Chapter Six:

While Izuku was still stunned, Shouto quickly explained the story of his parents' quirk marriage, the scar on his face, and his resolve not to use his fire side.

Izuku stammered, "B-but, not using half your quirk could—" He cut himself off abruptly. Shouto was one of the main contenders to win the Sports Festival. If he planned to seal away half his power, then it would be irresponsible of Izuku to talk him out of it. No matter what psychological damage this might be doing to Shouto, it was still better than ending up dead. And if Izuku didn't win the Sports Festival, someone would die.

Weakly, Izuku finished, "—what does this have to do with your brother?"

Shouto swallowed. "My older brother had a strong fire quirk, but a body suited to ice. It was the result of my father's self-centered eugenics experiment. Touya was my father's first attempt to surpass All Might, but his body couldn't handle his own quirk. During training, he burst into flames and died."

"I'm sorry," Izuku said. He finally understood now why Shouto had been unable to watch Izuku hurt his body with his laser quirk. "Your family's loss…I can't imagine it. I'm so very sorry. Wait, if your brother is dead, then how can he be Dab—my mentor?"

Shouto's eyes, previously dark with the shadows of his past, begun to sparkle with enthusiasm. "Clearly he faked his own death! Trust me, if you'd ever met my father, you'd completely understand why someone would pretend to be dead to avoid him." Shouto whipped out a folder from behind his back. "I've compiled all the evidence. First, a picture of Touya Todoroki."

This guy really likes conspiracy theories, huh? Izuku looked at the picture of the boy with white hair. "Uh, I don't think he looks that much like my mentor. They have different colored hair."

"Clearly he dyes it," Shouto said dismissively. "The scars make it difficult to recognize him by face, but the shape of their heads is very similar. See, I wrote up an analysis in Appendix A. Your mentor also has a quirk that he can't control. It's a fire quirk, right?"

"Ummmmm," Izuku said. He had no idea what Dabi's quirk might be. Should he deny it? What if he later turned out to be wrong, wouldn't that be more suspicious? "I can't reveal any private information from our group meetings."

"You don't have to tell me, I know," Shouto said. "I noticed the slightly warmer air around him. It's a dead giveaway to another fire user."

"Oh," Izuku said, glad he hadn't lied then gotten caught. He filed away that bit of information.

Shouto continued, "Your mentor had a T-shirt dissing Endeavor. He ran away from an abusive father. Everything fits!"

I just made up the abusive dad, though. Dabi having a quirk that hurt his body had been an educated guess based on his scars, but the rest had been total nonsense. Izuku said, "The world is full of bad dads. I've got one too, but I don't think I'm Endeavor's lovechild." He laughed very weakly.

Shouto leapt forward and clasped Izuku's hands. "Please, let me meet with your mentor just once."

"Absolutely not," Izuku said. No, Izuku was not going to tell a villain that a hero student had mistaken him for a deceased older brother. Best case scenario, Dabi would bust a gut laughing. In the worst case scenario, All for One might suggest that they could use this to steal Shouto's rare and valuable quirk.

"Please!" Shouto held on tightly. "This would mean everything to my family. My siblings miss him. My mother blames herself. If she could see Touya again, she might finally recover."

Except it was all based on a lie. Izuku's stomach twisted. "I'm sorry, but I'm certain my mentor isn't your brother. Based on what he's confidentially told me during our meetings, his family background is completely different."

Shouto didn't let go of Izuku's hands. "If Touya was hiding from our father, then of course he'd change up his story."

"Look, if your brother was alive and never came to see your family, then he doesn't want to be found."

"Maybe Touya doesn't know how much Mom has been missing him and crying over his death. Please, if I beat you in the Sports Festival, then let me meet my older brother!"

"Why would I give you even more incentive to beat me?" Izuku screamed. Fighting Shouto's amazing quirk would be difficult enough already. Getting his opponent all fired up before their battle would hardly help him. "How about this? If you lose to me, then I'll let you meet anyone you want."

Shouto recoiled in shock, finally releasing Izuku's hands. "You want me to throw a fight?"

The old Izuku would have been horrified at the notion. The new Izuku couldn't afford any scruples. Izuku crossed his arms. "That's right. If you want to meet your brother, then lose to me."

