Izuku stared into the abyss before him.

"So the first barrier was a piece of cake, huh?" Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers. "How about the second? Fall and you're out! You gotta crawl across if you wanna make it!"

Izuku blinked.

"This is The Fall!"

Izuku's eyes raked over the web of ropes and rocky pillars that made up The Fall.

Fuck, that's really far down. Is this even safe? Probably not.

Izuku glanced behind him. Todoroki was catching up and the rest of the pack wasn't too far behind him.

… Let's hope I can crawl faster with Full Cowl.

Izuku crouched down and grabbed onto one of the rope with his hands, reaching out with one of them and pulling himself forward. Full Cowl did speed up the process somewhat, but Izuku knew that this section was going to slow him down. Thank god for the head start.

After a fairly short amount of time, Izuku reached the first stone pillar and stood up on it. He glanced backwards. Todoroki had just arrived at the starting point and seemed to be trying to decide on the best route.

No time to worry about what he's going to be doing right now, Izuku thought. Let's just get through this.

I fucking hate that section, Izuku griped to himself as he finally reached the other side. Todoroki had just ran across the ropes like it was something he did every day while Bakugou had rocketed past with his explosions. Izuku had glared at the back of Bakugou's head before trying to move faster.

Tenya had made great use of his Engines to clear the area quickly while Ochako had used her Quirk on herself to run and leap across the ropes. Izuku couldn't have been more proud of them.

Izuku had barely started running again when Present Mic's voice sounded over the loudspeakers. "Our leader has reached the final obstacle!"

Shit, did I really lose that much time during The Fall? Izuku cursed under his breath as he pumped more energy into Full Cowl. He knew he'd be able to catch up again—that much was obvious by the people he was already passing by—but this was less than ideal.

"This is the Minefield!" Present Mic continued, his words dripping with excitement. "It's a deadly dirt carpet! A quick glance is enough to reveal the mines' locations! So keep both eyes open and watch your step!"

Izuku listened to the rest of Present Mic's explanation with half an ear. It's a punishment on the people at the front and a chance for the rest of the students to catch up. But how am I going to get past everyone?

It didn't take long for Izuku to get to the minefield. There was a decent amount of students already there, including Ochako and Tenya. Todoroki and Bakugou seemed to be in the lead. The two of them weren't even halfway across yet and they seemed to be trying their best to slow the other down. Typical of Bakugou. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else from Todoroki.

Izuku paused and looked down at the ground before him. Full Cowl did speed up his reaction time, but not nearly enough for him to avoid every landmine. There had to be some other way around that he just wasn't thinking of yet. If he was Bakugou or Ochako then he could go over the field and he's be fine but—

Oh.

Well, I've done dumber shit before.

Find the spots that people are avoiding. Look—there! Izuku got over to the mine quickly and, with Full Cowl's help, was able to dig it up fairly quickly.

They aren't super well hidden but if you're going too fast they're easy to notice, Izuku thought as he continued digging up mines. They're only meant to get you off track, but if you get knocked into another one and cause a chain reaction, it's all over. But if you could somehow get a shit ton of them together in one area and get them to go off at once then—

Izuku put the tenth mine onto his growing pile.

—You get some explosive results.

Izuku took in a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

Izuku deactivated Full Cowl and leaped upwards, activating Full Brace as he did so.

God, I hope this works.

Izuku's feet hit the edge of the pile of mines. There was a boom and heat on his back before he found himself tumbling through the air, rocketed forwards and upwards by the blast.

This is almost like that time I grabbed All Might's leg! Izuku thought, wind whipping his face as he soared through the air. Not nearly as bad, but holy shit I'm going fast.

Izuku managed to focus his attention downwards. The students he was flying past all seemed to be watching him, mouths agape.

And then he was past Bakugou and Todoroki, both in the middle of attacking each other wide-eyed as Izuku zoomed past them.

Eat shit, assholes!

It was then that Izuku realized that he should have thought more about how he was going to land. I really should have thought this through a little more. Well, it's too late now.

Full Brace was still active so he shouldn't be too injured from the landing. If he could get into a roll while hitting the ground and then activate Full Cowl—

"Deku! Get the hell back here!"

