt his mother kneel next to him, and utter the same prayer, and they simply stayed like that for a time until the sun started to rise and they had to prepare for the Sports Festival.

Once they were ready, they headed outside to where Toshinori was with his pickup and made their way towards UA. The roads were starting to get clogged as more and more cars headed up towards the campus.

Fortunately, UA hiring the clones helped organize things a lot better, with clones serving at security checkpoints, traffic direction, patrols and even helping guests.

Seeing Toshinori's pickup, one of the clones motioned them to a special parking spot for staff and VIP guests, soon enough the group would find themselves at their seats, and Izuku would kiss his mother goodbye and give a quick hug to Toshinori.

They were the first ones there, and so were alone.

After a moment of silence, Inko slyly grinned at the older man who was looking fondly into the distance to where Izuku disappeared.

"You make a good father."

BLERGH!

Inko giggled as Toshinori stuttered and tried to stave off his embarrassment.

"It's fine, Toshinori, "She said as she lightly held onto his arm. "We already talked about this, you're good for him."

Toshinori sighed deeply and nodded, the last of the red fading from him as he and Inko stared out into the stadium.

"Ohoho! What's this Inko? You didn't tell me you had a new boyfriend!"

Inko merely facepalmed, the both of them turning red.

"Sigh…Hello, Mitsuki."

Way to ruin the moment.

Turning she happily greeted her friend while expertly deflecting any questions with the grace of somebody who had been friends with the woman for decades.

Toshinori and Masaru merely stood by, the former watching in awe and the latter in amusement.

Inko finally managed to wear Mitsuki down a bit and properly introduced him while dispelling any misconceptions.

Still didn't get rid of Mitsuki's teasing.

As the rest of the families arrived and wasn't it annoying to be called Frigga almost 15 times, once she found those three she would make them pay.

'I'm so glad that Izuku and Jango weren't nearly into pranks as those three.' She thought, ignoring the small pang in her heart.

She watched as the thousands of people entered the stadium and took special pride in being able to pick out her boys from the crowd.

Granted, there were wearing white armor, but it was still the thought that counts. Seeing them like this, however, was a bit awe-inspiring, regardless of how many people filled the stadium, there was still a scattered sea of white among them.

Her boy had come so far.

Her attention was brought to the enormous screen where Present Mic suddenly appeared.

"HEY!"

The audience started cheering.

"PAY ATTENTION, AUDIENCE! SWARM, MASS MEDIA! THIS YEAR'S HIGH SCHOOL RODEO OF ADOLESCENCE THAT YOU ALL LOVE, THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL, IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! ARE YOU READY?!"

The crowd roared as they all paid attention to the entrance on the stage grounds.

"IT'S TIME FOR THE STUDENTS TO ENTER THE FIRST-YEAR STAGE!"

As the music began, all of them eagerly waiting for the students to come out, Inko paid special attention to seeing her son.

As the students took their first steps into the stage, Inko noticed one, horrible thing.

"Oh no…"

"What is it, Inko?" She heard Mitsuki ask as she felt Toshinori stiffen.

"Izuku's angry…" She whispered.

Something had happened.

Earlier

Izuku had actually managed to take a slight nap, having gotten there before anybody, soon enough his other classmates had filed in, and although Tenya had wanted to wake Izuku up, he'd been convinced to let him rest a bit more.

Once it hit about a half-hour before the Sports Festival began, Ochako roused him from his sleep and he started to do his stretches.

Idly he heard Ashido complain about not being able to use their costumes before Ojiro spoke about fairness and some of the others wondering about the first round.

Then Tenya burst in and announced that they would be leaving soon.

"Midoriya."

Izuku turned toward the voice and found himself face to face with Todoroki.

"Todoroki, how can I help you?"

Staying silent for a moment, Todoroki responded.

"Objectively, I think I'm stronger than you."

Izuku merely stared at him, slightly confused.

"But…All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?"

Izuku grit his teeth slightly but listened.

"I'm not trying to pry into that…but I'm going to beat you."

Izuku's eyes narrowed, and he breathed deeply, controlling his anger.

"Oh? Are the best in the class declaring war on each other?" Kaminari said with a grin. Kirishima however, had gotten up and tried to calm Todoroki and Izuku, the latter certainly looking angrier.

"Hey, what's up with that? Picking fights right before the Festival starts."

"We're not here to make friends. So what does it matter?" Todoroki said while walking away.

He only made it a few steps before Izuku's voice called out to him.

"You know, you've got a lot of balls to say that. In front of everybody who has been working so hard to be here…, especially for somebody who refuses to use their full power."

Todoroki froze.

"Yeah, my clones told me what you did, about how you refused to use your full power because of some asinine vow."

The room started to get cooler.

"But let me tell you this, Todoroki. You better come at me with your full power, or I will break you, and I'll send you back to Endeavour in pieces."

The room went chilly as Todoroki glared back at Izuku.

"You-"

"As I said, I refuse to let more people die."

Izuku walked forward but stopped at the door.

"Whether by a villain's hand, or yours."

'That wasn't the best way I could have handled that.' Izuku thought with a slight hint of remorse but at the moment he was too angry at Todoroki to even think about apologizing at the moment.

Actually, he'd been angry a lot lately.

'All Might said that it's natural to be angry, but this just feels too much.'

As if his anger was consuming him.

He breathed in deeply and focused. Trying to calm himself as much as he could.

Nope, not working.

Probably just needed to burn it off.

As they reached the stage, Present Mic's voice rang out into the sky.

"AND NOW INTRODUCING, THE STARS WHO OVERCAME VILLAINS WITH THEIR HEARTS OF STEEL! HERO COURSE, CLASS 1-A! YEAH!"

Izuku stepped forward head held high as he moved forward, perhaps once, he would have quailed at the sight of thousands, but after everything, he found it…cool.

'I wish you were here to see this vod.'

"So many people…"

"Will we be able to give our best performance, surrounded by so many?" Tenya contemplated.

"We will have to, ner vod."

Tenya nodded and lightly patted Izuku's shoulder. The two had become closer after Izuku had let him into the bacta pod, and Tenya was excited to show what his newly healed engines could do.

"I guess this is just another aspect of hero life they're training us on."

Izuku heard Kirishima also comment about the crowd with Bakugo, the latter only saying that he was being pumped up by it.

Not wanting to focus on him, especially after what he'd heard from his brothers, Izuku continued walking.

"THESE GUYS HAVEN'T HAD MUCH TIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT, BUT THEY'RE STILL FULL OF TALENT, HERO COURSE, CLASS-B!"

"NEXT UP, GENERAL STUDIES, C, D, E!"

"SUPPORT COURSES F, G, AND H ARE HERE, TOO!"

"AND BUSINESS COURSES, CLASSES I, J, AND K!"

A slight scuffle was heard from the microphone before it turned off for a brief moment, turning on once more.

"LET'S NOT FORGET THOUGH, THAT CLASSES C-K REPRESENT THE FUTURE BACKBONE OF BOTH HERO AND GENERAL SOCIETY!"

"Well, at least they said something nice about us, didn't put so much focus on the hero course."

"Eh, I still feel like we're only here to make them look better."

Up in the announcer box, Present Mic was gesturing wildly at Aizawa while next to them were Nezu and surprisingly enough Cody.

While Nezu would be at the Third Year festival, concerns had been awoken and he felt that he needed to address them.

"You see sir, it's just as important to consider everybody else, Sports Festival is not just about the heroes, we also have to consider the classes that take apprenticeships, internships at businesses, and tech companies."

"Yeah yeah, I get ya."

Aizawa snorted at the chastisement that Hizashi was getting from the clone who just moments earlier had stopped the mike to remind Mic that the other courses deserved attention.

'Man, that rhyme was horrible. It almost sounded like a pun'

He felt like Ms. Joke.

He shuddered in horror.

Turning his attention back to the stadium he noticed that Mic was about to start.

"WE'RE ABOUT TO KICK THINGS OFF BUT FIRST! A FEW WORDS FROM OUR PRINCIPAL!"

"Thank you, Present Mic. Hello everyone! Am I a dog, a mouse, a bear? Who knows? But the important thing is that I am Principal Nezu. I know that this is unusual, but with these extenuating circumstances I thought it important to speak about our security measures."

Nezu took a moment to look at Cody.

"As you can see, we've done our utmost best to ensure that nothing such as the USJ happens again. However, should we find ourselves in any situation, even non-villain related please pay attention to the men in white armor around you? They are the Vod'e, UA's security force, for those of you in the know, yes, they are provided by one of the students, however, to prevent any allegations of cheating they will not participate in the Sports Festival. Speaking on their behalf is Marshall Commander Cody."

Said Cody glared at the principal because this was not planned at all. Nevertheless, he just went with it.

"Good morning everyone, I'm Marshall Commander Cody of the Vod'e like Principal Nezu said if in case of emergency, listen to the Vod'e and they'll guide you safely and securely as the heroes deal with any existing threat. If you need help, such as lost children or the like, also feel free to ask. We're here to serve and protect, and also cheer on our brother." He added at the last second.

Izuku slightly flushed at the attention now on him and tried to ignore the teasing grins from his friends.

"Thank you, Principal Nezu and Marshall Commander Cody! Now, onto the Player Pledge!" The umpire announced, in this case, Midnight.

Immediately almost half the crowd started to cheer at her appearance, many of them with partners delivering swift retribution.

A few of the students even commented on her state of dress, wondering if it was appropriate for a school.

Midnight barked at them to be quiet, slightly peeved at the insinuation. She only teased, not seduced students!

Still, whipping her riding crop she called forward the pledger.

"Representing the students is Midoriya Izuku from Class 1-A!"

Izuku was startled but should have expected it, he did come first.

'Jango should be here with me.'

"It's Izuku, I mean it makes sense."

"He did make it first in the entrance exam."

"In the hero course."

"Nah, I heard he got top scores for the regular exam too."

"Of course, it's Class A."

"Isn't he the guy that yelled at us?"

"He's scary."

"He was kinda right though. I mean…according to the memorial a lot of his clones died."

"So? He can just make more."

"That's not what he said, once they die, they die."

"But still, they're clones, that's like saying Ectoplasm cares if his clones die, he uses them as bait!"

Izuku grit his teeth as his temper started to fray but paid no mind to their words.

He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"About two weeks ago, our school was invaded."

The muttering stopped.

"My class was attacked by villains, were hurt and almost killed by them. Then we were saved by the Vod'e, and I was forced to stand by as over one thousand of my brothers died."

The silence was deafening.

"My brother, Jango. Should be here today. The world may see them as clones, but they were my family. He was my family. It was because of them, however, because of their sacrifice, that 19 other families did not have to suffer what mine did."

Izuku's eyes had been looking at nothing, but then he turned straight to the camera.

"You tried to go after All Might, and when that failed you went after us. You failed," Izuku snarled as he glared at the camera.

"But I will let you know right now, that even on the day that All Might retires, the Symbol of Peace will not fall, because on that day you will know!" Izuku raised his fist.

"That I am here."

Izuku lowered his fist.

"Today is merely the beginning. For all of you who challenge my Class and me, I hope you bring it your all, fight with everything you have! And even if you fail know that you gave it your all! Show to the world that you deserve to be here!" Izuku yelled as he pointed at the students in front of him.

"Show that you are here." Izuku clenched his fist and brought it in front of him.

"Show that by Going Beyond:"

"PLUS ULTRA!" The entire stadium roared with Izuku as he raised his fist again.

He then walked off as the crowd began to cheer even more excited for the upcoming events.

Some of the students looked at him curiously, not expecting that from a hero course student. Many more felt the desire to take him up on his challenge and show what they were made of.

Toshinori grinned wildly, this, this was even better than he imagined. Izuku was not only declaring himself as the successor to the Symbol of Peace but also challenged his fellow students to meet him at the top.

"He's really come a long way, hasn't he, Toshi?"

"Yes, he has, Inko."

'You'd be so proud of him, Master.'

The ashen remains of a cup fell to the ground, drops of liquid falling into them.

Shigaraki glared hatefully at the screen in front of him, already his temper rising as he scratched his neck.

'This kid…is baiting me!'

Shigaraki then realized that this was no miniboss. But another player, albeit one that was lower level than he. The game was now in two-player mode.

And he was quickly rising in stats.

"Looks like we have a race in completing our quests." He ground out.

"To destroy the Symbol of Peace, or become it."

Shigaraki smiled horrifically.

"Game on."

As Shigaraki continued to watch, All For One was pleasantly surprised, the cup was the only thing that had been destroyed. Usually, it'd be the table and chair by now, and perhaps the tv.

'Izuku Midoriya, one day we will meet. And I must certainly thank you for…inspiring my successor.' He said as he moved a piece forward, not taking anything.

He chuckled.

"Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight exclaimed with a sadistic smile as she started.

A few of the students commented about the fast pace of things, but ultimately put it up to U.A.'s specialty.

"Every year, many drink their tears here!"

"Them or you?" A clone muttered from the stands. It just so happened that he said that next to a hero who started to chuckle at that.

One with seafoam green hair and an orange bandanna.

Aizawa felt immediate doom for some reason.

"Now the fateful first game!" On cue, an enormous board appeared, rapidly spinning challenges.

"This year it's!"

Everybody leaned forward as they awaited the result.

Izuku stared at the spinning board with apprehension but was feeling confident and motivated by his own speech, he hoped that the other students understood that while he may have been harsh the other day, he only wanted them to understand the truth of being a hero.

Just a little ways off, Todoroki glared balefully at Izuku's back, the area around him slightly cooler.

He knew a challenge when he heard it.

But he tried oh so desperately, to shove the guilt that was eating away at his heart down.

The board finished spinning.

"An obstacle race!"

I know, I know, cliffhanger. But I want a bit of time to plan things out, I want this race to be different than canon. Originally, I wanted an entirely new challenge, but couldn't come up with anything. Be prepared for different obstacles, however!

Again, thank you, and please continue reviewing! I'll try and make it so that it's not so long till the next update, but I comp within the next month so…it'll be hard. Brightside is that I get a break after!

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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Truth enlightens the mind, but won't always bring happiness to your heart."

"I'm sorry, but with the injuries you both sustained, combined with the complete quirk exhaustion you're suffering. I cannot let you participate in the last round of the Sports Festival." Recovery Girl stated with some sorrow to the two girls in front of her.

Ochako and Shiozaki, both downtrodden, let out sighs of disappointment and nodded sadly.

Ochako had not only continuously used her quirk on the tank, thus severely straining it, she had also been subjected to harsh motions and continued using her quirk on the guns.

Quite simply it had burnt out, and she would need rest before she could use it again.

On the bright side, once her quirk fully recovered, she would find that her quirks limits would have risen, and that she would be much more powerful.

Shiozaki's vine hair, on the other hand, was now in a short pixie cut. Although she could continue if she wanted to, the fact of the matter was that she simply could not. She'd need plenty of fluids and sunlight for her quirk to regrow.

She was also severely dehydrated but that was another matter.

Quite simply, they couldn't go on.

Komori fortunately, had not strained herself as much as them, her quirk having different requirements so she would still be able to continue.

Recovery Girl was still waiting for Izuku to return, and once he did she would give him the tongue lashing of a lifetime.

"Where is that boy?"

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Izuku said as he leaned back against the wall. Truth be told he was tired, and in a bit of pain, but something told him to listen to Todoroki when the boy asked to talk to him in private.

Todoroki remained silent, as if he was gathering his thoughts.

"Look…I'd really like to get some food, and plus I still have to see Recovery Girl, so…if there's something you'd like to talk about, come out with it."

Izuku sighed as Todoroki remained quiet, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.

He idly paid attention to the whispers in the back of his mind, comparing Todoroki's cold demeanor to Bakugo's boisterous one.

"I was overpowered. So much that I was infuriated and broke my vow."

Izuku closed his eyes.

"Ah, I had a feeling."

'He's still stuck on that, even if it would have probably won him the game, he could have roasted away Shiozaki and Komori's quirks, leaving us open.'

"None of the others saw it, but when you pushed that tank, I could see the power behind it, and when you jumped it buffered the rest of our tanks. You have your clones, and you can supposedly use the strength of a thousand of them, even if apparently limited. One could consider it a downgraded version of All Might."

'Crap. Well, isn't he an observant one? Also, downgraded? Really?'

"All Might has his eye on you, Midoriya, even to the point of using your name."

'Wait, when did he-'

"Midoriya…are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

Izuku blinked once in shock, his face still in disbelief even the Vode stuck in his head were struck silent before a cacophony of laughter erupted in his head.

'SHUT UP!'

They didn't.

Izuku raised his hand to the bridge of his nose and pinched.

'What even is my life?'

But something about Todoroki's question was…earnest. There was definitely something underlying it.

So Izuku would be as honest as possible.

"Sigh…I wish."

"Hm?"

"My…father," Izuku spat the word out like a curse much to Todoroki's surprise, "betrayed my family…I, pfff, I'm a late bloomer I guess you could say. Jango didn't appear until I was ten and he, thinking that I was quirkless, left me and my mom…he's currently in America and does the bare minimum with child support."

Todoroki was taken aback and apologized.

"You didn't know, to answer your question, All Might found me about a year ago and took me under his wing…he saw something in me that reminded him of himself, and well, to be honest. He's the father I never had."

At that a new look entered Todoroki's eyes.

Envy.

"I see…I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories, but it looks like we have something in common with bad fathers."

Izuku raised his brow questioningly, motioning for him to continue.

"Endeavor's my old man. For a hero fan like yourself, you know that he's been stuck at Number Two for forever. If your connection to the Number One is so deep, then I have even more reason to beat you."

"Yo! It's been a while, how about some tea, Endeavor?"

"All Might…"

"I haven't seen you since the press conference ten years ago, I saw you so I thought I'd say hi." All Might continued with his classic grin, further irritating Endeavor.

"I see. Well, you've already done that. Leave me." Endeavor finished abruptly as he continued walking down the stairs.

"Tea? What a joke. I'm going to the restroom. Begone!"

Then that damnable laugh, and All Might was in front of him again.

"Well don't be so cold!" All Might said teasingly, only adding fuel to the fire. "Your son, Young Shoto, did wonderfully without even using half of his power. Is it because he was taught well?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Why, I honestly want to know, as a teacher, I want to provide the best education for my students."

Endeavor snorted.

"Do you think I'd tell you?"

He walked forward, bumping into All Might's shoulder as he continued on his way.

"You're as clueless as usual and it's getting on my nerves."

"Sorry…"

Endeavor stopped once more to continue his tirade.

"Just remember this, I will make that into a hero that will surpass you one day."

'That?'

"That was why I created him."

'Created?'

"What are you…?"

'What exactly have you done?'

Endeavor turned back with a scathing glare.

"He's in his rebellious stage right now, but he will definitely surpass you. I will make sure of it!" He growled as his flames increased in intensity.

He took some satisfaction in having smothered that grin off All Might's face as he walked away.

"My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world. As a hero, he's made a name for himself through overwhelming force, crushing all who stood in his way. But no matter what he did, he could never overcome All Might, the Symbol of Peace."

Izuku paid rapt attention, having a bad feeling as to where this was going.

"Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan."

He was hesitant to ask his next question.

"And what was…his next plan?"

Todoroki turned to look at him directly.

"You've heard of Quirk Marriages, right?"

Izuku's blood turned to ice, and he could hear the cries of the clones inside of him.

He knew all too well the term, it was one of the insults/justifications the demagolka used against his mother.

"He didn't…"

"He did, he bought my mother's family, and forced her into marriage, now he's trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might."

A legacy hero, in a way their situations were somewhat similar, but oh so different.

"It's so annoying…I refuse to become that trash's tool!"

He then focused on something else.

"In my memories, my mother is always crying. 'Your left side is unsightly', is what she said as she poured boiling water over my face."

Izuku closed his eyes in sympathy, resting more against the back wall.

"Basically, I want to fight you to show him that I don't need him, I don't need his power. No, I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it."

There it was, his declaration of intent.

It was odd in a way, how similar their goals were. They both had the desire to surpass All Might, but whereas Todoroki wanted to spite his father, Izuku wanted to inspire hope.

He could see that Todoroki was somebody who had lost all hope of escaping what he perceived to be his destiny, and was trying to do things his own way.

'I wish you were here Jango, your perspective would certainly help now.'

He looked up at the ceiling, idly noticing Todoroki walking away, the latter apologizing for taking his time.

