Reminder from last chapter: Izuku's 1-C friend, Taketsu Akane, was rushed off to Recovery Girl's office at the end of the Calvary battle due to blood loss from overusing her quirk.

"What the hell happened?" Korudo shouts, getting in Izuku's face as soon as Taketsu is taken off the field. "She was on your own goddamn team, why weren't you watching out for her!?"

"It's very distressing what happened to Taketsu but it is not Midoriya's responsibility to manage her," Iida interjects with narrowed eyes. "Nor is it yours to manage him."

"You think you can talk to me that way because you're in the hero course?" Korudo says, stomping forward to challenge Iida but Shinsou grabs him by the shoulder.

"Korudo, don't make a spectacle of yourself just because you lost," Shinsou says, looking calm again. "No one is happy to see Taketsu like that but you know her, she's tough, she'll be fine."

"She was doing it for me," Izuku mumbles, looking down at his hands which are stained with her blood. "She didn't need to push herself that hard but she was doing it so Iida, Hatsume and I could qualify." He squeezes his eyes shut to hold back tears. "She told us that she couldn't handle blood loss well and I kept using her anyway."

"That is untrue Midoriya, you were the only one to notice her condition and tried to stop her from bleeding out further." Iida looks away in shame, "It pains me to admit that I was so preoccupied with victory that I did not pay Taketsu the attention she needed. You were right in chastising me, I humbly offer my apologies."

"Yeah well your apologies don't mean jack, Taketsu still had to be dragged off on a stretcher!" Korudo shouts, straining against Shinsou.

"Korudo," Shinsou says darkly and Izuku sees what's happening before it occurs.

"No, you stay-" Korudo's gaze becomes glassy and he stops struggling.

"I understand that you're upset about losing and concerned for Taketsu so go to Recovery Girl and see if you can help. Try and find Takamitsu too while you're at it." Shinsou commands softly, watching as Korudo turns and walks measuredly off the field and into one of the tunnels. Around them, the Festival continues on in full swing, oblivious to the drama in their little group.

"That's quite the quirk you have," Iida says but Izuku can see the distrust in the taller boy's gaze. He's starting to see why Shinsou had been so bitter and unhappy at the start of the term.

"It really is and he'll go on to do great things with it as a hero," Izuku reaches over grips Shinsou's shoulder. "Congrats on getting through, I knew you would." Shinsou gives a small smile and some of the tension leaves Izuku.

"Speaking of quirks, Midoriya, I'm very curious about yours. I didn't see you use it during the battle, how exactly does it work?" Well Izuku did promise to tell him, didn't he?

"Yeah, about that," Izuku starts off, rubbing his neck. He looks over to Shinsou who just rolls his eyes. "I uh actually, you know it's kind of funny, in a way, but I uh, you know, sort of... don't have a quirk," he squeaks out and Iida blinks.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard you right, did you say you were-"

"Quirkless? Yep," Shinsou supplies, "and yet if I recall he still managed to place first in both the obstacle course and the cavalry battle. Didn't over half of 1-A and 1-B not qualify, even with their amazing quirks?" Iida frowns at Shinsou's easy going expression but Izuku just smiles. They might not get along all the time but he can always count on Shinsou to understand.

"Come on, Midoriya, let's get lunch and compare notes on the preliminaries. We can also check up on Taketsu." Shinsou says, lightly grabbing ahold of Izuku's arm and pulling him away.

"Bye Iida, thanks for your hard work out there and good luck in the upcoming matches," Izuku says as he allows himself to be led.

"Of course, you as well," Iida replies but there's something in his voice, doubt maybe, that hadn't been there before. Izuku turns away and tries not to let shame overtake him. You would think he'd be used to this kind of reaction by now.

"Don't let him get to you, Midoriya. Not all of the hero kids are bad, but guys like him and your Kacchan, they've had it made all their life. They don't know what it means to have to work for their power, for respect," Shinsou sneers. "That's why we need to shove it in their faces how capable we are."

