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The Tournament: Part 4

The Successor's Rise

Izuku shook with the unfamiliar feeling he was experiencing, his teeth grit and his hands held so tight he felt like they were going to start bleeding. He had always given Bakugo a pass, but only when it came to him, never others.

"Damn it…." Why, why couldn't he go easy on her…

"How could he…" How could he hurt her….

"I'll….I'll get him…" He would make Bakugo pay for what he did. But first, he would have to defeat the Son of Endeavor. "No matter what, I will beat you Bakugo…" He muttered under his breath as he stared at the motionless Reiko. "I promise you Reiko-chan…. I'll get him."

He shot out of his chair and left the room before Recovery Girl couldn't even say a word to him, all she could do was huff and sigh, glancing at the bed with an unconscious Reiko. "Be careful you buffoon."

"That runt better not do anything stupid Toshinori!" Gran Torino yelled at his disciple as they watched Cementoss ready the Arena for the first match of the semi-finals.

All Might sweated as he pleadingly defended himself with his arms. "He won't!"

The mentor turned away, "I hope…." Gran Torino muttered. He had seen the boy's face on the Jumbotron when he ran into the arena to grab the girl from his class, he'd never ever seen him filled with so much… rage. He was worried about what he would do. Would he go too far, would he break himself again? What was he going to do… "Don't go too far, runt…."

Class 1-B looked on, waiting for the semi-finals to begin when an announcement was made. "ahem, SORRY EVERYONE, DUE TO A FAMILY EMERGENCY, TENYA IIDA WILL NO LONGER BE COMPETING IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL, COULD IBARA SHIOZAKI COME DOWN TO PREPARE FOR THE SEMI FINALS SECOND MATCH, THE FIRST MATCH WILL START SHORTLY, YEAH!"

All of 1-B perked up as Ibara's eyes widened in surprise, "I suppose the lord is looking out for me today." She smiled. She left and made her way to a waiting room.

"Jesus fuck I can finally curse…" Awase drawled, "She's going to die…"

"As much as I hate to say it, yeah…." Shoda frowned.

Kamakiri clicked his tongue, "That pomeranian bastard will get what's coming to him." He referred to Bakugo.

Tsuburaba quirked a brow, "But from who though? It's definitely not going to be from Shiozaki." It definitely wasn't going to be from her, Bakugo was way too hardcore

Kamakiri glanced at the other boy, noticing most of the class had tuned in on their conversation. He looked away before silently uttering. "Midoriya."

"AWWWWW you believe in him!" Setsuna teased the boy.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU SHARP TEETH!" He barked back.

Monoma grumbled, though didn't say anything, 'If you wanna kill her you'll have to go through me first….'

Kendo sighed, sitting down and resting in the comfort of her chair, closing her eyes and thinking about Midoriya. How he had performed during training. During the Sports Festival so far. Yeah, he was good, but he wasn't a powerhouse like Todoroki and Bakugo. He and her were on the same level. And if she couldn't beat them, which she doubted she could, then Midoriya wouldn't be able to either. "But, first Midoriya will have to make it through Todoroki…" And Kendo honestly didn't know if he could, yes he had skill and power, though it broke him, but Todoroki seemed to be much more powerful than all of Class 1-B combined.

Monoma opened his eyes up, "I find it very disrespectful that you don't believe in our Class Representative."

"I-It's not that I don't believe in him." Kendo defended herself. "It's just… Todoroki is really strong." She got quieter.

Monoma got off of Setsuna's shoulder and looked Kendo dead in the eye, "I believe you'll find that our friend Midoriya is full of surprises." He smiled.

"Maybe…"

" CAN I GET IZUKU MIDORIYA AND SHOTO TODOROKI TO THE ARENA SO WE CAN START THE SEMI FINALS!"

"Well I guess we'll see." Monoma sighed, tired out of his mind.

Yanagi stirred awake as she opened her eyes, the bright white of Recovery Girl's room helping wake her up as she sat. "Where….?" She looked around before her eyes landed on Recovery Girl The old and tired nurse came over, using a stepstool to be on eye level with Yanagi. "Midoriya brought you here, TV is up on the wall, his next match is about to start." She sighed and dragged a hand down her face, she knew she was going to have to do some major healing.

Yanagi raised her head, as Present Mic called out who was coming in to the arena "FROM CLASS 1-A, THE KING OF COLD HIMSELF, THE SON OF ENDEAVOR, WE HAVE SHOTO TODOROKI!!" She heard many cheers, it was clear that he was favored to win, but….

"You can do this…."

"AND FROM CLASS 1-B, THE REP OF HIS CLASS, THE CINNAMON ROLL, THE UNLIKELY TOP DOG SO FAR, IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Izuku noticed that he had much less cheers compared to Todoroki, but that didn't dissuade him from giving it his all.

