Percy pat the unconscious boy on the shoulder as the medical bots escorted him out of the stadium. He was happy with the turnaround in the young man. Shinso had obviously realized what Percy had been trying to teach him. That he could never be a hero, acting the way that he had been. Percy had certainly accelerated the process, but the boy had reached the correct conclusion on his own, so Percy was happy with the outcome.

"That was a little much, don't ya think?" Asked Midnight, sauntering up to his side, to watch as the boy was escorted out of the stadium.

Percy shook his head, "No, not at all. Kid needed to understand that he wasn't going to get by acting like he was. The world doesn't owe him shit, so he needs to make the most of the opportunities he's had. Besides," Percy just gave the woman a cheeky smirk, "My most profound revelations have all come after getting my ass handed to me."

Midnight snorted, but didn't respond. She simply jerked her head and gestured for him to vacate the ring.

The crowd was roaring its approval to Percy as he exited the stadium grounds. Unable to stop himself from grinning, he welcomed the noise, gesturing for the crowd to increase the volume slightly as he made his way into the exit. He understood professional athletes a bit better, the rush that came from thousands of voices cheering for you, calling your name, and roaring in joy over your success was intoxicating.

A voice jarred him out of his thoughts, "An impressive set of performances,"

Looking up, Percy saw Tokoyami was perched on the last few steps on the staircase out of the entrance tunnel.

Percy smiled, rubbing the back of his ear, "Thanks man, this whole ring-out thing certainly makes things a little easier, especially for powers like mine."

"Indeed," Tokoyami hummed, before tilting his head inquisitively at him, "Though, one could argue that your previous match was a little more…heated. You could have ended it much more quickly, yet you chose to draw it out instead."

It wasn't a question, just a simple statement. Though it lacked an accusatory or belittling tone. Percy nodded, "Kid needed to learn a pretty painful lesson on the realities of life, and well, you know me." Percy smiled a shark-toothed smile.

"I do love playing teacher."

Tokoyami chuckled, they fell into a brief silence, before Tokoyami turned an inquisitive look at him, "You've changed," he said, and again, his tone was not accusatory.

It wasn't even something that Percy could argue, because he had changed, he just hadn't realized that it was so obvious to his classmates. His thought's must have played on his face, because Tokoyami chuckled,

"Give us some credit, my friend." he chided, "We do notice, you know. You smile more; and not that fake little grin you used for the first few weeks of class. It's real now. You laugh more, you speak without prompting. You've changed, and I would argue that it's a good change. Can I assume that whatever darkness clouded your mind has eased in recent weeks?"

Percy smiled, the bird-headed boy was more observant than Percy gave him credit for, "Yeah," He answered, "I suppose you could say that. The USJ was an eye-opening experience for a number of reasons, not the least of which, was that I am allowed to be happy. I was being stupid for a while, probably going to continue being stupid for a while too. But I'm getting better at not being so stupid."

Tokoyami pushed himself up and off of the steps and approached Percy, clapping the larger man on the arm, "I am glad, you deserve happiness my friend. Do not let the darkness threaten to overcome you. Be stronger, like we all know you can be. You are the leader of this class, of us all, we can't afford to lose you."

Percy smiled, the words touched his heart in a pleasing way, "Thank Tokoyami," He didn't know what else to say, but there was no need. Tokoyami was more of an action's speak louder, kind of guy, and he understood the genuineness of Percy's words without him having to bear his heart and soul.

The announcement came over the loudspeaker for the next pair of combatants to make their way to the arena.

Percy jerked his head in the direction of the stadium, "Go on then," He gestured with a smirk, as he held out a fist, "And wrap it up quickly, you and I haven't gotten much of a chance to go against each other, and I'm dying to see how far you've come."

Tokoyami answered with a smirk of his own, bumping his knuckles against Percy's.

"Jackson, might I have a word with you?" Percy's attention was drawn away from Tokoyami, as he saw Todoroki approach him. Arching an eyebrow, Percy complied, Giving Tokoyami one last quick pat on the back, before turning and following Todoroki.

The took the immediate left into another empty hall, and Todoroki propped himself up against a nearby wall, staring at the floor. When it became clear that Todoroki wouldn't be the one to break the silence, Percy spoke,

"You think about what I said?" he asked, after a quiet and tense few moments. Todoroki took a minute to reply, before he eventually nodded,

I…Have considered your words. I fear that you might have a point, in my efforts to become unlike the man I despise, I have been acting just as he has. Arrogant in my own power, blind in my own purpose." He clenched his left hand into a fist, smoke steaming off of the knuckles.