"But what about my need to prove to my father that I can win with only my ice?" Shouto frowned. "Wait, can't I just follow you next time you meet with my brother?"

"No!" Izuku shrieked. As a spy, he couldn't afford to have a hero student following him around while he met with villains. "Fine, I'll investigate if my mentor is your older brother. If he's not, then you'll leave him alone."

"I'll help you uncover the truth," Shouto said.

"You will not!"

"If I beat you in our match, then you'll let me accompany you. If not, I'll let you speak to my big brother alone but help with the investigation from the shadows."

Izuku cried, "I keep telling you, I'm not going to give you additional incentive to win against me! Your power is amazing enough already."

"You think my quirk is amazing?" Shouto flushed. "But it's a curse…"

Izuku's temper snapped. "I don't want to hear that from the person with the most awesome ability in class! I know you've been through a lot in the past because of your quirk, but not having any power is also suffering!"

Quietly, Shouto said, "I wonder if that's how my big brother felt…I need to understand him more in order to reunite him with my family…I'll think about your words. Thank you."

The end of lunch break sounded, letting Izuku escape. His stomach hurt too much to eat, anyway.

Cementoss stood next to a tube reaching out of the stadium, his eyes narrowed as he created a square arena for the one-on-one matches. Even in his current state of nerves, Izuku couldn't help being a little fascinated by such a cool quirk. Cementoss even added the U.A. logo with a flourish.

Izuku's attention was drawn back to the screen as Midnight announced the matchups. Instinctively, his eyes went to Katsuki's name. They were in opposite brackets, meaning more chances for someone else to beat his childhood friend first. Izuku hoped for that outcome. He didn't fear that fight, in fact he had an idea for how to win it, but he really, really didn't want to use that particular tactic.

The very first match would be Izuku against Aoyama. Izuku winced. This was not ideal. Ever since All for One's declaration, Izuku had created detailed plans in his notebooks for how to counter the quirks of every single member of Class 1-A. But Aoyama had no quirk, and judging from the cavalry battle, he'd acquired new support equipment for this competition. During his lunch break Izuku had quickly planned out how to defeat Aoyama's current equipment, but he might very well swap in different equipment for each fight. That was the advantage to a quirkless hero: someone who could quickly change their powers based on circumstances. If not for prejudice, Izuku firmly believed there would be many quirkless heroes already.

Aoyama nudged his shoulder. "How fateful, for former allies to become enemies! Que le meilleur gagne. In other words, as you said, may the best man win."

"Yeah," Izuku said numbly. If the best man won, Aoyama would die, so Izuku had damn well better not let that happen. Aoyama had obtained a dark visor over his eyes. So much for the flash bomb tactic. Dark cloth had been wrapped around his arms and legs to hide the precise details of his support equipment, but Izuku estimated from the bulges that he'd obtained something new. Aoyama also had a filter over his mouth to block another Carbon Monoxide Laser. This was definitely not a good matchup.

Sweat dripped down Izuku's face as he walked into the ring. Present Mic shouted, "For the first match, it's the star who has been dominating this competition, Izuku Midoriya!"

A roar of boos rose up from the crowd. The stadium had thinned out due to people leaving in fear of radiation, but those who remained seemed determined to make up for their smaller numbers with the volume of their voices.

"None of that," Present Mic said sharply. "Remember, fighting dirty is completely acceptable in this competition."

Chanting rose up from the crowd: "Villain! Villain! Villain!"

Izuku's shoulders hunched up. He thought he'd come prepared for this. He'd known his strategy would be looked down upon, even if he hadn't anticipated quite this strong a backlash. But this hatred was on an entirely different level. They screamed "villain" like it was a slur.

Present Mic shouted, "That is a child! A fifteen-year-old boy who has done nothing wrong! You should be ashamed of yourselves. Anyone who boos will be removed from the stadium."

In response, someone threw a can at Izuku. This person had better aim than most—Izuku had to leap sideways to avoid being clobbered.

U.A. staff moved forward to make good on Present Mic's threat, escorting numerous rowdy people from the stadium. The cacophony rose as these people protested their eviction. Over the noise, Present Mic shouted, "Yuga Aoyama is U.A.'s first quirkless student and class president."

But no one was listening. Even Present Mic's announcer voice could be barely heard over the chaos. Izuku glanced at his classmate. Aoyama's lips were flat and his eyes blazed. Was Aoyama angry because his debut as the first quirkless hero had been ruined? That was Izuku's fault, too.