He knew that in terms of raw power, Todoroki was stronger, at least using what he could safely. However, he wouldn't give up and if he was right then everything that Todoroki was doing was taking its toll on him, quick overuse, and Izuku would exploit that as much as he could. He would win this fight, and then face Bakugo. He grabbed the friendship bracelet Yanagi had made for him. 'I will win- for her.'

"The match will end when either combatant is unable to battle, is pushed out of the ring, or if either I or Cementoss deem the battle over!" Midnight yelled, Izuku crouched, closing his eyes.

'I can do this'

"We begin in 3-"

'I must do this'

"2"

'I will do this'

"1–"

His eyes shot open and shone a radioactive green 'I will win!'

"STARTTTT!" Mic yelled, shaking the stadium, the crowd, and the two combatants who spurred into action.

Full Cowling sparked and Izuku pushed it to ten percent and in a burst of wind jumped to the side, avoiding a giant glacier. "It hurts… but I can manage it…!" The soreness and stabbing at his muscles weren't as bad and he knew that he could keep this up for a bit, he had to. "TODOROKI!"

His opponent narrowed his eyes, though he didn't care, only spawning another miniature glacier, however it was much smaller than the ones he had been using previously in the tournament, the quirk strain was getting to him. 'Damn it…'

Izuku circled Todoroki, avoiding all the glaciers the frosty teen had made, soon enough the field was covered in ice, and Izuku was using the glaciers, and the soft white mist they had created, to hide. Todoroki rapidly looked around for his opponent, not seeing, not even hearing any sounds of him walking or running. Just gusts of wind, and whenever he turned in those directions Midoriya was gone.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH, MIDORIYA'S COMPLETELY HIDDEN FROM VIEW!" Present Mic yelled.

Todoroki turned, not seeing him anymore, and then a sound of buzzing, a static sound of electricity, alerted him as he turned around, seeing Midoriya leaping for him. He reached to grab Midoriya, only for the boy to flip in the air, grab his face and slam him into the ground.

"OOH MIDORIYA GETS A VICIOUS STRIKE ON TODOROKI!"

"I told you, believe in him." Monoma commented, leaning on his knees as he watched the match. Setsuna glanced at her friend, a little sad she got off her shoulder, but followed him and focused on the match.

Izuku then, in a burst of wind, was gone. Todoroki got up, only to feel something hit his back and send him reeling forward, but he didn't hit the ground as something hit his chest sending him back. "Damn it…!"

All Might glanced at his mentor, only to see the old man smiling, "Well I'll be, it's a little sloppy but the runt's copying my fighting style!"

Todoroki grit his teeth and spawned a giant glacier on his right, sweeping his arm around and aiming for Midoriya, the boy aimed a right finger down and was suddenly in the air. Izuku winced, "Dang it, 20% is still too much!" His finger wasn't broken yet, but it was on the cusp of being broken. Izuku landed on the top of the glacier and ran down, Full Cowling sitting at 8%.

"TODOROKI!" He yelled, crouching and using a 15% burst he collided a fist with Todoroki's stomach, sending the boy sprawling back. "STOP HOLDING BACK!" Izuku was gone once more in a flash, right in front of Todoroki, punching and kicking him, his opponent would raise his arm to attack but Izuku would bat it away. "EVERYONE IS GIVING IT THEIR ALL TO WIN, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN FIGHT ONLY USING HALF YOUR POWER?" He punched the boy in the face once more. "YOU'RE DISRESPECTING EVERY HERE WHO CAME TO WIN!"

Gran Torino narrowed his eyes, they could hear everything from the jumbotron. "What's that boy think he's doing…"

All of Class 1-A looked on in wonder as their strongest student was pummeled by Izuku.

Bakugo grit his teeth and felt a tooth crack from all the pressure, "When the hell did Deku get so strong….!"

Endeavor narrowed his eyes, "Shoto you must use my power if you desire victory!"

Shoto grit his teeth, creating an ice wall behind him so he wouldn't fall, his mind was breaking, Midoriya was getting to him, "I WON'T USE HIS POWER!" He was quaking, freezing, on the verge of passing out, all from Midoriya, who was this guy?

Izuku yelled with all of his heart, remembering when he first met All Might.

MY BOY, YOU HAVE EARNED THIS POWER, ONE FOR ALL IS NOW FOR YOU TO COMMAND!

It was his power now, not All Might's and in that same sense. "IT'S YOUR POWER, NOT HIS!"

Todoroki froze, breathing heavily, his face contorting into confusion, grief, and pain. "My power…?" He didn't know what he was feeling, this mixture of emotions was too unbearable. And finally… a memory came to his mind, one long forgotten. It's okay for you to become who you want to be. With a final breath of acceptance a raging inferno birthed from within him, rising high and lighting up the arena.

The inferno rose towards the heavens as it rustled Izuku's hair, the boy feeling the heat of Todoroki's flames, and killed the frost on Todoroki's body.

"He's using his fire!" Ochako yelled, feeling the heat of the arena.

