Hyori Ittai (Hunter x Hunter Ending 6)/Peace Sign/God Knows - Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Chapter

Twenty One

'Two sides of the same coin'

"You see Sora Yamazaki; you and I are extremely similar. We both have lived previous lives, and so when we died, we wound up here of all places. So, tell me, why are you in UA, and what do you want?" I stared at her dumbfounded. I-, Setsuna Tokage was like me?! She was the same as me. That meant she understood how I felt, that meant she felt the same way I did, but at the same time it changed everything.

But that also meant...

Zero. There was a chance that they were connected to Zero. Jiro's scared face, that manic laughter, the blood pouring out of my body. I couldn't forget it, I couldn't forget the pain and suffering that I felt during the USJ attack. Something had snapped within me, as if something foreign had taken over me. Without even thinking I summoned my Nimbus and transformed it onto a knife as I pinned her against the wall and pulled the knife towards her throat. If she were Zero, I could just kill her right now and-,

"Hey, hey?! What the hell are you doing?" She screamed. "Hey psycho? Are you fucked in the head or what?"

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I yelled angrily. "Your games end here you idiot. Did you think that I wouldn't put two and two together, eh Zero?" I spat out. Ha, this was priceless. This was Zero, I had them. I could end it all right here, I could protect everyone. That was what my body was telling me, to just kill her right here and now. I wondered what would happen if I slit her throat.

How her body would fall lifeless to the floor.

Maybe I would gut her instead?

I wanted to see the hope in her eyes slowly fade out.

I wanted to see her despair.

"Zero?" She struggled to escape my grip. "Who is Zero? You shout at me about not explaining things, but here you are acting incomprehensible?! Just relax, take a breather, and think about what you want to say. Explain it to me, slowly. You sound crazy, if only you could hear yourself right now? Just let me go and go for a walk or something, you clearly have unresolved issues-"

I growled in anger. "Think about what to say? Oh, so you have enough time to call Kurogiri and kill me?! Fat chance, make one move and I will kill you right here and now."

She gulped at that. "I always knew you were off your rocker, but this takes it to a whole different level. I don't know anything about 'Zero,' but if you have this strong of a reaction to them then I suggest you stay clear from maths for the time being." Her joke wasn't funny. In fact, it made me point my knife closer to her throat, causing her to backtrack. "Okay, okay. Not funny. Just relax Yamazaki, relax. Explain who this 'Zero' person is so we are on the same page, that is what most important as of now."

"Zero? You really don't know about Zero?" She shook her head. I scoffed. My body was still itching to murder her, to just get it over and done with. Even if I was wrong, even if she was innocent, it begged for my hand to slip. For my knife to drag across her throat, for her to die. I don't know what was worse, that inescapable feeling of dread or the fucking headache that I had.

"I don't. Now I would appreciate it if you got rid of the fucking knife pointed at my throat, but if you don't believe me then go ahead and kill me. Then not only will you be a murderer, but you would have also killed an innocent person." She replied.

Tch. She had a point; I had no idea if she truly was Zero. But that didn't make the desire within me to kill her go away. In fact it made me more worried, what if she was lying? What if this was a ploy? But I wasn't willing to be a murderer, even if I wanted to do so. Staring into her dark green eyes, I could see the fear she had in her eyes. She truly didn't know what I would do.

And neither did I. Was I prepared to be a murderer? No. No I wasn't, but that part of me that was irrational, that leapt up in danger and wanted me to kill her was still there. I could feel it, which was the oddest feeling ever. Hesitantly, I lowered down my arm as I let her go, but the knife didn't disappear. If she hesitated, lied even once I would kill her. If she gave any inclination of her being Zero, then I'd kill her with no remorse.

But I didn't want to kill her-,

"Conflicted, aren't you?" She asked smirking. "It feels like you have two people inside of you. And your mood changes-" She clicked her fingers to help make her point "-just like that, right. Random thoughts that conflict with each other, mildly schizophrenic and a contrasting personality at times. Even your actions are odd, you feel the urge to kill me, yet you don't want to?"

"What's your point?" I asked. I didn't expect, nor want a psychological analysis. I wanted answers, and so I tightened my grip on my knife. My body was telling me how easy it would be, from this range a single slash would do. It would over as quickly as it started, as easy as sleeping. However, Tokage squirmed as she stared at me, then at the knife before returning back to me and gulped.

"Don't rush me, I'll get there eventually." She replied. "Your actions during the second round, specifically with Shinso. You remember how you were surprised when we told you that you replied to him?"

I nodded. What does that have to do with this?

"Well, that is related to your conflicted feelings now. Your actions, and your feelings are connected to the much larger problem, one you have been facing ever since you woke up as Sora Yamazaki. That is, Sora Yamazaki the person, and the person who you used to be are fighting in your mind right now." She explained as if she were describing the weather.

I scoffed. I was fighting myself? What rubbish. "Like that makes sense. Stop with the jokes and-,"

"Are you telling me that you don't remember times where in which you acted stupidly? Not in a laughable way, rather you did something you didn't want to. You did something different, rather than choosing just one option, you agonised over the choices in front of you and made a contradictory decision." She asked me. "Are you really telling me that you haven't gone through that process?"

"...Fine. And what if I have? Isn't it normal to second guess-,"

She interrupted me. "Second guessing? Huh, that's an abnormal way to describe your two personalities battling over control. Face it Yamazaki, our lives haven't been normal for a long time."

"And how would you know all about this?" I asked. "Just how the hell do you know about my inner psyche fighting it out or some bullshit. This sounds like you just made it up on the spot to stall for time!"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's simple because I go through it myself." She responded by tapping her head lightly. "Who I once was, and who I am now. They are two vastly different people, different everything. From the way we think, to the way we process things. Two sides of the same coin that make up who I am as of now. A weird mix between the two, not wholly Setsuna Tokage nor the girl I used to be. And that makes me act differently, that makes me in direct conflict with myself when it comes to dealing with others, in dealing with you."

"And why would I be suffering from what you are going through?" I asked.

"Because you died. You died, and you woke up as Sora Yamazaki. Who Sora Yamazaki is, or I suppose was, is now mixed with, well you. There isn't any other way I can describe it other than the fact that we weren't supposed to end up like this, our minds aren't equipped for this. Naturally, our two different souls would develop two different personalities." Tokage huffed out.

"Souls?" I scoffed. "Getting a bit to spiritual for me here."

"I was just using it as an example. The point is that the Sora Yamazaki part of you, and whoever you were in your past life should not be mixed. That is what is your causing your inner conflict, this is what is making you different." She explained. "This isn't a matter of 'second guessing,' it's two different entities making different decisions. Whoever decided to reply to Shinso isn't you, yet at the same time is. Both of you want two vastly different things, and that's causing your mind to fracture. That's causing your conflicted actions here, apart of you wants to kill because I could be related to this 'Zero' person you hate, and the other side of you doesn't want to be a murderer."

I growled. "So, then Miss know-it-all, how do I fix this?" I asked. "Because to me this sounds like a bunch of shit. How the hell can I believe all the shit that is spewing from your mouth, especially when you haven't even explained how you know this all?"

"How I know this is of no concern to you-,"

I raised the knife, threatening her. No, I wasn't going to take this- Wait I didn't want to threaten her no more? Why was my body aching to kill her. No I knew now, but It couldn't be. I mean how crazy would I have to be to believe it? And deep down inside, a part of me new it was true. But I didn't want to believe it, because then who was Sora Yamazaki-,

"See. You just proved my point." Tokage said. "That inner you, the one that replied to Shinso wants to harm me. Yet that other half of you doesn't want to hurt me, which will you listen to I wonder. Or it's the other way around, and you really are a violent psychopath and the good side of you is trying to take over. Either way, the result is still the same Yamazaki."

"Result?" I scoffed. "Let's say you are telling the truth, that the two sides of me are fighting. What happens if one side wins?" I asked her. To me, it sounded like if one side one then that personality would-,

"Possession, is that what you are thinking? Well, to be honest I don't know myself. The personality that wins becomes you, resulting in one half of ourselves probably being lost forever. I wonder if our minds can handle that, does it just continue to exist normally? Or do we become broken forever, insane to put it bluntly. This isn't a field with a lot of research, as I'm sure you have realised." She answered.

Tch. "So, we are blind basically? Firing bullets in the dark and praying for the best. This sucks, are you telling me there isn't a way to stop this possession. Because to me it sounds like our best option is to point the gun to our heads and pull the trigger."

Tokage smiled at that. "Suicide may be an option for you, but I think I know a way. After all that other side of us is us, surely if we just accept it then everything will go away. Still, it's not like we are a Jinchuriki or something, it's our minds we are talking about, and it isn't something with a ton of examples. Dying, and finding yourself in a new world is exactly a common occurrence."

"A Naruto reference?" I asked surprised.

"Of course. Although, it's more accurate to compare it to the Hollowfication from Bleach. Minus all the powerups, and an increase on the fracturing of our mind. Actually, that's a pretty piss poor example. Whatever, hopefully I got my point across. If we don't come to terms with the other 'us' so to speak, we could die or lose control forever. Everyone that we care about here could see us become a monster, or unrecognisable. Not a nice way to leave the world, am I right?"

Nodding at her, I sat back down. This was a lot to process, the fact that me, or another part of me is trying to take control. Heh, it sounds straight from a manga series, and yet I couldn't exactly deny it. I couldn't call it a bluff or just make-believe because I died. Or a part of me died and woke up as Sora Yamazaki which does sound crazy. At this point I had to believe Tokage.

Because what she said made sense, no it was true. My mind, the fracturing between the two personalities that are Sora Yamazaki and the person who I once was, were the reason behind so much unexplained things that I did. Or thought, it made perfect sense and that was what hurt the most.

That I didn't realise it sooner.

But just because Tokage might have been telling the truth when it came to this topic doesn't mean anything for other topics. The only other person who would know this, who would tell me this was Zero. But looking at her now, truly looking at her, she didn't appear to be Zero. Whilst I hadn't met Zero face to face, only being privy to them taking over their subordinate, Zero spoke differently. Zero had a different posture yet is it that much of a stretch for Tokage's second personality to be Zero.

How could she remember something when someone else had taken over her body.

Kill her.

That was what every inch of my body was urging me to do, to use the knife in my hand to stab her in the throat. To kill her, to wipe her off the face of the earth. To eliminate the threat of Zero, but I didn't know if she truly was Zero. Fuck, what the hell was wrong with me. Wanting to kill someone, even if they are a villain, that isn't me. But it is at the same time.

Fuck.

No, I wasn't going to hurt her. No matter how much 'inner me' wailed or urged me to kill her, I wasn't going to kill anyone. That was my promise, and if I went back on that then I was a no-good bastard. How the hell could I create 'a carefree tomorrow' for even like I wanted if I couldn't even stop myself from killing one person? One person that I didn't want to kill. Forcing my Nimbus to disappear, I turned my attention back towards Tokage who looked much calmer compared to before. I suppose being in the same room with someone holding a knife wouldn't make you calm, but I digress.

"Zero. What's your relation to them?" I asked. Once again, Tokage shrugged her shoulders confused.

"As I said before Yamazaki, I don't actually know who this 'Zero' is. But let's entertain the notion that I was in fact Zero, why would I choose to reveal myself to you now of all times?"

"To kill me. To manipulate me. To lure me into a false sense of security. Take your pick." I replied sarcastically.

"If I were Zero, I'd say nothing. In fact, I'd pretend to be your friend since it's obvious that you care more for them than you care about yourself. Then I'd use that to launch an attack on you, crippling you forever." She told me honestly.

Well, I couldn't argue with that logic. "Fine. Even if you aren't Zero, you must at least know something about them?"

"I'm telling you I don't. Who are they?" She asked me curiously. No, she couldn't be them. You can't fake that look in your eye, and Tokage wasn't an actor which made her all the more easy to read. She had no idea who Zero was, or even what they are. Before our conversation, she was in her own little world without even knowing that someone like Zero existed.

In that way, I sort of envied her.

Zero was a real threat. They could destroy everything by making the smallest changes, by becoming a leader of the League if they desired to do so. They were a psychopath, single minded towards reaching their goal. Setsuna Tokage was the opposite of that, I had seen her interacting with members of her class. She had a real smile on her face, one you couldn't fake.

Tokage wasn't Zero.

