Chapter 12: First Round Fights

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He didn't -, no, they didn't make it.

Right there on the board, it showed his failure to the world. They had fended off their classmates and kept a solid grip on their points, but they hadn't qualified by a measly 15 points. That was comparative to a single headband. They just needed one more.

To be so close yet fail all the same was a particular type of pain. It stung like getting struck by a wet towel or kicked hard in the shin. It was bitter and nasty like dirt or mud. They'd done everything right, though. No one even touched their bands, and they even got some from their classmates.

"Lee," Pony stood behind him and laid a soft hand on his shoulder as he stared up at the monitor. He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Hey, Lee," Togaru tried, eyes flickering from Lee to the screen. "This is my fault. I should've tried harder and-,"

Lee blinked and turned to Togaru, lips slightly downturn. "No, Togaru," He started softly. "No, no, no, don't put this on yourself. This is," he indicated to the names on the board that definitely didn't include any of theirs, "it's on m-"

"Me," Pony muttered, interrupting him. Lee turned to her, eyes slightly wide.

"No, Pony," Lee started slowly, shaking his head. "It's not your fault. Your horns helped us out a lot. Togaru, you too. We just," he took a breath and searched for the words.

"Lost," Togaru spat, frowning severely, glaring at the monitor as if he wanted to shoot a blade at it from his eyes. Could he do that, actually?

Questions for later.

"We lost," Lee said as if it were the worst words he'd ever utter.

"It's not on any one of us," he continued. "We competed as a team, and we lost as a team, but," his eyes burned. "You guys don't know much it means to me that you chose to be on my team."

Lee felt the tears sliding down his cheeks as the reality of the situation set in. He shut them, tried to get the tears to stop, and heard Pony move to hug him, and Togaru shuffle closer.

"I just," his breath hitched. "I know there are others with stronger Quirks who could've helped you two move forward, but you guys chose to try and win with me, Quirkless. And I can't thank you two enough," he cried.

He looked at them, eyes watery, and managed a wobbly smile. "Thank you two for believing in me! Your flames of youth are brilliant!"

Lee meant it too. As the two consoled him and Lee tried his best to stop the tears, he felt that he really did mean it. They could've gone and found another classmate to work with, one with a Quirk that could've helped them win more comfortably, but they didn't. They stuck it out with him, which meant more then he could hope to put into words.

So, he cried from all the overwhelming emotions he was feeling right now. Guy-sensei always said tears were nothing to be ashamed of, so Lee wouldn't hide how he felt. He was disappointed, sad, but happy all at the same time. Like when you spent the last of your money on your favorite food when you had food at home, but times 10.

"Oh, my goodness!" Midnight suddenly cried, getting everyone in the stadium's attention. Lee looked at the screen display, as did Pony and Togaru. They all thought things were moving right into the tournament? What was going on? He wiped at his eyes and sniffled once more.

"It seems that two of our competitors have decided to drop for reasons that have been deemed valid. With two slots open, that's two slots that must be filled. That means Team Lee, who came in fifth place, get to choose two of their members to compete in the next stage!"

Wha... what?! She couldn't be telling the truth!

"And I am telling the entire truth!"

Lee felt an unbridled amount of joy erupt within him. He looked to his team, smiled growing on their faces. They had a chance, they...wait, only two?

Only two of them had the chance. Lee couldn't possibly take that chance from either of them. Pony and Togaru had supported him through the last event, so he'd encourage them.

He took a breath, burying the disappoint deeply deep down and instead reached for the joy, the happiness, at possibly seeing one of his friends compete in the next stage.

"You two should-," he didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence.

Togaru and Pony exchanged a look and grabbed him up. Lee made a 'bwah' noise as his two surprisingly strong friends carried him to Midnight. And only when they were with the rest of the competitors moving on did they drop him.

"We nominate Lee to move forward!" They said together to Midnight.

Midnight smirked, this one feeling more personable than the close to a hundred she's aimed at the audience, and nodded.

"Okay, that's one," she said. "Now, we need one more between you two."

Lee scrambled to his feet. He needed to say something, right? He opened his mouth to offer his opinion to the two, possibly try and convince them to take his spot but a soft but firm hands on his shoulder stopped him short. He traced the arm to Midnight and saw her shaking her head.

"Don't, kid," she said as Pony and Togaru decided the fairest way to determine who would move forward was a game of rock, paper, scissors best two out of three. "They both nominated you. Would you really disrespect their choice by trying to give it up?"

