A/N: Hey I just want to give a quick shout out to yourlilimaxilove, who was so kind as to edit this chapter for me! Go ahead and check her Tumblr out and send her a little thanks for me, please!

Izuku breathed in deeply as he ascended the short staircase to the playing field. He saw Todoroki do the same on the other end of the arena.

The half and half student still seemed conflicted.

"Have you thought about what you really want?"

Todoroki didn't reply, preferring silence.

"I mean, you're here. Even if you haven't made your decision, you're still going to fight."

The green haired boy crouched to his knees. 'He's probably going to try the same trick he did with Serou. It's a good strategy, and one that's nigh inescapable. But it takes time to build, and it moves in the same arc as the arm he swings with. That just means…'

"STAAAAAART!" Present Mic screamed.

Sure enough, Shouto pulled back his right arm, bringing it into a low swing as ice began to form in sheets that expanded towards Izuku. The ice began to rise, sweeping upwards in the same column that engulfed his last opponent.

'...I have to close the gap between us before it can get to me!'

Before the ice could even reach Izuku, a large shockwave rocked the arena, sending Izuku over the quickly expanding ice wall. He used the momentum to ride the slope down, jumping off just as Todoroki began to send smaller waves of ice at him.

Within seconds, Izuku had covered the distance between himself and his opponent. He jumped up, twisting his hips, and sent a kick flying directly into the side of Todoroki's head. Endeavor's son fell from the force of the blow, but recovered nicely by rolling back onto his feet. Todoroki winced, feeling blood trail down the side of his face. Luckily, it wasn't near his eyes, so he didn't have to worry about being blinded by his own injury.

Todoroki braced himself, sending more sheets of ice out at Midoriya. Just as quickly as they formed, they were blown apart by air bombs.

"That won't work any more!" Izuku shouted, blasting himself back into melee range. "Are you even trying to win?"

Midoriya punched the boy in the gut. Unlike Shinsou, this guy had some muscle on him, and could withstand the blow much more easily.

Izuku saw his opponent's hand shoot upwards, and he just barely avoided Todoroki's icy hand from clutching his wrist. He resisted the urge to jump back, reminding himself that Shouto excelled in long ranged attacks. His flames could probably make up for that, but he remained insistent on not using the full ability of his quirk.

With Todoroki pulling back after missing, Izuku decided to take up his momentary lapse in defense. A quick sucker punch to his scarred eye sent the boy reeling back. The green haired boy made sure to keep his middle knuckle slightly extended just so he could put a little more hurt on Todoroki's eye. When the boy went to clutch his face, Izuku kicked him just below his ribcage.

"You're distracted, Todoroki." Izuku noted. "What was that declaration of war, then? Do you even want to be here?"

"Shut up!" The half and half student growled back. He sent a large wave of ice towards Midoriya, forcing him back.

'Crap, now he's got the upper hand! I need to keep the taunts to a minimum, I'm letting myself get carried away.'

Todoroki pulled his hand back for another ice attack, but paused. He gritted his teeth, hesitating.

"What… what am I here for?" He whispered with furrowed brows.

Izuku tried to rush him once again, but a wall of ice broke his path.

Todoroki had just pulled himself into his fighting stance when it sank in just how cold he felt. He looked down to see the ice that had begun forming small veins up his arm. It was another weakness caused by suppressing only his fire side. He needed to end this quickly, otherwise he'd get frostbite from his own quirk.

The ice wall in front of him began to show cracks from the repeated blows that Izuku was no doubt dealing with his air bombs.

"You told me that there are people you can't fail… what do I have? Why do I need to win?"

The wall shattered, and from the rubble emerged Midoriya. Neither moved towards the other, but it didn't take long for Todoroki to realize that he wasn't breathing. He tried to draw in breath, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any air in. He realized it was due to the vacuum created by his opponent's quirk just as a shockwave sent him flying back to the edges of the field. He quickly formed an ice wall behind him just before he crossed the boundary. He stood there, gasping as air returned to his lungs.

"Everyone is fighting so hard for their own reasons… do I really have one of my own?" Todoroki voiced to himself.

