A/N: I hope everyone stays safe.

When he was a child he remembered his teacher asking them for their favorite number.

For some reason… he answered with the number zero…

Why was that? He couldn't remember.

"It is because Deku can't do anything!"

"I bet zero is all he's going to get on his exams!"

The memory was a bit too distant for him to recall. Not that it mattered to him at this point.

"You're the one who won't be able to affect the future."."

Bakugo stood on wobbled legs, his previous bravado all but disappeared. The welts on his body felt burned on by flames, and his body ached with a new kind of agony.

He hadn't been beaten up this bad since the last time he pissed off his mother.

The boy forced himself to still, drew strength from anger like he always did, whipped his body around and shot off his rebuttal.

"What did you say to me, you little shit?!"

In the next moment, he wasn't sure if he had spoken at all.

"What did you say to me, you little-"

What were the words he said before?

He was on wobbly legs again.

Bakugo forced himself to still, before scrambling after the green swordsman. He stretched out a hand to try and seize the boy, to turn him around and demand an explanation for this strange phenomenon.

He was back on wobbly legs again. The swordsman that he tried to reach remained just as far as he was seconds ago. It was as if he never ran at all, or even ran backwards.

He forced his legs to still.

He was back on wobbly legs again.

A loop! He realized. I'm stuck in a loop! Everything I tried to do is looped back to the beginning as if it never happened at all!

He was back on wobbly legs again. Did he realize something important?

All Might watched the contest unfold from the comfort of the monitor room, his arms folded in front of his chest. His brows furrowed into an intense scowl as he took in the happenings.

That young Bakugo was really something else.

The depths that the boy was willing to go through just to achieve victory was almost disturbing. In a way it was almost a corruption of the school's "Plus Ultra" motto.

"Bakugo, if you take things too far again, I will be forced to disqualify you!" He spoke into his portable radio. He only got silence as a response.

In any case, this contest appeared to be getting out of hand. As the instructor in charge, it was his duty to call it off for the safety of his students. But as a spectator, he wanted to see it through. He wanted to see what Young Midoriya could bring to the table.

"Oi." Kaminari pointed a finger at the monitor. "Bakugo has been standing in the same place for about a minute. Is he alright?"

All Might looked towards the light yellow pixels on the screen. Kaminari was right, Bakugo hadn't moved in a while.

The man shifted his eyes back towards the green pixels. On the other hand, Young Midoriya was on the move.

Izuku breathed laboriously as he climbed the stairs. His head filled with a strange dizziness. Exhaustion was starting to kick in, and his back felt like it was going to snap in half.

His hands felt cold, as if they were clasping around a block of ice rather than a piece of wood.

Yet, somehow, he knew if he let go, he would lose something important to him.

By some miracle, he was still fighting—much unlike his childhood bully who seemed to have entered an unresponsive daze.

Perhaps he hit him too hard during their last exchange. He ought to give an apology once all this was over. Or perhaps not. An apology would likely get Katsuki more worked up than usual.

Izuku was worried though. Not so much about what Katsuki would say or do to him afterwards, but about the petite brunette who had been fighting for his sake.

He only hoped that there was enough time left over for him to make a difference.

The boy looked downward towards the crimson sword he held in his hands. A sense of infinite possibilities flowing through him.

Somehow, despite the odds and the dwindling time, he felt like they just might be able to make it through this.

By the time he rounded the corners of the staircase, Uraraka was on the floor, having been overwhelmed by the armored speedster.

Standing tall a few meters away from her was the dignified class representative, now dressed like some sort of cybernetic knight.

The division of the room was visible and evident. The room to the left side of the staircase was undisputedly Iida's territory. Befitting its owner's dominance, Iida's side was packed to the brim with various tools, toys, shelves, and general household items. Sticking out from the midst of the pile was the rocket shaped nuclear weapon that the hero team was tasked to secure.

Existing in almost stark contrast, the room to the right side of the staircase, where Uraraka was, was bare and empty, save for the existence of a girl who was at her wit's end.

Izuku turned his attention back to Iida again, who seemed to have not picked up on his presence in his endeavor to talk Uraraka into giving up her struggle.