"I'm struggling to answer that myself." I truthfully told her. "All I know is that they work for All For One and are like us. They died and found themselves here, and since then have been working with the League of Villains to get what they want, that being a way back home. To our home. Or, something resembling our home. Our past lives, Zero reminds me of someone that is stuck in the past, and that's dangerous."

"The League? Shit. That sounds bad, well I suppose it was stupid of me to hope that you were the only one like myself. Still, working with the League to go home? Is there even a guarantee? Because that sounds more like desperation rather than evil intentions." She muttered.

"Yeah, well they are completely off the rocker. They argued that this world was 'fake' and that the people here were just characters, that they deserved to be manipulated because they couldn't make their own free choices, which contradicts everything because the people here do make their own choices, we just have knowledge of the choices that they'll make."

Tokage hummed thoughtfully. "Hm. Well, I suppose you are right in a sense. Everyone here makes their own choices, hell you being in 1A has resulted in smaller changes, like 1A's friendships to you. If they were robots, they wouldn't have become your friends. Yet, they do have a point. I'm sure for someone like them who has a goal, manipulating everyone must be easy. Which leads to Zero's mentality on the subject, I'm sure that they get bored of being able to play everyone to their advantage. That maybe a 'real human' would act differently and not go along with his plans, but I digress. It's a lot to pack in."

"If what you say is true, about our inner conflict or whatever, then they must have completely lost it. Or something along those lines, because their actions at the USJ were bizarre to say the least. They were willing to try and recruit me, willing to kill people I care about to 'prove a point' in some twisted way." I said. "Still, I'm still going to fight them. Wherever they are, whatever they are doing, if they try to come after UA, I'll fight them. Hell, I'll fight them even if UA isn't targeted."

"Brave," She commented. "Brave, but stupid. Still, is that why you feel comfortable with changing canon completely? I mean knocking Midoriya out was a brave move I must say." Heh, if only she knew. "...Yamazaki, don't tell me-,"

"Yeah, yeah. I forgot all right? I got swept up in the competitiveness and forgot that Midoriya was important. It was my mistake, and now canon has been changed. Still, I can't say that what I did was a bad move. Changing canon means that eventually Zero will lose the advantage. But that wasn't the point, what would the advantage really be over? Our lives? We already have control over that through our actions, so keeping to 'canon' means nothing."

"But we could manipulate events to our favor. With a canon timeline, we can keep everything safe. That's our advantage, knowing what comes next." She added.

"Is that such a dreadful thing? Loosing what you just said?" I asked.

Tokage tilted her head slightly to the left. "You are really asking me that? What are you, stupid?! Of course, it's a 'dreadful thing,' if our knowledge of canon is meaningless then we will be fighting in the dark. Tons of people could die, even those that you care about, people that wouldn't have died in canon. Are you telling me that you haven't thought of this before?"

"I have, and I'm still willing to take the risk." I told her. "It's my responsibility to live my own life, canon doesn't exist here. Not in our lives, we choose our own path and that's exactly what I'm doing Tokage. I'll carve my own path, and no one will get hurt. I'll make a better future for everyone, even if it strays from canon completely because that's what I believe in. That's my dream."

"That's presumptuous, why the hell do you get to live your own life. Just because you can choose to change things up, doesn't mean that you should. Hell, if I were you, I'd quit UA and stop being selfish." Tokage replied.

"Selfish?" I asked confused. "Living my life is selfish now? Well, I'm sorry. Do ya' just want me to roll over and die, to just live my life as empty as I can trying to not make any changes. Because last time I checked, you were in UA as well you hypocrite."

Tokage clicked her tongue at that. "That is where you are wrong. Setsuna Tokage is in canon, I am living the set life Tokage already would have lived, albeit with a few changes. Is she a cunt in canon? No. You on the other hand, aren't in canon. Sora Yamazaki doesn't exist in canon, and yet here you are pretending to be a hero. For the record that's why I dislike you, acting all high and mighty while you are dooming us all with your selfishness. I might be passive, I might not want to deviate from canon too much, but at least I have a guarantee of living at the end of the day. Can you say the same about yourself?"

I laughed at that. "Good joke. Listen Tokage, whether you agree with me or not I'll continue to be in 1A. I'll continue to change 'canon' as I live my life, now if you want to continue being 'Setsuna Tokage' instead of your own person, then be my guest. But I for one aren't just going to roll over and accept this. Fuck being alive if it means that I willingly allow people to suffer even if I can help them, all because it ruins my chances of survival. That isn't being a hero, that's just a villain pretending to be a hero." I replied angrily. How dare she.

As if I'd give up now.

I'd be a right old bastard to even think of doing such a thing.

"Then continue to be selfish. Continue to walk down the path of meaningless destruction, because both you and that Zero person are two sides of the same coin. You only care for living your life, and they only care to go back to our world. If you truly cared about the people in your life, wouldn't you have tried to stick to canon as much as possible? To ensure that the good guys win, even if it has a cost."

"Isn't it the height of arrogance to call someone selfish when you are clearly being just as selfish as I am?" I asked her. "You living your own life, only barely staying in the parameters of canon is even more selfish of a request compared to mine. You have the power the change it, yet you'd rather live a good life. You would rather have the comfort of safety instead of willingly risk your own life. Because why not admit it, you didn't want to be a hero because Tokage was one in canon. You wanted to be a hero because you wanted to."

Her eyes shone darkly at that. "So what? Do I not have the right to do 'as I please?' Or is it limited to only you? Being a hero pays good money, it has a lot of connections to the entertainment industry. I can make so many friends with people in different areas of this industry, I could meet the man of my dreams. Being a hero is a shortcut to that, a shortcut to an easy life, a shortcut to the life that I have been dreaming about for a long time. Don't you want the same thing?" She asked me.

"No." She scoffed at me, raising her hands in the air in anger before shaking her head in disapproval. She clearly didn't believe a thing that I said, because it was clear that she didn't want to believe in any 'good guys.' It was clear to see why, she thought of everyone to be as selfish as her. She truly thought that given the choice, people would choose safety and comfort over what was right.

And I couldn't argue with her.

She was right in a sense.

"Oh really?" Her voice oozed with fake sincerity. "You are such a good person that you became a hero for your own altruistic reasons? You expect me to believe the shit that spews out of your mouth? No one is that good. Not even the so called 'characters' themselves are as good as that, all it takes is one bad day and they'll turn to shit, just like everyone else." She bitterly said.

I frowned at her. "Not everyone is a bad person you know. Sure, I'm selfish as well but I also want to help those that I care about. I became a hero to help protect 1A, to help protect those that I cared about. That's the reason I'm here, fighting. Nothing more and nothing less, and if you are here for the reasons you mentioned then that's also fine. But I won't have you call me a bad person, or call anyone a bad person because of your own experiences. What, had some trauma in your past life?" I asked.

The look on her face told me everything I needed to know. The snarl on her face mixed with the loathing that burnt in her eyes, her posture laying everything bare to me as her foot tapped against the ground impatiently while her fingers were fidgeting trying not to keep still. She was pissed that she revealed that information to me, pissed that she made herself so open.

"It's none of your business." She eventually replied.

"But I think it is." I replied. "You have some issues with me, so explain why. You don't get to be a bitch towards me and not explained why, sure you can have your reasons, but I deserve to know them."

"You don't deserve shit, got it? I don't have to tell you anything. Lest of all my past, quite frankly it isn't any of your business to pry-," I interrupted her by summoning my Nimbus. I wasn't going to harm her, not really. I just wanted to pressure her, that was all. And it worked, she stopped mid-sentence to stare at my Nimbus, afraid of what I would do next.

It was clear as day as to what Setsuna Tokage was.

She was a coward.

I didn't need to know much about her past life, because all the details were pretty much already given to me in the first place. She probably had a bad life, parents that struggled financially, lonely for long periods of time. She wanted a lot of things and couldn't get them, she could have been bullied as a kid, treated horribly and wanted nothing more than to be popular. To be that dream girl that everyone likes, that sets the trends, that rolls into school with mountains of boys asking them out.

She wanted all that and didn't want to ruin it, not when this was her chance. Setsuna Tokage wasn't a bad person, not really. Her selfishness was normal, it wasn't anything extraordinary. It wasn't like she had ambitions that were only achievable by stepping over bodies. And yet, the fact was by sticking to canon she was condemning so many to their pre-set fates. She was allowing so many people to die, for what exactly? Her dream life?

"Sure, I'm selfish Yamazaki, but selfish enough to change the outcomes of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people on a whim? To risk having so many people die because you wanted to 'live your life' seems problematic. Canon is safe, canon is good." She eventually said. "Your way of doing things can lead to chaos, is that truly the better alternative?"

"And people still die in canon? What is your fucking point? Are you telling me you don't want to save those that died?" I asked her angrily. Tokage looked unsure about how to answer as she stared at the floor for a few moments, leaning backwards as she sighed. "Chaos will happen regardless, and you aren't even thinking about this rationally. Even if you stick to canon, that doesn't mean anyone else will."

"The died for a reason. Their deaths help to better our chances of survival-," I couldn't believe the words that I was hearing. Survival? We were doomed if Zero had his advantage over canon, no matter how prepared we were they were always going to outclass us. How could she just defend canon, just because it was the easy route does not mean that it was the correct route! That doesn't mean allowing countless of people's lives to suffer because she didn't want to ruin her own life!

"So, you would willingly allow people to die for the sake of canon?" I asked her.

"Yes. Without hesitation. Even if I feel sorry for them, in my position they would do the same. They would willingly let me die so they can live their dream lives, that's human nature. You acting like you are any different pisses me off, because you are just the same - No you are worse. You don't want to face your selfish nature, because you don't owe these people anything." She answered.

"Even if I don't owe them anything, if I can help them then I will. Sure I'll do so begrudgingly, probably with a frown on my face, but that doesn't mean I'll let them to die. It's not about 'living my dream life' or my selfish nature, it's what I believe to be right. It's because if I want to live my own life then I have to be proud of what I've done, it's because letting people die because it's the easy way out is a coward's way of living." I replied.

"So what-,"

"Even if that meant those you care about?" Tokage froze up at that. "What was that 1B guy called? Ah, Kaibara. Or Kendo. Tetsutesu? Would you give their lives up for canon to naturally happen?" I asked her.

"They don't die in canon, so I don't understand what you are-,"

"You want to stick to canon fair enough. But don't try to take the moral high horse here, because at the end of the day you are willingly sacrificing countless of people to satisfy your own need for safety. Sure, my way isn't a guarantee, but I'll take responsibility for it. Unlike you, who would rather wash their hands clean from this because 'canon' is better than the unknown. Tell me, do you really care about preserving canon? Or are you scared that you, Setsuna Tokage, might die if you change things around too much? That your life will be ruined?"

She didn't respond.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Hypocrite, that is what you are Tokage. A bloody hypocrite, how you managed to make it into 1B with a heart made of ice I have no idea. And a coward to boot, but let me take you down a peg or two, I am going to change canon, and I will make sure no one gets hurt because of it. I will make sure that everyone that I care about will live to see another day, at any cost. Because that's what a hero would do. I'm going to build my dream, I'm going to build a carefree tomorrow and you will be living in it." I was going to do everything I said.

I was, and that is a promise.

To myself.

And to everyone. And a promise to Tokage. Her eyes widened at my declaration, she was unfamiliar with it wasn't she? Unfamiliar to people actually caring, she was easy to read. Like an open book. She wanted that dream life because it gave her everything she ever wanted, to not feel alone. And so why would she sacrifice it to be alone once again? I could sympathise with her in that regard, but I couldn't agree with her.

Because I'm not a coward. Because I'll face myself over and over again if I have to, because I wasn't running away from my true self. I was selfish, maybe more so than Tokage, but I wasn't going to allow it to take control of me. Heh funny, maybe that was the other side of Tokage. That weak vulnerable that wanted it all, that wanted to live the life she once craved.

"Lofty goals. I wonder if you will have the strength to achieve them, because from what it looks like you will not be able to protect anything. Your stunt near the end of the second round was impressive, apart from the fact that it could have killed you. You are a fool if you think you can just change canon and expect smooth sailing, because the more you push - The more life will push back. You won't have the strength to continue, so you'll fail just like the rest." Tokage replied.

"Yeah well, I'm working on it. Strength isn't a simple journey you know; you cannot just get to point A to B without making sacrifices."