He expected Izuku to immediately rush him again. He was prepared to send another ice wall, but not before feeling something fly into his head with a sickening crack! He looked down to see a large chunk of ice covered in blood falling to the ground next to him, and looked back to see his opponent running at him.

He raised his hands in just enough time to catch Izuku's leg, before it could smack his head another time. The boy yowled in pain as he felt the ice grow around his calf. He punched Todoroki in the face, forcing him to let go.

"I'm just doing this to settle a score with my father… Everyone else is here to prove themselves… I was born literally to win and I've been fighting that since I've gotten here…" He looked directly at Izuku, addressing him directly. "So why… Why am I still fighting you?!"

Todoroki reached forward, gritting his teeth as he grabbed Izuku's face, forcing the both of them to the ground. It wasn't long before an air blast sent him flying through the air, while Izuku lay there, coughing from the pain of the impact on his stomach.

Todoroki didn't bother catching himself when he hit the ground. The wind was knocked out of him already, and the impact from landing only aggravated that. Both students lay there looking up to the sky.

Todoroki tried to move, but he winced as his bruises screamed at him to stay down. It was a familiar feeling, something his father made him experience day in and day out. The only respite he had was his mother, who would clean his wounds and comfort him with that gentle but resigned smile of hers.

His eyes widened as he felt his mind wander back through his memories with his mother. When she poured boiling water on his face… when she sat in her room sobbing… when she held him in the living room, telling him that everything was okay… when she watched All Might perform his insane rescue missions with him… when she told him that he didn't need to be bound by his father… when she told him that he should do what he wants to do, no matter what anyone else says… when she told him that his quirk was his and his alone.

Todoroki felt his tattered gym uniform begin incinerating as his flames erupted from his left side. Slowly, he picked himself up. Izuku slowly pushed himself to his feet, glaring at the other boy. The shadows from Shouto's fires cast shadows down the boy's face, so the only thing that he could see was green eyes blazing with rage and the whites of his teeth bared.

"I don't know why you're still fighting… but you won't win!" Izuku growled. "I can't fail!"

The half and half boy was taken aback by the ferocity that his opponent was showing him. There was something in his eyes that felt overly familiar, but he couldn't place it.

However, before he could figure out where that feeling came from, he felt his breath leave him as his flames died out once more. He formed an ice wall behind him just as he felt a massive shockwave push him back against the barrier he made. He sent both flame and ice, but Izuku stopped them both with his air blasts. Izuku grunted as his own shockwaves collided with him, but he stood his ground.

Before Todoroki could act again, he felt more shockwaves form and explode in front of him. It was an endless barrage, and the only thing he could do was put his arms in front of his face to brace for the impact. He wheezed, unable to breathe from both the constant vacuum and his bruised chest. He felt the ice behind him crack. It wasn't going to last, and there was no way that Izuku was going to let up. He could feel the corners of his vision darken.

Suddenly, it stopped. He felt air return to his lungs as he gasped. But when he pulled his arms from his face, he was greeted with a rather savage looking Izuku launch a kick right into his face. He felt his nose crack from the pressure, and the ice wall behind him crumbled just as easily. A final blast of air sent them flying in opposite directions. Izuku landed with his back in the middle of the playing field whereas Todoroki had long since crossed the boundary line. He felt himself roll across the grass of the outer field, where he finally lost consciousness.

Midoriya slowly rolled over, pushing himself onto his knees. He couldn't find the strength to get himself back on his feet. But if he could hold out just long enough…

"Todoroki Shouto is out of bounds! The winner is Midoriya Izuku!" Midnight called.

Izuku sighed in relief, before collapsing to the ground, letting his injuries drag him slowly to unconsciousness.

When he woke up, Izuku felt like he could barely move his limbs. He blinked the drowsiness from his eyes before looking around at the room he was in.

He was back in Recovery Girl's office, though he could have already deduced that from the whiteness of the walls that threatened to blind him, and the smell of cleaning chemicals that gave the room a sterile scent that lightly burned his nostrils.