"But," he started, eyes locked onto the beginning game of Rock Paper Scissors. One, two, three. Togaru won the first game, and Pony demanded the rematch. "They didn't ask me what I wanted. They've already done so much for me."

Again, Pony and Togaru shook fists at each other, but this time Pony won. The score was one to one. It would all be decided with the final game.

"Then instead of trying to give it away," Midnight started as Pony and Togaru played one last round. "Make it up to them by competing as hard as you can," she shrugged. "Honor their choice by making sure their faith in you wasn't misplaced."

Honor their faith in him? They had that much faith in him? Enough to give up one of the slots they could've taken for themselves? That was...he couldn't…

"Yes!" Pony cried exuberantly. She hopped in the air with victory, and Togaru, instead of feeling down, only laughed as Pony bounced around joyously.

Midnight patted him on the shoulder twice. "Just try your best, Lee. You've got the chance, don't squander it. Go Plus Ultra."

Those were her final words to him as she moved forward to announce that he and Pony were the ones moving on to the final competition. After a brief intermission, they'd get started.

In a daze feeling things Lee couldn't quite place, he was dragged along with Pony and Togaru as they talked about him and Pony competing. Lee was too wrapped up in his own brain, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Pony and Togaru, both excellent students, had given up one of the two slots because, if what Midnight was saying was true, they had faith in him. They believed in him. Why else would they both choose to have him go forward if they didn't think he could do it?

The only person he could ever remember believing in him was his sensei. He almost didn't believe it, but as Midnight's voice named the final competitors, his name among them, he had the proof.

"Isn't that right, Lee?" It was Pony's voice that jarred him from his thoughts. They were backstage; the buzz of the arena sitting on his skin contrasted greatly with the soft silence of the back area, making Pony's voice stand out even more.

"Huh?" He asked. He hadn't heard what they were talking about before. What did he miss?

The two only laugh, in great spirits.

"I said, we're going to do out absolute best and go as far as possible," she said.

"Yeah," Togaru punched Lee lightly in the shoulder. "I'll be rooting for you two to win this whole thing. Show those 1-A dudes and girls that 1-B ain't nothing to mess with!"

The question was itching on his tongue, so much so Lee asked it before he even realized.

"You don't want to be the one competing, Togaru?"

The question brought him to a stop, his smile dimmed as he thought about it. It was only a few moments before he answered.

"Yeah, of course, I do because who wouldn't?" He said. "The biggest stage we'll see as freshmen and fighting one on ones, it's everything I dreamed about and more, man," he said almost wistfully like he could see the dreams he had right now.

His words cut Lee's possible enthusiasm into small pieces. Togaru had wanted this spot just as bad, if not more so. Why did he give it up so quickly then?

"But, I feel you deserved it more than me, Lee," the green-haired boy said to Lee's shock.

"Why?"

"Because, man," Togaru started and began listing reasons. "Look at what you've accomplished. Got into UA without a Quirk, made into the Hero department when others, like that Shinso kid, didn't, and he has a Quirk. You fought Tetsutetsu mano y mano and didn't even flinch. He's made of steel. You were the first to stand up and say something when we were all too terrified to even admit it, you got fourth in the first event, and you led us to fifth place in the last one. I couldn't even imagine doing half of that stuff, dude."

Togaru took a breath, and Pony took over.

"You've more than earned the spot, Lee," she spoke up. "Me and Togaru's minds were made up when they said they had two open slots for us. We wouldn't be here if you hadn't brought us together."

"You got that right," Togaru chimed. "I would've loved competing, man, but you've more than earned it in my book. I've got respect for you, Lee. I don't give a damn if you don't have a Quirk. I believe that you and Pony - who chose ROCK two times in a ROW - can show up and show out in this last event."

He said it with a smile, so Pony would know he was joking.

"Rock is a perfectly logical choice when someone keeps choosing SCISSORS," she responded back

, unable to keep the smile from her own face.

Lee swept them both up into a big hug. One arm around each of them, Lee pulled them close. Pony eased into the hug with a dreamy sigh, and Togaru laughed and patted Lee on the back.

Lee pulled back from the hug, no tears, but a smile that shined like the sun stretching out across his face. "Thank you two. Thank you so much. I promise I won't let you down."

This, he swore with everything that he was or will be.

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The tournament's first match was Midoriya vs. the Shinso guy Togaru mentioned from the General Ed department. It was a little exciting, but nothing really eye-catching. Lee would admit it was impressive seeing Midoriya snap out of Shinso's controlling Quirk. It spoke of a strong will and resolve. Midoriya won the match after that, and they moved on to the next one.