"He didn't…." Kendo muttered.

All Might looked on in worry. "Young Midoriya… were you trying to save Young Todoroki!"

Gran Torino huffed but let out a small grin 'How are you going to get yourself out of this one runt?'

"You must be crazy! Helping your enemy, even though you want to win!" Todoroki yelled, for once with a smile on his face. He felt… conflicted, but strong. He felt a weight that he didn't know about leave his heart, as if his flames had killed darkness within him "I will be a hero!" Todoroki yelled with conviction.

"SHOTOOOOO, FINALLY, ACCEPT YOURSELF AND WITH YOUR FLAMES CARVE A PATH TOWARDS VICTORY!" Endeavor screamed from the stands, a smile that looked very out of place adorned the pro's face, but neither of the combatants gave him an eye solely focusing on each other.

"Endeavor shouts words of…encouragement I guess? What a weird dad." Present Mic for once didn't yell.

The camera for the jumbotron zoomed in on Midoriya's face, and everyone around the world was shocked to see that Izuku Midoriya—

Was smiling.

The boy smiled as he watched the flames dance in the air,"Todoroki! I can't really use all my power because it breaks my body!" He crouched and more lightning came off of him in waves. "But for you! I'll push myself to my limits and then beyond even that!" He felt his bones creak, the stabbing come back full force, but he was still smiling. "Full Cowling: 15%"

Gran Torino glanced at All Might, "He really is like you, you buffoon." The pro hung his head, "But in a good way." All Might glanced at his teacher before letting out a small smile. "Yes, yes he is."

"You know Midoriya… you're crazy, helping your enemy!" Todoroki had a crazed smile, "But, fine, I don't apologize for anything that's about to happen." Todoroki crouched as well, a massive glacier spawning as he finally wasn't succumbing to his frostbite anymore.

"This is all I've got..!" Todoroki threw an arm forward, sending his glacier forward. Though Izuku stood his ground, 'Don't face it head on!'

Izuku sprawled on his back as he once again failed to land a hit. He got up and rubbed the already forming bruise. "What am I doing wrong…?" He muttered under his breath.

Gran Torino huffed, "You don't always have to face things head-on you numbskull." He berated, hitting Izuku with his canse. The boy whimpered but quirked a brow, egging his mentor to continue. "Sometimes you'll have to be tricky to land a hit on your opponent."

Izuku powered everything he could into his right leg, and winced as he felt the bones break a lot, but they weren't purple! He would still have to see Recovery Girl though. "I can't go for a straightforward attack, I'll lose, so instead!" He jumped, and went- "I'LL GO UP!"

The stadium watched as Izuku soar into the sky. Midnight gulping and tapping her microphone. "Cementoss, be ready to step in!" She yelled as Todoroki's glacier slammed into the stadium wall, his eyes widened, he didn't see Midoriya anywhere.

Izuku aimed his already broken finger upward and flicked, sending himself careening downwards. With the wind pressure he could barely make out Todoroki's figure but he was on a crash course towards his opponent. Todoroki finally looked up and saw his opponent and raised his left hand. "Midoriya…." Flames lit up climbing towards the sky, as green lightning fell, "Thank you…"

Izuku brought his other leg up and brought it down, hard. "Manchester Smash!" All the wind, canceling Todoroki's fire and creating an explosion of dust and concrete.

The dust cleared. Todoroki was on the ground, and Izuku Midoriya was somehow standing, barely, as he staggered left and right, wincing as he felt his legs were extremely weak. He shakily lifted an arm into the sky before standing triumphantly, smiling at Todoroki who passed out, "Thank you Todoroki, for giving me your all…"

"IZUKU MIDORIYA IS THE WINNER!" The crowd exploded into surprised and unexpected cheers. Monoma glanced at Kendo to see her mouth agape. He smirked but decided to not say anything this time. The rest of 1-B exploded into cheers as 1-A looked on in absolute shock.

"Todoroki-kun lost…?" Yaoyorozu muttered in surprise.

Kirishima gulped, "That Midoriya guy is really manly…."

Kaminari crossed his arms. "I'm not sure if you'll be able to beat that guy Bakugo."

"Shut up Pikachu!" The ash blond yelled, his hands popping in anger. 'What the fuck! You shitty Deku! When did you get this STRONG?!'

Finally, Izuku fell forward, passing out from pain and exhaustion.

Awase smiled, "Man as awesome as that was to see… Midoriya's gonna get his fucking ass kicked in the last round…"

"Yeah, his body is completely wrecked…"

"Hate to agree, but I think Greenie's done.." Setsuna muttered.

Monoma closed his eyes and grinned a bit. "Perhaps, or maybe he'll get a second wind."

Reiko frowned, seeing Midoriya pass out and robots bring him towards the infirmary, she was fine now but she was worried for his well being, breaking himself like that was very detrimental to his health and she didn't like that he had to resort to it to win. Suddenly in bursts Vlad King as he came in with Midoriya, fretting over the boy at his side before Recovery Girl pushed him out of the way.