He slowly propped himself on his elbows, but the small lady was quick to push him back down onto the bed.

"Oh no you don't!" She chided. "The competition can wait, it's not like anything interesting is happening, anyway."

Izuku grumbled in response, but didn't resist.

"If you're interested," she began. "It's just Tetsutetsu and Kirishima fighting in an arm wrestling match. They've been going at it for the past few minutes."

"Todoroki…?"

"He's in another bed. He's sedated, but he'll be fine. You should rest, Midoriya. It won't be long until your next match. You're completely healed up, so just focus on getting back what stamina you can."

He closed his eyes again, letting himself drift back to sleep.

The next time he woke up, he felt much more refreshed. He pushed himself into a sitting position, this time with much less resistance from the nurse. He looked back to the television, and was surprised to see Kirishima and Tetsutetsu still locked in a bitter arm wrestling match.

"How long have they been at it?" He mused.

"Too long." Was the only answer he got.

He looked around the room to see Todoroki resting peacefully in an adjacent bed. Izuku quietly debated whether Recovery Girl was right when she said 'he'll be fine.' His right arm was in a cast, and his nose was no less smashed than it was when he was carted into the office. He smiled ever so slightly.

"I hope you're proud, Brother." He quietly whispered.

"...Brother?" The boy beside him echoed. Izuku nearly jumped at the response, looking back to see heterochromatic eyes weakly staring back at him. "I thought you were an only child."

"...He's not a brother by blood." Izuku explained. "He's just someone who was always there for me. Even when I was just a quirkless little boy, he never complained or bullied me. He was just… there."

Todoroki didn't say anything, prompting Izuku to continue.

"You know… you grew up with everyone expecting the world of you. It was the opposite for me. Even my own mother couldn't tell me I was useful… she just cried and apologized to me. But my brother… he never said anything like that. He just wanted company, and that's all he expected me to do for him." He pulled his knees to his chest, smiling as tears began to well at the corners of his eyes. "I was scared I would lose him when I got my quirk, but we only grew closer. I…"

The words froze in his throat. There was something he really wanted to say, but he bit his tongue with a pained expression. Whatever he was going to tell Todoroki was quickly swallowed down.

"He told me to win the competition. That's what I'm going to do. I won't let anyone get in my way." He clenched his fists. "I've come this far… I can't lose now!"

As he said this, the sound of the crowd cheering echoed from the TV speakers. Kirishima managed to just barely eke out a victory over Tetsutetsu. Neither of them seemed particularly heartbroken over the defeat, if anything both seemed extremely satisfied with the result.

Izuku quietly watched the rest of the second round in the nurse's office.

The next two rounds were over with very little fanfare. As soon as the round between Iida Tenya and Shiozaki Ibara began, the student with the engine quirk quickly activated his Recipro Burst, shoving her out of bounds in less than a second. She didn't even realize that she had already lost until the shrill voice of Present Mic announced it to the world. The match between Ashido Mina and Tokoyami Fumikage ended similarly. Despite Mina's relative slipperiness, Dark Shadow had managed to latch onto her. Her acid did nothing as she was forcefully carted off the stage.

Izuku muttered to himself as he observed the two contestants.

'No doubt Iida is going to try the same move on me when we get to the field. Luckily, he isn't aware that I saw how he won. Honestly though, he should expect me to predict his move. If he does try that move, he'll probably be banking on the fact that he'll be able to move faster than I can react. He might not be wrong about that.

'I shouldn't worry too much about Tokoyami. His quirk is extremely strong, I'll give him that… but there's no scenario in which he'll win. If Bakugou advances, then he'll almost certainly be defeated. If Kirishima advances, then he'll probably win that match. But if he's in the final round against me…' Izuku did his best to keep the corners of his lips from tugging upwards. '...If I make it to the final round, it doesn't matter who I'm against. I've already won.'

By the time the final match of the second round came around, Izuku had decided to return to the stands with his classmates. He sat next to Tenya and Ochako, smiling at them.

"I heard you won, Iida!" He exclaimed. "Sorry I didn't get to see it, I was stuck in the infirmary."