"Look, I get that but don't you think you're being a little-"

"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupts, "may I speak to Midoriya for a moment?" Izuku turns and finds Todoroki, son of the Number Two Hero. Some of Taketsu's blood is still stained on his arms and uniform. Izuku bites his lip, he hopes she's doing okay.

"Sorry but we need to prepare for our matches," Shinsou hisses.

"Shinsou, it's alright, really," Izuku answers genially. "It's just for a minute, right? I'll meet up with you and the others in Recovery Girl's office, okay?" Shinsou still continues to glare. "Okay?" Izuku emphasizes again and Shinsou turns his glare onto him and before stalking off.

"Yeah, well don't come crying to me when your new pal kicks you to the curb when he finds out who you really are." Izuku looks at his friend's retreating back in exasperation. Tensions were high today but one conversation with another boy didn't mean Izuku is abandoning their friendship. He wonders if Shinsou's had enough experience with people to know that.

"I'm sorry if I've caused trouble," Todoroki says awkwardly. "I promise this won't take long."

"It's fine, it's just been a stressful day. By the way, great job in the cavalry battle. Your team was amazing, it was only pure luck that we kept the 10 million," Izuku says as they walk off the field. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh uh," Todoroki looks even more uncomfortable, "right, thanks, you too." He purses his lips and seems to steel himself. "Let's find somewhere more private to talk."

XxX

Izuku only vaguely remembers the walk to Recovery Girl's office. He certainly doesn't remember all the people congratulating him, telling him they couldn't wait to see his quirk. All he can focus on is Todoroki Shouto, the boy who had the power Izuku craved but a life that seemed out of a nightmare. He thinks of Todoroki's too cold expression, of the harsh burn marring his passive face and Izuku feels all out of sorts again.

"Why... why are you telling me this?" Izuku asked, his mouth dry after hearing Todoroki's story.

"Because you have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent," Todoroki answered quietly. He looked even more subdued than before if possible, like he was trying to hold onto that icy calm in the wake of such terrible memories. "This Festival is the opportunity for me to prove to my old man, to the world, that I don't need him or his power to win."

Todoroki looked down with disgust at his left hand. "What happened near the end of the battle was unfortunate and I assure you it won't happen again. I will never use my left in battle, if I do, I'll be the successor he wanted and justify all the suffering he's caused."

"Todoroki," Izuku whispered. This is too big for him to handle, he doesn't even know where to begin.

"I called you here to apologize for almost burning you but also to issue a formal challenge," Todoroki said with hard eyes. "You're acquainted with Bakugou, are you not? I assumed so judging by how you reacted to seeing him injured after USJ." Izuku winced. "I believed he was the one to beat in this Festival but then you came out of nowhere and changed everything."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You're looking to transfer to Heroics, aren't you?" Todoroki interrupted bluntly. "There's no other reason for a General Education student like you to push yourself so hard in this Festival unless you hope to get something out of it."

"I uh yes, I am actually," Izuku gulped. Todoroki nodded as he pushed himself away from the wall.

"You seem to have the intelligence to make it but I'll have to see your quirk before I can judge. If we meet again in the tournament, know that I'm going to win using only my mother's power. I expect you put forward your best effort if you really hope to transfer. I'm sorry I took up your time, enjoy the rest of your break." Todoroki turned to leave.

Izuku wasn't sure what to feel: hysterical laughter at the fact that one of the strongest hero kids thought the quirkless Gen Ed student was a challenge or an angry sorrow over Todoroki's situation. There was also a kind of frustration that Todoroki would challenge Izuku while he admitted to only putting in half effort. Either way, Izuku's emotions were a mess.

"Todoroki," Izuku called and the other boy stopped. "I'm sorry to hear what happened to you, I can't-I can't say anything that will make that situation better but," he looked up and stared into mismatched eyes. "I've worked very hard to get to here but the fact remains that I'm only here because of all the people who have supported me. I might not win today but I 'll make sure that I fight with everything I have, so I'll challenge you right back. Give me your best or maybe I'll be able to beat you."