A part of him was glad that Iida was gentle enough to not kick someone while they were down. The more competitive part of him was annoyed by the boy's confidence.

Maybe he should take advantage of this opportunity and make a run for the nuclear weapon while the class rep was still distracted?

Yup. That idea sounded a lot better than getting in yet another dragged out fight.

He just had to run fast. Like how he did against Katsuki earlier!

Izuku measured the distance between himself and the nuclear weapon.

Two seconds…

No one second will be more than enough!

Then, much to his chagrin, Iida turned his head towards the staircase and spotted him.

"Midoriya-kun?" Iida's questioning voice seeped from the holes of his helmet. Izuku quickly held the bamboo sword in front of him.

He couldn't tell what Iida's expression was underneath the helmet, but in that instant, he knew Iida figured the situation out and realized that he was at a disadvantage.

Nothing supported his theory more than when Iida sped towards him and hit him with a kick that he barely managed to block with his bamboo sword.

It seemed that once Iida knew that he was in a two-on-one situation, the class rep quickly abandoned his previous passiveness and took on a more aggressive approach.

The force of the blow was heavy and Izuku was barely able to keep his hold on his sword.

The previous strength that he exhibited against Katsuki was nowhere to be seen as Izuku struggled on with fingers that felt like they were blocks of ice.

He was losing feeling in both of his hands. His previous iron tight grip on the wooden weapon now more closely resembled the feeble grasp of a newborn infant.

Did I suffer some nerve damage from my previous scuffle with Katsuki? He wondered as he clenched and gnashed his teeth against each other in exertion. Maybe I got slammed one too many times on my back during the fight?

Whatever the case, he knew that this was no time to dawdle on the details. The green clad combatant unclenched his teeth and shouted to his teammate. "Uraraka-san!"

"Got it!" The brunette replied as she scampered off the floor, making quick strides towards the nuclear weapon.

She didn't make it far as Iida sped away from Izuku and knocked her away with a kick, drawing a sharp yelp from her as she cried out in pain.

"Tsk." Izuku tutted his tongue in annoyance. " Damn it!"

He ripped his lingering eyes away from the fallen Uraraka, knowing that it was up to him to secure the weapon once more. But even as he set his eyes on the oversized rocket, he could see the class rep gaining on him from the peripherals of his vision.

It was at that moment, Izuku realized that to truly accomplish anything, he had to take the class rep down first.

Izuku took on a combative stance, the crimson bamboo held firmly to his right, his two eyes locked determinedly onto his newest obstacle.

Iida was fast, yet slow. Despite his head start, it was Izuku who struck first.

With one foot tapping off the ground, the freckled student sped forward, his sword clashing onto his opponent's chest like a scarlet lightning bolt.

Izuku dropped onto one knee to stop his momentum, the sword no longer in his hands. His eyes however reflected no triumph, but instead were mirrors of fear.

A spin kick to the side of the head quickly leveled the boy, as Iida, who was supposed to be done in, stood tall over his opponent.

"Sorry, Midoriya-kun… This is part of the exercise. Nothing personal." Iida offered his condolences as he stared down at him.

None of it made it into Izuku's heart though as the boy replayed the events of the past seconds.

Like he feared, his grip on the sword wasn't strong enough. The moment he swung it, it was pushed out of his hands with little resistance.

Izuku turned his head slightly, just enough to observe the chest plate of Iida's armor. A sizable crack could be seen stretching diagonally from each end of the plating. But it wasn't what Izuku intended.

He had planned on taking the class rep out of the contest with that blow. However, unlike the case with Bakugo, he didn't even touch the flesh.

Give it back…

Izuku's eyes widened, his hands clutching his head. Whose thought was that?

Then, he felt something being ripped away from him. Something important.

Yet, strangely enough, he felt something returned to him as well.

His hands.

They were no longer plagued with the feeling of chthonic cold. His fingers felt pliable once more. The numbness that previously haunted him was effectively lifted away.

From the corner of his vision, Izuku saw Uraraka roll back onto her feet, and silently prayed for her success as he watched her book it towards the nuclear weapon.

