Kyouka and Izuku were walking through the halls that led to the waiting rooms and the whole time Izuku was silent, looking troubled by something.

'Is he worried about his match about Todoroki or... is he thinking of Uraraka?' Kyouka thought to herself as she instinctively clenched her fists. 'He's probably feeling sorry that he couldn't help her more for her match. Why does he have to worry so much about her? It's a competition. People are supposed to win or lose. He didn't seem so beat up over Sero or Kaminari's losses. Would he act like this if I lost my match? I thought her losing would make him think about her less, not the other way around.'

It's as if no matter what would've happened, Izuku would be thinking about Ochako.

After all, he probably appreciates determination much more than victory.

'I have to get his mind off of her before his thoughts can go anywhere else. And then when it's time for my match, I'll show him how much better I am than her.'

Kyouka was about to start up a conversation with Izuku before hearing footsteps in front of them.

Bakugo was walking up the stairs and immediately made an irritated look as he saw the two friends, stopping in place.

"Kaccha-" Izuku started to say before being cut off by Kyouka putting her hand over his mouth.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Bakugo asked, his eyes twitching from irritation.

"If we ignore it, then maybe it'll go away." Kyouka whispered loudly before Izuku nodded, causing Bakugo's eye to twitch even more.

'I guess I should've expected to run into him here. His match barely ended, after all. But I just want some peace and quiet with Izuku and he's not going to ruin it.'

"Don't ignore me, you bastards!" Bakugo shouted before taking a few steps up the stairs. "Deku. It was your idea, wasn't it? That stupid desperate plan of hers. You would come up with something that annoying. If we-"

"You're wrong." Izuku cut off Bakugo as he stopped walking before looking back at him. "That plan. Uraraka came up with it all on her own. I didn't know anything about it. If that battle was harder than you thought it would be, then it's because of her strategy, not mine."

Bakugo growled in response before Kyouka grabbed Izuku's arm and pulled him away. "We don't need to waste any more of our time with him."

She didn't start pulling Izuku away just because she wanted to stop talking to Bakugo, but she mainly wanted to stop hearing Izuku praise Ochako anymore.

"One more thing, Deku. I don't know what's going on with you, but that damn power of yours is just pissing me off even more." Bakugo stated as he glared holes into the back of Izuku's head. "I don't care whether I'm killing you or that half and half bastard. I'm going to win."

Izuku just sighed before continuing to walk away with Kyouka until they were out of Bakugo's earshot. "Kyouka, be honest with me, do you think I can beat Todoroki and then possibly Kacchan?"

Kyouka looked taken aback by the question before quickly putting on a smile. "Are you kidding me? Of course you'll beat both of them. Don't tell me you're doubting yourself now."

"It's not that I doubt myself at all. But it's just those two aren't just strong, they're so determined to win." Izuku said as he stared at the floor. "They don't think of this as some kind of fun festival like some people do. And they might want to win this even more than I do. Especially Todoroki…"

Kyouka punched his arm to get his attention. "Hey, stop it with that kind of talk. This is the exact reason I came with you. I knew you were going to think crap like that. Listen to me. You're going to mop the floor with Todoroki and then do the same to Bakugo. Am I clear?"

Izuku rubbed his arm. "Ow, you didn't have to punch that hard."

"Hey, I asked you a question. Am I clear on you winning this thing?" Kyouka asked as she intensely stared at Izuku.

"Y-Yes, you're loud and clear!" Izuku exclaimed with a salute.

"Plus, if I manage to beat Bakugo, then you and I will have to fight." Kyouka started with a small smirk.

"I-I'd rather not think about that right now." Izuku said with a small laugh.

"Well, then think positively, and let's head to that waiting room so you can relax and prepare yourself for your match."

Izuku just nodded and continued to make his way to the waiting rooms with his best friend. 'Okay. Positive thoughts. I won't let Kyouka down.'

When Izuku wasn't looking, Kyouka plugged her earphone jack into the wall behind them before listening in and hearing Ochako sadly mumbling a little to herself in waiting room 2 and Todoroki grunting in waiting room 1, probably doing some exercises. 'There's no way I'm running into Uraraka again, much less with Izuku. If they talk now, that could push them developing feelings for each other and maybe kissing like in those cheesy animes. The setting is perfect for a moment like that. I won't let that happen. Also, waiting room 1 is a no go since I'd rather not deal with Todoroki repeating that he wants to defeat Izuku. Guess we're going to door number 3.'

"Hey, Izuku. Let's hang out in that waiting room." Kyouka suggested as she pointed at waiting room 3.

Izuku was approaching waiting room 2 before stopping and turning towards his best friend. "How come? There shouldn't be a difference where we stay, right?"

"Well, um… I overheard a rumor from some students from the other courses saying that waiting room 3 is supposed to be good luck." Kyouka made up on the spot as she twirled around her earphone jack. "You know me, I don't usually believe in this kind of stuff, but it couldn't hurt to try it out, right?"

"Hmm, I guess it couldn't hurt." Izuku said as he and Kyouka walked towards waiting room 3. "I'll need all the luck I can get against Todoroki."

"Nah, you don't need it, but maybe this luck will make this match easier for you. I need you as uninjured as possible."

"I'll do my best." Izuku stated before standing in front of the waiting room door. "Let's hope this good luck charm works."

Kyouka smiled. "And if it doesn't, then you'll further prove my point that you don't need luck."

Izuku nodded, opening the door before both he and his best friend entered together.

Kyouka and Izuku had just left the waiting room with Present Mic announcing the end of Kirishima's and Tetsutetsu's arm wrestling match just a couple of minutes ago.

Izuku had spent the whole time meditating while Kyouka spent the whole time staring at him and taking some time to think about her match against Mina.

She would've much preferred if they talked to each other instead of being quiet, but if being quiet is what's best for Izuku, then who is she to argue?

Then, a large man with flames streaming around his body turned the corner and was now right in front of the two teens, towering over them.

It was none other than the number two hero, Endeavor. Also, newly known as Todoroki's father.

Izuku widened his eyes at the hero in front of him. "Endeavor?!"

'Holy crap, what's he doing right here?! Isn't this an area mainly for students and staff?!' Kyouka thought to herself as she looked up at the hero.