Bakugou's voice snapped Izuku's attention downward and behind him. It seemed that him and Todoroki had stopped fighting each other while Izuku soared over them. Bakugou was already rocketing himself forwards with his explosions and Todoroki was making a path of ice so he could run right through the minefield.

Izuku couldn't help but feel smug. Try catching up now, fuckers.

Izuku was coming up on his landing now, a good way across the field and a good distance in front of Bakugou and Todoroki. Even though tensing up caused Full Brace to prickle, Izuku positioned his body mid-flight to prepare for a body-roll that wouldn't put him too far bad.

Izuku hit the ground, taking the brunt of the impact with his right shoulder. There was pressure, almost an uncomfortable amount, but it was worlds better than how his bones would have shattered without Full Brace.

Click!

Oh. That's not good.

The mine went off, burning at Izuku's back once again and sending him tumbling forwards. Full Brace was bordering on painful now as Izuku's body was tossed forwards, jostling him over and over.

Please don't hit another mine! I can't afford to get behind!

When Izuku had slowed down to a speed that he was sure wouldn't cause him harm, he scrambled to his feet, doing his best to stay in a small area so he wouldn't hit any stray mines. He took stock of his surroundings in less than a second.

I'm out. I cleared the minefield.

Izuku activated Full Cowl and raced forwards, a huge grin on his face as he did so. He spared only a second to look behind him. Todoroki and Bakugou were moving faster than they were before, but nowhere near quickly enough to catch up to Izuku.

"Well!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers once again. Izuku listened with half an ear as he continued dashing towards the finish. "Who could have predicted such an incredible turn of events so early on? Your students really are amazing, Aizawa! The one who made it back to the stadium first is…"

Izuku cleared the finishing gate.

"... None other than Midoriya Izuku!"

Thunderous applause and cheers nearly drowned out Present Mic's announcement. Izuku could feel the noise resonating in his chest, vibrating his bones.

I won. It was only the first event but I won.

I beat Bakugou.

Izuku's eyes met All Might's.

Izuku grinned back at All Might harder than he had ever grinned before.

This isn't over yet. But damn does it feel good.

Izuku felt his throat burn a bit. Whether it was from the swell of emotions inside of him or the high of adrenaline coming off, he couldn't say. Still, he managed to choke back his tears. It wouldn't do him any good to start crying for the whole world to see. Instead, he focused on the crowd and waited for everyone else to finish the race.

Todoroki and Bakugou soon cleared the gate. Izuku was pleased to note that Bakugou came in after Todoroki. Oh, Izuku didn't like Todoroki, but if Bakugou hated being second, then Izuku couldn't even imagine how he would feel about coming in third. Bakugou caught his gaze and pulled his mouth back in a snarl. Izuku just smiled harder.

It didn't take much longer for Tenya to cross, landing himself in sixth place. Izuku hurried over to him.

"Tenya-kun! You made it!"

To Izuku's confusion, Tenya seemed… distressed, staring down into empty space. "I came in sixth," he muttered.

Izuku had never seen him like this before. "Uh, yeah. Great job! You placed really well!"

"No, Izuku-kun, you don't understand," Tenya said. "I lost in a race. With my Quirk, I should have been on par with you! I obviously have a lot more progress to make."

"I mean, we all do," Izuku said. "That's why we're here. To improve. And you're trying your best, so that's what really matters!"

Tenya finally looked up at Izuku. He didn't smile, but something about his expression softened. "I suppose you're right, Izuku-kun. Thank you for reminding me."

"Tenya-kun! Deku-kun!"

Tenya and Izuku turned just in time to see Ochako jumping at them, an arm swinging around each of them and pulling them into a hug.

"You guys did awesome!" Ochako cheered. She gave them a quick squeeze before she let go of them and took a step back. "Tenya-kun, I've never seen you go that fast before! And Deku-kun, that was so cool when you flew over everyone like that!"

"Thank you, Ochako-san!" Tenya said. "You did quite admirably as well! I am very proud of your and Izuku-kun's performances as well!"

"We all did great," Izuku concurred. "We'll definitely get into the second event, no doubt about it."

Izuku was right. Obviously.

Ten million points.

Ten million fucking points.

Izuku was screwed.

"Deku-kun! Let's team up!"

There was at least one god out there in the universe because there was no other way to explain the existence of Uraraka Ochako.

