"WE'LL PROCEED TO THE AFTERNOON PORTION AFTER A ONE-HOUR LUNCH BREAK! SEE YOU THEN!"
We could still hear both announcers as their voices faded out: "HEY, ERASERHEAD. WANNA GRAB SOME FOOD?"
"I'm taking a nap."
"WHA-?"

.~*~.

As we walked off the field, everyone drifted from our cavalry teams and back into our friend groups.

"This sucks," said Tsuyu, "But congrats all the same Mina."
"Bakugo only picked me as a counter-strategy against Todoroki's ice," Mina replied, rubbing the back of her neck, "This win doesn't really say anything about my strength."

"Iida, you were so awesome, keeping us away from the other teams like that!" Uraraka praised, miming Iida's running.
"Oh, no," Iida waved away her praise, "With your zero gravity and Tokoyami's dark shadow, it was a simple matter of paying attention to the different teams' locations relative to our own."
"Geeez!" Kirishima groaned, punching Iida in the arm, "And I wanted to win so badly!"
"Hey, at least we're moving on, right?" Mina cheered him up.

Todoroki cut-in, "It's Midoriya who deserves the praise, for getting such a high score in the first place," he turned to me, "And I imagine it was you who came up with that strategy as well."
I rubbed the back of my head, blushing, "It was nothing, really. I mean…"

I started murmuring, "yeah, getting first place in the race was kinda tough, but the cavalry battle wasn't actually so difficult, since I had the ideal team and all, and-"
Kirishima smacked me on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "You gotta stop it with all that! You did awesome, man! Own it! All that murmuring isn't manly!"
"Yeah!" agreed Mina, pretending to be a photographer, "A hero's gotta show their stuff! Smile and wave for the camera!"

"Yeah, Deku!" Uraraka beamed at me, "We wouldn't have gotten first place if it wasn't for you!"
I blushed even more deeply.
"Hey, you wanna eat lunch together Iida?" She asked, turning her attention to him.

'I think…' I reflected, as I went to eat with my friends, 'this might be the best day of my life, so far.'

As the students filed back into the stadium after lunch, Present Mic announced that those not continuing in the competition could still participate in a different activity.
"HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS THIS LITTLE RECREATIONAL COMPETITION!" He said to the audience, "ONCE THAT'S OVER, WE'RE ON TO THE FINAL EVENT. BETWEEN THE 15 MEMBERS OF THE FOUR WINNING TEAMS… WE'LL HAVE A FORMAL TOURNAMENT! A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES!"

"A tournament huh?" said Kirishima, "So we'll be up in that ring I see on TV every year!"
"Was it a tournament last year too?" Mina asked.
Sero replied, "The format's always different, but most years involve some kind of head-to-head competition. Last year, it was foam sword fighting."

From the small stage in front of the remaining competitors, Midnight explained this year's competition, "The matchups will be decided by drawing lots."
She held up a box labeled "Lots."
"Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you 15 finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength.

"Now, let's start with the first-place team…" Midnight moved, about to step down from the stage so the students could pick from the box-
When she was interrupted.
"Um… Excuse me," Ojiro raised his hand, "I'd.. like to drop out."

There was chatter from all over the stadium, everyone wondering why he'd give up an opportunity to be noticed by the pro heroes.
"The Cavalry Battle…" Ojiro lowered his arm slightly, not looking anyone in the eye, "I have no memories of anything that happened up until the tail end. It's probably his quirk that did it…"

Izuku looked around for - who he assumed to be - Shinso, the guy he remembered seeing Ojiro team up with and the one their team was named after. He spotted him standing alone, hands in his pockets and also not looking anyone in the eye.
He wasn't even looking at Ojiro.

"I know this is a great opportunity. And I know how stupid it must seem to throw it away… But this final tournament…" He looked at his fist, his face tense, "Everyone else made it here by their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, and I don't even know how or why. I just can't take it."

"You're thinking about it too hard!" Toru tried to cheer him up, waving her gloves placatingly, "Just show what you're made of in the tournament!"
"By that logic, I shouldn't really be here either!" added Mina.

Ojiro lowered his head into his hand, shaking.
"No… I'm talking about my pride, here… I don't think it's right."

.~*~.

After a few moments' pause and muttering from the crowd, Present Mic said, "WE HAVE A STRANGE TURN OF EVENTS…"
"What will the coordinator, Midnight, decide?" Aizawa prompted.

"How naive and green… I… Like it!" Midnight cracked her whip, grinning, "Ojiro has officially withdrawn! That brings us to an even 14 competitors!"
The screen lit up, a bracket with names displayed on it.
"Here are the new matchups!"