Closing his eyes, Izuku wished for this match to be over already.

Sitting in Nezu's office, Toshinori's finger compulsively tapped his knee. His eyes were glued to the television screen showing the Sports Festival. With each boo, the lines on his face deepened. He said, "Distributing out air filters and gas masks among the students seems unfair to young Midoriya. You've denied him one of his greatest weapons."

From behind his desk, Nezu said, "That was for Midoriya's sake as much as the other students. He's poisoned by his own gas whenever he uses it. The fact that he is only able to remain standing due to repeated exposure is…troubling. I've seen many young hero students hurt themselves due to a drive to win. I believe Aizawa was quite serious about tying Midoriya to a stretcher and carrying him away to the hospital if he tries to use Carbon Monoxide Laser one more time."

"Maybe that's not a bad idea," Toshinori muttered. "It would be unfair to young Midoriya to only disqualify him, of course, but have you considered shutting down the Sports Festival? I know the other students will be disappointed, but this—" he gestured at the TV "—is looking very, very bad. I'm deeply concerned for young Midoriya's future."

"So am I. Even if we throw out the entire audience, we can do nothing about the people watching and commenting online." Nezu raised a paw to his forehead, an uncharacteristic gesture of weariness. "But right now, if we withdraw Midoriya or shut down the Sports Festival, we'll make everything even worse for him. U.A. has been served with a lawsuit for allowing our audience to be exposed to radiation. The so-called victims have been kicking up an enormous fuss on television. It's complete nonsense. We'll easily win in court. But if the Sports Festival ends early, it will look like an admission of guilt. No matter the truth, we'll lose in the court of public opinion. Midoriya's hero career will be over."

"Lawsuits?" Toshinori frowned. "There are always scammers looking to take advantage, but this happened too fast. Almost like someone with media influence is pulling the strings."

"The thought has crossed my mind. U.A. has already been targeted by villains who used reporters to infiltrate us before. Someone might be trying to smear our reputation, with Midoriya as an innocent causality."

Toshinori's shaking hands gripped his knees. "This feels unnatural to me. In the past, plenty of students have won the Sports Festivals with much dirtier tactics and been cheered. Many people love dark antiheroes. Is this madness all about paranoia over radiation?"

Nezu sighed. "That's part of it. But the problem isn't just the tactics Midoriya used, it's that all of his fights have been boring. In the first round, he won by strolling slowly across the obstacle course while everyone else lay on the ground. In the second round, he won by hiding. As you said, humans love strong assholes, but only when they act interesting. People have come to expect heroes to be a source of entertainment as much as protection. The greatest sin a hero can commit is being dull."

Toshinori shook his head. He muttered, more to himself, "This isn't the society I wanted to build or the heroism I sought."

"I'd hoped Midoriya could create more of an antihero image in the one-on-one matches, but in the crowd's current mood, it may already be too late. The longer this goes on, the more negative attention will focus on him. He needs to get out of sight and let someone else become the focus of the Sports Festival." Nezu's gaze became distant and sad. "At this point, the best thing that poor boy could do to save his hero career would be to lose."

Inko sat with her nose closer to the television screen than recommended by doctors. She'd wrung her handkerchief until it had started to fray in her hands. After seeing the crowd boo her son, she was so angry she couldn't even cry.

Tomura sat on the sofa next to her, scrolling through his phone. He grunted. "You should see what people are saying about Player Two online."

"I'd rather not," Inko said faintly. Her nerves couldn't take it. Tomura had told her about the stakes riding on her son's fight.

"That's how the world works. If you've got the wrong quirk, then you can't even live normally in society, much less become a hero." Tomura sounded matter-of-fact about it. He patted Inko's shoulder. "Player Two still has our side. It might be for the best if he loses so he can get his first kill over with. I resisted for years when Sensei told me to just hurry up and decay someone, but I felt better after I got it over with. Sensei was right. Sensei is always right."

Inko shivered. She didn't want comfort from Tomura right now, didn't want him touching her, but she didn't dare let on. Tomura was the only person here to show any sympathy for her. She needed to continue making him see her as a person, in hopes that one day he might hesitate if All for One ordered her death. Her son had given her an opportunity with Tomura, and the least she could do was seize it to the fullest.