"But still, no matter what, I will rise above you with just my right side."

…

"I'm here because of the people that have believed in me, Todoroki. A lot of sacrifices have been made so that I could get to this point."

All Might, Mom, Jango, the Vode, and most recently, his classmates.

"I made a promise that I would stand at the end with my fist raised high. I'm sorry for my Endeavor comment earlier, but the point still stands, Todoroki, if you really want a chance at defeating me, you better come at me with everything you have, because I will."

Both of them merely stared at each other for a bit, before turning away and walking separate directions.

Neither knew of the third that was hidden in the shadows.

"You used both of them again." Recovery Girl stated dryly as Izuku ate his lunch with rapid gusto.

Izuku paused and swallowed before nodding.

"I had no choice."

"Of course you have a choice, this is the Sports Festival, not a life or death fight!"

"They were counting on me."

"That's no-grr!" She tugged at her hair in frustration before sighing.

"We both know what using One For All and Legion at the same time does to you, it's putting undue strain in your body, it almost killed you, if not for the bacta and my healing."

"And this time I didn't summon another army, I merely was summoning ammunition while pushing the tank, the strain on my body was exponentially lower."

"The strain on your body is the problem in the first place. It's almost as if your quirks are killing you!"

…

'I think it might be…' Went the unspoken word between the both of them.

"Look, I had already strained myself during the race, and the tank war necessitated it, but for the fights I'll keep to only using One For All."

And didn't that make him feel like a hypocrite, but at least in this case it was a matter of life or death and not a personal vendetta.

Recovery Girl sighed in exasperation and in deep worry.

"Look Midoriya, I'm worried, in all my years, I've never seen this before, or rather, I've only seen this kind of damage from All Might after his fight, you were bleeding from your mouth in a manner eerily similar to him. You're scarred, and if you keep damaging yourself, it'll get to a point where I can't help you. We got lucky with bacta…I almost had to bury one symbol, don't let me have to bury two."

Ah, now Izuku felt guilty.

"Look Recovery Girl, I thank you for everything you've done for me. You worked tirelessly to treat the remaining Vode from the USJ incident, and have treated them like people. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me as well, but I made a promise, and I can't break it."

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes in exasperation.

"Toshinori really knows how to pick them…alright, but be careful."

"I will, Recovery Girl…can I give you a hug?"

"Sigh…come here."

"NOW THAT LUNCH IS OVER, IT'S FINALLY TIME TO REVEAL THE LAST GAME!"

"But first!" Cody continued for Mic. "Good news for all of you that didn't make it to the finals, this is a Sports Festival, meant for fun and camaraderie, we have plenty of recreational games that everybody can participate in!"

"THAT'S RIGHT, AND WE EVEN BROUGHT IN REAL CHEERLEADERS FROM AMERICA TO LIVEN THINGS UP!"

At that, Cody raised his hand to his helmet, a meaningless gesture, but a habit that he'd gotten for receiving communications.

"Uh, sirs, I'm getting a call from one of the guards, it seems that there's an incident that needs clarification."

After finishing their post with the Tower, Fives and Echo were posted near the entrance to the field, they watched as one by one the cheerleaders from America entered the field and made sure that nobody unauthorized would enter and harass them.

Which is why both of them were struck dumb as the 1-A girls suddenly appeared in cheerleader uniforms.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa…what are you all doing?" Fives asked.

"Uh, we're part of the cheerleader group, no? We were told that we had to wear these to participate in some kind of cheer battle." Momo asked as they relayed what Mineta and Kaminari had told them during lunch.

The two clones looked at each other questioningly.

"Was that mentioned in the schedule brief?"

"I mean, I knew there were cheerleaders, but not a cheer battle."

They then turned back to the girls who were growing more suspicious.

To be fair, so were they.

"...Let me run it by the Commander, alright? Just to confirm."

"Okay."

Activating his comm he motioned for them to standby.

"This is Fives, I need a direct line to the Commander, have a schedule issue that needs to be confirmed by Eraserhead or Present Mic."

…

"Sir, I've got the 1-A girls here in cheerleader uniforms, they said that they were told to participate in a cheer battle? Requesting confirmation.

…

"From Mineta and Kaminari."

…

"Alright then, thank you, sir. Relay my thanks to Eraserhead and Present Mic please."

…

"Aye aye."

Finishing up he turned to the girls and relayed the message.

"Yeah, you all got tricked."

At that, the girls all started to gripe, Momo in particular was frustrated that she got tricked into one of Mineta's schemes, especially since she used Creation to make the uniforms..

They swore vengeance.

Hagakure still found the uniform cute though.

Still probably wouldn't have sent the right message.

Later, Kaminari and Mineta were back from the field looking for their classmates, wondering where they could be.

"Oh Kaminari~, Mineta~"

A sudden chill went down their spines as they slowly turned to find most of the girls still in their gym uniforms.

"Don't worry guys, it won't hurt…too much."

"Mercy?"

"No."

Their screams of pain were delicious.

As it was, Ochako, who was still exhausted and healing, turned to the clones who helped them.

"Excuse me, Fives, right?"

"Yes?"

"As in, CT-5555? From the USJ?"

"Yes! I am…it's good to see you safe and well, Uraraka."

"You…got your name from what I said?"

"Well…you were right, it was a bunch of fives hehe."

She smiled brightly at the clone before sticking her hand out.

"Call me Ochako, after all, your brother already does."

Fives grinned under his helmet and shook her hand.

'Vod certainly knows how to pick his friends.'

"Excuse me, Fives, do you know who the clone was that saved me at the USJ and carried me up the stairs?" Tsu asked, she had already delivered her literal tongue lashing to Kaminari, although she simply kicked Mineta.

"Hm, if I'm not mistaken that was Echo." He then pointed to the other clone who was standing guard and paying attention to the field.

Said clone was completely surprised by the hug from behind.

"Wha-"

"Thank you, for saving me."

"Oh, you found out about that, huh?"

"Yes, I've been looking for you, my family wants to meet you as well." Tsu said as she let go, the clone turned to her and nervously touched the back of his helmet.

"Oh really? Alright then. Your family should actually be here already, 1-A families got special seats courtesy of Nezu, we can go after the next break if you'd like."

"Thank you."

After that, the girls went back outside to the field, dragging the poor saps who pissed them off.

Tsubaraba, who'd overheard their plan earlier, thanked everything that was holy that he'd had the self restraint to not try it with his class.

"Thanks for letting us know, Cody. If it wasn't for the undoubtedly just punishment those two are getting right now, I'd do it myself." Aizawa said. The man was surprisingly well rested after his short 1-hour nap.

Then again, he'd asked Ponds to stun him.

Hizashi still chuckled thinking about it.

Turning back to the audience he addressed them again.

"HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY, LET'S HAVE SOME FUN WITH THESE RECREATIONAL GAMES!"

"When that's over, 16 competitors from the last round will fight one-on-one to determine this year's Sports Festival champion!"

Midnight then appeared with a box of lots but the news she would bring would be surprising to say the least.

"Now, unfortunately, we are currently two people down. Both Shiozaki and Uraraka were declared medically unfit to continue in the tournament due to injuries and Quirk Exhaustion, talk about going PLUS ULTRA! How about a round of applause for them going so far?"

The crowd roared at Midnight's words and various Pro Heroes were suitably impressed by the girls dedication and hard work, they were surely going to receive a lot of internship offers.

Monoma was quick to seethe, seeing it as a half-failed ploy for Midoriya to gain more fame.

"As such, two students from the next winning team, Team Hatsume, will participate!"

Obviously he had meant for his little girlfriend to pass while leaving Shiozaki and Komori behind in the dust after using them for their hard work.

"As such, Team Hatsume! You were the next team in line, pick two students to move forward!"

The two from 1-B immediately started discussing something with the girl, if anything it looked like she was becoming even more maniacal.

Finally the two slumped and asked to speak with Midnight in private.

Izuku was suddenly terrified as the grin on Midnight's face became more and more sadistic.

"I'LL ALLOW IT!"

The two boys slumped even more and started to shiver, fear piercing the very core of their being.

"Shishida and Kamakiri will move onto the tournament, but in a show of solidarity, will promote some of the equipment of their new support course friend if they fight each other and of course be her very own test subjects in the future. Such youth…IT TURNS ME ON!"

The two were almost weeping, traumatized by the other things the girl had done to their tank.

After all, theirs was the only one to blow up after they left it.

Monoma surprisingly was all for it.

"Take every advantage against 1-A!"

Ah, there it was.

"Now, the brackets have been decided, and these will be the first fights!"

The crowd roared as they saw the screen change.

Midoriya v. Shinso

Monoma v. Komori

Shouji v. Mineta

Kouda v. Todoroki

Shishida v. Kaibara

Kamakiri v. Awase

Yanagi v. Tetsutetsu

Bakugo v. Tsubaraba

The various contestants gave their own challenges to each other, excited to give their all.

Well, to various degrees.

"Midoriya, huh?"

Izuku turned to the purple haired boy next to him, the same one who had made the declaration of war the other day.

Izuku raised his brow, staring deeply at the boy.

"So, what do you say? Let's have a good match?"

Izuku was about to respond when a furry tail wrapped around his mouth.

"Midoriya, don't."

Shinso merely smirked before turning away.

"Ojiro?"

"We need to talk."

Todoroki stared at the screen, he admitted to himself that a part of him hoped to face Midoriya last, as the final challenge to prove himself.

But real life wasn't so dramatic.

Either way…

'Soon…come, Midoriya. I'll defeat you with this hand.' Todoroki thought to himself.

"Alright everyone! Let's get these recreational games started!"

While a few of the 16 decided to play, the majority took the time to rest and relax, preparing themselves for the festival.

Izuku quickly spoke with Ojiro about the dangers of Shinso's quirk, he'd actually managed to catch their group with it and it left their tank open for a surprise attack.

He suspected that it was what caused a lot of the hero course students to fail.

Izuku would have to speak with them later, to see how they were doing.

Still, with the strain he'd put into his body so far, he needed the rest.

Apparently the Vode had another performance coming up, which really made him question when exactly they had the time to set it all up.

Asking one of his brothers to wake him up in time for the performance, he let himself rest.

-oro, calm do-.

-ot just me!

-uch rage…

-e hides it all, deep within-

-not alone, Ninth.

Izuku

"Izuku!"

Izuku gasped as he sat up straight, panting rapidly. Turning, he saw his brother warily raise his hand.

"You alright, vod?"

"Y-yeah, just…a weird dream."

"It's almost time to start, let's head on out."

"Right."

Heading outside to the field he caught up with his friends, all of which were glad that he had managed to make it to the end, although saddened by their own losses they were consoled by Izuku's words.

"You guys kidding me? All of you gave us a run for our money. Momo, I saw the videos, you made two extra barrels and started to shoot us with triple fire power. Ashido's acid meant that I had to make some really quick turns, plus Tsu's tongue and Sero's tape. Kyoka, you straight up made a round vibrate before it struck us, do you realize how much we were shaking? Then Yuga burned off a lot of vines and mushrooms, and-" Izuku was cut off by his friends who silenced him, all with various degrees of happy embarrassment.

"Thanks, Midoriya."

"Thank you, Prez!"

Various other sounds of thanks rang out from his class, and Izuku felt…happy.

"I am most grateful, Izuku. Although it pains me that we will not be able to have a fight to test our skills, just like with the race, I wish for you to do your best. For all our friends, our hopes lie with you." Tenya finished with a smile.

Izuku rubbed away some tears from his eyes. He was just…so happy that he had made so many friends.

Will they abandon you? Just like the re-

"Izuku."

He turned and faced Ochako, and regret immediately adorned his face. Ochako however, smushed his cheeks and glared into his eyes.

"None of that now, we gave it our all, just cause I can't go any more doesn't mean you get to feel guilty alright."

"Mf-Ochako…" He mumbled from his squished cheeks.

"Alright?!"

"Alright, alright!" He said as he pried her arms away from his face. "Thanks."

"Win this for all of us, alright? Oya!"

He grinned, ignoring the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oya!"

Then they heard drums starting up again.

Turning, they saw Kyoka's mother on the huge drum, absolutely wailing on the thing.

"I'm sorry Kyoka, but it's super funny just how big that thing is compared to your mom."

"Yeah, I know. People expect it to be my dad's but it's hers and her favorite one at that."

"Also, when did the Vode even set this up with your parents?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

A few other instruments joined as a fast paced tempo was set.

Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.

Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Taung!

The clones sung, rapidly and with vigor. The crowd was eating it up, Izuku could even see some of the patrons trying to keep along with the beat, especially children.

Hell, he even saw clones playing with the children as they followed along with the beat.

It brought a special warmth to his heart.

Trumpets blared and the clones began again.

Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.

Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.

Aruetyc runi'la solus cet o'r prudii an.

Cymbals and drums as Mrs. Jirou slammed her big drum.

(hu, hu) (hu)

Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.

Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.

(hmm…)

Aruetyc runi'la solus cet o'r.

(ah…)

Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.

(ooh…)

Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.

Aruetyc runi'la trattok'o.

(AA…)

Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an!

The tempo changed, becoming slightly slower yet more powerful, more meaningful.

Kandosii sa kyr'am ast

Troan teroch jetiise a'den

Duraan vi at ara'nov

Vode an, ka'rta tor

A swelling of trumpets, the rumbling of a gong and more. It seemed as if the very arena was being filled with the energy of the Vode, piercing the hearts of every attendee.

The rapid tempo began again as the clones continued their display.

(hmm…ah…hum…AA…!)

SA KYR'AM NAU TRACYN KAD, VODE AN!

The beat changed once more to a familiar one.

DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU

MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!

DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!

GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!

DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU

(hu, hu, hu, hu)

MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!

(hu, hu, hu, hu)

DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!

(hu, hu, hu, hu)

GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!

(hu, hu)

BAL KOTE! DARASUUM KOTE!

( Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.)

JORSO'RAM,

(Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.)

KANDO A TOME

(Aruetyc runi'la solus cet o'r prudii an.)

SA KYR'AM NAU TRACYN KAD, VODE AN!

"GIVE IT UP EVERYBODY FOR THE VODE AND THE JIROU'S, WHAT A GREAT WAY TO KICK THINGS OFF HUH?"

The crowd cheered and many from Class A also cheered alongside them.

"Man Midoriya, your quirk's something else…" Kaminari said before cringing away from Kyoka who smirked at him.

"I'll be honest, kinda intimidating, but really cool. Certainly wouldn't want to be a villain facing that."

…

"Too soon?"

"Way too soon, Ashido."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Midoriya, I-"

"Ashido."

Ashido gasped as Midoriya stared at her, a sorrowful smile hiding a darkness pooling in his eyes.

"My brothers' sacrifice will not be in vain, you're right. When I'm done, no villain will want to face me."

Those around him felt a sudden chill through their souls, as if something hidden was peaking out.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go to my waiting room."

As he left, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

"I'm proud of how well all of you have done in the Festival so far. I know it's not the best outcome…but you make the Vode proud…Jango, would be proud."

He then disappeared and his class could only feel guilty.

"Damn it Ashido."

"I'm sorry! I-"

"No use worrying about it now. It is as Midoriya said, for those of us in the fights, let's give it our all. Let's make them proud." Shoji cut in as everybody went back to the stands.

As they walked by, Ashido quickly walked to Ochako.

"Uraraka, you're Midoriya's best friend, do you think he'll forgive me?"

"I think he already has, it's just…" Ochako turned to where she knew he would be only for him to already be gone.

"You brought up some bad memories."

"HEY EVERYBODY! ARE YOU READY!?"

The crowd roared, some of the more…excitable fans even hugging the Vode and swinging around with side hugs.

It was amusing to see to be honest.

Shota was glad that the Vode were getting the chance to interact with the people, it would build up rapport for when they finally did patrols.

"It's been a long and exciting day and it's all come down to this! In one-on-one fights, 16 competitors will give it their all for the title of Sports Festival Champion."

"JUST LIKE IN REAL LIFE, SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA RELY ON YOURSELF EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A HERO, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF!"

"Today, students will dedicate their hearts, skills, minds, bodies, wisdom and knowledge to show just how far they've gone."

"SO LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

Izuku breathed in deeply for four seconds, held for four, exhaled for four, and out for four. A trick he'd learned online to calm his rushing heart.

"You know, it's only natural to be nervous."

Izuku perked up at the familiar voice and turned to see his All Might behind him.

"Bui-All Might, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, what else?"

Izuku stubbornly shoved down the really nice feelings that he was experiencing right now and desperately tried to hide the smile on his face.

"I've been with your mother and the other families throughout the festival, you certainly know how to change things up, I just about had a heart attack when you destroyed the Ten Million."

Izuku flushed slightly. "Sorry."

"Don't be…I don't want you to think that you have to be a copy of me. In fact, I'm glad that you came up with such a creative solution. Since the race you've been turning this entire thing on its head. Inspiring those around you, taking charge and taking risks."

Izuku felt like he might die of happiness.

"I…I just want you to know that no matter what happens, if you lose this first round or take the gold. I'm proud of you, Izuku. And I know that Jango would be too." Toshinori said as he held onto Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku took a shaky breath, too many things were happening at once and his emotions were still too raw. Everything was still fresh and he half expected for him to snap at this rate.

"I…I was speaking with your mother earlier, she mentioned and taught me some Mando'a…" At this, All Might looked sheepish and slightly embarrassed.

"I'm not the best…but…"

He looked straight into Izuku's eyes and smiled.

"Izuku, Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad."

Izuku gasped.

The pronunciation was shoddy and broken, but the pure feeling behind it.

'I know your name as my child.'

Izuku gave out a half-sob half-laugh as he was pulled into a hug, a part of him that had felt empty even before Jango was filled up as he clutched Toshinori's suit tightly and let loose tears of happiness.

A light in the recent darkness.

"Thank you, buir."

"Remember, anytime you feel nervous or afraid," Izuku could feel the change in Toshinori's body as he bulked up and looked up at him. "Smile, to trick the fear inside you and continue to inspire others."

Letting go, Izuku nodded as All Might went into his signature pose.

"Stand proud."

Izuku wiped away the last of his tears and nodded fiercely.

And for the first time in two weeks, a true, honest smile appeared on his face.

He could hear the crowd roar, and Present Mic's announcements. The fire was roaring and the Vode were chanting.

"Sorry about your suit."

"Don't worry about it. Go show the world that you are here my boy."

"Right."

"AUDIENCE! IT'S THE FINALS YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!"

"From the first corner, prospective hero candidate, and the first General Studies first year to reach the finals in 5 years. Shinso Hitoshi!"

"AND HE FACES THE REIGNING CHAMPION FOR THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL, HE'S BEEN STIRRING UP TROUBLE SINCE THE RACE, FROM THE HERO COURSE, MIDORIYA IZUKU!"

The cheering was much more prominent for Izuku as he walked out the tunnel with a smile and his fist raised high.

The two competitors met in the middle as Present Mic explained the rules.

"I hope that you can show me your determination, Shinso."

Shinso was surprised that somebody spoke with him so easily, he'd have thought that the other boy would have told him his quirk by now.

The look in his eyes said the same.

'Tch, so he does know. This puts a sour taste in my mouth but I have no choice.'

"START!"

"Hope you put up a better fight than your brother!" He spat out quickly before a fist to the gut sent him flying to the edge, just barely missing the boundary.

"You son of a-"

There we go.

Shinso shakily got to his knees as he desperately tried to control his quirk, the pressure on his mind was unbearable, as if Midoriya's central mind was part of a larger network.

Looking around and seeing the eerily still clones, he had a feeling that might be the case.

"W-walk back and get yourself out of bounds."

Izuku turned and did so.

"WHAT'S THIS? MIDORIYA TOUCHED SHINISO AND IS NOW WALKING OUT OF BOUNDS, COULD THIS BE HIS QUIRK? WHAT A STUNNING UPSET!?"

Meanwhile, up in the stands, Aizawa was shaking Cody who had gone silent.

No, not silent. Unresponsive.

The man simply sat there, twitching, as if something else was in control.

Aizawa turned to the Shinso boy, and mentally made a note to recommend him for the Hero course for that capability alone.

'Now the question, is it just those outside? Or inside as well?'

Inside the Mindscape, the clones were somewhat panicking, outside the Storm had settled but it was unnatural, eerie, they were cut off from the rest of the world and desperately tried to reconnect to their vod.

Meanwhile, they were observed.