"I'm disgusted with myself," he admitted with a sigh, unclenching his fist. Percy just walked over to him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder,

"You have nothing to be ashamed about. We all have moments where we believe we are acting with the purest of intentions, and are blind to the realities of what's going on." Percy said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile,

Todoroki nodded his thanks, though refused to meet Percy's gaze, "That being said, I would like to go as far as I am able to, before I resort to…that…power. I know that seems to contradict what I just said, but…I need to do it. Need to prove to myself that it is necessary to use it to win."

Percy shrugged his shoulder, "I can understand that, just remember however, that some of your classmates might look at it as an insult, if you don't use your full power to beat them, but I'm going to need you to promise me something,"

Todoroki quirked a brow, but tilted his head slightly.

Percy's grin was downright feral,

"Don't lose until the finals. I want see what you can really do."

BREAK

Percy got back to the student box just in time for the match to start, the rest of his class passed him quick congratulations, but they were equally quick to turn their attention back to the match.

That was how Percy spent the next hour or so, watching as his classmates battled it out; some matches were far more interesting than others. Tokoyami's match had been as quick as Percy had asked him to make it. His opponent, the boy who could deconstruct things at a molecular level, was at a distinct disadvantage. With nothing all that useful to utilize his quirk, it had been a simple matter for Tokoyami to finish off the boy off with a few simple strikes from Dark Shadow.

Uraraka and Bakugo's matchup had been a pleasant surprise. He, along with most of his class, had called it a wash before it even began. Uraraka was talented, and creative, but her quirk wasn't the most combat-effective. However, what she lacked in raw power, she up for in ingenuity. She nearly had Bakugo when she turned his own quirk against him. Using the debris he threw up, to rain down a veritable asteroid belt on the kid. Only for Bakugo to blow it out of the air.

Still, he was impressed with how well she was progressing.

Iida's match…that had been painful to watch. Not because Iida had put on a poor showing, but simply because Mei had opted to use the tournament as the ultimate networking opportunity. She'd made a monkey out of him, flying across the stadium, while giving a damned Ted Talk on the usefulness of her inventions.

He'd had to hide behind Yaoyorozu when she called him out for his new arm.

In the end, the girl had simply given up, having accomplished her own personal goal of showing off her creative talents to prospective support companies.

Kirishima's match was just bizarre. He and that Tetsutetsu kid had to have been related in some way, because the pair were simply too similar to not have a shared bloodline somewhere along the way. Although he had laughed when their stalemate was ultimately decided by an arm-wrestling competition.

The tournament was getting weird, but at least it wasn't boring.

He'd been so engrossed in the show, that he'd missed Yaoyorozu and Midoriya slipping out of the box to get to their assigned waiting areas. He had been especially looking forward to their matchup. Momo's quirk had the potential to be as overpowered as Todoroki's, or even his own abilities, given the right application. Her quirk was only limited by her own imagination and intelligence. Two things the girl had in spades. Match that up against the brute force of Midoriya's quirk and his own intellect, and he had a good feeling that they would be in for a show.

He'd been wrong, almost painfully so.

He'd gotten nervous when he saw her walk into the stadium. Her posture was rigid, almost wooden, and she was walking stiffly. She had the disposition of someone who was resigned to her own fate. As though she was somewhere that she didn't belong. It was at odds with what he'd seen and known of the girl in the time he'd known her. Let alone with Midoriya's own contradictory entrance.

Midoriya, unlike Percy's deputy, looked ready for the fight. He had the calm confidence of someone who knew their own limits, knew their strength, and were confident in their own victory. Though he shouldn't have been too surprised. Midoriya's personal growth had been astonishing to watch. Especially since Percy had a vested interest in it, with all the hours he'd spent with the boy. It was good to see the usually meek, and abysmally shy young man have even a slimmer of confidence.

He just wished that it didn't seemingly come at the expense of Yaoyorozu's.

The match itself had been almost pitiful to watch. Percy knew that Yaoyorozu's greatest weakness was the speed with which she could create something. The larger the creation, the longer it took. A difficult ask in a one-on-one battle, and even harder when she was all but shaking in nervousness.

Midoriya had opened the fray by trying a move similar to his own, blasting Yaoyorozu out of the arena with a blast of air he'd created by flicking one of his fingers at her. A move that would have, only a month prior, likely broken every bone in his finger. She only barely managed to salvage the situation by summoning a pair of anchors, that held her in place. It had looked to Percy like a knee-jerk reaction, one which proved to be her immediate undoing.

Midoriya's quirk was an all-purpose enhancement type. It made him not only stronger, but infinitely faster.

He was on top of her before she could react. By channeling his quirk through his upper body, he hefted her, and her anchors, into the air with ease, and simply tossed her out of the arena.

The entire match only lasted for maybe ten seconds.