"Sacrificing your life is a bit excessive; don't you think? Does it not defeat the entire process of getting stronger, because even with all that strength you still couldn't win the battle. Because survival is what matters Yamazaki, not the pissing competition you seem to have. Even if I'm not a 'hero,' I'm not stupid, unlike you. When you die and leave everyone you love alone and hurting, I'll be the one to say I told you so." She was getting desperate now.

I smiled at that. "Now, now. If you cared about me so much, I would have started off differently. I'll protect you as well if you want, benefits of being my friend. I'll fight for you until I fall over and die."

"Sounds like hell if you ask me." She smirked, but it was fake. We both knew it as she looked away from me, staring at the floor instead as she crossed her legs in the hopes that the conversation would end. She was afraid wasn't she, afraid of losing it all. Just like how she lost her own life. Because that's where this all stems from, our deaths. The deaths of who we once used be, and the birth of someone new.

"Good thing I didn't ask." I grinned at her. "Friendship might be a two-way street for you, but for me it's a one way trip exclusively. Even if you couldn't give two shits about saving me, I'll still protect you. Whether it's the kindness of my own heart, or because I don't want to see others sad by your death, it'll happen regardless. So just watch and see stupid, never doubt a hero."

"Getting a little bit too rude there Yamazaki, you know I could easily say that you locked me in this room and raped me. Then good-bye to your plan to change canon because you will be stuck inside a jail for the rest of your life. Then what?" She asked me. "Not that I would do that, it would ruin a bunch of my friendships. Plus, I don't feel like being a bitch to just prove a point. But humour me for a moment, what would you do?"

Huh. I had no response to that.

"As I thought. You say all this stuff without thinking about what you are saying, which makes you worse than a fool. You are just a blundering idiot that gets lucky, so think again if you think you can protect anyone that you care about. My advice is to give up now and let canon run its due course, after that you can do whatever, you want. Be smart for once instead of a fool, because you might regret it. You asked me if I would let those I care about die, but if you change everything there isn't a guarantee that those you care about will live." Tokage said.

Nah.

Standing up, I did a few stretches for my arms, they do feel quite stiff from all the fighting I have been doing. "Tokage, I'm going to do my own thing. Sure, I get lucky, and sure I'm a fool. But if being smart means what you say, I'll remain a fool for my entire life. Even if it means dying or being alone, I'll defeat Zero and the rest of the League, no matter what! Even if it means sacrificing myself, I'll protect everyone who I want, because that is how foolish I am." I replied, looking directly at her eyes.

She said nothing to me for a few moments. She looked to be studying me, as if she was trying to find ways to convince me otherwise. Setsuna Tokage beforehand was a mystery but knowing what I know now, it's pretty clear to see the truth about her. Sure she is a coward, someone who doesn't want to move away from her life of comfort. Someone who doesn't want to budge and is willing to allow people that she don't know to die for her comfort.

Because she cares, she cares about the people around her. Because living a good life means everyone around her is also living a good life, it means that they are also safe. That they are also happy, that everyone's 'dream life' is happening. It's wish fulfilment, she just wants to liver out her life with her friends. And what hurts is that I want the same, a better future of everyone.

Where everyone can act how they want, a future better for everyone. But we can't just live in that future now, we can't just burry our heads in the sand and pretend nothing is wrong. Zero, the League and anyone else out there who wishes to do what they want. They will constantly be putting us in danger, and we are training to be heroes which isn't exactly stable.

She can't have it all.

And she knows it. Tokage knows that what she wants isn't feasible, and yet she still wants it. To me that speaks volumes about her, both good and bad. But I was wrong to assume that only Shinso and Todoroki needed saving, no they weren't the only ones that needed help. I was resolved to help the girl in front me, because I could tell that deep down, she cared for me.

She wasn't just saying this because I threatened her peaceful existence. No. I was friends with her friends, the people she wanted to have the time of her life with, the people she ultimately cared about. She was trying to save them in a way, because while canon hurt a lot of people, her friends persevered. They got stronger, and they grew and survived.

And for someone like me, who would go the distance and die for anyone, that's scary similar. Maybe she doesn't care about me specifically, but Yaoyorozu is her friend. She gets on with other members of 1A, and she's friends with Monoma. With so many people, that if I die it would make them sad. She isn't looking out for me, but she's looking out for those she cares about. Something that reminds me of myself, but I wasn't going to fold here. No, I already made up my mind about this topic long before I even met Setsuna Tokage for this conversation to have taken place.

"If you try this on your own..." She eventually started, choosing to stare outside the window. "You will return with nothing at all. Just a bunch of regrets and people who are hurt by your actions. I have... first hand experience with fools like yourself, and it hurts watching them fail. But knowing this, it takes a special kind of fool to understand this and proceed. And as foolish as you are, you may well be able to handle this, Bakazaki. Maybe you can protect everyone."

Huh? Was I wrong about her past? Either way, she was right. It wasn't good to pry about her life, if she ever wanted to tell me about what happened in her past life it would be from her own accord. And I'd listen, I'd listen and I would try to help her as much as I can. But if she kept on getting my name wrong on purpose, then not even I know what would eventually happen.

"It's Yamazaki. You even called me by my correct name just a few minutes ago!"

She smirked at me, deciding to ignore what I just said. "Well, you really did earn the name Bakazaki. Speaking of what is your number?" She asked me.

"My phone is broken."

She tutted, pointing towards the tattoo on her left shoulder blade. "I meant this number, I'm the twelfth. Whatever it means,"

"Ah, they called me the fourteenth. I don't know why Kurogiri and Shigaraki knew, but I reckon Zero must have told them. Judging by what you just said, you don't know much about the numbers do you? How did you get yours, because I don't have mine on my body like that. I feel sad not being apart of such an exclusive club."

Tokage shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it's been there for as long as I can remember. Still, no point losing sleep over it. It could just turn out to be meaningless. But I think it relates to the amount of people who died and found themself in this world, or that's my guess at least. Either way, if we get to Zero we wrap this mystery up since they might know all the answers."

"Funny, I thought of the same thing."

"Sounds like you just copied my idea right now." She muttered.

I clicked my tongue. "What about your Quirks?" I asked her.

"Quirks?" She looked confused at my questions. "What do you mean by Quirks?"

"Uhm... don't you have multiple Quirks?" Her answer only left me with more questions then answers. Just great, exactly what I needed.

"Are you feeling a little light in the head? I only have one Quirk, and I assume you do as well? Or are you going to tell me you have multiple Quirks? Eh either way, keep that freaky shit away from me. You are already a weirdo, no need to amplify it. Or else you will become a sad loner, like one of those kids that ate their food on a bench all alone during lunch. Watching anime on their phone, or reading manga."

Gah. If only she knew how accurate that was. "So, are we good now?"

Tokage paused to stroke her chin. She wasn't thinking of an actual answer, no she was doing this just to piss me off. "Sure." She eventually responded. "I don't dislike you as much as I did, and you did make me think. Don't get it twisted, I'm not jumping at joy at the prospect of just abandoning canon, but with people like you and Zero out and about it's not like I have a choice now."

"You could always move to Cuba." I offered cheekily.

"Haha, funny." She gave me a toothy grin. "But you fuck up once and I swear I'll make your life hell. If... if you need help, don't be a stranger. And don't think that you can fight this 'Zero' by yourself, I'm definitely going to fight the bastard myself. So how about it, we team up to take the nasty, little prick down. And if you need help with other things, I'll consider offering my services." She offered her hand.

"Fine." I replied as I went to shake her arm. However, she raised her arm slightly before I could even make it in time, what a utter bitch. She duped me. Who even does that in this day and age?

"Don't think this gives you a pass on your responsibility, I am holding you accountable. Because foolish one, if I hear you failed at the one thing that makes you slightly cool, then you will regret it. That's your promise to me, and I make sure that promises are kept. Or else you end up in a situation like Shoto Todoroki, he promised to not use his ice and yet he wants to be a hero. So once again, keep your promises or else." She added.

Ha.

She was joking.

Right?

…right?

Kyoka Jiro POV

Kyoka Jiro couldn't believe it. Sora had just beaten his opponent, and he hadn't even used his Quirk. At first, she was confused, Sora not using his Nimbus to beat his opponent in the one-on-one fight was stupid, and totally something that he would do. But as she watched him fight with his bare hands, and even managing to win against the taller boy, she couldn't help but feel happy for him.

Because he deserved the win, fair and square. The other boy he was up against, Hitoshi Shinso, seemed like he wasn't giving his all. Or rather, he could have done a better performance. And seeing both Sora and Shinso talk after the fight, both smiling like they had won at something, it only made her grin increase.

Figures Sora would perform a miracle. She thought to herself happily. On the other hand, the next matchup made her want to curl up in a ball and roll away to safety. Shoto Todoroki, a giant in her class, versus Hanta Sero. While she wanted the black-haired boy in her class to win, Todoroki was that powerful.

And it made her nervous considering the winner of the match would fight Sora next. While she wanted her friend to win against someone powerful like Todoroki, she also knew that it would take a toll on him, and what happened at the end of the second round worried her a lot.

The blood.

The helplessness.

She wanted the image to escape from her mind, the constant injuries he was picking up whilst continuing to protect the rest of the team. She knew that was an action Sora would likely do again because that was the idiot he truly was. Who knows what will happen to him if he pulls the same stunt again without anyone to help him.

And that could lead to his death-,

No, Sora will be fine. Jiro tried telling herself. As much as Sora wants to protect us, surely, he knows that there is a limit to how much he can take. But deep down she knew the truth, that Sora probably didn't care about the line. That he would cross any line if the situation called for it, and he would do it without thinking about it.

And that was what worried her so much, that if his opponent were someone like Todoroki, how far would he go? What was the cost that he was going to pay to scrape something resembling a victory against Todoroki. And she didn't know why he went that far for something as meaningless as saving her, or even trying to win a stupid tournament.

No matter how much he wanted to win, was it worth the pain that he forced himself to suffer through? She knew she wasn't alone, especially as both Kaminari and Mineta glanced at her to signal the fact that they were going to talk to Sora after his fight.

Sorry Sero, but Sora's more important for now. She mentally told herself as she followed the two boys to where Sora should have gone first, the hospital wing. But to her surprise, it was empty minus the rather frustrated Recovery Girl who was angry at someone.

"That stupid, stupid boy! Does he really expect to go out and fight his next fight in that condition?" She yelled. There was no doubt about it, Recovery Girl was angry at Sora as well, something that amused Kaminari to no end as he elbowed Mineta knowingly.

"Ha, see? I told you. Sora right now probably thinks he is cool as hell for leaving his sword for his next opponent as well as not going to the hospital. Like some badass protagonist, but you had to tell me that he was already here. Damn, I shoulda' put a bet on it!" The blonde boy complained.

Jiro rolled her eyes at his antics, refusing the urge to poke him. Stay calm, stay calm girl. Sora will show up any minute now-, The door of the hospital wing slowly opening interrupted her thoughts as the slightly bloody, limping body of Sora walked into the hospital wing with his signature grin.

"Yo." He greeted. "Can'ya fix me up for my next match or what?" He asked. She was relieved to say the least, the fact that he went to get patched up, even though it was later than she would have thought, was a positive. At least he wasn't stupid enough to skip the trip to Recovery Girl out of his 'pride' or something along those lines.

"Don't just 'yo' me young man!" Recovery Girl screamed at the blue haired boy, which made him wince slightly. "Instead of coming here directly, you did what exactly? What was more important than taking healing yourself after a physical fight, especially when you have a fight next, and you were already injured?" She had to agree with the elderly woman, there wasn't many things off the top of her head that was more important than that.

Sora paused as he thought of a reply. Jiro had no doubt it would be something witty, a common trademark for him at this point. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he stared at Recovery Girl confidently as if he had struck gold or something.

"...Porn. Lots of it at that. Kinky especially, featuring a shit ton of maids." He replied, making the nurse splutter slightly as she failed to produce a coherent reply. Jiro tried to hide her snort as much as she could and did a good job of it compared to Kaminari and Mineta who howled with laughter. It was an obvious lie, but it made her laugh. Especially as he chuckled nervously and sat down on the nearest bed.

