Everyone in class except for IcyHot had passed...

Through a haze I could hear something...The loudmouth from Shiketsu coming to yell something at IcyHot...

"TODOROKI!" he screamed, and then he bowed his head into the ground again.

"I'M SORRY! IT WAS MY FAULT THAT YOU DIDN'T PASS! MY PETTINESS IS TO BLAME! I'M SORRY!"

There was a moment of silence, then IcyHot said "Nah, I started it back then. There's no need for all this. You approached me openly and honestly and helped me realize some things..."

"Todoroki, I can't believe you failed!" said Raccoon Eyes. Tape Arms moaned, "So neither of our top two dudes passed!"

"Time to clean up your potty mouth, huh? Words matter, y'know!" Kaminari was smiled at me. Like a bastard. "SHUT UP IF OYU DON'T WANNA DIE!" I snapped.

"Oh, Todoroki," came Deku's voice through the haze. And next to him, Ponytail too.

Everyone's worrying about Todoroki...

why is it so different? Why are they all looking at him, worrying about him? Not about - me?

The announcer said, I ASSUME YOU'VE ALL HAD A CHANCE TO VIEW THE RESULTS. NEXT, WE'LL BE HANDING OUT SCORE SHEETS. WE'VE EXPLAINED THE SCORING SYSTEM IN DETAIL, SO READ THEM OVER CAREFULLY."

"Show me," I snapped at the slow examiners. I didn't understand a word on the sheet. It was all a blur.

The Announcer, after a few minutes, chimed in again. "GOING FORWARD, THOSE WHO PASSED NOW HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO ACT IN A HEROIC CAPACITY, BUT ONLY DURING EMERGENCIES. THAT MEANS FIGHTING VILLAINS, RESCUING PEOPLE IN DISASTER SCENARIOS. EVEN WITHOUT A PROFESSIONAL HERO'S GUIDANCE, YOU'RE PERMITTED TO TAKE ACTION ON YOUR OWN. BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT EVERY ACTION YOU TAKE COMES WITH A HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY TO SOCIETY. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE GREAT HERO ALL MIGHT IS OUT OF COMMISSION. HIS ACTIVE PRESENCE SERVED AS AN IMPORTANT DETERRENT TO CRIME. WITHOUT THAT FACTOR HOLDING THEM BACK, WE CAN BE SURE THAT THE MORE BRAZEN VILLAINS OUT THERE WILL START SHOWING THEIR FACES. THE BALANCE HAS SHIFTED AND THE WORLD IS BOUND TO START CHANGING IN A BIG WAY. WITH THAT IN MIND NOW, KNOW THAT YOU, THE NEXT GENERATION, ARE THE CENTRAL PILLAR OF SOCIETY. NOW AS HEROES, YOU WILL SET A STANDARD. YOU MUST BECOME THE NEW BULWARK KEEPING CRIME AT BAY. BE AWARE THAT HTE LICENSES YOU NOW RECIEVE ARE PROVISIONAL ONES. THE ROAD AHEAD IS STILL A LONG ONE, SO STUDY HARD AT YOUR RESPECTIVE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. NOW THEN, AHEM. AS FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT. DON'T BE DISHARETENED BY YOUR SCORES. YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THERE'S STILL A CHANCE. IF YOU SIGN UP FOR AND COMPLETE A SPECIAL THREE MONTH TRAINING COURSE AND PASS THE INDIVIDUAL TEST AT THE END, YOU TOO WILL BE AWARDED YOUR PROVISIONAL LICENSES. YOU MAY RECALL THAT I JUST SAID GOING FORWARD. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, WE NEED AS MANY TOP CLASS HEROES AS WE CAN FIND. THE FIRST ROUND WAS BASICALLY A QUALIFIER, AND YOU HUNDRED WHO WERE CHOSEN TO MOVE ON ALL HAVE HTE POTENTIAL WORTH CULTIVATING. THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE MONITORED YOU ALL TO THE VERY END. JUST BECAUSE YOU FAILED DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL HOPE IS LOST. RATHER IF YOU GO BACK AND WORK ON YOUR DEFICIENCES, YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SURPASS EVEN THOSE WHO TRIUMPHED TODAY. ATTENDING THE TRAINING COURSE WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR REGULAR COURSE WORK WILL MAKE FOR A PACKED SCHEDULE BUT IF YOU'RE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE, THE NEXT TEST IS IN APRIL."

"HELL YEAH!" I snapped. Bring it on.

"Isn't that great news, Todoroki!" said Deku and Iida. Everyone going up to him...

"I'll catch up soon, he smiled back...

Back we were going - on the bus - to heights alliance...nobody seemed to want to talk to me.

What is this...how? what happened? What else could I have done? What does he have, All Might? Why him? Why, why, why?

Deku...please...you have to tell me. I have to know.

He was texting, looking away. Busy with something. I came up to him, spoke quietly so no one could hear.

"Meet me out front later. We gotta talk about your quirk."

I can't take it anymore.

It was nighttime. I led him away from the building, through the woods around UA, that same route we'd taken so long - it felt like so long ago.

"Kacchan! How far are we going? We're not supposed to be out at night!" He was walking behind me. "Hey!"

We were children again, as he trailed behind me, as we walked through the woods to catch bugs together, 'Your quirk is so awesome! I hope when I get mine it'll be just as cool!'

'No matter what power you get, you'll never be able to beat me.

We made it.

"This is ground beta," said Deku.

"I fought you here during our first battle training. It's where I lost to you. And I've felt like crap about it ever since. A worthless, quirkless wonder like you, somehow got into UA of all places. And somehow got a quirk of his own."

I got my quirk from someone else...I'm gonna make it my own some day. And overcome you with me power."

"You were always the littel weirdo, spouting cryptic crap, and making that face like you were the only one in on the joke. Climbing higher and higher. Since the whole sludge thing - nah - since All Might first came to town, really. Higher and higher and higher...and now you've got your license. While I don't. I mean, what the hell, seriously?"

"I wouldn't say it necessarily reflects our actual abilities, but rather - " he interrupted.

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN, YOU DAMN NERD!"

"Sorry..."

"This whole time, I've felt really crappy about it. It's been pissing me off. But then, after the business in Kamino, I got this idea. SEe, I've been thinking about got your quirk from All Might. Y'know that big bad villain boss? Apparently, he can suck up quirks to use or just give away. Hard to believe, but that one cat lady lost hers and can't even be a hero anymore. Then they'rere those freaking nomu things with multiple quirks...so I'm pretty darn sure..."

'you're going downhil, All Might. And this time,' I'm smashing you into a prison cell''

"All Might and boss mook seemed to know each other. We know it's possible to transfer quirks. And we know that wasn't the first time those two met. Then there's your whole 'I got it from someone else ' thing. When you met All Might, and All Might lost is strength...that's when everything changed."

Now it's your turn."

"You're the only one who understood him differently. All Might himself wouldn't give me a straight answer, so I'm coming to you."

He clenched his fists. HE looked away.

"So you're not denying it? That's how it is, you jerk?"

He looked up at me. "If I tell you, what then?"

"You also look up to All Might. Hm? Ain't that right? So here I've got this punk I thought was a pebble in my path, all of a sudden getting recognized by the guy I admire. Which is why we're gonna fight. Here. Now."

Please fight me. Please, please. Show me.