I know I said I'd upload this a while ago and I'm sorry!

Anyway, finally realized I hadn't uploaded this so here you go!

I'm working on Episode 8, and making decent progress, so here's to hoping I can finish it soon!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

Shinso smirks as Izuku eyes gloss over.

"That's it. I win." I sigh. It was just like Shinso said; he'd get his opponents under his Quirk, and then it would be over. With no one close enough to jolt Izuku out of Shinso's control, Shinso could secure victory easily.

He might even be able to win the entire festival just using his Quirk. As long as he could get people to talk to him he'd win.

"Aaahhh! I warned him not to say anything!" Oijiro groans, hands on his head. He was hoping he'd helped Izuku win against Shinso.

To be honest, I'm not terribly surprised at this outcome. Shinso knows how to get people to talk, even if it is a bit harsh.

"Hey, what's the dealyo?!" Dad cries, "This is the first match, and it's started with a bang! The fight has just begun and Izuku Midoriya is completely frozen!"

I watch as Izuku remains still, awaiting Shinso's order to walk out of bounds. If something doesn't change, Izuku will lose this match and be out of the tournament!

The crowd is completely silent after witnessing Izuku suddenly stop short.

"He's not moving a muscle!" Dad exclaims as Izuku continues to stand there, awaiting orders.

"Shit, Shinso…" I murmur, fingers gripping my PE outfit tightly as tense seconds go by. "I forget how intimidating you can be." I'd never really seen him fight, now I think about it. Or even use his Quirk, really.

Sure, he was a bit rough around the edges sometimes, but he had never truly struck me as intimidating before this moment.

Now, I was seeing my friend through the eyes of an opponent. Izuku must be terrified if he's even aware of what's going on.

Hitoshi told me he was never sure if the people under his Quirk were simply watching helplessly as they obeyed his orders, or if they truly didn't know they were brainwashed.

I can't tell which would be worse, honestly.

I knew, either way, it wasn't an entirely pleasant experience, which led to so many people pegging my friend as a villain.

"And what's with that look on his face?" Dad continues, and I do notice Izuku's lifeless expression. Poor guy… "Could this be a Quirk at work?" I knew Dad knew about Shinso's Quirk, but the commentator in Dad couldn't help being dramatic. "Hitoshi Shinso seems to have Izuku Midoriya completely stunned!" The crowd is beginning to react to the fight now, murmuring amongst themselves as Dad continues his commentary. "He didn't stand out in the first round, but it's possible Shinso's crazy powerful!"

I laugh a little at Dad's enthusiastic commentary style and watch on the large screen as he moves wildly about in his seat while he talks. "Who could have predicted this turn of events?!" He asks rhetorically. "That's the Festival for yah!" He chirps and I laugh harder.

My dad was crazy, but I loved him.

Then mom's voice stalls Dad's laughter. "This is a perfect example of why the entrance exam isn't rational." Mom points out and I get her meaning a few seconds later.

After all, robots couldn't be brainwashed, or have their Quirks canceled out. So, Mom and Shinso are in the same boat. No wonder she hates the entrance exam so much! She probably started where Hitoshi is now, clawing her way into the Hero Course and becoming the amazing hero she is today.

"Huh?" Dad asks, slowly coming down off his commentating high and not quite processing what Mom had said just yet. "Why's that, honey?"

"Since we're on to the individual matches, I had some information compiled about our final competitors. Shinso failed the practical exam to get into the Hero Course. Since he also applied for the General Studies course, he probably figured that would happen. His Quirk is incredibly strong, but that entrance test consisted of fighting faux villains; robots. It gives a huge advantage to those with physical superpowers they could show off. Despite his abilities, Shinso never stood a chance of passing."

Hitoshi and Izuku don't react to my parents' discussion.

Hitoshi seems to tense up. "So, here we are. You're lucky to have been so blessed, Izuku Midoriya." He notes, almost menacingly. He then tilts his head back a little and to one side almost casually. "Now turn around and walk out of bounds like a good little hero." He instructs.

Izuku does, marching slowly toward the edge of the ring.

Dad gasps. "What?!" He cries. "Midoriya's obeying him!"

"Not that Izuku has a choice." I mumble to myself.

"Oh no, Deku!" Ochako exclaims worriedly. "What're you doing?"

"Hang on, folks!" Dad calls as Izuku continues his shambling toward the edge. "Babe, hand me that file would yah?" On the screen, I see Mom handing Dad Hitoshi's file and he reads the description of Hitoshi's quirk aloud.

Ochako then turns to me. "Don't you know this Shinso guy?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah. We went to middle school together. He's a good person, he's just very driven and focused." I explain. "Most people assume he's gonna be a villain with his Quirk, but he wants to prove them wrong and become a great hero."