"Ah. I was looking for you." Endeavor said as he looked at Izuku, completely ignoring Kyouka's presence.

"Oh, um, hi… Do you need anything from me, sir?" Izuku asked, feeling intimidated by the hero.

'Damn. I don't know what Endeavor wants from Izuku, but I won't let him intimidate Izuku like that. I gotta diffuse this situation.'

"Hey, Endeavor. Super big fan here." Kyouka greeted as she put on a fake smile before holding out her hand. "Mind if I shake your hand? It would mean a lot to me."

Endeavor glared at Kyouka for a second and swatted her hand away as if it was a fly before returning his attention to Izuku. "I'm not interested in you, child. You can go run off. I only wish to speak with Midoriya."

Kyouka couldn't help but flinch from his glare as she gulped and pulled back her hand, grabbing onto it. 'What the hell…? I've never seen a hero with such an intimidating aura before. I feel like he could crush me in an instant if I tried to stand up to him.'

Suddenly, Izuku stood in front of Kyouka as he stared at Endeavor with full confidence. "Say whatever you want to me, but don't mistreat my friend like that. But whatever you have to say, make it quick. I have a match to go to."

"Feeling cocky, aren't you, boy?" Endeavor asked with a smirk. "All I want to tell you is don't hold back against my Shoto. Hit him hard. He is going to surpass All Might one day. And with how similar your power seems to his, his match against you will be good to show how much training he has left. If you win and show Shoto how immature he's being without using his full power, I'll reward your friend with that autograph. That is all. I apologize for bothering you."

Endeavor began to walk away before Izuku turned to the hero. "Endeavor. You shouldn't see me as All Might. And you shouldn't see Todoroki as yourself. We're fighting this match as our own people and we'll become our own heroes one day."

Endeavor seemed taken aback by this response before continuing to walk away without another word.

Izuku waited until Endeavor was out of earshot before sighing and placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating like crazy. "I can't believe I talked to the number two hero like that. He could've burnt me to a crisp."

"I thought it was awesome. You were braver than I was. That just gives me even more reassurance about your victory."

"Thanks. But you really don't want Endeavor's autograph, do you?"

"Not really, but Endeavor never gives his autographs to anyone. It could probably sell for a whole lot of money online if I got my hands on it." Kyouka stated with a devilish smirk, rubbing her hands together. "I wouldn't mind having some nice spending money. Then I could treat you big time when we celebrate your victory. After that, we could hit up the mall and go on a crazy splurging session. Now that sounds like a fun time."

Izuku sweatdropped. "I can't tell whether you're joking or not, but I'll leave that to my imagination." He then pulled out his keychain before smiling. "Either way, I won't let you down. I will win against Todoroki."

"I know you will." Kyouka said before pulling out her respective keychain.

The two friends then tapped their respective keychains against each other before Izuku began to walk away as Kyouka stood there, watching his back. 'We'll make it to the finals together.'

Kyouka made it back to the bleachers as Iida waved at her. "Just in time. Midoriya's match is about to start."

Kyouka gave a small smile towards Iida, but that smile went away as she saw Ochako sitting right next to him. Her eyes looked a little puffy, looking like she was crying earlier.

'I guess I should've expected her to be here, but I wouldn't have minded if she stayed at the waiting room. Oh well… Beggars can't be choosers. But still, it's a good thing I didn't let Izuku go into the same waiting room as her, especially if she was in such a vulnerable state. That could've seriously gone horribly wrong.'

She then walked towards the two teens as she imagined the possible events that happen in every cliche romance before taking a seat on Iida's other side. "How are you feeling, Jirou?"

Kyouka jumped at suddenly being talked to before turning to see Momo right next to her. "Huh…? Sorry, I didn't see you there Yaoyorozu. My head was in the clouds for a minute there."

"No need to worry about it. But again, how are you feeling after our match?" Momo asked in concern. "Even though you were the victor, you suffered more injuries than I had, especially with your shoulder."

"Oh, I'm completely fine now. Recovery Girl was really helpful." Kyouka answered, grabbing her shoulder. "But I wonder, why didn't I see you during Uraraka and Bakugo's match? I doubt you had to stay in the nurse's office long just because of a bloody nose. I know I'm not that strong."

"Actually, I was taking time to reflect on some of the aspects of our match and wondering how I can improve in the future." Momo answered before sighing. "However, I deeply regret not seeing the match, but I heard from Iida how hard Uraraka fought until the very end. Makes me wish I could have witnessed such tenacity."

Kyouka forced a smile, nodding in agreement. "Yeah… It was surely a match to remember. I was on the edge of my seat."

"Oh, by the way, Midoriya didn't get too stressed out over his match, did he?" Iida asked as he pointed his hand at Kyouka.

Kyouka turned to Iida and shook her head. "Not really. He's a little nervous, but he's not freaking out. He's got a good head for the match."

"That's good to hear. Dekiru can get freaked out pretty easily. But it's kinda cu-I mean, funny when he gets like that!" Ochako quickly corrected herself before frantically ruffling her hair.

"I don't know if I would consider Midoriya freaking out as funny." Iida said as he raised an eyebrow.

However, Kyouka caught Ochako's small slip up as she glared daggers at the other girl. 'I know I heard that right. She was about to call Izuku cute. Even if she's correct, she doesn't get the right to call him cute. There's a chance she could be meaning that platonically, but Urakara has been giving me a weird vibe ever since our talk before her match. Dammit...' She sighed and brought her attention to the arena. 'I have time in the future to think more about that. Now I have to focus on giving Izuku my full support for this match. That's top priority. I won't take my eyes off for a second. This match will be a sight to behold.'

"I can feel the anticipation from the stadium! And that's because the second round's first match is gonna be epic! It's the guy who won his last fight by a landslide and literally left half the audience frozen! The hero course's Shoto Todoroki! And this kid who almost walked out of his first matchup, but made a stunning comeback with a single packing punch! Also from the hero course, Izuku Midoriya!"

Izuku and Todoroki walked towards each other before stopping at opposite ends of the arena.

"So here we are." Todoroki stated as he stared down Izuku.

Izuku stared back at Todoroki. "And only one of us can win. But I want you to know that I won't hold back. I owe it to everyone that's supported me."