Inko wanted to survive, but she wished she could tell her son that it was okay if he had to let her go. She'd never want to sacrifice a child's life in her place, especially not if that child turned out to be her son's childhood friend who she loved like a nephew. But if Katsuki took first place in the Sports Festival, then making that choice would destroy her kindhearted boy.

So Inko clutched her handkerchief even tighter and prayed, Please win, Izuku.

Aoyama leapt toward Izuku, the rockets on his legs activating. Already prepared, Izuku darted sideways and activated his laser.

Instead of dodging, Aoyama raised his hands. A mirror flashed in his palms. The laser bounced off.

Izuku barely leapt away in time. The reflected laser sizzled where his feet had been. For the first time in the Sports Festival, a genuine smile tugged at his lips. "Nice move."

"Merci," Aoyama murmured with a tilt of his head.

In the crowd, a pink-haired girl leapt to her feet and applauded. "Those are my babies! Go Aoyama!"

If he didn't want to lose, Izuku had better not give Aoyama time to show off all his new equipment. Nor could his stomach handle a prolonged match. He had to use another dirty tactic. Izuku activated Electromagnetic Pulse Laser.

In response, the equipment on Aoyama's arms sputtered and died.

Here was the weakness of a hero who relied on support equipment. Aoyama's dream to become the first quirkless hero had great value to Izuku as a former quirkless person. And Izuku would have to be the one to smash that beautiful dream to pieces.

Aargh, Izuku was being melodramatic and self-pitying. Aoyama's dream to become a hero wasn't going to end because he finished in the top sixteen of the Sports Festival. He'd already come further than most students. It was just, if Izuku had been playing this as a game, he would have been delighted to let Aoyama show off all his abilities instead of skipping straight to Electromagnetic Pulse Laser. But since this was more than a competition to him, he needed to finish the match as fast as possible.

Not giving Aoyama time to recover, Izuku lunged forward and grabbed the other boy around the waist. From a distance, Aoyama could deflect his lasers, so Izuku had to get into close combat.

Instead of trying to flee, Aoyama grabbed Izuku back. Aoyama twisted his body so that he was behind Izuku and the naval laser pointed away from him. Then grappling hooks shot from Aoyama's arms to wrap around Izuku. These must be the cause of the bulkiness under his clothing. These more primitive devices did not rely on electronics. "Got you," Aoyama whispered.

At this point, Izuku realized he should have been less concerned with his opponent's dream and more concerned with not losing.

Aoyama threw Izuku upside down, about to German Supplex his head into the hard ground.

Glass gleamed from the booth where Present Mic and Aizawa watched the battle. Izuku had no time to calculate his trajectory—he could only act. His laser burned through the ropes around him and bounced off the glass window.

Aoyama cried out as the laser came close enough to singe his bangs. Not a direct hit. But good enough to loosen his grip. Izuku landed on his back instead of his head. The impact rocked through his body.

Blinded by the sun, Izuku fired his laser again without looking and without heeding the pain in his stomach. A good thing, too—he seared through the ropes before they could grab him again.

As Aoyama's blurry form loomed over him, Izuku fired his laser straight into his opponent's eye shield. It bounced off and hit the ground—as planned. The impact sent dust and debris flying. A huge chunk of concrete struck Aoyama in the midsection.

Izuku's stomach screamed. He did not know if he could produce another laser. He had to win here and now. Izuku grabbed the falling Aoyama by his arm and swung him out of the arena.

Midnight cried, "Aoyama is out of the ring."

Izuku sank to his knees, panting and nearly weeping in relief. He staggered to his feet and extended a helping hand. "You were amazing, Aoyama. I thought it was over after I disabled your equipment, but you never gave up. Good match. And…I'm sorry that all my personal problems overshadowed our battle. You deserved more attention."

Aoyama accepted the hand up. "Non, non, I am the one who feels sorry toward you. This crowd's unsportsmanlike behavior angered me so much I nearly did not want to beat you." He glanced up at the silent bleachers. Under Present Mic's threat, the audience was no longer booing. But they did not cheer as the crowd always did after each match. Grim silence weighed down the air. Aoyama sighed and clapped Izuku's shoulder. "Mon ami, I am worried for you."

