A/N: So... this isn't the Izuku vs Shoto fight... god, this is awkward.

I know, I know, you guys are really looking forward to it, but there's still some more buildup that I want to do for it. With that said, thank you guys for being patient, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Review Responses:

Wayward Son: Yeah man, I get where you're coming from. I was literally crying by the end of Volume 3. But, as a writer, I respect their decision to do what they did. It takes a lot to kill off any kind of character, especially ones that were as enjoyable as those three.

Those are some great suggestions, and they've actually got me rethinking some context for certain scenes. So thank you! You're awesome!

dekuuuuuuuuuu: I can see why that'd be. You're not wrong, especially towards the beginning. I'm not gonna tell you that because it'd be spoilers.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.

I do not own the cover image

Chapter 34: Morning Tensions

Momo was not a morning person. She hated them with a passion. Especially ones like this. It was all cloudy outside, like it usually was during autumn in Atlas, and the early snow was starting to set in. And this was one of the warmer days they were likely to experience for a pretty long while. Damn geography.

Still, for once, she beat her alarm clock to the punch (quite literally, she'd smashed it more than a few times), and woken up just as the sun began to peak over the distant horizon. She now wore a white t-shirt with red lining with the word 'CREATY' emblazoned across the front in yellow and a pair of pink short shorts. She wore her hair the way she'd usually worn it for the past few years: a spiky ponytail with a few bangs coming across the right side of her face. It felt good to just be casual for once. She had no one to impress, at the moment.

Though I'm fairly sure you'd impress Shoto no matter what you wore.

Sh-shut up!

"Master Momo?" She heard from her bedroom door in the same crackly voice she'd grown so used to hearing in the morning.

"You can come in Walter. I'm dressed," Momo assured the butler, the door to her ornate and rather lavishly decorated room opening to reveal her longtime companion and friend since the time she'd turned eight: Walter C. Dornez. The man was rather old, about sixty-nine or so if her memory served her well, with visible creases on his forehead and face due to his age. His frame was tall and rather lanky, wearing long black dress pants with pointy-toed, freshly shined leather dress shoes. He also wore a white dress shirt with a neatly done purple tie and a similarly shaded vest. His jet-black hair, one of the only things that hadn't changed with his age, was done in a tight ponytail that reached his mid-back, and his iconic monocle was ever present over his left eye, glinting in the morning sunlight as a few rays managed to peak through the clouds before disappearing once again.

"Good morning, Master Momo. I see that you're already up and about. What's the occasion? If you don't mind my asking," Walter asked.

"You don't need to be so formal around me, Walter."

"But it would be most unbecoming of me to address you in such a casual manner, especially if guests might be around and ready to gossip about everything they hear," he said that with the same, cocky smirk she'd often come to associate with his ego inflating.

"Walter, the only people who ever come here are Weiss, those spokespeople who try far too hard to get into my family's pockets, those tutors my father has to keep hiring because my mother refuses to listen, and my boyfriend," she finished her tangent with a light blush beginning to dust her cheeks.

"And two of those people are the ones we need to be particularly careful around. Especially the haughty, egotistical fools with no place to speak or speculate about affairs so foreign to them." And the smile only further widened.

"Well, I don't think anyone's quite that foolish," Momo said optimistically, despite knowing what it was that Walter was implying not so subtly.

"I will do what I must in order to ensure the preservation of the Yaoyorozu family name and dignity, Master Momo. I owe you all at least that much. Not many would hire someone without color in their name. Now then, I do believe that breakfast is long overdue. Can't go watching this tournament on an empty stomach!"

(meanwhile, somewhere in Mistral, Mei's POV)

"Thanks for cooking, boss!" Mei thanked Maijima as they sat in the middle of their new home with various building materials and half-finished mini projects scattered around in no particular pattern or organization.

"No need. We both know what would've happened if you got behind the grill," his helmet visibly sweatdropped as he said this, referring to the one and only time Mei had ever tried to cook. Her range of talents did not coincide with any kind of preparation of food.

"L-let's not dwell on that. It's Izuku's match today!"

"Yes, it is."

"Do you think he'll win? He'd better. Otherwise he'd make my creations look bad!" Mei yelled enthusiastically before downing her water in three gulps.

"He might. But up against a kid like that, I don't think it's likely."

"… seriously? I thought you'd be a bit more supportive of his chances than that."

"Don't get me wrong, I do want him to win. But I know that someone like Shoto Todoroki isn't going to go down easy. And when you factor in the fact that his dad's one of the top huntsmen, I don't think it's a stretch to say that he's got a lot of advantages over Izuku."

"Well... damn, you've got me there. Does he have anything over Shoto?"