"Out of my way!" She used a stepstool to get onto Midoriya level, putting an IV in his arm. It contained the same level of nutrition as her gummies so she would be able to heal him soon. "Hmmm." She looked over his body, definitely not as bad as the entrance exam…. "Perhaps, but it's a very low chance that he'll be cleared to fight." She said to the 1-B homeroom teacher.

Vlad King clicked his tongue.

"And no matter what you do-"

"It's not about what I'LL do!" He looked at his unconscious student, remembering every training session they had, every extracurricular, "It's about what he'll do." He remembered the pleading form of Midoriya, barely able to breath but still forcing himself to stand for just a bit more training time, But I don't just want to catch up! I want to excel! He smiled thinking back to their first training session, the boy had a fire in him that could never be tempered, "He has something to prove, and there's no way in hell he'll let some broken bones stop him."

Recovery Girl could only sigh in response, "I know but if this continues–"

"It's been two weeks! And you've seen the progress he's made, the only reason he visits your office now is because of how rigorous Torino's training is! With a bit more training this could be the last time he'll need anything major like this!" Vlad King jumped in. "I know your worries, I understand them, I have the same ones. But if you stop him now then he'll push himself farther than he can handle in the future, and we both know how that'll go."

The old nurse hated to admit that he was right, "Fine but… if he visits my office one more time with broken limbs, your life's on the line!" She barked before ordering her robots around, "Now move! This is going to be an extensive process!" She ushered the hulking hero out of the room and closed the blinds surrounding Izuku's bed.

Yanagi closed her eyes and grabbed the pillow on her bed before squeezing it. "Please…do be okay…"

Bakugo growled as he stalked into the arena, he was so pissed off, he had so much anger waiting to be let out, and he couldn't even beat the crap out of four eyes! He'd been looking forward to doing that one for a long time, ever since the battle trial. "He's so damn annoying…." He grit his teeth. But he would still enjoy this.

"-AND FROM 1-A WE HAVE THE MENACE– KATSUKI BAKUGO!"

Bakugo tuned out the stupid commentator, focusing on his opponent. "Her vines are tricky, stay away from the ground, watch out they'll try to grab me…" He narrowed his eyes. "You're just a stepping stone….."

"STARTT!"

With the go ahead he blasted into the sky, avoiding the vines that came out of the ground where he had just been.

Shiozaki narrowed her eyes, "Vine Prison!" Her vines climbed into the sky to try to grab Bakugo and the boy blasted towards them, avoiding all of them expertly and causing them to tangle as they tried to grab him.

"LIKE YOU'LL CATCH ME WITH THAT SHIT!" Bakugo growled before exploding himself in front of her, "Eat this!" He sent an explosion towards her face as she blocked her face with some vines, he cursed and went around, dancing around her in the air, exploding her, dodging, going higher into the air, each time just barely dodging her vines.

Shiozaki thought it was luck but it wasn't that at all she soon realized, as much as she hated to admit it, Bakugo was skilled.

No matter how fast she sent her vines towards him he dodged, her vines were heavy, and Bakugo was skilled in mobility and agility. She grit her teeth and wrapped herself in a ball. "Vine Prison!" She needed a breather, and this would give her the time she needed.

Bakugo grinned and landed on the ground, placing both of his arms forward, "Take this, Class B Bitch!" Even though he knew his arms would thump he just wanted this over with and he let forth a massive explosion, though nowhere near his planned super move. His hands popped and his forearms hurt, but he grit his teeth and cursed. "GO TO HELL!"

An explosion ripped forth and hid Shiozaki's vine prison from view, when the dust cleared there was a ball of black smoke, and inside a Shiozaki as her burned hair disconnected from the small amount that wasn't charred. Bakugo smiled as the prison vanished. Ready to do something else, before Shiozaki raised a hand, "I…I yield…"

The crowd cheered as Bakugo massaged his forearms, Shiozaki hanging her head in defeat.

"He always finds his way out of a tough spot…!" Kirishima said with a simple smile, pumping his arms in excitement.

"He always finds his way out of a tough spot…!" Monoma said with gritted teeth, holding his head in anger.

"Sadly…" Shishida said as he pushed his glasses up.

Awase grumbled "It's just too much to ask for Bakugo to get his face kicked in?"

"Apparently…." Tsuburaba muttered.

Kendo frowned. "Just… let's hope he doesn't go too hard on Midoriya.."

Monoma narrowed his eyes. 'She keeps on comparing herself to Midoriya… what she can't do, she doubts he can too…' He clicked his tongue, and waited for Kamakiri to say something rather rude about his dear friend, however the comment never came. Monoma turned around to see that the seat that Kamakiri had been occupying was empty. 'And I wonder what his plan is….'