Izuku sighs as he walks down the long hall. For all his big talk, that's all it was, talk. His quirklessness is going to come out sooner rather than later and the whole narrative is going to shift. Izuku will go from being the impossible underdog to the impossible idiot. Todoroki will probably chastise himself for wasting time on someone so far beneath him.

No, I can't think like that, Izuku thinks as he shakes his head to clear his thoughts and pushes his shoulders back. He's gotten this far on luck, true, but also because of his own skills and those of his teammates. For the sake of everyone who's supported him, he can't let himself fall into despair. Izuku reaches Recovery Girl's office and knocks on the door before poking his head inside.

"I uh, I'm looking for Taket-" Patrick's got his arms wrapped tightly around him in an instant and, to Izuku's mortification, he even picks him up off the ground.

"I am so proud of you, Midoriya! That's the Plus Ultra spirit I was talking about! Way to kick major ass out there!" Patrick glows, hauling Izuku further into the room like a sack of potatoes. "Everyone! Midoriya is here!"

"Oh is he, I hadn't noticed," Taketsu says with a light smile. She's propped up in bed with blood and fluids being given to her through an IV. She still looks tired and a bit pale, but she seems better than before. "It's so nice the first place winner decided to grace us with his presence," she teases. Korudo is sitting in a chair to her left, his face unreadable as he's hunched over. Shinsou is slouched in another chair in the far corner, still looking angry.

"It's-it's not like that! The thing is Todoroki uh," dumped his tragic background on me, "wanted to challenge me I guess, it was pretty weird, actually. Patrick, could you um..." as soon as Izuku is back on the ground he makes his way over to Taketsu's side. "I am so, so sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have overused you like that. This stupid tournament-"

"Stop," Taketsu commands, placing a finger on his lips. "Seriously guys, I am capable of making my own decisions and I don't need you to be looking out for me constantly. I think you understand that feeling, right Midoriya?" Izuku looks away.

"Besides, I'm anemic not dead, a bit of this stuff and I'm good to go. I'm still dropping out of the one on ones though, some hero kid with a bird head is taking my place. A couple of Shinsou's teammates dropped out too so it's not like I'm the only one." Taketsu says, giving his hand a quick squeeze, "I'm okay, I promise."

"Yep, Korudo and I will stay down here with her and keep her company so you and Shinsou can focus on your fights." Patrick elbows Korudo, "and speaking of which, this one has something he wants to say to you."

"I'm," Korudo begins slowly, still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry Midoriya, for my behavior out there. Shinsou was right, I was angry for not qualifying and worried for Taketsu. But what I said to you was uncalled for. I keep making you out to be some sort of weakling but the truth is you've got more talent and determination than I could ever hope for." Korudo looks up, "Seeing the ambition you and Shinsou have to be a hero is making me reevaluate my own reasons. It's a lot to think about but the two of you have earned the right to advance. We'll be cheering you on."

"Thanks, Korudo, that means a lot, really," Izuku says, trying not to get emotional again. "Shinsou and I will have to do our best to be worthy of your praise, won't we, Shinsou?" He says, looking over at his friend who is still sulking. "Come on, look, I'm sorry Todoroki interrupted us earlier but let's focus on how we can win moving forward." Shinsou turns to him with a dark glare, one Izuku hasn't seen since before they'd patched up their differences.

"You're still such an idiot, Midoriya. When are you going to stop being so goddamn naïve?" Shinsou spits out before pushing out of the chair and stalking out of the room. Izuku looks at the spot he'd vacated with a hurt expression.

"What was that about?" Izuku asks quietly, the others exchange worried looks.

"You must have missed it talking to the hero kid. They announced the rankings for the one on ones," Taketsu begins. "You're up first, Midoriya and you'll be fighting Shinsou."