(meanwhile, Beacon dining hall, Bakugo's POV)

"Three things. First off, he's way faster when he uses that Full Cowl thing. Almost as fast as Four Eyes," the blonde direwolf explained to CVFY as they ate breakfast across from each other.

"Well, speed can get you the upper hand sometimes, but it isn't the way to win a fight unless you want an endurance match. I'm not sure who's got more stamina if it comes down to it," Coco thought aloud.

"I think they're tied in that department. They never got ahead of each other when we were putting together the building," Fox commented.

"That's one thing. Deku's also got that fucking library in his brain," Bakugo took a large bite out of his waffle as he said that.

"He has a library in his brain?" Yatsu asked, a confused look crossing his features.

"It's a metaphor, Yatsu," Velvet quickly explained.

"Point is, he's smart. Really, really fucking smart. If he put half as much time into his schoolwork as he did his training, he'd probably be tied with Ice Queen for first place in academics. He's got notes on everyone, even me. If anyone can make a strategy to beat Shoto, it'd be either him or me."

"Why you? You don't exactly seem to be the strategizing type. No offense," Coco stated.

"Taken. I'm a lot of things, hot chocolate, but one thing I'm definitely not is stupid," Bakugo inhaled the rest of his waffle, a loud gulp punctuating the action.

"But what's the third?" Velvet asked.

"He's got the element of surprise. I've only seen him use the full extent of his power a few times, but those few times were when he was desperate and couldn't find another solution. It's like a last resort. Not a lot of people remember this now, but certain semblances can be a lot like physical abilities. Actually, most of my team has semblances like that. Deku's got a cap on his strength, and if Four Eyes runs too fast he can strain his leg muscles. I'm willing to bet that Shoto's got some weakness like that too," Bakugo looked down at his hands, remembering the damage they'd received when he blew that Nomu to Kingdom Come. We've all got limitations to deal with. No matter how annoying or pointless they might be to deal with.

"Is that seriously all he's got?" Coco asked with genuine concern in her eyes.

"I wouldn't be telling you all this shit if I wasn't sure." Bakugo stood with his now cleaned tray in hand. "C'mon. We've got places to be, and I've got Four Eyes to find and not kill."

(meanwhile, undisclosed location in Vale, Neo's POV)

"Watch this match closely, Tomura. It will be an important one." All for One said through the currently blank screen. Tomura, Kurogiri, Mr. Compress and Neo were currently sitting at the bar with the overhead TV on at blaring, waiting for the match to finally begin.

"Understood, sir," Compress said as he crossed his legs and observed the screen with anticipation. Or at least it seemed to be that, Neo could never tell, since the guy always had a mask of some kind on his face.

Tomura simply grunted at that, only focusing on the screen in front of him with abject determination and what looked to be a vengeful look in his eye. Kurogiri watched over him with a bit of concern and what looked to be caution.

As for Neo, she was sitting on a bar stool that was a bit too tall for her, allowing her to swing her legs back and forth and eating ice cream out of the bowl placed in front of her like the kid she looked to be. Seriously, she was nineteen and still looked like she was either sixteen or younger, and it was getting really fucking annoying.

Then again, the look is pretty useful, sometimes.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Himiko jumped onto the stool next to her, asking with her signature sing song voice, "Whatcha doooooin'?"

Neo quickly typed out a response to her half faunus friend, "Waiting for this round to start. The ones fighting are on the same team, and so far they've made a pretty good battle duo. It'll be interesting to see which one actually wins."

"Wait, I know them! Who are they?" Twice asked with genuine confusion. Himiko, though she did no voice it, was asking the same question as the constantly masked man.

"Alright, but don't ask questions once the actual fight starts. The first one's..."

(meanwhile, White Fang Vale HQ, Ilia's POV)

"Tomorrow morning, you will go with Yuma and Trifa to Menagerie and assist Brother Corsac and Fennec with their assignment. It will take you a while to arrive there, so while you're traveling, remember to be discreet. Especially around Menagerie. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir!" Ilia responded almost robotically, giving Adam a salute in almost the same way. She nearly sighed in relief as she was dismissed, and it took almost everything for her to not start an all-out sprint before she was out of the bull faunus' field of view.

However, as soon as she could, she rushed down the hall with excitement finally returning to her eyes. The next match was going to start soon, and she didn't want to miss a single second of it!

It was in this haste that she accidentally bumped into Yuma, causing her to stumble a bit before the aforementioned bat faunus caught her by the arm, saying, "Watch yourself, Rainbow. We really don't need you getting a concussion right now."

"Sorry," Ilia dusted herself off as she apologized. "Just kinda in a hurry."

"For what?"

"… promise you won't tell Adam?"

"… he'll actually kill you if he finds out, ya know."