'Getting too close to Todoroki is going to be tricky. He's going to start off with an ice attack and probably continue with them so I'll have to keep dodging. And I get too close and he grabs hold of me, my whole body could be frozen solid in a matter of seconds. He barely touched me during the cavalry battle and froze a part of my arm.' Izuku thought to himself as he kept his eyes on Todoroki. 'I'll have to hit him and back off quickly. I don't have any ranged moves at my disposal unless I use my fingers. But I don't want to have to resort to that. Kyouka and Recovery Girl will scold me if I do.'

"Both of the heroes in training have been front runners in the Sports Festival! But which one of these rivals will advance to the next round?! Prepare for… Midoriya versus Todoroki!"

'One For All, Full Cowling.' Izuku thought to himself as he activated Full Cowling, green electricity surrounding his body.

"Begin!"

Todoroki started off the match by sending out a large wave of spiked ice towards Izuku.

Izuku quickly stepped to the side, dodging the ice attack before immediately running towards Todoroki. 'In and out. Should be simple enough.'

Todoroki responded by sending out another wave of ice before Izuku dodged again.

However, Todoroki didn't stop as he sent out another ice wave, but purposely missing Izuku this time and was on the opposite side of the last one.

'Why did he miss that one? Even if he knew I would've dodged anyway, there's no reason for him to avoid hitting me. Unless…' Izuku thought to himself before gasping and stopping in place, realizing what Todoroki just did.

"Looks like you figured it out." Todoroki stated as he let out a short frosty breath. "But it's too late now."

Izuku was now in a hallway made of tall trails of ice with the only exits being behind him and towards Todoroki.

"Uh oh! Todoroki's got Midoriya right where he wants him now! He used his ice to completely surround Midoriya, leaving him nowhere to run! Just how will Midoriya get out of this dire situation?!"

'He's right. I've got nowhere to go. My only options are running back and going out of bounds or forward, but Todoroki is counting on that. Maybe I can-'

But before Izuku could have any more time to think, Todoroki sent out a wave of spiked ice like the one he began the match with, but this time there was nowhere for Izuku to dodge.

"Guess I've got no choice." Izuku said to himself before planting his feet onto the ground and clenched his fists. "Do your worst, Todoroki!"

The ice was now in front of Izuku and he began to release a barrage of punches at the ice as fast he could while screaming his lungs out.

"Come on, Izuku! Kick his ass once you get rid of all that stupid ice!" Kyouka shouted, standing up as her eyes became engulfed with fiery passion.

"Watch your language, Jirou!" Iida scolded Kyouka as he pointed his arm at her.

Momo chuckled as she put her hand over her mouth. "You look just as fired up as Midoriya."

"Come on, Yaoyorozu! Let's all cheer for Dekiru!" Ochako exclaimed, standing up as well and raising her arms. "Go, Dekiru!"

Momo sweatdropped as she waved her hands in front of herself. "I will cheer for him, but maybe I'll do it while sitting down." She then began to clap. "You can do it, Midoriya!"

"Uraraka! Jirou! Sit down! You're blocking our classmates behind you! Follow Yaoyorozu's example!" Iida shouted, but was ignored by both girls before he lowered his head in shame. "They won't even listen…"

"Man, this sucks. I wish I had girls cheering for me." Kaminari said with a frown.

Mineta cupped his chin. "Midoriya's totally building a harem right under our noses."

Sero sweatdropped. "You two are being ridiculous. I think…"

Todoroki had finally stopped sending out his ice and everyone went silent as they looked at the arena, waiting for something to happen.

Kyouka started to look worried with Izuku nowhere in sight with only Todoroki and his ice being visible now. 'I know you didn't get caught by all that ice, Izuku. You're going to break out any minute now.'

She then saw Todoroki creating a path of ice that leads to the other side of the arena before starting to run across it.

Kyouka knew exactly what Todoroki was planning, but she would do what she could to help out Izuku.

"He's going to attack you from behind, Izuku! Watch out!" Kyouka shouted down at the arena, hoping that her hero will hear her.

Izuku panted as he finally finished destroying all of Todoroki's ice that was coming at him with countless ice shards now at his feet.

Drops of blood landed on the ground from his knuckles before Izuku looked at them, seeing them looking all red and scratched up before he gave a painful smile. "I-It would be really nice to have gloves right now…"

Izuku was now surrounded by ice with the only opening he has left being behind him, looking like a very rough igloo. 'Can I take a breather now that there's all this ice between Todoroki and me...? I didn't think he'd pull off such a strategy right off the bat. I barely punched my way out of that mess. Have to thank Kacchan for that.'

Izuku remembered a week ago during training when Bakugo used a barrage of explosions to get debris out of his way.

Izuku heard the muffled sound of Kyouka's voice, telling him something, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. 'Is she trying to warn me abou-'

Suddenly, Izuku heard footsteps behind him before turning around to see Todoroki running at him, starting to form some ice from his right side.

Izuku didn't have time to think as lifted up his left arm, one of his fingers starting to glow before he flicked it.

A strong gust of wind was fired off from that flick, immediately destroying the ice around Izuku and blew Todoroki back before Todoroki stopped himself from going out of bounds by creating a pillar of ice behind himself. 'A close one. I should've expected he'd be reckless enough to break himself when his back is pushed up against the wall.'

"Ooh! A monstrous blast from Midoriya clears away the ice around him in an instant and almost takes out Todoroki! What a counter!"

'That was close. He almost had me.' Izuku thought to himself, grunting in pain as he looked at his now broken finger. 'Sorry about that, Kyouka.'

"I didn't expect that counter attack from you, but I guess I should've from your reckless actions in past training." Todoroki said before releasing another frosty breath. "Punching all that ice couldn't have been good for your hands, Midoriya. Even with your strength, I suspect you've at least fractured your knuckles. And now you have a broken finger to add on to it. Looks like you're not going to be punching for a while."

'He's right.' Izuku thought to himself as he tried to make a fist with his right hand but was met with a sharp pain, causing him to seeth through his teeth. 'My punches won't be very effective when I can't even make a proper fist. And that's not even including my left hand which has a broken finger. Did he count on me countering his ice attack and messing up my own hands? He knows that getting in close quarters could be dangerous for him.'

"Just admit your defeat and we'll be done here." Todoroki suggested. "I would've liked to drag this match out a little more, but I think I've already proven to my father that I don't need his power. I thank you for this."