XxX

"Hey guys are you ready? After whittling down the competition, finally we're getting into the meat of the Festival! And who could have predicted that our first battle of strength would feature two General Education students? The breakout student who stole the first half of the Festival but can he keep it up? Here he is folks, Midoriya Izuku!"

Present Mic announces at his normal screeching volume. Hitoshi watches as Midoriya mounts the stage looking utterly miserable but determined. Looks like he's finally realized how serious this is. Well it's about time and, really, this whole thing they had between them has been foolish from the start. Hitoshi should have known better than to become friendly with his rival. But that was all in the past, all that matters now is winning this match.

"And his opponent is, some other student from the Gen Ed department, Shinsou Hitoshi! Neither one of them has really shown us what they can do yet so this match could end up being very interesting!" Mic proclaims but Midoriya is still staring him down.

"Shinsou, no matter what happens here, we're still friends. May the better hero win," Midoriya says quietly so no one else can hear.

"I intend to," Hitoshi replies. Midoriya, for once, is wise enough not to answer.

"And begin!" Midnight shouts and, despite that, neither of them move for a moment. Then another moment passes and Midoriya is charging him. Hitoshi isn't an idiot, despite the techniques he's learned over the last few weeks, it's obvious who the superior fighter is. But despite all of that training and skill, Midoriya is still quirkless and, well, Hitoshi isn't. And that's what would decide the match.

"What are you going to do, Midoriya? Punch a hole in me? Maybe use some laser vision?" Hitoshi taunts as he sidesteps Midoriya's attack, just like the other boy had taught him. Midoriya turns quickly on his heel and moves to punch him in the face but Hitoshi ducks underneath it.

"Oh that's right you can't, because you're quirkless and that's why I deserve to win." Midoriya gives him a look but still doesn't speak. Instead, he winds up for another punch and this time it lands. Hitoshi winces and takes a few steps back clutching his jaw. Damn those gloves hurt.

How is Midoriya keeping quiet? He falls under Hitoshi's quirk all the time, willingly opening his mouth with no provocation. Unless, of course, all those times, Midoriya was letting himself be brainwashed. Hitoshi grits his teeth and keeps going.

"See? Is that all you can do? Hit me? Even my grandmother can do that!" Hitoshi shouts as he runs forward, swinging his own punches but Midoriya ducks under them and dives headfirst into his midsection. The breath is forced out of his lungs as he's pushed backwards, Hitoshi digs his heels in the ground to avoid being thrown out.

"I don't quite know what's happening down there folks! It looks like the boys are just straight out brawling in the ring. I gotta say, I didn't see this coming! Hey Eraser, wake up, can you see any quirks being used?"

"Face it Midoriya, you just don't have what it takes to be a hero. You think you can protect people, you couldn't even protect Taket-" Hitoshi shuts his mouth before he can go any further. Midoriya's eyes widen a fraction before he starts working harder to push Hitoshi out.

Hitoshi grits his teeth and twists his body so they overbalance and fall to the ground just shy of the boundary line. Damn, he just can't do it. He supposes he can't bring himself to pull out the real meaty, hurtful taunts for the same reason Midoriya still has his bō strapped to his back.

There may be no honor among thieves, but there is amongst friends.

How did he wind up in this position? He wants to win, doesn't he? So why isn't he doing absolutely everything in his power to take down Midoriya, regardless of how it makes him or the other boy feel? He's never needed anyone up before but this term has changed things. Hitoshi thinks it started with-

"-hostage situations, anything! I'm serious Shinsou, your quirk is amazing! You have the ability to stop fights before they happen, get villains to surrender without collateral. I can't believe the Hero department isn't begging for you to join up," Midoriya gushed during a training session. It was just the two of them today and, with Sports Festival only a week away, Hitoshi needed to be ready.

"Yeah, well not everyone feels the way you do," Hitoshi muttered self-consciously. He can't even think of the last time someone praised his quirk instead of seeing the negative aspects. It was nice and uncomfortable all at once.