The other boy nodded, moving his hands about. "Don't worry about it! After that match, you needed the rest! Although…" He paused, his face darkening slightly. "It just means that we will be fighting next round."

Izuku shook his head. "I still remember what you said to me, Iida. But right now we're just watching another match. It's Kirishima and Bakugou, right? Let's enjoy it before we go onto the field!"

The other boy pushed his glasses up, smiling. "Yes, let's!"

The fight between Bakugou Katsuki and Kirishima Ejirou was fun to watch, to say the least. Bakugou seemed especially pissed when his explosions seemed to do nothing against his opponent's hardening quirk. Kirishima returned the favor with some well placed haymakers. They continued in this pattern, before Izuku recognized the look of realization creep its way onto Bakugou's face. Suddenly, he grew almost reckless, launching and endless barrage of punches and explosions onto Kirishima.

At first it seemed that he was taking these hits with little problem, but then Izuku realized it once he began to see the subtle movements that the red haired boy made to steady himself against the raw power being unleashed upon him. Kirishima was getting weaker with each consecutive strike, and with no way to retaliate against the endless barrage, he was going to lose. After what seemed like minutes of endless strikes, Katsuki reared back, before sending one last punch (and explosion) right into Kirishima's jaw. The boy almost flew back from the force, flopping onto his stomach, despondent. Bakugou was announced the winner, the crowd roaring from the excitement.

'So when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object… well, we have our answer. Still, it seems that Kacchan being reckless actually worked out well. It's incredible how much power he can pump out without exhausting himself. He's smart, powerful, and reckless; when my time at Yuuei is over, he'll probably be the greatest threat out of all these students. Especially with our history. Until then, I'll just keep prodding him for weaknesses.'

He looked around to see that Iida had long left to prepare for the next match. Izuku decided to do the same, and got up.

Kurogiri had been relieved when Izuku won his match against Shouto. Tomura had been rowdy the entire time, and for a moment the bartender had legitimately thought the young adult would destroy the entire building out of anger.

They spent the rest of the matches of the round in relative passivity, with Shigaraki commenting occasionally about how someone "needed work" or "wouldn't stand a chance against Izuku."

"Of course," Kurogiri would always respond to the latter comment. "They expect to fight against other heroes in training. When they meet someone who is only holding back on them because he isn't allowed to kill them… they're fighting a battle they aren't prepared for."

"I can't wait to see the looks on their dumb faces when they figure out that the person they are fighting has been a villain the whole time!" Tomura commented, his eyes full of cruel glee. "And it'll be even better if Izuku actually makes it to first place!"

"As I said before, Tomura." Kurogiri chuckled. "You were the one who ordered him to win. Midoriya will not falter until he has fulfilled that goal."

"Well put, Kurogiri." A monitor embedded into the wall flared to life. "Unfortunately, I must ask you to depart for a moment."

"...Very well, Sensei." The bartender replied.

"It appears that Stain has made a reappearance in Hosu. I consider it prudent to bring him back here a second time."

Tomura stiffened at the demand. "Sensei… I don't like him."

"I know, Tomura. But you must bear with him just a little bit longer. He has a purpose to serve, and I believe this will be a valuable learning experience for you." He paused momentarily. "Now, Kurogiri… I have sent you his location. I'd advise that you get there as quickly as possible."

He nodded as his phone vibrated. After glancing at the contents of the message he received, he opened a portal and left. When he exited his warp gate, he was on a rooftop. The sight of Stain perched off the edge of the building greeted him.

"It appears we meet again, Hero Killer Stain."

The man spun around, katana drawn. "Kurogiri, was it?"

"Indeed. Please stay your blade, I have not come here with the intent to fight."

After a moment of silence, Stain put his sword back in its sheathe. "So you wish to take me back to your hideout?"

"More or less. I will not force you."

"...Well, I've already finished up what I came for. I guess a little respite while the rumors begin wouldn't hurt. Those little freaks still there?"

"I assume you're referring to Tomura Shigaraki and his brother. Tomura is the only one there right now, the other one is… well, why don't you come and see? He's on TV right now."