"Whoa! I had no idea…that's so cool!" Trust Ochako to be so open and trusting. Since I vouched for him she accepted my word and didn't doubt my friend. "Still, though, you were right about him being focused. He's so intense, too!"

I chuckle a little. "Yeah he is. You get used to it."

"Either way, Modiriya will lose this match if he can't stop himself from walking out of the ring!" Tenya reminds us and I bite my lip.

While I wanted Hitoshi to do really well in this festival and get into the Hero Course, I also didn't want Izuku to lose.

I was so torn, I couldn't pay attention as Dad continued to talk about Shinso's quirk and how it wasn't flashy and yet it was super powerful…or something.

"You okay?" Eijiro asks suddenly.

I shake myself. "Y-yeah. It's just that I'm not sure who to root for here." I try for a chuckle but it fades quickly.

"I can imagine." Eijiro's eyes watch Hitoshi and I swear there's something like anger or maybe something else in his eyes for only a second, then he smiles a little. "After all, it's two of your friends down there. I wouldn't know who to root for either, Kara."

Down below, I can see Hitoshi saying something, but I can't quite make it out…then I notice the other person in the ring.

"Damn, look how close Izuku is to the edge!" I squeak, leaning forward. If something doesn't change, Izuku will lose! "C'mon, c'mon! There's gotta be something that'll snap him- -"

Suddenly, there's a loud noise and a huge gust of wind bursts from Izuku, sweeping up and over the crowd.

While it was kinda refreshing, I needed to know if Izuku had won or not. I lean back out a bit and look to see Izuku barely in the ring, panting heavily.

Had he been fighting the whole time, just able to wiggle his fingers at the last minute to discharge One for All and create the stimulation needed to break out of Hitoshi's hold?

"What's this?!" Dad exclaims in surprise. "Midoriya's stopped just in time!"

"Yeah! Go, Izuku!" I cheer automatically.

"That's the way to do it!" Tenya adds.

"Whoa! I was about to freak out!" Ochako sighs in relief, all but collapsing in her seat.

Ojiro sits down too. I wasn't even aware he'd stood up til now. He breaths out in relief, hand over his heart. "That just about killed me."

I don't reply, watching Hitoshi clench his jaw angrily. "You're not supposed to be able to fight back! What did you do?!" He yells, trying to get Izuku to talk again, likely forgetting that I had told Izuku what I knew of Hitoshi's Quirk.

Izuku puts a hand over his mouth instinctively.

Getting angrier, Hitoshi takes a step forward. "How'd you do that?!" He presses, but still Izuku resists talking.

Izuku shakes his head as if to clear it (understandable; he probably had a lot going on in that brain of his right now) and faces Hitoshi, holding his injured hand now.

"C'mon! Say something!" Hitoshi taunts, then assumes a slightly more relaxed stance. "I didn't know you had so much power in your fingers. I'm kinda jealous of you!"

Of course Hitoshi would be jealous.

He'd never said it to my face, but I could tell he wanted a flashy, physical Quirk like mine or anyone around him. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Izuku starts running toward Hitoshi, and I can see the pain in his eyes from his broken fingers.

"Thanks to the way my Quirk works, I've always been at a huge disadvantage. But someone as blessed as you wouldn't understand that!" Izuku grits his teeth to keep from talking and I can tell how much Hitoshi's words were affecting him. Poor guy had been Quirkless growing up. "You're lucky enough to have a heroic Quirk! It'll be so easy for you to reach your goal!"

I bite my lip. No one around me was really reacting to what Hitoshi was saying, but I could feel a few eyes on me. As Hitoshi's friend, they were gauging my reaction.

Hang in there, Hitoshi… I think, hands gripping my PE outfit again.

Izuku reaches Hitoshi and begins shoving him back toward the edge. "Say something, dammit!" Hitoshi growls, punching Izuku right in the face. I flinch. That had to hurt.

Izuku is still determined, though, continuing to push Hitoshi toward the edge. Hitoshi glances back worriedly at the narrowing space between him and the edge of the ring, now desperate, and slams his fist into Izuku's injured fingers.

Izuku, predictably, reels back, grunting in pain.

"Did you have to go for the low blow?" I grumble to myself, but realize there's a chance, if I were in Shinso's position, I'd do the same thing, so I let it go.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Hitoshi roars as Izuku, attempting to resume pushing Hitoshi, stumbles when Hitoshi moves aside, bumbling to a halt, within the boundaries. It's now Hitoshi's turn to shove Izuku backwards. "Get out of the ring you lucky brat!" Shinso screams in frustration.