Izuku was about to give Todoroki a reply before noticing something about him.

Todoroki's right side was getting covered by small patches of frost and was trembling just a little bit.

'He's trembling. Is he reaching some kind of limit? I can't stop cause of my stupid hands!'

"Defeat? You think I'm the one who has to admit defeat?" Izuku asked before smirking. "I still have a lot in me, but what about you, Todoroki?!"

Todoroki looked a little annoyed before sighing. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're trembling, Todoroki. It's easy to forget that quirks are physical abilities, and that means there's a limit to the cold your body can take, right? I get it. Usually you'd make up for the drop in temperature by using the heat from your left side. But you refuse to do that now. Listen. We're all giving it our all… to try to win. To make our dreams into a reality. To become number one. You think you can win with half your strength? Look at me, Todoroki. You haven't managed to put a single scratch on me yet." Izuku said before clenching his fist, trying to ignore the pain. "So come at me with all you got!"

"Midoriya. What are you trying to do here? You want my fire?" Todoroki asked, looking more annoyed now. "What, did my monster of a dad bribe you or something? Now I'm pissed."

Todoroki then began to run towards Izuku, but his running looked a little off.

'He's getting slower.'

Kyouka gasped as most of the ice around Izuku got blown away and seeing Todoroki almost get blown out of bounds. "So close!"

'Looks like Izuku had to break a finger…' Kyouka thought to herself as she clenched her first before shaking her head. 'No, I can't get mad about that. Izuku had no choice and probably would've lost if he hadn't resorted to breaking his finger.'

Kyouka then noticed the shape Izuku's knuckles were in, before taking in a sharp breath through her teeth. "His hands…"

She knows that the shape his hands are in right now is definitely not as severe as the injuries he usually gets when he uses his quirk at 100%.

But seeing Izuku's blood drip onto the ground from his hands felt totally different to Kyouka.

Because she knows that this isn't an injury that was inflicted from his own quirk, but it's an injury that was inflicted by Todoroki's ice.

And then Todoroki had the audacity to take advantage of the situation and try to attack him from behind.

Meanwhile, Iida, Ochako, and Momo were talking amongst themselves about how that strategy from Todoroki was clever, as Kyouka completely tuned them out, putting all of her attention on the match.

There was no way she was going to see Todoroki's strategy as clever. The only word she could think of when it comes to Todoroki's strategy was dirty.

'Bastard could have seriously injured Izuku if he didn't counter the way he did. That ice wave he sent straight didn't seem like it was meant to entrap him in it, but to attack him with it instead.' Kyouka thought to herself as the image of Izuku getting impaled by Todoroki's ice flashed in her head before she grabbed onto the railings in front of her, squeezing them as hard as she could and making a small dent in them.

There was a chance that she was being plain ridiculous about the possibility of Todoroki maiming or killing Izuku with his ice.

Kyouka then smacked her head to get those disturbing thoughts out of her head. If she continues, then she might do something she'll regret during the match like try to interfere which could get Izuku disqualified.

Izuku isn't stupid or unskilled enough to actually get hurt by Todoroki's ice. He can dodge or counter any attack Todoroki throws at him.

Plus, it's seeming like Todoroki is starting to get tired from his quirk.

She remembered when Bakugo was explaining how quirks are also physical abilities just a few minutes ago when Kirishima came back. And as much as it pained her to admit, he was right.

'Izuku, you don't have to beat him. But if you can outlast Todoroki, then this match will be yours.'

However, she couldn't shake off the piece of doubt at the back of her mind.

She hoped that she was being crazy, but she decided to just watch and see how the rest of this match plays out while trying to keep her emotions in check.

For now at least.

Izuku noticed Todoroki's slower movements before running towards Todoroki as well. "My hands may not be much use right now, but I have other options!"

Izuku then jumped towards Todoroki before kicking him across the face, but Todoroki quickly recovered before grabbing Izuku's leg with his right hand.

"It's over, Midoriya." Todoroki stated before beginning to freeze Izuku's entire leg.

'Damn. That kick didn't nearly have as much power in it as I planned. That's what I get for not practicing kicks and only my punches.' Izuku thought to himself as he felt his right leg go numb before making a fist, ignoring the pain like before. 'I won't lose like this! Not until he uses his full power!'

Izuku then punched the top of Todoroki's head, disorienting Todoroki and making him let go of his leg before he landed on his left foot, jumping back immediately.

"Some heated close quarters action between Todoroki and Midoriya! Looks like both of them landed solid attacks on each other!"

'That was close. If he managed to get the ice to spread to the rest of my body, then it would've been over.'

Izuku reached for his right leg to crush the ice off, but unfortunately his leg was still feeling a little numb. "That's going to mess with my movements quite a bit…"

"Then let me mess with them some more." Todoroki responded, now recovered from the punch before stomping on the ground, beginning to freeze the ground of the entire arena.

Izuku widened his eyes as he saw the ice coming towards him before jumping to avoid his feet getting trapped in the ice.

He then landed and made sure to bend his back backwards so he wouldn't slip on the ice as the green electricity around his body faded away, Izuku putting his concentration into not slipping right now.

'Looks like he's trying to limit my mobility as much as possible now. He knows that's one of the only things I can rely on at this point. He's starting to get desperate. But I can't let that stop me. One For All, Full Cowl-'

Izuku's thoughts were cut off as he saw a trail of spiked ice coming right for him, this one being wider than usual, leaving no room for Izuku to properly dodge.

Izuku lifted up his left arm before another one of his fingers began to glow. "Smash!"

Izuku then flicked his finger, firing a strong gust of wind towards the ice, destroying it as Todoroki shielded his face from the ice shards and created another ice pillar behind himself.

"Another solid counter!"

"Dirty trick, Todoroki. But also clever." Izuku remarked as he reactivated Full Cowling before starting to run forward, putting pressure into his steps to destroy the ice under his feet like he did back at the obstacle race. "But that won't work on me!"

"And Midoriya keeps pushing forward! Such persistence!"

However, he wasn't able to go at his full speed with Izuku having to put extra effort into his right leg.

Todoroki sent another trail of ice towards Izuku, but this one is smaller and slower than the ones before as Izuku dodged to the side.