"Headstrong like you, 5th?"

"Emotional like you, 7th?"

"I can't help it! It was so heartwarming! I get teary eyed just thinking about it now! I'm so happy for Toshinori!"

"Either way, it's time that we show our own support. What say you? Dandy?"

Said clone, who was overseeing the operation, looked at the pale man next to him and nodded.

"Well, it would certainly be appreciated. But can he handle it?"

"To fulfill his dream, he must."

"Oya!" The 7th cried out as One For All surged.

'Stop…moving…I can't let him down…I can't let them down!' Izuku thought as he looked through his eyes, yet was unable to control his body.

He could see Toshinori by the entrance, worried about what was happening.

'I REFUSE! TO FALL HERE! NO MATTER THE COST, I MUST STAND! I HAVE TO BECOME-'

Behind Toshinori, 8 figures, shrouded in darkness, sparks of energy flowing between them as the one feminine figure glowed violet.

'A SYMBOL OF HOPE!'

'VOD!'

One For All surged throughout his entire body, flaring up in a vibrant display of emerald lightning. His muscles contracted and trembled as energy focused into his fingers.

His fingers twitched.

And drew blood.

The sharp sting of pain snapped him out of his mind as wind blew around him, panting in exertion. He looked at his hand and noticed that, while his fingers were red and sore, they weren't that bad. Whatever had happened, at least it hadn't been at a full 100%.

'I can do this!'

He turned back to the student who'd almost made him lose.

Izuku grinned.

'You're gonna have to try harder than that. As it is, I almost lost it because he mentioned Jango, just like the other day.' He thought to himself as he ignored the pang in his heart.

'I-I'm sorry brother, but if I'm going to win this, I'm going to have to forget you for a bit.'

He ignored everything around him, focusing only on his opponent. Even Present Mic's announcement and the crowd's roars, only his opponent mattered.

And the desperation in his eyes.

A desperation he was all too familiar with.

As the boy desperately tried to shout off insults, even bringing up the past, how he must have had a nice life, being born with such a quirk, how it felt like to be ostracized for something out of his control.

Izuku felt empathy,

A quirk with mind control abilities, judging from what Ojiro said and his own experience. It was almost as bad as being quirkless.

He would bring hope to this boy.

But first, he needed to deliver an ass whoopin'.

One For All sprung forth once more as he grabbed the boy by the neck.

'Oklahoma…'

He spun and threw the boy out of bounds.

'SMASH!'

"SHINSO IS THROWN OUT OF BOUNDS, MIDORIYA PULLS THROUGH AND MAKES IT TO THE NEXT ROUND!"

Shinso tried his best to keep his composure, as he was assaulted by his memories of his former school mates, and all those other people that said that he'd be the best kind of villain due to his quirk.

All this to prove them wrong.

And he still failed.

A shadow covered him and he looked to see Midoriya, with his hand extended to him.

"I know what it's like to be ostracized…I didn't get my quirk till I was 10. And the strength aspect of it I didn't fully realize until earlier this year. You've got a good quirk, you could use it for a variety of heroic situations like hostage negotiations, riot control, and conflict de escalation. Now, you've got to continue working for it, and who knows…maybe I'll see you as a hero one day." Izuku said as he held his hand over Shinso.

The latter was trembling before he bowed his head and tried to hide his tears.

"I…I'm sorry about mentioning your brother like that. He must have been pretty important to you." He said as he took Izuku's hand.

"I forgive you, besides, you probably won't be the first person to bring him up in a fight. If I'm to improve as a hero, I need to get better about him." Izuku replied as he picked the taller boy up.

"Hey, raise your fist with me, and smile."

"Wha-?" Shinso was completely unprepared for Izuku to suddenly swing both their hands up, much to the approval of the crowd as they cheered for the both of them.

"AND WHAT A WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF SPORTSMANSHIP AS HE HELPS HIS OPPONENT AND STANDS TALL WITH HIM, FISTS RAISED HIGH!"

Letting go, Shinso thanked Izuku once more before heading back, completely overwhelmed as he started to overhear compliments.

"Whatever his quirk is, the fact that he managed to stop that powerhouse in his tracks, it'd be invaluable in the field."

"UA's sure missing out."

"I'd like to trade my quirk please? It'd certainly have helped in my fight last week."

"See Shinso?" He heard one of his classmates say.

"You did it, man! You rep'd us good!"

Shinso smiled before heading into the darkness of the tunnel and sitting down, the emotional rollercoaster he'd just had being too much.

For the first time in years, he wept. Not out of fear, or pain, or suffering, but from happiness and vindication.

He felt hope.

Aizawa comforted Cody as he took a break, the aftereffects of Shinso's quirk receding.

"You alright?"

"Y-yeah, it was…not the best experience. Felt like I was looking over my own body…no control, nothing."

Aizawa looked out to the stadium and saw the clones on patrol extremely fidgety and sighed deeply.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a way to communicate with them, Cody had been the go between.

That would have to be fixed.

Still, he could contact the other security forces.

"This is Eraserhead to all Pro Heroes on security, increase your patrols for the next thirty minutes, Vode need a break."

"Sir-"

"If you and Ponds can get on my ass about my sleep habits, you bet that I'm going to get you all to take a break. Relay the message. Thirty minutes."

Cody shakily nodded before activating his comm.

"Vode. Cody. Direct message from Eraserhead, take a thirty minute break. Heroes will increase patrols for the duration."

Eraserhead looked out and saw many of the clones slump in relief, a few went back inside to one of the break rooms, some merely sat down and took off their helmets interacting with the people around them.

He hoped that they could find a way to deal with this weakness.

After the festival, he'd have to talk with Shinso.

Cutup and 2010 were also being treated by the heroes near them, the group slightly panicking at their sudden unresponsiveness.

"Phew, that's some quirk, definitely has potential for hero work."

"If it knocked us out it sure is…wonder if we can do some training with it."

"I'm glad to see that you're fine, when I saw you in the middle of your patrol merely standing there…it was worrying." Kamui said as he passed them some water.

"Thanks, we're fine now. It was just…jarring."

"Creepy if you ask me, but it's done now. Glad that vod pulled through. Damn useful quirk though, whatever it is."

"Hey, check it out." Mt. Lady interrupted as she pointed at the screen.

They all saw Izuku and Shinso with their hands held high, the cheering of the crowd spurring them on.

Death Arms chuckled, now that wasn't something he was used to seeing during Sports Festivals.

"Your brother's one of a kind, boys."

"A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR FIRST TWO FIGHTERS! MIDORIYA MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND. NOW, FOR OUR NEXT FIGHT, HE'S THE DARK HORSE OF 1-B, AND HE'S GOT PLENTY OF TRICKS UP HIS SLEEVE, FROM THE HERO COURSE, MONOMA NEITO!"

Monoma practically strutted as he headed towards the stadium.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, SHE'S MADE HER MARK SINCE THE TANK WAR, ADMIRABLY DEFENDING HER TANK TO THE LAST. ALSO FROM HERO COURSE 1-B, OUR VERY OWN MUSHROOM PRINCESS, KOMORI KINOKO!"

Said girl blushed at the reference but made her way to the stadium.

"You will fall for your treachery Komori!"

"Oh my g-are you still on about that, Monoma?"

"Fighters, start!" Midnight cried with a flourish of her whip.

Monoma could be arrogant, prideful, and more than likely had an inferiority complex.

But he was good at countering quirks.

And he knew that range was required against Komori.

Razor sharp scales popped up over his arms and started to shred the mushrooms as he fired them like a gatling gun at her, Komori tried her best to get close, but the piercing ability of the scales quickly set her on the backfoot. That, combined with her previous quirk use and exhaustion from the Tank war meant that this battle was slowly going in Monoma's favor.

Komori took one step.

And lost.

"Komori is out of bounds! Monoma is the winner!"

"Ah phooey, and just when I was all shroomed up."

"OUR NEXT FIGHTERS, BOTH FROM CLASS A. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY OTHER CASE OF DAVID V. GOLIATH, IN ONE CORNER, WE HAVE THE SILENT GIANT HIMSELF, SHOJI MEZOU! AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, READY TO FACE THE TITAN, MINETA MINORU!"

"I barely got an intro."

"Sorry about this, Mineta."

"START!"

The fight surprisingly, wasn't as one sided as one thought it would be. In his panic, Mineta launched a multitude of balls all over the place, forcing Shoji to dodge. Even his extra limbs had been hit by the barrage and he was forced to rip some off.

It wasn't the most pleasant experience for the audience to say the least.

It also served to absolutely terrify Mineta.

It didn't last for too much longer after that.

Mineta had secured himself to a ball as Shoji finally managed to grab the boy by his feet and started to pull.

The ball stretched to its utter limits as Shoji used his considerable strength on the shorter boy.

It was obvious that something would have to give.

That something surprisingly enough, was the concrete that the ball was connected to. With a surprised scream from both of them, Mineta went in a full arc as Shoji accidentally slammed him into the ground headfirst.

"Oops."

"Mineta is unconscious, Shoji wins!"

…

"Medic!"

"AFTER THAT…INTERESTING DISPLAY, GIVE IT UP FOR OUR CONTESTANTS! YEAH!"

Two clone medics were carrying Mineta away on a stretcher after applying a bacta patch on his head. Shoji sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before heading back to the stands.

"ALRIGHT! LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!

"ALSO BOTH FROM CLASS A, FIRST UP, THE ADORABLE ANIMAL LOVER HIMSELF, KOUDA KOJI! AND HIS OPPONENT, THE ICY PRINCE OF U.A AND THE SON OF THE NUMBER TWO HERO, ENDEAVOR! TODOROKI SHOTO!"

Both contestants were silent.

"Ok…start!"

It was over in an instant.

The entire stadium was covered in shadows as a glacier appeared out of nowhere.

"K-k-k-kouda, c-can you c-continue?" Midnight asked, half covered in ice and shivering.

Kouda barely managed a 'no'.

"Kouda is immobilized. Todoroki wins!"

"Sorry…I went overboard. I was angry."

Izuku frowned as he worked through the shivers, his mood from earlier dropping as he remembered what his clones told him about Todoroki's ice.

What he had done.

What he refused to do.

But still, the amount of anger in his eyes was familiar. He wondered what caused such a reaction.

Earlier

"You're in my way." Shoto said as he glared balefully at Endeavor.

"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto."

Shoto merely ignored him and continued walking.

"If you used your left side, you would have had an overwhelming victory at the obstacle course and the tank war."

Todoroki kept walking.

"And of course, you could have avoided that shameful display at the USJ."

Todoroki froze.

"How do you-?"

"Nezu showed members of the Top 50 who are here today the recordings of the USJ so that we could better understand the Vode."

"Y-you see the clones as sentient?"

"Of course." Endeavor scoffed as he got off the wall he was leaning on.

"I've met my fair share of sentient quirks throughout my career. I remember this one hero from America who's quirk manifested itself as a little girl who would turn into his guns. When she was killed, for lack of a better word, he died soon after from the heartbreak."

Todoroki didn't know what to think but his words were bringing up the guilt he had been feeling earlier.

"Your ice helped stop Nomu in its tracks only momentarily, but if you had used your fire then you could have overwhelmed its regeneration factor as they laid fire on it. Instead, chunks of ice crush them, and they were forced to incapacitate you, leading to more deaths on their part."

"Shut up…"

"You know, you say that you wish to be nothing like me, yet I find that we are very similar."

"I am NOTHING like you!"

Endeavor merely snorted with a chuckle.

"We're more alike than you care to admit, Shoto. We both have the blood of innocents on our hands because we did nothing."

The air got considerably cooler, but it was buffeted by Endeavor's flames.

"Stop this childish rebellion already. You have a duty to surpass All Might, you're different from your siblings, you are the greatest masterpiece but you hold yourself back and it costs yourself and others."

Shoto stubbornly continued to walk.

"Bastard, is that all you can say? I'll prove you wrong, I'll show them that I don't need your power in a fight, that I can win with just Mom's power!"

Endeavor merely scoffed.

"That might work for today, but as you already know…"

Todoroki reached the exit.

"There are limits to that power."

"Don't worry about it!" The crowd yelled as the clones carried Kouda away for treatment.

As Todoroki melted away the ice with his left hand, Izuku also couldn't help but see something else behind all that raw anger.

Sadness.

The comparison was…eye opening to say the least.

Izuku was reminded of his earlier conversation with All Might.

Earlier

"Definitely got me worried for a second there, my boy. " Toshinori said as Izuku got his fingers healed by Recovery Girl. The latter was actually somewhat satisfied, the damage being only to the outer layers of his skin and capillaries.

Izuku briefly flicked One For All as she kissed him causing the both of them to start.

"Midoriya?"

"Theory I had, thought that if I activated it while you used your quirk on me it would negate the energy drain. It worked!"

Smack!

"Ow!" He yelled as he clutched his shin.

"Doesn't mean that you can try out untested medical practices, bad enough after the whole bacta incident, even with how well it works." Recovery Girl snarked after hitting him with her cane.

"Either way, back to the matter at hand. I let my rage get the better of me, again!"

"And like I said earlier, Izuku. This is only natural, especially for someone of your age and especially in our profession. What matters is that you control it, like you did when you broke free of Shinso's control."

"No, that wasn't it…"

"Hm?" Toshinori gestured for him to continue.

"I was afraid, but more than that…I didn't want to disappoint you, especially after what you'd just said. More than that, I wanted to prove myself, to become…hope. Then, in the shadows of the entrance where you were, I saw these…figures…they were shadowy and started to glow. One of them even looked like you but another started to glow brighter than the others…she became violet."

"She?"

"Do you have any clue, buir?"

Toshinori softly sighed as he sat down.

"Yes…they're called the vestiges, they're remnants of the past users of One For All, they've appeared to me in the past, most recently during the USJ incident." Toshinori explained.

"The USJ?"

"I…I don't think I mentioned this before. But…I think One For All connected us, at the moment of Jango's death. I felt it all, your fear, your pain, your suffering. It was…humbling to say the least. I blacked out and saw the vestiges…surrounding you."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, my boy," All Might said before grabbing his chin in thought. "You said that you saw a feminine figure glow violet?"

"Yes, do you think that it might be…?"

"Nana? I want to believe so, Izuku. It'd be nice to have that confirmation, to know that she's watching over you as she did me." He said with a somber smile.

"Yeah…"

"If anything, this tells us that your control over One For All is growing, and that you're capable of handling more. I'm glad, keep going at it alright?" He said before hugging Izuku again.

"Right." Izuku replied as he returned the hug.

"Just be careful sonny, I really don't want you to make this a habit." Recovery Girl said as he started to leave.

"No promises!" He called out as he jogged down the hall.

"That boy…" She grumbled before the room became silent once more.

"He said that you were there too." She said after a moment's silence.

"I know…that's good."

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY, ON TO THE NEXT HALF OF THE FIRST ROUND. COMING FROM CLASS 1-B, IT'S THE BEAST OF THE APOCALYPSE HIMSELF, SHISHIDA JUROTA! AND HIS OPPONENT, ALSO FROM 1-B, HE'S A PIERCING CYCLONE OF TERROR, KAIBARA SEN!"

"I resent that apocalypse remark."

"All in good fun, right Shishida?"

"START!"

With a roar Shishida charged, Beast bulked him up as he reached Kaibara at unrealistic speeds. Kaibara's Gyrate turned his body into a living drill as he dodged the best he could and dug his arms into his opponent's fur, drilling into the tough flesh.

It became a game of cat and mouse as Shishida would attack with large swipes and Kaibara would use his quirk to make unnaturally fast bends and spins to dodge before counter attacking.

Shishida however, proved to have far greater stamina and pretty good predator instincts. Constantly on top of the smaller boy, he eventually managed to swipe him, sending him to the ground and pounced on the boy.

Desperately trying to spin out, Kaibara ultimately was unable to shake Shishida off and was forced to submit.

"Kaibara has submitted. Shishida wins!"

By the time the next match started, the clones were back on patrol and Cody was back to helping out in the announcer's box.

He'd actually been relaying some of the comments that the clones were picking up from the pros in the stands for the teachers to deliver to their students. Aizawa had mentioned that it would be good for the students to understand what the pros saw and expected of them before applying for their internships.

"AND HERE WE GO! WITH OUR NEXT MATCH, SLICING AND DICING, IT'S KAMAKIRI TOGARU, AND HIS OPPONENT, THE UNCONVENTIONAL TRAP ARTIST HIMSELF AWASE YOSETSU! BOTH FROM CLASS 1-B! YEAH!"

"I'm fired up, Awase!"

"Me too! Let's rock, Kamakiri!"

"Start!"

Truth be told, although the two were very hyped up, the fight lasted only for a few minutes. Kamkiri's blades, although dulled, still posed a great danger to Awase. The latter gave it his all however, and even managed to weld two of his opponent's blades together, keeping his arms stuck in an x shape.

He soon regretted that however when Kamakiri knocked him down and pinned him with the x over his throat.

"Uh, I yield?"

"Good fight!"

"Awase yields! Kamakiri moves on!"

Cody wrote down notes that he was getting from the clones down in the stands, obviously Kamakiri seen as a good fighter class but he could have some potential with rescue by cutting through debris, those blades had slashed through concrete like a hot knife through butter.

Awase was already getting potential offers from rescue heroes who would love to have a quirk that could help with structural stability during earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters.

Aizawa merely nodded before saying that he would pass the information on to Vlad King later.

"AND HERE WE GO! OUR SECOND TO LAST FIGHT FOR THE FIRST ROUND! BOTH FROM 1-B, SHE'S THE SPOOKY HORROR OF THE NIGHT, YANAGI REIKO! AND ON THE OTHER END, HE'S THE STEEL SHIELD AND SPEAR, TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU!"

"...Let us commence."

"LET'S GO!"

"Start!"

Although Tetsutetsu was a walking force of steel, Yanagi proved her resourcefulness by not letting him get close, tripping him, pulling him, basically all kinds of inconveniences that were slowly irritating him.

Now, Tetsutetsu was a manly man, and that meant that he didn't like the idea of hitting a girl with his quirk on.

Even if she was annoying the ever loving crap out of him.

And he may still be sour when she also scared the piss out of him during their battle trials.

They became very good friends however.

So what is a well meaning himbo to do against his emotionless goth friend?

Simple. Physical affection.

He ducked, keeping his center of gravity low and rushed her, her quirk having less effect on him now.

And absolutely wrapped her in an enormous hug, keeping her arms pinned and rendering her quirk practically useless without affecting herself.

"T-tetsutetsu!" She squealed, her face actually flushing.

"Sorry 'bout this Yanagi! But I plan to win!"

"L-let me go!" She started to squirm and throw him around but his steel body was too much weight for her.

"Nope! You know, I've never seen you break your composure like this, it's actually kind of cute!"

That utter dumbass.

"You!"

Plop!

"Haha! I won!" He said as he planted her outside of bounds surprisingly in a very soft manner.

"Yanagi is out of bounds! Tetsutetsu wins!"

Tetsutetsu cheered as the crowd applauded his victory and then turned to a still red Yanagi.

"Hehe, no hard feelings, right Yanagi?"

"You…"

She then reached out and grabbed his ear before dragging him off to the stands.

"Ow! Ow! Y-yanagi! I'm sorry, ok! I didn't mean to make you lose your spooky composure!"

"You're taking responsibility. A Horror motion picture marathon should suffice."

"H-hey, come on, Yanagi! Yanagi? Yanagi!" He shrieked as he was dragged into the darkness.

Midnight grinned teasingly as she watched them disappear, her instincts flaring. So much material for her next class with them!

"And what a stunning match of endurance for our fighters! Yanagi did her best, but eventually Tetsutetsu managed to get close and embrace his victory. Hahaha."

Inside the stadium, Yanagi flushed even more as she continued to doll out Tetsutetsu's current punishment.

Over in the announcer's box, Ponds had actually taken over for Cody as he focused on the matches and offering his own thoughts. He didn't expect that being an announcer would be so fun.

"AND NOW, THE FINAL FIGHT FOR THE FIRST SET, FROM 1-A, IT'S THE BOMBING KING HIMSELF, BAKUGO KATSUKI! AND HIS OPPONENT, 1-B'S OWN AIR BENDER, TSUBARABA KOSEI!"

"Get out of my way, extra."

"Geez, you really are an ass. Why couldn't I fight that Midoriya guy? At least he's somewhat respectful."