"Well they're crazy. Look, we have an abundance of strong heroes who can fight and punch through walls. I mean, that's important too but Shinsou, we need more heroes like you who can find non-violent solutions to problems. Your quirk could revolutionize the industry," Midoriya explained enthusiastically.

"Can we just drop it, okay? I came here to train not to talk about my quirk," Hitoshi said, stretching the way Midoriya had showed him.

"We can train and talk at the same time, it exercises the mind as well as the body," Midoriya grinned. "I think you should work on your strategies, think of ways to get people to answer you. Once you get well known, people will know your quirk and learn to avoid it so you've got to-"

"Midoriya, stop," he said, more annoyed this time.

"One sec, let me think this through-"

"Stop," Hitoshi said again and, this time, Midoriya does, mostly because he's now under Hitoshi's control. He groaned to himself. Why was he such an idiot? He can't handle some kid talking nice about him so he's got to use his quirk? Now Midoriya was never going to help him, not after being taken over so many times. Midoriya took a deep breath as Hitoshi relinquished control.

"I'm sorry, Shinsou," what? "I guess I got caught up in my head, it happens sometimes. I didn't mean to push your boundaries, believe me, I know how aggravating it is. We can talk about something else." Hitoshi was still staring at him, was this kid dense? "What, did you make me draw on my face or something?"

"Why are you okay with that?" Hitoshi asked because he just can't ignore it, not if they're going to make this work. "I've used my quirk on you, took control of your body and you just... let it go." People have always judged him by his quirk before and downright vilified him if he ever used it on them. It didn't make sense for Midoriya to be so passive about it.

"Well did you do anything to me?" Midoriya questioned.

"Well no," he muttered.

"Did you want to do something to me?"

"No," he said resolutely with a frown.

"Then there we go, it's your quirk Shinsou, what makes it good or bad is how you use it," Midoriya shrugged. "And I know you would never use it hurt me. I mean, I can't say being mind-controlled is my favorite thing but I know it's just you, playing around or when I'm really pushing your buttons. I trust you, Shinsou."

"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't," Hitoshi looked away.

"Hey," Midoriya's hand was on his shoulder. "Friends trust each other. Just like you trust me not to hurt you when I do this." The boy punches him in the solar plexus and Hitoshi falls down on the ground. It stung but it's obvious Midoriya didn't hit him very hard. He extended out his hand for Hitoshi to take.

"It doesn't work like that," he muttered but accepted the hand.

"I'm pretty new to this too," Midoriya smiled as he pulled Hitoshi up, "but I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it works."

Izuku coughs and pushes himself up off the ground after Shinsou toppled them. His friend doesn't look hurt either as he gets to his feet. Izuku wipes the corner of his mouth, hating that he's in this position but determined to see it through. Shinsou is his friend but he's also a rival right now.

Only one of them could leave this ring, move on in the tournament and possibly get the open hero spot. It's so important to him, to both of them, and yet he just can't bring himself to hurt his friend. He's still trying to win but he's not going to go purposely hurt someone he cares about.

"Oh that's a nasty tumble, we haven't had a fight this subdued in a while but that doesn't make it any less intense! Oh hey look, I've got the records on our students!" Present Mic announces. "So Shinsou Hitoshi of 1-C has a, wow, a brainwashing quirk. Now that's quite something but it looks like Midoriya is holding up against it!"

"You can't hold out forever, Midoriya," Shinsou mutters as he picks himself back up. "I know you, you're too soft for your own good. I can sit here and bad mouth you all day but if I start talking about someone else, you go to pieces." Izuku tries to close his ears to whatever Shinsou has to say and instead swipes at his feet. Shinsou seems to anticipate this and jumps around him, scooting away from the border.

"Take me for example, you're the quirkless freak who could never be a hero but that's got to be better than being the brainwashing kid who has no choice in becoming a villain." Shinsou shouts, banging on his chest. "Not only could I not be a hero, I had to be a damned bad guy! All because I happen to be born with the wrong quirk! You heard what Chiura-sensei said, if I don't win here, I'll never get another shot!"