The first bracket consisted of Izuku vs Shinso, Todoroki vs Sero, and Iida vs Hatsume; the second bracket was Kirishima vs Kaminari, Mina vs Aoyama, Tokoyami vs Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka vs Bakugo.
'If I win my first match… My second's against Todoroki!' Izuku thought.

'But before that…'
"Shinso…"
"Izuku Midoriya," came a voice from behind him, "That's you, yeah?"

Before Izuku could respond, there was a hand covering his mouth. It was Ojiro.
"Midoriya! That guy… Don't answer him."
"?!"

.~*~.

"NOW LET'S SET ASIDE THE TOURNAMENT FOR THE TIME BEING… AND GET ON WITH THE THRILL-A-MINUTE FESTIVITIES!"

.~*~.

Once Shinso had walked away, Ojiro asked to talk with Izuku alone, leading him to one of the competitor prep rooms.

And explained his theory.

"A mind-control quirk?" Izuku gaped, "How can I hope to win against that?!"
"My loss might be your gain. My memories cut out from the instant I replied to him," he said, tapping his head with his finger, "That's the trick, I think."
"So…" Izuku murmured, "It's all over if I slip up and say anything to him…"

Izuku gave a small shiver. If that was the case, he was impressed. That was a powerful tool Shinso had, alright!
"Not necessarily," Ojiro said, "It doesn't seem like such an almighty ability.

"Remember how I said I didn't remember anything up until the end?"
Izuku nodded. He'd thought that was odd.
"When Shinso had us run past to nab Tetsutetsu's headband… I think I must've bumped into Tetsutetsu's formation… 'Cause that's when I snapped out of it. I was suddenly aware of what was happening!"
"So it was undone by physical contact?" Izuku put a hand to his chin, his mind already comparing and weighing strategies.
"That seems very likely," Ojiro nodded, his chair creaking as he leaned back, "That said, I have no idea how strong the contact needs to be. And in a one-on-one match, of course you can't expect any outside help.

"Anyway, that's all I can tell you."
Ojiro got up to leave, and Izuku rose to meet him.
"No, that's awesome! Thanks!"
"No problem! Uh-… Forgive me if I'm out of line, but…" Ojiro held out his fist, "Win this one for me."

Before I knew it, the recreational activities were over. It was my turn; time to face my first serious opponent outside of a classroom.

"HEY, GUYS. ARE YOU READY?! YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL TO GET HERE! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT!"
My heart was racing. But… I felt oddly calm, too.
… Prepared.
"YOU'VE ONLY GOT YOURSELF TO RELY ON! EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A HERO, THIS SAYING HOLDS TRUE! YOU KNOW IT! SPIRIT, TECHNIQUE, STRENGTH, WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE! USE 'EM ALL AND SHOW US YOUR BEST!"

Shinso, the audience, and I, all had to wait a few more tense seconds as Cementoss put the finishing touches on the arena.
Then… we walked out.

"THE FIRST MATCH! MAKING A SCARY FACE, AND WITH THE EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE TO BACK IT UP, IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA, FROM THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… SORRY, BUT THIS GUY HASN'T REALLY DONE ANYTHING TO STAND OUT YET! IT'S HITOSHI SHINSO, FROM GENERAL STUDIES!"
My ears were ringing from the sheer volume of the crowd's cheering. Evidently, they were looking forward to this event.
… I supposed I couldn't blame them.
"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! WIN BY KNOCKING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING, IMMOBILIZING THEM OR GETTING THEM TO SAY 'I GIVE UP'!

"BRING THE PAIN! WE'VE GOT OUR GOOD OLD RECOVERY GIRL ON STANDBY! AND FIGHT DIRTY IF YOU MUST! 'ETHICS' HAVE NO MEANING HERE!"
Cementoss made himself a throne of stone where he could watch the entire arena.
'"Ethics have no meaning"...? Isn't this a "hero" fight…?'

I didn't have time to follow that train of thought.
"WELL, OF COURSE, GOING FOR THE KILL IS A NO-NO! YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED! BECAUSE A TRUE HERO'S FISTS FLY ONLY WHEN IN THE PURSUIT OF VILLAINS!"

"'I give up,' huh?" Shinso said, "Get it, Izuku Midoriya? This battle's going to test your strength of will."
The look in Shinso's eyes… It looked familiar to me, somehow…
"If you've got any kind of vision for your future, there's no sense in worrying about how you get there."

"NOW LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED!"
Shinso's voice overlapped with Present Mic's: "Like that monkey, babbling about his stupid pride."

"READYYYYYYYYY! START!"

"What kind of dumbass throws away a chance like this?"

Not responding was turning out to be more difficult than I imagined.
'Save it for later! I MUSTN'T -' I kept reminding myself, '- I can't. Say. ANYTHING right now!'
I told myself the best way to protect my friend's honor… 'I can't lose this! What I need to think about now…'

.~*~.

