After round 2 of the sports festival, the entire event was put on a one hour break, to allow both the participants, announcers, and audience some time to rest, eat and drink before the whole thing started up again with the recreational activities that would the show before the finale.

It was in many ways a time for rest, for planning, and for talks.

For the pro's it was the point to discuss the development of this year's new young heroes. It was the usual discussion between the old guard and talks of who would be the likely one to win this year.

For this year, the clear favorites were Todoroki Shoto, Mina Ashido, Uraraka Ochako, Izuku Midoriya, and somewhat surprisingly a tech department student in Mei Hatsume.

For others, it was a discussion of possibly taking on a new hero as a sidekick, and which one showed the most potential.

For Black Cat, a hero who's professional hero rank had been anywhere from 3 to 27 over the last 17 years since she came to this country, it was the time to meet with her second oldest child and discuss the tournament, Izuku Midoriya, and how much the girl absolutely hated Mei Hatsume.

For the students, this was a time for a rather varied set of discussions and talks.

For Mineta Minoru and Kaminari Denki, this was a time to prank their female classmates with a humiliating prank involving cheerleader outfits.

For Mashirao Ojiro and Nirengeki Shoda, it was a time for contemplation of a hard decision based on personal pride.

For Uraraka Ochako and Todoroki Shoto, it was a time to discuss a very depressing family tale of forced marriage, domestic abuse, spousal rape, and the time-honored tradition of men in power sending inconvenient women to the mental asylum.

For Venom, the seventh child of Knull, and Setsuna Tokage, it was a time to detach part of themselves to go and listen in on said conversation. For Katsuki Bakugou it was a time to do the exact same thing by simply skulking in the shadows.

And for Izuku Midoriya, it was time to seek out a rival and to be approached by a crazy old woman.

I

Izuku finished his food for the moment, a rather incredibly well-made hamburger.

He bid goodbye to Iida and Tsuyu and prepared himself mentally for what to do.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

There were so, so many people around him. So many people, all doing their own thing.

So many, many emotions.

Anger, annoyance, joy, lust, jealousy, hate. Two people having sex in a bathroom. The wish to pull back was there, and it was strong, but for once he ignored it. He had to do this until he found the one he was looking for.

There.

The one who hated him.

Paradoxically this soul who had a hatred burning more bitter than any other here was also one of the ones that was full of more joy and enthusiasm than almost anyone else.

This girl absolutely loved her work. She loved her life more than almost any other here. It was a simple love too. Pure.

And yet, that purity also hid the brightest hate.

Nervousness began to set in, as he realized she wasn't alone.

He would have to approach this girl as people watched. He would have to ask for a word under four eyes, knowing fully well she would probably decline and humiliate him.

It didn't change that he had to do this. He had to know if he could learn it. Know why she hated him.

He opened his eyes and began his journey towards Mei.

As he reached the room where she was staying in, he saw the door was open.

He steeled himself right by the entrance, preparing himself to go in. Instead, he halted, as he began to actually listen to what was being said.

"So that was serious? Like… Your stuff is made for people with no quirks?" He thought the voice was familiar, but he just couldn't place it.

Mei's voice as she replied was warm, energetic, and full of enthusiasm.

"Well, that is one way to look at it, but actually, most of my stuff is meant for anyone, quirks, or otherwise. The big problem so many developers make is that they limit themselves to focus exclusively on quirk enhancement tech, even though realistically, we should focus on making general tech that could be used by anyone!"

"Alright… So… those arms of yours… You could make a set for anyone then?"

"Oh, the actual arms aren't a problem at all. Sure, it'd take me maybe half a year to make another set from scratch, but yeah, I could do it."

"The main problem isn't the arms themselves. It's the tempering to make them as durable as they are now, and more annoyingly, the power source."

"If you have the cash for the material I'm gonna need, I can do the first no problem. Hell, I could even customize it so the metal would be any color you want! The big problem though is the energy to power them."

He heard a clacking sound, which sounded like someone was tapping something hard with a piece of metal.

"The battery is the big secret to making them as powerful as they are. Like, if I had to settle for a smaller, regular battery, I'd get maybe only a lifting strength of one ton or so."

A small silence followed.

"That still sounds pretty awesome."

"Yeah, Mei-San, that sounds amazing, I'll bet you anyone in the general department would be interested in arms that could lift a ton! Like, holy shit, that's still more than most of the damned heroics students!".

So that was who these people were. General students, who wanted the power to jump into heroics.

"...So what's the story about that battery of yours? You can't remake it?"

"Oh no, I could remake it with ease! No problem at all, but I'd need a certain creature's power to Kickstart it, and I don't have access to it anymore!"

"Damn, that sucks."