After his match, Izuku sought out Ochaco in the waiting room. He plastered a fake smile on his face. "I heard that you're Katsuki's first opponent. We've been friends ever since childhood. If you want, I can give you a strategy to beat him." He held up his notebook. "Please hear me out."

The temperature of the room dropped so sharply that Izuku looked around to make certain Shouto Todoroki hadn't entered. Eyes narrowed, Ochaco said, "Given that you're friends with Bakugo and passing acquaintances with me, it's odd that you'd offer to help me."

Izuku fiddled with his notebook. "I'm chivalrous?"

"You'd rather face me in the finals than Bakugo. You want me to win because you think I'm weaker."

Izuku winced. She was right, but not for the reason she thought. Izuku understood Kacchan as only two people who had been together since preschool could. He knew exactly how to win that fight. Izuku didn't even need to break Katsuki's wrists when he knew exactly how to break his friend's mind. But if he went that far, their friendship might never recover. So here Izuku was, desperately trying to find someone else to beat Katsuki for him. It was not his finest moment, and he knew it.

Ochaco concluded, "You once told me that heroes shouldn't need help, so I suppose you offering it to me proves just how worthless and pathetic you think that I am."

"No, I didn't mean that, I swear…are you sure you don't want to at least look?" Izuku held out his notebook.

Ochaco made no move to take it. Her expression was neutral and her tone was ice-cold. "During the cavalry battle, Bakugo was boasting about how you two would have the most awesome battle between rivals in the finals. I can tell he cares a lot about you and has a high opinion of your abilities. He's sincerely rooting you on make it to the finals. I think you should value your friendship with him more and focus on helping him, not me. Especially since I don't see the two of us ever becoming friends."

Damn. Izuku had never before been so politely yet savagely eviscerated. When someone as nice as Ochaco told you that you were an asshole, then you knew it was true.

Hanging his head, Izuku withdrew the notebook. "I understand. I won't bother you any further. I'm sorry for calling you weak on the first day of school. It wasn't true, and besides, you stopped me from falling at the entrance exam so I had no right to say that to you. I was having a bad day, and I unfairly took it out on you. I promise I'm not saying this to try and convince you to take my notes. I really am sorry." He turned and left quickly.

Ochaco Uraraka's strategy against Katsuki was every bit as good as the one Izuku would have given her. She fought well until the bitter end. Despite her loss, it was a fight to be proud of. Izuku wished the two of them could have been friends.

The match also proved that Katsuki could fight smart when he felt pressured. He was a deadly opponent. Izuku still believed he had good odds of beating his childhood friend fairly, but he couldn't accept any risk of defeat. He had to be certain. No matter what he had to do in order to win.

In the distance, Izuku watched as Shouto faced off against the girl from Class 1-B with plants for hair. He immediately summoned up a wave of ice to freeze her.

Izuku carefully analyzed how Shouto's body developed a layer of frost when he used his quirk. Shouto would be his opponent in the next match.

As Present Mic gave his introduction for Todoroki versus Midoriya, the stadium was completely silent. Two-thirds of the audience had left or been removed, and the threat of further expulsions had silenced the boos. Instead, hundreds of hate-filled eyes bore down on Izuku. He sweated under the pressure. Faintly, he could make out the faces of the people in the front row, their scowls contorted with inhuman revulsion. The murderous silence was even worse than the boos. Izuku felt like a spider trapped under a glass cup, being glared at by an arachnophobe. The loathing hung so thick in the air that it prickled the backs of his arms. They did not need to scream "villain" at him. He knew what they thought by the way they looked at him as if he was not even human.

Shouto directed a very small smile at Izuku before putting on his mask. This only made Izuku feel even more sick to the stomach. The people who'd been the nicest to him were the same people he had to crush.

The instant the match started, Shouto directed a wave of ice at Izuku. Having seen last match, Izuku was already running sideways. Skirting the edges of the ring in a dangerous way, he bounced his laser off the ice and aimed for Shouto's midsection.

Shouto tossed up another icicle as a shield. This at least brought Izuku enough time to run back into the middle of the ring. The intense cold made his legs shake.

Shouto was shivering, too. A layer of frost ran down his hairline to his arm. If he'd been using his fire half, then he could have warmed himself up. But he'd already vowed not to do that.