Izuku immediately threw his arms around her. "Oh my god, thank you so much Ochako-chan. I promise I'll do my best. Thank you so fucking much."

"You don't need to thank me!" Ochako chirped, patting Izuku's back in a way that soothed some of his nerves. "Teaming up with a friend just seems like the right thing to do!"

Ochako is a gift and I love her to bits, Izuku thought fervently.

Soon enough they parted and made quick work of tracking down Tenya.

"—And that's the plan," Izuku finished, a determined grin taking over his face as he finished. "With this strategy, we'll be sure to make it to the final event!"

Ochako's face was bright and there was a fire in her eyes. Izuku turned to look at Tenya and—

Izuku suppressed a flinch.

Tenya looked downcast and closed off.

No. That was wrong. This was wrong.

Izuku braced himself.

"It's the sort of brilliant plan that I would expect from you, Midoriya-kun," Tenya started. This time, Izuku actually did flinch. Hearing Tenya call him by his family name so suddenly felt wrong. "But I'm sorry. I refuse."

Izuku could do nothing but stare at Tenya. He felt a pain in his chest.

No. No.

"I'm sorry," Izuku blurted out, cutting off whatever Tenya was about to say next.

Tenya looked confused. "Pardon?"

"I don't know what I did but I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you so mad and—"

"Izuku-kun."

Izuku stopped.

Tenya took in a breath. "I'm not angry at you nor do I see you as anything less than one of my best friends. This is not about that. It is just… I have been losing to you ever since the Entrance Exam. It's precisely because you're such a wonderful friend that I cannot follow you, untempered as I am. We are friends first, but I also wish for you to acknowledge me as a rival. So I, too, challenge you, Midoriya Izuku."

Izuku was speechless.

"Deku-kun?" Ochako asked. "Are you okay?"

Izuku shook himself out of his stupor. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's all fine. I'd wish you luck Tenya-kun, but I don't think you'll need it."

Tenya's lips twitched up into a hesitant smile. "Maybe we can grab ice cream together—the three of us? After the Sports Festival? I have it on good authority that it's illegal to go too long without it."

Izuku found himself trying to morph his face into a friendly expression, but he just knew that it came out too watery. "That sounds great."

"It'll be fun!" Ochako cheered. "Ice cream is great with everything and it's even better with friends!"

Tenya nodded. "For now though…" he took a step back. Then another. "I will see you on the field."

And just like that, Tenya was walking away.

It hurt. It hurt Izuku to see Tenya walking away from him and Ochako. He understood, of course he did. Tenya wasn't anyone's shadow or sidekick. He wanted to prove that to himself as much as anyone else.

Izuku would be damned if it didn't feel like his chest had collapsed a little, though.

That was about when pink flooded his vision as someone came up way too close to his face. "Team up with me, Mister First Place!"

Izuku had promised himself that we wouldn't cry on national television in front of all his schoolmates.

He failed miserably when Tokoyami revealed that he'd managed to nab enough points to land them in fourth place. His stupid plan of cranking up One For All to fifteen percent to punch Todoroki had actually fucking worked. Granted, not the way he had wanted it to, but they had succeeded. They were moving on.

Izuku couldn't have been happier.

He did his best to get himself together as quickly as he could—no need to make an even bigger spectacle of himself than he already had. He was wiping away the last of his tears when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was Todoroki.

"We need to talk," Todoroki said, deadpan. "Now."

Welp, Izuku thought to himself, standing across the hall from Todoroki, this sure isn't weird at all.

"So," Izuku said, crossing his arms. "You said that you wanted to talk. I want to get some lunch before we start fighting the others, so what was it that you wanted to say?"

Todoroki continued to glare at Izuku for a few moments. Izuku was entirely unaffected by it.

Eventually, Todoroki began to speak. "You overwhelmed me. So much so that I broke my own vow."

Vow? Izuku thought. What vow? Some other U.A. student besides me made a vow? What about? Wait, nope. Not important right now. Figure it out later.

"Iida, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka," Todoroki said, voice soft and indifferent. He held his hand, open and palm up, in front of his chest as he spoke. "None of them felt it. In that last instant, I was the only one that could feel the air pressure shift. I've been up close to All Might while he's fought villains. I know what his power feels like. I felt that same power—the same change in pressure—coming from you."