Recovery Girl growled as she whacked him lightly with her stick. "This will be painful, so you can only blame yourself. Next time you come in here, I am pulling you out of the tournament." She told him. Sora didn't seem all too bothered by it however, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I was planning on the next fight on being the last one anyone to be honest." He explained. "Fighting Todoroki will put me one foot in the grave at this rate, so potentially having to fight someone stronger than him makes me even more afraid for my life." He joked.

It wasn't funny.

No one laughed.

"OH, come on," He complained. "Are you telling me that none of you found that funny? Not even one percent of it? Because I know you wanted to laugh, and it's all right to admit it. I forgive you with all my heart." Everyone ignored him, especially Mineta who glared at him.

"Are you telling me that you don't want to win the tournament?" Mineta asked. "The tournament, which is being broadcasted across the country-, No, the world to many, many beautiful girls?" Jiro sighed at that, leave it to the purple haired midget to remain constantly annoying.

"Hehe," Sora grinned. "That sounds like effort. No, the girls which I like love a good underdog story, the guy who was robbed of it. Right Jiro?" He asked her. She paled significantly as she processed what he said. The girls which I like, the girls which I like, the girls which I like?! She screamed to herself. What's that supposed to mean?!

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, girls... like an underdog? Yeah, they do." She nodded. "Yeah, we all love a good underdog. Totally, we fall for them at first sight or something. Uhm, yeah, good observation Sora." She scrambled to say, fidgeting with her earlobes much more intently. Just ignore me, let's move the conversation away from this. She pleaded to no avail.

"Huh, seems like you know more about girls than I do Yamazaki." Mineta commented, sounding impressed. "Please, do teach me more about the female anatomy." Before Sora could even reply, Recovery Girl had whacked the boy in the head. She then pointed her cane to a poster on the wall that detailed the female body in explicit detail. She couldn't help but laugh at his eyes widening.

"Stare at the poster behind you. Or better yet boy, I can give you a lesson on it." She told the short boy, who cried for help. Sora couldn't help but laugh at the situation, winking in Jiro's direction. He then gave her a thumbs up, signalling that he was fine. Or was it that he was going to be fine? She couldn't think straight, not as he grinned in her direction.

What was going on.

Why did she feel so flustered?

"I think I'm going to go now. Okay now, bye!" She yelled as she ran out of the room as quick as she could. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now he probably thinks that there is something wrong with me. But there isn't, I just feel... unwell. Yeah, unwell! I mean I am fighting soon. And then it truly hit her, she was going to fight. She paled at the thought.

She was going to have to fight someone, and if she wanted to win, she was going to have to fight even more opponents. She knew this, but it didn't truly sink in until now. Something that should have filled her with joy, instead filled her with dread. Because she still could hear the sadistic laughter, she could still feel the fear she felt at the time. She could still vividly remember the scene, the scent he had, the texture of the ground.

And the screams.

Zero, the villain that nearly ended her life.

She felt sick at just thinking about them, the mere thought of their hand being plunged through her chest-,

"Urgh." She rushed to the nearest bathroom before spilling the contents of her stomach into the nearest sink. Damn it. Damn it, I really need to work on this. She thought to herself. I can't go around letting this still affect me, it happened weeks ago. I'm fine now, we are all fine.

But it wasn't fine.

She couldn't do anything as she nearly died. She could only watch and pray as Sora nearly died to save her, just like how she could only watch Sora get injured during the second round. Because that was all she good for, standing around and watching.

And she hated herself for it.

The thought of being weak, the thought of being helpless, sacred her to death. She could imagine it, the one scenario when she is needed the most and she fails to be useful. She could imagine it, the corpses of everyone in her class, the corpse of Sora the most brutalised-,

She retched even more violently this time. Why? Why is this happening to me? Why can't the nightmare just end? She felt like crying, she felt like screaming at the world just leave her alone. She wanted to stop thinking about it, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about the USJ, and about how she nearly died because how could she just forget it?

It was real...

It happened.

It wasn't a dream, nor a nightmare. It was reality, her reality. She couldn't run away from it, because even if she left UA, even if she left 1A behind it would still follow her wherever she went. So that meant the only other option, the option which scared her a lot, was to stay.

To stay and fight.

The thought of fighting them again made her sick to her very bone, but she had to do it. She was a hero for god's sake! Wiping the remaining vomit off from her face, she sighed heavily as she turned on the tap and threw water at her face. Just relax, I can do it. I must win here; I will win here! I will not be the same weak Jiro anymore!

"You know throwing water at your face won't help." A snarky voice called out. Leaning on the door, Setsuna Tokage stared at her disinterested. "Just clean your vomit and leave the toilet, throwing water at yourself just makes you look silly." Tokage told her.

Jiro ignored her. She wasn't going to have an argument with the 1B girl in the bathroom, that just wasn't a smart thing to do. "What do you want? If you are here to piss me off then well done, you achieved your goal." Jiro snapped angrily. She was tired of dealing with Tokage, of dealing with her constant snarky remarks and hurtful comments.

"...That wasn't my goal." Tokage replied. "But I suppose if you feel that way, it is sort of my fault. Still, throwing water at yourself won't help. Just pick yourself back up, and fight. It's as simple as that."

"You make it sound so easy."

Tokage shrugged her shoulders. "It should be easy, but it isn't. Not all of us want, or have the will to fight. But fighting for something, that's incredible in my opinion, it's inspiring like a true hero. You and I aren't like some fools who'd fight to the death, and that's because we are afraid. A better man might call us cowards, but I digress. Fighting is hard and it's dangerous."

Jiro scoffed at that, Tokage afraid? "You make it seem like you aren't afraid of anything Tokage, always the fearless person. Are you really telling me you aren't like those 'fools' you just described?"

"God knows I want to be like them." Tokage answered honestly. "But I'm afraid. All this," she said pointing at herself. "It's an act. All of it, underneath this I'm just as scared as you are. Fighting isn't my strong suit, hell I've never been in a fight and somehow, I must fight in a tournament? I must be a hero and fight, even if it's something I don't really want to do."

"Then why don't you stop being a hero? If that's what you really don't want to do, why don't you just let it go?" Jiro asked.

"Because Jiro, sometimes you have to do things you aren't too happy about in order to live the life you want. As much as I'm afraid of fighting, if I don't fight now, I'll be full of regrets. And I hate to regret things because I already have a lifetime full of regrets, so my only option now is to fight. Just like you, right?"

Jiro nodded. "Yeah... just like me Tokage. You know, as much of an annoying bitch that you are, you give some good pep talks. 'Good' is a stretch, okay pep talks are more accurate." She joked. Tokage snorted at that, shaking her head lightly as she offered her hand to Jiro.

"Here. Sure, I was a bit of a bitch. I can't promise that I'll never be a bitch again, but I'll try. You can thank that friend of yours for this, he really is a fool. A hard-headed fool, and I'd hate for someone like you to be caught up in his foolishness."

"Sora spoke to you?" Jiro asked. "When? He didn't tell us about this."

"Before he went to the hospital wing. We cleared the air so to speak as we discussed some important things. I can't say that he's my friend, but I can't say that I dislike him anymore. But I understand him better now, and I do feel slightly guilty for slagging you off now. So sorry for that, and you can pass my apology on to your other friends as well."

"Well, I would say water under the bridge, but that would be a lie Tokage. But I'm not that vindicative to hold it against you if Sora's moved on, so I'll let you go this once. But do piss me off once more, and I'll hold it against you forever." Tokage grinned brightly at that.

"Girl, I would do exact same thing." Tokage responded, flashing her a thumbs up. "Now let's go back, I'm feeling a little more confident now about fighting. Hopefully you feel the same way." Jiro nodded at that; she did feel better. Much better. More confident about what was to come, and more confident about herself.

She was going to pick herself up and fight.

She wouldn't be weak anymore, that was a promise!

I was bored. After Recovery Girl healed me to the best of her ability, she cleared me once more with a final warning. If I had to take another trip to heal myself, I'd be pulled out of the tournament for my safety. I understood why, I mean slowly damaging my body to win wasn't a good method. In some regards, it was careless and leading me to an early death.

But entering the stadium and sitting down next to 1A, I didn't need to ask them who I was going to be facing next. The massive ice glacier made it clear, and that made my hands shake. Whether it was excitement or fear, I had no idea. But I was facing Shoto Todoroki next, and his ice glare pointed towards where I sat made it clear what was going to happen.

He was going to beat me.

Truth be told, as much as I wanted to win the tournament, saving Todoroki had a much bigger priority. Todoroki seemed like a good guy, maybe we could bond over something weird, but he was a member of 1A first and foremost. Even if we had a handful of conversations, I still counted him as a sort-of friend out of pure respect to the entire class dynamics.

So, I mentally prepared myself to beat him not as hard as I could, out of respect of course. If he didn't want to use his fire, then I wouldn't use my Quirk to its fullest potential either. Of course, my plan relied on this pissing him off to the point where he does use his fire to fight me, but I wouldn't make a stupid speech about his Quirk being 'his' or something.

No, he already knew that. Shoto Todoroki wasn't a stupid idiot, he was a smart lad that should already know that his Quirk is precisely that, his. And if for whatever reason he didn't believe that, then I'd beat it into his skull to use his fire. That was the Sora Yamazaki method, with a one hundred percent guarantee of pain off the fucking charts for both of us!

I wasn't looking forward to my balls being frozen, but hey it is what it is. Bros before hoes, that's the saying. Worlds to live by Sora, words to live by. But before that, we had Kaminari versus Kaibara to look forward to. Kaminari looked confident as he entered the ring, grinning at where our class was seated as he gave us a thumbs up. As everyone cheered, he grinned as he gave out kisses to the crowd.

Kaibara was the opposite, he was extremely serious and stared at Kaminari intently, studying him for potential weaknesses. And that was when I predicted the outcome of the fight, Kaminari grinned as he mocked Kaibara by telling him it'll be over in one strike. I mentally sighed as Kaminari got his shit rocked by Kaibara, who swiftly dodged his attacks and drilled into him.

It was Kaminari who was knocked out in one strike. As much as I liked Kaminari, because he was my best friend, he very much underestimated Kaibara. It was a one note fight, and that stung because I wanted Kaminari to win so much. I mean imagine it, our team in the semi-finals! That would have been the coolest shit ever! As Kaminari was taken away from the ring, Mineta who was sitting beside me was yelling at the boy.

"Boo, you weak ass Pikachu!" Mineta shouted. "You stink! Boo! Loser! I bet my grandmother could beat you in a fight, and she's dead!" I admit that last one made me chuckle slightly, especially when Kaminari ran towards our stand and tried to fight Mineta by putting him in a headlock. Eventually, Yaoyorozu stopped their fight by threatening them with detention until they graduated.

I stopped myself from telling them that if they didn't attend they wouldn't get in trouble. UA was pretty lax when it came to detentions, I had first hand experience with them. As a student you could reschedule them to any time, any day along with any teacher. Meaning you could theoretically group all your detentions in one week before exams and get all the teachers for subjects you aren't good at to supervise and ask them questions.

Apparently it was a good revision method.

However, any detention not served during the year that you got it carries over to the next year, with interest. Privileges get restricted, like the ability to leave campus during break which hurts a bunch of third years. I mean, the cafeteria wasn't bad, but who goes on a date with their special someone in a school cafeteria? That isn't romantic at all, not that I was a secret romance buff or anything...

It was Iida up against Ken next. Ken was no one special, and it really was a boring fight. Ken gave up before even facing Iida, which made the spectators (Along with myself) boo the General Studies kid. Even if he was going to lose, why give up before trying? That just screams stupidity, but hey that meant Kaibara versus Iida was going to be the next match up after Todoroki versus myself.

Jiro versus Mina was next, and admittedly I was excited for this. Jiro seemed nervous back in the hospital wing, probably because of the fight against Mina. Mina was good, seriously good. She had incredible range and was extremely flexible to the point where she could dodge attacks pretty easily. And while I cheered for Jiro to win, I couldn't help but feel scared for her.

Even as she walked into the ring determined to win, it was going to be hard for her to counter Mina, and realistically do any damage. It was a poor matchup, but Jiro seemed like she wanted to win. No, I could tell that she was going to win, it was in the eyes. As much as Mina wanted to win, Jiro was hungry for it, and so I yelled loudly to show my support.

"GO ON JIRO!" I yelled as loud as I could. "KICK HER ASS!" The reactions around me where interesting to say the least, Yaoyorozu shrugged her shoulders at me as Hagakure took It personally.