"Yeah, imagine if you could just mass produce that kinda thing! Like, holy shit that must be a powerful battery, to power those arms with that small size!"

Agreeing grunts.

Izuku might have stood there for longer listening in, but at that moment, one of the students in the room decided to leave it for whatever reason.

The guy in question froze when he saw Izuku. Then, with a short pause, he turned his head and called out.

"Hey Mei, there's someone here to see you!"

Before heading on, past Izuku.

Izuku swallowed, but there wasn't anything to do now but go in, or run away. So he stepped inside.

Inside, Mei was sitting by a table, showcasing a whole bunch of equipment. Around her were about 8th students. It seemed like she was actually at the end of a presentation, not in the middle of one.

All eyes were on Izuku as he entered, and silence immediately fell over the room.

Some glanced at Mei.

As she sat looking at him, Mei's happy joyful grin soured into one of annoyance.

"What do you want Midori?"

He swallowed.

"Could we talk… Just the two of us?"

He expected her to go tell him to fuck off, but surprisingly Mei just nodded.

She then picked up a small circular device with the words "Eren" Written on it, and a weird tube with various tech stuff on it, along with a cable on the bottom that she hooked to her harness.

The rest she left on the table.

He also noticed she was wearing a set of steampunk looking gauntlets, and the glasses she'd donned for the cavalry battle was now resting on top of her head.

Once they were outside in the corridor, Mei took the lead and headed in the direction of outside.

"Aren't… Aren't you afraid your gear could get stolen?"

"Sure, but there are 5 different cameras in that room, so If it is, all I have to do is report it to Yuei, and they'll know the culpring right away."

"Wait, Yuei has cameras here?"

"Of course they do Midori. There are cameras everywhere people walk except the bathrooms. If you want a truly private conversation you have to head outside or by one of the side entrances."

Okay, so… That was disturbing.

"Why?"

"Why? Weren't you there when the League of Villains attacked? I thought you fought that Rhino guy, or is that just gossip the students made up?"

"No… I did fight him."

"That entire debacle is what's lead to this situation with massively heightened security. That includes way more cameras."

They reached a spot that not too long ago had been sued by Todoroki Shoto to tell Uraraka about his rather depressing life story. Mei, however, did not stop there, instead heading out towards the forest that surrounded the stadium.

Only when they were surrounded by green did she stop and turn around.

"Alright. Now that we have some privacy, what the hell did you want Midori?"

"To talk."

She snorted.

"And by that you mean to ask me questions."

"...Yes."

"Of course. So, what inane stuff did you want to ask about?"

Izuku hesitated. He knew what he wanted to ask, but he really did not want to just come out and say he didn't remember her. That would probably not get a very good reaction.

Being Izuku, he stumbled into the Minefield anyway.

"Do you… Remember the last time we met?"

Her eyes narrowed, then went down to linger on his chest where the white spider rested so prominently.

"Yeah, I do. You haven't changed much since that day. Or rather you haven't changed at all."

"...Do you remember the date?"

"Sure, it was April 18th. Also, it was raining, lightning was pretty plentiful, and I accidentally dropped a wrench on your head."

April 18th? What April 18th? Last year? The year before that? Last year in April he had been trying to figure out his powers, hadn't he?

And the year before that… No, he couldn't remember any big thing taking place in April. Not to mention, he was pretty sure he had never in his entire life had a wrench fall on his head.

"Are… Are you sure… I'm the guy you're thinking about?"

It was the wrong thing to say, and he realized it the moment he said it.

With a quick movement from her tentacles pushing her forward, Mei went from standing a comfortable distance away, to being literarily so close to his face that their noses touched.

"You've got poofy green hair. A set of freckles like two plus patterns. A girlfriend who calls you Midori. The only thing that is different than the last time I saw you, is the amount of scars you've got. It's You Izuku Midoriya. Have no doubts about that. "

He could feel her breath on his lips as she talked, and instinctually he wanted to back away hard, but he forced himself to stay where he was. He had to ask.

"...Why… Why do you hate me so much?"

"Because every single bad thing that has ever happened to me, has been because of You and your false promises."

For a moment her expression went from the cold one to the broken grimace she had worn when shaking his hand. And just like that time, her hand went down to clutch her left side in a desperate grip.

"For you, that 18th of April is forever going to be one of the happiest moments of your life. For me, it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I lost everything that day. My family, my health, everything I ever owned or built except the clothes on my back. And it was all thanks to You. That is why I hate you Izuku Midoriya."

Her voice was so filled with bile and Venom that the only thing Izuku could compare it to, was the league man with the hand on her face.

They stood there for maybe 10 seconds, before suddenly, and with no warning, Mei pulled away, and with the clanking of robot arms, she headed back towards the stadium.

