A/N: This is the other chapter that had a scene that led me to going through with this edit and the reaction to it was part of how I was demotivated to work on this, along with my current graduate school studies.

Edit finished 24 August 2018. Beta provided by Kylekatarn77.

Chapter 16

Katsuki Bakugou stomped off the field, red eyes blazing with a hellish fury. Every moment from when the connection between body and mind had been severed – caused by a quirk, of course – until he stepped off the platform and the connection snapped back replayed insistently in his mind. Hitoshi Shinsou's smug, condensing face hovered in his vision, taunting and teasing. I'm the one who's supposed to look down upon my opponent with condensation and the joy of certain victory. He better watch his back and hope they don't let him come up into the heroic course. Next time I see him, he'll be blasted away.

"You should still visit Recovery Girl, even if you weren't physically hurt," a U.A. support worker said from a half step behind. Katsuki glanced back at the worker, snarling. What's a student doing working the Sports Festival, or is this punishment for losing badly? The worker flinched, but added, "I've heard about that kid from the general studies course. Shinsou's brainwashing quirk supposedly can have…lasting impressions."

"What are you talking about?" Katsuki asked, considering the merits and problems that could arise from blasting the support worker's face off.

"I heard his quirk can make it easier for other brainwash quirk users to successfully use their quirks on you," the worker said, flinching at Katsuki's snarl.

"Are you fucking serious?" Katsuki shouted, stopping. He stomped forward until the worker was pressed against the near wall. "Why the fuck would someone like that be accepted into U.A.?"

A moment passed and the worker's fear washed away into hesitant laughter. It grew louder and stronger until he gasped out, "I didn't think – heh – you would believe that – ha – cock and bull story. Shinsou owes me five thousand yen. When he found out I would be helping with the third event, we made a bet whether the person who lost to him would believe whatever story I thought up on the spot, and well – "

A roaring explosion filled the hall as Katsuki fired his quirk at the wall right next to the worker's head. His hair was singed and a couple fragments from the wall had scratched his face. That was all of the damage Katsuki's attack did.

"Learn your place, extra. Never speak to me again," Katsuki said. He turned away and stalked off, a searing fury boiling through him. He stomped past doors and hallways, ignoring anyone who ducked out of his path. It was only when he headed to the stand reserved for Class A that he encountered someone worth his time.

"What are you doing here, Deku?" Katsuki seethed. "Are you here to brag?" Izuku froze and their gazes locked.

"I have my fight against Todoroki soon." Izuku frowned as his face shifted from shocked to confused to surprise. "Wait, brag? I didn't think you would be angry after just the first round unless… Did you lose, Kacchan?"

Katsuki gritted his teeth and turned away, fuming. "Don't lose to Half-n-Half, Deku. I'm the only one allowed to beat you."

He then stomped off, ignoring whatever halfhearted comment Izuku said. Why does that fucking Deku have to show me up? He gets to fight Half-n-Half while I'm stuck watching from the stands like a dumb civilian! Unless… His fury started to abate as he considered the options suddenly open to him. That story behind how he got his quirk was always suspicious. After listening in on his conversation with Half-n-Half, I bet there really is a connection between Deku and All Might. Hopefully he says something that accidentally reveals their connection.

When he reached the viewing booth for Class A, Present Mic was announcing the beginning of the second round. He watched with a feral grin as Izuku and Todoroki were introduced, walking across the stadium floor to the concrete platform.

"You're scaring me, man," Kirishima said. Katsuki looked over at the red head, who flinched away. "Are you really that pissed off about your loss?"

"Of course he's pissed off he lost to some mind controller, Kirishima," Kaminari added, still tired from his fight. "Honestly, I'd probably feel the same. Maybe not look like I'm preparing to send someone to Recovery Girl in pieces, but I'd be angry."

"Shut your mouth, Shitty Hair. Oh, and Pichu, don't compare yourself to me. I don't want to interrupt the Festival because I vomited everywhere," Katsuki snapped, eyes narrowing as the match started. Todoroki launched a massive wave of ice at Izuku the moment the fight started, who responded in turn with a flick of a finger and an overwhelming force shattering the incoming ice. As the suddenly freezing wind blew through the stadium, Katsuki shook not because of the temperature, but from a familiar sensation. It…it can't be…

Three more times Izuku and Todoroki exchanged blows, and with each one a terrible, impossible realization settled upon Katsuki. He went rigid, ignoring the curious looks and questions he received. Only one word pumped through his mind: How.

