Four days of intensive training passed. It was surprisingly easy to get into it. Throwing myself into work and practice, coming up with new ideas and training up my quirk.

Kept pretty tough in public, but just one problem. I kept having trouble sleeping. At first, it was that I couldn't get to sleep. Stupid thoughts kept popping up that I couldn't get rid of. So I started shutting up my head around bedtime. And then I started waking up too early, four am sometimes or earlier, and couldn't get back. So I'd get up early and get in extra reps. And that helped, but then I'd feel that slump later in the day, hard.

Still, I was making progress on my ultimate move. That's what mattered. Not the other shit. I'd just need to get over all that shit, that was all. Put it behind me and move on.

It ain't that easy though. It keeps bothering me. And I don't want to talk about it. Kirishima keeps trying to get me to talk about it, gently. Trying to get me to "open up about feelings", though eh doesn't use those exact words, I know that's what he's thinking. I don't wanna talk to him. He's my friend but..I can't talk to him about things. He likes me cause he thinks I'm cool. "The cool strong tough manly kid" who stands up to shit. I go admitting to him that I'm freaked and suddenly he'll go to pitying me and I won't be able to hang out with him again.

Can't go talking to anyone else. Not the teachers. Uraraka...she's like Kirishima, but she's better at reading me, so she'd guess it in seconds. Nobody else is really...someone I feel like talking to.

I mean, I know who I want to talk to. I know who I could tell, if he didn't look down on me so much, if it wouldn't just be humiliating to admit this shit to him. If he didn't hate my guts so much...the only person who could understand, the only person who really knows. I mean, even if he didn't...know...what he knows, even if it was just that this shit happened, I know Deku is...he's the only person I could tell.

I'd told him before, when I'd lost to him. And beforethen. For some reason Deku is the only person I can talk to about these things. The only person I can trust with things like this. I don't know why.

But I can't talk to him right now. I mean...he already looks down on me enough. He doesn't need another reason to think I'm worthless.

So I don't talk to anyone. Work's the best thing, the best way to deal with it. Prove em all wrong and be the best around.

Anyway, I'd developed a pretty great ultimate move. And I hate to admit it but I got the idea from Deku. Well, from our fight with All Might. Cause one of the things we'd had to keep in mind was collateral damage and coordination then. Not wrecking the city, that's a thing for pros to keep in mind. And I'm not about to let Deku be the only one to adjust for that, like he did when he went from blowing things up to jumping around. No way I'm letting him surpass me in any way.

Not now with all this shit about All Might. He's here now, watching us practice. Still all bandaged up, hanging around with Mr. Aizawa.

So I practiced my new move. "Not from my entire hand, but a blast from a single concentrated point." One hand closed over the other palm, blasting out like a gun. AP shot. Armour Piercing Shot. That's what I'm calling it. And it worked, went straight through rock on my first real try!

"HA HA!" I shouted, wanting to throw my fists in the air. "I did it!"

The rock I'd shot split in two, and a piece of it fell down - towards All Might.

"HEY, WATCH OUT!" I call out, trying not to scream. Holy shit. All Might no - you can't not again not - not the - not my fault you can't - I -

CRASH!

A streak of green light goes across my vision and the rock breaks into pieces before it can touch All Might. Not punched to pieces, but kicked to pieces with the force of my own shot or even more. Kicked by a solid iron soled boot which goes up to the knee.

It's Deku. Of course it is. He's changed up his costume. Not as drastically as last time, but the boots are different now, and he's moving differently. So are the arms, the big shoulder length gloves which now have some more elaborate design and go up to his shoulders. All of a sudden he actually looks cool.

He'd kicked that rock to pieces in seconds, saving All Might's life, and streaked to the ground with ease. He's moving like a firework now. Not like some dork anymore. Like a real hero. Cleaning up my mess...

He's grinning. And cocky as hell now. Oh, dammit.

And if he hadn't come in, what would I have done? Great, idiot, you'd have ended the symbol of peace. Again.

no dammit don't think shit like that shut up, shut up, shut up...

He's done it again, really. I turned my back for a second and he's already surpassed me once more. Switched up his entire fight style in the blink of an eye.

I stand there on the rocks above him, and just blink with my mouth actually open like an idiot.

You damn nerd...