Stay calm. There's no way that he could have guessed that All Might passed on his Quirk to you, Izuku told himself, carefully keeping his face devoid of all emotions. "So? If you have something to say, then say it."

Todoroki looked up at him, eyes cold and serious. "Are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

Izuku held eye contact with Todoroki for about two seconds, processing the question.

Then he doubled over laughing.

"Holy shit," Izuku giggled. "You think—All Might—my dad? Fucking shit, Todoroki-kun, where the hell did you come up with that?"

Izuku was able to straighten himself out after a few more laughs had burst from him. Todoroki's formerly cold face seemed surprised and almost embarrassed.

"It's true that All Might and I both have strength augmentation Quirks, but that's it," Izuku lied easily. "Last I checked, All Might doesn't break his bones when he uses his Quirk. In fact, I would go so far as to say that All Might is extremely durable, far more than I am. All Might also doesn't have energy crackling around him at any time. Ever. Whenever I use my Quirk, though, it's always there. While I will admit that our Quirks are similar and that he's taken a liking to me, that isn't exactly solid grounds to start thinking he's my father, jeez. What are you, some kind of conspiracy theorist?"

Todoroki remained silent for a few seconds. "… I wasn't expecting that reaction."

"What were you expecting?" Izuku asked. He was still more amused than anything else, but he could feel the giddiness slipping away.

"… You know, my father is Endeavor, the second greatest hero of all time" Todoroki said, like he hadn't just obviously avoided Izuku's question. Jeez, that wasn't even subtle at all!

"What does that have to do with anything?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki gave him a look that was as cold as the ice that he wielded. "If you're somehow connected to All Might—"

"Did I or did I not just get through explaining this?"

"—Then that's all the more reason for me to crush you."

… So apparently Todoroki just hates All Might. Good to know that he's worthless garbage.

"Endeavor has gone and made name for himself, but he's always seen All Might as an obstacle to overcome," Todoroki continued. "Someone whose shadow he needs to step out of. But he knew that he would never be able to defeat All Might on his own. So he came up with another plan."

Izuku narrowed his eyes. "The hell is this about, Todoroki?"

"… Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?" Todoroki asked, once again just blatantly ignoring the question.

Izuku opened his mouth to ask what that had to do with anything before he realized that there might be a connection in there. Another plan. Quirk marriages.

Oh.

I don't like where this going.

Izuku gave Todoroki a considering look. "I've heard of them. They were super common in the second and third generation of Quirk users. Rich people with strong Quirks would… force another person with a 'desirable' Quirk ito marry them just so that they could create a child with an even 'better' Quirk. It's really just a form of eugenics that some people believe in because it has a different name."

Todoroki nodded. "Those generations were severely lacking in ethics. With his wealth and fame, my father forced my mom's family to agree to have them married. All so that he could get his hands on her Quirk."

Izuku watched as Todoroki's face grew darker, emotions of fury and hatred flickering in his eyes. Izuku almost jolted when he realized why the expression looked so familiar.

That's how I look when I'm thinking of Bakugou. That's the exact same look and feeling.

"Raising me as a hero," Todoroki almost spat the word out, "just to fulfill his own ambitions of beating All Might… I hate it! Being no more than a tool for that rotten man. I hate him."

Izuku knew that he was just staring at Todoroki now, but he couldn't help it. This… was not anything he had been expecting to hear about today.

Holy fuck, this is so screwed up.

Todoroki's hand came up to slowly cover his left eye as he spoke, completely covering his scar. "I can remember that my mom was always crying because of him. She couldn't take it any longer. She snapped and threw boiling water in my face, saying 'I can't stand to see his fire in you.'"

Child abuse, Izuku thought distantly. This is just child abuse. That's it, plain and simple.

"In short," Todoroki went on, "not using my left side is my way of getting revenge on him. By never using his villainous Quirk and rising to the top without it… I'll have denied him everything."

Izuku's mind was racing, kicking into overdrive. So the Number Two Hero actually just abused his son and his wife for way too long and no one ever noticed? What kind of hero would—?

… A hero who would hurt someone like that? How are they any different to heroes who refuse to help? When Bakugou was caught by the slime villain, no one helped him. They had to rely on the spite of a Quirkless kid and the Number One Hero to save him.