Izuku mentally steeled himself as he made it to the arena for the third time. Iida was already there, staring harshly at the boy across the playing field. He smiled back.

The green haired boy had backed up all the way to the boundary line. If this was going to work, he needed to maximize the distance between him and his opponent. He saw Iida bend forward, stretching his legs in anticipation. He could see the engines in the boy's legs flare to life.

'So he's going to do the same thing that he tried to do to Shiozaki. Good, then I have a chance of winning this right off the bat!'

Present Mic's scream barely registered in either of the students' ears. The moment he spoke, Iida activated his Recipro Burst.

At the same time, Izuku felt the air bomb he made right at his side explode. He shot sideways.

Time seemed to slow down for the both of them. Iida had made it to where Izuku had initially been, turning his head in surprise as he just barely grazed the green-haired boy's uniform. He managed to skid to a stop right before he crossed the line. However, Izuku's smile told him that it was too late to do anything else.

A second air bomb detonated behind Iida, and while it didn't launch him into the air outright, it forced him to stumble over and out of the boundary of the playing field. Izuku fell to the ground, his back scraping the concrete. When he sat up, he saw that both of his feet managed to just barely stay inside the boundary line.

"Iida Tenya is out! Midoriya Izuku wins the round!" Midnight called.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. He made it into the final round! Tomura's wish was so close to reality he could almost taste it. When he got back up, he congratulated Iida on a good fight. While he seemed miffed that he lost in the opening moment, he took the compliment with grace. When they made it back to the stands, Iida excused himself to take a phone call. He didn't return after that.

The second to last match was between Tokoyami and Bakugou. Bakugou wasted no time rushing his opponent, sending explosions in such rapid succession that gave no time for Tokoyami to respond in kind. He could only use Dark Shadow, who seemed severely weakened by the previous events, to defend himself. Every time Katsuki used an explosion, it seemed that the autonomous quirk shrank ever so slightly. Eventually, the match ended with Bakugou using his own special move, Stun Grenade, to cause a light so blindingly bright that Dark Shadow simply couldn't withstand the assault. When the light cleared, Bakugou had managed to pin Tokoyami down. Seeing that there was no viable way to win, the bird headed student promptly surrendered.

'I remember reading in his profile that excessive light drains his quirk. Of course, even Kacchan admitted that the fight wasn't fair to begin with. There truly wasn't any way of winning. No matter, all it means is that I have to go up against Kacchan next round.'

Izuku excused himself to the waiting rooms, preparing for the final showdown.

Bakugou slammed the door to the waiting room open, looking only slightly surprised that Izuku was sitting in one of the chairs.

"What are you doing here, Deku?" He hissed.

"I'm using the waiting room they set aside for me. I think you accidentally picked the wrong one."

"Don't tell me that I didn't-" He looked outside, glancing at the label beside the door. He cut himself off when he realized he actually did pick the wrong waiting room. "Whatever."

He didn't budge from where he stood.

"So…" Izuku trailed off. "I know you're just itching to say something."

"...You're weird, Deku."

"...Okay?"

"I mean it! The way you act around the classmates… I didn't say anything about it, but what you're doing bothers me." He glared harshly as the green haired boy in front of him. "You spent your entire junior high years being a pathetic moody little shit, and suddenly you're just happy go lucky with everyone in Class 1-A! Don't think I don't see what you're doing. You may have the rest of the class fooled, but I know you, Deku. I see how you have them all eating right out of your hand."

"Are you done?" Izuku replied, unconvinced.

"See?! That! That's the real Deku, not this little smiling mess that spends time with Round-Face and that Engine Douchebag. I'm not stupid. You're doing something. I'm going to find out what."

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Izuku angrily scratched at his neck.

Izuku could actually feel the roar of the crowd ripple through his chest as he stepped out onto the field for the final time. Katsuki was on the other end of the field, looking no less happier than when he last saw his opponent. They silently stared each other down. Bakugou gritted his teeth, grinding them furiously. Izuku just stared back, his face blank.