"I'll see you in the finals, Midori."

For a while, he just stood there looking after her.

"Man, this day is just full of interesting conversations isn't it?"

I

After having gone back to the stadium, Izuku didn't go seek out his friends again.

Right now, he was just desperately trying to figure out what the hell Mei had been talking about.

He was still trying to reach a conclusion when he realized it was only 10 minutes left before the break was over. So, he quickly headed over to the toilet to do his business before the final stretch began.

As could be expected, the toilet of Yuei's sports stadium was immaculate and clean.

No one was there when he came in, and as he did his business, no one came in after him.

It struck him right as he finished up and flushed down.

An overwhelming, deep, primal sensation that something was wrong.

The Black suit immediately engulfed him from head to toe as he wrenched the stall door open.

The door to the outside was gone.

He ran over to where it had been and knocked on the wall, but the sound was from a solid wall, not from a door.

Did he have to break down the wall by force to escape here? Had Cementos closed this bathroom? Why?! Why would he do that?

The lights went out.

That wasn't a problem for Izuku, who was more than capable of seeing in the dark with the white clear eyes of a symbiote, but it could not be a good sign.

There was something in the room with him.

He slowly turned around.

He could not see anything except the dark outlines of the bathroom.

But he knew. There was something there. Someone was watching him.

A light suddenly appeared above the washing sink on the opposite end of the room.

He hesitated for a moment. Then he slowly began walking over to it.

Then, as he watched, red English letters began to form on the mirror. Slowly, in order from left to right, like someone was writing on it in blood with an invisible hand.

March 17th - 2218. The end of all races.

Izuku just stared at the date. That was… Early next year?

Another spotlight suddenly appeared, this time over the next sink and mirror.

White hair and red eyes, shall bring doom to all the world.

"What the hell is happening…"

It was at that moment that Izuku realized Venom wasn't talking.

"Venom? Are you there?!"

No answer.

That… That could not be a good thing.

A third spotlight appeared.

The Abyss has teeth.

What the hell did that mean?

Then, the final sink.

At first, Izuku thought a smaller hand was writing, but then he realized it was just the letters being much smaller than the rest, to fit in a longer message. The style was also much, much clearer, looking like it was written by someone with Supreme penmanship.

We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly

He didn't entirely understand the words that had been written. But he understood the meaning behind them in his soul like it was written in Japanese instead.

Then finally, beneath the writing appeared a symbol. A circle with one line going down, then 3 bent ones on each side. It looked like a cartoonish bug design, with a tail.

Then, suddenly, so suddenly it felt like he had gotten whiplash, the world returned to normal.

He began breathing heavily, suddenly feeling sick.

"The fuck was that?"

"I… I saw..."

"Yeah I saw, but for some reason, you couldn't hear me. The fuck was up with that?"

"I don't know… Was that… A quirk attack?"

"What, a psychic projection? Great. Those ALWAYS such fun to deal with."

Izuku was about to reply. Then he realized how little time they had left before the third round began.

He hurried towards the door, which thankfully opened without resistance.

As he ran, he asked the question that burned right now.

"What did any of that mean?"

Venom took a moment before he answered.

-Well that first one was pretty clear. It's a date. So, a warning that somethings gonna happen that day. The end of all races apparently.-

-The second one warns of some figure with white hair and red eyes, who seems to be responsible for whatever is gonna happen.-

"You seem… Pretty nonchalant about this."

-We've heard doomsday proclamations before. They're usually overblown.-

Venom hesitated a bit before continuing.

-The abyss has teeth, though… That's a Klyntar saying...-

"It is!?"

-Yes… It's a saying that's usually attributed to Knull, or the place between worlds. Carcosa…-

"Is that… An important place?"

-Yes, you could say that. We still don't know what the hell any of that means though.-

"Yeah… Then there was that last one… the world is on the precipice of change?"

-Oh, that? Yeah, that's not a prophecy at all. It's a speech lifted directly from the Dragon Age franchise. So whoever it is who sent that message, is either a gamer or has watched the anime of it.-

That… Kinda blew away a lot of the mysticism of this whole thing.

"Should… Should we tell anyone about this?"

-Probably not. One of the big ass problems with psychic attacks is that you usually look like a crazy person when you try to discuss them with someone. It's one of the reasons mental powers are such a pain in the ass to deal with."

Izuku bit his lip as he finally reached the opening to the stadium, where everyone else was gathered already, and it was only a minute left before everything began.

Mina and Uraraka both were looking at him with relieved faces, obviously worried he wouldn't show.

Venom was probably right. Still… He didn't like the idea of not telling anyone about it.

Whoever it was that had sent this thing obviously thought it was important to send it to him specifically. So… Should he really not say anything about it to anyone?