There was a short break while the teachers readied the field for the next round. Since I was the only first-year competing, I chilled out in a waiting room alone and ate sushi while I took a head count.

Every single student in class 2-A made it through the maze, which didn't surprise me. Ten people from 2-B as well, including Kendo, Reiko, Tetsutetsu, Kodai, Pony, and a few others I didn't recognize. I kicked myself for not spending more time studying the 2-B students. I hadn't memorized all their quirks, since I'd been so focused on getting down Bakugo's combat tactics. I needed to pay closer attention to them in this round, so I'd be better prepared for the duels. I doubted I'd be lucky enough to fight Bakugo right away. I knew the teachers, and I remembered their faces. They didn't actually expect me to win the festival, let alone make it this far in the first place. They'd probably pit me against lower-level second years, with the mentality that I'd be destroyed otherwise.

The last two people who'd made it were Shinsou from general studies, and me. Other than Bakugo, he was the one I was the most afraid of. I got the chills just from looking at him.

"Hey."

I jumped as a shiver ran down my spine. Speak of the devil.

"Asuga. Right?" Shinsou asked. "Hitoshi Shinsou. I don't think we were properly introduced."

I didn't answer.

He laughed. "Relax. I don't need to use my quirk on you. I'm sure someone else will pick you off for me in the second round."

I shot him a scowl, keeping my mouth shut.

He smirked with half-lidded eyes. "Sorry for being a jerk. I was just trying to motivate you."

I opened my mouth to ask but then closed it again, my body going rigid.

"You wanna know why I care," he said for me. "I heard how you passed the entrance exam. Stealing other people's attacks to take down the robots for you. Very clever. I wish I'd thought of something like that. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't have ended up in General Studies."

He broke his gaze away from me and looked out to the field, where the teachers were setting up. "We've both been held back from our dreams because of a codependent-quirk, so some part of me wants to see you do well." He turned back to me. "But the problem is we both want the same thing, and we can't both have it. So I'll be doing everything I can to knock you out of the running. But it's not personal. In fact...I feel kinda bad."

His words sounded genuine, but I still didn't answer. I swallowed nervously, pushing my hair out of my face.

"You still don't trust me," he remarked, nodding. "Good." That was all he said before closing the door behind him.

~.~

All Might, Deku and I sat in one of the arena's waiting rooms while having lunch. Onigiri and bentos.

"You two are doing great," All Might told us with a smile.

I snarled at him. "I don't need your praise, old man."

Deku, on the other hand, blossomed under it like a damn flower. Freakin' fanboy. "Thanks. I'm actually having a lot of fun," he replied cheerfully.

I couldn't help but snicker. Obviously. Last year he couldn't dish out one attack without breaking a finger, and now he was able to use fifteen percent of one for all. But he agreed not to use his other quirks during the festival. It'd be too dangerous, especially if the league was watching. Deku was a big enough target without everyone knowing about his extra abilities. And showing them off on live television would be like ringing the dinner bell.

I'm surprised they'd put on the festival at all, what with all the villain attacks we've had in the past year. I'd even call it reckless. Coming from me, that's saying a lot. But if villains were watching, that was all the more reason to give my best.

"I was surprised to see Asuga-kun make it through the maze," All Might remarked.

"She had help," I grumbled. "Doesn't count."

"I don't think she does, either," Deku agreed, his tone sounding dejected. "Did you see her face? At the beginning she looked so determined. But now it's like her fighting spirit's took a hit."

"Asuga's been knocked down a peg," Aizaawa chimed in as he entered. "After the labyrinth, she's learned not to underestimate her upperclassmen."

All Might sighed deeply. "I think that girl's way out of her depth. But I suppose...we'll just have to see how things play out." He absent-mindedly stirred his tea.

"Is something wrong, All Might?" Deku asked.

"Not exactly," he admitted, taking a sip from his cup. "It's just that name. Asuga. I feel like I've heard it before but I can't remember where."

"You two," Aizawa interjected, standing over us. "We need to talk."

All Might flushed. "Oh! Uh. Okay, Aizawa-kun," he said, getting up from the table. "See you during the next break." He walked out of the room.

Deku and I looked at Aizawa with confusion. "What's going on?" I asked.

He spoke firmly. "You need to withdraw."

I gasped. "The hell?!" I asked.

Deku looked horrified. "But...why, Mr. Aizawa?!"

Aizawa locked the door and walked to the window overlooking the stadium, pulling down the blinds. "Asuga wasn't supposed to snag a spot in the semi-finals. If she's allowed to continue we could have a disaster on our hands. Unless you both forfeit."

"Why us?" Deku asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're the most powerful players in the game."

"Then we'll just make sure she doesn't advance," I interjected. "Duh."

Aizawa smacked the top of my head with a rolled up newspaper. I growled, clawing at it but he held it out of reach.

"I'm guessing you knuckleheads haven't figured out her quirk yet," he snapped.

Deku looked up at Aizawa curiously. "No. I thought maybe it had something to do with sound waves - "

" - It's Reciprocation," Aizawa answered. "She can absorb an attack and send it back with twice the strength of the original."

I inhaled sharply. Last night she almost bested me, and that was without our quirks. If we dueled each other for real...without holding back -

"You know where I'm going with this, right?" Aizawa asked, jarring me from my thoughts. "You both have very strong power-type quirks. If one of you were matched up with her in a duel, and you attacked first…can you imagine? Her doubling one of your explosions, Bakugo? Or one of your shoot style kicks, Midoriya? You leveled Ground Beta and that was six months ago. You've both gotten stronger since then."