Mina vs. Todoroki. Lee was rooting for Mina the whole way, cheering as loud as he could manage. It even looked like Mina had the upper hand due to her acid being able to melt away Todoroki's ice traps. Still, the guy was just overwhelmingly powerful with all that ice like he did with the robots in the obstacle course. He froze her, causing Mina to have no other choice but forfeit.

Seeing her shoulders slumped after getting thawed out and leaving the ring, Lee sorely wished to go talk to her, lift her spirits like she'd done for him before. But, it was time for his own match against the red-haired boy from 1-A with the Quirk similar to Tetsutetsu's.

He walked out of the tunnel after Pony's good luck and into the arena. The crowd wasn't cheering like they were for the previous matches. No, the vibe Lee was getting was one of unease and uncertainty.

"We have Kirishima from 1-A vs. Rock Lee from 1-B!" Present Mic's voice sounded through the stadium. "A class versus class battle. I'll be honest, would have a tough time getting through Kirishima's Hardening. What do'ya think, Aizawa?"

"Hmm, it's perfectly reasonable to assume Kirishima would have the advantage in this match. His Hardening makes him impervious to most damage. Lee, on the other hand, does have a classmate with a similar Quirk. Perhaps he has experience in this kind of matchup, perhaps not. We shall see."

"Haha! Logical as always! Let's get right into the match!"

Lee and Kirishima stood a few feet away from one another during the commentators' back and forth. Kirishima smiled, so Lee gave him one back.

"Hey!" Kirishima called. "Are you sure you want to fight me? Not that I don't think you can fight, but I can't really pull my punches with my Quirk yknow?"

Did Kirishima really just ask him that? Lee could see that he didn't mean it insultingly, but, nevertheless, it was. But Guy-sensei had warned him off about reacting before processing what others had to say. He had to listen, wait, and then respond. So, that's what he did.

Lee thought about what to say and came up with this. "What kind of potential hero would I be if I quit because my opponent asked me to? Are we not to fight even when the odds are stacked against us?" He asked, instead.

"Heh, got me there. I just had to ask y'know."

"If you do not pull your punches, then I shall not either, Kirishima," Lee said as he slid into the Goken opening stance. Body shifted to the side, one hand tucked behind his back, and the other opened up to his opponent.

"I hope you can back it up," Kirishima clenched his fists but didn't use his Quirk, at just not yet. Midnight hadn't started the match.

Midnight looked from Lee to Kirishima and lifted her whip in the air. "Let the match begin!"

Kirishima Immediately toughened his skin. He didn't want to hurt the guy, but Lee wouldn't quit. He could respect that even if he thought it a little stupid. Kirishima held every advantage. There was no way Lee was going to beat him just using his fists and feet. And, and why was he charging him? Was the kid stupid?

"A direct charge!" Present Mic screamed into the...mic. "Is that truly the best choice here? What is he thinking?"

Lee knew exactly what he was doing charging Kirishima. Like with Tetsutetsu, Kirishima looked primarily defensive. That meant he'd stay there and tank his hits. Lee had to see how 'tough' the Quirk made him.

Lee dashed in, jumping into a spinning kick. Kirishima blocked it, not budging an inch. Okay, a few more tests.

Lee landed threw a flurry of punches Kirishima's way, stringing together rights and lefts, the bandages around his hands helping protect his knuckles. It still felt like he was battering his hands against a wall. Lee's fists landed with loud thumps against Kirishima's guard; some even landed right against his face but with little effect. He fainted a punch and spun into a spin kick right into Kirishima's gut. The kick landed with a loud thud, and Kirishima skidded away from Lee.

No visible damage, He'd gotten the info he needed. Regular punches held no effect, like little taps probably, and Lee didn't want to try the chip away from him route. He'd need to go bigger than this right now.

Additionally, Kirishima's guard wasn't impenetrable, he was. But everything had a limit. Lee had to find it and breakthrough it. If he could be moved, he could be moved through. Suppose Lee was able to land a blow in the areas that were usually vulnerable to an average person, one that broke through Kirishima's Quirk. In that case, it'd make all the difference. It seemed like he had no other choice.

Lee straightened and calmed himself. He would have to open at least one Gate for this, maybe two. He reached inward and felt for the 'latch' as it were, and clicked it open. First Gate: Gate of Opening open.

