Fallout

So that was it then; he lost. Izuku collapsed on the ground, his body sapped of all strength and energy. His every muscle and bone ached, and he felt like he weighed ten more tons. The grass and dirt felt as soft as a mattress for all he cared for. A part of him wanted to just fall asleep, or cry himself to sleep. He'd failed, All Might. He was a joke.

But as he attempted to wallow in his own misery, a shadow fell over him. Cementoss had walked over, and knelt beside him. "Are you hurt Midoriya? Do you need to visit Recovery Girl?"

"No." He murmured, utterly shattered.

"If you're sure, then follow me. We have a safe area, it's too risky to stay here with the battle royal still going on." He explained, as if to accentuate that point, a huge slab of concrete was blown into the ground next to him. It seemed his classmates had continued the fight.

"Okay."

"You'll have other chances, young man, and several pro-heroes witnessed your acts of bravery. This isn't the end." He reassured him, but Izuku just nodded. As he walked through he noticed Shinso being loaded onto a stretcher by Recovery Girl's robots, causing him to stop. He looked bad.

"Did I do that?"

"No." Cementoss assured him. "he did that to himself. His quirk is only supposed to be able to control one person. Using one more than one has given him a concussion. Really bad."

"I didn't realise." Izuku admitted, he must have really wanted to be a hero. A trait that they shared, he realized, "is he going to be okay?"

"Recovery Girl is the best of the best. It looked bad but I'm sure it's nothing serious. I'm surprised though he managed to maintain control as long as he did, I thought he was going to faint." Cementoss admitted, "but I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Yeah." Izuku swallowed, feeling faint. What would he say to All Might?

He was led to some chairs. He was alone right now, but in the time it took him to walk over here several other classmates had been blasted out of the ring by various sources. He didn't see any of his classmates just yet, so it seemed that they had at least held their own.

"Damn it." He cried, eyes becoming red with grief. All Might must be so ashamed, to fail so pitifully, he had the number one hero supporting him, one of the most powerful quirks entrusted to him, and it was all for naught. He was squandering All Might's gift and wasn't doing enough.

He didn't know what to do.

But as more and more of his classmates were thrown out of bounds, he knew they were headed straight to him. And being in their presence was more than he could bear right now. Pulling himself to his feet he opted to just wander, to be alone for a while. To give himself time to think, to escape from his own feelings. He walked into the arena corridors with no particular destination in mind. By chance however he found himself at Recovery Girl's office.

Had he come here subconsciously? Perhaps he half expected to have to come here for some reason or another, though this might be the first time he didn't have to go to Recovery Girl's office after a school event. That would be a milestone really. He supposed he had that going for him, but he was still bruised and a check-up wouldn't hurt.

He walked in and found her looking over Shinso. He was conscious now, but resting on a bed, Recovery Girl was holding a finger in front of his eyes, waving it back and forth. Izuku couldn't tell before, but Shinso looked worse for wear. His skin was pale and clammy, his eyes bloodshot with vomit having trickled down his shirt.

"What on Earth could have possessed you to abuse your quirk like that? Even using it against over one person is a strain! I'll have Nezu's fur for this. He insisted on continuing the match. But you need to take better of yourself, you need to know your limits. This would be bad enough as it is, but Midoriya wasn't gentle."

"I knew my limits, but I had to push them. I didn't have any choice." Shinso scowled, but his voice was weak and sickly, but not without some bite behind them.

"I understand that, but you will badly hurt yourself." Recovery Girl berated him, hands shaking with worry filled anger," you were close to hurting yourself permanently. I can't believe that Nezu insisted on continuing the match."

Shinso raised his voice to argue, but then noticed Izuku standing at the door. He just remained silent. Izuku squirmed where he stood, feeling judged. Recovery Girl did not appear to notice, instead taking some notes and marching off, perhaps to do some kind of tests.

"I'm sorry." He admitted to him and Shinso's eyes widened.

"You're sorry? For what?" Shinso asked, shocked.

"You wanted to be a hero. I know what that's like. I also know what it's like to have a quirk that isn't suited for hero work. I know what it's like to want to be a hero so badly. And I ruined that for you. I'm sorry." Izuku admitted, in truth, he couldn't help but imagine if things were reversed. From when he was quirkless and if he was offered a similar opportunity, he would have taken it.