"GO ON MINA! KICK HER BUTT!"

"Oh, you're approaching me?" I asked the invisible girl.

"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer. Huh, nice reference Sora! I didn't think you had read BoBo's Strange Adventure!" She replied. I sighed; she was so close. So damned close, and yet so far. Who the fuck was BoBo?! It was JoJo's you uncultured swine! You invisible... I sighed. There was no use in crying over spilt milk, that was just the way this world works.

"Let's see who cheers the most?" I asked her with a grin.

"You're on."

It was a friendly competition, and eventually everyone else partook in the fun. Minus the usual suspects, Todoroki and Bakugo cough cough, who would rather have been anywhere else instead of in our stand, but apart from that it was fun. I always wanted to watch someone I supported in a tournament, but back in my old life the football team I supported was shit. Ghosts from the past, they were once an amazing team but had a bad run for so many years it was painful to watch.

And Japanese football just wasn't any fun to watch, without the established rivalries and big names it just wasn't football. It felt like a cheap imitation, a knock-off version of what made professional football so much fun. So, there we were cheering both Jiro and Mina on, which made them grin even more as the fight was about to start, both Mina and Jiro facing each other.

Even Midnight was impressed as she sent a saucy wink in our direction, which I'm sure was the reason why Mineta left before the fight even started. But eventually our cheers died down, and the two fighters stared at each other waiting for the fight to begin. Even so, I still wouldn't stop cheering as I gave Jiro a thumbs up for good measure.

"Win." I whispered.

She nodded at me determined.

Heh, she had this in the bag.

Kyoka Jiro's POV

Once again, she felt nervous. This is my chance to prove myself! She repeated over, and over again in her head. Mina was a tricky opponent, highly flexible and she had a good Quirk to boot. It would be hard to beat her, but it wasn't outright possible.

It just required a little... ingenuity.

"Fighters!" Midnight called. "Are you ready? I expect a clean fight but knowing you two that's what we will get. Thank god for that, another boring fight would have sent me off the rails." She told them suggestively. "Now, do your best! START!"

As soon as the fight started, she closed the distance between Mina and herself as she threw a punch at Mina, using her left earlobe to try and jab her at the same time. Unfortunately, it didn't work as she intended as her opponent skillfully maneuvered her way to safety, not before managing to get a hit on Jiro. It stung, the acid that was, even if it wasn't deadly.

But Jiro noticed the uneasiness on Mina's face. She didn't want to use her acid, yet she did. That's it! Jiro thought to herself as she took a step backwards. I'll use her dislike of using her Quirk on organic beings against her! Then I'll take her out from there! Without even thinking she rushed Mina once more, using her Quirk to stab the ground to create a few rocks, which she then threw at Mina.

Mina responded by creating a veil of acid, something that stopped the rocks from doing any damage. "Is that all?" Mina asked amused. But before Mina could reply, another barrage of rocks was thrown her way, forcing her to raise her acid shields once more. Jiro couldn't help but smile as she slowly made progress in reaching where Mina was. Tucking her earlobes away, she threw another punch at Mina who swiftly dodged it by flipping in the air.

"You won't be able to hit me!" Mina shouted.

"I know." Jiro replied as her left earlobe wrapped around Mina's leg. "But if you're in the air, you can't exactly dodge either." As much as it hurt, she tried her hardest to pull Mina back towards the ground. Mina panicked slightly as she tried her hardest to kick Jiro in the face, but it wasn't working. Smirking, Jiro grabbed Mina's free leg and pulled it towards the ground as she herself dove forwards.

It hurt her yes, but it also slammed Mina down to the ground. Groaning, Jiro got herself back up and tried to rush Mina. If I can get her in a headlock and make the only option, she can use her acid then I can win! However, as she reached her opponent, a quick kick to the stomach made her double up in pain. Mina had already regained her composure and was spinning on the spot, something which reminded Jiro of a dancer.

A really good dancer.

"Come on Jiro, you won't win. Face it, I'm the winner!" Mina said as she stood pack up, readying herself for another attack. Scowling, Jiro faced Mina again. This time determined to stab her with her earlobes, but once again her attack led to nothing and instead, she was forced to hang back. Damn it! Every time I try to get close to her, she always manages to keep me away or dodge my attacks! My plans aren't working! Was this it? Was this how far she could go?! Damn it... I'm pathetic. Why would I even dream of being stronger? I'm never going to win.

She slowly raised her hand.

It was for the best if she just quit now and-,

"GO ON JIRO! YOU CAN WIN!" Sora yelled. That's right, I can't give up yet! She reminded herself as her nails dug into her palms. She had one last attack, and she was going to make it count. If Mina can dodge like this on even ground, I wonder what would happen if I changed the surface? Plugging both of her earlobes into the ground as hard she could, she flinched slightly as she started to generate sound waves.

Slowly, the ground beneath her and Mina started to crack, disrupting Mina's balance as everything became uneven. Using it as a distraction she sprinted towards Mina who didn't have enough time to dodge as she tackled her to the ground and used her Quirk to whip Mina's arms. Using the momentum, she grabbed Mina as hard as she could and tried to push her out of the ring.

"Grk!"

She couldn't react as Mina elbowed her in the stomach, but this didn't slow her down. If I stop now, I'll always be weak! I'll always be a liability! She didn't stop as she pushed forward and eventually-,

She remembered what Sora did with his match against Shinso. Tripping him up in the end and winning the match. She grinned as she put her left foot behind the struggling Mina in front of her and tripped her up. It was crude, but Mina couldn't regain her balance in time as she tripped over the ring. The loud roar of approval, and the cheers from the crowd made it clear to her that the fight was over.

Mina's disappointed but happy face along with Midnight's proud smile made her overjoyed. And looking towards the 1A stand, one face stood out amongst them all. The bright grin that Sora Yamazaki had lifted her spirits and made her realise that she in fact, had won. That she was no longer weak, that she could, and that she would stand up and fight over and over again.

That she was a hero.

I jumped with joy as Jiro tripped Mina out of the ring. "Fuck yeah!" I yelled. "Let's fucking gooooo! JIRO! JIRO! JIRO! JIRO!" Slowly, Kaminari and Mineta joined me in my chanting. "JIRO! JIRO! JIRO! JIRO! JIRO! JIRO!"

"MINA! JIRO! MINA! JIRO! MINA! JIRO!" Eventually nearly everyone in our class started to join in with the chanting as we cheered both Jiro and Mina on. Kaminari and I were some of the loudest, followed surprisingly by Hagakure. The invisible girl had a loud set of lungs, which both intrigued me and impressed me at the same time.

Eventually the ring was repaired curtsey to Cementoss who grumbled slightly while doing so. Mina and Jiro joined us soon after, both buzzing but Jiro especially.

"Good fight."

"Thanks." She replied. "You know it was because of you that I won, right?" My ears perked up at that, I helped her win. I shook my head.

"Don't sell yourself short. Maybe I had a helping hand in your win, but that was all you." It was the truth; Jiro's win was because of her. Not me, in fact without me she probably would have won anyway. "Do me a favor and win the tournament, okay? It looks like I won't be able to make it past the next round." She looked at my injuries worryingly, but I shook my head once more.

"Not my injuries." I clarified pointing towards the lone Todoroki sitting by the side. "He wants to take me out as quickly as possible."

"But you won't let him, right?" She asked.

I nodded. "Exactly, it's going to take a lot out of me to stay up standing after the fight. Let alone go on to fight another round, so I'm ending my run in the tournament prematurely. After I kick his ass, I'm going to go buy a strawberry milkshake. Maybe even some ice cream, so just tell me your flavor and I'll get it for you."

Overhearing our conversation, Sero decided to swing his arm around me and chip his own two cents. "Well good luck man! He's a tough opponent, for a second I thought I was going to freeze to death. But if you're going to get ice cream, can you get me a chocolate one? Two scoops preferably with some sauce on stop."

"Ice cream?" Hagakure asked excitedly. "Sora's going to buy us ice cream?! Can you get me a triple chocolate fudge mixed with one scoop of banana? Please!" She asked me. If she was trying to use her puppy dog eyes to convince me, it wouldn't work considering I couldn't see her. But I relented, she did ask politely as opposed to Mineta and Kaminari who just gave me the most expensive ice cream flavor that they knew with every topping possible on top.

Eventually, the entire class minus a few people had asked me to get an ice cream for them. "So, what's the occasion?" Kirishima asked. "1A being totally manly? You being in the quarter finals? Eating ice cream means we need to know what we are celebrating!"

"He's buying ice cream because he's confident that he will beat Todoroki!" Sero answered, before I could even respond to Kirishima annoyingly. "He's such a cool guy, right? I'm rooting for him to win now!" Thank you Sero for your commentary, you really helped me here. Judging by everyone's change in demeanor, they slowly realized that they probably weren't going to get ice cream. Rude, but fair enough I suppose.

"Now, now. If it's for a reason like that then how could we possibly accept ice cream?" Iida asked. "It would be shameful to celebrate one classmate beating another-,"

"So, Todoroki," I interrupted the pair of glasses that made up our vice president. "What flavors do ya' want buddy? I'm thinking half vanilla and half red velvet, you know to match your hair. But since you don't really like your red side, maybe I should just forgo it. Are we on the same page?" I joked, resulting in the atmosphere dropping a few degrees.

Ouch, no laughter? Come on, it took me a total of three seconds to come up with it! It was hilarious! Kaminari elbowed me awkwardly, giving me a look that translated to 'I think you pissed him off more than you should have'. But that was the point, to get him to use the fire side of his Quirk. I'd bait him, and bait him until he finally accepted his Quirk and used it fully.

Going off on a speech about what it means to be a 'hero' and using both sides of his Quirk wasn't my style, so I had to improvise. And this was the incredible plan that my genius mind came up with, annoy the ever loving fuck out of Todoroki until it works! I felt sort of bad for the kid, I mean this was a sensitive topic and I was being very insensitive, but if it works it works.

"Of course, Shotodo," I smirked. Ha, I fused his first and second name into a nickname. How cute! I made a nickname for one of my favorite people ever! Yay me! "If you use your red side against me then maybe I'll add a few extra scoops for you. Free of charge, call it an extra bonus between friends?"

He ignored me, but he looked visibly more frustrated. Good. This fight was going to hurt me a lot, so taking out my pain on the person freezing me half to death seemed like a stupid idea, but it really was therapeutic. Not as therapeutic as being in a room with a bunch of horny French maids ready to mingle, but it's not like I had that type of experience.

I wasn't that cool yet.

"...I'll fight you Yamazaki. And I'll beat you using my right side only, so don't get your hopes up. After that you can do whatever, you want. And my favorite ice cream flavor is sold in Miyagi, not here meaning you won't be able to get me it anyway. So don't waste even more of your time on me, because I won't be spending anymore of my time on you." Todoroki replied.

"I would say that's a nice burn Shotodo, but I feel like it wouldn't be nice to use it in this context." I joked. "Still, I'd feel bad if I left you out. I mean I'm getting Bakugo the spiciest ice cream flavor available out of the kindness in my heart. Shall we meet in the middle and get your mint chocolate chip?" I asked.

"I don't like mint-,"

"Mint chocolate chip it is!" I yelled. "Now, who's paying for the ice cream? Because I have no money in my bank account. Like none at all." Seriously, I was broke. Ha, I'm the orphan that's poor and is trying to be a hero, remind me of anyone? Spider-Man. The curious webslinger that made Gwen Stacy snap in more ways than one.

However, everyone around me looked at the ground guiltily. Ah, so they were poor as well. Shit. That wasn't good.

"Uh well, you see-," Uraraka started. "If it's a celebration of you winning against Todoroki, then maybe both of you should pay? And then can we celebrate you two fighting instead of a win? That's much more inclusive!" God, she was extremely cute. In a younger sister type way, not a romantic way. If Iida was the mother hen of the group, Uraraka was the supportive younger sister who you protected from the cold, dark world at whatever cost.

"Hey what about me?" Kaminari complained. "I fought as well!"

Jiro's left earlobe stabbed him in the arm. "You lost. In a few seconds. It doesn't count." She told him.

"Hey that's bullying!" Everyone ignored Kaminari, resulting in Mineta poking fun at the blond-haired boy.