"But I've always loved the festival! It's just so heart pounding and awesome!" Ilia gave a few enthusiastic jabs at this with a large, unfiltered grin on her face.

"I didn't think you were even that into competition," Yuma admitted.

"Hey, just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't get excited for something like this."

"… what? No, this had nothing to do with that, it literally seems like the last thing you'd enjoy. You wanna like it, go right ahead. Just... don't let things like this cloud your judgement, alright?" Yuma held his hands up in a gesture of surrender as he asked.

"… I won't. Now, if you'll excuse me-" the chameleon faunus then turned and continued running down the dimly lit hallway with excitement boiling ever higher in her stomach. But something else was there too. Something she couldn't quite identify.

It's a shame we'll have to assault Vale during a time like this. I'd honestly do at any other time of the year, just... not now. If I could change the day we went through with the attack...

… I'd do it. In a heartbeat.

(about fifteen minutes later, Amity Coliseum, Izuku's POV)

Alright. This is it. It's all or nothing, now, Izuku thought to himself, preparing for the battle ahead as he slipped his blazer over his shoulders. He then lifted his Cirrus and Stratus onto the bench in front of him individually, strapping them on as he continued his train of thought. He probably won't be willing to talk once the match starts, so the only way to actually get him to listen would be the fight itself.

He slung Tempest over his shoulder, still in its base bastard sword form as it hummed a suggestion of its own. It might be risky, but it could win them the match.

"No. We've only used the move once before, and it's not even finished yet," Izuku whispered to the weapon.

He then opened the door to the locker room he was in to find Pyrrha standing outside, suddenly startling her as she stuttered, "O-oh! Um... h-h-hi!"

"… hey. What are you doing here?" Izuku asked politely.

"Oh, I was just... wondering if you... wanted to talk about what we learned the other day?" She managed to blurt out the last part all at once, as if the red headed amazon had been holding it for a while. But...

"We will. Later. Right now, I need to focus," Izuku said.

"Oh... sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for wanting answers. Truth be told, this has me pretty confused too," Izuku admitted sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Okay. I suppose you'd better get going," Pyrrha sad as she stepped away from the doorway, allowing the green haired boy to proceed down the hall and towards the arena.

A few seconds of silence passed before Pyrrha called after him, "Izuku!"

He stopped midstride and turned back, wondering what she was going to say. After a moment of hesitant silence, Pyrrha steeled herself, put a smile on her face and said, "Good luck out there."

Izuku smiled back. "Thanks. I think I'll need it." He then turned and walked down the grey hall once more, leaving a confused but resolute Pyrrha in his wake.

(meanwhile, Amity Coliseum, Shoto's POV)

Breathe. Shoto thought to himself as he strapped on Jotunheim and Muspelheim. He struggled a bit with the latter. He always did. But he had to. He wouldn't use it. He wouldn't. Just breathe. Let's get this over with.

(meanwhile, Amity Coliseum, Ruby's POV)

"Oh my Oum, this is so exciting! I wonder who's gonna win! Augh! I'm dying with anticipation!" Ruby hollered while munching on a bag of cookies she'd just purchased. It was fairly large too, and she wasn't sure it would last her through the entire match. "Who are you guys rooting for?"

"Greenie, duh. He's got a lot of spirit and plenty of ways to kick ass!" Yang said with an enthusiastic jab.

That and I'm pretty sure you've got a crush on the guy.

"Well, I don't mean to be a downer, but Shoto's most likely going to win," Weiss said with an entirely factual tone.

"Why's that?" Ruby asked her platinum haired partner, Yang leaning over her shoulder to silently ask the same question. Blake inclined her head towards he conversation, saying, "Yeah. I'm curious about this as well."

"Don't get me wrong, Midoriya's a good guy, and one of the best fighters we know, but... well, compared to Shoto, he's simply outmatched in too many categories. Not to mention some of the rumors from back in Atlas... I don't even know if any of them are true, but if they are, then Shoto's not going to hold anything back, not for a fight like this. He's got too much to prove," Weiss explained, seeming to understand Shoto's current position.

"Damn. Now I don't know who to root for," Blake said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Well, I'm gonna cheer them both on!" Ruby said. "They both need it!"

"Rubes, that's like trying to have a cake and eat it too," Yang pointed out.

"… I don't get it."

(meanwhile, undisclosed location in Atlas, Kimblee's POV)

"Hey, newbie? Today's the festival, right?" Asked the currently bored out of his gourd psychopathic mass murderer.

"Shut it, Level 1," was the response, as it had been for the past... damn, was he actually losing track of time now? That was unusual.

"So, what day is it, newbie?" Kimblee said as he straightened his long black hair, which was now done up in a pony tail that reached his mid back.