Even Midoriya seemed stunned at what had happened. But the boy quickly shook off his own surprise, and because he was a good friend, was by Yaoyorozu's side in an instant, offering to help her up.

The look on Yaoyorozu's face was all the incentive that Percy needed. It was one he recognized all too well.

"Where are you going?" Shoji asked through one of his tentacles, Percy simply answered by pointing at the utterly devastated look on Yaoyorozu's face.

"Ah. Good luck."

BREAK

She managed to semi-keep her composure until Midoriya had escorted her to the tunnel. It was sweet, which to be fair described the green-haired boy to a T, but she really didn't want to see his face at the moment.

Not after she had been utterly humiliated in only a few seconds.

She lasted until Midoriya had disappeared down the corridor, then she collapsed to the floor, her back against the wall, and her arms wrapped around her face. The sobs came in heaving gasps.

What the hell had she been thinking, she didn't deserve to be here, didn't deserve to be in the hero course. Certainly not when she shared a class with people like Midoriya, Todoroki, and Percy. They had all worked so much harder, had earned their way into the program through their own skill, determination, power.

As a child, she'd never doubted herself. Her tutors had always told her how far she would go. How much she would excel. Her parents had hated her decision to be a hero. Had told her that her rightful place was with them, with the business. That Yaoyorozu's had no place in playing hero. She had wanted to prove them wrong. Had wanted to prove that she was heroic, that she was strong, and that there was more to her than her family's business.

Then she came to U.A. And all of those beliefs came crashing down around her. Sure, she was top of the class in academics, and she excelled in most of the heroic courses. But it became apparent to her, that there was an enormous gap between her and many of her peers.

Midoriya, Bakugo, Kirishima, Todoroki…Percy.

They were all so strong. They were all so brave, they never backed down, even when the odds were innumerably stacked against them. They'd all heard Midoriya, Tsu, and Mineta recount the events of the USJ. How Percy had fought with everything he'd had up until the bitter end. How Midoriya had risked his life in order to buy Tsu and Mintea a precious few minutes to get their sensei to safety.

She didn't think she had that in her. That was where it began, the little glimmer of self-doubt, that maybe she wasn't cut out to being a hero. Sure, she and Jiro and Kaminari had managed to survive against their group of Villains, but if their sensei hadn't arrived when they had, they would have died. Her power, the one that had carried her so far, had gotten her into the most prestigious school in the country, had not been good enough.

Then there was the growth of her classmates. They seemed to be growing so much stronger, so much better, far more quickly than she was. She was being left behind, while everyone else continued to improve, continued to get better, she was being left in the dust.

Alone.

Like she had been when she was a child.

All of those thoughts had come to a peak, during the festival. Watching the culmination of the weeks of hard work and training paying off for all of her classmates. Watching as they excelled in difficult scenario after difficult scenario. Watching as Percy left them in the dust event after event.

Then there was the second event, where her only contribution had been to summon fire extinguishers, and equipment to maneuver through the flames. She hadn't even rescued anybody, that had been all Kaminari, Iida, and Todoroki. Heroes were meant to rescue people, to be hopeful symbols. How could she become that symbol if all she was good for, was summoning things?

Finally, there was the humiliating match. Midoriya, the boy who just a few weeks ago, couldn't even use his quirk because it broke his body, had torn her apart. There was no greater sign that she was being pushed into the dirt like having the boy who was placed in as last in their class, destroy her.

That was not a knock against Midoriya, lord above knew the boy worked harder than anyone, but it still hurt. And it served to prove her doubts were correct. She had completely frozen up. Hadn't been able to think, hadn't been able to react, had barely managed to keep herself from losing in one attack. She wasn't growing as a hero, and if she wasn't growing, then what was she even doing at U.A. Her parents were right, she should never have applied for the hero course. She should have stayed in school, stayed with the family business, and taken over for her mother and father. That was where she belonged. Not here, not in a school for heroes. Not among so many others who were already so strong, and getting stronger, when she was constantly being left behind. She should leave, admit to her parents they had been right and go-

A firm, calloused hand, gently wrapped itself around her arms, peeling them away from her head. She looked up, startled at the sudden invasion of space and was greeted with soft gaze of Percy.

Her heart sped up in her chest at the sight of the man. Had he come to mock her, to tell her that she was right, and that she had no business pretending to be a hero. She tried to avert her eyes, but the cool metal of Percy's new hand shot out, and gently grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Momo," he said, and her heart skipped a beat again, he hadn't called her by her first name since their first day of classes.

"Momo, I need you to look at me." he said gently, as he guided her eyes to meet his. Those soft, penetrating sea-green eyes that she had thought only existed in the pages of her most treasured novels.