"I'll do you one better!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed. "How about we celebrate all of 1A's results in the festival? Even if some of us did poorer than others, we all gave it our all and that means something!" Huh, that surprised me. That was a much better idea than what I had in mind, and it really was heartwarming as well, making it perfect for ice cream. "Oh, and I'm making it a mandatory class outing as the president of our class, so if you can't make it, you will have to pay the class back." Was that a vindicative smile?

I think it was.

Was Momo Yaoyorozu a secret sadist? I mean, she could use her Quirk to create-,

"That sounds wonderful." Midoriya said. "A-also you and Kirishima are going to fight soon, so it m-makes sense for it to be a celebration of 1A. Kacchan and I know an ice cream place close by-," Midoriya was cut off as Bakugo exploded.

"DON'T CALL ME KACCHAN, DEKU!"

I deadpanned at the explosive blond. If only he was a female...

"...Okay then. Midoriya can lead the way for us. But the issue of payment is still prevalent, maybe if we all compile our money together, we can see how much we have and decide from there, kero." Tsuyu said. I nodded at that, yes, I wouldn't have to pay and get in debt any more than I already am in! Hell yeah! I resisted the urge to break out into dancing right then and there, but it didn't take long for Jiro to understand why I was happy.

"Maybe Sora you should stop buying expensive games, so you have enough money to buy ice cream for your friends, especially since you offered." Jiro commented.

"Oh shush, I wasn't the one who spend three months of savings on a disc with five songs on it!" I replied.

"That 'disc' comes from a band that died you idiot! They are unreleased songs!"

"Oh yeah? Well while you spent twenty thousand yen on some songs, I could just download the MP3 files of the internet and listen to them you mug!"

"I'm paying for the experience, not the songs-,"

"THE EXPERIENCE?! THE EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME WHETHER IT'S ON YOUR PHONE OR THE DAMN MUSIC PLAYER!"

She grabbed my collar for the last comment. "It's a record player you uncultured swine! As if your games could compare to listening to a work of art!"

I grabbed her collar for that comment. How dare she?! "Hey! My 'games' are art! Building bonds with the party members and romancing the teacher that is secretly the maid is awesome! And shooting God at the end is a reference to an eighteenth-century philosopher that said, 'God is dead' you uncultured swine!" I yelled back at her.

Wait... I just said-,

Kaminari snorted with laughter. Oh god. Oh no, what the hell did I do-,

"...teachers that are maids..." Yaoyorozu repeated.

"Romancing them..." Midoriya said, his mind in a frenzy as his face couldn't begin to comprehend what I had just said.

"And shooting God, you can't forget that!" Sero added. Thanks, Sero, you really have been so helpful. Extremely helpful, so-so helpful that I'm going to vote for you to become a helper for the rest of your damned life!

"I-, uh, well ya' see the thing is-," I tried to come up with an excuse, but it just wasn't happening. So, this was it. The way I died, death by embarrassment. It's been a fun run I suppose, maybe I should reload a previous save and start over? Nah, I don't have that sort of luck. Still, I looked around for an exit, maybe I could escape? Hm, if I just used my Quirk to fly away-,

"Yamazaki... that game you described was Drifters in the Sky Fifth Chapter, am I right?" Todoroki asked. I stared blankly at the boy for a few seconds. How in the fuck did he know?! That's like a super niche series, even for hardcore fans of RPG's. No physical copies, just digital and exclusive on one platform to boot. Hell, I only found out about it because I wanted to buy a cheap game when I had some money.

"My brother speaks about it all the time." Todoroki cleared up. "...I have never played a game before." And that was it, my resolve to save Todoroki from the clutches of his powerful father came from my desire to show Todoroki some games. Oh, and also his hot older sister, but that was an entirely different matter. I could imagine it, bringing games over to his house while his sister wears a maid outfit and serves us sweets.

Ah, the dream.

I gave the boy a thumbs up. "Ha, don't sweat it bro. I'll do you a solid and let you burrow my account so you can play games one through four, then you can play the fifth with your brother! I have your back!" He looked at me confused, but to me it was as clear as day. Shoto Todoroki was going to become a mini-me! I was going to mould him into a miniature (Or taller) version of me, especially since Kaminari was all for multiplayer games and Mineta liked any games that involved him being stepped on by hot women.

I had no one else to speak to about my hobbies.

"Ahem. Back to the ice cream, I'll pay as the president of our class." Yaoyorozu said. "Oh, and would you look at that, we have totally just missed the next fight." Huh? Looking at the ring, Tokage had managed to completely destroy her opponents by strangling them to near death with multiple body parts. What a scary person, doubly so considering the threat she gave me. Yes, er, I was afraid for my life.

She wasn't joking.

Still, Sakamoto was knocked out. That meant the only left from team Shinso was Kei, the meek boy who was going to face off against Bakugo. Ha, that both made me laugh and made me feel sorry for the kid. Bakugo was going to destroy him If he didn't forfeit like his other teammate did against Iida, but who knows.

Still, that meant that Yaoyorozu and Kirishima were up against each other next. Everyone cheered for them just like how we did for Jiro and Mina, and the fight was actually pretty good. At first, they were both pretty equal, with Yaoyorozu having enough time to create her items whilst also having a fast enough pace for Kirishima to fight in.

Kirishima launches a rush attack? Yaoyorozu creates a shield and sword to fend off the attack whilst chipping away at his defences.

Yaoyorozu creates a canon to blow Kirishima away? He charges right up to here and breaks the canon with a punch or two.

The fight was extremely entertaining, and that was it. It felt like a fight between friends, which it totally was, but it lacked the spark of actual conflict arising from both having conflicting ideals. I suppose both wanted to win, and while for a while it seemed like it was going to end up in a tie, Yaoyorozu eventually managed to win by outlasting Kirishima's hardness, which now thinking about it must have been a euphemism for getting boners.

Ah yes, his hardness outlasted his opponent in a fight!

Still the match ended with Yaoyorozu's name getting chanted across the stadium. I suppose if I was going to get past Todoroki, fighting Yaoyorozu would be a challenge, but it wasn't like I wanted to get past Todoroki anyways. I was going to save Todoroki from himself, his stupidity, and then I was going to forfeit the match and go have ice cream with everyone else afterwards. That was my plan, and to be fair it was a pretty good plan.

After that we had Bakugo versus Kei. Considering I thought Iida versus Ken was shit because of the forfeit, this was mildly interesting as Kei at least tried to put up a fight. Key word being tried as Kei found himself completely outmatched in every angle. See, I knew Bakugo was incredible when it came to fighting, but I didn't realise how incredible he actually was until I saw him decimate an opponent way weaker than him with such precision, and such care that it made me feel bad for the general studies kid.

Naturally Bakugo walked away with a win, a win that he deserved. And thus, ended team Shinso's run in the final round, apart from the outstanding performance from the captain the rest of the team let him down, both on and off the pitch as they each cried. Still, It wasn't all bad. Especially when I realised that the next match in fifteen minutes was going to be myself versus Shoto Todoroki. Right, I goaded him, pissed him off and well...

Now I was scared.

So I was walking towards the same mangy waiting room I was in previously. I mean fuck, I was going to fight Todoroki? Shoto Todoroki, son of the number two hero. The same Shoto Todoroki that was super strong, basically a protagonist with a shit ton of baggage. Like, what in the fuck was I supposed to do in this situation? Just smile it off and say, 'I'm here!' Because no! I was fucking nervous. Nervous not because he would realistically beat me, but nervous because what I was about to do was going to piss off a lot of people.

I mean turning a fight in a tournament into a therapy session wasn't a smart idea, but here I was trying to do exactly that. Of course, my therapy session involves pain, lots of it at that. So maybe it wasn't fair to call it a 'therapy session,' but I definitely was going to teach Todoroki some life lessons. Because that was the best I could do, also it was what I wanted to do. Ya' know, my mind feels very sleepy. Well not sleepy, but weird. Like I'm spaced out or missing a few brain cells.

Tired.

I feel tired.

Which is why I wanted this fight over as soon as possible, ideally with the least amount of damage. And while I turn a corner, it feels like I'm marching on towards something even bigger than I realised-,

"Hey."

Just around the corner, a tall man with flames all around his body entered my line of sight. To say he wasn't making my eyes hurt would have been a lie, but I suppose if Endeavour wanted to retire from being a hero, he would be amazing as a human fireworks display. Like imagine all the birthday parties he could elevate just by being there and providing cool images with his flames.

Now, if I were a lesser man I would have jumped up in terror. Maybe bow my head down as a sign respect or clean his shoes with my tongue. Well, I wasn't going to do either of them because that wasn't who I was. Waving lazily at him, I nodded in his direction. Endeavour was a hero yes, but he was also a man. A flawed man, Enji Todoroki had a lot of shit to make up for.

But it wasn't my place to judge, especially since he would eventually become a better man.

"Sup." I replied.

He studied me for a second, judging to see if I was worth his time. I mean I couldn't blame him; I was fighting his 'pride and joy' or whatever the saying goes. Sure, he isn't father of the year material, but at least he's there for Todoroki, albeit in an unconventional way. I mean, he did sort of care for Todoroki, in a twisted sense, and he does later become an actual father figure...

After all the abuse that happened.

Again, not my place to judge.

"There you are. I saw what you did during the second round, your Quirk is amazing. Being able to adapt such a thing on the fly with countless of options, in terms of adaptability you are one of a kind." Hearing such praise from the second-best hero in Japan naturally raised my spirits up, and of course made my head a little better. Oh yeah, I was super badass!

"But my boy Shoto, he has the duty to become better than me. To become better than All Might, and so your cheap tricks won't work on him. His match against you will be a valuable test, so give it your all. Put up a good fight against him" Huh. That was weird, it was like Endeavour was giving me permission to beat the shit out of his son? I mean if he was, that was great for me.

I even had parental consent to do what I intended to do, but something told me he meant it in a way for Todoroki to grow and beat me. Eventually the man turned around, bidding me a farewell and apologising for his bluntness. What a nice man, or nice persona? Once again, dealing with abuse wasn't my problem nor would it ever be, leave that shit to the police.

"Well," I began. "No need to apologise since you are the number two hero. But do you mind signing something for my sister? She's a big fan of yours. But there isn't a need for your son to surpass you or All Might." Suddenly, his expression turned furious. Ouch, if I was a villain I would have ended up with a broken bone or two, or was that concern? Oh, don't tell me Endeavour is a massive fan of Todoroki as well? Is he going to show me his baby pictures next?

"What do you mean by that?" He asked me.

"Well, he doesn't need to surpass you, or All Might because he is his own person. The only one he needs to surpass is himself, and he'll do that. As his friend, it's my duty to point him in a good direction ya' know?" I answered. "So don't sweat it. Just worry about giving me an autograph for my sister and I'll give you a five-star rating on Hero Watcher, the website where people discuss heroes. You know that website?"

"Tch." Ignoring me, he walked towards the stands which made me sad. Was I not going to get the bloody autograph? I felt bad enough that when I visited his agency that I didn't get anyone's autograph there, but having Endeavour personally ignore my request? Not cool bro, I was definitely going to give him a one-star rating until he personally delivers the autograph to Miwa.

Still time was up.

Entering the ring had a different atmosphere compared to the prior events. In the first round, it was filled with wonder whilst in the second it was filled with excitement. However, since the start of the third round the atmosphere became intense, to the point of suffocation. It was building and building until it eventually reached its current stage, oppressive.

It wasn't menacing, but it was a lot to take in.

"You ready?" Todoroki asked me. I nodded at him, but deep down I had no idea what the answer to that question was. Was I ready? It didn't feel like it, but I had no choice. It was my responsibility now to ensure that Todoroki gets the help he needs, gets to use his full Quirk rather than half of it. Not for some story thread, or a guarantee for the future.

But because he was a friend, and ultimately even if I was ready the outcome was going to be the same.

I was going to save him.

"Never felt better." I replied flashing him a thumbs up.

"Both of these competitors have won top marks in this festival so far!" Present Mic's voice narrated through the speakers. "But in this ring, there can only be one winner, in this tournament only one person can win this match! So, no matter how great both of them are, one will win and the other will lose!" Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he stared at me, whilst my nails dug into my palms.

"Give it up for the incredible, the mind-blowing, SORA YAMAZAKI VERSUS SHOTO TODOROKI!" I grinned; this was going to hurt. A lot, but the crowds roar of approval for the fight slightly ticked me off. I mean we were teenagers fighting each other, where they really that starved of entertainment to enjoy this so much? Just two teenagers beating the absolute snot out of each other in order to win a bullshit prize.