Then, right before the start of the match was called, Izuku only slightly smirked before mouthing the words only the other student could make out.

"I win."

As soon as Present Mic called the start of the match, a set of shockwaves collectively ripped into Bakugou, sending him flying back, far out of the bounds of the arena. He slid along the grass, shocked at the turn of events.

"What?!"

Midnight snapped her whip. "Bakugou Katsuki is out of bounds! Midoriya Izuku is the winner!"

Bakugou grasped at the grass at his side, screaming as it caught on fire from his explosions.

"Deku! You fucking cheater! How did you do that?!" He scrambled back up the steps to the arena. Izuku just stood there, smiling. "Say something!"

He advanced on the green haired student. "I swear to God I will end you!"

Bakugou pulled his hand back, gathering the sweat for a large explosion. As if she were expecting it, Midnight tore off a piece of her outfit, sending her perfume out and rendering both Midoriya and Bakugou unconscious.

At first, no one cheered at the results of the final match. It was so sudden... and so anticlimactic. Eventually, a few claps and whistles resounded around the audience before it returned to its normal volume.

As it turns out, Midnight's perfume did little to actually calm Bakugou down. They had to restrain him to the second place podium. The usual "losers match" that was supposed to take place was cancelled as Iida left for "family reasons." As a result, Tokoyami automatically took third place. And, of course, at the top stood Midoriya, with a warm smile on his face as he gleamed at the audience.

All Might came out, causing the roar of the crowd to get even louder. He and Midnight got to share and embarrassing moment as they accidentally talked over one another. He cleared his throat and approached the third place podium, bronze medal in hand.

"Young Tokoyami, you did excellently today. Your quirk is quite strong, and when you become a hero, I have no doubts that you will become a formidable hero!"

"You are too kind, All Might."

He pulled the boy into a hug. "That being said, if you truly wish to excel in all situations, you should train your own physical abilities more. Your quirk is quite versatile, but you should never try to rely on it completely. Have faith in your own physical body; train it, and it shall serve you well in the future."

Tokoyami nodded. "I shall take your words into account. Thank you."

All Might moved on to second place. "Er… aren't these restraints a bit much?"

He turned to Midnight, who shook her head. "They're not."

He removed the muzzle, and almost immediately he was hit with a barrage of curses. "That fucking shitty Deku! He cheated! I know he did!"

"I assure you," All Might silenced him, "That no one cheated. If that were the case then you would not be in second place right now." He grabbed the silver medal, but the boy fought valiantly to keep it from getting placed around his neck. In the end, All Might decided to shove the band into Bakugou's mouth, succeeding in both awarding him his medal and shutting him up. He tried his best to pull the restrained boy into a hug. "I know you are furious at how quickly you were defeated, but do try to remember that others are doing their hardest as well. If anything, think of this as a warm up for next year."

He moved onto the final contestant. "My young Midoriya, it warms my heart to see that you were the one who made it into first place! It was certainly exciting, seeing you manage to get a leg up on your opponents. You are definitely quick-witted, a quality found in the best of heroes!"

He pulled Izuku into a hug, the boy stiffening in response. "I understand you might be uncomfortable with this, but it's customary. I truly wish you can find it in your heart to forgive me, young Midoriya." He pulled back. Izuku was still smiling, though he could tell that the expression was wavering.

"Well, with that the Sports Festival has concluded! Let's all say it together, now…" He pumped his fist in the air, shouting "Good work, everyone!"

"Plus Ultra!" The crowd simultaneously shouted, before everyone yelled at the pro hero for not going along with them.

Before Izuku left, he ducked into one of the waiting rooms. No one would be using them. He gritted his teeth, pounding his fist into the table.

"Stupid All Might!" He grunted. "Find it in my heart, he says. Like it's my fault that he messed up so badly."

He pounded the table in frustration a second time.

"Oh my!" A cheerful voice echoed from outside. "Are you doing well, Midoriya?"

The boy froze up, back straightening. Of all the people who could have approached him, it had to be him.