"Stop it," he commanded, and her heart stopped again, as a new wave of tears threatened to spill down the corners of her eyes. So, he had indeed come to turn her away from this life, she tried to turn away again, but Percy's grip was unwavering. It wasn't painful, but he wasn't budging either.

"Never, and I mean never, doubt yourself or your own abilities." he instructed, and her chest constricted again. She didn't think she could handle the continuous roller coaster of emotions.

"W-what?" she asked, thinking she'd misheard him, she had been certain that he had been there to chastise her for trying to play at being a hero.

"Do not," he repeated, "Ever doubt yourself, or how much you deserve to be here. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

She did start crying again. It was so easy for him, of all people, to say that. How could she not doubt herself; when she was in the same class as him, when she shared a homeroom with so many others who were growing so much stronger, so much better, so much more quickly.

"How can I not?" she sobbed out, "I'm a disgrace, I didn't even last a minute. I don't deserve to be here, not when there are people who deserve my place so much more than I do. How can I be a hero, if I freeze up every time I have to fight someone? How can I call myself a hero, when I'm constantly being left behind, when everyone else continues to grow, and leaves me in the dust?"

She was sobbing, and her vision blurred, so that Percy was just a dulled mass of black and blue.

She heard him sigh, as his grip around her disappeared. She thought he was going to leave, and was shocked when instead, he shifted positions. There was a rustling of clothing, and there was suddenly a hard, sturdy, and very warm body sitting next to hers.

"Have I ever mentioned someone named Annabeth?" he asked abruptly,

She titled her head at him, confused, but shakily she shook her head no. She wiped at her eyes, and tried to stem the flow of the tears, as Percy fished under his tank-top, and pulled out the necklace they'd all seen him wear. His fingers wrapped around the small golden ring on the chain, as he played with the smooth and golden surface.

"She was the smartest, toughest, most inspirational woman I've ever met." he said, his voice thick with an emotion she couldn't place, "She was also the most stubborn, thick-headed human being on the planet. And I know," he chuckled softly, "Coming from me, that's saying something,"

In spite of herself, a giggle burbled up. Watery and gurgled through her tears,

"Annabeth, she was a force of nature. She could do anything that she set her mind to. No problem was too difficult, no calculation too harrowing. If there was a problem, Annabeth could solve it. She was a natural leader, someone everyone always turned to when they had a problem, because they just knew that Annabeth could figure it out,"

He pulled on knee up, and leant one arm on it, still fiddling with his necklace, and he turned a melancholic smile at her, "You remind me a hell of lot of her. You have her drive, her focus, her intelligence. You also share her weaknesses."

She blinked, unsure of how to feel about the statement, "Annabeth was never quite as sure of herself as she purported herself. Her greatest flaw, her fatal flaw, was her own hubris, you what that means right?" she nodded, and he continued, "She was always so used to having the answer. So used to being able to figure it out. Well, life has a funny way of telling you that there isn't always a right answer. My Wise Girl," she cocked an eyebrow at the nickname,

"Well, there were times when she didn't have the answer, and when she didn't, she would just shut down. See, she got her intelligence from her mother, and she was damn proud of that fact. So whenever she couldn't figure something out, she felt as though she wasn't just letting herself down, but her mother, and the rest of her family as well. And so sometimes, she doubted herself, doubted her own abilities and her own intelligence. She would feel, in spite of how hard she worked, how smart she was, that it wasn't good enough. That she wasn't good enough."

He dropped the ring from his fingers, and turned his attention back to her, his eyes a storm of emotion, "But eventually, she realized she was wrong. That eventually, there is always going to be a point in which you fail. She realized that the only way for her to grow, was to fail. That if all she did was succeed, then she would never learn anything, that she would never grow. When she realized that, well," he smirked "She could even kick my ass."

Percy shifted, wrapping his one real arm around her shoulder to pull her in for a soft embrace. Unconsciously, she leaned into him, reveling in the comfort, familiarity, and support that radiated off of him,

"Failure isn't a sign of weakness, Momo. Everyone fails." He flexed his metal arm at her, and she gulped, "Even me. Just because you fail, it doesn't mean that you aren't good enough. It doesn't mean that you don't deserve everything you've worked so hard for. It just means that you have something to look back on, and improve from. Without failure, you can't grow, can't learn. You are one of the strongest, most intelligent, and kind-hearted people I know. The only limit to how far you can go, is yourself. So never doubt your own abilities, never doubt that you deserve to be a hero, cause nobody else here does. And I sure as hell don't"

She didn't know what to say. The kind of faith he was showing in her, not just in her own abilities, with a piece of his life that he hadn't shared with anyone else was touching beyond words. Percy was beyond secretive of his life before. He never said anything, never told them about who he was, what it was like. She'd never tried to push it either, it was obvious how much it hurt him to think about his previous life. So for him to tell her about this, to tell her about how someone that so clearly meant so much to him…

That kind of faith, trust, and friendship told her so much about geniality of his words. It told her that he meant what he was saying, and that he believed her to be everything he told her he did. She felt something swell inside her heart, something she couldn't describe, and she latched onto him even tighter.