Needless to say, that was a poor choice of words.

"Don't compare me…"

"Start!"

"TO DEKU!"

BOOM!

"KUH!"

Bakugo gasped as he slammed face first into a wall of air, his rage increasing as he saw his opponent's smirking face.

"Wow, you really look stupid slamming into air right now, like a bug on a windshield."

Bakugo's pupils narrowed.

"Don't you dare…LOOK DOWN ON ME EITHER!"

KABOOOOM!"

The resulting explosion shattered the solid air shield and sent Tsubaraba flying out of the stage.

"Tsubaraba is out of bounds! Bakugo wins!"

As the crowd roared, he turned to them and raised his own fist in victory.

"AND IN AN EXPLOSIVE FINISHER, BAKUGO FINISHES UP THE FIRST ROUND OF FIGHTS! AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GUNNING FOR MIDORIYA'S SPOT WITH THAT FIST OF HIS! LET'S TALLY IT UP TO SEE THE QUARTER FINALS!"

Midoriya v. Monoma

Todoroki v. Shoji

Kamakiri v. Shishida

Bakugo v. Tetsutetsu

"YEAH! I'M ALL PUMPED UP, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? LET'S TAKE A QUICK BREAK, ALRIGHT?"

Izuku did his breathing exercises, settling his rattling nerves. Although, in this case, he wasn't so much nervous as annoyed and slightly angry.

His next fight was against the boy who'd insulted Jango and the Vode, and although he believed Aizawa that Vlad King had spoken to his class it didn't really do much for his own nerves.

He'd almost lost once already because of his anger, he couldn't let it happen again.

Knock knock

"Enter."

"Hey, Izuku."

"Ochako…how are you?"

"I'm feeling better, Izuku. I actually spoke with my parents recently, they were super proud of how I did. Wish I could have fought but hey, it is what it is." She said as she sat across from his chair.

"I'm glad." He said before looking down at the table.

She reached out and touched his hand, the contact making him slightly flush red, but he still relished in it.

"Hey, you ok?"

"I…I don't know. I guess I'm mostly tired, been having nightmares recently."

"The USJ?"

He nodded and hummed.

She started stroking his knuckles, idly tracing over the scars that wrapped around them.

"These scars…"

"They're surface level, according to Recovery Girl. When I overcharged Legion, the energy flow surged throughout my entire body, mass producing clones and opening the gate for them to exit. But it also caused damage to my body. I'm glad though, and I kind of wish it was more…every time I look in a mirror…" He cut himself off as he started to shake.

"You see him."

"I-I thought that…the scars would help. But they're just reminders." He gasped out with his head bowed.

She got up and walked over to his side, taking his head and hugging it to her abdomen, trailing her hands down his scalp.

"It's gonna be okay."

"I'm still so angry." He muttered as he clutched the back of her uniform.

"I know."

"I've already talked to a bunch of people, my mom, Hound Dog, All Might, Aizawa…but I'm still so angry."

"I know…that's fine. Nobody expects you to get over this or forget this so quickly. I…I miss him too. The both of you are the reason I'm here, back when we worked together against the Zero Pointer…the rescue points I got from saving you both helped get me in. I miss his little comments and jokes…how he was so like you yet so different." She murmured as she held him.

Who saves the heroes when they need saving?

Those who stand with them.

Izuku shuddered as he rested his head against her, taking comfort in her ministrations.

"Hehe, you remember when he called All Might a pedo to his face in class?"

"Che…he was calling him that for months."

"You know, you never did tell us how you met All Might."

The light in the room turned green, signaling that it was time for him to go.

"You know what, after the festival, I guess I can tell you about how I met him. You and the others." He said as he pulled away from her, already missing the comfort.

He rose from his chair and wiped his face from what few tears he'd let go.

"And maybe you can tell us the story behind that Kansai accent?"

"Shush." She rebutted, flushing slightly.

"THANKS FOR WAITING EVERYBODY! THE FIRST MATCH OF THE QUARTER FINALS IS UNDERWAY AND WE'RE KICKING THINGS OFF WITH A BANG!"

"STARTING US OFF, HE'S QUICKLY BECOME THE FAN FAVORITE, STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT THROUGHOUT EVERY CHALLENGE GIVEN SO FAR! IT'S MIDORIYA!"

The crowd cheered alongside the Vode who pumped their fists as they chanted.

"Vod, vod, vod, vod, vod!"

"AND HIS CHALLENGER! THE DARK HORSE OF UA, WILL HE USURP THE KING'S PLACE? OR FALL BEFORE HIS MIGHT? SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO, MONOMA!"

"I'm not a king…" Izuku muttered to himself, slightly embarrassed at the insinuation.

"Today you will fall, you 1-A glory hog!"

Izuku merely stared hard while breathing deeply, unwilling to get into a battle of words with the boy.

"What, no words this time?"

"Yeah…sorry about breaking your nose."

"Keh, what?"

"Start!"

Emerald lightning flared as Izuku rushed the boy who barely put up an air shield in time. The shield instantly shattered and Monoma was sent flying back, but Izuku didn't capitulate due to his shock.

"That quirk…it belongs to the other boy, and you showed a projectile quirk against Komori." Izuku analyzed as he then dodged said projectiles.

"I can only assume that these projectiles belong to one of your classmates then. Perhaps…"

Izuku leapt towards the boy, who let out another shield. Using it as leverage he leapt up and brought his fists onto the boys hastily raised guard.

"As I suspected…"

Cracked iron covered the boy's skin.

"A Copy."

"You…" Monoma growled before he smirked. "You shouldn't have gotten so close." With a flourish he kneed Izuku in the gut after grabbing his arm, the force making him grunt.

It was far less force than intended however.

"What?" Monoma gasped.

'His quirk is a stored-type! His clones aren't instant and neither is that energy!'

"Is that it?" Monoma gasped again as he saw Izuku's shadowed eye, the pupil shining brightly in the darkness.

"I'm disappointed." He said as he returned the knee to the gut, making Monoma vomit and let go of Izuku's arm as he was sent flying back.

Monoma shakily got to his hands and knees as he retched.

"I'm sorry about breaking your nose, that's true. But you still insulted my brother, so I'm kind of obliged to beat your ass. As it is, next time you challenge someone, make sure you can back it up."

Monoma clicked his teeth and snarled.

"Bastard."

He then fired off the scales once more only for Izuku to already be next to him.

"Next time, don't insult the dead."

The crook of his elbow caught into Monoma's neck as he tried to face him. Izuku quickly spun into a small tornado and flung him out of bounds.

"Oklahoma Smash!"

"Hah…I admit, that was very cathartic."

"Monoma is out of bounds, Midoriya wins!"

Izuku went over to the other boy to see if he needed help and to offer his hand in sportsmanship.

Unfortunately, he was unconscious.

"Oh well. Medic!"

Two clones quickly came by to provide assistance, and as they left Izuku once more faced the crowd and raised his fist while also pulling up Monoma's unconscious hand.

It was more amusing than anything but it was the thought that counted.

"AND MIDORIYA CONTINUES HIS WINNING STREAK ANSWERING BAKUGO'S CHALLENGE WITH HIS OWN, LET'S SEE IF THEY BOTH CAN MAKE IT TO THE FINALS!"

"WOW, THESE FIGHTS ARE GOING BY QUICK! BUT WE STILL GOT PLENTY MORE TO GO! RISING UP FROM CLASS A, HE'S FROZEN THE COMPETITION IN HIS WAKE, TODOROKI VERSUS, THE MAN OF A HUNDRED ARMS HIMSELF, SHOJI!

'Could I make a hundred arms?'

"Let's go, Todoroki."

"Hm."

"START!"

Todoroki immediately started with an ice wave and Shoji dodged as he moved around, using his height and strength to jump over the ice and slam his fists on Todoroki.

Todoroki grunted as he hit the ground brutally, but managed to grab Shoji's leg and freeze him completely.

"Tch, dammit, I forgot you could do that." Shoji grunted from his icy prison.

"Shoji is immobilized, Todoroki wins!"

Todoroki grunted as he melted the ice off of Shoji, but as Izuku observed him, he noticed two things.

One, the ice was significantly slower in reaching Shoji.

Two, Todoroki's right side was extremely stiff, as if it was partially frozen.

"AND TODOROKI BARRELS THROUGH THE COMPETITION AGAIN, BUT LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE BOTH OF THEM!"

Izuku's eyes narrowed as he saw what exactly Todoroki was doing to himself.

He had a plan now.

"ALRIGHT, WE'RE HALFWAY DONE WITH THE QUARTER FINALS NOW, OUR NEXT FIGHT, THEY WERE TEAMMATES IN THE LAST CHALLENGE, BUT NOW THEY FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO MOVE ON, IT'S SHISHIDA VERSUS KAMAKIRI!"

Said two however, were in quite the predicament.

Both of them had various support items on their bodies, which after a quick recap from Midnight about their little deal with Hatsume, was quickly approved.

Said girl was now also on the field, and was promoting her 'babies'.

Also approved by Midnight.

"Start!"

Shishida immediately went on the offensive and pounced on Kamakiri, his swipe however was blocked by a sudden shield that popped out of Kamakiri's arms.

"What the-"

"Welcome everybody, to Hatsune Industries' presentation, I'm Hatsune Mei, CEO and for all you support companies out there, enjoy the show!"

"Hatsune, what even is thiiiiiissss!" Kamakiri yelled at thrusters popped up under his legs and propelled him away from Shishida.

"You won't get away from me, Kamakiri!"

"It's not me!"

It was then Shishida's turn to be surprised as from his hips two barrels came out and started firing taser rounds.

"What the-Shishida!?"

"Not me either!"

Kamakiri was fortunately saved as his arms were forced together and the shield popped up again, only double the size.

Shishida's barrels then changed and became grappling hooks that launched behind Kamakiri before feeling in, sending Shishida towards his opponent at blinding speeds.

"WHOOOOAAAA!"

Kamakiri became intimately acquainted with the limits of his body as he was wrenched backwards into a 90 degree bend, his blades instinctively coming out to support him.

Shishida flew over him and landed on all fours, special gauntlets becoming claws over his hands and feet providing more traction and gouging deep marks into the concrete.

The two of them as one leapt at each other.

Neither were in complete control. Puppets to the girl who was marketing them.

It was humiliating yet also somehow exhilarating. If the girl wasn't so insane they would honestly consider a lot of the support items that she had made for them.

For example, Kamakiri's boosters helped turn him into a literal tornado of blades, cutting deeply into Shishida's fur and drawing blood.

Shishida's gauntlets provided more power, traction, and cutting force, the claws strong enough to even break Kamakiri's blades.

All in all, it was a very riveting fight.

Shishida's injuries however were more intensive and due to his fur he was becoming more overheated and dehydrated.

So in the end, he bowed out.

"Shishida surrenders! Kamakiri wins!"

"And that's the end of my presentation!"

Surprisingly, after the equipment was removed it did not explode.

"Well I can't market my finished products if they explode, that's all taken care of in the production stage."

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY! WE'RE HERE AT THE END OF THE QUARTER FINALS! LET'S ROCK IT! COMING UP IT'S 1-A'S EXPLOSIVE WRECKER, BAKUGO! VERSUS! MANLY AND PASSIONATE STEEL, TETSUTETSU!"

"All right!"

"Che, let's see if you're better than your buddy, discount hardening!"

"Discount hardening!?"

"START!"

Bakugo immediately let out an enormous explosion, covering half the stage in smoke and ash.

"MY FIST!"

"KUH!" Bakugo spat out blood as the iron fist smashed into his face.

"I'VE HAD STRONGER FROM THAT MOP HEAD CLASS PRESIDENT OF YOURS!"

Bakugo growled at the insult but was cut off as he took a knee to the gut.

Managing to get some space, he started to barrage the other boy with a series of explosions, but they didn't do too much in terms of damage much to Bakugo's increasing frustration.

Tetsutetsu's increased weight meant that the force behind the explosions didn't move him and due to his metal skin, the heat barely affected him.

"Come on! All that talk!" Punch.

"And this is all you got!" SLAM!

Bakugo growled as he launched himself backwards, his body battered and bruised and his rage hitting an all time peak.

"SHUT UP AND DIE!"

KABOOOOOM

The explosion rattled the stadium itself, and Bakugo clutched his arm as it screamed in pain.

Looking out, he saw Tetsutetsu at the end of a large trench from where he'd dug his hands into the ground. He was unconscious, with his metal quirk finally deactivated.

"Tetsutetsu is unconscious! Bakugo wins!"

Bakugo faced Midoriya, and mockingly raised his fist once more.

Izuku merely narrowed his eyes, and went back inside to the waiting rooms.

"AND BAKUGO FINISHES THE QUARTER FINALS BY DIRECTLY CHALLENGING MIDORIYA! IT'S CERTAINLY UPPING THE ANTICIPATION! WILL THEY MEET EACH OTHER IN THE END OR WILL THEY FALL IN THE SEMI FINALS!? WE'LL FIND OUT SOON AFTER THIS NEXT BREAK!"

Izuku stayed inside his room for the time that he had, meditating and trying to keep his emotions in check. It was in moments like these that he could better listen to the whispers of the Vode inside him, and focus on everything in between.

Todoroki was an entire can of worms, and a large part of him wanted to make him use his fire, because everybody so far had given their all to make it to this point and Todoroki spat on that by half assing everything and expecting to win.

He sympathized and even empathized with him.

But it was no excuse for the lives that would be in danger were he to go into the field.

And the lives already lost.

"Forgive me Todoroki, but either you use your fire, or you will be broken."

Seeing his cue he left for the stadium and ran into someone else.

"Endeavor."

"Ah, I've been looking for you. I must admit, you have a wonderful quirk, a good amount of speed and strength. You inspired quite a few of your classmates as well, and seem to be a natural born leader, even if you tend to emulate All Might."

"I see…excuse me, but I must go."

"It is my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might, but he's in a rebellious stage right now, and your brothers paid the price for that at the USJ. For that I apologize."

'He knows about the USJ!? He acknowledges the Vode?'

"However, your match with him should be an instructive test bed. You've even managed to force him to use his fire, for however short it was during the second challenge. Please, don't disgrace yourself in your match with your anger."

…

"I…"

"That is all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you right before your match." Endeavor finished before walking away.

"I…am not All Might."

"That's obvi-"

"That's obvious, right? Well…Todoroki isn't you either." Izuku finished before moving along.

Todoroki's words filled his mind, and all the emotions he'd suppressed so far were coming right back up.

Including some unwanted memories.

"USELESS WOMAN!"

"Not my child!"

"Worthless whore with a worthless quirk!"

"Bakugo's nickname is apt for you, Deku."

"Todoroki tried to attack the Nomu with ice, it simply kept breaking it and the chunks killed some of our brothers. When they told him to use his fire, he merely replied that 'in combat, he would never use it.' We were finally forced to stun him."

"Raatin aliit."

"IT'S COME TO THIS FOLKS, THE FIRST OF OUR SEMI FINALS! HE'S TAKEN FIRST IN EVERY EVENT SO FAR, AND HAS STOOD WITH HIS FIST RAISED HIGH! IT'S MIDORIYA!"

The crowd roared, the fan favorite had arrived.

"KOTE! KOTE! VOD! KOTE!"

"AND HIS OPPONENT, HE'S BEEN STEADILY RISING TO THE TOP, AS EXPECTED OF THE SON OF THE NUMBER TWO HERO! LITERALLY FREEZING THE COMPETITION IN THEIR TRACKS, GIVE IT UP FOR TODOROKI!"

"Midoriya…"

"I expect you to give it your all, Todoroki."

Todoroki merely narrowed his eyes.

"START!"

Immediately, ice surged forward, intent on encasing Midoriya.

"Smash." He whispered.

PFOOM!

The ice stopped, as if paused in time before it shattered and was swept backwards.

Todoroki grunted in surprise as he was pushed backwards by gale force winds, only his quick thinking allowed him to create ice to guard his back and prevent him from being pushed out of bounds.

'This power, he didn't have this level of strength before!'

The crowd cried out, many of the heroes were also unprepared for the icy wind.

"What is this?" Todoroki asked as the winds died down.

He looked desperately for Midoriya, only to find him gone.

"Where?"

"Like I said, you'll need a lot more than that." Izuku said from right next to his right side, fist already at the ready.

"SMASH!"

And that's it for today, I know, I know. Cliffhangers, I hate them too, but I felt that this would be a good spot to up the anticipation and end the chapter without disrupting the congruence of previous chapters, I mean, this is already at 12k words and that's without omakes and reviews.

Special thank you to 61394 for inspiring the conversation between Endeavor and Todoroki.

And now, some Omakes!

OMAKE 1: DAILY LIFE WITH THE CLONES

Ponds was doing his patrol with the Vode during the festival when he decided to check the announcer's box. Apparently Present Mic and Cody were at lunch.

Inside, he found Aizawa in his sleeping bag, who was desperately trying to sleep.

"Uh, sir?"

"...Yes?"

"You alright?"

"Can't sleep."

…

"Want some help?"

"How?"

…

"I could stun you?"

…

…

…

"Do it."

PTEW!

"Zzzzzzzz…"

It was the best sleep of his life in years.

Omake 2: Kyofu pt. 3

Once again, Kyofu was alone, merely remaining in silence.

And once again that silence was disturbed.

"Bakugo…"

"D-Midoriya."

Kyofu turned slightly at the aborted name.

"Both those names belong to the dead. You should know…you killed them."

"I…I know…I'm sorry." He whispered.

At that Kyofu turned fully and marched to the door that separated them, his fury palpable in the air.

"It is far, far, too late for apologies, Bakugo. He was there, waiting for you to save him."

"Save me, kaachan!"

"Save yourself, Deku! I got villains to kill!"

"And you left him to burn."

"I hate you!"

Bakugo merely looked away, unwilling to look at him in shame and regret.

"...Why do you say 'him'?"

"Because in the end, you were right. Midoriya Izuku was weak. I destroyed him."

…

"Where…where is she?" Katsuki asked after a moment of silence.

"What does it matter to you?"

"I made a promise…to bring her back home. To the others."

"Then that will be another promise that you have broken. She is dead." Kyofu declared but paused as Katsuki shook his head.

"No, I don't think so."

"And, why not?"

"Because she was Izuku's friend, and Izuku wouldn't do that to a friend." Katsuki boldly declared only for Kyofu to laugh.

"Have I not tried to kill you multiple times? I know that you hide the scar I gave you as I pierced your abdomen with my blade."

"You and I both know that we haven't been friends in a long time."

…

Kyofu merely turned away.

And Katsuki walked back defeated.

"In my fortress…in Mustufasu. Deep in the lower levels, she lies undisturbed in a deep sleep."

…

"Thank you."

"It is not for you."

"I know."

Omake 3: The One Who is Many - Sort of Opposite for An Ancient Quirk

"So, All Might has arrived." Shigaraki said with glee as they stood in the center of the USJ.

"Surrender villains! You are beaten!"

"Ah ah ah, not without first showing you our special character. Kurogiri?"

Said man nodded as a portal opened up, and a boy came out in chains. He was malnourished, and trembling, and heavily, heavily scarred.

Emerald eyes looked at All Might's in fear.

"It's you…What have you done!?"

"What did we do? I should ask you that, All Might. After all, you drove him into our arms. What was it you said? A quirkless person can't be a hero?"

"No…"

"Well don't worry, we fixed that." Shigaraki said with a sadistic laugh.

"A-all Might…" The boy groaned desperately.

"Kurogiri, set the stage. Then get us out of here."

It started slowly, but the boy twitched, shuddering and retching as he fell to his knees, All Might heading to his side as music of all things started to play with chanting in the background.

Bo dai sat-ta e han-nya ha ra / fu i shiki shiki soku ze ku soku ze / ko ku chu mu shiki mu ju so gyo

"I always did like playing the ost's."

Bo dai sat-ta e han-nya ha ra / mu mu myo yaku mu mu myo ha ra / mu mu myo yaku mu mu myo jin nai

"What did you do to him!?" He demanded angrily.

"You'll see soon enough, I only wish that I could be here to enjoy it. He's just too volatile."

The boy started to shiver violently and his body started to twitch and bulge.

"Goodbye, All Might." He said as they disappeared.

"All Might…run! Please! I…I don't…I don't-"

"All Might!" He heard the students yell out as they arrived.

"What the-the hell are you doing here, DEKU!"