"You asked me about my connection to All Might earlier, Todoroki," Izuku said as the two boys huffed and puffed. He stood straight, hands in light fists at his side. "I don't know how deep or far your suspicions go, but you deserve to know I've been connected to All Might much longer than many know. In the same way your father expects great things from you, All Might has expectations of me. Expectations that come from helping to mold me into the hero I will become. I am his protégé, his successor, the future inheritor of his will and mantle. And one day it will be me the world turns to for hope, when I say, 'Fear not, because I am here.'"

The stadium fell hushed; the sound almost stripped clean away, as everyone processed Izuku's words. Before the crowd could react, Todoroki responded.

"That changes nothing, Midoriya. I will still beat you, All Might or not." With that, Todoroki released an overwhelming blast of ice, one superior than all the others used that day, akin to a dozen small glaciers racing towards a single impact point. There was a slight hint of movement from Izuku before the ice reached him. There were gasps as the ice settled, groaning like an ancient wood door in a soft breeze. And then the entire structure hissed and crumbled into a thousand pieces. The chunks crashed into the ground as a cloud of steam rose. When the cloud faded, as the crowd got their first chance to see just what had happened under the ice, Todoroki released a second massive glacier. The ice was shattered as it passed the middle point and Izuku emerged from the cloud. His shirt was so shredded that he tossed it away. Lean muscles flexed as he walked forward, his veins glowing with power.

How did you get that quirk, Deku? Katsuki thought, somewhere between astonished and beyond outraged. How did you get All Might's quirk?

Shouto Todoroki gritted as Izuku's glancing blow snapped a rib. The instant his shirt had hit the ground, Midoriya had flipped the fight upon its head, forcing his opponent to fight at a rhythm he had not anticipated. With quick jabs and punishing uppercuts, the match was slowly becoming one sided. He's using my abilities against me, Todoroki realized after the seventh jab at the ribs on his left side. He was quickly growing frustrated with Izuku's insistence on focusing on his left, which was becoming more and more frozen with each attempt to draw upon the ice side of his quirk while neglecting the fire. More so than during the cavalry battle or the USJ attack, he found the temptation to unleash the fire element of his quirk growing to the point where he feared it would emerge without his conscious desire to come forth.

"It's like I said, Todoroki," Izuku said as he stepped in close and threw an elbow. Blood splattered against the concrete and Todoroki pushed through the growing haze in his head. "You have to use your fire if you want to beat me. I know the ice part of your quirk as good as I know Kacchan's, and you saw who won in our fight."

Todoroki clicked his tongue and he threw a wild, ice-enforced punch at Izuku. While the other boy did block it, the blow made him stumble enough for a follow up attack: a quick spear of ice. It was dull enough to launch his opponent back without punching through his chest.

It shattered like a wine glass at a party from an overhead, double fist blow. Suddenly, Midoriya was upon him with another steady and violent barrage of kicks, punches, and elbows. The sequence wasn't one of a brawler, but a trained fighter, Todoroki reflected. Every time he tried to retaliate with his ice, Izuku nudged his broken rib followed by a quick head butt. The stunning blow sent Todoroki reeling, a hand coming up to stem the flow of blood. My nose is broken. I need to finish this soon.

"Why do you want to be a hero?" Izuku asked, letting the pace slow. He watched Todoroki wipe sweat from his brow. "What motivates you to become a hero? Is it because it's expected of you? Is it all because of your father? Or does something else drive you?"

Years of training flashed before his eyes. How his father had separated him from his siblings at a young age. "Your place is not with them," Endeavor had said, as if the young boy already understood why. All he had done was watch his siblings play, testing their quirks of either fire or ice. None of them had both, like him. None of them were cursed. His fists tightened, knuckles white. "I'm becoming a hero for my own reason!" he shouted.

"Then why do you only fight with half your power? Will you be only half a hero?"