Unfortunately for Hitoshi, however, Izuku seemed prepared for that. He grabs the front of Hitoshi's PE outfit, the other hand, the injured one, gripping Hitoshi's arm. Izuku cries out in pain and heaves Hitoshi over his shoulder like he'd done with Katsuki during that combat training on the second day of hero training.

I wince as Hitoshi's mouth opens in a silent cry of pain, his eyes closing as his body briefly passes out.

It had worked, however. Izuku won. Shinso's feet were out of bounds.

I am off my chair almost before anyone could react, ignoring a few calls of my name as I race toward the arena, eager to get to Hitoshi, and…well, I'd figure that out based on his reaction when I get there.

"Shinso is out of bounds!" I hear Oba Nemuri call distantly and I pick up the pace a little. "Midoriya is the winner!"

Absently, I remember all the students in our middle school that, once they found out what Hitoshi's Quirk was, eagerly talked about the nefarious possibilities as if that were what Hitoshi wanted.

I grit my teeth.

Those jerks probably didn't mean to add to Hitoshi's anger and frustration, but still. It made me mad that virtually no one aside from me, my parents, and his parents, could see past the brainwashing and actually get to know Hitoshi.

If they had, they'd have never suggested that he'd be a villain.

I get nearly to the edge of the hall leading into the arena when Dad's voice comes over the PA system. "And with that expertly performed throw, we have our first victor of the finals; Class 1-A's Izuku Midoriya!"

I finally see the light at the end of the hall and stop to walk the rest of the way and catch my breath.

Surprisingly (Or not, considering…) Toshin-Oji was there. He seems surprised to see me. "Hi." I greet, trying to steady my breathing as Dad continues talking.

"That was kind of a boring first match, kids," Dad says and I roll my eyes. He was always wanting intense action in any fight he watched, be it in training or whatever he was watching. "but both of you fought bravely. Let's show them some love, everyone!" The crowd obliges.

I move to walk over to Shinso, but Toshin-Oji puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait just a minute." He says a moment later, guessing easily why I was here.

Hitoshi gets up a moment later, saying nothing as he faces Izuku.

Izuku does an awkward half-bow (as usual after a sparring match) before giving up and standing there, holding his hand again.

Now that I was closer, I couldn't see Hitoshi's face, but Izuku looked frankly kinda sad, like he regretted what he'd done. I see Izuku ask a question and Hitoshi almost flinches in surprise. It seemed he wasn't quite prepared for that question.

Then Hitoshi was walking toward me, after replying I assume, and I could see his face clouded with emotion.

I took that as my cue and started jogging toward him. "Hey~!" I cheer, hugging him eagerly. "You did so awesome out there!"

He peels me off. "I didn't win." He grumbles.

I catch up to his renewed walking easily. "So?" I reply, shrugging. "You still showed the world what you can do. Everyone'll be buzzing about you now."

"They aren't saying anything good, I bet."

Poor Shinso's default was to assume everyone thinks poorly of him, and I felt absolutely terrible for him.

So I laugh. "Oh, don't be cynical, Hitoshi." I reply, patting him on the back for good measure. "You don't know that."

As if coordinated, we spot some students gathered on the bottom of the stands, leaning over and calling for Hitoshi, a few looking at me and smirking.

"You're the star of our program!" among other encouraging things, were called out to Hitoshi and then one student tells us to listen to what the crowd was saying.

It was hard to make out, but it was mostly about how easy it'll be for Hitoshi to subdue villains with his Quirk and how amazing it was. A few were even complaining about how Hitoshi was stuck in General Studies.

I grin. About time people realized how amazing a hero Hitoshi will be.

Hitoshi turns his head just enough that Izuku could tell Hitoshi was talking to him. "Depending on the results, they might transfer people into the Hero Course." He says. "Remember that."

I grin and side-hug my friend. "Yeah! I'll put in a good word for yah and see if my parents can vouch for you, too! This isn't over, Hitoshi! We'll get you into the Hero Course!"

"Don't worry, Takara." Hitoshi replies, even as he smiles a little at me and removes my arm from his shoulders. "I'm not giving up. I'll get onto the Hero track, get certified, and then…" he grits his teeth, "I'll become a better hero than any of you!"

I'm so swept away in the emotions of the moment, I hug Hitoshi again. "Hell yeah!" I cheer and Hitoshi peels me off again.

Then I notice Izuku's lifeless expression and smack Hitoshi's arm.

"You know, people usually tense up when they talk to me." Hitoshi notes, rubbing his arm. "Other than Takara and our families, that is. If you're not on guard, someone's going to defeat you. So be careful."

"C'mon, let him go." I chuckle, and Hitoshi does. "I'll get you some water or something to pay you back for the gummies."