Well, I was going to turn heads and not for the right reasons.

"START!"

I already read his first move considering the pool of his attacks was limited to say the least. He came at me with a lot of ice which I dodged by using my Nimbus to fly me up high in the sky. Well not too high, I didn't want to be disqualified for being untouchable, but enough to skip over his ice.

Flying towards him I went to reach for my bokuto-,

Huh?!

Where the fuck is my bokuto?!

I didn't have time to react as a pillar of ice knocked me off from my cloud, I barely managed to land safely. Shit, this wasn't going well, and the fight just started. "I expected as much." Todoroki said. "If this is how the fight is going to go, you might as well just give up here." I clenched my teeth, summoning my Nimbus once more.

I'll show you how much I'm going to 'give up' you bastard.

Transfiguring some of my Nimbus into a sledgehammer, I used the remaining parts to give me a pair of wings, while they weren't strong enough to make me fly, they were good enough to make me hover slightly. The next round of ice came, but I was prepared as I smashed the ice as much as I could. It was fucking freezing, and yet I couldn't help but grin as one by one his attacks were rendered useless. The hammer always wins, it was slow but powerful and it always packed a good surprise punch or two.

But this wasn't enough, I couldn't keep up. Diverting my focus on both the hammer and the wings wasn't going to last, I needed something more. If only I had my bokuto, shit I really should have collected it after my match with Shinso. I guess I really was an idiot, but there wasn't any time for self-pity.

No, I had to attack.

Even more ice glaciers were shot at me, and my reflexes weren't fast enough nor was I strong enough to break them all.

"Grk!"

That sharp pain on my side was because of his ice pillar slamming into me, pushing me backwards towards the line. Get it together, focus! I can do this, I'm amazing! I'm amazing and I'm going to save him, so I just have to hold on a little longer!

Another barrage of ice tried to get me out of the ring, but my Nimbus was far too useful for that. Erecting a defensive sphere around me like in the USJ, I pushed through. But not even that was enough as his ice penetrated the barrier.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

What the fuck was I supposed to do?! I mean I could use that Quirk, but I promised Aizawa. I promised myself. I promised-,

Oh wait.

How could I forget.

I lowered my body as I got in a runner's position, my hands in front of me as I felt the cold ground. Todoroki's ice sure was something else, hell I couldn't even begin to fathom how incredible Midoriya must have been to have fought him in the same position I'm in now, but that was the past. The same way I used that Quirk at the USJ, and even in the second round, I wasn't limited anymore. Sure, I was missing my bokuto but it wasn't needed for this.

Well sort of.

"Ready..." I whispered. So, this was it? Firstly, I had to thank Iida for helping make this a reality. I mean if it wasn't for him, my new fighting style wouldn't have been born. And secondly, I had to thank manga and anime, from this life and in my previous life for providing me the opportunity to do something as cool as this.

Summoning my Nimbus, I split it evenly as I wrapped it around both of my feet. Todoroki looked at me confused, ready to send out another round of ice at me. Grinning, I winked at him, provoking him to make his move already. Time seemed to slow down as three pillars of ice were sent towards my direction, and I probably would have been knocked out if it wasn't for the fact, I was ready. I felt the boost as I was propelled forward, using my legs to completely shatter the ice in front of me.

He tried to predict where I would land, but unfortunately, I rotated even more and flew towards him. That was the trick for my new fighting style, combining the speed I gained from my rotations, like at the USJ against Zero with my Nimbus in the air to increase my speed exponentially with each rotation. I felt like a god because I didn't even need to touch the ground, I only need to be able to control my Quirk, so I knew what direction to go in.

With my left foot forward, I completely smashed through the next ice he sent my way, with a force that caused his ice to turn into vapour. However, my fighting style wasn't complete. No, it was far from it. I merely used my feet to fly around and propel me, meaning that it had limited protection. And so, smashing my feet against ice still hurt like a bitch, and it still made my Quirk sometimes waver in and out of existence. Because pain diverted my focus, and diverting my focus was the quickest way for my Quirk to disappear.

"Only defending and dodging, it is going to take a toll on you eventually. I can see your feet trembling Yamazaki, it's impossible not to feel cold after fighting my ice for so long." Todoroki told me. "But I suppose it's thanks to you that my old man doesn't look happy, so I appreciate that. Let's just end this here, we both know what will happen to you if you continue to fight, let's end this." Tch, is that all? Is that all he really thinks I'm capable of?

Yeah, that really pisses me off.

"You think I'm done dumbass?" I yelled angrily. "I'm holding back, just like you. If it's that damn cold, will you do me a favour and heat me up with your fire? I'll even ask nicely and say please." I replied as I flew towards him, spinning and rotating to gain more speed compared to before. I was going to force him to use flames to keep me away, and if he doesn't use them then that's on him for being a dumbass.

Todoroki couldn't unleash enough ice to stop me from kicking him, even if it was a mere light tap that if you blinked you would have missed. Whilst some of his ice hit me, we both flew backwards in pain. Gah, that fucking hurt. I mean this fight was always going to hurt, but I can finally understand why Midoriya broke as many bones as he did. Ultimately, I had one thing going for me that was going to make me pull though. I wasn't going to be a bitch and give up now, I made a promise to not only myself, but to Tokage and I was going to see this through.

Two sides of the same coin? Heh seems about right. Both Todoroki and I were stupid to a fault, he didn't want to use his fire and I was getting more and more pissed off, and more and more tempted to using that damned cursed Quirk against him. "You want to win with your ice to prove a damn point? Go ahead and be my guest. But if you're fighting me, take it seriously you bastard. At least do something more with your ice as opposed to doing to same attack repeatedly, makes you seem lazy." I shouted at him as I spat out blood.

His last attack did a number on me. It felt like I was run over by a bunch of horses, and yet that smile was still formed on my face. "I'll use all of my power if you use all of yours, and then maybe you won't be such a bitch. Oh boo-hoo you had a sad backstory; we all have sad backstories so get over yourself and act like a damn hero for once!" He wanted to be a hero, Tokage said so. He wanted to be a hero because of his mother, so I was going to use that against him. Every dirty trick in the book, I was going to use everything to make this bastard use his fire no matter what shitty promise he made to himself.

Todoroki clenched his teeth in anger as I grinned even more. It was working. "What's your game Yamazaki? Did that bastard put you up to this? And why the hell would I care if you don't use your full power-," I interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, transforming the Nimbus on my right leg to the truth seeker orbs and launched them at him. This guy needs to shut the fuck up and listen to me, I couldn't give two shits about what he had to say.

Todoroki ignored them however as he came rushing towards me. Wow, I really pissed him off. Transforming the remaining Nimbus on my left foot into a baseball bat, I ran towards him as well as I swung at his head. He tried to push me back with his ice, but the bastard was too focused on my baseball bat aimed at his head to notice the bigger picture. My truth seeker orbs looped back round and hit him from behind which momentarily stunned him. He couldn't do anything but watch in horror as my baseball bat was faster than his ice.

I fucking smashed his head in, and so his ice pushing me backwards once again didn't make me angry. I landed a clean hit on the bastard, and the world knew it. The crowd roared with approval as we both stood up, blood was pouring down his head as he stood shakily whilst I used my bat to support me getting up. Fuck this was bad, I couldn't even breathe properly at this point. Heh, I could barely stand without being in a fuck-ton of pain, and at this point even my eyesight was starting to become hazy.

Cementoss and Midnight both looked at us in concern, especially me. After all, I was the idiot that had the Quirk that allowed me to gamble anything at a moment's notice to get stronger. But as Todoroki launched another round of ice, I dodged them easier compared to before. And that's because they were slower, slower because his ice wasn't as effective as compared to before. His ice wasn't a fool proof method, and I was going to beat that lesson into him.

"What's wrong Todoroki?" I taunted him. "Getting a bit slower mate. If only you used your damned fire, then you'd be able to beat me cleanly. But of course, since you don't want to become a hero, you won't ever use your fire. This is just a game, right? Just a little bump in the life of 'Shoto Todoroki' because that's all this is to you. A way of sticking it to your father that you dislike, what a petty reason."

"Shut up... shut up!" Todoroki yelled. "You don't know a damn thing about me, yet you act like you know everything about me! Just shut up! I'll show my father," He yelled as he sent out the biggest round of ice he could. He was planning on ending the fight with this final strike. "I'll show my father about my strength, that I don't need his power at all. That my ice is all I need, and that it's his damn fault for everything! I'll show him, so just go and shut up already Yamazaki!"

Compared to before, his ice now felt furious. I could feel his emotions as his ice tried to freeze me all over, and it was oppressive. I had to use all of my Nimbus as a protective shield to not be blown backwards by it. Todoroki really was incredible; he really was an amazing person. And he was going to become an even better hero once it was his time, and an even more incredible friend to not only 1A, but to his own family.

I felt sorry for Todoroki, I truly did. Forced to train at a young age, forced to be away from his family and a mother that turned insane causing a permanent scar on his face. He must have felt alone for all those years, with only his hatred for his father's power to spur him on. I truly felt sorry for him, and knowing what was to come for him, the pain and hardships he would eventually feel when it came to his brother made me feel even more sorry for the kid.

He couldn't catch a damn break.

But I also knew of the good times yet to come, the good times where slowly by slowly his family would be pieced back together. And the catalyst for that was his Quirk, the catalyst for that was him using his fire. And I'd be damned if I allowed the bastard to go through even more hell because of a promise he made to himself, one that he couldn't keep if he truly wanted to be a hero. Sorry Todoroki, but I had to do this for your own good.

I saw a familiar piece of wood by my feet. It seems like Midnight must have realised I was missing my support item and she threw it in the ring. Picking it up, it felt natural to me as the Nimbus that protected me turned into that cursed red flame. I'm sorry Aizawa, but my promise to myself and Tokage means a lot more to me then whatever promise I made to you about nor using my cursed Quirk, because if it means that I can help my friend right here and now, I'll gamble everything without any hesitation.

The flames wrapped around myself and my bokuto, and they felt warm to say the least. The warmth you would get in a family, warmth from friends. Warmth from living your life the way you want to live it no matter the consequences, and that was the warmth I was going to teach Todoroki. No matter how much he wanted to nor use his flames, my want for him to be truly happy, to be live his life by his own choices was much stronger. Because despite not knowing him personally for long, despite not having much interaction with him prior to this.

He still fought with all of us at the USJ.

He still came to Aizawa and I's rescue.

And he would be so much more in the events to follow, not as a game changing powerful hero. But as a friend who helps others. Which was why I was going to make him use his flames right here and now, which was why I was going to break his promise to himself as well as mine to Aizawa-sensei. It was why no matter how much pain I would go through, nor or in the future, I wasn't going to turn back now because these weren't just 'characters' in a story, these weren't just people living their life either.

They were my friends, my family and my everything.

And I'd do anything to save them, even if it means killing myself and everyone else in the process.

Hehe, murder.

I wonder, is it possible to strangle someone with their own intestines?

I wonder, if I slaughtered everyone in the arena who could catch me?

I wonder, what would happen if I burned this entire city to the ground?

Just to save everyone I cared about.

My flames grew hotter, slowly the red turned into a pure white as I felt my pain all over my body sting even more. There was no turning back as I swung my bokuto, the wooden sword eventually snapping due to the temperature of the heat as his massive ice glacier was cut in half, the white flames acting as a projectile as it flew through the sky, it soared like a bird.

If it wasn't for the pain I felt while doing so, I might have yelled about how badass it looked.

Standing in front of me, shocked was Todoroki. For a few moments he seemed genuinely confused, and even afraid of me as I stood there with my broken sword pointing at him. I couldn't move, my body felt heavy, heavier than ever before. And I'm sure it's due to the fact that my left arm was broken, and I couldn't feel my right foot. I'm sure the audience's reaction, there cheers and screams of approval would change once they knew the amount of pain I was truly in.

I couldn't begin to describe how much every cell in my body felt like it was on fire, how my lungs felt constricted and how my blood throughout my body felt as cool as ice making me choke and want to vomit on the ground in front of me. I couldn't begin to describe the taste of blood in my mouth, nor the pain my outstretched right arm felt as the sword pointed towards Todoroki felt like I was holding the sky in the palm of my hand.