Nedzu walked in, with that same calm smile he was always seen with. "I hope you can pardon my intrusion. It seems you made quite the impact there at the festival! I can only imagine that you'll be flooded with internship requests."

Izuku paused for a moment, before forcing out a choked "Yeah."

"Now, that final match was quite interesting. I do have to say, I knew you had a propensity for traps, but I wouldn't have expected you to plan that far ahead. That is what you did, correct?"

The student nodded slowly.

"Now, don't worry, it isn't against the Sports Festival rules to do something like that, though I may call it a little presumptuous of you. After all, setting up air bombs during your match with Shinsou Hitoshi, only to detonate them the moment you were in your final match against Bakugou Katsuki? You even went through the effort of detonating a few at the end of your first match, just to make others think there wasn't anything left on the field… that's a pretty cunning plan if you ask me."

"What… what are you trying to say?" Izuku carefully prodded.

"I'm just praising one of my students. No need to be so defensive." He smiled at the boy. "To be honest, I have been monitoring your progress in this school, and while you excel in your classes and practice, I do worry about your mental health. I do not wish to pressure you, but I would like to remind you that if you ever feel like you need help, Yuuei Academy does provide its students counseling services. Please do not hesitate to use them if you deem them necessary."

The student just shook his head. "I don't think I'll need them."

"Oh, well, if that is the case, don't let me bother you any longer." Nedzu turned around and walked out the door.

"Ah, it's you!" Stain greeted Izuku as he walked into the bar.

The boy seemed torn between returning the greeting and attacking the man who had previously stabbed Tomura. He turned to Kurogiri, who was passively standing behind the bar.

"What is he doing here?"

"Sensei had called him here, Midoriya. Speaking of which, he's been on the line, waiting for your return."

Izuku jumped at the last statement before bowing deeply to the screen, muttering an apology for taking so long.

"Do not worry, Midoriya." Sensei replied. "You've been busy today, after all."

The boy nodded, the gold medal jingling in response to the movement.

"Now, Stain…" The faceless voice began, "You had told my subordinates not long ago that you were watching them. I'm sure you've heard of what they have been up to, and you have even seen Midoriya participate in Yuuei's competition. What are your thoughts on them?"

"They're still childish brats, but at least it seems one of them has the same resolve he had when I met him." He turned to look at Izuku. "Is your goal still the same? To make a world that your brother would have been happy in?"

Izuku nodded. Stain turned to Tomura.

"And you… you still wish to tear down the hero society by killing All Might?"

"It's been my main objective for a while now."

"I see." He sighed. "I do not think either of you will achieve your goals, but it seems that at the very least we have a common interest in destroying the present society. If that is the case, then I see little reason with working together. After all, this society needs its dregs purged, and until a real hero like All Might comes around to stop me, I will continue doing just that. Now, Kurogiri, if you don't mind, I wish to take my leave."

Within seconds, the Hero Killer had disappeared through a warp gate.

"That certainly could have gone worse." Kurogiri commented.

"Indeed." Sensei replied. "But it seems now we have a valuable asset which can allow us to expand. He'll have his uses. That being said… Midoriya, I would like to congratulate you on your success at the Sports Festival today. I have no doubt that you made Tomura proud."

Izuku looked at his brother expectantly.

"What?" Tomura grumbled. "He didn't lie. I honestly wasn't sure if you could do it, but you managed to steal first place from all those idiot students."

The green haired boy managed to worm his way under Tomura's arms, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you, brother! I'm so glad I could make you proud of me."

"I apologize, Midoriya." Kurogiri stated. "I normally would congratulate you with a bowl of Katsudon, but I believe your mother is likely doing that for you right now. You should probably leave for her right now, I'm sure she's waiting for you. You have the day off tomorrow, so we can spend the day celebrating however you like then."

Izuku nodded vigorously. He slowly let go of Tomura, before making his way out of the bar.

The next few days were passed with relative uneventfulness. Kurogiri had made Izuku a small cake, which the boy enjoyed immensely. The green haired boy spent the rest of the day playing a collection of games with Tomura. It was the first time in a while that Izuku seemed wholly relaxed, but the bartender expected that to end the moment he returned to Yuuei.

