When the next day came, Izuku was once again, the first to arrive at Dagobah. All Might had messaged him the night before that they would be meeting here one last time to test if the transference of One For All was successful. Despite not getting the quirk himself, Izuku was very excited. Quirk science was his thing, and to be front row to quite possibly the single biggest anomaly in the history of quirks made his nerdy side very happy.

Plus, Uraraka-san was a good friend. Since they met, she has been nothing but pleasant to be around. Her bubbly personality and somewhat air-headed behavior at times made the whole endeavor all the more enjoyable. Sure, when they started, she was giving him strange looks that he couldn't place, and eventually, she was outright competing with him in some instances. But after her talk with All Might, things seemed to calm down a lot. Sure, she still competed with him from time to time, but never to the extent that she'd nearly pass out from exhaustion or throw up her lunch from quirk overuse.

He could honestly say that she was a valued friend of his who he cherished and respected deeply and he couldn't think of anyone else more deserving of All Might's power.

"Oh, well I guess it's her power now, isn't it?" Izuku said to no one in particular with a chuckle.

"Ah, Young Midoriya, early as usual, I see." All Might said conversationally as he and Uraraka walked along the sand.

"Morning, All Might! How're you feeling, Uraraka-san?" Midoriya asked politely. He sensed her ki from the day before and from now and there were no substantial differences besides it being... heavier? More pressurized.

"Honestly, kinda funny." Ochako said while lightly clutching her stomach. "Not like a bad funny, but like I'm about to burst!"

Ah, well that explains the ki reading, Izuku notes. "Well, have you tried using it since you got it?"

"Uh, no. All Might said not to and I uh, kinda don't know how to." She said while poking the tips of her fingers together.

Izuku gave All Might a flat look for a second before shrugging. "I guess that makes sense? No need to risk accidents."

"Precisely, Young Midoriya! One For All isn't just a strength enhancer, it supercharges quirks too. And I don't know about you two, but I'd rather be present to see what eight generations of past powers does to gravity manipulation." All Might admittedly had a point. "Well, whenever you're ready, Young Uraraka."

"You never said how to use it All Might." She pointed out and All Might had the grace to look embarrassed at that.

"O- oh. Right. All you have to do is square your shoulders, clench your buttchecks and yell SMASH!" He said confidently.

Izuku and Ochako both gave him a look. Then, to Izuku's surprise, Ochako actually turned away from them and reared her fist back towards the beach.

"Hey, Uraraka-san?" Izuku said while keeping a very dry gaze on All Might, who sheepishly looked away. Ochako paused in her motions. "Don't do that."

"H - huh?"

"That's terrible advice All Might." Izuku said bluntly.

"We - well you see, One For All always came naturally to me. When I got it, I could use it at 100% right away. So - so I just assumed..-"

If it was one thing Izuku was glad he got from his rival, was the ability to stare menacingly at someone. All Might wisely shut up.

"Now, Uraraka-san. I want you to level with me for a second, okay? What does One For All feel like?" Izuku finally stopped staring at All Might, but only for a second since his eyes immediately snapped back to him. This time with curiosity.

"Well uh," Ochako started intelligently. "It feels like a big hurricane howling through a forest on a moonless night with a starry sky." Oddly poetic, but Izuku rolled with it.

"Now, like Yagi-san said, when he got it, he could use it at max output. But I think it's safe to assume you two have completely different bodies."

All Might winced at being called Yagi-san. Was his advice that bad?

"Well, that and it's had roughly forty years to stockpile energy. I'd be frankly surprised if she could use even a fraction of that power without hurting herself." This was, apparently, the wrong thing to say. Young Midoriya actually gave him a withering look that he felt in his very soul. Young Uraraka looked shocked, before giving him a dirty look herself. It was not a good time to be the Symbol of Peace.

"Ignoring the fact that you sound like you knew she would get hurt, we're just going to pretend we didn't hear that." Izuku said slowly and with barely hidden irritation in his tone. Toshinori figured it was for the best. "I'm going to tell you the same thing Ryu-sensei told me when I achieved Denjin Renki. It might not be a perfect one to one comparison, but it might help. Energy is best used when it's channeled. At first, I didn't know what that meant, but it basically means that to use the power as best as you could, channel it through-out your whole body." Izuku explained, remembering the lesson. "Try to start from nothing and ease your way up."

All Might was a bit interested to know how Young Midoriya's power worked, so while Young Uraraka was focusing, he asked. "Is that what it's like when you power up?"