Chakra rushed through him like a warm breeze that ruffled his hair and uniform. Lee undid the knot on his bandages. Against an ordinary opponent, he wouldn't dare try this, but Kirishima could take it.

He tilted forward and dashed at Kirishima.

"What?" Kirishima gasped out loud. Was Lee suddenly faster?

Kirishima reinforced his Quirk and went with his strategy of weathering the blow. Lee would tire out before Kirishima did anyways. Not the most flashy way to win, but he'd move forward.

Lee feinted like he was going to hit Kirishima from the front but dipped around him. He jumped and spun into a kick. He knew Kirishima wouldn't duck.

His leg slammed right into the red-haired boy's head and knocked him to the side. The crowd gasped, but Lee wasn't done.

"What the-," Kirishima stuttered as he found his feet. That kick was much harder than the last one. He felt it for one, and it knocked him away. Did Lee seriously not have a Quirk?

Lee went after Kirishima giving the other teen no room to even breathe. Lee threw a front kick, but it was blocked. He swung a leg into his knee, and Lee saw it bend just a little bit. Good that meant joints and tendons were fair game as well. Dashing around him, Lee threw a body shot and then one at his head that landed with loud thumps and moved Kirishima all around the arena.

It went on like this for longer, and Kirishima's patience ran out. Or he was reaching his limit. Either way, he played right into Lee's hands.

Kirishima threw a wild haymaker that cut through the air, but Lee ducked it. Now was his chance! Lee stretched his leg high to land a rising kick right into Kirishima's chin. The kick was so powerful everyone heard the impact and saw Kirishima knocked off his feet high into the air.

Lee crouched and then jumped after Kirishima bandages trailing behind him. In a big jump, Lee appeared behind Kirishima and threw his wraps around the defenseless boy mid-air, wrapping him in a white cocoon.

Lee grabbed him, feeling Kirishima struggle fruitlessly. Even if he wanted to get out of the bandages, it was too late because gravity took hold of them. Just like he practiced, Lee tilted back and began to spin.

The two of them spun quicker and quicker in the air, and at the right moment, Lee threw Kirishima down into the ground while jumping away right before the crash. And what a crash it was.

The ground cracked and splintered with Kirishima's crash. The crowd gasped, and some even cheered at the flashy move. Lee landed a few feet away on one knee as the rush of chakra tapered out. He had to breathe heavier; sweat dripped from his brow onto the ground as he looked on.

He'd done the move right. He let a few moments pass, getting good breath back and seeing if Kirishima would fight his way through the bandages, but he didn't. He lay there in the bandages unmoving.

Midnight went over to the boy, crouching near him and putting her hands near his mouth. She checked him some more. After a moment, she stood straight, and Lee felt the knot of anticipation tighten.

Midnight brandished her whip in his direction. "Kirishima is unable to continue. Rock Lee is your winner!" She announced to the arena. They didn't explode into cheers but spread out in murmurs.

Lee held his head high as he walked out to shocked murmurs and not cheers. They hadn't cheered once since he stepped out, but it was okay. It would be fine. He had just won and would be moving forward to the next round. They probably didn't expect him to succeed in the manner he did; piledriving your opponent headfirst into the ground wasn't very heroic, probably, but his opponent's Quirk gave him no other option.

The next match did an excellent job of taking his attention—two 1-A students facing off against one another, Momo and Aoyama. The girl was smarter as she simply walked the blonde-haired boy down with a shield and tased him into submission. It saved her energy while showing off her intelligence in defeating one of her classmates so soundly. She barely took any damage, though she did look a little out of breath after making the shield.

The next match was one he was looking forward to watching, Pony against 1-A's Kaminari. So far, 1-B was 1-0 against their sister class in the tournament, and he could hear his class screaming their heads off about it. When the camera pointed to his class, Lee couldn't recall the last time he'd seen Monoma look so pleased with himself without insulting someone.

It started off fast. Pony shot her horns out at Kaminari, who ducked and dived out of the way. Pony's horns were sharp and strong enough to go through rock, so moving out of their path was the best option. Kaminari tried to shoot electricity at Pony, but she seemed to know exactly what to do to counter it. A horn in the way of every blast made each shock useless. Throughout the match, though, the 1-A student seemed to be getting more sloth-like? He stopped moving as quickly and got hit more and more by Pony's horns until, in a youthful showing of marksmanship, she sent her horns into his uniform and shot him out of the ring, winning her the match and sending her to the next round.