I lead Hitoshi toward the hall when he stops for a second. "You better not lose and make me look bad." Then Hitoshi continues walking away.

I chuckle. "You always were dramatic." I muse wryly.

"Shut up." He replies, but his smirk betrays him. Once we're away from the eyes of the public, Hitoshi sags. "Thanks, Kara."

"For what?" I ask.

"For always being there for me."

I ruffle his hair. "Of course, knucklehead. We're friends, aren't we?" He smacks my hand away.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You owe me gummies." He grumbles good-naturedly, leading the way toward the nearest vending machines.

I pull out my wallet (still in my pocket from lunch) and insert the change, retrieving the gummies and tossing them to Hitoshi as I turn to leave. "Well, I need to get back to my class now. They're probably wondering why I left."

Hitoshi shrugs. "They saw you down there with me. They're not that dumb."

I scoff. "None of them are stupid, Hitoshi. But anyway, see yah around!" I wave at him and he waves back as we part ways.

It doesn't take as long as I thought it would to get back to my classmates and sit down. No one said anything for a long moment and I was beginning to feel hot and flustered (I'm not sure why, though) when Eijiro finally breaks the silence.

"So what was that all about?" He was testy again. Why does he get like this sometimes?

I raise a brow. "He's my friend, Eijiro. I just wanted to congratulate him on his fight. He's not great at fighting yet, but he's trying. Plus, he needed a bit of encouragement after losing to Izuku."

"Hmm…alright, that makes sense." He says and it's clear he's still upset about something, but I can't make out what he's so mad about, so I just sit there awkwardly.

"Everyone's talking about Shinso." Ochako muses, chuckling. "Must be a thrill for him."

Mentally thanking her, I nod. "Yeah. He's not used to positive feedback, but I think he likes the change."

"He has a very unique Quirk, and I think he has potential as a hero, if nothing else." It was obvious Tenya was just trying to compliment Hitoshi because I knew him, and I appreciated the gesture, so I nod.

"He really does."

We sit waiting and soon enough, Izuku walks up. Tenya waves to him and has Izuku sit next to him and Ochako.

"Thanks, guys!" Izuku replies happily, then notices Ojiro smiling at him. Izuku smiles back and sits down as the flames in the corners turn on again, and the opponents of the next match step into the ring.

"Enough standing around!" Dad cheers, "Now it's on to the next players!" The screen displays the next matchup, and I see Hanta and Shoto. I figure it's an easy win for Shoto (unless Hanta has a plan of some kind) and settle in to watch.

"He's got some skills, but at the expense of some freaky looking elbows." I laugh. Trust Dad to sort of insult pretty much everyone in his commentary. "From the Hero Course, it's Hanta Sero…versus an early frontrunner in the competition, who's way too strong for his own good! Someone who got into the Hero Course due to recommendations. It's Shoto Todoroki!"

Hanta looks like he's stretching his arms, smiling cockily at Shoto, who stands there, waiting for the match to begin.

"And now for the second match of the first round!" Dad says, pausing just a second for effect, "Begin!"

I think Hanta says something, but I can't tell what he said as he snaps tape toward Shoto almost before Dad had finished beginning the match, resulting in Shoto being tied up before he could move.

Hanta yanks Shoto toward the edge, letting out more tape to get Shoto closer to the edge faster.

"A plot to throw his opponent from the ring!" Dad cheers, "A brilliant strategy from the underdog! Way to start out strong, Sero!" He encourages.

But, unfortunately, Shoto's ice powers then activate and freeze the tape, steadying Shoto, the ice hurdling toward Hanta before he could move, and soon enough- -

"Agh!" I scream in shock as a massive ice wall comes toward me. Eijiro's hand on my chest pushes me back in my seat just in time. My nose was only a foot or two from the ice, seems like. The stadium was still vibrating from the sheer power of that much ice moving at once.

My breath fogs in the air as we all process what happened.

"This is insane…" I breathe in shock.

"Y-yeah…geez…he didn't hold back at all." Eijiro mumbles absently beside me, his arm flopping to his side.

"He went way overboard! Someone could have been hurt!" Tenya protests.

"Tell the truth, Sero…" Oba Nemuri's voice comes over the speakers. "Can you move at all?"

I think Sero replies cus Oba continues a moment later. "Sero had been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!"

There's silence, everyone still coming out of their shock at the sheer power Todoroki had displayed.

Then, I hear everyone start shouting 'Nice try!', presumably to Hanta, and I then decide to move to where I could see around the ice.

A few classmates went with me. All I could see was Shoto near Hanta, and there's steam, so I can assume he was getting Hanta out of the ice.

There was something about Shoto's posture and body language…

He seemed sad.

I resolve to talk to him more often. He was definitely intriguing...