Hawks knew that the way he spoke pissed off a lot of people. It was in large part intentional, but in some ways he didn't know the right social cues. Sometimes he just didn't care to pay attention. Mirko had once summarized it simply as 'birdbrain sarcasm'. He sounded cheerful to the point that people couldn't believe him to be genuine.

But when Hawks had said that Izuko was ridiculously good at what she was doing, he hadn't been lying. She was like a force of nature, like some ridiculous comic protagonist whose ability was to improvise, adapt, and overcome any adversary.

All that was missing was some red glinting eyes.

Age did not make a master. Yes, size and muscles made a difference, but technique could be lived and breathed regardless of your own constitution. Quirks were the great equalizer in that regard.

So where does all that go in such a small girl?

She moved with a certainty that made pro heroes look greener than her hair. She had a flashy and destructive quirk that had to be held back to avoid collateral damage.

Once, one of his many teachers for heroics had told him why heroes had to be much stronger than the villains they faced. His reasoning, and one he would still put forward to anyone who would ask the same of him, was that holding back against your enemy was always harder than ending their life.

It stood to reason that someone with a quirk that made killing so easy would learn a valuable lesson like that on the path of destruction.

"A task meant to show off those with destructive quirks," Endeavor said, frowning. "And letting the small fries ride on the coattails of those greater than them."

"Is that what you see?" Hawks asked. Endeavor's eyes shifted, though his face did not turn. Hawks met the glare with a grin. "I suppose that's one way to look at it, the festival is a thing to show off after all, but I think you're selling the others short."

One of Izuko's teammates, Setsuna Tokage, was holding some of their flags in the air using her quirk. The boy, Kirishima, was shielding the others, while Kyoka Jirou was using her quirk to guide Izuko to flags that were hidden underground by some other teams.

"Wasted potential all around," Endeavor murmured. "Someone who has no future in our industry shouldn't be trying so hard."

"Funny," Hawks said. "It almost sounds like you're disappointed she won't be a hero."

Endeavor made a noncommittal grunt. Hawks could guess. In the end, Endeavor was very much a traditionalist when it came to quirk eugenics. Quirks were not new expressions, but refined old quirks.

If Izuko Midoriya was a hero, and succeeded using the quirk that his own son could not use properly… it would be Endeavor's victory.

It was when Izuko's blue flames reflected in Endeavor's eyes that they shone with something more than just cloudy anger and disdainful judgement. Hawks felt irritation rise in his chest, but did not allow it to show.

"You trained her." Endeavor's voice was not judging, but it was, as usual, quite rough. Hawks pursed his lips. "If not you, that girlfriend of yours."

"She trained herself," Hawks said, crossing his arms. The crowd around them was listening in, but most of them were too distracted by the spectacle on the ground to really pay attention. "Mirko just helped her release some pent up stress."

Endeavor's chest puffed up slightly, and Hawks could feel the heat radiating off his quirk-made mask. "She's dangerous, and yet you're protecting her from justice."

"I'm doing my appointed duty as a probation officer and guardian," Hawks said, smiling softly. Izuko's hand lit up and ripped through five flags of another team, knocking them to zero. "I suppose I've become something of a parent, too. We protect our families, after all."

Hawks knew that was a low blow. Mirko always said that he was too fond of Endeavor, but that was not true. He was fond of the hero that had inspired him.

The man who was glaring at him with a force that caused people around them to scramble away was not quite that hero. Whether it was Endeavor who'd grown jaded in the intervening years, or Hawks himself,, the bird themed hero cared little. He loved Endeavor, it was the ideal that he held in his heart. Nothing would change that.

"Perhaps she will have some use," Endeavor said, grinding his teeth as he glared down at his son. The boy had encased the flags in ice, making them untouchable to anyone who couldn't melt through it. "He will not be able to beat her with ice alone."

"Maybe not," Hawks said, clapping his hands together. "I look forward to seeing his growth. He seems to be his father's son."

Not that low this time, though Endeavor seemed torn between pride and disdain over the phrase. Hawks would not say that Shouto Todoroki was similar to Endeavor in personality, though their eyes had the same clouded look.

It was that dogmatic approach to challenges. Endeavor wished to surpass All Might through his blood, Shouto Todoroki meanwhile, wanted to surpass Endeavor using only half his quirk.

What a messed up family.

Izuko finished up a team by herself. The frustrated shout by the one sleep-deprived kid with the gadgets before he was knocked out sounded more like pleading. His partner shielded his body with her suit when the flames advanced and burned their flags into puddles.

Hawks winced. He knew that she had already predicted the way this would go, but it would not be so obvious to others. Only Endeavor's almost appreciative hum made him realize that he was not the only one.

Sir Nighteye was not in a good position. The expression to be between a rock and a hard place was more than appropriate. Right now he felt more like a child who was afraid to tell their parents some bad news instead of an established pro hero with government exclusive contracts.

The report in his hands had not been easy to piece together. Someone had gone out of their way to make the files disappear from public record, but Sir Nighteye was not a pro for nothing. A whole family goes missing, reported by the school after their children stop attending. The investigation finds a destroyed home, the name is redacted.

But only from the digital files. The physical ones were left untouched, likely because the person responsible was in a rush.

No, nothing All For One ever did was in a rush. He was… meticulous would not be the right word. Pragmatic. Visionary, even. There were multiple descriptors that fit, but in the end it was that man's ability to see so clearly that lead to him overlooking the smallest errors, the tiniest mistakes in his plans.. He never expected anyone to dig out the physical files of a missing person case, and he would have been right if not for the pile of information Izuko Midoriya's testimonies had brought to light

Or, as it stood now, the information that Dabi had put in between the files about Endeavor that he somehow shared with the media.