As the next match was starting, Lee got up to go congratulate her. That had the added benefit of getting the blood pumping into his legs. Sitting down when the energy was so high, wasn't him. All the while, Pony was fighting, his foot couldn't stop tapping.

On the way there, through grey and white hallways that led into some side door here or a restricted area that, Lee bumped into another 1-A student. The green-haired one from before. Midoriya. This was actually a pleasant surprise.

"Hello, Midoriya!" Lee greeted as the green-haired boy stumbled back, blinking in surprise. "Congratulations on your first-round victory, and good move during the obstacle course. You're really skilled, a very youthful trait born of growing your flames of youth for quite some time."

And Lee meant it. To pull off what he did in the first obstacle course was admirably gutsy, as was it difficult. To contort one's body so rapidly, to know how to place the mines, without setting them off, in just the right place to catapult himself forward instead of straight up. Lee had seen the replays; one didn't pull that if they hadn't been training for a good long time. Maybe this Midoriya was a fan of hard work like he was? He'd have to ask.

"Huh, oh hello, Lee," Midoriya greeted back after a moment. He blinked like he was surprised to run into Lee, which made sense. "Uh, thank you for the compliment? My flames of youth growing bigger is a good thing, right?"

Lee nodded back swiftly. "Yes, most definitely. You're outstanding - I can't wait to possibly fight you in the semifinals."

Midoriya nodded before he shook it. He looked up at Lee curiously. "We haven't gotten to the second round yet. What do you mean fighting in the semifinals?" Midoriya's eyes grew wide as if realizing something. "You're not that confident, are you?" His question trembled.

Well, what did that mean? He heard this question before, in the manner fashioned as a knife. But he'd give Midoriya the benefit of the doubt. Mina liked him, so he musn't be the type Lee grew up with.

"I am!" Lee declared with ample confidence. Oh, wait, he could see how Midoriya could ask that. He must've thought him dismissive of his opponent. "I do not mean to disregard who I am facing in the next round, but I don't intend to lose. My sensei says your mentality is just as important as your physicality. I'm sure you don't intend to lose either, I hope?"

"Well, no, but umm," Midoriya stuttered, and his voice shrunk.

Lee leaned forward. "You're going to have to speak up, Midoriya. The crowd can get very loud."

Midoriya stumbled backward, red in the face. What was wrong with him? Was he not feeling well?

"Are you feeling ill, Midoriya?" Lee asked, stepping closer just in case the teen fainted suddenly. People did that when they were sick, he heard. So he'd-

"How do you think you're going to make it that far when you don't have a Quirk?!"

-he'd, he'd what? What was that? Lee felt his body freeze. The noise was forgotten. "What did you say, Midoriya?"

Midoriya gulped, and then he began denying. "Wait, wait, no I didn't - I didn't mean it like that. I just," he trailed off.

Lee felt his spine stiffen, and a familiar ugly rose inside of him. Murky and condemning, quick to paint over someone in his mind as the type he didn't want to be anywhere near if he had the choice. The kind that looked at him differently because he didn't have a Quirk. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at who it was this time.

"You just what?" Lee asked, voice sharp.

The teen look choked up like he just swallowed his tongue. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was drowned by a cheerful cry.

"Lee!" Pony started clomping toward him, get excitement so high she got ahem more horse-like. She said it was something she did when she was younger, not because of her Quirk, but because she loved horses growing up.

Her hair was a little all over the place, and her blue UA uniform was a little sweaty as she bounded her way down the hall. Did she not notice Midoriya right there? Her hooves clomped against the ground, and she was getting closer and not slowing down - okay, she jumped. She jumped, and Lee had to catch her now.

He caught her by the waist, spinning to release some of the momenta she jumped at him with. Pony threw her hands around his neck as was safest. Did she do this before, he wondered? They spun around, and she laughed loudly until they came to a stop.

She blinked and shook her head, throwing hair even more around. "Didja see, didja see me?" She pushed hair out of her eyes. "I did it!"

Her smile was more prominent than he'd ever seen it, and Lee could feel her joy like it was a physical thing reaching out to grab hold of him. It made him join her in smiling wide.

"I did see you, Pony. You were magnificent," he told her.

"I was magnificent!" She repeated. "We made it to the second round!" She squeaked and pulled him into a tight hug, chanting, "We did it!" in Lee's ear while hopping up and down.