"We're not done yet! I still have more to show you!" Izuku shouted as he pulled back his right arm as he approached Todoroki before punching Todoroki right in the gut.

"A clean hit!"

Todoroki got the wind knocked out of him for a second as he flew back, tumbling on the ground before standing back up as quick as he could with some difficulty.

'That punch would've been more effective if I had more speed and power to it. But that doesn't mean I should stop now.'

Todoroki then looked forward and saw Izuku continuing to run at him, getting ready to throw another punch.

Todoroki pushed himself to create another trail of ice, this one being faster and larger. Unfortunately, he missed Izuku's entire body and instead only caught Izuku's left arm. 'Damn, I'm losing my concentration.'

Izuku glared at Todoroki before beginning to punch the ice around his left arm, grunting each time his fist made contact with the thick ice as the cracking of bones was heard.

Todoroki widened his eyes at the glare before creating a dome of ice around himself to make some space between him and Izuku.

Todoroki breathed heavily as his body began to tremble even more than before. "Why…Why is he pushing himself like this…? I can't let him defeat me. I…I will not lose to my father…"

Before Todoroki could take another breath to relax, a bloody hand bursted through the dome before grabbing the collar of his shirt. "Because... I'm doing whatever it takes to be a pro! I want to become number one! Now get out of there, Todoroki!"

Izuku pulled out Todoroki with as much force as he could, breaking the ice dome before letting go, throwing Todoroki across the arena.

Todoroki tumbled across the ground of the arena before stopping only a few feet away from reaching out of bounds as he laid on the ground.

"Midoriya throws Todoroki like a rag doll after breaking through his icy defense! Could this be the end for Todoroki?!"

Kyouka's smile was threatening to split her face right now as she held in her desire to cheer at the top of her lungs. 'I should wait until he actually wins this. I'll look like a freak if I celebrate now. I can't believe I was so worried a bit ago. But I knew you were going to win, Izuku. Todoroki didn't stand a chance from the start.'

"Todoroki looks like he is almost done for." Iida stated.

"Meanwhile, Midoriya still looks like he can still go a while longer." Momo commented before crossing her arms. "It seems that he won this endurance match."

"Yeah, I can't imagine Todoroki lasting much longer. He looked pretty desperate before Dekiru threw him." Ochako said before lightly bumping Iida with her elbow. "Looks like Dekiru might be your next opponent if you win your next match."

Iida nodded with a smile. "It seems that way. I'm sure we will both make it a great match."

"Izuku wins this match. Good luck going up against him, Iida." Kyouka said before saying something else under her breath. "You'll need it."

Meanwhile, Bakugo was silently paying close attention to the match. 'That damn nerd is seriously about to beat Icy Hot. But… I don't like how this is ending.'

Unbeknownst to Bakugo, Izuku was thinking something along the same lines.

Todoroki slowly stood back up and coughed, obviously struggling as some blood flowed down from his nose before he wiped it. 'I don't know if I can keep this up much longer…' He looked at the right side of his body, seeing almost all of it is covered in frost now before shaking his head. 'I won't do it… I won't use my-'

"You're not done yet, Todoroki!" Izuku shouted as he grabbed a shard of Todoroki's ice from the ground before looking at Todoroki. "I won't let it end like this!"

Izuku then threw the ice at Todoroki before he caught it with his left hand. "Bastard. What are you talking abou-"

"You know what I'm talking about, dammit! I'm here pushing myself to win this and you're here just screwing around! Are you even serious about rejecting your father?!" Izuku asked, looking frustrated. "If you're not going to give me your all, you don't even deserve to be in this tournament or be number one!"

"No… Shut up." Todoroki demanded as he tightened his grip on the ice shard, cracking it. "I won't. I refuse to use my left side."

"It's yours!" Izuku shouted as he clenched his fists as some more blood dropped down from them. "Your quirk, not his!"

Todoroki gasped as he stared at Izuku, remembering the words his mother said to him all those years ago. 'I didn't realize I'd forgotten.'

The ice shard that Todoroki held began to melt as his breathing got heavier until suddenly large flames erupted from the left side of his body.

"WHAT THE…?!"

Kyouka could feel the heat hitting her face, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. "Wh-What is Izuku doing? He's putting himself at a total disadvantage."

"He's using his fire!" Ochako exclaimed as she kept her hands in front of her face.

"Such heat. I can't believe Todoroki is using his left side." Momo said, remembering how much Todoroki refused to use his left side during the cavalry battle.

'Why would you push him to use his fire, Izuku? You're so close to winning this match.' Kyouka thought to herself, not understanding what Izuku is thinking right now. 'No, I can't lose faith in him now just because Todoroki is bringing his fire into this. Izuku can still win this thing. It'll be more of a challenge, but he always overcomes those.'

"SHOTO!" Endeavor shouted from the audience before walking down the stairs.

Kyouka turned towards the hero before groaning. "This fucking guy…'

"Have you finally accepted your purpose? That's it. Very good." Endeavor said as he reached the railings with a crazed smile on his face before grabbing onto them. "This is a dawn of a new era for us! With my blood in your veins, you'll surpass me! You will live up to the reason I created you!"

"Endeavor suddenly shouts words of… encouragement? What a doting father..."

"You're helping your opponent. You fool. Even though you want to win this battle. Now which one of us is screwing around?" Todoroki asked as all the frost on his body melted away. "I want it, too! I'll be a hero!"

Izuku nervously smiled at Todoroki before Todoroki smiled right back.

"Amazing." Izuku stated as he kept his smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki asked with his expression turning more serious as his flames continued to burn brightly, causing Izuku's smile to disappear. "You must know how hopeless your situation is now. You were on the verge of victory and now you've messed it all up. You must be crazy."

"Maybe I am…" Izuku said as he looked at his hand. "But that hasn't stopped me before. And it isn't going to stop me now."

Todoroki chuckled before clenching his fist. "In that case, I'm giving you everything I've got. Don't blame me for what happens next. You asked for this."

Todoroki started to spawn out tons of ice from his right foot as it slowly grew.

'One For All, Full Cowling! 13%!'

Izuku activated Full Cowling, but this time the green electricity around his body seemed to be erratically moving. "I'm giving you everything I've got, Todoroki!"