Much to his distress, Iida knocked her back on her butt again. This time, when she fell, she fell right next to him.

They were getting nowhere fast.

"Sorry, Midoriya-kun and Uraraka-kun. But I can't let you reach the weapon. I hope you guys won't hold this against me in the future."

"Hehe…" Uraraka chuckled as she rose back to her feet, a hand wiping away the sweats that held her brown locks in disarray, the other shooting her class rep a thumbs up. "It is no big deal! This is the essence of competition after all! Besides, I know class rep has been pulling his punches on me!"

"Ehhhh?!" Midoriya's eyes went round with surprise on this one, he too rose back onto his feet. "Iida-kun should go a little bit easier on me as well!"

Iida puffed up his chest. "If you're a man, then stop complaining!"

"Come on...don't say that…" Izuku whimpered weakly. He just wanted someone to treat him gently too.

"Anyway, I have been wondering…" Iida looked intently at Izuku. "What happened to Bakugo-kun? Did you defeat him?"

"Y-yeah…I guess you could say that…" Izuku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Even he wasn't too sure about what happened down there.

"Then that's even more of a reason that I can't take you lightly!"

Izuku frowned.

"Wow!" Uraraka turned towards her teammate, eyes sparkling with newfound admiration. "You defeated Bakugo-kun?! That is so awesome!"

Then Izuku smiled.

He liked Uraraka's reaction a lot better.

"Anyway," Iida cut in, shooting a look at his wristwatch. "If I didn't lose track of time... there is only two minutes left in this exercise...I can just stall for the remainder of the time…"

Izuku and Uraraka tensed as Iida trailed off, their eyes already darting towards the opposing side of the class rep, fully prepared to book towards the rocket simultaneously.

"But, with respect to you foolish heroes' perseverance, I suppose I will give you a glimpse of my true power before your meaningless deaths!" Iida leaned back, both hands on his waist, a sinister guffaw rocking his chest. " Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Izuku turned towards Uraraka, his face dumbfounded, a judgemental finger pointed at the strange sight unfolding in front of him. "What is up with him?"

Uraraka responded with a wry smile. "He was also like this when I first bumped into him...I think Iida-kun is the type who takes role playing really seriously."

"Oh...I see…"

No other frivolous dialogues could be exchanged as Iida took off, and Izuku immediately put himself on guard.

A strong squall ravaged the area in the next moment, kicked up by the sheer speed of the class rep's movement. Undoubtedly, Iida was even faster than Katsuki.

In the center of the storm, Izuku shifted uncomfortably, Uraraka pinned closely to him as they stood back to back, watching vigilantly for each other.

Almost instinctively, Izuku knew that he wouldn't be able to match Iida's speed. He definitely could have just a few moments ago. But not right now.

Something about him changed in the past minute. Something important left him when he let his sword slip from his hands.

Yeah...the sword… Izuku looked around wildly for his weapon, eventually spotting it close by the staircase. A light crimson glow could still be seen emitting from its wooden body.

The same instincts that informed him of his physical impotence was now telling him that he needed to retrieve the glowing sword to stand a chance.

So, the green hero scampered towards it, ignoring the threat of Iida.

He managed to retrieve his sword just as Iida came at him with a kick. On sheer reflex, he blocked it with his sword—an action that he quickly came to regret as he found himself launched down the staircase.

His back rolled and collided with the edge with each individual stair as he bumped and tumbled down to the lower floor. When he finally stopped, he thought it to be a miracle that he somehow managed to survive.

But he had a feeling that by tomorrow morning, he just might wake up paralyzed.

"Deku-kun!" Uraraka called out to him in concern. Too wrapped up in his own pain, he couldn't offer any words of reassurance.

Like he suspected, he wasn't as strong as he was a moment ago.

Slowly, he crawled back up the stairs, all the while trying to process everything that happened up until now.

From his battle against Katsuki, it seemed that his quirk negating powers somehow managed to carry over to his sword.