A darkness, vast, limitless, and all encompassing held Izuku as he stood, looking around, and seeing nothing but black and dark clouds of grey. He looked around, not noticing as he didn't seem to have any limbs besides his eyes, the rest of his body covered in a deep green smoke. He turned, hearing voices, mutters, from all around him. They grew, getting louder and louder, before he turned and saw blinding lights, they began to increase in glow as he heard four words, "Not yet, but soon…"

"GAH!" Izuku jerked up, before being slammed back down to the bed by Recovery Girl. "What are you doing!? Don't get up too fast!" She chastised. Izuku gulped but nodded, rising slowly off of the bed. She huffed before stepping down off the bed, "After all the healing I did you should be able to participate in the last round, do be careful however! You're pushing yourself too far…."

Izuku gulped, falling back down onto the bed. He felt sore all over, like he could barely move after his first couple of days with All Might, but… he won.. "I can do this…"

"Though, just because you can doesn't mean you should."

"HOLY JESUS!" Izuku yelped and almost fell out of bed as Reiko had once more frightened him. "You gotta stop doing that Yanagi-Chan…" it took extreme effort not to accidentally call her Reiko. "Plus, what are you doing here? You should be resting." He said with a face of worry.

Yanagi knitted her brows, "I should be saying the same to you.."

Izuku gulped because as much as she meant to seem a little angry, she was still really cute, 'N-No! Stop, bad thoughts!' He shook his head and dispelled what was in his mind. "I-I know…. But I just have one more round, now please Yanagi-chan go lay down. It's important that you rest…"

The girl sighed, looking down a bit, before whispering, "So are you.."

"E-Eh?!"

The girl shook her head. "It's nothing Midoriya… they're waiting for you. Since you made it to the final round, Bakugo's match finished up and you're in the finals though.." She stared at the bandages covering some of his body, mostly his fingers. "I… am not quite sure if it is ideal for you to go out in the state you're in, or even participate at all." She frowned.

Izuku smiled and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "I promise I'll be okay."

The ghost girl could only sigh as she nodded her head. "Please don't violate this promise, please keep your word…"

Izuku gave her hand one more squeeze before nodding. "I promise I'll be alright Yanagi-chan. I'll beat Bakugo and I'll be okay." He let go of her hand.

She finally looked at him and smiled slightly, "Alright…just one thing before you go." She got up and leaned in, wrapping her arms around him, and bringing his head to her shoulder. It felt nice, his fuzzy and soft hair rubbing the side of her neck, she enjoyed the feeling a lot. "Good luck…Izuku.." She spoke softly, only so he could hear.

The boy blushed, he wanted the moment to continue, but he found himself being let go only a few seconds later. "Thank you.." He stepped off of the bed and made his way towards the door, turning around briefly only to turn around and give her a smile and a thumbs up, "I'll be ok, I promise!" With that he finally bid her farewell and left the infirmary.

Reiko let her smile fall, "Please keep your promise…"

Izuku stalked the halls, rubbing his arms, and the bracelet Yanagi had given him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to be honest, if he would lock up, what would happen to him. But he knew that no matter what, he was going to beat Kacchan. After what he did to Komori…and then Reiko… There's no way he was going to lose.

"Midoriya!" At the sudden call Izuku stopped and turned, locking eyes with Class B's resident bug king, Kamakiri. The boy opened his mouth to say something before shutting his mouth. Izuku waited as he stared at Kamakiri, the boy wanted to obviously say something so Izuku wasn't going to be rude and dismiss him and his thoughts.

The mantis-looking boy grit his teeth and stared into Izuku's eyes, "Don't… lose to that ass clown, show him what you're- WHAT 1-B is made of, Midoriya."

Izuku's eyes widened, a little in surprise and shock, before his mouth split into a massive grin, "I'll do my best Kamakiri-kun!"

The bug looking boy winced at the brightness before looking away, "Whatever, just go away!"

"Will do!"

Bakugo clicked his tongue, making his way into the arena for the final time that day, he felt a vein bulging and anger rising up, his forearms tensing as they wanted to pop. "Damn you, you goddamn piece of shit…" Thinking about the boy's stupid smile, that stupid river from when they were kids, he felt his anger bubble and rise even more. "I'm gonna kill you…"

He walked into the stadium, hearing deafening cheers, but the only thing he was focused on was the stupid bastard that was facing him.

"FROM BOTH 1-A AND 1-B, WE'VE GOT TWO TITANS WHO HAVE SHOWN TO BE A STEP ABOVE THE REST OF THEIR ADVISORIES, FROM 1-A WE GOT THE EXPLOSION KING HIMSELF, THE BRIGHT BLOND WITH A DARK PERSONALITY, IT'S THE BOMB HIMSELF, BAKUGO KATSUKI!" Izuku gulped as Bakugo sneered at him, lifting a hand and dragging it across his throat.