Izuku's entire body was in pain from pushing himself beyond his percent limit, but he knew he had no other choice right now. This was the only way for him to stand any chance.

"That's it, Midnight!" Cemontoss called out as he touched the arena, activating his quirk. "One of them could be killed!"

Midnight tore open her sleeve before activating her quirk as well, releasing her aroma. "His body won't hold up!"

Todoroki suddenly launched a giant wave of ice towards Izuku before Izuku quickly dodged it at a lightning speed before running at Todoroki at full speed. 'Gotta try to get close and give it everything! Come at me with your full power, Todoroki!'

All of the ice around Todoroki instantly melted as he slowly raised his left arm. "I see now, Midoriya."

Izuku's right arm began to glow as his sleeve tore off, ready to attack with a full powered smash.

Todoroki then began to release a massive attack with his fire, putting everything he has into it. "Thank you."

Five giant walls of cement suddenly emerged in the middle of the arena to try to stop the two boys.

However, both Izuku's and Todoroki's attacks collided with the walls, causing a massive explosion as the walls were all destroyed instantaneously and debris was sent flying everywhere.

Everyone in the audience could feel themselves being blown back a little from the strong winds that were caused by the explosion.

This force was much stronger than Bakugo's from when he countered Ochako's attack, with Midnight being blown off of her pedestal.

Mineta was being blown away while Shoji held onto his leg as he screamed in fear. "Holy crap balls!"

"This is crazy!" Kaminari shouted in disbelief.

"What's happening down there?!" Momo asked as she shielded her face.

Kyouka could feel her earphone jacks being blown back as she tried to open her eyes to get a better look at what's going on. "I-Izuku!"

Kyouka needed to open her eyes to see if Izuku was alright.

Before the explosion, she noticed that he used 100% of his power with his arm. So she knows for a fact that Izuku now has a broken arm.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he was at the source of that huge explosion.

She didn't want to let her cruel imagination picture the condition he could be in right now, so she had to confirm it for herself.

'I have to see him! I have to make sure he's alright! Please, Izuku!'

The wind finally died down as the entire stadium became quiet.

"Having a great power doesn't mean you'll be a good hero. But these two are amazing." Cemontoss said as he looked at the arena.

The arena was now completely messed up with debris scattered all over and the ground left in shambles as if this place was a battlefield.

"What happened just now? What the heck is up with your students?"

"The air around the ring had been thoroughly cooled down, and then rapidly expanded when heated up."

"Wait, that's what caused the explosion?! How hot did it get?! Jeez, I can't see a thing! Is the match still going on or what, huh?!"

Midnight groaned as she stood back up before gasping as she noticed Todoroki still standing.

Todoroki stood there with half of his shirt destroyed as he was surrounded by dust, breathing heavily.

Everyone at the bleachers was speechless as they witnessed the aftermath of that explosion with even Bakugo looking a little shocked.

Ojiro sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Did that really just happen?"

"Yeah, and it looks like Todoroki's still in the match." Kirishima responded.

"Y-Yeah, but where's Midoriya?" Mineta asked, panting from almost being blown away.

"He might've gotten knocked out from that explosion." Tokoyami solemnly said.

"No, he could still be in this..." Ochako whispered to herself.

Kyouka looked closer at the arena and gasped as she saw a shadow of a body laying down in all the dust, not moving an inch. "No…"

She knew that shadow could only be one person if Todoroki is still standing.

Her mind was racing right now as she placed her hand on her chest, gripping her shirt.

Suddenly, the shadow moved a little as the dust started to slowly clear.

"Is that…?"

"I'm not done yet…"

The dust all cleared now, revealing Izuku starting to slowly stand up with his right arm broken and his body emitting some smoke.

"What?! It looks like this match isn't over yet! Midoriya and Todoroki are still in this! Just what are these kids made of…?"

"You two! I demand you stop fighting immediately!" Midnight ordered as she cracked her whip. "You're injured enough as it is, Midoriya!"

"No! I can still keep going!" Izuku insisted as he activated Full Cowling, but the green electricity around his body faded away almost immediately.

'Damn, I'm out of juice… It doesn't matter, I'm not giving up until neither of us can fight anymore!' Izuku thought to himself, looking at his own body. 'My right leg and left arm might be numb, my right arm may be broken, and my entire body is still in pain from pushing past my limits with Full Cowling, but I'm still standing.'

Izuku then ran towards Todoroki with an obvious limp before Todoroki tried to use either side of his quirk, only resulting in small embers coming from his left side.

'Seems like I'm in the same position as Midoriya. I can only perform close-ranged moves at best. But fine, if he wants to fight until the very end then I'll give it to him. I owe him that much…'

Todoroki then ran towards Izuku as well, looking less worn out than his opponent.

"These two are going mano-a-mano now!"

Todoroki reached for Izuku with his right hand, but Izuku dodged and kneed Todoroki in the gut with his left leg, having some force into it. 'Good thing that's the only limb that isn't numb or broken.'

Todoroki coughed as he held onto his stomach and Izuku immediately grabbed Todoroki's head before delivering a headbutt square in his forehead.

Todoroki stumbled backwards from the headbutt and looked forward with semi-blurry vision to see Izuku running at him again.

Izuku was about to throw a punch with his left arm before Todoroki turned on his flames, causing Izuku to hesitate.

"I-I apologize in advance, Midoriya..." Todoroki grunted out before punching Izuku's broken arm, causing the boy to scream in pain for a second.

"Y-You're really playing dirty again, Todoroki." Izuku stated with a pained smile as his right arm bled before he punched Todoroki's face with that arm as hard as he could. "B-But I can't fault you for that..."

Todoroki tried to slow down his breath as he could feel his head throbbing right now from Izuku's blows. "Y-You're so persistent, Midoriya..."

Meanwhile, Izuku felt like he was going to pass out from pain and exhaustion any moment now. But he felt like Todoroki wasn't too far off from being the same. I have to win this… For All Might… For Kyouka… They're both wanting me to win this. I can't let them down.'

Izuku's already broken arm began to glow once again as he pulled it back before walking towards Todoroki. "O-One punch is all I need to blow you out of the arena…"

"Not again!" Cementoss shouted as he activated his quirk again, forming a wall in front of Izuku to possibly minimize any damage he could.

"Oh boy! Here comes some more craziness, people!"