Izuku keeps his head low because if he looks into Shinsou's face, he just might open his mouth to protest. His friend knows that Izuku would rather take a thousand insults to himself rather than hear a friend disparaged, especially by himself. He fakes low, acting as if he's going to tackle Shinsou again but instead grips the other boy tightly by his shoulders and tries to push him out again.

"You think you can just push me out?" Shinsou demands. "I don't care how great a fighter you are, there's no way I'm going to let an idiot like you beat me." Shinsou brings up his knee into Izuku's gut which forces him to stop his assault. "You answer me Midoriya or I'll just keep talking until you do!"

He's right, of course. Shinsou is smart but he also saw the way the world worked a lot clearer than Izuku sometimes did. Izuku isn't going to get anywhere going easy on his friend, by treating him gently in a full out brawl like this.

They both knew Izuku is the better fighter and that, if he could keep quiet, this match would be his. And yet, Shinsou hasn't really said anything too hurtful, hasn't gone as deep as he could have. It's relieving in a way, but also heartbreaking because of what it allows Izuku do.

"Oh man, it's getting heated down there. Let's look at Midoriya's record and see what his hidden quirk is. I'm sure that's what all of you have been waiting to hear. Let's see, Midoriya is also in 1-C and he's got uh... got uh... hey, is this the right file?"

Shinsou is closer to the edge now. He's right that Izuku probably wouldn't be able to push him out, not with their size difference, but one of Izuku's first lessons with Rikimaru-shishou had been how to take down opponents bigger than him.

"I told you, you can't push me out!" Shinsou hisses, struggling in the hold, using the techniques Izuku taught him to escape but Izuku also knows how to reassert those holds. "I know you're better than this so either answer me or get it over with!" Izuku lets Shinsou get in a punch to the nose which gives Izuku the opportunity to grab his arm.

He sees the realization in Shinsou's eyes a second before he moves and it breaks his heart a little. He wrenches Shinsou around and uses his other arm to help lift Shinsou's body. He mouths an apology and, with the ease of a thousand practices, Izuku flips Shinsou over his shoulder and onto the ground where his feet land just outside of the ring.

"Shinsou is out!" Midnight announces. "Midoriya advances to round two." Izuku is breathing heavily, looking down at his friend as he wipes some of the blood coming out of his nose. Shinsou groans from the ground before slowly rolling over so he can push himself up.

"Are you okay?" Izuku yelps, instantly putting out a hand to help up his friend. Shinsou shoots him a dirty look.

"Don't you dare ask me that question, not now," his friend hisses as he ignores Izuku's open hand. Shinsou stands up and brushes the dirt off himself, a dark, heavy look on his face.

"Please, I'm sorry, we were both trying our best to win and-"

"Shut the hell up Midoriya, I don't want to hear it." Izuku frowns as tears built up behind his eyes. He didn't want it to end like this. They've come so far, build up a friendship from the ground up, they-

"So do you do this every day?" Shinsou asked suspiciously as he eyed Izuku like he was some kind of freak which he supposes he kind of was. Izuku probably deserved that look, but Shinsou brought it upon himself when he mentioned he was an All Might fan.

"Well not every day, most days I head to my master's dojo to train. But on rest days, if I'm not hanging out with you guys, I'm uh, yeah, I'm looking for All Might."

"And you invited me because?" Shinsou drawled, looking genuinely confused.

"Are you saying you don't want to meet the Number One in person? He works at our school, Shinsou; he has probably walked on the very tiles we are standing on right now. He's just-" Izuku took a steadying breath. "The man I have idolized my whole life, the reason I wanted to become a hero in the first place, is in this building somewhere. Of course I'm going to try and find him." Shinsou gave him a look.

"Look, you don't have to stay, I just thought you might be interested," Izuku replied self-consciously. He liked the others but none of them loved heroes like Izuku did, wanted to be a hero so badly it hurt. He'd thought he'd found a kindred spirit in Shinsou but it could have been wishful thinking on his part.