"AND FROM 1-B WE'VE GOT THE MAN THAT'S BEEN ON TOP OF THE ENTIRE SPORTS FESTIVAL, WINNING THE RACE AND THE CAVALRY BATTLE IN FIRST PLACE! THE STRONGEST-" Bakugo grit his teeth in anger. "-NUMBER ONE–" He clenched his arms in anger, "-THE ONE AT THE TOP! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA!!"

All Might's successor closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat in his ears. He had never had so much anxiety before, felt so nervous before, but he made a promise to Yanagi and himself. No matter what happened in the next few minutes, he would win!

Midnight took note of the tense atmosphere, "A fated battle between rivals…" She muttered to herself. She cleared her throat before yelling, "The match ends when either combatant is unable to battle, forfeits, or lands outside of the arena! If myself and my partner Cementoss deem it necessary we will step in and end the match! Do you understand?" Bakugo gave a short nod, Izuku gulped and followed along. "Alright! Then let the battle-"

"ssssSSSSTARTTT!" With Mic's yell shaking the arena Bakugo blasted off towards Izuku while the boy activated his Full Cowling, however due to everything he kept it at a low 5%.

'I don't know if it's enough!' Izuku dodged blows from Bakugo, the boy was much slower compared to Gran Torino.

Katsuki cursed as none of his explosions hit their target. "When'd you get so good at dodging!"

His opponent smirked and Bakugo was confused before a force hit him in the face, he went tumbling backwards and hit the ground before rolling to a stop. "WOAH WOAH WOAH, MIDORIYA LANDS A FIERCE BLOW-WOAH!"

"I don't just dodge!" Izuku spoke, from his punching position before standing at his full height, "I can hit too!"

The blond grit his teeth and stood up, wiping blood that came from his nose. "Lucky shot!" He yelled before charging at Izuku.

"We'll see about that!" Izuku leaped and met Bakugo's explosions head on. He charged forward and pushed it to 7%, Bakugo's eyes widened as Izuku soared past him, his instincts yelled at him and he turned around, spinning mid air with his quirk, seeing Izuku, only for the boy to disappear a moment later.

Toshinori smiled, "He's copying your style to a point!"

Gran Torino frowned, "Yes, but he's going to have to find his own style as well… he isn't me, and he isn't you either." Izuku needed to find himself, not just be a copy of his mentors.

Toshinori looked away before sighing, "We'll work on that.."

Izuku bounced around, picking up rocks and throwing them at Bakugo, hitting the boy a bit but he knew he couldn't keep this up. Bakugo's reaction time was insane, and he hadn't been able to land any blows. "Stop dodging!" Bakugo put a hand on each side and popped his hands before spinning, creating a smokescreen around him.

Izuku clicked his tongue before grabbing a small rock from the ground and crushing it with his hand, creating a bunch of shards. "Take this!" He launched the rock shards at the smoke screen and felt success when he heard Bakugo yell. The blond exploded going upwards, exiting his smokescreen, and shooting directly for Izuku.

The green haired boy rolled out of the way, getting to his feet, as Bakugo took a punch at him, he blocked with his forearm. Wincing as he felt the familiar explosion hit him. Izuku grabbed Bakugo's wrist and then the front of his shirt before bringing him over his head and slamming the boy into the ground behind him.

Bakugo went to stand only to be kicked in the stomach and sent back a few feet. 'DAMN IT!' He held his mouth, feeling something rising. 'I'M GONNA KILL HIM!' He shot up and was upon Izuku in a second. Izuku crossed his arms to tank an explosion, grabbing Bakugo's arm and spinning before throwing him away.

"K-Kacchan!" Even though he stuttered, he was determined. He stared at the hate filled red eyes that bore into him. "I'm not the same Deku! My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I'm going to win!"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

They both cleared the gap between them, trading explosions and fists. Bakugo's rage was increasing more and more as each second passed. Izuku found his resolution increased the more he fought, Bakugo wasn't invincible. It was different. They weren't kids anymore. He could do this!

While he was getting tired, he found Bakugo getting much more tired than he was, signs of All Might and Gran Torino's training. There was one thing that worried him though, "The more he sweats the more powerful his explosions will be…"

The blond was pissed, wishing he had his gauntlets right about now. If he did there was no way that Deku would be doing so well right now.

"Get here Deku!" Bakugo threw a large right hook, his hands sparkling with explosions. Izuku ducked and punched Bakugo's arm with an uppercut, sending the explosion upward. Izuku gulped as the explosion was giant. 'He's got a lot…' He kicked Bakugo to the side and chased him, not giving him a moment to think.

"LOOK AT MIDORIYA, NOT GIVING BAKUGO ANY BREATHING ROOM!" Aizawa narrowed his eyes as Mic commented on the battle. He had no idea how the boy had improved so much since the entrance exam, but he was definitely going to interrogate Vlad about it..