The question hung over Todoroki. He snorted and shook his head, disregarding the small voice that agreed with Izuku. "What did my father say to get you to try this? I already told you Midori-"

"So you're fine only fighting with half your power while the rest of us are out here giving it our all?" Izuku asked, full of passion. Of fire. "Isn't your power your own?"

"Isn't your power your own?" His question rattled Todoroki to his core. A faint memory, a happy memory – one of the last – of him and his mother, dug from where it had been repressed to.

"Yes, quirks are naturally passed from parent to child," All Might said during a TV interview. Todoroki had been only a young boy then, before his fire abilities had manifested. "Yet that's not the only thing that matters. It goes beyond blood ties. You must recognize and appreciate who you are. That's what I mean when I say it! When I say, "I AM HERE!"

…beyond blood ties…

…you can decide who you want to be…

Tears streamed down Todoroki's face as the left side of his body warmed with an unfamiliar heat. "Let me show you why I want to be a hero, Midoriya." Flames licked at his right, a life breathed into them long forgotten.

"Good," Izuku said. His eyes glowed a vibrant emerald and then he disappeared in a blur of speed. "I would hate to beat you at anything less than your best." His words floated, coming from here and there as Todoroki threw fire and ice at shadows and blurs. After a few grazing yet painful blows, he illuminated the platform with fire and ice, coating every square inch where he didn't stand.

A shockwave pushed back against the rush of fire and ice to his far left. Todoroki turned as a glowing Midoriya charged him. "Time to end it, Todoroki!" he shouted. "Finishing Attack: Star Platinum Barrage!" Dozens of fists collided with every part of his body, thrown with a speed that slowed everything else. Time lost meaning as he withstood the onslaught, until it overpowered him and he was ejected from the platform. Later he would learn that before he hit the stadium wall, his instincts had created a sheet of ice to catch him.

Izuku watched as Recovery Girl went about her duties, healing Todoroki. She had provided him with an extra gym uniform after healing his scratches, bruises, and burns. He had been badly singed by Todoroki's final attack and with his increased speed, his own reaction times needed to increase. Kacchan wouldn't have any issues with that, he thought, almost bitter. He left the infirmary, anxious to watch the next few matches. I'll need to thank Ochako and Tenya for telling me about Cementoss having to rebuild the fighting platform. Otherwise, I would be running and Recovery Girl would have both my skin and All Might's if she found out I did something like that just after a fight. He shook his head as a booming voice took him by surprise.

"Congratulations, young Midoriya!" All Might said as he approached. He slapped Izuku's healthier shoulder, grinning. "Not only did you handily defeat young Todoroki, but you achieved a goal I set for you. Although, I would recommend be more careful with your words. Those who aren't aware of the truth could figure it out."

Izuku couldn't help the laugh, tired and relieved, that passed his lips. "I wanted to make it clear to Todoroki just how strong I am. I'll remember that for the future, All Might. I got a little caught up in the moment, although I don't think I gave that much away."

All Might nodded, thoughtful. "If you don't mind, there are a few things I want to talk to you about. With the appearance of the Villain Alliance and the rumors about the Hero Killer in Hosu, I fear my days as All Might are growing shorter than either of us suspected."

"Of course," Izuku said. Toshinori emerged from a cloud of steam. A moment passed where he was fine, and then he vomited blood, staining the floor in between them.

"Sorry," Toshinori said, wiping his mouth. "In a way, my injury is related to what I wanted to talk about. Let us speak in private."

Toshinori led Izuku through empty hallways, down three flights of stairs, and into a room labeled 'Toshinori Yagi, Adjunct Professor, Heroics.' They sat on cushioned chairs, a table between them.

"I believe it is time that I told you the full story of All for One and the origin of One for All," Toshinori began, nervous. "As quirks became more prevalent, public outcry from the quirkless grew in response. Part of the danger was the increasing tendency for quirks to be used for criminal acts. There was also a mood, where people with quirks lamented their fate while those who desired them had no means to correct whatever wrong they believed had been done to them. This all led to the period of chaos that is too often glossed over in history classes. It is unfortunate, because that period is the focus of my story. During this time, one criminal in particular used his quirk to seize control of Japan and…correct the flaws he perceived in society."