"So have you actually seen him?" Shinsou asked quietly.

"No!" Izuku shouted before covering his mouth and leaning closer to the taller boy to whisper. "I have scouted this school at all hours of the day and I can't find a blond hair anywhere. Only the 1-A students see him and that's only during class. I see that one hero girl more than I've seen All Might and she's invisible."

"So do you have a plan or are you just going to continue stalking the school until you find him?" Shinsou asked and Izuku could only grin.

"I'll have you know I was a very dedicated hero chaser back in the day; I have good instincts for this sort of thing." Izuku looked around another corner and, surprise, All Might wasn't there. Izuku was thinking he'll be graduated before he saw the man. "But I am open for suggestions."

"Have you checked around the lawn? He's got to come and go at some point so maybe we can catch him as he's leaving," Shinsou suggested.

"Hmm, yeah that could work. He usually does hero work after his class so it's possible, I guess it's better than running around the empty halls." Izuku concluded and they walked in semi-awkward silence towards the outdoor exit.

"So All Might inspired you to be a hero, huh?" Shinsou asked. "You said that before but you neglected to mention that you're kind of obsessed with him."

"I'm pretty sure that's not the first thing you say when you're trying to make new friends," Izuku muttered.

"I guess not," Shinsou acknowledged but there's definitely a smile on his face. "But in a way, I don't blame you. All Might is pretty amazing, people see him and just instantly feel safe. His presence alone is enough to make people happy, to make them trust him. It's, that's what I want to be, if I ever get that far."

"Yeah," Izuku said with a bright smile because, finally, someone gets him. "He's strong and he's powerful but he's also so kind and soothing. I don't know how he manages it, with his power, he should be terrifying and yet he's not! That's the ideal to aim for, to be a hero like All Might."

"Yeah," Shinsou sighed. "So what will you do, if you see him?"

"Cry?" Izuku answered because, honestly, it'll probably happen. "Then I'd um like to ask him if he thinks it's possible for someone like me to be a hero. It's dumb and all but I feel like if All Might says I can do it then, I don't know, maybe it can really happen."

"It's a little dumb," Shinsou said, "but, yeah, I'd probably ask the same thing."

Shinsou doesn't look back as he walks off the stage, his fists clenched angrily by his side. Izuku watches him leave, deciding whether or not chasing after his friend will make it worse. Why did it have to be like this? Why did he have to fight his friends to move forward? If this is what being a hero is about, then maybe he didn't want it.

"Shinsou wait!" Izuku calls as he ignores Midnight's congratulations to chase after Shinsou. The whole hero community as a whole, even All Might himself, couldn't keep Izuku from reaching his friend. "Please, just talk to me!"

"Just stop it already!" Shinsou says, his shoulders hunching over. "I keep telling you, you're too goddamn nice." Shinsou turns and his eyes are wet and angry but strong. "Don't apologize to me for winning, you idiot. You wanted it just as badly as I did and you got it. Now you go out there and show those idiots what it means to be a hero. You get all the way to the top and you keep the door to 1-A open for me cause I'll be catching up real soon."

"Shinsou," Izuku blubbers, "I will, I promise." He puts out a fist and grins tearfully when Shinsou reciprocates, gently bumping their knuckles together.

"Unbelievable folks! It may have been a quiet battle but listen to this! Midoriya Izuku, the Gen Ed student who took the preliminaries by storm, is actually quirkless! Who could have ever seen this turn of events? How does the boy without a quirk hope to stand a chance against some of Yuuei's finest?"

"You'd better be ready, Midoriya," Shinsou says as he turns and walks into the tunnel. "It's only going to get harder from here on out."

Wah! Thank you so much for all your responses, I'm glad you liked the last chapter because it just keeps picking up in intensity from here on out. This battle is fairly quiet compared to the last one but it really puts Izuku and Shinsou on the spot, shows how they've grown as friends and people. I'm sure you all know what's coming next so please stop by, it's a doozy of a fight and I am so hyped to share it!