"Er, no. For me, it's like an on/off switch. There's no 'percentages' of Denjin Renki. It just is. It's either on or off."

All Might seemed satisfied enough with the explanation and nodded then they both turned back to Uraraka, who seemed to have had a breakthrough. Power welled up inside of her and red lines started to appear on her skin before pink energy resembling Izuku's own electricity appeared around her, albeit less chaotically. She looked like she was in pain before her face relaxed. "Whoa." Izuku couldn't help but to say.

"Amazing, Young Uraraka! And on your first try too!" He could've sworn her heard someone mutter 'no thanks to you', but he chose to ignore that. "Can you move like that?"

"I - I think so." Ochako took a step forward and moved ten meters before falling over and getting a face full of sand.

'Wow! She's so fast!' Izuku thought.

"That's incredible, Young Uraraka! You're so cool!" Toshinori said with two thumbs up. "How much power would you say you used just now?"

Ochako got up and after a full three seconds of sputtering sand, smiled. "Maybe like 4 or 5%."

"Ah, and since One For All has been cultivated, it's roughly as strong as 8 or 10% of my own power. All we need to do is test how it effects your quirk, and we can head to Young Midoriya's dojo."

Izuku was excited, they had so many things to test, that he couldn't even begin to list them all. So with the quickness of the wind, he took out his notebook.

All Might was confused since he was positive that Young Midoriya's muscle shirt nor his trackpants had pockets big enough for a notebook, but he didn't question it.

Young Uraraka however, did. "Where'd you get that?"

Izuku just ignored her. "Did you use your quirk today? Did it feel any different?"

"No?"

"Try activating One for All and using it on that trash heap." He said while point the tip of his pen (where'd he get that, All Might was flabbergasted) at the pile that hadn't yet been collected. And so, Ochako did. Purple sparks flared around her being, a bit more controlled than before before she reached out and touched a tire.

She expected the tire to have it's gravity removed but was stunned to see that the tire and everything touching it started to take on the noticeable pink glow of her quirk. "Um." She said eloquently.

Izuku was writing so fast that the paper was starting to smoke. "That's amazing. You said before that you could only make things weightless. Try doing the opposite and making them heavier."

Ochako did as instructed. She concentrated on trying to push on her quirk instead of letting it pull like it always did. To her surprise, several things started falling off the top of the pile and the more brittle things started to dent.

"That's pretty much what I thought. Maybe if you put more people into One For All it'll increase your range and effects? Perhaps you have a better range overall when you touch something since you now don't have to touch them directly? Maybe it has to be connected in some way? It has to be otherwise it wouldn't have worked on the whole pile at once. Can you maybe... mutter, mutter, mutter."

All Might hadn't recovered from his shock yet. He might've created a monster in Young Uraraka. A small part of him felt bad for whatever poor, unfortunate villain ran into this girl.

When they arrived at the dojo later that day, Izuku was a mess of nerves. On one hand, he was excited that his hero could finally meet the men who helped mold him into who he was today. But on the other, he noticed some of the stares All Might had given him over the past nine months. It was kind of hard not to notice when every time Izuku would do something that seemed to be a bit unbelievable, like picking up an industrial sized refrigerator, All Might would openly gawk at him before muttering something under his breath. Even with his ki enhanced senses, he still barely made out what he said, but it was always along the lines of questioning wondering who his trainers were. Izuku supposed that he could understand the confusion, after all, he and the rest of the shotos as they were called, we all clearly not normal.

But he wouldn't lie in saying All Might's insinuations didn't sour the experience just a bit.

Toshinori wasn't much better. After nine long months, he could finally meet the people behind Young Midoriya's strength. He knew there wasn't any foul play, since he had secretly sent Naomasa to investigate and confirm that yes, young Midoriya was in fact quirkless. He knew that ki existed, but the one other people he'd run into that possessed it left a very sour taste in his mouth and nearly took his life. Forgive him for the paranoia.

Ochako was fairing the best. She was actually looking forward to testing her newfound strength. And it helped that the last time she was here, it was an enjoyable experience since the four of them were so different, it was a miracle they meshed well.

Shooting a quick text to Ryoya to confirm that Ryu and Ken were there, Izuku took a deep breath.

The dojo's door slid open to see Ryoya slightly hunched over wearing his red Gi and black belt. "Just in time," He said casually. "Hello again, Pink Cheeks-san, Skeleton-san."