A sudden surge of energy erupted from the boy, knocking them all back.

"Everybody stand back! The villains did something to him!"

The boy screamed in pure agony and All Might's heart broke at the sound.

The music and chanting kept repeating, from where he didn't know.

The boy's body started to split apart, blood drenched the ground as golden scales began to appear, wings violently tore from his back and his face shifted horrendously as his arms began to deform and become something else.

He started to grow in size and all of them took a step back as he started to dwarf them.

His arms practically broke apart as his hands became bony, and elongated, only now were they realizing that it was because they were turning into heads and twin tails erupted from his spine.

Izuku's main head finally became silent as the transformation finished, golden lighting surging around the new creature before them.

The three heads stared menacingly at the group before them, crimson eyes full of hatred. As one their heads rose and their wings spread as they screamed into the heavens. The very roof of the USJ collapsed all around them.

"Behold…" They all heard.

REEEEEARAURAURAURAURGH!

"Ghidorah."

And that's it. Thank you all once again for your support, I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please review, tell me what I could do better, tell me your ideas, thoughts, omakes, etc.

Also, yes, I have no idea where the whole Tetsutetsu/Yanagi thing came from but I'm rolling with it.

Also I have an idea in mind to add to the story, I'll put up a poll to see what you all think.

Chapter Text

"Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it."

Once, when he was young and his face was whole, a boy had a mother. And only in his deepest memories, as faded and darkened as they were did he remember her once comforting touch.

How, one day, when he was crying, she gently caressed his head.

"But you want to be a hero, don't you?" He remembers her saying.

"It's okay for you to be one…"

Before he knew it, that was all that he remembered.

Todoroki idly wondered why his thoughts were on this moment in particular.

Especially since he was currently flying in the air.

His body roughly hit the ground and he rolled, quickly getting to his feet he glared at the boy.

The right side of his face was burning, and he quickly applied ice to numb it. His vision was already slightly blurry at the edges and he stumbled a bit before regaining his bearings.

"You…where was that strength before?"

"I've been saving it, as you can see," Izuku raised his hand, showing the purple, broken finger that he'd used. "It takes a lot out of me."

"You…"

"I made a promise, Todoroki, that I wouldn't let what happened at the USJ happen again. But with what you're doing right now. All I can see are the brothers you've killed."

Todoroki flinched at that, his old man's words coming back to his mind.

"And the people you will."

"What?"

'I'm sorry about this Todoroki.' Izuku thought as he continued his spiel.

"Every hero I've ever seen has given it their all. Every student here has given it their all and you spit on all of that thinking that you can coast by with just your ice."

Todoroki growled before sending a fresh wave of ice toward his opponent.

"Did my old man put you up to this?"

The ice completely missed its target as Izuku dodged and sped around the arena at speeds rivaling Tenya's.

"No. But I did just meet him. He's a real piece of work that's for sure. Kind of reminds of you."

Ooh, that pushed some buttons.

Todoroki snarled at the insinuation.

"I am NOTHING like him!"

"You're right. At least he had the decency to apologize for the deaths of my brothers."

Todoroki flinched as if he was struck.

"Way I see it, you trying to spite him by refusing to use your fire is pointless because you've already caused harm by not using it. So when will it stop, Todoroki? Is it 'cause they're clones? Will you finally use your fire when a real person's life is on the line?" Izuku asked, the tone in his voice just daring Todoroki to answer in the wrong way.

"I-, I-"

"Because the USJ can easily happen again, only this time, you won't be given a second chance."

"Shut up!" Another trail of ice that Izuku dodged.

"How many more, Todoroki?!" He said as he flipped over and almost struck him, Todoroki dodged at the last second. "How many more must die before you face the truth?!"

"I refuse to use his power!"

Wrong answer.

"Then you'll die with them!" In a flash of green lightning, Izuku kicked Todoroki straight in the chest, sending him back again.

"Shoto…"

Todoroki rolled back and tried to unleash another large attack but was kicked in the face.

"Those huge attacks leave you open!"

Todoroki grunted as he impacted against one of the ice walls that he'd created earlier before screaming as Izuku kicked him in the gut and straight through the ice. His mind temporarily went blank.

"Stand up already, if you're downed by something like this, forget beating All Might!" He remembers as he lay there retching.

"Please, stop! He's only five!"

"He's already five! Get out of my way!"

Smack!

"AH!"

"Mom!"

'Why am I remembering this now?'

Todoroki retched onto the ground, bile staining it as he desperately tried to regain his breath.

"Use your fire!" Izuku demanded.

"Kuh…no…"

The emerald lightning disappeared and in its place, a gun was placed to his temple.

The world froze.

"Midnight, don't call it." He heard Izuku call out before he heard it fire.

He flinched, but seeing that he was still conscious, turned and saw the scorch mark on the cement next to him.

"That's one. Use your fire."

"N-no!"

Izuku narrowed his eyes before rearing back his foot and kicking Todoroki across the face, sending him sprawling. Another shot impacted the concrete to his right, burning his ear with its closeness.

"That's two! Use. Your. Fire!"

"NO!" Ice shot up from his right side and Izuku was forced to jump back. The ice nearly reached him but Izuku sacrificed another finger, sending it sprawling away.

Todoroki found himself on the ground once more, Izuku's foot-stomping onto his chest, knocking the breath out of him.

Another shot.

"That's three, Todoroki! That's three people you've killed because you refused to use your fire to save them! And as it is, you're practically frozen from the inside out, I wonder what could fix that?"

Todoroki was taken aback, now seeing Izuku's goal with the shots.

"Use it." He growled.

Todoroki dived deep within himself, preparing a monstrous attack. He just needed a bit more time.

"Why…?"

"Because everybody's giving it their all, Todoroki. And I refuse to let more people die, I want to bring them hope. I can see it within you Todoroki, the struggle, the fear, the anger. It's what I've dealt with for years, it's what I'm dealing with now. I want to save you, Todoroki. I want to bring you hope, but you have to take the first step. You have to use your fire." Izuku warned as he pressed even further, his left leg almost crushing Todoroki's rib cage as Izuku held the gun to the side.

"I…I won't."

PTEW

"That was a child, Todoroki! And they looked up to you. They looked up to the hero," Izuku spat the word out like it was a curse. "Todoroki Shoto, and he let. Them. Die…all because of some asinine vow, because he thought he could become a half-assed hero just to spite his father."

Todoroki could see it.

And that's what scared him.

The same child with his face, unmarred and then broken. The same child that once wanted to play with his sibling but would later be dragged away for more training.

"Don't look at that, Shoto. They're from a different world than you."

"SHUT UP!"

Once more the stadium was shadowed in ice as another glacier worthy of the ice age erupted into existence.

Todoroki panted and shivered violently as he got up to his feet, the symptoms of hypothermia affecting his right side severely.

"I-it's finished, call the match, Midnight. I proved him wrong."

"Did you?"

Todoroki started as Midoriya appeared to his right, he instinctively raised his left arm which Midoriya knocked down with his ice-covered right. Todoroki tried to grab Midoriya with his right hand, but Midoriya grabbed his wrist and wrenched it back.

Todoroki tried to capitulate, but almost no ice came from his hand.

Midoriya then smacked him with his right arm, the ice bludgeoning him and the impact sending him crashing back first into one of the many stalagmites that had been created into the ground, his right side heavily injured by the impact.

He remembers a child crying.

"I don't wanna, Mom…I…I…I don't wanna be like Dad, I don't want to be someone who bullies you, Mom!"

"But you want to be a hero, don't you?"

He looked up and peered at her with confused eyes.

"It's okay for you to be one. As long as you have a future you feel strongly about."

A second wind came into Todoroki as he decided to go for close-quarters combat, delivering a multitude of strikes into Izuku's abdomen before delivering a right uppercut that sent pain through every nerve.

Shoto…

Todoroki screamed in pain before a left hook shut him up, making his teeth crack and his vision blur. A hand grabbed his shoulder and wrenched him back to face Midoriya who grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him. Emerald lightning surged again as Izuku raised his ice-covered arm and slammed it into Todoroki, the ice shattering from the force and brutally spiking Todoroki into the ground. His vision temporarily goes black.

"Mom, I'm going crazy…" He remembers overhearing, on the day that changed everything.

"I can't take it anymore. Every day the children seem to become more and more like him. Shoto, that child's left side sometimes looks very unsightly to me…I can't raise him anymore. I feel like I shouldn't…"

"M-mom…?"

The tea kettle whistled.

Todoroki's vision blurred even more as he lay there on the ground, the nondescript faces of the crowd merging into one colorful blob. With a weak groan, he started to crawl, forced to lean on his left side, he extended his right arm, trying to do something, anything.

But he was helpless.

Izuku grabbed his right leg by the ankle, the strength of his grip almost crushing it.

Todoroki knew that he could hear bones crack.

Dragging Todoroki, he then used the centrifugal force of his swing to slam Todoroki into another one of his ice walls, the damage to his right side increasing even more.

'He's breaking my right side…that was his plan all along.'

The worst part was how Izuku treated him, ragdolling Todoroki as such a simple thing. As if no effort was required.

Todoroki felt himself crash into some more ice chunks along the way as his body was drug across the stage.

Izuku abruptly let him go, his own momentum making him splay out onto the ground with a groan.

'I…'

"Good grief, this is an important time, too…"

"Where's Mom?" A bandaged child asked.

"Oh? She injured you so I put her in a hospital."

"It's your fault…"

"You're the one that made Mom…"

Izuku grabbed him and held him up once more, his feet dangling off the ground and ever so close to the boundary.

"One more chance, Todoroki. Use your fire."

"I, I can't." He needed to prove it, that he could become a hero with just her power. He needed to show her. "I will reject his power…I" He whispered as he weakly grasped at his arm with his left.

Izuku merely shook his head.

"When will you realize, Todoroki? It was never his…"

Todoroki gasped.

"It's yours."

Once, when he was young and his face was whole, Todoroki had a mother. And only in his deepest memories, as faded and darkened as they were did he remember her once comforting touch.

How, one day, when they were together, they watched an interview.

"Yes, that's right. Children inherit quirks from their parents. But the really important thing is not that connection, but recognizing your own flesh and blood–recognizing yourself." All Might said with his signature smile and his thumbs up.

"That's what I mean when I say: I am here! You see?"

Once, Shoto Todoroki had a mother, and she told him.

"But, you want to be a hero, don't you? It's okay for you to be one."

'Before I knew it…I had forgotten.'

"You don't have to be a prisoner of your blood."

Steam started to waft off of his right side, and smoke began to rise from his left.

"It's okay for you to become who you want to be."

And Shoto burned.

Earlier

From the sidelines, everybody watched with anticipation as the two powerhouses from 1-A stood off.

Inko was of course, extremely worried, she'd heard from the Vode about what had happened at the USJ and she hoped that Izuku wouldn't give in to his anger.

She had confidence in her boy, and she knew that he could win.

Although he'd certainly given her more than a few heart attacks throughout this whole festival.

But she was also worried about what would come after.

She loved Mitsuki like a sister, but there had been a considerable rift formed between them when she found out what her son had been doing to her own.

How very little had changed even when Jango was there.

They watched as Izuku was nearly consumed by ice, before it stopped, and reversed direction with extreme force.

"AND TODOROKI STARTS OFF WITH HIS SIGNATURE ATTACK, BUT MIDORIYA PUSHES IT BACK WITH A FLICK OF HIS FINGER? WHERE WAS THIS BEFORE?"

"Holy crap, Inko! Your kid had that up his sleeve the entire time!? You should have told me!" Mitsuki yelled.

Inko merely smiled coyly.

"Have to have some secrets, don't I?" She replied before turning to Yagi.

"Toshinori? Is this what you meant earlier?" She whispered.

Toshinori merely nodded, paying almost exclusive attention to the fight.

"AND MIDORIYA COMES TO TODOROKI RIGHT WITH A BLINDING LEFT HOOK!"

She cheered as she saw the Vode start to roar, slamming their chest plates as they cheered for him.

They watched as the two continued to fight, and cheered as Izuku delivered three kicks in a row, the last one blasting the other boy through the ice.

The cheering stopped as he pulled out the gun.

"Use your fire!"

"Looks like vod's angry, and wants Todoroki to go all out."

Hizashi was surprised but turned to look at Cody, who motioned to keep the mic on.

They kept on the byplay between the two of them and Cody provided a bit more perspective on what was happening for the audience.

"It's like Izuku said earlier, he wants everybody to give it their all. From the students in GenEd to his friends in the Hero Course. Izuku wants the best out of all of them. I don't know what they're saying, but Izuku just wants Todoroki to give everything he's got."

The crowd started to murmur and even some pros considered the words.

"I mean, what kind of hero doesn't give it their all?"

"Isn't he also their Class President, I guess you could say that he's looking out for him."

"I wonder why he's not using his full power though…"

Elsewhere in the stands, Kyoka shivered as she heard Izuku's words and the meaning behind them.

"Kyoka, are you alright, mon ami?" Yuga asked, she nodded but still looked worried.

"Yeah, I just…"

"You can hear what they're saying, non?"

"Yeah…it's not the best."

"Don't worry. Nobody will ask you to reveal their secrets."

"Thanks, Yuga."

As Cody explained, the crowd started to get excited at the potential full-power fight.

Then the stadium became Antarctica.

Kyoka idly heard Tsu's croaks and shivers, fortunately, she was being warmed up by their classmates. Momo had created a bunch of blankets for her after the last time this had happened.

"Is uh…Midoriya, down?" They heard Present Mic ask, the quietest she'd ever heard him.

Then they saw him move.

"NO, HE'S NOT! DIDN'T ESCAPE UNSCATHED BUT THAT'S NOT STOPPING HIM!"

Then they watched the brutal dismantling of their classmate.

"Damn, Midoriya really said that these hands be rated T for Todoroki." Kaminari mumbled.

She hated how she found that funny.

"AND MIDORIYA SPIKES TODOROKI INTO THE GROUND, BREAKING THE ICE OFF HIS ARM AT THE SAME TIME! BOY DOES THAT HAVE TO HURT!"

"You know, this kinda reminds me of those old Pre-Quirk wrestling shows."

"AND MIDORIYA'S DRAGGING TODOROKI TO THE EDGE, SLAMMING HIM INTO HIS OWN ICE! NOW HE'S HOLDING HIM UP IN THE AIR, IS THIS A FINAL CHANCE?"

Kyoka listened as they traded a few words, and apparently, Izuku must have said something triggering because she could hear Todoroki's gasp.

And everybody could see Todoroki suddenly burn.

"T-THIS IS…!"

Back to where the families were, Inko was fearfully clutching Toshinori's arm as he realized Izuku's strategy.

'You broke his right side and forced him to use his left. Izuku, have you been trying to save Todoroki since the beginning?'

Looking to the other side, he saw Izuku standing tall, his body burnt from being so close to the eruption.

Smiling.

"I'm so proud."

"Even though you want to win…damn it…you'd help your enemy? Now, who's screwing around?" Todoroki asked as Izuku grinned from across the stage.

"That's the thing, Todoroki, you never were my enemy."

"You're right. I want to be a hero too!"

And for once, they both smiled.

"SHOTO!" The audience heard as Endeavor started to walk down the steps.

"Huh?" They heard Present Mic ask, both of them realizing that this was the first time they could hear him after being so focused on their fight.

"Have you finally accepted yourself? That's it! Good! It all starts from here for you! With my blood, you will surpass me…AND FULFILL MY DESIRE!"

Todoroki barely heard a word…he'd forgotten all about him.

"Endeavor suddenly shouts encouragement…?" Mic wondered. "Such a doting father."

Izuku kept smiling, proud that he'd managed to break through.

"Wow…"

"With everything you've done…even to the point of injuring yourself. Just for this? You're crazy."

Izuku merely chuckled.

"I've got about ten thousand voices in my head agreeing with you."

Shoto took a deep breath.

"I…I'm sorry about your brothers. I didn't mean to kill them. I was stubborn and…I'm sorry."

"I know…and I forgive you. I'm not the only one you should apologize to." Izuku reminded him.

"I know." He said as he stumbled forward, hissing as he felt his body twinge in pain.

"You really did a number on my right side…"

"Sorry about that, didn't really know what else to do that didn't involve me hurting myself."

"I don't blame you…you were right. I haven't given it my all, but I will now!"

"Then I'll do the same!"

Forcing himself to take another step, Todoroki ignited Half-Hot Half-Cold as ice surged from his right side and fire roared from his left.

Izuku let One For All charge throughout his entire body, emerald lightning surging as red veins decorated his body.

"Midnight!" Cementoss yelled as he surged Cement throughout the stage. "If this keeps going it'll be bad for the both of them!"

"An explosion of this size…" Midnight commented as she released Somnambulist.

A tsunami of ice erupted forward as it raced towards Izuku who leaped over it, deciding to give it his all, he allowed 100% of One For All to surge into his right arm, making it so that a veritable lightning storm was wrapped around his fist.

"LET'S GO, TODOROKI! COME AT ME WITH YOUR FULL POWER!"

The fire began to melt the ice at rapid speed, Todoroki raised his hand, ready to meet Izuku head-on.

"Midoriya," Shoto muttered, charging up for his last attack.

"Thank you." He finished, filled with hope.

The cement barely came up in time.

The explosion that followed could not sufficiently be put into words.

The cement walls that had been hastily raised were eradicated, utterly erased from existence as the cold air rapidly expanded from the heat. The force from Izuku's punch also added hurricane-force winds into the mix, causing the audience to have to take cover. Even his Vode were unscathed, knocked down by them.

Midnight had been flipped ass over teakettle and Mineta had to be held by Shoji to not fly away.

Outside all the heroes paused, gaping in shock as they stared at the smoke that was rising from the stadium.

Over in the other stadiums, they also paused as they saw the smoke rising in the distance.

From below, Cementoss idly admired the destruction caused as Present Mic continued his commentary, Aizawa explaining the explosion.

As Midnight got up from her fall, she too looked into the smoke to see the winner.

The families were utterly surprised at seeing the power held by the boy whose brothers had saved their children.

"I-Inko…" She heard Mitsuki stutter and wasn't that its own surprise.

"I think your kid is crazier than mine."

Inko chuckled half-heartedly but couldn't tear her eyes away from the stage, waiting to see where Izuku was.

"Toshi…?"

Toshinori breathed deeply, his senses finely attuned after decades of hero work.

He pointed.

"There."

From the smoke, a fist poked through.

And Izuku stood tall, cradled in his arm was an unconscious Todoroki.

"T-Todoroki is unconscious…MIDORIYA WINS!"

The stadium erupted into a cacophony, the crowd excited beyond all measure.

"AND IN A HURRICANE-LIKE FINISHER, MIDORIYA COMES OUT ON TOP! CAN NOTHING STOP THIS MAN? ERASER, WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOUR CLASS!?"

"VOD! VOD! VOD! KOTE! VOD!" The chanting began from the Vode, even Cody joined in from the announcer's box as they all raised and pumped their fists in homage to Izuku.

Todoroki slowly returned to consciousness. His body was extremely sore from pretty much everything.

"M-Midoriya…"

"Todoroki, man you're tough to get up from that."

"I could say the same about you." He mumbled as Izuku helped him stand on his feet.

"Todoroki, will you raise your fist with mine?"

Todoroki paused and nodded.

"Yes."

Raising his left fist, his right was far too broken. Todoroki faced the cheering crowd for a few moments before stumbling.

"AND AGAIN, MIDORIYA RAISES HIS FISTS WITH HIS OPPONENT! WHAT AN INSPIRATION!"

Izuku helped Todoroki get onto the stretcher held by the mediclones, who nodded to their brother and took off, him following behind.

Todoroki groaned a bit from the pain but needed to start with this.

"Vode…I'm sorry…about your brothers. About what I did. When I get the chance, I'll apologize to each…and every one of…you." He finished before falling unconscious again.

The two clones looked at each other before nodding and continued to make their way to Recovery Girl's temporary office.

"Alright! Well…we kind of have to fix the stage now. So let's all take a nice break!" Mic said before turning to the others after turning off the mic.

SMACK!

"Ow! Dammit, RG!" Izuku cried out, helpless to do anything against Recovery Girl's assault on his shins.

"You don't get to say anything, not only did you shatter your arm and fingers, you broke so many bones on Todoroki's right side it's a miracle he's even conscious! Just cause I told you to lessen the damage, DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE ONTO YOUR OPPONENT!" She finished her tirade with another smack.