They're not real heroes. Neither is Endeavor. Hell, they're probably the exact same people who wouldn't give a single shit about a Quirkless person.

… Besides All Might, Aizawa, and some of the staff at the school, who's to say that any 'hero' is worthy of that title?

Because, right now, I can't think of one I know for certain wouldn't do something like this.

Izuku realized that he had been off in his head for far too long when Todoroki started walking away. "Your connection to All Might, whatever it is, you can keep it to yourself. Either way, I'll rise above you with only my right side, just like I will with everyone else. Sorry for wasting your time."

It took Izuku a three precious seconds to get the rest of his body to work. "Todoroki-kun, wait."

Surprisingly, Todoroki stopped and turned back to face Izuku. Izuku quickly scanned the area. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. "Come with me."

Todoroki quirked an eyebrow at that, but followed Izuku as he led the two of them further outside and from the hall they had been standing in. Once they were far enough that Izuku deemed them out of earshot from anyone who might be trying to eavesdrop, Izuku stopped.

"Okay," Izuku started, "I haven't told anyone about this, but something you said makes me feel like I can share it with you."

"… You really are All Might's secret love child?"

"What? No," Izuku said. "Seriously, drop that. It's a dumb theory. No, what I was going to say is that I can understand where you're coming from, if only a little bit."

"How could you possibly—"

"Hey," Izuku cut him off. "Let me talk."

Todoroki shut his mouth.

"My Quirk didn't come in until I was fourteen," Izuku said. "I grew up believing I was Quirkless. So did everyone around me. That in and of itself isn't exactly important. What is important is that this meant that I grew up being constantly bullied by Bakugou and his lackeys since I was four years old. I would get beat up all the time and Bakugou wouldn't hesitate to use his Quirk on me. None of the teachers or anyone else cared except my mom. That was it. I understand what it's like to have an asshole with a fiery Quirk ruining your entire childhood."

"… You were bullied?" Todoroki asked, voice even softer than usual.

Izuku gave off a bark of bitter laughter. "Bakugou would beat me up, destroyed my stuff, made fun of me constantly, and even told me to jump off of the school roof. I'm pretty sure that counts as bullying. Anyway, being ruthlessly bullied for ten years isn't exactly great for mental health, believe it or not. So I'm going to let you in on a secret."

Todoroki looked mildly interested, which seemed to be his equivalent of being completely enraptured. Izuku leaned towards Todoroki. Todoroki didn't move.

"I hate Bakugou," Izuku said. "I wouldn't be sad if he died. In fact, I would be happy about it. I want him to get hurt. I want him to suffer worse than I ever did. And I can guarantee that you feel the same way about your dumpster fire of a father."

Todoroki stared at him. Something flickered in his eyes, too quickly for Izuku to discern the emotion but long enough to know that he was right.

"You said that his Quirk is awful?" Izuku forged on. "Prove it. Show the world how terrible he is when compared to you. Show them how you take his Quirk and use it better than he ever could. Make it your own. Grind Endeavor's name into the ash heap of history. Make him nothing more than a side note in the story of your life. Become the greatest and the best with your power and renounce him. Give him everything he's ever wanted and then take it away from him and watch as he crumbles."

"… That almost sounds like something a villain would do, Midoriya," Todoroki said after a few moments.

"Okay, maybe that isn't the most heroic mindset ever," Izuku conceded, "but it's nothing compared to what he did to you. This is more than just petty revenge. This is justice."

It is petty revenge too, though, Izuku admitted to himself.

"And you want to do the same to Bakugou," Todoroki said, something like understanding sparking in his eyes.

"Yes," Izuku said. It hadn't been a question, but confirming it couldn't hurt. "Both for myself and what he did to Ochako-chan."

"You're… unexpectedly dark," Todoroki said.

Izuku shrugged. "It's not exactly something that I advertise. Ochako-chan and Tenya-kun are the only ones who know that I really… dislike Bakugou, but they don't really know about the rest of it."

"And you're trusting me with this information?"

Izuku smiled, allowing something dark to fray at the edges of it. "Let's face it, Todoroki-kun. No one would believe you if you said anything about this."

Todoroki blinked. The corner of his lip twitched upwards for a moment in something resembling a smile. "Fair enough."