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to apologize for." He replied, his voice sour. "I know what I did wasn't fair, and it wasn't heroic. I know that. I know it was cruel. You have nothing to apologize for, this is what I deserve."

"I don't think being a hero is about what's fair, at least what my homeroom teacher said. Heroes have to battle that unfairness, and that's what you were doing." Izuku said. Shinso looked at him with a look Izuku couldn't quite place.

"Was it Eraserhead, by any chance?"

"How did you know that?"

"He was the one who suggested this plan to me." Shinso replied. The revelation brought a smile to Izuku's face that became a small laugh.

"Of course he did." Izuku gasped. He should have known. Shinso too smiled slightly.

"He said to forget this was a competition, and to use anyone who saw it as one to my advantage. He was the one who gave me the idea to try controlling multiple people at once as well, and said I had to make sure I proved myself to any hero." Shinso explained, his voice tinged with disappointment, "I guess it was all for nothing now."

"I'm sorry…"

"You seriously have a problem with apologizing, don't you?"

Izuku smiled sheepishly. "I really am though, I know what it's like to want to be a hero. I just didn't know any other way to break the mind control."

"You have to hit them on the head hard."

Izuku frowned, "I did hit them in the head."

"Specifically, it has to be the temple." Shinso said pointing to the space between the ear and the eye on his head, "especially on the hard-headed folks"

"Huh, that explains it." Izuku mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly. Wishing he had known that earlier, maybe he wouldn't have been in this situation.

At that moment, Recovery Girl walked back into the room, a clipboard clutched in her hands. A grim, solemn expression on her face, she turned to face Izuku.

"You should head back to the match sonny, it's almost over." Recovery Girl said to him, Izuku though, stayed.

"He's going to be okay, right?"

"He will, but he will need to be moved to a hospital. This is beyond our facilities, I'm going to have to re-explain to Midnight what brain trauma symptoms are." Recovery Girl scowled, and Izuku took one look at Shinso who nodded.

"I'll be fine. Focus on being your hero, at least one of us will be one."

Izuku nodded before leaving. His mind was in a knot of worry, but as he came back to the pitch he was left with an entirely different atmosphere. Cheers echoed through the stands. It seemed the game must be good. He hoped some of his friends had done well in the event.

But the time of his return seemed well timed, as at that moment a bell went off in the stands announcing the end of the first event.

"AND THAT'S IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THAT'S THE FIRST EVENT, IT'S BEEN QUITE THE RIDE BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO SEE WHO GETS TO TAKE TO THE NEXT EVENT."

An image appeared on the big screen showing around forty separate names and faces. Izuku's heart kicked into gear as he scanned the faces for his classmates. He found Bakugo and Todoroki's faces almost immediately, he knew those two would pass. That loud kid from 1-B had made it too, but the two he was most hopeful for had also passed.

"Izuku." Came Uraraka's voice, one of tired enthusiasm, "you were amazing."

She came running up to him, Tenya close behind her, "she's correct. You showed remarkable nobility in the contest, it's a shame you can't continue onwards. You were by far the best one out there."

"I bet you were amazing too." Izuku replied, ignoring the dagger of disappointment that stabbed in his heart.

"Huh Deku did you not see it?" Ochako asked, disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't here." Izuku admitted, "I went to check on Shinso."

"Huh that creep?"

"It was most sporting of you Midoriya." Tenya replied but Izuku could tell it was only out of politeness. It seemed the thought of Shinso was frustrating for him.

"It's really unfair what happened to you Deku." Ochako said, "you were so noble."

"It's fine." Izuku lied, "how did you two do?"

"I think it went well personally. We managed to persevere to the next task without any significant injury." Tenya said with a small amount of pride.

"It was close though, I wasn't sure we were going to make it there." Ochako replied.

They continued chatting but Izuku was only half listening, his eyes were shifting towards the audience, specifically the teachers' stands. He couldn't see his mentor and hero but he could only imagine the face of disappointment.

"Hey you there." Came an obnoxious voice, catching Izuku by surprise and causing him to jump. Spinning around he saw the same class 1-B boy from a few days before who had mocked Aizawa after the USJ incident.

"Erm hello?" Izuku asked, his voice wavering.

"What deal did you have with him?" The blonde boy demanded, his voice shrill and angry.

"What deal? What are you talking about?" Ochako asked, confused, Izuku was just as baffled.