"OW! Dammit woman! Didn't you take the Hippocratic oath!?"

"Consider this my personal prescription for your diagnosis: Unrelenting Idiocy!"

"So mean!"

After a minute though, he stopped with the jesting and looked at Todoroki who was currently occupying the bacta chamber.

"Will he be alright?"

"He'll be fine. Just used up too much energy for me to heal him in one go. The bacta will deal with the worst of it until he can get back up on his feet, then I'll put some food in him and heal him back up."

As Izuku stared at the bacta however, another thought came to mind.

"Recovery Girl?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think…?"

"That bacta can be used to heal, Yagi?" She finished as they both stared at the pod.

"Yeah…"

"I…I want to believe that it can, Midoriya. It's already done healing on par with mine, albeit on a slower scale. I want to believe that with frequent sessions, Yagi could get better. But we're talking about cellular regeneration on a massive scale. Organs being reconstructed from the tiniest amount of material still available. Skin tissue being regenerated, surgeries being reversed…"

She shuddered as she went through the explanation, one hand on the pod and her mind half on the events that led to Toshinori being reduced to his current state.

She knew that she'd saved his life. But at great cost.

Maybe now they could reduce that cost.

Izuku came up to her, one hand on her shoulder.

"I think it'd be good for us to at least try, right?"

Recovery Girl nodded.

"Alright, that's enough out of me, and don't bother trying to hide that yawn. You've got plenty of time to rest until the finals since they're rebuilding the stage. Eat, then rest.

"Aye aye."

All For One smiled as he observed Tomura pay attention to his self-proclaimed Player Two.

While of course, he could not see the Sports Festival with his own eyes, that did not inhibit him in the slightest.

Plus that foolish cockatoo of a hero's commentary was more than helpful. And surprisingly enough the clone's as well.

All For One, throughout all his years had never managed to get a True Sentient quirk into his collection. The last time he had attempted so, the creature had lashed out and had destroyed itself, unfortunately taking a few of his collection along with him.

Since then he'd never dared, although the temptation was great.

Those kinds of quirks were just so…unique.

All For One had a suspicion, however.

As to the nature of this particular quirk.

Something familiar, and in more ways than one.

Heh. How ironic.

"So, little brother…looks like you've found another."

He idly observed the boy, and judging by what he was hearing and 'seeing', the boy certainly had a lot of potential. He also was firmly entrenched in the follies of heroism, yet his actions, his words, his ideals…so much potential.

Already stirring up trouble.

Oh yes, he'd already heard about the HPSC's efforts to stymie the young boy's career, halted as they were by Nezu.

And then the whispers, the sheep were oh so comfortable in their calm pastures, fenced in by their laws and protected by their shepherds.

For one of their own to start cracking the fence.

Bah, he was delving too much into metaphors.

Either way, Midoriya Izuku was pushing against the status quo and it was pushing back.

It would only be a matter of time until one would break.

But which one?

Tomura idly scratched his neck as he forced himself to observe, while he'd rather be playing his video games, he admitted that this was pretty good info.

Kurogiri had compared it to him reading one of his magazines to finally find out where the hidden secrets were to his favorite games.

That had made it more bearable.

Stupid hidden achievement.

But as he watched Player Two. Midoriya Izuku, he could see what was hidden behind that fake smile, behind those taunting fists.

Anger. A whole lot of anger.

And it looked like he didn't like hero society too.

Taking a Single Player campaign and turning it into a team run, destroying the Ten Million and causing absolute chaos to the masses.

The chaos he wanted to cause.

Then the 1v1s…

He admitted that he was actually feeling disappointed at his near loss until he managed to turn it around, then he took out the purple-haired kid and utterly crushed the blond.

Then, the fight against Endeavor's brat.

The sheer brutality.

Midoriya had utterly manhandled his opponent, and even when he pulled out his secret technique, Midoriya still managed to stay on top.

But what was most interesting was the moment that made everyone go silent.

When he pulled a gun out and pointed it at the other boy.

The words were muddled, but Tomura knew that it was important. Midoriya was angry, infuriated about something, more than likely something that happened at the USJ after he'd left.

So many hidden secrets, it was a shame that Kurogiri couldn't go digging into UA again.

Perhaps there were other options?

He'd certainly like to know more but for now, he had an intermission to watch.

"FINISHING UP THE SEMI-FINALS, IT'S 1-B'S LAST CHANCE TO MAKE IT TO THE END, HE'S BEEN CUTTING THROUGH THE COMPETITION-"

"That pun was horrible."

"AND HE'S ITCHING FOR A FIGHT, KAMAKIRI TOGARU!

"Beat his ass, Kamakiri!" Monoma frothed at the mouth, still sore over his humiliating defeat.

Kendo was quick to chop him down.

"AND FROM 1-A, THE BOMBING KING OF U.A. WILL HE RISE TO THE TOP TO CHALLENGE MIDORIYA, OR WILL HE FALL JUST SHORT OF THE MARK? IT'S BAKUGO KATSUKI!"

The crowd roared for both of them, and both were eagerly anticipating the fight.

Katsuki snarled but grinned, he was gunning for Deku, but he had a feeling that it would be a good fight.

"START!"

Katsuki immediately started with an explosion, while Kamakiri turned into a tornado of blades.

The two impacted brutally.

And Katsuji found himself turned back.

'What the-?'

Katsuki was immediately forced to dodge, the edge of one of Kamakiri's blades nicking his face and shaving off the edges of his hair.

Katsuki launched another explosion, greater than the first but missed as Kamakiri dodged to the side at an unnatural angle.

"How the-"

Katsuki almost bit his tongue as he dodged another blade as Kamakiri grinned wildly.

"Gotta thank Hatsune, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't know my body's limits!"

Kamakiri struck multiple times, with Katsuki using his explosions to escape his blades and gain some distance.

He snarled, his pride stung at having been forced to move backward, he couldn't believe how much things had turned around.

Kamakiri pressed his advantaged, turning into a tornado of terror as he constantly pushed against his opponent, refusing to let up and thus giving Katsuki very short time to actually fight back.

Katsuki however, was far from done.

And he refused to let another extra get in way of his rightful victory.

Katsuki let out a large explosion, but this time put more flash instead.

Kamakiri stumbled, blinded by the impromptu flashbang. Using the opportunity, Katsuki snarled and braced his left arm.

KABOOM!

A monstrous explosion ripped out of his arm, tearing his shoulder from its socket. Katsuki grit his teeth, snarling and panting like a wild animal, clutching his arm in pain but refusing to fall.

He would never fall.

The smoke cleared and it was only Katsuki's sharp instincts that let him dodge that blade that nearly cut his face.

'Impossible! That wasn't enough!?'

When would these extras just stay down!?

Kamakiri turned, already spinning for another attack that he wouldn't be able to dodge. Katsuki tried to lift his arm but couldn't as pain spiked through his body.

Whoosh

The blade went wide as Kamakiri stumbled and fell on his back, unconscious. His body was severely burned and was smoking from where the explosion had caused the most damage.

Katsuki could only stare, frozen in shock.

"BAKUGO WINS! HE MOVES ON TO FACE MIDORIYA IN THE FINALS!"

The smoke had cleared completely, showing deep gouges in the concrete where Kamakiri had braced himself thoroughly by flooding his body with blades.

He had barely moved a few feet.

Katsuki could only stare in shock as his fallen opponent was wheeled off to Recovery Girl's office.

Idly walking away, ignoring the crowd that was cheering for him.

'That was my biggest explosion yet…'

He clenched his fist, unable to raise it.

"Tch."

"AND WHILE WE FIX THINGS UP, FEEL FREE TO STOCK UP ON SNACKS!"

Izuku could hear Present Mic talking yet paid no mind to it. He sat in his room, pondering.

Bakugo's last fight had been interesting to say the least. He could see however, that the aftermath had shaken him.

Seeing two opponents who he'd obviously deem extras simply tank his explosions like they were nothing, although they eventually fell in the end, would greatly affect his psyche.

He could use that to his advantage.

He could…

Oh, who was he kidding…he could try and analyze this as impartially as he could, but in truth he was worried about the fight. Not because of the battle itself, but what would happen after.

He knew that the outcome of today would change things irrevocably.

And truth be told. Bakugo unfortunately was a major source of his anger. So many conflicts throughout the years, so much anger and vitriol, and for what? For what possible reason could he be like this? What had he done to deserve such hatred?

They were brothers once…

Once.

Before the Betrayal.

But then Jango was there…and now he was gone. His brother, his friend, his only comfort throughout the rough years of his childhood. Five years of his constant presence, and now he was gone.

"I wish you were here brother…I feel so lost without you."

A broken body.

Cracked helmet.

Blood flooding the ground.

Raatin aliit…

Suddenly, the dark memories were washed away, and he felt…a presence.

Near him, comforting him. Although it was similar to Jango's comfort this felt more…

Motherly.

How odd.

Either way, Izuku was thankful for the change in his thoughts, right now he needed to focus. This time, the fight with Bakugo would not need a cheap trick. Today, he would face Bakugo head on and finally win with his own strength.

And maybe finally, just finally…he could let go of him.

'Kaachan…'

Izuku shook his head and snorted in derision. The past was in the past…and the friend that once bore that name was long dead.

The light turned green in his room.

Now, it was time to fight.

As he rose, he felt the comforting presence leave him, although he'd like to know more about it, he couldn't put too much attention to it. A part of him wanted to believe that it was his brothers, still in the Mindscape cheering him on.

But this was different.

No matter, he had a fight to win.

"Izuku…" A whisper echoed, unheard by him.

"EVERYBODY! IT'S TIME! THE MATCH THAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! HE'S BEEN TAKING FIRST PLACE SINCE THE BEGINNING, WILL HE GET THE HAT TRICK AND BRING HOME THE GOLD!? THE LEGION HERO OF 1A: MIDORIYA IZUKU!"

The crowd deafened his ears as he stared ahead at his opponent, coldly analyzing him, the slightest flickers of anger pooling in his heart.

"VOD! VOD! VOD! VOD!" The clones pounded their armor with each cry for their brother.

"AND THE CHALLENGER, RISING UP FROM THE ASHES OF HIS OPPONENTS, ALL TO TAKE DOWN THE WOULD BE CHAMPION! WILL HE SNATCH THE GOLD FROM HIS OPPONENT'S GRASP? IT'S 1-A'S BOMBING KING: BAKUGO KATSUKI!"

The crowd hadn't stopped cheering eagerly waiting for the ensuing fight.

Something was odd, however.

It was savage, brutal, and spoken with derision from all the Vod'e that littered the stadium. But one word.

"ARUETII, ARUETTI, ARUETTI!"

From above in the announcer's box, Aizawa and and Hizashi looked at each in concern. They knew that Bakugo and the Midoriya's had some bad blood between them, but how bad was it?

"Cody…what is that word?" Hizashi questioned, turning to the younger man in concern.

…

"Aruetti…" He muttered, merely staring coldly at the stage before them.

"And what does it mean?" Aizawa asked, almost afraid to do so.

Cody remained silent.

The two were now very worried about this fight.

"Hey…Inko?" Mitsuki slightly nudged her shoulder.

"Yes, Mitsuki?"

The blonde sadly gazed at the two boys in front of them.

"You seeing the same thing I am?" She sadly asked.

"...Yes." Inko whispered as she nodded sadly.

"They…really haven't been friends for a long time, have they?"

"Jango used to call him Aruetti, Mitsuki."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Betrayer. Just in case you were wondering." Izuku snarked as he clenched his fist.

Bakugo's eye twitched as he snarled in return.

"You and your clones have a lot of nerve. Always looking down on me, that piece of shit you called a brother and the ones that dared to shoot me back at the USJ."

Midnight was about ready to drop her crop, but Izuku raised his hand.

Surprisingly enough she waited.

"You mean the ones that saved your life!? After your dumbass almost got yourself killed going against the Nomu?" Izuku snapped back.

"I could have killed that thing myself if you and your damn clones hadn't interfered!"

"You're an idiot!" Izuku seethed. "My brothers died to save your ass and all you can think about is your overblown ego!"

"Your clones are just as worthless as you, Deku! If I'd been there, at least they wouldn't have died, especially that upstart extra!"

Izuku's eye twitched, as unpleasant memories started coming back.

Blood.

Broken bodies.

Death.

FEar.

AnGeR.

HATRED.

Clones that were crippled, only just now being able to be healed by Recovery Girl.

Nightmares that plagued him every night.

The death screams of over a thousand of his brothers.

The emptiness in his heart.

A clone that came back with cracked armor and familiar scorch marks.

Jango.

"Raatin vod'e."

Izuku snapped back to reality as sheer fury welled through him.

Screw it.

"How about a deal?"

"Ha?"

"Midnight, make it so that the match doesn't count ringouts or anything. Just unconsciousness. Just a straight up fight to the end. How about that, Aruetti?" Izuku growled, using the term against him for the first time ever.

Bakugo laughed.

"For once, I like the way you think, Deku."

"Midnight?"

Midnight stuttered before nodding.

"Both participants have agreed to a no-holds barred match! Ringouts won't count! Only until one is fully unconscious will a victor be declared!"

The crowd started to cheer even louder at that.

The two fighters glared at each other and Izuku was itching to finally knock Bakugo down a peg.

"You should have just stayed out of my way like the pebble you are, Deku."

"Shut up already and make me. You'll fail to stop me just like you did all the other times."

"FIGHT!"

Bakugo, angry beyond all measure launched an explosion point blank.

"DIE!"

Smoke and fire covered the stage before a flash of green pierced it and a fist buried itself into Bakugo's gut.

"Kuh!"

Bakugo stayed there, folded over Izuku's fist as he roared and punched forward, launching him out of the arena and to the grass away.

Izuku panted and grimaced, 20% of One For All flowing through him at the moment, just barely restraining himself to 10% at the moment of impact.

Already his skin had split in some places, the slightest trickles of blood flowing down his legs, staining his pants.

Izuku cracked his neck and jumped.

Bakugo could barely breathe. The surprise attack had knocked the wind out of him, and even worse he'd been sent out onto the grass in a single attack.

'THAT DEKU! HE MADE THE DEAL JUST TO SHOW ME UP! I'LL TEACH HIM A LESSON FOR LOOKING DOWN ON ME!'

Then he heard the roar.

Looking up he saw Deku coming down on him, ready to punch him into the ground. Rolling over, he launched an explosion to dodge out of the way before sending another combined explosion to launch Deku back.

"You don't have that damn clone to hide behind anymore, Deku!" He yelled as he blasted forward and tackled the other boy.

The two fell into a pile of limbs, Bakugo rolling on top and punching Deku with his explosions.

Izuku blocked as best as he could, before finally managing to grab his arms and buck him off.

Rolling to his feet, he let his quirk flow back to 15%, letting him get to Bakugo before he could fully rise.

As a testament to his instincts, Bakugo was already on the move, launching his classic left hook.

It did not work.

With a crushing grip, Izuku forced the explosion into the air before brutally backhanding Bakugo, stunning him.

"You think Jango was my shield?"

With a yell he slammed Bakugo into the ground from over his shoulder, the latter gasping in pain at the brutal impact.

"Jango wasn't protecting me!"

Izuku then placed his foot on Bakugo's chest, arm still in hand.

"He was holding me back."

And pulled.

POP!

"ARGH!"

Bakugo screamed as Izuku coldly stared at him.

"I've studied you for years Bakugo, I know your every move, your every tactic. So many ways I could have fought back, really fought back. I might not have had the strength then but I certainly do now. But back then, Jango convinced me to ignore you, to leave you alone. To leave things be. But you never did." He finished with a whisper before rearing back and kicking him.

Bakugo rolled across the grass, and Izuku stumbled, the previous strain throughout the day and jumping his quirk up to 10-20% hadn't done him any favors.

Coughing into his fist, he grimaced as he saw the blood decorating it.

Recovery Girl was gonna tear him a new one.

"Stop…"

'Crap, I can't move. I can only brace.'

"LOOKING DOWN ON ME!"

Izuku screamed as he was sent flying back towards the arena, Bakugo's explosion scorching away at his jacket.

Izuku's vision started to fade but he grit his teeth and forced himself to his feet.

"I…refuse…to fall." He whispered to himself.

Rising to his feet, he glared at Bakugo who glared right back.

"You should have just stayed out of my way. But you and that damn clone just refused to stay down. I'll beat you down so badly that you and your clones will never want to be heroes again." Bakugo growled, his arm limp to his body.

Izuku chuckled.

"And you'll fail, again and again, just like the other times you tried to make us stop. I'll never stop being a hero. I'll never stop 'being in your way'. You can do whatever, Bakugo! But I'll never stop! I'll become a SYMBOL OF HOPE!" He roared with pure conviction, drops of blood splattering the cement.

Bakugo twitched.

"Deku…that kind of talk…JUST PISSES ME OFF!" Bakugo screamed as he charged him.

"GOOD!" Izuku roared back as he met him halfway.

The two met in a flurry of punches and explosions.

"I'll never quit! I refuse to surrender to YOU!" Izuku yelled as he punched Bakugo in the face.

"Grr! And look where that got you! You were too weak to even fight back, and now your clones are dead! Jango is dead because of you!"

Izuku stilled before lashing out with a fist.

"You don't get to mention them!"

A punch to the chest.

"You don't have the right to say their names!"

A knee to his leg.

"You don't have the right to say his name!"

A headbutt.

"You don't have the RIGHT!"

An explosion.

"KAgh!"

"And you don't have the RIGHT TO BE A HERO!" Bakugo dragged Izuku by his arm, forcing himself to use his left he spun and tossed Izuku away with an explosion enhanced throw.

"YOU ARE BENEATH ME!"

Izuku landed roughly on his back, the edges of his vision going black. Stubbornly turning to his front an getting on his hands and knees, he forced his body to rise.

'I have to get up.'

Blood dripped onto the ground in front of him, his vision blurring and his ears ringing.

'I have to beat him.'

He stumbled onto his feet, pure rage fueling his body at Bakugo's words.

'I have to avenge them!'

He shakily looked forward, seeing Bakugo also getting up, his last explosion also hurting him. The mere sight of him made him inexplicably angry.

'I have to-'

Izuku breathed in.

SNAP.

The world went dark.

"You have a lot of anger in you, Izuku."

Izuku gasped as he woke up in the Mindscape, but it was different. Darker, with shadows all over the place.

Looking around his attention was caught by a beautiful woman who smiled sadly at him.

He recognized her.

All Might had shown him a picture of her only a few days ago.

Shimura Nana.

"...!"

With a start he touched his face, only to see himself as a part of the shadows themselves.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to speak soon…I hope. You're inside One For All right now, we're connected to the Mindscape, but this section is dependent on how much control of it you have. Eventually as you grow stronger, more of yourself will appear." She explained before patting a shadowy seat next to her.

"Here, come sit with me."

Izuku warily looked at her, before shrugging. If he was here, then that means that he probably lost the fight.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Don't worry, you haven't lost yet. Time here can be relative if we choose it, why, you're not even unconscious. Just spacing out for a bit.

Izuku narrowed his eyes, already itching to get back out there and finally beat Bakugo.

"You know…all that anger isn't good for you."

Izuku blinked as he looked at the woman next to him.

"I know you're angry, Izuku…at the world, at those villains, and especially at that boy. But you can't let your anger control you. That's how you spiked One For All to 20%. That combined with Legion is putting strain on your heart."

Izuku gasped as well as one could without a mouth and his eyes turned to the ground, he started to shake and breathed heavily through his nose.

'But how am I supposed to get rid of this anger?'

"I bet you're wondering how to get rid of that anger, right?"

Izuku jerked in surprise and Nana merely laughed.

"You remind me of Toshi, whenever he saw some injustice he'd always get that anger in his eyes."

Izuku's eyes softened ever so little at the mention of his buir.

"I found it really sweet how you've basically adopted each other."

Now he was blushing, could she even see the red through the black? He sure hoped not.

"I know what it feels like to be angry, Izuku. To be so angry that I wanted nothing more than revenge. I…I lost my husband to the same monster that killed me and hurt Toshi."

Izuku turned to her in shock, he hadn't heard about this before.

"To protect my son, I sent him away to be adopted…I…don't know what happened to him. After that I took All Might with me and we trained harder than ever. In my anger, I became blinded…and that led to my death, with him watching on." Nana sadly reminisced as she looked off into the distant void, lost in memories.