"Now that we have that cleared up," Izuku said, "let me return your declaration of war with one of my own. Todoroki Shouto, I refuse to lose to you. I will defeat you."

That was definitely a smile. "We'll see."

"Best of luck to you," Izuku said. "You'll need it."

"As I said, we'll see."

They walked back inside, side-by-side.

After some drama that Izuku really could not have cared less about, Ojiro and someone else—maybe from Class 1-B?—decided to drop out and two students from Class 1-B took their place. Izuku recognized Tetsutetsu fairly easily, but he was less familiar with the girl. Oh well, he'd figure out her name soon enough through process of elimination.

Once that was out of the way, the lots for the tournament battles were drawn.

First person I'm up against… Monoma.

Izuku didn't know too much about who Monoma was or what the boy's Quirk was. However, he was certain that there was at least one person in his class that would know.

Suddenly, Izuku noticed a quick movement from the corner of his eye. He quickly jerked around and away. He stared at the mildly surprised face of some blind kid.

"Midoriya Izuku," the kid said, his voice reeking with disdain. "The best of us all. Class 1-A's shining star."

Oh wow, this guy has problems, doesn't he. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Izuku answered honestly.

"Don't play dumb," the blond kid said, crossing his arms and tilting up his chin. "You Class 1-A students think that you can just look down on all of us. You think that you're better than us. But you're not. And you never will be. I look forward to crushing you in our fight. It'll be a great way to open up the event."

Izuku narrowed his eyes. I hate him already. Taking a shot in the dark, Izuku said, "I wouldn't be too sure of that, Monoma."

Monoma just laughed. "I would. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do than talk to the likes of you."

What an absolute bastard, Izuku thought as he watched Monoma stalk away. I am going to love beating his ass into the ground.

Izuku looked down the rest of the brackets. Ashido against Shinsou—I'll have to go up against whoever wins that fight—Todoroki and Sero, Tenya and Shiozaki—that must be the girl who just got in with Tetsutetsu—then Hatsume and Kaminari, Tetsutetsu against Kirishima, Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu, and Ochako and—

No. No.

Ochako is fighting against Bakugou.

Izuku was going to kill someone. He didn't know who yet, but it would probably end up being Bakugou. Izuku wanted it to be Bakugou.

If he hurts her, I'm going to hang him by his own intestines. I will drag him to hell, hang him by his fingers, take the whip from Satan himself, and fucking thrash him.

Izuku swiftly scanned the area until his eyes landed on Ochako. She definitely looked nervous, though she was doing her best to put on a brave face. Izuku began to make his way over to her as quickly as possible.

"Ochako-chan," Izuku said once he was close enough.

Ochako startled a bit before looking up at him. "Oh, hi Deku-kun. So, um. The third event."

"Yeah," Izuku said. "Hey—"

"Ochako-san!"

Izuku and Ochako looked up to see Tenya practically skidding to a halt in front of them. There was a look of panic in his eyes.

"Tenya-kun—"

"Will you be alright?" Tenya asked, cutting Ochako off. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "It is not that I doubt your strength, but rather that I don't wish for your fight against Bakugou to force you to relive through the memories of—"

Ochako placed a single finger in front of Tenya's mouth. Tenya's jaw clicked shut.

"Tenya-kun. Deku-kun" Ochako started. "I'm… kind of scared, yeah. The last time I fought Bakugou it ended really badly. But I've gotten stronger. We all have. I can't let Bakugou scare me. I won't let my fear of what he might do control me."

Ochako grinned at Izuku and Tenya. "So you guys better cheer really loud for me when I win!"

Ochako's cheerfulness was dangerous. Izuku was already smiling at her and Tenya was practically shaking with determination.

"We will," Izuku promised.

"We'll be your greatest supporters in the crowd!" Tenya declared.

Izuku kept his smile on his face even as he felt his eyes slide towards Bakugou. Bakugou was standing in his typical slouch, simply glaring at the huge screen where the matches were displayed.

If he so much as singes Ochako, I am going to rip off his scalp and shove it down his throat. I will steal his fucking bones.

Izuku blinked. Well. That was darker than usual.

Izuku couldn't bring himself to care. He knew that he should, that he should be alarmed by how his thoughts were getting progressively darker and more violent. And yet Izuku felt nothing but a fiery hatred coiling in his gut.