Todoroki braced himself for Izuku's attack as he raised his arms to shield himself even though he knew how futile it was. 'That wall isn't going to hold Midoriya's attack. This might be the end for me…'

However, the attack didn't come and Todoroki heard a thud from the other side of the wall.

Izuku had fallen unconscious as his head fell against the wall before slowly sliding down.

Cemontoss sighed in relief before getting rid of the wall, revealing Izuku to be laying on the ground without any movement.

"Midoriya is… out of commission." Midnight said before pointing her whip at Todoroki. "Todoroki wins! He advances to the third round!"

The entire crowd then erupted into cheering for Todoroki.

Todoroki panted and spat out some blood as he fell onto one knee, feeling like he's on the verge of passing out while he looked at Izuku. 'Midoriya…'

Kyouka stared at Izuku's unconscious body in disbelief without blinking once, not knowing what to do. 'Izuku? That didn't just happen… It didn't…'

And without even thinking, Kyouka stood up from her seat and acted purely on instinct.

"Jirou, please listen to us. You're not thinking clearly right now."

"Please, calm down! You can't go down there! It is against the rules!"

"Like hell I can't!" Kyouka remarked as she kept her eyes on the arena, trying to jump over the railing to get to Izuku with one foot on the railing. "Let go, dammit!"

Kyouka was being held back by both Momo and Iida as she struggled to escape their grasp.

"She's surprisingly strong for having such a small frame." Momo grunted out as she felt herself being pulled forward little by little.

Iida was having the same problem as he grit his teeth. "We can't let her go! She'll surely get in trouble and possibly disqualified from the matches and injure herself from jumping down from here!"

"I got you guys!" Sero shouted as he shot out his tape at Kyouka, wrapping her body in it.

Kyouka breathed heavily as she struggled to get out of the tape, tearing it a little as she gave Sero a death stare. "I swear, Sero, you'll regret that!"

Sero immediately started to regret it and wondered if he made the right decision or not.

"Jirou, please take deep breaths. Midoriya's just unconscious. You should be glad Cemontoss stopped him before he injured himself further." Momo reassured Kyouka as she gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Kyouka soon started to slow down her breathing as she struggled less and less, being tired out now. "I-It was bullshit… He shouldn't have lost like that… Izuku deserved to be the winner…"

Momo assumed that Kyouka was just being overemotional right now and decided to play along. "I know, but there's nothing we can do about it." She then created a knife and cut Kyouka out of the tape. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah… I think I will be…" Kyouka said with a small nod before taking in a deep breath and letting it out.

Internally, she was still going insane over the results of the match, but now her head was in a place where she could consciously decide to not outwardly show it.

'I won't forget this.'

Kyouka, Ochako, Momo, and Iida were now all making their way to the nurse's office to check on Izuku, each of them worried about him.

However, two of them were worried about him the most and one of them wasn't happy at all about her current situation.

'Ugh, why did they have to come as well? Having her coming is bad enough.' Kyouka thought to herself as she glanced at Ochako for a second before returning her attention to the nurse's office, about to approach it with everyone else. 'But it's not like I'm in the position to complain right now. It would just be a waste of time. It would be much better if I could come alone though…'

"Izuku/Dekiru/Midoriya!" The teens simultaneously called out as they bursted into the room.

Kyouka and Ochako forced themselves in front of the group before approaching Izuku as the boy looked at his friends.

Izuku was laying on a hospital bed with both of his arms bandaged up together.

Ochako was about to say something before noticing a blonde skeleton-looking man. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"You scared the crap out of me." All Might mumbled before giving a small wave to the girl. "Uh, yeah."

Kyouka instantly recognized All Might but chose to ignore him as she kept her eyes on Izuku. "Izuku, how bad are the injuries? Is it serious? How much pain are you in? Can you see clearly? Can you walk right now? Can you be healed?"

"He's in no state for visitors." Recovery Girl told the teens but was ignored.

"It's nothing too crazy, Kyouka… Don't worry..." Izuku said with a weak chuckle before looking at the rest of his friends. "You guys… Shouldn't you be watching the matches?"

"The stage was far too damaged. They're taking a quick break to repair it now." Iida informed.

"Either way, we were all worried about you, Midoriya. Did you expect us not to come to see you?" Momo asked as she placed her hand on her hip. "We're your friends after all."

Ochako nodded as she gave a wide smile. "Also, I'm sure there'll be pros lining up to have you in their agency! You gave a great performance!"

"Well, it's possible some pros won't be a big fan of his reckless nature." Momo said as she cupped her chin.

"Hey! Don't be so negative about it!" Ochako exclaimed as she pouted.

"I-I swear I meant nothing bad by it." Momo defended herself.

"You're much too noisy!" Recovery Girl scolded them as she ushered the teens out of the room. "I know you're worried, but I've got to focus on surgery now."

"Surgery?!"

"Go on. Get out of here."

"How serious are Midoriya's injuries?"

"Will his wounds be healed?!"

"Is it safe for Dekiru?"

"W-Wait, can I just have some alone time with him?" Kyouka asked with desperation in her voice as she looked at Recovery Girl.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm afraid I can't all-" Recovery Girl was then cut off by All Might placing his hand on her shoulder as he shook his head before she sighed. "Alright, but only for a couple of minutes at most. I can't let you be here too long. And I have to get started as soon as possible."

"Thank you. That's all the time I need." Kyouka said as she bowed before Recovery Girl and All Might began to leave the room.

"No fair…" Ochako quietly grumbled to herself, not looking too happy.

The rest of the teens were now forced out of the room with only All Might standing right outside the door.

"I'm sorry about this, young Jirou." All Might apologized before closing the door behind him.

Kyouka was now alone in the room with Izuku as she gave him a small wave. "I'm probably being super selfish right now, huh? Being here while the rest of our friends aren't."

"No, not at all. I would make the same request if I was in your position." Izuku reassured her before sighing. "But I have to apologize that I couldn't win you that autograph, Kyouka…"

"Dummy… Is that really what you're thinking about right now?" Kyouka asked as she gave a small chuckle, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes, but did her best to hold them in. "Don't worry about it. It's not like Endeavor would've given that autograph anyways. But never mind that. Are you sure it's nothing too serious? Recovery Girl did say you're having surgery done."