"I said-"

"Enough. It's better if you just tell him. It's the only thing that shuts him up," a much older and far more experienced guard said. He then answered Kimblee's question, "It's almost September, Kimblee. No exacts, as usual."

"Ah. So the Vytal Festival's happening around now, right?" The man stretched around in his tattered, though still relatively clean, white prison garb that he'd worn for the past few years. Man, time sure flew on by when you had nothing to do.

There was no response from outside the cell. That was normal as well. But the fact that they didn't answer also said a lot. It was pretty common for the festival to take place around this time of year, so it didn't take a genius to connect the dots.

"I wonder if any of them are particularly interesting?" He wondered aloud before tapping a pressure point in his throat, allowing him to take out the very object that had helped land him here in the first place. It held no control over him, his actions back then were all his own, and he certainly didn't regret them, but the object certainly helped him in more ways than one. In his currently manacled right hand, cuffed specifically to be separated from the left, was a crystal. But not of some trinket or bauble the rich folks used to show their worthless wealth: this was a Dust crystal. A thin, crimson shard that hardly fit into his palm, but the power it possessed was practically unrivaled by any! With the exception of All Might and potentially Ozpin, of course. But this crystal: it was the only one of its kind. And how amazing a symphony it could produce. He could still hear the notes!

Well, if any of them are intriguing, I'll hopefully see them once I get out of this place.

(meanwhile, Amity Coliseum, Izuku's POV)

The hallway was a lot longer than Izuku remembered it being. Either that or he was taking the long way around. He couldn't really tell at this point. But, if the growing volume of the spectator's voices were any indication, he was definitely getting closer. He could feel a ball of nervousness in his stomach, trying its damnedest to claw its way out, but he kept it down. He had to focus.

And then, just as he began to turn the corner, he saw the flaming, hulking frame of the man known to the world as Endeavor walking near him, causing the freckled inheritor to almost immediately freeze in place. A simple glance from the man filled him even further with dread, seeing cold, lightless blue eyes that were the same shade as Shoto's left. This man might not be as strong as All Might...

… but he was certainly terrifying.

"Ah. You're Shoto's teammate, right?" Endeavor suddenly asked, causing Izuku to snap back to reality and slowly nod his head. "I was looking for you."

"E-e-erm... why are you back here?"

"I saw your power during your fight with the brainwashing guy. It was very impressive. Interesting how you're able to make so much wind pressure from only the flick of your fingers. It almost reminds me of All Might. In fact, when you're not holding back, you're easily as strong as he is."

Oh crap!

"Oh. W-well, I never thought about it that way. E-e-excuse me, but I really should be going," Izuku said as he slipped past the flaming huntsman. Does he know about One for All?...

No. If he did, he probably would've said something about it. If there's one person who definitely shouldn't know about this, it's Endeavor.

"Shoto was made to one day surpass All Might. This fight against you will be a good way to see just how much training he has left. So don't even try holding back," the flaming man said as he walked away.

But this caused Izuku to stop for a few moments, gathering himself as he responded, "I'm not All Might. I know we might seem similar, but we're not the same person.

"And that goes for Shoto too," he gave Endeavor a glare over his shoulder, "He might be your son, but he's nothing like you."

The silence that permeated the room after that statement was almost deafening, even as Izuku turned and resumed his walk towards the arena; he could almost feel Endeavor's stare on his back. He didn't know how often Shoto had to deal with a glare like that, but it was certainly terrifying.

But he ignored the feeling and kept walking, eventually coming out to the roaring, adrenaline fueled crowd as they cheered at the top of their lungs, drowning the place with indecipherable noise and excitement. From the opposite gate, he could see Shoto emerging, a tight, almost frost laced grip on Jotunheim with a cold, focused stare in both his eyes. It almost reminded him of-

No! He's not his father. Now get ahold of yourself, we need to help him!

"And here it is, folks! The preliminary battle to the one on one finals! Izuku Midoriya! Versus! Shoto Todoroki!" Port's voice bellowed over the crowd's volume, though his statemen somehow made them grow even louder than before.

"The same rules from the previous round remain in effect, so don't worry about having to learn anything new. That being said, let's begin the countdown!" Oobleck said as the timer started.

The two then began to draw their weapons, Tempest now in a Neben stance as Izuku gripped the hilt tightly in both hands, and Jotunheim was now in Shoto's grip, pointed directly at his green haired opponent. This was it. No holding back. This time, they fought for real.

"BEGIN!"

And the two fought a battle that shook nearly everyone who witnessed it.

A/N: And that's the last of the setup for the fight! The next chapter is going to be the fight and nothing but the fight, as well as a few spectator POVs here and there to give things some proper context.

Next Chapter: July 8th

Seeya in the next one!