"You think I'm stupid? Why else would you not be affected by that sleepy eyed jerk?" The blonde boy said, "it's all part of the act. He mind controlled us, and you pretend to break free then 'save' us so everyone thinks you're a great hero without even having to fight us 1-Bs."

"What?"

"Such disrespect! To accuse a fellow classmate of cheating."

"Plus it makes no sense why would Izuku make a deal with him, then free the rest of us? What would that guy get out of it?" Uraraka demanded, to which the blonde boy scoffed.

"Because he's trying to make himself looking like a fucking hero who'd sacrifice his chances for his classmates. It's all a publicity stunt that's why. He knows he can't beat us, so he pretends to be all noble and powerful in a rigged fight. Well I'm not going to let him get away with it." He screamed before turning on his heel and marching off.

"What was that about?" Izuku asked, his friends looked just as baffled. He sighed, how humiliating. Losing right here, so early after all the potential he thought he had.

Izuku sank to knees right there, drained. Just drained, on the verge of tears but he didn't break, not here. Not in public. He felt Uraraka's hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't listen to him Deku, you're a hero you know that right." She assured him. Izuku just nodded numbly.

"Yeah I guess, it just isn't fair."

"I know it isn't. But hey it's not over yet, maybe it's like the entrance exam. Maybe they have something like the rescue points."

"Yeah, maybe." Izuku replied not daring to hope.

As he said that though he noticed the blonde-haired boy talking to Midnight, with the later appearing exasperated. At first Izuku was going to leave, perhaps to face All Might when Midnight waved for his attention.

"Young Midoriya, could you come here please?" She asked, seemingly exhausted. Izuku looked at his friends who simply shrugged, so he simply made his way over to them.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked, not finding himself as nervous about the idea as he probably should.

"No my dear boy, no it's just Mr Monoma here has an… an offer." She said, lacking her usual enthusiasm, replaced a frustrated sigh.

"An offer?" Izuku asked, looking at the blonde haired boy who scowled.

"Yes he seems to think that your loss was intentional." She said.

"It was staged, to make himself look good and us 1-Bs look bad. To make him look like some kind of martyr and take all the good internships." He shouted, honestly tiring Izuku by this point.

"I told you-"

"I don't want to hear it. I'm not going to let you get away with it, so you can have my spot."

"What?" Izuku spluttered, not believing his ears, his eyes darting between the two. Waiting for someone to break the joke. He didn't deserve this, this didn't make sense, "why?"

"Because then people won't get the wrong idea about you, and they'll be impressed by the true act of sportsmanship. Mine." Monoma replied with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, barely daring to hope.

"He's been very sure since this conversation started." Midnight groaned with a hand over her face.

A rush of emotions barreled through him in a confusing mess. Like ten people trying to fit through a single door, they fought to emerge. Disbelief, hope, joy, utter confusion all vying for control, but one battled its way to the top. Gratitude, his own doubt and insecurities washed away for a single moment.

"Thank you." He squealed, pulling the blonde boy into a hug. Much to the latter's surprise and uncomfortableness. Izuku, sensing the mood change, pulled back, mumbling apologies. The boy just huffed and walked away, his head held high as if he had won a major victory. Izuku however had another chance. He didn't know if he deserved it, but he was going to make it worth it.

A/N: So many people had a lot of critiques of my last chapter, and admittedly a lot of them are justified and I hope this chapter helps address a few of them. And I hope to explain a few here: First, an explanation about Shinso's powers, something I mentioned before was that some things in the story would differ from canon just because. What I clearly didn't make clear was that this would extend to Shinso's powers and how they worked, with them now requiring a specific weak spot for the control to be released. Given what happened here, I won't be repeating this mistake. Also, I hope I've clarified that Shinso put too much strain on himself in this case and can't repeat this move or make a habit of it.

Second, many people have taken issue with how the teachers responded to the incident with Shinso and think he should be disqualified. While I won't be pulling anything like this again, I would remind people that this is U.A. and the teachers, while they won't be making a habit of it, would be less concerned if their contests were fair and more to see how their students reacted. Again that being said I won't make a habit of this, and Shinso is taken out of the contest regardless in a way that explains why he won't pull something like this again.

Sorry this took so long, final exams plus writer's block caused the delay. Unfortunately with me looking for a job the next one may take longer.