She was still struggling, she still felt as though she had failed, but Percy's words were ringing true in her head. She had worked hard to get into U.A. She had studied, and trained, and practiced, and she deserved to be the hero she had once believed she could be. Failing was not the end of her career, but the beginning.

As she clung to Percy, and as he chuckled and wrapped his arm a little tighter around her shoulders, she made a vow. She would not let him down. Percy had shown how much faith he had in her. How much he believed in her, and how much he trusted her. She was not going to allow that faith, trust, and care be misplaced.

She would prove to herself, and to Percy, that she was a hero.

BREAK

It took a few more minutes, but eventually Momo had calmed herself down enough to get back to the box. Percy could tell that what he'd told her had found purchase, as she walked with the confidence, and self-assurance she'd had before the festival.

Percy was pleased to see the change in the girl. And was even more pleased when the rest of the class, immediately started showering the girl in compliments for her match, and how far she had been able to go in the festival.

With a proud smile, he plopped himself back into his seat just in time for the next match to start, and immediately finish.

"Seam's like she's feeling better," Shoji muttered softly, to which Percy just smiled and nodded,

"We all get down on ourselves every once in a while, we just need people around to kick us back into shape."

Shoji just grunted in affirmation, and they turned their attention back to the stadium for the start of the match.

Todoroki stayed true to his word, had only had to use his ice against Sero. Not that it was much of a surprise to Percy. Nothing against Sero, he was a good kid with a solid head on shoulder's but Todoroki's quirk was simply overpowered.

Not that he was much of a position to call anything overpowered if he was honest.

Still, he would have stayed down in the hall if he had known how quick the match was going to be, with a grunt, he stood up. He stretched his arms of his head, before turning and leaving the box, he had about fifteen minutes before his match started and he wanted to loosen up a little beforehand. Going from active, to inactive so frequently was playing hell with his joints.

His entrance back into the arena was met with tumultuous roars of approval, and he didn't bother to hide the smile that found purchase on his lips.

This was getting fun.

Tokoyami was already waiting for him as he stepped into the arena, Percy gave the teen a smile, as he approached his side of the arena. he extended his hand out to Tokoyami, "Let's give 'em a show, yeah?" He asked.

Tokoyami grinned, and gripped Percy's hand tightly in his own, "Indeed, though I hope you are prepared my friend. I do not plan to go quietly. I intend for you to learn what it means to revel in the dark."

Percy, unsure of what the hell that meant. Just smiled back, before disengaging and walking back to his side of the arena,

"Oh man," cried Midnight, cracking her whip in excitement, "Such a youthful display of sportsmanship really TURNS. ME. ON!" The crowd roared, drowning out Percy's own groan.

"C'mon Midnight, you're a teacher for fuck's sake." he mumbled to himself,

"BEGIN!" she cried out, breaking Percy out of his reverie.

Tokoyami struck first, summoning his quirk, Dark Shadow, from within himself. The large, shadowy bird streaked across the arena. Percy had an inkling as to what his friend's plan was. Percy knew that Tokoyami's greatest weakness was exposure to sunlight. It weakened Dark Shadow's overall strength. As the sun was at its highest point in the sky, he would be the weakest he would be all day. Therefore, the boy was trying to end things quickly, with brief, and powerful attack, likely meant to knock Percy out of bounds.

Percy wouldn't let that slide however, and summoned his own creation. A large hand made of water, manifested in front of Percy, and intercepted Dark Shadow. The quirk squawked in surprise and annoyance when the watery fingers of the hand started to close around its frame. The two began to tussle back and forth. Dark Shadow writhing and twisting as it tried to free itself from Percy's watery grip.

As the two tussled, Percy was far from idle. With careful aim, Percy sprayed several coats of water at and around Tokoyami. Percy knew that he could probably just chase the boy down, but he didn't want to chance the possibility that Dark Shadow would be able to disengage and throw him out of the ring while he was off balance and running.

Tokoyami, ducked out of the way of the incoming water, demonstrating impressive acrobatic abilities, as he weaved in and out of the way of the incoming jets of water. Percy's plan, however, had not been to subdue his friend with the water. Looking behind his opponent, Percy saw that the entire field behind Tokoyami was coated in water. Percy grinned, as his plan started coming together. With a snap of his fingers, he had the watery hand dissolve into water vapor, doing his best to time the dissolution, with a strike form Dark Shadow, so that it looked like the blow had destroyed the hand.