While the two of us were just standing there, the audience unable to hear Shinso's taunting, some unexpected commentary came from above us.
"I mentioned that that entrance exam was completely irrational," Aizawa explained to the crowd and Present Mic, "This kid is a perfect example of why."
"Hmm? What's that?" Present Mic responded to Aizawa at a lower volume than his usual commentary.
"Here are the simple specs on these two. I've got them here because we knew this would be a quirk versus quirk battle. In theory, anyway."

The sound of paper shuffling could be heard.
"Shinso failed the practical part of the exam, so he lost a spot in the hero course. He got into general studies, though, and that's all he could have hoped for. His quirk is extraordinarily powerful, but… Given the format of the practical exam… his ability didn't help him out.
"And yet, someone with no quirk at all managed to get past it!"

"That's right," Shinso was talking again, "Thanks to my quirks nature, I couldn't enter the golden gates!"
That familiar look in Shinso's eyes intensified.

And suddenly… I realized what it was.

"But you get it. You're not naturally blessed, either. So I don't really have anything against you… That said, I'm not giving up."
I swallowed nervously. 'I do get it. That's how I used to think too. But…' I realized… that I should really… just get this over with.

'… right. I… I am blessed. Even if it's NOT "natural."'

"Those people…"
Shinso's expression turned furious - hateful even. And suddenly… It stopped looking familiar.
"Born with their awesome quirks… Getting to follow all their dreams!"

'I'm blessed… by the people in my life! By Master… And by my friends! And that's… exactly why… '
Shinso took a step toward me, "Say something already!"
'That's why I'm… not gonna lose!'

Abruptly, Izuku charged at Shinso.
'Sorry. I really wish I didn't have to do this.'
It wasn't a surprise. It couldn't be. Of course Shinso tried to run, to fight… Nonetheless, with the large gap in their training, experience, and strength…

It was a simple matter for Izuku to overpower Shinso…
'I don't… have anything against you either!'
… and throw him out of the ring.

After a brief pause out of shock at the sudden… anticlimactic victory, Midnight announced, "Shinso is out of the ring! Midoriya… moves on to the second round!"
"IZUKU MIDORIYA MOVES ON TO THE SECOND ROUND!" Present Mic repeated, his tone of voice just a tad surprised. "GOODNESS GRACIOUS! WE'RE OFF TO AN EVENTFUL START! PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR OUR FIERCE COMPETITORS!"

.~*~.

As Shinso got up - before he could walk away - Izuku asked the question that had been burning in his mind, "Shinso… Why do you wanna be a hero so badly?"
Without even pausing to think, Shinso responded, "We don't get to choose the things we naturally admire."

"...!" Izuku froze. Surprised, and… confused.
'His feelings… They're the same as…' Izuku looked up into the stands… but couldn't spot him. 'I still admire All Might…

'… Or…' Confused because, at the lack of feeling in his chest, he had to wonder, 'Do I…?'

Izuku was broken from his internal debate, "You were awesome out there, Shinso!"
Shinso's classmates were cheering him from the stands.
"You had us on the edge of our seats!" "You're the shining star of us general studies guys!" "You did just as well as the guy who got third in the obstacle course!"

Izuku smiled; it was right that they cheer Shinso. He'd done wel- "Why is that quirkless kid in the Hero Course and not Shinso? He has such a strong quirk."
'...!'

.~*~.

Far away, All For One smirked.
'That's it. Listen to what the crowd is saying…'

.~*~.

"That quirk would be great against villains. I wish I had it…" "What the hell's U.A. thinking? Putting him in general studies…" "Well, they can only admit so many. That's just how it is." "There's only so much you can do… when there's such a large gap in their battle experiences. What a shame… A big loss to the Hero Course, not having a quirk like that."

Shinso's classmates heard it too, "You're awesome!" "Hear that, Shinso?"
'… Right.' Izuku thought, 'Of course that's how they-'

"They'll consider transfers to the hero course depending on the results here."
Izuku was interrupted again. Snapped out of his thoughts this time by the sound of Shinso's voice.
"Remember that. Maybe I failed this time, but… I'm not giving up." His voice was filled with determination, although the hatred wasn't completely gone. "I'll show them I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of them."

Without thinking, Izuku responded, "Hang on. I-"
'Oh! He got me… But why? The match is already over…'
"People who respond to me tend to stiffen up like that…" Shinso looked over his shoulder at Izuku, grinning. "It'd be easy to mess everything up for you now… So just promise me…"

He released him.
"… you won't lose in a sorry way out there."
This time, Izuku responded with just a smile and a nod.

That hatred…
'He… probably has his reasons…'

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