When Izuku reentered class, he was greeted with smiles and congratulations from his classmates. Bakugou continued to glare at him as he smiled back and thanked them.

Aizawa entered not long afterwards, devoid of bandages. He ranked all of the students based on the number of requests they received from pro hero agencies to intern there. Izuku, Bakugou, and Todoroki were naturally at the top of the list, with Todoroki surprisingly in first place, followed closely by Izuku. Bakugou had only a few hundred fewer requests, but snorted at the listing nonetheless.

As soon as homeroom was dismissed, the door to the class slid open. Behind it was a familiar face, but an unexpected one. The class grew silent, wondering just why Endeavor had decided to visit their class. Todoroki shot out of his desk to his feet.

Endeavor scanned the room, his eyes settling on Izuku, who stared back with a clam gaze. The pro hero sauntered over, and produced a folded letter to the boy. He stood from his desk, grasping the letter and bowing deeply as he received it.

"Thank you, Endeavor." He replied. "It's nice to see that you are a man of your word."

The man grunted before promptly turning and exiting the class.

Shouto was the first to approach Izuku. "What was that, Midoriya?"

"Your father made an arrogant bet and lost." He replied, smiling. He opened it up to reveal a letter of invitation to intern at the Endeavor Hero Agency. Todoroki almost reeled in shock. "I'm not sure which one would be worse, ignoring his offer, or taking him up on it. Where do you plan on going?"

"...I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Well, I'm sure you'll make a good choice." Izuku reassured him.

The rest of the school day passed with little fanfare. But then again, it was what was happening after school that Izuku was anticipating.

He had seated himself at a small coffee shop in the middle of town. Naturally, it was crowded. His eyes were trained on the door as he looked for the person he was waiting for. Eventually, he saw her enter. Well, he saw her uniform enter.

Hagakure Touru.

She peered around the shop, before making her way to Izuku's table.

"Oh, it was you? I was wondering who sent me a love letter in my shoe cubby! I'm so embarrassed!"

Izuku waved his hands, unimpressed. "You can cut the act. We both know why I called you."

"Aww, is something wrong?" She leaned forward, whispering, "Is my presence at Yuuei bothering Tomura's little pet?"

"Honestly, yes it is. But Sensei trusts you enough to work for him, so I'm not going to complain. That being said… what exactly are you here for?"

She leaned back into her seat, presumably folding her arms, if her seemingly floating uniform was anything to go by. "I provide Sensei with little tips here and there. Your little stunt with the records office really sent them into a tizzy, you know! But it won't be long until they realize that there is a traitor in their midst. And you're not exactly the most discreet individual, get what I'm saying?"

"So having two people work together would be better than one? I can get behind that logic."

"Well, yeah. It's not like I wasn't aware that you knew who I was. Sensei was pretty harsh on me for that slip up at the USJ!"

Izuku snorted. "Then maybe we can start working together. After all, I'm sure Sensei would appreciate that."

"Well, it certainly would help if we shared the burden!" She replied. "And just so you know, I work for Sensei, not Tomura. So please keep your little insecurities in check when we work together. I heard about what you did to Stain when you first met him. A bar stool? Not exactly what I'd call the most effective weapon, especially since the guy had plenty of knives for you to swipe."

Izuku winced, but Touru continued. "But I guess you did keep him alive, whether or not that was your intention. Sensei finds that man very useful. He wouldn't keep him around if he wasn't."

"I guess so." Izuku replied, curtly. "In any case, now that we've made our intentions clear, I assume we'll start working together in the future."

"Oh, that's a certainty, Izukkun!" She cooed. "I'm sure we'll find each other to be very valuable partners!"

A/N: HOLY CRAP I know that I keep saying that you shouldn't expect to see chapters this long from me but I just couldn't find a stopping point!

As always, thanks for reading! Please leave your comments and critiques, your support really helps! And don't forget to follow me on Tumblr (Auresalia) as well as the illustrious yourlilimaxilove for editing this chapter for me! Send her a line to let her know her help was appreciated!