"Your power Is your own bastard." I yelled, my voice cracking. "So, unless you want to lose, then break your damn promise. If you really want to be a hero like you said to your mother, then fight me head on and don't look back! Or else, you are just like your father. Forever wanting something that you know you won't be able to achieve." Todoroki's expression crumbled, the anger and pain on his face melted away as I saw his eyes water, tears trailing down his face. He looked lost, and yet his determined expression came back just as quickly as it disappeared. But this one was missing the anger, the sadness compared to before.

Just as his left side burst into magnificent red flames, he slowly grinned awkwardly. He was lost, just as lost as me. Yet in that moment, we both understood each other. We both understood that neither of us was going to budge, and so my grin matched his. For the first time in a while, I could see that Shoto Todoroki was smiling sincerely and that made me happy, no, it made me overjoyed. At that moment, I felt like I had achieved something greater than I could even comprehend. And that's because I did, I achieved my goal.

And I said I wasn't going to give him a speech, I did exactly that. Tch, how annoying.

"You seriously don't want to win, do you?" Todoroki asked me. I shook my head as I readied my sword. Sure, I was in a ton of pain, and Todoroki wasn't all too comfortable with using his flames and his ice at the same time, but I couldn't help but feel like the true fight started here. "Trying to inspire me and make me to use my powers," His voice croaked, "And you said that I wasn't taking things seriously you bastard. You also said you don't care, but that was a lie as well?" He readied himself, using his Quirk he looked cool as hell. "If using this Quirk means that I'm a hero, then I'll show you myself."

Heh.

So, this was Shoto Todoroki. He was different from the Todoroki I knew, well the Todoroki I thought I knew. While he looked unsure about using his fire, it was because of the unfamiliarity of it. He hadn't been training in it, and so using his fire and ice at the same time was a new sensation to him. But he looked ready to beat me, I had pissed him off to no return.

"Cool, and afterwards your using daddy's money to buy me ice cream." And with that, we both ran at each other head on.

The fight wasn't over yet.

The longest chapter yet.

Was very excited for this one because it's the start of Sora's journey as a hero. No, he isn't replacing Midoriya or none of that crap. Sora is his own person, and so is Midoriya. You will see soon enough what I mean, Stain is next and so that is very exciting. I always thought that Midoriya vs Todoroki was a good fight, but not the best so I hope I tried my best at elevating it... Not that I could hope to do it so anyway.

Sora's journey as a hero starts here for many reasons, before he just wanted to save his friends. To protect them, then it evolved into this, into helping his friends so that they can become better as you can see with Jiro and now Todoroki. I feel like Horikoshi wanted to do this, and still has done it but not the way I would have preferred.

Sora affects 1A, and 1A now changed affects the world.

That's what I want to portray even further than canon.

Ultimately, Sora using his 'Gambler's Quirk' which will get an official name soon by the way, is his way of showing how far he will actually go. I suppose in early MHA Midoriya breaking his fingers and body parts showed that as well, and of course even now Midoriya's fights have that feeling of scrappiness. But they also feel... safe? Is that the right word for it?

His fights don't feel as intense, at least in my opinion.

So in a sense, the 'Gamblers's Quirk' is mostly used in effect to ensure that Sora's fights will always be intense because what will he sacrifice next? Of course some make believe is required, Sora get's injured a lot which is why I have the 'Minor Healing Quirk' to explain why he doesn't just drop dead.

When he does insane things, then the healing Quirk kicks in full affect.

And of course Tokage's reveal. I had been planning that for a long ass time I won't lie, having so many people be reincarnated in the world allows for so much potential. New alliances, new villains etc. It makes everything so much more interesting because you have people like Sora and Tokage who are the 'good' guys and people like Zero, or potentially others who are 'bad.'

Fun fact: originally, 'Kei' the boy who Bakugo fought against this chapter, was going to play the role Tokage plays. But I thought it would have been way too obvious if a OC acted strange towards Sora, so instead I chose Tokage because on the latest MHA LN cover (Japan only as of writing and volume 6 for those who are wondering) she looks extremely cute next to Yaoyorozu.

Like, doing a peace sign with her hair styled that way, along with her slightly oversized jumper just looks top notch. And so because of that I decided that the cute Setsuna Tokage would be a major character going forward. I suppose that's where Sora and I are similar, sometimes we don't think using our mind. Still, overall I'm happy with the way everything turned out.

Tokage being picked came out so much better than expected, and I was incredibly happy to write it out.

Next chapter will be wrapping up the Sports Festival which is incredibly exciting. As I'm writing this before Christmas, I curse myself because of the ton of coursework and revision I chose to ignore while writing this chapter. Sure it'll cause me a lot of stress, but I'm happy right now so all's good. Also thanks for all the support.

I know I started this story extremely rough because I just had a couple scenes in mind, and they happen way off in the future, and now I'm about to wrap up the Sports Festival arc which while early in canon, is still an achievement. Going into this arc I was scared that I'd write myself into a corner, but now after nearly completing it I feel so happy with myself.

What are we on now, 250k words? At this point I've stopped looking at it due to how insane the number is. I don't think I've ever put this much passion and dedication into a project ever before in my life, and while I don't exactly want praise I won't lie and say that receiving so much of it doesn't make me happy. I mean now on average I get above ten reviews per chapter within the first few days. TEN!

Before it took me three chapters to even reach five, let alone ten.

And of course we are getting closer to that 500 favourites and 400 followers. Also nearly 150 reviews as of writing which is just insane considering this story started out after my previous MHA fic (Now deleted) went horribly wrong and I made a fool of myself for not only writing it, but writing it as a fan of MHA. I got so many things wrong with it and I learned.

And of course my now 1 year old Naruto story, which was a train wreck, helped me grow as a writer too. So many good ideas that I had ruined because I experienced burn out, I was trying to write multiple chapters a week at one point which are all similar to the chapter lengths here, which just isn't feasible with my schedule. And since I was on the verge of giving up on Naruto, it pushed me over the edge.

Now MHA isn't in a similar position, I've been a Naruto fan for way over a decade now. Since I was like five I followed the adventures of Naruto, but I started MHA in 2020. My love for MHA, whilst it goes up and down, doesn't affect my passion for writing this because well, it is because of Sora. I want to write Sora's journey out, as opposed to Naruto's or Izuku's.

Not that I have anything against them, but as characters they are so rigid.

There is only so far you can go before turning them into essentially an OC with the same name and face.

Sora doesn't have that, he is a blank slate for me.

I want to see how Sora will play off other's, how he will affect what happens in the story and the consequences of his actions. MHA in my opinion is singlehandedly the best series to write fanfiction about because of how free it is, I'm not tied down by prophecies and seven thousand Jutsu. I'm not tied down by OFA and the inevitable conflict with AFO or Bakugo's rivalry like with writing Izuku.

I'm not tied down by anything when writing Sora, just my own imagination.

Having one ability, or just a few and working with them is so much more fun to write. Having many new variables affect the world in different ways is fun to write, having so many new ideas able to be inserted into this story with ease is so much fun. Writing Over the Top started out because I was sort of bored, bored of reading fanfiction and bored of not doing anything.

I started writing chapter 1 back in March 2021, a full month before I even published the first chapter. I finished writing the first chapter only a few days later, and I kept on adding and adding to it. Even if the additions were scrapped, it was so much fun. Hell, originally I wasn't even going to post this story. Just delete it, or leave it as an unfinished plan. But I didn't, and I'm so happy that I didn't do that.

Writing this story has been so much fun for me. I really don't think I've ever put this much effort and dedication into a project before, to the point where now looking back at earlier chapters it pains me to see how much effort I actually didn't put in. I could have easily made this better, I just didn't for some reason. And so as I've said for the millionth time, I can't wait to edit this story when I have the time.

And hopefully it will be so much more fun to read.

Since 2021 for me is nearly over, this is a look back at what really happened this year, despite the fact that this chapter will come out in 2022. Odd, but it is what it is. Wait, this will be the second chapter released in 2022. Damn, I really messed up? Still, excuse this long AN because ultimately I just wanted to increase the word count so I can feel better about myself about writing over 20k words (Despite only 5k being actually quality :)

The point is Over the Top started as this story where I was building towards one specific scene. Now it's evolved, it's becoming more and more amazing for me and it's incredible how it grows. Plans that I had at one point are now becoming obsolete, like the idea I had of turning Todoroki and Bakugo into girls so I could say 'Oh look SI/OC in an AU of MHA!'

Or Zero's identity being revealed right away, and Sora and them having a Light vs L, or Lelouch vs Suzaku relationship throughout the rest of the story. And yes, Zero is called Zero because of the idea I just mentioned, just a little call back to what once was. Hell even the motivations for Sora vs Zero have changed. Before it was just good vs bad, one sees others as humans while the other sees them as less than such.

Now it's evolved and I can't wait to describe it to you, the readers.

When I first started this story in April I never would have dreamed that I would have gotten as far as I have. I thought that I would have deleted it right after the first chapter, but I didn't. Instead, I kept on working on it. Instead, I became obsessed slightly with writing this story. I look forward to writing it, I spent a lot of my free time thinking about how to improve this story.

I've gotten my fair share of criticism, points of interest that I agree with. So many of you have pointed out things that you aren't too sure on, and in turn it has made me question if I myself agree with the direction I was going in. Yes, this story will be mainly light hearted, but it will have some somber moments. I don't want an edgy story, because that isn't what I want to write.

I want Sora to grow. I want him to be believable, relatable and more importantly, I want him to be wrong. I want the readers the understand that Sora isn't always right, and that he makes mistakes. That despite having good intentions, he will mess up and it might lead to disastrous consequences. I want the reader to understand that Sora being the protagonist doesn't mean he will win.

It doesn't mean you should agree with him.

I want the readers to sometimes feel frustrated with Sora, to dislike some of the choices he made. Because that is what makes someone human, making bad decisions and growing from them. At least, that is what being human means to me.

And writing Over the Top was seriously one of the best decisions I have ever made. The community that's grown, the people I have spoken to, I seriously love doing this. Even as an amateur writer, it makes me happy noticing small improvements to my work. Comparing the first chapter to this one, and the difference is as clear as day and night.

Overall, I finished 2021 with a better and more clearer journey of where I need to go as a writer, and how I'm going to improve on it. I have a much better vision of 'Over the Top' and I can't wait to share it with everyone. A version of it that truly goes 'Over the Top,' pun intended. And it wouldn't be possible without you, the reader.

So thank you a lot!

Now onto your questions:

Guest: Cliffhangers are so much fun

Drake Fenix-San: Haha, I hope so. I tried not to make it too obvious, so I wouldn't give it away

Brocole07: I will try my hardest!

Dat-Boi-Waddup: See I hope this chapter has sort of explained some reasons. It's not that Sora was actively forgetting MHA, rather his mind (Being in constant battle with himself) made it hard for him to remember everything. Also, remembering an series is all well and good, but if I asked you to provide me a chapter-to-chapter breakdown of Naruto, anyone would struggle.

Trux-Killer: :)

Koda: Working hard has different connotations depending on the person. To Sora, giving it your all is working hard. Does it necessarily make sense? No. But it's the way he perceives things because of the things he has experienced in life. He isn't well equipped to give these speeches, so he's trying his best. And no, I don't agree with what Sora is saying necessarily.

Cresendo: Well hopefully the question has been answered. Well, sort of. Are there other reincarnations? Who knows, find out next time on OVER THE TOP (Hehe)

Guest: Wow indeed.

PleasedViewer: I don't mind readers recommending me new moves, if anything I welcome it. I haven't read/watched everything and so hearing someone else's thoughts on new attacks can be a fresh perspective for me. And it being metal is exactly the vibe I tried to give off, I mean Sasuke Uchiha is pretty metal when you break him down.

Sora and Aizawa's relationship is a core of this story, and it will be progressing even more as time goes on. Who knows, maybe something big will happen soon lol. And I truly don't mind having long reviews, if anything I welcome it. It's a joy to read them, even more so when it comes to fan-theories so if you truly want you can post all the theories you want and I'll respond to each of them (Without confirming anything of course :)

And if you ever do publish your fan fiction, I'd very much like to read it.

That's all this time!

Next time:

Who will win? Me or Todoroki? Who will win the tournament? Me or Todoroki? Who will pay for ice cream in the end? Me or Todoroki? Find out next time on... You stink!