Izuku gave a pained smile. "W-Well, yeah I have surgery, but it's just on my arm. There are a few bone fragments that need to be removed, but she says it could've been worse if I broke it again. But Recovery Girl is pretty frustrated that I broke it in the first place."

Kyouka tried to ignore the pain in Izuku's smile before smiling back. "I know the feeling." She then stopped smiling before giving Izuku a serious look. "Izuku, why did you have Todoroki use his fire? I don't understand."

Izuku hesitated to respond before looking at the ceiling. "It's just… something I had to do. I know I would have beaten him if I didn't have him use his fire. Victory was in the palm of my hands. But I could see the sadness in Todoroki's eyes during his first match. I wanted to understand. And during our match, I got so frustrated by him to no end. I stopped properly thinking with my head and just did what I could." He then shut his eyes, looking ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry I couldn't win even though you and All Might believed in me so much."

Kyouka still didn't understand one bit, but she wasn't going to interrogate him about it while he's this injured.

Kyouka gently placed her hand on his shoulder before shaking her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You did all you could and that's all I could ask for. I know All Might feels the same. You know that I hate it when you injure yourself, but if that's something you felt like you had to do, then who am I to stop you? The future number one hero knows what he's doing."

"Thank you for those words, Kyouka… Good luck on your next match… I'll be... rooting for you…" Izuku softly said with a calmer smile as he slowly tilted his head, falling unconscious.

'He probably used up the last of his energy to talk. Izuku, you could've just let me know you were too tired to talk to me.' Kyouka thought to herself as her tears finally began to stream down her cheeks. 'I wouldn't have minded if you had just taken a nap instead of talking. But of course you had to be so freaking selfless and cater to my needs first…'

Kyouka leaned towards Izuku's face, her tears landing on his cheek. "I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you, Izuku..."

Kyouka then planted a soft kiss on Izuku's wet yet warm cheek before backing up and wiping her tears.

If this was any other situation she would be freaking out over the fact that she just kissed Izuku for the very first time, even though it wasn't on the lips. But now wasn't the time for that.

Recovery Girl and All Might finally reentered the room before the number one hero spoke up. "I'm sorry, but time's up, young Jirou."

"It's okay. I'll go now." Kyouka said, walking past the two heroes. "Thank you for giving me this time."

Kyouka then exited the room and closed the door behind her as Recovery Girl smiled. "That boy is lucky to have such a girl to care for him so much."

All Might nodded as he looked at his successor. "Yeah… He is."

A/N

My god, chapter 42 is done! Okay, I know I have been gone for over 2 months, but I have a good explanation… Okay, not a good one, but an explanation. I did have a good chunk of assignments, yes, but if I'm being honest, I mostly spent my time beating 4 jrpgs in between the last chapter and this chapter. I got addicted. I'm not proud. Btw. check the Trails of Cold Steel series. Really a fantastic game series in my opinion that needs more love.

I was hoping to get this chapter posted on April 7th since that'd be my 1 year anniversary of starting this story, but I guess I'll have to accept today. But I will say that I have been grateful for working on this story for over a year now and looking forward for more to come.

In this chapter I wanted to try only sticking to their names instead of hair colors and stuff. Let me know if you guys prefer this over the hair colors/physical descriptions or just don't care. Any feedback is appreciated so I know what to do with future chapters.

But fuck, this fight was hard. The hardest parts weren't the actions if I'm being honest, but where I would place certain moments and dialogue. Also, the end of the fight as well. That tortured me for a good while.

And yes, I am making Kyouka very ignorant and immature towards the situation with Todoroki for the time being. There'll be some more of that next chapter so be warned.

I was going to give Kyouka a bit of a crazy scene during the match where she starts having some dark thoughts, but I scrapped that mainly because it felt too random. Might do it in a future chapter though.

Next chapter shouldn't be as much torture and hopefully I'll have a nicer time writing it. But soon the Sports Festival will end and I'll be happy.

Now onto the reviews!

RPGuy777: I'm glad you didn't see it as rude and it's great to know you're still interested.

Earl John Diawatan: Can't say I'm too keen on those names, but nice try.

Russian Girl epta: Что ж, я рад, что получил их сейчас.

SandaKagami: Don't worry, her development with other people will go forward. And in a few cases it might go backwards.

Cheese: Just kept it there for future chapters.

Random65: Then I might have to change this story to IzuOcha for Dekiru. And don't test me on quitting lol.

Ability King KK: That's gonna be a fun confrontation. I can't wait for it.

Lockheart25: I have an idea for where it'll end and how next season will start.

AngelicWisdom: Ochako will definitely be a little bolder here. And I'm tempted to make her more likeable as well, but I don't know if I'm skilled enough to do that.

papaprep: I probably only added a pinch of spice, but better than nothing I think.

Guest: Maaf, saya rasa saya tidak akan melakukannya.

Dark-Dragon-King-24: Hope this was close enough.

Edinamabasi: Thanks for reading through and I'm sure I could've done better with Full Cowling.

Z: Cause I need Kyouka to be sad/angry.

Kisa tracer: Oh, I wish. That'd be amazing.

Dragomemoirs: Never seen that show, but I've heard things about it.

Dragon storm: Unfortunately, that can be said about a lot of characters. I do feel bad for Ochako though cause she has a lot of potential.

Pearlrockstar1997: I definitely will. And I'm surprised you'd be rereading it.

Star Watcher 22: It makes me happy to know that this story brightens your mood. It truly is amazing to hear. And he might just find out one day, who knows.

Guest: Awesome ideas. But as much of a dick as Bakugo is, I don't think he would attack an opponent while they're already down. And I plan to introduce BW later on in the story, but earlier than in canon. I was thinking of having a little flashback to their reaction, but I'm still not sure.

: Possibly, but close enough.

Rice with Chest-Nuts: I'm glad to see you're enjoying the early chapters. Pretty embarrassing though since I kinda dislike them.

A: Never!

Tim0552: Is 2+ months soon enough...?

RipjawisHolmes: Gracias for commending me. And here I am continuing.

dbzmast3r: That's one way to say it.

Hospitaller1080: Izuku is gonna need a whistle.

Well, that's it for the reviews!

That's the end of this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review! (See you in 3 months! Kidding. I hope.)