"My second son, had to watch his mother die."

Izuku stared at her in shock, she'd felt the same way about All Might?

"He too became angry, and in his fight five years ago, his anger was what led to him being scarred." She then turned to him and held his face.

Her touch was soothing.

"I don't want the same thing to happen to you." She softly murmured as Izuku looked down in shame. It was true, he had been blinded by his anger and look where it got him.

"Eventually, you'll learn to let go of the pain that's in your heart, Aay'haan, right? But first you must release your anger, and to do that, you must grieve."

Izuku looked up sharply at her, how could she say that he hadn't grieved? What else had he been doing throughout these last two weeks?

"You know that what you've been doing isn't proper grief, you've been bottling up your emotions, keeping yourself in check with only a few minor outbursts like with that Ochako girl." She corrected as she held his shoulders, which were starting to tremble.

Izuku fell to his knees, shaking as he tried to hold it in.

Nana gently knelt in front of him, and held him close.

"It's okay, Izuku…"

He closed his eyes, clenching them tightly.

"You can let go now, for as long as you need to."

…

Drip. Drop. Drop.

And Izuku did so.

With a shudder he finally let out all the emotions that he'd been holding back for weeks. All the pain, the fear, the rage and suffering. All of his grief and misery.

All of his love for Jango.

'I miss you so much, vod.'

Heartwrenching and violent, yet silent sobs echoed from his body as he gave into Nana's embrace.

For however long it took…

Izuku Midoriya finally grieved.

After what seemed like hours, yet were only minutes within a second, Izuku lifted up his tired gaze into Nana's own sad eyes and nodded in gratitude.

He felt lighter, still pained…but lighter.

And he finally understood. Why the nightmares were going away.

'Thank you, Nana.'

"You're welcome, Izuku. Now, you have a fight to get back to, I know that that Bakugo boy is a pain in the ass, especially after what he did. But this is your fight, it's something you have to finish. Just remember, you're not alone anymore. You haven't been for a long time."

Stepping back from him, Nana smiled widely.

"Don't forget to smile. After all, the strongest are those who always smile."

Izuku nodded, starting to notice that white was starting to peak through the shadows.

"Tell Toshinori that I love him, that I don't blame him for my death…and tell him this…" She whispered as she started to disappear.

"Toshinori…Ni kar'tayl gal sa'ad." [I know your name as my child.]

Izuku nodded rapidly as the Mindscape disappeared.

"Thank you…Nana." He whispered.

She smiled.

"Good luck, Nine."

Izuku breathed out.

Again he found himself in front of his old friend turned enemy. But as he looked at him, he felt…

Nothing.

And Izuku smiled.

Because he could finally let go.

"What's that grin for, Deku? You finally snap!?"

Izuku chuckled before he planted his feet.

"The strongest are those who always smile, Bakugo."

"HA!? YOU'RE LOOKING DOWN ON ME AGAIN!? EVEN AFTER THE BEAT DOWN I GAVE YOU!?"

Izuku snorted and shook his head. Of course he wouldn't understand.

"Nevermind…let's finish this, once and for all, Bakugo!" Izuku challenged as One For All surged through him one last time.

'One For All: Beskar'gam." [Full Armor] He commanded with a whisper, and like armor, the power surged protectively over him, the slightest hint of Nana's embrace being felt within him as red veins glowed on his body, the slightest hints of lightning surging around him.

"I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!" Bakugo roared as he faced his palms down and exploded, flying into the air. Placing his hands strategically, he started to explode and spin, a mini tornado appearing around him as he prepared for one final glorious explosion.

Planting his feet, Izuku prepared to meet the attack in turn, power surging through his right arm.

'Goodbye, Bakugo.' He thought to himself.

"VOD'E…!"

"HOWITZER…!"

"AN!"

"IMPACT!

"SMASH!"

Izuku's uppercut met Bakugo's explosion head on, the entire arena turning into a tornado in response. As two opposing forces collided in a brutal impact that rocked the stadium. Cement blocks that had risen up to defend had been shattered, people had been blown away. Once again Mineta had to be held so that he wouldn't be sent flying like a cow in Oklahoma.

"Goodbye…Jango…" Izuku whispered as he finally let go.

"Thank you..."

"IT'S THE FINAL ATTACK OF THE AGES, MIDORIYA AND BAKUGO WENT FOR ONE FINAL BLOW, THE SMOKES CLEARING OUT OF THE ARENA, WHO'S STILL STANDING?"

Katsuki idly noticed that he could hear Present Mic again, he hadn't really been paying attention to the commentary throughout his fight with Deku.

Due to the angle of his attack, he'd flown almost straight up in the sky when their attacks collided, and he'd been thrown brutally to the ground in almost a straight line, although fortunately, his impact had been buffeted by the winds.

As it was though, his body was screaming in pain. He could barely blink let alone move.

He knew however, that Deku had to have fallen.

There was no way that he should still be standing after that.

The smoke started to clear, and Katsuki's heart stopped.

There, a shadow within the fog, a body still straight.

It couldnt be…

IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE!

But there he was, standing defiant and tall, with his broken fist still raised in the air and his head bowed, back slightly hunched over as if he was leaning on something. Unmoving, and unrelenting.

Never falling.

Never staying down.

"Damn you, Deku!" Katsuki growled as he tried to get up, to force his body to obey his will. The crowd already cheering.

He refused to lose to DEKU!

"MIDORIYA'S STILL STANDING, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE! HE'S STILL STANDING! AND LOOK, BAKUGO'S STILL CONSCIOUS TOO! ACHING TO GET BACK UP WHILE MIDORIYA IS…still standing?"

Plip. Plop. Plap.

Katsuki stopped to stare at the water droplets that had fallen to the ground before forcing himself to look up at the sky.

Clouds.

Soon enough, a slight drizzle began to fall over them all.

"It's raining? But today was supposed to be clear skies?"

One by one, the crowd began to understand.

"Don't tell me…"

"...he changed the weather…"

"...with his punch!"

Katsuki growled as he forced himself to his feet, stumbling and falling to his knees again he glared hatefully at Deku who still wasn't moving.

"Did he really change the weather with his punch!?"

"Like All Might!"

"Such power!"

"Damn it, don't just stand there, DEKU!" Katsuki roared as he tried to get up again.

Midnight then slowly approached Izuku, who was still standing there, no sign of movement or response or anything. The crowd had in turn become as silent as him, only the sound of rain piercing the silence. She idly flipped back her damp hair as she got closer to him.

"Midoriya?"

Nothing.

Taking a closer look, she saw eyes, blank to the world, a serene smile on his face.

'Don't tell me…'

A quick check confirmed it.

"I-Izuku Midoriya is unconscious! Bakugo Katsuki wins!" She declared with a whip of her crop.

At first the stadium was silent.

Then the cheers began.

"UNBELIEVABLE, MIDORIYA'S LITERALLY STANDING UNCONSCIOUS, HELD UP BY HIS PURE CONVICTION TO THE END, FIST RAISED HIGH! IT'S A SHOCK FOR THE AGES! BAKUGO KATSUKI WINS THE FINALS!"

Bakugo was frozen.

He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it.

"No…no, no, no, no, NO!" He denied, his anger reaching its peak as he forced himself to stumble forward.

"Is this some kind of sick joke, Deku? I refuse to accept this as a victory! You should be lying at my feet like the pebble you are! Why won't you go down!? Fall! Fall!"

He stumbled and fell back to his hands and knees, a mere few feet away from Deku.

But he could do nothing, the rain having washed away all the sweat from his body.

Why wouldn't he fall?

Why wouldn't he stay down?

Why did he always have to get in the way?

"Why do you always have to be so much better than me?" Katsuki whispered. A plea that begged to be answered.

He finally fell before Deku, the darkness embracing him.

Izuku never replied.

But if one looked closely, they would see how Izuku's hair slightly floated in the air, even while being drenched.

However, nobody would ever see the woman who smiled as she held Izuku up in the air, somehow supporting his body with her own as she held his clenched fist high.

And now, some small Omakes…well I guess they're story ideas, they're just too small for me to post in the Manifold.

1: Senbonzakura

Todoroki grimaced as he fended off the troublesome pink blades, they were extremely fast and dangerously sharp, cutting his ice waves into pieces before they could even reach Midoriya.

"I already warned you once, Todoroki. I shall not warn you again. Use your fire, or you will not be a hero." Izuku said. The boy's cold stare combined with his longer hair and kenseikan made for a chilling image, but Todoroki was nothing if not stubborn.

"I told you, I refuse to use his power. I'll become the Number One Hero without ever using it!" He boldly declared.

Izuku closed his eyes in disappointment and sighed deeply.

"Very well then. If you will not do what is necessary to save the lives that you will have been entrusted to, then I shall crush you with everything I have and render you incapable of being a hero!"

The blades returned to their singular sword form and Todoroki tensed at what Izuku would do next.

"You have left me no choice, Todoroki Shoto." He said as he turned his blade upside down.

"I will kill your career, here and now, before it's too late." He finished as he dropped the katana.

'He dropped his sword?'

The sword then seemed to melt in the ground.

"Bankai." And absolutely gigantic blades began to appear in rows behind him.

Todoroki gasped stepped backwards as their shadows fell over him.

"Scatter. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Omake/Idea 2 Class 1-B Izuku vs Katsuki

Katsuki's Howizter fueled hand clashed harshly against Izuku's fist, forcing him backward.

"I get it now, Deku. Whatever power you pulled out of your ass is so worthless that you can't even use it right! IT'S PATHETIC! JUST LIKE YOU!"

The force pushed forward even more, and Izuku arm spurt out blood.

"HRAAGH!"

Itsuka gasped in horror, her friend being brutalized like this was horrible to watch.

'When you think you're at your limit…remember…'

Izuku's eyes widened as he remembered Nana's words and Itsuka's.

'You are who you choose to be, but always remember where you came from.'

Izuku's foot planted into the ground and he refused to move.

"It's not because I want to be a hero," Izuku started as his eyes began to glow. "I have people who believe in me now, and I refuse to let them down."

They finally stopped, just before the arena edge. The ground cracking around them.

"You can resist all you want, Deku! But you'll never be anything more than a pebble on the road!" Bakugo snarled.

"That's why I can't-!"

Izuku's arm sparked.

"What?"

"I REFUSE. TO LOSE!" Izuku proclaimed as he let Bakugo's hand fly forward and struck him with his left fist.

All Might watched worriedly. 'He's doing that switching thing again for more power, he used his right arm as bait!'

Katsuki grit his teeth in anger, sparks crackling along his arm as he prepared to return fire.

"What's wrong, Deku? That was WEAK!"

He gasped as he saw Izuku rear back his broken arm.

"That's because…I didn't put my back into it that time!"

One For All surged through him as he remembered All Might's words.

"This power has gone from generation to generation, not only to fight against evil, but to save and inspire hope to those who need it. To save the hearts of the downtrodden, and the smiles of the fearful. And now…it's your turn. Go, my boy."

Izuku clenched his fist, pure power surging from it as Katsuki launched his biggest explosion yet.

Izuku dodged.

Coming out of the smoke with a smile, he pivoted forward with one last battle cry. Katsuki's eyes filled with fear as his fist came closer and he could do nothing.

'Goodbye, Bakugo.'

CRUNCH!

His fist impacted brutally against his former friend's face.

"UNITED STATES OF…"

Spiking him into the ground, a small tornado of wind formed around the two of them.

"SMAAAAAAAASH!"

The dust settled and the last words Katsuki heard before he finally fell unconscious were filled with remorse.

"Goodbye, kaachan."

And Izuku was finally free.

And that's that. I actually had another idea for US of Smash, if you want to see it, along with any other of my older, crappier drawings. Look of DraconisIgnites, with an e, on DeviantArt. That or just look up Deku United States of Smash.

Please review me any of your ideas, comments, concerns, ect. And thank you all for your love and support.

Chapter Text

Legion: Aftermath

"For everything you gain, you lose something else."

"AND BAKUGO STARTS WITH A HUGE EXPLOSION, BUT LOOK AT THIS! MIDORIYA POWERS ON RIGHT THROUGH AND KNOCKS BAKUGO OUT OF THE ARENA, HE'S OUT OF BREATH AND MIDORIYA ALMOST CRASHES RIGHT ON TOP OF HIM!"

Cody held his hands together, his chin resting on top of them as he observed the two fight, he knew that Vod needed this more than ever, but he was worried.

He could tell that the Aruetti was getting under Izuku's skin.

"AND BAKUGO'S JUST WAILING ON MIDORIYA, WILL THE CHAMP BE ABLE TO GET OUT!?"

He was becoming more savage, more brutal.

"AND MIDORIYA DISLOCATES BAKUGO'S ARM! HE'S DEFINITELY NOT PULLING ANY PUNCHES!"

Like that.

However, it had its drawbacks. He could see Izuku coughing into his fist.

He hoped that it was just coughing.

"BAKUGO UNLEASHES AN ENORMOUS EXPLOSION, MIDORIYA IS SENT FLYING BACK TOWARDS THE STAGE! HE'S GETTING BACK UP!"

The two then met and began attacking each other in earnest, trading crushing blows.

"MIDORIYA'S BEING ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL AND- OH! BAKUGO'S MANAGED TO COUNTER AND THROW HIM AWAY! THEY'RE BOTH SHAKY BUT THEY'RE WILLING TO GO BEYOND!"

Izuku stumbled but stood tall.

Cody blinked, confused. One moment, Izuku's expression was furious, borderline hateful…now he was calm, serene.

At peace.

"Cody?" He heard Aizawa ask.

"Yeah…I see it too. I don't think it's something bad though."

"IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE REARING UP FOR THEIR FINAL ATTACKS! IT'S TIME TO END THIS FESTIVAL WITH A MOMENTOUS FINISH!"

Then the world turned white.

The explosion was deafening, and the shockwave was devastating, Cody was so glad that Nezu had explained to him some of the precautions they'd installed each year after the injury complaints.

Primarily, the security measures to prevent debris and other dangers from truly impacting the crowd.

The wind was still there though, apparently, Nezu found people being blown away funny.

Cody didn't know why he expected anything different.

"IT'S THE FINAL ATTACK OF THE AGES, MIDORIYA AND BAKUGO WENT FOR ONE FINAL BLOW, THE SMOKES CLEARING OUT OF THE ARENA, WHO'S STILL STANDING?"

Bakugo's body was the first to appear, still conscious and trying to get up.

Izuku's body stood tall, fist raised high much to everyone's surprise. The crowd started to roar, Present Mic was jumping up and down in his spot, blown out of his mind.

"MIDORIYA'S STILL STANDING, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE! HE'S STILL STANDING! AND LOOK, BAKUGO'S STILL CONSCIOUS TOO! ACHING TO GET BACK UP WHILE MIDORIYA IS…still standing?"

"Vod?" Cody whispered as he leaned forward trying to get a closer look. His head actually poked out of the announcer's box.

He felt a single drop of water fall on his head.

Drip. Drop. Plop.

Then it started to rain.

"What in the world?" Cody asked as he held his hand out to the sky, seeing the new clouds that definitely weren't there before.

"It's raining? But today was supposed to be clear skies?" Mic muttered, his voice carrying over the stadium.

Murmurs rose through the crowd as they began to realize that the weather had changed. Many who lived in Mustufasu and had been at the Sludge incident in person remembered the last time that had happened, and who had caused it.

"Don't tell me…"

"...he changed the weather…"

"...with his punch!"

More comments rose, and while Bakugo yelled incoherently from below, Midnight tentatively approached Izuku's still body.

"I-Izuku Midoriya is unconscious! Bakugo Katsuki wins!"

A few seconds of silence, before the crowd absolutely lost it.

Cody sat back in his chair, leaning a bit back as he sighed.

"UNBELIEVABLE, MIDORIYA'S LITERALLY STANDING UNCONSCIOUS, HELD UP BY HIS PURE CONVICTION TO THE END, FIST RAISED HIGH! IT'S A SHOCK FOR THE AGES! BAKUGO KATSUKI WINS THE FINALS!"

Cody watched as Bakugo started to yell, infuriated even, making it only a few feet before falling in front of Izuku and finally falling unconscious himself.

'Ah, a symbolic victory then. Vod may have lost the actual fight, but anybody can see where the victory truly lies.'

As the crowd continued to cheer, Cody watched as Bakugo was taken away on a stretcher by a pair of robots, while a pair of clones gently set Izuku on his own and took him away.

He hoped, however, that whatever change Izuku had gone through during the fight, it would be for the better.

Another break was being taken by the crowd as they prepared everything for the awards ceremony.

The students of 1-A were excitedly talking about the fight they'd just witnessed and were waiting on the main stage, the concrete already removed.

Ochako was slightly worried however, she'd seen how angry Izuku had been, although for some reason his demeanor had changed during the middle of the fight.

She was worried for Tenya too, his sudden departure had been frantic.

"Ochako, I'm sorry but I have to go. My brother's been attacked by a villain."

"I'm so sorry, is there anything we can do?"

"No…don't let Izuku know yet. Let him enjoy the end of the Festival. I'll speak with him later."

"Okay."

She hoped that his brother was alright.

"Hey look, they're bringing them up!"

"All of the first-year events have been finished for this year's Sports Festival! It's time for the awards ceremony!"

Fireworks exploded in the air as the crowd began to applaud the victors, and a large smoke screen spawned behind Midnight as pillars began to rise.

Various students gave out groans and other noises of disbelief as they saw Bakugo chained up and muzzled, thrashing wildly.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"Apparently he's been like that since he woke up…"

"Turns out the clones were the ones who strapped him in."

"Wow, those clones really do have it against him."

One pillar was empty, however.

"Unfortunately, Midoriya Izuku suffered extreme injuries and exhaustion and is currently under Recovery Girl's care. Everybody, please give him a round of applause for his hard work! He definitely deserved that silver medal!" Midnight announced, the crowd applauding, whistling, and in general cheering for their fan favorite. The disappointment was there, however.

"Shame that Izuku couldn't be here."

"His fights were crazy."

Kamakiri waved from his third-place pillar while Todoroki stood there in silent contemplation.

"And presenting the medals-"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"Our very own ALL MIGHT!"

"I AM HERE WITH THE MEDALS!"

A pause as he then turned to her slightly indignant.

"I talked over you…"

The crowd still cheered for their Number One Hero, many of them commenting on how lucky the First-Years were.

"If you could present the medals? Starting from first place." A sheepish Midnight said as she handed them to him.

All Might merely nodded before heading to Kamakiri. Said boy was extremely giddy, which was honestly a bit amusing to see. He'd tended to have a more robust exterior during classes, yet it seemed like his time in 1B was doing him well.

"Young Kamakiri, you've certainly done your class proud. You've proven your great tenacity and were so close to making it to the finals themselves! You've done good work, young man. I hope to see great things from you in the future! Remember to always pay attention to your surroundings, and that sometimes you need to think outside the box." He said while hugging him.

"You bet, All Might!"

Moving on to Todoroki, he addressed as he put on his medal.

"Young Todoroki, I assume there is a reason you've started using your fire?"

"Let's just say that I see now what you see in Midoriya. I wanted to become a hero like you, All Might…he just showed me that there's a lot more to being a hero than just being Number One. I still have some things to settle." Todoroki finished as he looked at the taller man with a calmness that wasn't there before.

"It is a hard lesson for many to learn, that sometimes we can't do things alone. But I feel that you've taken the first steps, just remember, it's also important for you to be a hero not just for others, but for yourself. I wish you well for your future." All Might replied as he hugged the boy.

"Thank you, All Might."

Heading off to the last he was admittedly, a bit put off by the restraints.

'Honestly, was the muzzle really necessary?'

"Ah, young Bakugo, congratulations on your-" He was cut off as Bakugo growled.

"All Might, this victory means nothing! It was cheap! Even if the world acknowledges it, I refuse to! I refuse to accept a victory where Deku's not at my feet!"

'Sheesh, this kid really needs to chill out.'

"Ah, I understand. In a world where there are people constantly being compared publicly, there aren't many who keep aiming for the top of an unchanging scale, it seems like you're one of them." All Might said while Bakugo continued to growl.

'Look at that face, certainly ferocious…'

Still, Bakugo's vitriol for Izuku did seem very unwarranted, although that involved a history that he hadn't really asked about. Even Jango didn't really talk about their relationship with the blonde boy, but they did have some history.