Izuku felt afraid for what would happen to Shouto if he kept rejecting that half of his power. At the same time, Izuku saw a weakness to be exploited.

Too fast for Izuku to be prepared, Shouto shot out another wave of ice. This time, Izuku could not completely dodge without being blasted out of the ring. He burned a hole in the middle, enough to tuck his body into. The cold walls pressed around him on both sides, chilling him to the bone.

The crowd cheered. They wanted to see Izuku fall. The mob wanted blood.

Shouto raised his hand, about to send out another wave of ice. The tips of his fingers were frosted over. His arm quivered. Quickly, he blew on his fingers, then resumed his attack.

That moment gave Izuku just enough time to squirm out of the ice and slide down the other side. A few icicles frosted over his hair. The crowd sighed in disappointment.

Izuku wanted to tell Shouto that his power was his own. He wanted to point out the hypocrisy of Shouto trying to save Izuku from a quirk that damaged his body while completely neglecting his own health. Izuku was probably the only person Shouto would listen to about this. Because Shouto had shared his past, because Shouto had seen his older brother's ghost in Izuku, that put Izuku in a unique position to get through to his classmate. Izuku could be Shouto's hero.

Shouto was a good person. Right now, Izuku couldn't afford to be a good person.

Izuku dropped to his knees clutching his stomach in fake pain. Deliberately, he let a very small bit of light slip out from his midsection as if he had stopped being able to control his laser. He cried out, "It hurts! I'm burning up inside." He picked those words knowing full well what they would do to Shouto, whose older brother had burned alive.

In an instant, Shouto lowered his arm and busted apart his own ice to run to Izuku's side.

Present Mic shouted, "Are you able to continue, Midoriya? You have to say the words if you need to give up."

Wrapping his arms around himself, Izuku moaned. He kept a careful eye on Shouto's shadow approaching. An easy crier, he summoned tears to fall from his eyes and freeze to his cheeks. His head lolling, Izuku whispered, "It burns…I think I'm dying…please…help me…"

Shouto extended his arms in an embrace. "You're going to be just fine, I promise." He looked over his shoulder. "Someone call Recovery Girl! Who cares about the fight? Can't you see that he's in pain?"

As soon as Shouto's head was turned away, Izuku straightened and sucker-punched his opponent in the stomach. When Shouto fell over, Izuku chopped him on the back of the neck just to be sure.

The crowd hissed. A lone man in the back leapt to his feet and screamed, "BOO! BOO! I DON'T CARE IF YOU THROW ME OUT! BOO BOO BOO!"

Present Mic said, "That was, uh, a tactic. Match goes to Midoriya! Remember, dirty tactics are allowed!" But Present Mic sounded uncertain. He was having trouble defending this. And he didn't even fully understand the cruelty of what Izuku had done because he didn't know about Shouto's past.

Izuku could have helped Shouto. Instead he'd turned his classmate's trauma against him in order to win. He was every bit the villain that the audience claimed him to be.

Izuku had planned out his fight with Tenya Iida. In his notebooks, he'd plotted battles with every member of Class 1-A, even those he considered unlikely to make it to the last round. He'd gathered information on Class 1-B too, focusing on the strongest members. He hadn't had time for general studies, and none of them had made it past the first round anyway.

However, Tenya was a tricky opponent because of his speed. Izuku knew Tenya would try to knock him out of the ring before he had time to properly fight. His original counterattack had involved the flash bomb laser, but he'd been forced to use that early. Now he had no choice but to target the engines on Tenya's legs, a more malicious plan requiring him to close the distance between them. Izuku would have preferred not to risk getting hurt before the finals.

As Izuku looked over his notes one last time, he spotted Midnight leaning against the stadium wall. She hissed into her phone, "Do you know which villain it was yet? Oh, gods. How is Tensei? Damn it, I'm sorry. If you're sure Tensei won't get out of surgery anytime soon, I don't think we should tell the younger Iida yet—he just walked into the ring for his semifinals match. "

Tenya had bragged about his older brother often enough for Izuku to recognize the name. Izuku's eyes narrowed.

Seeing Izuku watching, Midnight hung up. She faked a strained smile and gestured him into the ring.

Izuku's heart hammered as he stepped again into the silent arena with cold eyes beating down on him. He had to try. If nothing else, he might at least throw Tenya off his game during the match.