"You look worried," Bubble Girl said. His sidekick, blue from head to toe, was someone he relied on a lot. She was dependable and dedicated to her job. Sometimes, however, she could say just the wrong thing and just the wrong time. "Who is Tenko Shimura?"

He was so distracted that he had not noticed her come into the office with some tea. She would remind him to take a break every two hours, and he had forgotten to pay attention to the time like usual. This was his fault.

"The grandson of All Might's teacher," Sir Nighteye said. Bubble Girl blinked. "And, I believe… a villain."

Bubble Girl coughed, unable to formulate the right response. He would be able to confirm it better once he received the rest of the files from the depot. Whatever was left of the home after it was destroyed should have a picture or two.

"Should I tell him?" Sir Nighteye asked. It was not a question he asked lightly, and Bubble Girl knew that. If he asked for her advice, it was not because he was testing her, but because he didn't trust himself to come up with the right answer.

She thought for a moment, putting the tray of tea on the table. The smell alone was calming.

"You've… always been honest, sir," Bubble Girl said, her hands in her lap. "I think it's one of your best features. If you share your predictions with someone, you never lie."

Sir Nighteye said nothing, hiding his mouth behind his fingers as he bridged them under his nose.

If All Might knew, he would chase after All For One now. He had not even picked a successor yet, though Sir Nighteye knew he would soon. He might not survive another confrontation with his nemesis, and that could mean losing One For All, forever..

And yet it was his right to know.

He sighed, reaching out to one of the cups with shaking hands. He wished this was an easier choice, and in a way it was. Bubble Girl was right.

Sir Nighteye was not a liar. Not by bold faced lies, and not by omission.

Izuko was having too much fun.

Again, it was the screams and shouts that ignited her flames, but she had to stay focused. In the end, Todoroki and her had come to a silent agreement not to go after one another. In spite of his need to fight her and measure her ability, or seek revenge for his brother, he wanted to do so in the single elimination stage.

This was between them, he was no doubt thinking.

Izuko was more than happy to oblige and ride roughshod over the rest of the contestants.

It was against Monoma and Tetsutetsu that she found her first real adversary.

Her leg hit Monoma in the neck, trying to knock him away. Instead, it made the noise of metal clashing against metal. He was grinning widely, his face turning into the same metal that Tetsutetsu was at the moment, rushing at her.

"I re-evaluated my feelings," Monoma said. Tetsutetsu's fist slammed into Izuko's arms as she raised them to block, sending her flying backwards. She twisted in the air, her feet touching the ground and sending her skidding back. When she stopped, she glared up at the two. Their flags were being protected by their partners in crime, two others from 1-B. The orange haired girl was holding all the flags in giant fists, protecting them.

"Yeah?" Izuko said. She couldn't go too far here. They were too sturdy to go at them without a quirk, but their metal bodies would likely melt and cause permanent injury if she wasn't careful.

"I thought you'd be a savage wolf child, but I was wrong," Monoma said. He sounded genuine, which was hard enough with his voice and mannerisms. "Your whole thing started with All Might telling you that you couldn't be a hero, right?"

Izuko dodged a strike from behind. Thorny vines lashed at her, forcing her to burn through some of them to make more space between her and Tetsutetsu's continued approach.

"If you want to distract me, you'll need to do a better job," Izuko said. Flames exploded out of her side and sent her flying off. Another burst, forward. Another burst, up.

She landed right in front of Itsuka Kendo's large fists, and held up a flame to them. The flags fell to the ground when the hands turned small and she hissed in pain.

Before Izuko could burn them, Monoma's own fists became massive and slapped down on them. Izuko flipped backwards, kicking a wave of flames at the hand, but the swinging hand took on a metallic glint.

"Your body's messed up," Monoma said. His massive metal hand became small again, pulling the flags along. The team of four stood united. "But I learned something from copying that quirk, didn't think I'd ever be able to do this."

"If your opinion improved because your quirk became better," Izuko said, creating an armor of flame around her, "that's really f-ricking shallow."

No cursing.

She promised.

Monoma dropped the flags and lowered his stance. His body turned metal in its entirety. "Now."

Tetsutetsu did the same. Izuko blinked, waiting for them to make their move.

She did not expect Kendo's fist to enlarge and hit them in the back, launching them forward at a breakneck speed.

Monoma was coming from above, Tetsutetsu from below.

If she were anyone else, this might have worked. Flames exploded behind her and launched her as well. The world around her turned into nothing but a blur. She took a deep breath, and focused.

Her body twisted with the help of small flames that shot out of her skin, creating holes in her costume. Spinning between the boys, she kicked off with some more flames again, burning their clothes but not reaching temperatures to damage metal. They would be embarrassed, but fine.

Her target was in front of her. Shiozaki, the girl with the thorn hair, created a massive wall but here Izuko had type advantage. Her body burned into the wall like a comet, and she kicked into Kendo's fist with a force that caused the girl to recoil.

Izuko would not stop.

She could not stop.

Thunderdrums and rattling chains. She felt wrong in her skin. It was too tight around her muscles. Izuko's feet touched the ground again, kicking up the dirt until it formed thin clouds at her feet.

She roared at the sky. The flames shot upwards as she stretched her body into every direction. Itsuka Kendo could not approach. Monoma was still in flight. The flags were on the ground, melting into nothing.

"Monoma is wrong," a soft voice came through the roaring flames. It was Shiozaki, who was nursing her burnt hair, standing behind Kendo's large hands to shield herself from the heat. "You're still a monster."

Izuko felt a lump in her throat as the flames began to die down.

Chapter 20, upcoming:

"People don't change," the small voice in the back of her mind spoke softly. "Only their circumstances do."