Still, he had to be fair, and although he wished Izuku was up here, he was glad that his successor had made his mark.

Lifting the medal, All Might continued. "Take this medal. Think of it as a 'wound'! That way you can remember and become better!"

"I said I don't want it!"

Trying to force it over the boy's head, who stubbornly refused and moved his head, All Might was finally able to force the lanyard into the boy's jaw.

Turning to the crowd, All Might gestured toward the camera as he continued his speech.

"Well, they were the winners this time! But listen up, everyone! Any one of these fine young men and women could have made it onto these podiums!"

The students and those from beyond the screen paid rapt attention to All Might's words as he continued his speech. Up in the announcer's box, Hizashi made a gesture that made both Aizawa and Cody slap the back of his head.

"As you all saw! Pushing each other, competing with and against each other, striving beyond your limits, and going beyond! That's what it means to be a hero! And as far as I see it, the next generation of heroes has a lot to offer!"

Pointing his finger to the sky, he readied to rally the crowd.

"NOW, THERE'S JUST ONE LAST THING TO SAY! EVERYBODY SAY IT WITH ME!"

He took a deep breath…

"HOLD IT!"

All Might coughed in surprise as the crowd turned towards the field, many students gasping in surprise and parting as Izuku hobbled through the crowd, his friends gleefully surrounding him.

"Y-young Midoriya!"

Izuku smiled softly at his master, the crowd already cheering at seeing him on his feet.

"All Might, I think I made a promise that I'd make it to the end of this Festival, right? Show the world that I'm here?"

All Might paused in surprise but smiled even brighter.

"That you did, young Midoriya."

Izuku hobbled forward, standing tall even though his right arm was in a cast and a sling, and his left was almost completely wrapped up, other bandages on his body limited his movement and he was most definitely in pain.

Yet he still smiled.

"Can you guys help me up?" He asked his friends.

Ochako swiftly removed his gravity and Yuga helped steady him up the pillar where All Might set him down after Ochako released him.

"Young Midoriya, you have no idea how proud I am of you, my boy. You may not have won the Festival, but I can certainly tell you that you've won the hearts and minds of the people. Inspiring your friends, and if I'm not mistaken…releasing your anger." He gently said while resting his hands on Izuku's shoulder, being careful not to hurt him after placing his medal on his neck.

Izuku nodded, a small, gentle smile adorning his face.

"Let's just say I had some help."

"I'm proud of you, ad." [Son.]

"Thank you, buir."

Izuku grimaced before turning to All Might.

"Uh, I can't move much, can you help me raise my fist?" Izuku asked. All Might paused, his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise but he nodded and gently took Izuku's wrist.

"One last Plus Ultra? All Might?"

"Heh, yes, I suppose that would be appropriate." He said with a chuckle before turning to the crowd.

"EVERYBODY TOGETHER NOW! ONE, TWO-"

As one they all roared, Izuku's fist rising with All Might's.

"PLUS ULTRA!"

The crowds were slowly making their way out of the stadium, clones helping guide the families along.

Already there'd been a few near incidents with some lost children, but they were fortunately quickly reunited with their parents.

Izuku had returned to the medic room, utterly exhausted. He'd defied Recovery Girl's orders of rest to head out to the awards ceremony.

His eyes growing heavy, he soon fell asleep.

"Good job, Nine…"

Meanwhile, the students were back in their classroom, just about ready to be dismissed for the day.

"Good job, all of you. There won't be any school tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure that plenty of pros will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when you get back. Rest up, and be ready."

"Yes, sir!"

As they all got up and went home, Izuku's friends gathered around as Ochako related to them why Tenya was gone. All of them were worried for their friend, and could only hope that his family was fine.

It seemed that a lot of things were changing.

Hosu General Hospital

Tenya quickly bowed to the receptionist before speeding down the halls, disregarding the receptionist calling after him.

"MOTHER!" He yelled as he found her by the door.

"Tenya!" She exclaimed as she rose to meet him.

"How is Tensei doing?" He asked before she motioned to a door.

Practically bursting it open he quickly called out for his brother, his mother trying to calm him down and remind him about keeping a mask.

He shuddered in shock as he stared at his hospitalized brother.

The doctor quickly rose and delivered the news as simply as possible, warning them that he was still hazy since the anesthetic had only recently worn off.

How close of a call it'd been.

Tensei wearily opened his eyes upon hearing them.

"Tenya…Mother…"

Their mother couldn't even stand anymore, falling to her knees.

Tenya shakily walked over to his brother's bedside.

"Tensei! It's gonna be alright!"

"Even though…such an accomplished younger brother…like you…looks up to me…"

Tenya couldn't believe it, this couldn't be happening!

"I'm sorry…Tenya…your big brother…lost…"

Tenya choked as he fell to his knees.

"TENSEI!"

Elsewhere, a dark figure walked through alleyways. His crusade would continue as he cut down one false hero after another.

He'd recently succeeded against Ingenium, but there was still more work to be done.

Still, he could feel it.

A change in the air, and whispers among the common people.

A new hero student, someone that was making waves and he wasn't even out of school.

Someone that even All Might was rumored to favor.

Stain would have to look deeper into this, to see if the child was worthy of the title of Hero, or if he would have to be culled before his roots could grow deep.

Who knows? Perhaps the child may prove himself fruitful and could even be worthy of killing him.

The Next Day

It was a beautiful day, and Todoroki Shoto was preparing to do something long overdue.

"Shoto, where are you going?" His sister asked as he headed out the door.

"The hospital."

"What? All of a sudden? Why?"

"Wait!" She yelled as she got closer. "Is it okay to not tell Dad?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you want to see Mom now? After all this time?"

'Because I need to.'

"I'll be back." He replied as he shut the door.

Walking down the road, even passing by a mother and her child, Todoroki was left to his memories.

"Mom, I'm going crazy…I can't take it anymore. Every day, the children seem to be more and more like him…"

With each step, he became closer to facing her.

"Shoto's…That child's left side sometimes looks very unsightly to me…I can't raise him anymore…I feel like I shouldn't…

Soon enough, he found himself in front of the hospital.

For so long, he'd thought that his mere presence would hurt her, which is why he'd stayed away.

'I wonder…is she still shackled by me and the old man?'

Either way, if he wanted to become a hero, a true hero, one that would give his all…

"I want to bring you hope, Todoroki. But you have to take the first step."

'Midoriya…'

He reached for the handle…but let his hand fall.

"It's okay for you to become who you want to be."

'To be the hero I want to be…I need to see her.' He thought as he opened up the door.

'There's so much I have to tell her, so much we have to talk about.'

She was facing away from him, her white hair cascading over her shoulders as she gazed out to the garden outside her window.

"Hi, Mom…"

She perked up, the voice was both familiar yet unfamiliar, and slowly she turned, not believing her eyes.

She was beautiful.

'Even if she doesn't want it. I will rescue her from here.'

He took the first step forward.

'This is where I start. Where I have to.'

Izuku smiled as he looked at the photo that Ochako had sent of her with her parents in the group chat. Apparently, they'd surprised her.

"I'm glad that you've made such good friends, my boy." Toshinori said. He'd been invited by the Midoriya family for a brief lunch.

"Me too, my clones have also been making friends. Apparently, Hevy and Echo are having lunch with the Asui's. 2010 and Cutup had breakfast with Kamui Woods' new team and Ponds has been hanging around Aizawa-sensei and Yamada-sensei."

"Wow, have any other of the Vod'e made friends?"

"Well, Fordo's been hanging around Hound Dog…he uh, he was the sniper that killed that one villain back at the USJ."

Both Toshinori and Inko tensed slightly at the mention of that place but were pleasantly surprised at how quickly Izuku mentioned it and moved on.

"Apparently Bly's been trailing behind Midnight-sensei…not too sure what to think about that honestly. But Cody said that it's mostly her teasing him a lot while he ignores her. Ponds says that both Aizawa and Yamada find it hilarious cause she gets frustrated."

Izuku munched on some eggs and swallowed them before grabbing some juice and drinking it down.

"Izuku?"

"Hm?" He perked up as he saw his buir'e [parents] looking at him in concern.

"Are you alright? During the Sports Festival, you were so angry…we were worried about you…" Inko started before Toshinori took over.

"And then during your fight with young Bakugo, you suddenly changed…you seemed at peace."

"Ah, right…I almost forgot." Izuku softly said as he laid down his utensils.

"Buir…I met her…I met Nana."

Toshinori dropped his utensils, utterly gobsmacked.

"W-what?"

"For that one moment, I fell inside One For All, and she was there…she comforted me and helped me grieve and process everything. Gave a lot of good advice…told me to smile, after all, the strongest-"

"Are those who always smile…" Toshinori finished, tears falling as he remembered her.

"She had a few words for you, you know?"

"Hm?"

"Yeah… 'Toshinori…Ni kar'tayl gal sa'ad.'" [I know your name as my child.]

Toshinori's jaw trembled as he clenched the table, his frame trembling as he heard words that he'd longed to hear for years.

Inko gently held him and Izuku also hugged him as Toshinori broke down.

"Master…buir…" Toshinori muttered under his breath.

After a few minutes, Toshinori was calm enough to continue his light meal.

"Buir…I want you to go into the bacta tank…I spoke with RG about it, and she wants to give it a try too. I know that it won't bring back One For All to full strength for you, but hopefully, you can at least gain back some of your health."

Toshinori paused at Izuku's words and considered them, nodding thoughtfully he took a deep, slightly painful breath before replying.

"If you'd think it would help…I'll agree to it, Izuku."

Inko smiled at the two of them as they finished up their meal. Once finished, Izuku invited Toshinori to come up to his room.

"Izuku…" Inko breathed out, slightly worried. "Are you sure?"

Izuku nodded.

"It's time I face it."

The three walked in together, and All Might looked in bittersweet wonder.

There was a bunk bed, and two desks, both filled to the brim with hero memorabilia, papers, and other knick-knacks. Posters of himself and various other heroes decorated the walls.

A light coat of dust decorated everything, but oddly enough the room felt peaceful as the sun's light pierced through the blinds.

Toshinori uttered a small prayer under his breath, a pardon for the intrusion.

"I don't think I'll be sleeping back in here anytime soon, but I want to at least spend some time here…to remember the good times," Izuku said while idly passing his hand on top of a desk. He wiped away the dust from his fingers before putting it back on it, bowing his head as he felt tears softly trail down.

"And I wanted to do something special." He said as he grabbed a box that was in the corner of the desk.

"Jango had a fascination for collecting random things that he would find from anywhere."

Opening the box, Izuku showed Toshinori the bunch of little objects inside, the majority of which were actually crystals and crazy-looking rocks.

Izuku plucked two out from the box and showed them to Toshinori.

"These were his favorite…I'm planning on keeping this one on me, as a closer reminder of him." He said regarding the black crystal, it was certainly beautiful in a haunting sort of way as the light seemed to be sucked into it.

"I'd like for you to keep this one," Izuku said as he held out the other. Toshinori gasped in surprise as he saw the crystal. It was a beautiful clear blue, that almost seemed to radiate light as if it was the exact opposite of its dark counterpart.

"Jango said he collected this one cause it reminded him of your eyes, and how they always seemed to glow with strength, even when you were physically weak."

Toshinori reverently took the crystal into his own hand.

"Are you sure?"

"I'd love nothing more than for the both of us to have something to have him beside us."

Toshinori clenched his fist and nodded solemnly before pocketing the crystal. He'd need to make something special to hold it later.

"Come…there's one last thing I want to show you."

Walking out of the room, Izuku flicked the lights off and started to close the door. Peering inside he paused slightly as he saw the light from the blinds land in the center of the room, just in front of Jango's desk.

Smiling softly, he closed the door.

Reuniting with his mother, the three then stood before Jango's altar.

"We've taken to a new tradition…one that we'd like you to join in. After all, you're part of our family now."

Toshinori raised his brow in surprise but nodded, pleased to be included.

They all kneeled and Izuku began to teach.

"It goes like this…Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."

"What does it mean?"

"I am still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." Izuku softly uttered the translation and began helping Toshinori through the pronunciation.

"Once you're done, you mention the names that you want to remember…Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Jango, ner Vod'e." [My brothers.] Izuku began with a small bow of his head.

Inko was next.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Jango, ner ade." [My sons.]

Toshinori took a shaky breath before doing the best he could.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Jango, Vod'e…"

He took in a deep breath before uttering the last name.

"Nana, ner buir."

Within the next few days, before school started, Izuku decided that he had a few more people he needed to speak to.

A few days later, thanks to All Might, he'd met up with Principal Nezu and was playing a game with him.

"So what is the occasion, Young Midoriya?"

"I know I said this before…but I wanted to thank you, for everything you did for me and the Vod'e. Your words put a lot oin trust into them by the people."

"Ah but words can only do so much, it was their actions that cemented their reputation."

"That may be true, but you helped start us off."

"I only wish I could have done more, perhaps then would your brother still be with us." Nezu said with some sorrow.

"Unfortunately, the past can't be changed, but that doesn't mean that Jango isn't still with us…what we do with his sacrifice, is his legacy."

"Wise words, young Midoriya, I'm glad to see how much you've grown, painful growth it was, but growth nonetheless."

"I actually have something for you, Principal Nezu." Izuku said as he presented a crystal from Jango's collection for him. The rodent reached out his paw and gently secured it, it was a beautiful green, and seemed to slightly hum.

"Jango had a collection of his most prized possessions, I think it fitting that you have your own piece to remember him by." Izuku said as he held out the necklace that held his own.

Nezu gratefully nodded before they continued their game.

Izuku ended up losing as always, but it was much closer than before.

Later, after finishing up with Nezu, Izuku headed out and found Snipe.

"Snipe-sensei!"

"How can I help ya, partner?"

"I wanted to thank you for helping the Vod'e and I out so much, your training has helped prevent a lot of accidents, and made us much more prepared. I know that you and Jango worked on his pistols, I actually have one with me," Izuku said before pulling the second one out. "I think the second, should rightfully go to you."

Snipe paused, shocked at the gesture.

"Midoriya…are ya sure?"

"Trust me, I'm sure. This is what Jango would want."

Snipe nodded slowly as he grabbed the pistol reverently, grabbing one of his own, he unloaded it and stored it, before placing Jango's pistol in the holster.

"Thank you, partner."

"Thank you, Snipe-sensei."

Rain was pouring down liberally throughout the city, and Izuku was currently taking the train while scrolling through social media on his phone.

He was admittedly very surprised by the positive feedback he'd been seeing about both him and the Vod'e.

-So get this, I'm here at the #UASportsFestival, and my sister's running around the place, she gets lost, and I'm losing my mind. I let one of those clones know and not even five minutes later she's back in my arms. So thankful! #Vode

-Those clones cheering for their bro was really inspiring! Seeing the Jirou's in action got my blood boiling! #UASportsFestival #Vode

-Video: Vode War Chant - Bruh, I got chills. Slamming their armor like that? It's like that Maori thing. #Vode

His actions during the festival had especially gotten attention from the people. Izuku felt giddy, he was trending.

-Video: Students help Midoriya Izuku - Bruh, how inspiring you gotta be for your classmates to help you win? #MidoriyaIzuku

-Gif: Flintstones Tank - This dude really be pushin' a whole ass tank.

-Gif: Scary Lady - This girl should not be having this much fun firing that thing.

His fights were what attracted the most attention.

-Image: Midoriya vs. Shinso - My man really Oklahoma smashed this dude. #MidoriyaIzuku #UASportsFestival

-Image: Midoriya vs. Monoma - Beat this guy's ass too.

Of course, there were some detractors. Some especially criticized his perceived harshness against Todoroki when he pulled out the gun.

-Was it really necessary? I mean, what is UA thinking? Letting him do that?

-Reply: Sometimes you gotta play the villain to be the hero. From what I heard, that's the first time the Todoroki kid actually used his fire.

-Reply: Kid must have been pissed. I'd be too, I do martial arts and I'd hate to fight an opponent that wouldn't give his all.

-Reply: Still delivered a grade A ass-whoopin'. That Todoroki pulled off a super explosion and still lost. Shame, I expected more outta Endeavor's kid.

-109 replies

Well, he was gonna move on from that reply chain.

His last fight was what really sold him.

-Dude, how baller do you have to be to stay standing while unconscious? #MidoriyaIzuku

-Image: Final Fist - Dude made it rain, I was there a few months ago when All Might did the same.

-Reply: Speaking about All Might, when he helped the kid raise his fist? Chills, bro.

-Reply: Image: All Might helps Midoriya - You think they know each other? Like, actually know each other? Kid was looking pretty happy and so was he.

-Reply: It's All Might, of course the kid's gonna be star-struck, and he's always smiling.

-Reply: Kid literally said 'I am here!' Think he's planning on taking All Might's place?

-1154 replies.

Izuku was knocked out of his musings as he heard the whispers from around him, a man grabbed his attention and he turned to see multiple people congratulating him, a few even asking for his autograph and even a few pictures with some kids and teens.

As he got off of his stop he smiled and waved back as they cheered for him.

"Do your best, hero!"

"I will!"

Taking solace in the rain as he calmly walked up towards UA, he was surprised to see Tenya running up behind him.

"Good morning, Izuku!"

"Tenya?"

"Why are you walking so slow!? You're going to be late!"

"Late? There's still five minutes till the first bell!"

"U.A. students should always be ten minutes early!" He yelled before speeding off. Izuku could only blink in surprise.

Later, as they were putting their things away in their lockers, Izuku tried to get Tenya's attention.

"Tenya-"

"If it's about my brother, there's no need to worry." He began before turning to face his friend. "I'm sorry for worrying you needlessly."

Walking away, Izuku could only stare at Tenya's back while he continued to worry.

He recognized the anger in those eyes.

It was the same as his own.

Entering the class and greeting the rest of his friends, he was glad to hear them all so excited. It was great to hear them talk about their own experiences this morning from all their well-wishers.

As Aizawa came in and greeted them, the class quickly went to their seats and greeted him back.

Tsuyu was the first to notice something different about him.

"Aizawa-sensei, your casts are gone. I'm glad."

It was true, despite a few scars, Aizawa was back to full health.

"Old lady went overboard with her treatments. More importantly, we have a special hero informatics class today.

The atmosphere became tense as they wondered what exactly this class would entail.

"Code names." Aizawa simply said. "You'll be coming up with hero names."

"WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING EXCITING!"

Aizawa quickly flared his eyes and the class quieted.

"This is related to the drafts that I mentioned the other day. Usually, these start when your second and third years, since you'd have more experience and would be immediate assets to the heroes. For them to extend offers to first years like you, shows that they're very interested in your potential, but they can die off if they lose interest by graduation."

"Adults are so selfish…" Mineta muttered as he smacked his desk.

"So we'll have to prove ourselves, right?" Hagakure called out from the side.

"That's right."

And here are the totals for those offers.

Midoriya : 7503

Todoroki: 4123

Bakugo: 3556

Iida: 354

Uraraka: 284

Yaoyorozu: 203

Shouji: 103

Jirou: 56

Ashido: 31

Aoyama: 20

Kouda: 17

"As you can see, a lot of focus was on those three, as well as those that made it to the finals, plus a few that made it an 'impact'." He said as he raised a brow towards Izuku who slightly flushed as he saw the names on the board.

Many of them made comments about the disparity, although they were most surprised about the difference between Todoroki and Bakugo, whose positions had been switched from their placements at the festival.

"Guess some people are too scared to ask for a guy who had to be restrained on the podium."

"WHAT'RE THE PROS SCARED OF?!"

"You're amazing, Todoroki," Yaoyorozu said to her neighbor.

"Most of them are probably because of my old man."

Ochako was excitedly shaking Tenya back and forth, surprised at the number of offers that she received.

"Yes, yes."

Izuku was still stunned by the number of offers that he'd received, sure he knew that the Vod'e and he had made an impact, but this much?

"I wish you could see this, Jango," Izuku whispered fondly as he looked at the numbers.

From inside him, he could feel the Vod'e cheering him on, and even the faintest hints of Nana's approval.

It was fulfilling.

"Keeping these results in mind," Aizawa continued. "Whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros."

"Internships?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah. At the USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains…"

The atmosphere grew tense at the mention of that place, and Izuku could only look on solemnly.

"But it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."

"So that explains the hero names!" Sato grinned as he clenched his fist.

"It's starting to get a lot more fun!" Ochako replied with a blinding smile.