Bakugo kept sending explosions Izuku's way but the boy easily dodged using Gran Torino's fighting style, zooming around the arena before landing a blow on Bakugo's head. Izuku smiled before his wrist was grabbed, he was whipped around and slammed into the ground, explosions pummeling his body and tearing his UA sweatshirt.

"JUST LIKE OLD TIMES DEKU!"

Izuku grit his teeth and kicked up, Bakugo rising high into the air and grunting, using explosions to keep him in the air. Izuku panted and removed the tattered sweatshirt, his plan black shirt underneath. Bakugo crashed down, Izuku barely rolling out of the way and seeing Bakugo crash into the ground. The red eyes whipped towards him, making Izuku shiver.

He right himself and stabilized himself with his explosions, before giving Midoriya an eerie smile. "TIME TO DIE DEKU!"

Izuku charged up Full Cowling and jumped away, Bakugo's explosions were bigger and he intersected Izuku tackling him to the ground, they both rolled with Izuku kicking the boy away. He winced, grabbing his side and noticing a tear in his shirt. "Dang it…"

Monoma sneered. "While Midoriya has tenacity and drive, that Bakugo scoundrel's pure anger is enough to meet Midoriya's will!"

Kendo gripped the railing, "Come on…" She begged as the rest of the class cheered Izuku on.

"KICK HIS ASS!" Awase screeched only to get smacked by Shiozaki.

"KNOCK HIM DOWN A FEW BEGS MIDORIYA!" Tetsu called to the heavens, surely hurting his throat.

"Midoriya, take it slow and easy, you've got this!" Shoda yelled.

"He will win." The class turned to the staircase behind them to see Yanagi, having patches of bandages here and there but otherwise looking not too bad. "He promised…" She slowly made her way down and sat beside Shinso. The lavender hair boy didn't know much about Midoriya but he could make a guess. "He doesn't go back on his promises, I'm assuming?" He only got a nod in return.

Kamakiri grit his teeth and shot out of his chair. "Come on Midoriya! Show that clown what you're made of, you said you wouldn't lose!"

Before Setsuna could even say anything Monoma clapped a hand over her mouth, which made her pout before she smiled and licked his hand, making the blond retch.

Kendo returned her focus to the match below, and noticed something. "He's got more lightning than before…"

Izuku dodged an explosion and palm striked it away, 'Just like Kendo!' The misty clone's eyes widened at the action. Izuku punched Bakugo in the chest, dodging under an explosion, hitting his chin with an uppercut. Bakugo cursed as he bit his tongue and felt blood come out of his mouth. 'HOW IS HE FASTER NOW?!'

He didn't get a chance to think before Izuku crouched and grabbed his leg before launching him into the air. "Show me what you've got Bakugo!" Izuku wouldn't just beat Bakugo, he would do it at the blond's best, though he felt like that was a mistake as Bakugo climbed into the air, and began to spin.

'What's he doing..?' Dust smoke, power, began to collect and Izuku knew that whatever it was it would be big. 'No way! I won't let you use whatever you're planning!' He raised a finger, Full Cowling died, and the finger charged up to 15% of One For All. 'It's shotty at best, but I'll risk it!' He shakily aimed it at the figure of his old childhood friend and smiled.

Just as Bakugo reached his peak he heard a battle cry of "SMASHHH!" as a fierce pressure or force smashed into him and ruined his build up of explosive power. Izuku winced, feeling his strained finger, before charging forward with Full Cowling starting up in an instant thanks to Torino's trying, he soared into the air as he leaped off of the ground.

Bakugo winced and opened his eyes, to see Izuku in front of him with a fist raised, "It's over Bakugo!" He released it. All he could handle at that moment crashed into Bakugo's gut and Izuku went down with him, Bakugo tried to reach up to explode or something only to find a second fist knocking him in the face. He tried to grab onto something but couldn't get any leverage.

'Damn it.' They both fell from the sky

'Damn it!' One with happiness in his heart.

'DAMN IT!' The other, with pure rage.

"I promised…" He stared into the emerald eyes of his once childhood friend, he didn't see the cowardly quirkless loser he had known for so long, he didn't see the pebble beneath him. "I would beat you.." He saw Izuku Midoriya.

CRASH!

They slammed into the ground, kicking up a geyser of dust and concrete. The smoke cleared and stood Izuku, for once not smiling but with a look of regret on his face. 'I just wish things could have been different..'

The crowd exploded into cheers, none more so than his class, though the loudest of all were his three teachers, though since All Might and Gran Torino struggled with cheering as loudly due to their bad lungs and old age in each of their regards, Vlad King more than made up for it. A smile split onto Izuku's face and he had to admit. Finally being able to do that felt nice.

"AND THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S FIRST YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL IS NONE OTHER THAN CLASS 1-B'S IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

All the cheers, the adrenaline, the exhaustion caught up with Midoriya as he fell to his knees and arms, but he didn't pass out. "I… did it…" All with minimal injuries too.