For now, I'll let it go. I can work on this later.

I have time before I become a true hero.

"Midoriya-kun!"

Izuku stopped walking to turn and see Ojiro stalking towards him. He's upset, but… I don't think it's at me. Maybe it has to do with him dropping out of the tournament?

"Ojiro-kun," Izuku greeted. "Can I help you with something?"

Ojiro nodded. "Yeah, I just finished talking to Ashido-chan, but I wanted to tell you too. You know Shinsou, the guy with purple hair who basically declared war on Bakugou?"

Well now I have a name to go with his face. "Yeah, I remember him."

"His Quirk," Ojiro said, "it's brainwashing. If you respond to something he says then you just… become his puppet. So, if he beats Ashido-chan and you go up against him, don't talk to him."

Izuku blinked. A brainwashing Quirk, huh? That's super useful and versatile. I wonder if—no. Stop. Analysis later. "... Oh."

"Yeah," Ojiro sighed.

Izuku was still trying to get his brain to calm down when a sharp "oh!" from Ojiro had him tuning back into the world around him.

"Your first fight is up against Monoma, right?" Ojiro asked.

Izuku blinked. "Yeah, it is. Why?"

"His Quirk," Ojiro said, "if he touches someone with his hand, then he can copy their Quirk."

So a kid with an inferiority complex who can copy Quirks. And he'll be going up against me so—

Oh.

Oh.

I know exactly how to handle him.

"Thanks, Ojiro-kun," Izuku said, straining to keep his voice level. "I really appreciate it."

Ojiro smiled at him. "Well, even if I can't win, one of my classmates should. Just make sure to beat them for me, okay?"

Izuku smiled. "Well, there shouldn't be any problems there. I was already planning on winning."

Ojiro huffed out a small laugh. "How are you so confident about all this? Todoroki and Bakugou are both out for your blood and you just… you're taking it all in stride."

Izuku grinned widely. "I can't afford to think about losing. I know that so long as I do my best that I'll beat them."

"A little cocky there?" Ojiro asked, his tone teasing.

"Nah, just determined."

Izuku stood in the tunnel leading into the arena, taking deep breaths and ignoring whatever commentary Present Mic was making. He had a plan for dealing with Monoma. A plan that would teach Monoma a lesson, paint Izuku as a kind person, and further demonstrate the power of One For All. Izuku would win. He would crush Monoma.

"Hey!"

Izuku looked over his shoulder to see All Might. Izuku couldn't fight a smile. "Hi. Did you come to wish me luck?"

All Might laughed heartily. "I did, although I'm sure that you don't need it. You've embraced the power of One For All and made it your own. You've used it in ways that I've never even imagined! I'm incredibly proud of you."

Izuku stared up at All Might. Here was the Number One Hero, going out of his way to wish Izuku luck and let him know that he was proud. It made Izuku feel… loved.

Is… this what having a dad is like?

Izuku quickly smothered that thought. You're just thinking of it because of Todoroki's dumb theories. "I'm only here because you believed in me, All Might. If you hadn't… I don't know where I would be."

"My dear Prince of Nonsense, you may not have made it into U.A., that much is true," All Might said. "However, there is no doubt in my mind that you would still be becoming the best hero that you could be. I simply sped up the process."

Izuku grinned. "Thank you. You saying that… it means a lot to me."

Suddenly, All Might inflated. "Just remember to smile like you are smiling now! Even when you don't feel brave—especially when you feel scared—you must show the world that you will stand strong! Never forget that I'm expecting even bigger things from you, young Midoriya!"

Izuku felt his grin widen further. "I won't forget. Thank you, All Might."

"The first match!" Present Mic's voice boomed throughout the arena as Izuku stepped forwards. "The best performer so far in the Sports Festival, it's Midoriya Izuku from the Hero Course! Versus Monoma Neito, the cool and calm student from Class 1-B!"

Izuku simply kept his gaze locked on Monoma as Present Mic continued to explain the rules. He already knew exactly how to deal with this fight.

"Now!" Present Mic shouted. "Let's get started!"

Izuku immediately painted a slightly panicked and concerned look over his face. "Monoma-kun, please don't copy my Quirk! Let's both fight without them. I don't want you to get hurt!"