Facing Tenya, Izuku filled his voice with saccharine sympathy. "Is it okay for you to be here with your older brother in the hospital?"

Tenya paled. "My brother what?"

Ignoring Midnight waving for him to stop, Izuku gasped. "You didn't know? I heard that he's in critical condition and might not live past the hour. I assumed you would rush to his side."

Tenya whirled around to face Midnight. "I apologize, but I must surrender." Glancing over his shoulder, he shouted, "Thank you for telling me about my brother, Midoriya." With a puff of exhaust, he shot away.

Midnight's shoulders sagged, but she tried to sound peppy. "Match to Midoriya!"

An uncomfortable pit of guilt settled in Izuku's stomach. It had felt terrible to hear Tenya thank him. Why did good people assume everyone else was good too? Everyone but Tenya could clearly tell that Izuku had spilled the bad news in order to sabotage his opponent.

Even so, Izuku truly hoped that Tenya's brother would live.

Another defiant boo rose from the crowd. Izuku trudged off the arena. They couldn't possibly hate him more than he hated himself.

In the waiting room, Izuku received a text from an unknown number. It read, This is Principal Nezu. I struggled with whether to tell you this, but I feel you have the right to know. You're currently the source of very negative media attention, so much that you should not google your name right now. I know it's unfair, but reputation matters a great deal for a potential hero, even more than the competence you have already displayed. The finals match is your last chance to create a flashy and interesting match. I've attached a detailed plan about how you can create an image as a dark hero or antihero—

Izuku deleted the rest of the message without reading it. He knew the principal was right. But Izuku could not afford to save his reputation when he was trying to save Katsuki's life. Even if he told the teachers the truth, they might not be able to protect Katsuki. All for One had a teleporter on his side. And the heroes would never be able to find Inko in time to save her. There was a very real chance Izuku might watch both of his important people die if he tried to save them both.

If All for One wanted an entertaining show, then Izuku had no choice but to dance along to the villain's waltz. In his mind, Izuku could practically picture the smug smirk on the scarred lips. Izuku was not trying to win approval from the public—he needed to convince All for One that he was worth keeping around. That meant not only did he have to win, he needed to do it like a villain. Or like an asshole.

The text did give Izuku an idea. He sat down and started writing a letter. Perhaps he could hide it somewhere Katsuki would only find it if Izuku died. Then Katsuki would understand why.

Dear Kacchan,

Do you remember that day when you fell into the river and I tried to help you up, but you got angry? We fought until we both fell backward and couldn't stand up any longer. Afterward you told me about your insecurities and how everyone acted like you had to succeed because of your quirk, and I was happy that you trusted me enough to open up—

Izuku stopped and started over.

A villain took my mom. I think you'd forgive me if you knew that. I know you love her, just like me. You used to bug me all the time to trade moms. You even offered me your All Might card in exchange. Only a fellow fan can understand the magnitude of that—

This had been a terrible idea. Izuku could not risk a letter that might be found by the wrong person early. That would be such a stupid way to lose everything. He ripped the paper into tiny shreds, then burned the shreds with a quick laser burst.

Rising to his feet, Izuku headed to the final match of the Sports Festival.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Friendship with Aoyama Ended

Izuku: Aoyama, I can't afford to lose this match, so I'm about to blackmail you with your darkest secret. You're not actually part-French, you just pretend to be. You're the Francophile equivalent of a weeaboo.

Aoyama: Noooooooo! Stop talking! I surrender!

#

Omake: The Alternate Tenya Fight

Izuku: Eh, maybe I'll make up a lie about Tenya's family member being injured to throw him off his game. Hey, your brother is in the hospital!

Tenya: Midoriya, thank you so much for telling me about Stain attacking my brother.

Izuku: My lie was right again? First Dabi as Touya, now this? Do I have a hidden prophecy quirk? ALL FOR ONE WILL CHOKE TO DEATH ON A GRAPE. Did it work?

Author's Note: I intended from the beginning to write a morally grey Izuku in this fic. And not the super-cool morally grey Izuku who swans around as a badass villain/vigilante/antihero. This Izuku is a scared kid in a horrific situation who will sometimes have to hurt innocent people in a desperate attempt to stop people he loves from dying. Izuku is doing his best, so please don't blame him too much no matter what goes down next chapter.