Dark Shadowed wasted no time reveling in its apparent victory, as it tore after Percy. Changing his stance, Percy braced himself, and caught the incoming shadow around the arms, as it tried to wrap around Percy.

"Gah!" it grunted, as Percy tightened his grip, "C'mon man, that's not fair!" it complained, but Percy ignored him. Focusing instead on the area around Tokoyami. With a concentrated force of will, the water on the ground froze. Tokoyami, whose feet had been partially submerged, was stuck to the icy surface, unable to move. Dark Shadow, feeling his hosts growing discontent, turned in concern at its host, leaving itself open. Percy punched the construct in the beak, and it squawked, and recoiled, as it flew across the stadium.

Percy then raised his hand, re-summoning the previous watery construct, and used it to wrap around Tokoyami. He squirmed and tried to fight back, but it was no use. The hand whipped into motion, ripping Tokoyami free of the ice, and throwing him clear out of bounds.

He tuned out Midnight announcing his victory, in favor of going over to help his friend up off the grass.

"Good fight," he said, reaching a hand out.

Tokoyami gratefully took the proffered hand, "Indeed. Though I must confess that I had hoped to make you work a bit harder than that,"

Percy shrugged, "Not your fault. You're at a pretty major disadvantage at this point of the day,"

Tokoyami nodded, "True though that is, I must learn to better combat Dark Shadow's weakness to sunlight."

"Start taking some boxing classes or something," Percy suggested as they entered the tunnel out of the stadium, "Dark Shadow is plenty strong, but he's nothing if you can't defend yourself long enough for him to do his thing. Why don't you join me, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Shoji, we lift three days a week at the gym?"

Tokoyami nodded, he knew it would be foolish for him to discount Percy's advice. Especially when his advice was painfully true. "I look forward to i-"

"You, Boy!" A voice cut across, drawing their attention.

Stomping down the hallway, his flames licking at the ceiling and floor, was the number two hero in Japan,

"People all day today," Percy muttered, "Better get out of here man, this could take a minute,"

Tokoyami, who had been taken aback by the appearance of one of the most powerful heroes on the planet, shook off his surprise long enough to give Percy an incredulous look. Endeavor was obviously pissed, and the idea of leaving his friend alone to deal with the agitated hero didn't settle well with Tokoyami.

Percy just gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll be all right man, just head back to the box, I'll be up soon."

Tokoyami took a minute to consider, but ultimately nodded his acquiescence, Percy could handle himself, and it wasn't like Endeavor would start something at the stadium of all places. Biding his comrade farewell, Tokoyami ascended up the nearby staircase to the higher floors.

Turning back towards the stomping fire man, Percy gave him his cheekiest smile, "Sup Koi-Pond"

Endeavor growled, stomping well within Percy's personal space, "Do not mock me boy. I have not forgotten the way you humiliated me."

"Stop acting like a two-bit Disney villain and maybe you won't be worth mocking." Percy shot back, knowing the man likely wouldn't understand the reference.

Endeavor just glared at him, his flames burning hotter to match his growing agitation. He didn't say anything, he just stood there, staring down Percy, who didn't back down. Compared to the likes of people Percy had pissed off in the past, the man was as threatening as a Cocker Spaniel.

"So are you gonna say anything or-"

"You are strong,"

"Or you can just talk over me that's cool,"

"You will be a good test for my son," Endeavor continued, ignoring Percy, "He is in his rebellious years, but you are strong enough to push him to embrace his true power. To end his foolishness and fully realize his destiny to be the strongest."

"You are just, like, astonishingly bad at this whole parenting thing you know that?" Percy asked, utterly exasperated, "I mean, I know shit, deadbeat dads but you're like next level man."

Endeavor just glared at him, "Do not speak as though you could possibly understand my methods. Todoroki is my greatest creation and-"

"Yeah, that, I just want to stop you there and unpack that for a minute," Percy interrupted, getting more and more agitated. He didn't want to fight Todoroki's battles for him, and he didn't want to intrude on his personal life. Todoroki needed to deal with his shit family dynamics on his own if he was going to be able to grow into his own person. That being said, Endeavor was making it Percy's business,

"The fact that you say you 'created' your son, is disgusting. I've known some arrogant, egotistical assholes in my life, but you take the goddamn cake. Having children for no other reason than to surpass All Might, not out of love for them, or a desire to see them grow into their own person?" Percy scoffed, "That shit right there, that's why you'll never beat All Might,"

Percy pushed past him.