All of the students gathered around the stadium viewing areas as finally it was time for the medal ceremony. Kirishima and Kaminari cheered on their friend Bakugo, Mina and Sero also doing so but not quite as fierce as the other two. The rest of the class cheered for the more approachable, not by much but still an improvement, Todoroki.

Though none of them were as loud as 1-B

"YEAHHHH MIDORIYA, YOU WERE THE MANLIEST TODAY!" Tetsu yelled loud enough for Kirishima to hear, making the red boy cry crocodile tears as he remembered Izuku's acts of manliness.

"Of course my good friend Midoriya bested 1-A, I mean REALLY did you expect any other outcome?!" Monoma's loud cheers annoyed 1-A to a high degree, despite two members of 1-A being in top 3 it didn't matter since 1-B was in the only spot that mattered, number one.

"Never doubted you for a second Greenie!" Setsuna cheered with a wolf whistle.

"HE DID IT!" "HE REALLY FUCKING DID IT!" Tsuburaba and Kaibara both cheered in unison, Awase smiling, "He's like the second coming of Christ–" Not getting to finish his sentence and Shiozaki simply smacked his head with her hand since her hair was so short.

Shishida and Shoda both smiled, Komori slightly grinned in happiness making Kuroiro awkwardly smile, Kamakiri clicked his tongue and turned away. Kodai silently clapped while Pony loudly cheered. Fukidashi made a "YEAHHH!" Speech bubble, Bondo clapped, and Juzo gave Midoriya a nod of respect.

Kendo, with a sigh, admitted to herself that Izuku was better than her. Watching as the podiums rose. A smiling Izuku on number one, a pondering Todoroki on number two, and a spaced out and bandaged Bakugo on number three.

Gran Torino smiled, the boy had actually done it, though with a few idiot mistakes that he would surely iron out later, but he had done it. He turned to his other pupil only to find him gone. That made him sigh as All Might crashed down into the stadium with a loud smile, making the crowd explode into cheers. "Gah that buffoon… always has to be so flashy…"

All Might laughed loudly as he basked in the cheers, "YES YES, IT IS I, ALL MIGHT!" He quieted down and cleared his throat, "But! Enough about me! We're here for these students, who have shown incredible prowess, strategy, and strength, and for all of that I would like to say one thing–"

Everyone anticipated it, hyping up to join him–

"GOOD JOB!"

"PLUS UL–"

Everyone went quiet as All Might sweated. "Ah yes that would've been more fitting…" All Might cleared his throat again and embarrassingly cheered "Plus Ultra!" To which no one joined.

"Top Ten blunders in Anime history, number one All Might…" Kaibara muttered.

"Just All Might in general?"

"I mean yeah just look at him!"

All Might cleared some sweat as he laughed, trying to avoid his blunders. "NOW! Let's award the top three of the day, the ones who showed the most promise and surprise! Who rose above their competition and truly embodied this school's motto!" He seemed to get the crowd back and sighed in relief.

He jumped up to Todoroki's pedestal, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder, handing him the medal with his other hand. "You did wonderful today Young Todoroki."

The scarred teen stared at the medal before grasping it, humming and squeezing the award. "But I didn't win, so what's it matter?"

All Might sighed, "My boy, please look at me." Endeavor's son did so, "Just because you didn't achieve first doesn't mean you did not win, you tapped into a part of yourself that you had long since forgotten, and I believe that to be an astounding victory. Today you won, in terms of personal turmoil, and that's the biggest victory any hero can have." Todoroki regarded his words before nodding and putting on the medal, wearing third place with not pride, but acceptance.

All Might in approval before moving to second place. He was more apprehensive as he stared at the lifeless eyes of Bakugo. "Young Bakugo." The boy didn't move. He sighed and placed the medal around Bakugo's neck, only for the boy to scowl.

"Get this shit off of me!" He yanked the medal and tore it off of his neck, "It's not worth anything…"

All Might frowned. "You learned a valuable lesson today Bakugo."

"And what the hell is it?!" The boy lashed out quietly.

"You can't always win sometimes. Sometimes heroes lose, and as much as the outcome does matter, it's how you deal with that loss that matters more." He said in a stern voice, patting Bakugo's shoulder. "If you can't learn that then you won't make it far, Young Bakugo."

The boy grit his teeth and cursed, shoving the medal into his pocket.

All Might slightly grinned and hugged Bakugo, "It's a start, my boy!"

Finally, All Might moved to the last and tallest Podium, where his protege stood with a beaming smile, one which All Might instantly matched. "I'm proud of you my boy." Izuku felt his eyes well up before he quickly rubbed them. All Might lifted his arms, the shining golden medal glinting in the sun as he lowered it around Izuku's neck. "You earned this Young Midoriya."

There's a difference between being lucky and earning something, my boy, and trust me, you've earned this power.

Izuku smiled at the memory of when he received one for all, he reached a hand up and grabbed the medal, smiling with a wide grin. "Thank you… All Might..!"

END