She was so warm pressed up against him in the hug, it was like her inner fire was blazing hot. It sent a thrill up Lee's spine that he couldn't quite recognize, but he liked it. It felt good hugging Pony like this. He'd make a note to do it more often. Friends gave each other hugs all the time, right?

In a burst of joy, Lee lifted Pony off the floor and spun her around like earlier, getting her to laugh. Ha, she even snorted.

"Put me down," she laughed through her smile, looking down at Lee with her big, blue eyes. He listened and set her down but opposite how they started.

She blinked at who else she saw in the hallway. She quickly stepped away from Lee, cheeks slightly red.

"Umm, hello. You're Midoriya, right? Congratulations on your victory," she told the green-haired boy who was standing there silently the whole time? She looked at Lee. "Why didn't you tell me someone was right here?"

Lee blinked, joy shifting to the back of his mind as he remembered the conversation leading up to Pony's joyfully pleasant embrace. His smile straightened itself out into something sterner, more flat and uninviting.

Lee looked at Midoriya, who nervously shuffled his feet, shifting his eyes anywhere but towards him and Pony. Midoriya wasn't discrete in his avoidance - even Pony noticed. She looked at Lee, brows drawn together and question on her lips, but Lee had already made up his mind about the whole thing.

"I was just leaving, Pony. I just bumped into Midoriya and congratulated him on his earlier victory." Lee told her. He wasn't lying because he did want to go now. Lee wanted to get out of here - away from Midoriya. Go talk with Pony about her last match or something.

Luckily, Pony didn't ask any questions about the obviously awkward air between the two boys and nodded. "Oh, well, let's go then, Lee, and I can tell you all about my match, and you can tell me about yours," she said.

She turned and grabbed his wrist, tugging him closer as they walked away from the still quiet Midoriya. Walking away, Lee put the other boy in the back of his mind and gave Pony his full attention. She talked about her father has an electricity Quirk too, and how he'd shown her how to nullify it in one of their training sessions. He asked her if her dad used to be a Pro, and she nodded, saying both her parents were in America. It's how they met.

Huh, Lee wouldn't have ever guessed that. Now, he just had more questions, but she started asking him about his own match. Lee was all too happy to oblige her.

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AN: Yeah, I skipped the Cavalry Battle, but only because it really didn't matter if you saw it or not. They lost. What is important is the tournament fights, which you will see. The important ones at least.

Y'all were wondering, and now you got your answer. That's how Midoriya reacted to Lee after finding out he is Quirkless. You're probably angry, shocked, saddened, but, before you climb aboard the ''Midoriya, my sweet cinnamon roll of a MC who would never hurt a fly wouldn't say that'' train, for my evidence, I point you to the first MHA movie.

Meeting Melissa and hearing she's quirkless had Midoriya acting weird the whole trip until the end. They connect, but he has these moments when he is almost disbelief that she could accomplish so much while being Quirkless. One of the scenes we see that clear as day was the scene in her room, and he's looking at all her trophies and awards. There are other smaller ones like when they're climbing the stairs too. It's like he forgot that Quirkless individuals could be successful or could be heroes in their own way. I think it's less to do with prejudice. More so, the responsibility he now faces as All Might's successor, what he's seen individuals with Quirks do, what he has done, and the bullying at a young age. Anyways, it resolves itself in the movie, but this is before that, so Midoriya and his tendency to blurt out what he's thinking and nervousness following it transformed into the interaction you've just read.

He can't believe it because he's never seen it. Melissa is different from Lee because Lee is actually accomplishing what Midoriya thought impossible. And you know what people do when faced with the impossible? They reject it, and Midoriya has fallen into that same space here. The problem is, the impossible is attached to Lee, and his disbelief is more than a little rude. We're going to see a lot of that from many characters because it happens all the time. Lee is a walking, talking, punching, kicking, youthful contradiction to the way of life the world has settled into. That's going to cause problems. We're just getting started.

Also, since we don't know Pony's parentage, I made her parents the two heroes we see in the flashback scene at the beginning of the movie. Why? Because that lady had the same looking Quirk as Pony. Coincidence? I think NOT! I just made the electricity guy her dad because why not? The two in the movie did seem close, so boom! Instant parents. It makes sense, trust me.

Anyway, long AN because I know people are going to have questions and opinions. The next chapter should be out near Halloween, sooner maybe. If you read this AN and still have something to say, go ahead. Do what you gotta do, folks. Until next time, stay safe, and if you're going out to vote, have your mask on. People are catching COVID when they're not wearing a mask if you hadn't noticed. Don't get sick, please. I'm out!