He knew the hand was coming, perhaps even before Endeavor realized he was going to react.

Percy ducked under the outstretched hand, channeling his power into his palm as he did so. Spinning, he maneuvered himself under Endeavor's guard, and thrust his hand into the man's chest, expelling his built-up power as he did so. Water exploded out from his palm, blasting into Endeavor and slamming the man into the wall behind him. The man grunted in surprise and pain, and tried to summon his flames, but Percy didn't let him. His hand still on the man's chest, he focused his power more, and the water wrapped itself around Endeavor, pinning him to the wall like a harness.

Percy's water had extinguished the flames along Endeavor's body, and steam was flowing off from the man's shoulders and torso. Percy wrapped the steam closer to the man, warping it so that they shaped into fine blades, Percy brought one of the blades along the man's Adam's apple threateningly.

"Your own pride will be your damn downfall old man." Percy growled out, wrapping the harness tighter around the man's chest. He grunted in pain. "Understand this. Todoroki is his own godsdamn person. He might be your blood, but he sure as hell ain't your son. His path is his alone to forge, not yours to create. He'll become strong, and he'll use that power you've cursed him with, but when he does, it won't be in recognition of you, but in defiance of you. He'll become his own man, with his own power, and his own strength. As for you," Percy tightened the restraints even further, and dragged the man closer so their noses were almost touching, "I'll be watching you. You continue down the path you're on and before long you'll become the thing you've sworn to fight. A Villain."

Percy dropped him, letting the restraints fall free as Percy strode away, unimpeded this time. Turning to look over his shoulder, Percy called out one last parting shot,

"And lose the beard, you look like an idiot."

BREAK

Percy groaned, running a hand over his face. That had been stupid, he didn't need to be making unnecessary enemies, but the man had pissed him off. Who was he to grab at him, try and intimidate him? Percy wasn't some greenhorn; he wasn't going to be pushed around like one. But he also absolutely did not need to be pissing off one of the most influential men in the damn country.

At least Miruko would get a kick out of it.

The idea sparked something in him, he should probably tell them what happened. If for no other reason than maybe they can help out if Endeavor decided to try and smear his name in the coming weeks. Sighing in annoyance, Percy shot off a pair of text messages, the first to Mandalay, asking where their box was, and the second to Tokoyami, letting him know that he would be late coming back to the box.

Mandalay responded immediately, wanting to know what was wrong, to which he just said he'd explain when he got there, and Tokoyami simply asked if Endeavor had been causing him problems. Percy said it was nothing he couldn't handle, and strode up to the box seats on the higher floors.

The door required a keycard so Percy was forced to knock on the metal frame. His knuckles had barely grazed the door, before it opened, and a blue-blonde blur slammed into him, staggering him back.

Grunting, he instinctually wrapped his arms around the blonde-missile.

He sighed as he felt Pixie-Bob nuzzle under his chin, rubbing herself along his chest as her legs latched around his waist. A deep, throaty purr escaping her throat.

"Couldn't stand being away from me for another second could you," Pixie-Bob all but moaned, as she continued her nuzzling, "I know exactly how you feel. We still have some time before your next match how about we-Gah!" She yelped as a small calloused hand grabbed Pixie-Bob around the tail, and yanked her roughly off of Percy.

"Jesus Pix," Miruko grumbled, looking exceptionally annoyed, "I know it's getting to be that time for you, but you can't just be jumping him every time he walks in the room." The short woman then turned her attention to Percy, "So what's up, Mandalay said you needed to talk to us,"

Percy nodded, ignoring the grumbling from Pixie-Bob. He gestured into the room, and Miruko understood. She hefted one foot under Pixie-Bob, and not so gently launched her into the box, the woman screeching in protest. Miruko turned, and marched into the room, grumbling about cats and their damn hormones. She picked Pixie-Bob back up, before depositing her in her seat, before Miruko took her own chair, turning in it to look back at Percy.

Percy stepped in after them, and shut the door behind him.

Turning, he saw that he had the attention of the entire room, "What's going on Percy?" Mandalay asked, looking concerned,

"Yeah," Ragdoll pipped up from her sot in the corner, "Mandalay said you sounded really concerned about something,

Percy flushed, and scratched behind his right ear as he looked down at the floor, "Yeah, um, it's about what happened after my last match," he began, "I was leaving the arena with Tokoyami when Endeavor cornered me,"

"He WHAT!" Roared Miruko, standing up, her ears standing up, and her foot thumping against the ground,

"Yeah, wanted to talk some serious shit about his kid, and I kind of just snapped, told him he'd never beat All Might. He tried to grab me and I…well…"

The rage in Miruko's eyes were replaced by a cold, dead, hate that he had never seen in her before. The rest of the room fell silent as well, as they all tried to process what he'd just said,

"He did what?" Tiger growled, his paw clenching and unclenching, alternatingly releasing his claws as he flexed.