"All for One," Izuku said, frowning. "You glossed over his abilities, but how does he tie into our quirk?"

"I was getting there, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said with a hint of a smile. "Now, we call him All for One for that is the name of his quirk. It allows him to transfer quirks from others into himself, both by stealing them from those he thinks are unworthy and giving them to those…deserving. Now, this is where the history becomes hazy, but this story has been passed down along with our quirk. All for One's brother believed in justice, but he was apparently quirkless. Thus, his brother forced upon him an energy stockpile quirk."

"But he didn't know his brother had a quirk – a seemingly useless quirk, that allowed him to pass the quirk itself on to another," Izuku said, pieces coming together as Toshinori grinned. I shouldn't be surprised how quickly he figures things out. "The two quirks mutated into One for All, didn't they?"

"Indeed, they did just that. Now, his brother fought All for One, but failed. From him, it was passed down, each vessel adding to its power and working to combat the evil of All for One. This leads all the way to my predecessor, Nana Shimura. Like the others before her, she fought and then fell in battle against All for One. By the time her final fight came about, she had already passed it to me. You are mostly aware of what happened after my fight with All for One, but you should know that I injured him greatly. So much so that I suspect he is the one pulling the strings of the Villain Alliance, now preferring to hide away from the ever searching light of justice."

Izuku stared at the table. "You fear a reckoning is fast approaching. A final battle between you and All for One."

"I won't lie and say I don't, but I admit that part of me hopes that my career as All Might does not end fighting him," Toshinori admitted. "The Villain Alliance will continue to target U.A. and your class in particular. As such, remember that they are likely to make their next move during the summer. Classes will not be in session and you – and your classmates – will be more vulnerable without U.A. and the school's protection for underage and unlicensed quirk usage. Nedzu is working on plans to protect the students of U.A. if things get worse, but we hope they will never be used."

Loud cheering interrupted their conversation. Toshinori sighed and stood. "We will finish this conversation another time, Young Midoriya, likely before you take your final exams for the semester."

When Izuku returned to Class A's viewing booth, Tenya was departing, phone to his ear. The two nodded, but otherwise paid little attention to each other. Must be something important, if he's that distracted, Izuku assumed. He sat down between Ochako and Tsuyu and asked, "I miss anything?"

"You missed me avenging Kirishima!" Ashido shouted with a grin to rival All Might's. "I used my acid to corrode his steel hardening quirk. Turns out without it he has a glass jaw!"

"Mina's scared because she's your next opponent, kero," Tsuyu said, undercutting the pink girl's excitement. "You also missed Hatsume from Support continue marketing her babies, this time with Kendou's aid. I think she enjoyed being a model, kero. If anyone other than you ends up in the news after the Festival, it'll be her."

"So does Kendou continue on then?" Izuku asked. Tsuyu nodded.

"And now for the final match of the second round! Tokoyami versus Shinsou!" Present Mic announced.

"Fight!"

Dark Shadow sprung forward, squawking at Shinsou as he ignored the shadowy quirk in favor of its master.

"You seem smarter than that last kid," he said, stepping aside as Dark Shadow took a swipe. "Just make it easy on yourself and let my quirk take control."

Fumikage closed his eyes and sighed. In that same moment, Dark Shadow increased its speed and the frequency of attacks launched against Shinsou, forcing him to always evade backwards, regardless whether he also stepped left or right. Their dance continued, Shinsou always found an opening to avoid being forced to step out of bounds. Izuku frowned. Are you playing with Shinsou, Fumikage, or do you have a plan?

Just as Shinsou grew overconfident, Dark Shadow struck. He was in the middle of an overreaching step to the left when the shadowy quirk spun around and caught him so he fell on top of the quirk. It bound him tight, extended to the boundary line, and dumped him outside.

"I am not as easy to provoke as Bakugou," Fumikage said as Midnight announced his victory. "I would recommend working on getting responses from stoic figures."

"Like you?" Hitoshi Shinsou asked from the ground. Fumikage smiled, nodded, and walked away.

"Man, Tokoyami is so cool!" Mineta said. Their classmates agreed as Izuku looked up at the clouds, a pervasive thought emerging from his interest in the fight.

Where did Tenya go? He hasn't come back. I hope everything's fine with him.