Goad him. Use his inferiority complex to your advantage, Izuku thought to himself. But make sure you act like you care. Pretend that you give a shit about him. Don't let the world know what you have planned.

"You Class 1-A kids really are at the height of arrogance, aren't you?" Monoma snarked. "You're just afraid that I'm going to be better at using your Quirk than you are, aren't you? How typical." With that, Monoma began racing towards Izuku.

Izuku immediately activated Full Cowl, the familiar energy crackling around him as he used his power to stay away from Monoma. I can't let him tag me. Not yet.

"My Quirk is too powerful!" Izuku yelled, fake compassion ringing in his voice. "You'll hurt yourself if you copy it!"

Monoma twisted his face in a way that made him look unhinged. "Yeah, right. Like I'll believe that. I know what your game is. Don't take me for an idiot!"

Oh, it's much too late for that.

Monoma all but growled and charged at Izuku. With Full Cowl fired up, Izuku was easily able to evade and duck and avoid Monoma's attempts at copying his Quirk, insisting that Monoma stop during the whole thing. And so their little game of cat and mouse continued with Monoma growing increasingly pissed off and Present Mic shouting out commentary.

Perfect.

Right before jumping out of the way of Monoma's outstretched hand, Izuku pretended to stumble. He felt fingertips graze over his forearm.

All according to plan.

Izuku quickly bounded away once more before turning around to face a grinning Monoma. The boy's face was arrogant and dark. Izuku did his best to cover up a matching expression with a look of panic.

"Oh!" Present Mic's voice boomed in the arena. "It seems that Monoma was able to copy Midoriya's Quirk, despite Midoriya's insistence!"

"Monoma-kun!" Izuku cried out. "Don't!"

"Don't?" Monoma parroted mockingly. "I have your strength now, Midoriya. And I'll use it even better than you."

Izuku saw the energy of One For All flare to life on Monoma's arm for about two second before a look of abject terror overtook Monoma's face.

Izuku activated Full Brace and threw his arms in front of his face right before a burst of energy released from Monoma's arm. Izuku was able to keep himself from sliding back too far, staying inside of the ring.

After the the air around him had finally settled, Izuku lowered his arms and gazed at his handiwork.

Monoma's right arm looked awful. It was missing a few chunks, especially around his shoulder and elbow, so much so that Izuku was surprised that Monoma's arm was still hanging on. The area in front of Monoma was splattered with carnage, his ruined arm bleeding freely and bending in all the wrong places and ways.

There was a beat of silence before Monoma began screaming and fell to his knees. His shrieks were the kind that curdled blood and made the hair on the back of Izuku's neck stand up on end. He had never heard anything like this before.

This was what true pain sounded like.

Izuku found that he was less surprised than he should have been at the fact that he seemed to enjoy the noises that Monoma was making. It made it easier for him to fake being horrified, this level of calm.

This isn't normal, Izuku thought blankly as he forced his body to tremble and tears to accumulate in the corners of his eyes. Present Mic was saying something over the speakers, but Izuku wasn't focusing enough on him to process what he was saying. This level of detachment. How much I like seeing him in pain.

This isn't what a normal person is like.

But… since when have I been normal?

Monoma was still screaming himself ragged, the sound filling what would otherwise be shocked silence. Only a few more seconds passed before what appeared to be paramedics rushed into the arena. Two of them were carrying a stretcher while the other three began attending to Monoma. They bandaged him hastily but well—from what Izuku could tell, at least—before gently placing him on the stretcher. And then they were hustling off of the field with Monoma who was still screeching.

A bony hand landed on Izuku's shoulder. Izuku turned his blank, tearful gaze up to see All Might in his true form, the man's face twisted in something like nausea. Izuku didn't like that look at all. "Let's head out now, young Midoriya."

Izuku nodded and let All Might guide him out of the arena.

Well. I certainly made an impression.

Izuku forced a smile down.

Perfect.

A/N: So, Monoma copying One For All. In the manga, I know that he fails to copy it. However, I'm interpreting that since Izuku very much did not want to let Monoma copy OFA in the manga, it didn't work. OFA can't be unwillingly taken. But it can be forcibly given. And that's essentially what Izuku was doing here.

Also I've had this plot point in my head since before that chapter came out and I'll be damned if I don't play around with it.

Thank you all for reading. I hope that you loved the chapter!