"He tried to grab me, but I dodged it." Percy explained calmly, leaning back against the door, "I used my water to put out his fire, and pinned him against the wall." He winced, "And I might have threatened him a little. I just came up here because I wanted to know if I had anything, I needed to worry about…" he trailed off, looking down at the floor.

It wasn't that Percy felt that what he had done was wrong, because it wasn't. Endeavor had been going to threaten him, and been trying to kowtow him. Percy wasn't concerned with the morality of the situation, because he felt he was absolutely in the right. It was more that he understood the way the world worked. People with power didn't like it when someone stood defiance of that power. It was a personal slight against them, and their pride. More to the point, Percy had spat in the face of Endeavor's pride, literally put him in his place, and called him a villain.

Maybe not his best decision but he'd been pissed. There had been heat coming from the man's hand, he'd been going to attack him. Percy didn't take kindly to something like that.

Not at all.

Suddenly, a little brown bunny forced her way into his personal space, grabbing him by the front of his tank-top, and yanking him down to her eye-level,

"He tries anything, and I mean ANYTHING," She ground out, "And you WILL, let me know. Got it Jackson?" she snarled, Percy gulped. In that moment, the small woman reminded him entirely too much of Annabeth for Percy to be comfortable. Her jaw was clenched tight, and her red eyes seemed to shine. It was a beautiful sight, and was stirring up…conflicting feelings in him.

"Yeah, Miruko," he breathed, doing his best not stare at her lips, which were entirely too close to his own, "I got it,"

"Rumi!" She corrected gruffly,

"What?" Percy asked, not sure he was hearing her right, it was getting hard to concentrate on anything with the way she was looking at him,

"My name," she said, glaring at him, though one of her ears did droop slightly in embarrassment, "My name is Rumi. I want you to call me Rumi,"

"OK," Percy said slowly, "Rumi," She had to fight the smile that threatened to split her face at hearing him say her name. She then realized how close they were to one another, and she hastily let go of him, and took a hasty step back. Her cheeks flushed darkly and her ears drooped lightly in embarrassment,

"As much as I share bun-bun's tenacity," Ragdoll said, doing her best to suppress a grin, and not exactly succeeding, "I don't think Endeavor is going to pull anything,"

"Agreed," Tiger nodded, "The corridors in the building all have camera's in them, which I know he knows about. He isn't about to start a fight he knows he's going to lose. If what happened, happened as you say, which I am certain they did, then he knows the futility of such a course of action."

"That being said," Mandalay said, her arms crossed, and a dangerous look in her eyes, "Like Rumi said, if he tries anything, you will let us know immediately, and you WILL let us handle it, do you understand me?"

Percy nodded, unable to keep the smile off his face. He'd forgotten how nice it was to have people want to come to his defense like that. To have people to rely on to watch out for him, to care about him and his well-being. It was touching.

"Thanks you guys," He said softly, looking at the ground somewhat bashfully, "Thanks for looking out for me,"

"Of course,"

"Always hon,"

"Naturally!"

"Let me suc-GACK" Percy just laughed uncomfortably as Mandalay smacked Pixie-Bob's mouth shut,

"Alright, enough of the sappy shit," Rumi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, "Get out of here, the next match is about to start,"

Percy swore, before yelling out a goodbye and tearing out of the room.

Rumi just watched him exit with a fond smile on her face, before realizing that the room was utterly silent. Glancing around she saw the rest of the Cats were all staring at her, small smirks in place.

"What?"

CHAPTER BREAK

AN: Momo gets a real crack at actual character development, and Percy keeps up his running train of playing papa bear. I think it's my new favorite thing to write. Everyone is just such a mess and Percy is the last person who should be qualified to talk to them but he does it anyways cause he's a proud papa bear. I live for it. I need more of it. Inject that good shit directly into my fucking veins. Oh and Percy lays the smack down on Endeavor, who is literal trash. Percy is like, designed to be the most effective counter to him. Controls water, immune to fire? Hello? Yeah, he's going to shut that shit down immediately. Is he concerned with the consequences? Only that Endeavor has connections and Percy's kind of on thin ice with the law as it is, but he's got people in his corner. I love it. I live for it. Hope ya'll are having a good time, because I am! Also, FFNET has been acting wonky with my uploads, and not updating shit, so I apologize if that's been happening, but I don't know why it is. Anyhoo, Love you all and hope you're staying safe and sane, because I'm slowly losing my grip on reality. See you tomorrow!

Love,

LilDB