It didn't escape his attention how Katsuki suddenly couldn't use his Quirk despite avoiding direct contact with him. Not to mention the utter ease he felt when he sliced through that gigantic fireball…

With one final grunt, Izuku dragged himself to the top of the staircase, where he quickly collapsed out of fatigue.

Uraraka wasn't doing much better than he was. Entrapped in a vortex of speeding Iida, Uraraka could only get thrashed around in her endeavor to reach their objective.

Against Iida, his power to negate wasn't as effective. The moments of contact were too fleeting to matter. He wondered if Iida even noticed the brief periods that his quirk turned off when they clashed against each other.

But… Izuku shifted his eyes towards the sword he held in his hand. If I associate the power with the redness of my blade, then perhaps while the sword is still red, it will retain the quirk nullifying power as well…

A plan quickly formed inside Izuku's mind. If he could stop Iida mid-dash, even if just for a brief moment, then they might have a chance at winning.

The boy stood up, making a sprint for the rocket, knowing that this was the most effective way to get the class rep's attention. If he wanted to put his plan into motion, he needed to do it while Uraraka still had the energy.

Sure enough, the armored teen was now charging straight at him, the engine of the teen's calves boosting the speed of the pursuit immensely.

Izuku grinned. It was going just as he planned.

The green-clad hero stopped mid-sprint and turned to face the approaching Iida, a firm foot planted in the ground in front of him, while his right hand reared back.

Then with all his might, he tossed the sword at his enemy, sending the bamboo weapon whirring through the air like a spinning buzzsaw.

Whether out of confidence that his armor would protect him, or simply caught off guard, Iida absorbed the hit of the spinning blade head on. He quickly realized that something was amiss, however, when he found himself slowing down.

His engines were no longer working.

The opening was all Izuku needed to tackle the stupefied class rep onto the floor.

"Uraraka-san, do it now!"

The brunette seemed to have caught on. "Okay!" She responded as she rushed towards them, and touched Iida with her hands.

"Uraraka-san?" Iida exclaimed in shock as his body parts started to float.

Under zero gravity, Iida-kun might be able to move even faster. But Izuku knew that mattered naught if he kept his grip on him.

"I apologize in advance for this, Iida-kun." He lifted Iida up,and charged towards the opposing side of the room while Uraraka headed enroute towards the rocket.

"Wait, Midoriya! Wait!" Iida cried out in panic as he thrashed futilely in his grasp.

Izuku didn't wait. Rather he steeled his heart and rammed the class rep into the wall, pinning him there with all his strength.

"Damn it, why won't my quirk activate?!" Iida continued to thrash, but Midoriya refused to budge.

And right in front of the class rep's eyes, with him unable to do anything to stop her, Uraraka touched the nuclear missile. Doing so just one second before the timer ran out.

The sound of All Might's voice boomed throughout the intercom.

"And the winner is…. The hero team!"

A loud, elongated sigh left Iida as he hung his head down in defeat.

Izuku smiled weakly, the announcement of their victory being more than enough for him to relax, his body slumping onto the floor the moment that he did so.

What came next was a sensation of sinking, as if he were free falling into a bottomless pit. Darkness dotted his vision, and then he was gone.

The last thing he heard was Iida and Uraraka calling his name out of concern.

When he came to, he was once again in the black and white world.

Though this time, he wasn't in his house, but lying flat on a hovering rectangular plane of pure white.

His surroundings were an endless black.

For an instant, he thought he was floating in outer space.

He slowly tried to push himself back up, gasping in horror when his fingers shattered at the pressure applied.

"Arrrgh!" Izuku cried out as he sat up, eyes staring at frost-covered hands that more resembled popsicles than flesh and bones.

His hands trembled endlessly in front of his eyes, quivering from a mixture of fear and agony.

How could something like this be happening to him?!

From across the plane, a blinding portal of light opened up, and out came the child version of himself that he saw in the kitchen.

In the hands of the disheveled child, was the lantern with the frozen flame.

With eyes that resembled glass, the boy stared at him, before lifting up the lantern for him to see.

"You're not taking this away from me again."

Strangely enough, he felt no malice in the boy's words. Rather, just a feeling of incredible sadness.

As if not wanting to be forgotten.