I flushed with anger. "You think we can't keep our own quirks in check?!"

"You made it clear you wouldn't show restraint," Aizawa reminded me. "You might have a handle on your quirk, but she doesn't. She's never faced a quirk as powerful as yours."

"We fought villains we weren't prepared for," Deku pointed out. "And it made us stronger.

"The world doesn't give a crap about what we're ready for or what's convenient," I muttered. "You taught us that."

"This is different," Aizawa replied, flinching at my words. "We had no choice during the USJ attack, or the ambush on our training camp. She's still just a kid."

"So were we," Deku butted in.

Aizawa breathed in deeply, shaking his head. "Then a compromise. Midoriya, if you face her in a duel do not use more than five percent of your quirk. And Bakugo - "

" - I'm not agreeing to crap," I snarled immediately. "Deku shouldn't have to either."

"This is about more than just you," Aizawa snapped. "The fallout of a reciprocation could destroy the stadium. Kill thousands of people - "

" - Are you really this dumb?"

Deku and Aizawa fell silent.

I crossed my arms. "I don't know if it's because she's a girl or a year behind us, but you're writing her off before she's even gotten to fight. Just like Ururaka at last year's festival."

"That's not - "

" - Yes it is," I cut him off. "She held her own against me last night when we sparred. She's crazy but she's not stupid."

"When you what?!" Aizawa exclaimed. "You two got into a fight?!"

"Yeah, and she kicked my ass!" I growled with gritted teeth. "I'll be damned if I'm letting that happen again. So if we're pitted together for a rematch, I'm not holding back!"

~.~

The time of the clock on the wall said we had five minutes left until we needed to be back on the field. I threw out my takeout container and left the waiting room, making my way down the hall.

I tried my best to review everyone's quirks. Momo Yaoyarozu. Creation. Shoto Todoroki. Half-cold half-hot. Tokoyami. Dark Shadow. Kirishima. Hardening. Reiko. Poltergeist -

The sound of yelling snapped me out of my reverie.

"Are you really this dumb?"

I held my breath.

"I don't know if it's because she's a girl or a year behind us, but you're writing her off before she's even gotten to fight. Just like Ururaka at last year's festival."

"That's not - "

" - Yes it is. She held her own against me last night when we sparred. She's crazy but she's not stupid."

"When you what?! You two got into a fight?!"

"Yeah, and she kicked my ass!"

It's...Bakugo. He's...he's talking about me.

"I'll be damned if I'm letting that happen again! So if we're pitted together for a rematch, I'm not holding back!"

I froze and squeaked in fear when the door burst open and he stormed out into the hallway, looking furious. The door bumped me and suddenly I was falling backwards.

Why does this keep happening to me?! I thought, mortified.

Before I hit the ground, a strong, roughened hand grabbed me by the shirt collar, stopping me from landing on the ground. Then it slowly pulled me up. When I was on my feet again, I was almost nose-to nose with…

"Pay attention you stupid…" Bakugo froze too, clearly not expecting me to be the person on the other end of his arm. It took him a few seconds to process the situation. Then his face twisted in anger. "Huh? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

I shoved his hand off my shirt, brushing myself off. "Not having tantrums, that's for damn sure!" I countered, flushed with annoyance.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU DAMN - "

" - I WAS!"

"THEN WHY DID YOU ALMOST - "

" - BECAUSE I DIDN'T EXPECT SOME CHIHUAHUA-BRAINED MORON TO BE STOMPING THROUGH HALLWAYS AND KICKING DOWN DOORS!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, COTTON CANDY?!" He growled.

"A MORON WITH A CHIHUAHUA BRAIN!" I reiterated, growling back.

He opened his mouth to retort but then he stopped, his eyes widened as he stared at me.

"What?!" I snapped. I realized I'd gotten up on my toes so we were eye-to-eye.

He took a step backward and turned away. "You shouldn't go around getting into fights if you bruise that easily."

I blinked, dumbfounded. "I...what?" I muttered.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and straightened his shoulders. "Your neck, dumbass."

I was speechless as I slowly reached my hand to my throat. He saw the handprint he left on me. "You're the one who - "

" - I know," he cut me off.

I gawked when I caught his expression. His jaw tightened. His brows were narrow over his eyes. The rage that had previously tightened his body evaporated.

For a short few seconds, I'd forgotten that Bakugo was supposed to be a monster. Because in that moment, the look on his face…

Was sad.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

I flinched. The gruff snarl to his voice was gone. Making him sound...normal. Speechless, I shook my head.

"Aizawa didn't know about our fight, which means you didn't report it."

I scoffed. "Of course not. We could've been banned from competing today."

Bakugo glared as he quickly glanced down the hallway in both directions. Then, without looking at me, he reached out a hand and straightened out the collar of my shirt, concealing the bruise.

I was helpless to do anything but stare, shocked by this uncharacteristically considerate gesture. My heart pounded when I remembered. His hand was so close to my face. If he wanted, he could blast it off instantly, without a second thought. With barely any effort. But in a blink, he was finished, and his hand was back in his pocket, like nothing even happened. "Stay out of my way," he murmured as he passed me.

"Or what?" I shot back.

He stopped, looking at me over his shoulder. "I'll hurt you even worse."

As I watched him disappear down the hallway, a realization hit me like a maglev. That wasn't a threat, I thought. He's trying to warn me.