Ochako, having long since just gotten used to Ryoya's dry self, beamed at him. "Hello, Harushi-san!"

"Why hello young man. I believe we're here to have a meeting with the owners of this establishment?"

Izuku raised a brow at All Might's rehearsed sounding statement but said nothing.

Ryoya gave the gaunt man a flat look for a split second before nodding and leading them inside. Izuku easily fell into step next to his tan friend while Ochako and All Might stayed several paces behind. The last time Ochako was here, she didn't have the time to notice all of the awards and accolades on the wall, but upon further inspection, she was in awe.

"This place is quite decorated, young Harushi." All Might commented. "I didn't know you and young Midoriya were so accomplished." He said looking at a corner of the room that seemed to be dedicated to just the two boys. Martial arts weren't his thing per se, and young Midoriya never mentioned it.

"We're not really." Ryoya corrects. "We have some stuff from over the years, but it only looks like a lot because both of our trophies and medals are next to each other."

"Ah, no need to be humble, young Harushi." All Might said jovially. "That many accomplishments surely must feel good to have."

Ryoya just shrugged but didn't say anything.

"Ah, you must be Yagi." Ryu said upon entering the room. All Might noted that he still wore the same white, torn Gi as he did the day at the mall. "I'm Ryu. Co-owner."

And then, a man dressed in an identical red Gi to young Harushi appeared out of seemingly nowhere with a blinding, million yen smile and his blond hair blowing in the non-existent breeze. "And I'm Ken Masters! Nice to meet you. Say, now I can see why Ryoya calls you 'Skeleton-san'! I thought he was just being rude." Ryoya let out an indignant 'oi' that was promptly ignored.

Not even fifteen seconds in and Ken-sensei was already making jokes. Izuku groaned.

"Ken!" Ryu glared at him. "Anyway, I'm guessing your here to speak about Uraraka-san joining." Ryu stated instead of asked. "Well, good news and bad news. Bad news is that our style wouldn't really work with her. But good news is that we have a friend who'll be here in about twenty minutes or so to give her some tips. While we wait, we can give you a tour."

All Might nodded. That was good, it gave him time to ask some questions and have some general conversation.

When the three men got out of earshot, Ryu ripped the band-aid off. "So, what is it that you want to talk about, All Might?"

Toshinori sputtered and nearly fell over. "Wh - what are you talking about? I'm not All Might!" Toshinori tried to defend, but he could tell by Ryu's expression that it was a lost cause.

"We can sense ki. You have an identical ki signature to All Might." Ryu said plainly. "You feel exactly the same as you did that day at the mall."

Toshinori tried to think of something to save face, but nothing came up. "Yes," He admitted. "You've figured me out. The limits of 'ki' truly goes beyond my expectations."

"We knew that, but thanks for the confirmation." Ken added. All Might looked at him perplexed, and Ken waved him off. He then continued, "I was there at the mall too."

"Really? I didn't see you."

"I was in the back waiting to see what you'd do." Ken said seriously with a completely blank expression, his usual smile nowhere to be seen.

"That aside," Ryu interrupts. "Let's cut to the chase. You're here to scope the place out right? To make sure we're completely legit."

Toshinori sighs. "Yes, I am. After seeing young Midoriya and young Harushi in action, I couldn't believe that two quirkless kids could reach such a level. That they could attain such a power." Toshinori looks into the distance for a moment. "I truly do intend to enroll young Uraraka here. Your two students say more about your work than words ever could. I'm sorry for the dishonesty, but I had to make sure that nothing nefarious was happening."

Ryu and Ken both gave him hard stares. "You've met Akuma haven't you?" Ryu said suddenly and All Might looks taken aback by his boldness. "That's the reason you're here and so invested in Ryoya."

All Might nods. "Yes, young Harushi has displayed a very similar power to Akuma's. I may have forgotten about young Midoriya that day, but I've never stopped thinking about young Harushi. I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but the world doesn't need another Akuma. It doesn't need the one it has now. I was trying to prevent him from walking down that path, or at the very least, have that power on the side for good."

"I understand." Ryu responds after a second of thought. "You're not the only one who worries about Ryoya. Trust me, when we found him, it was far worse. The Satsui no Hado was taking over, and I did my best to contain him before it got worse. He was so young at the time, and I couldn't just leave him." Ryu's eyes grow distant at the memory of Akuma standing between him and unconscious child. He remembers the fear he felt at seeing the oni simply walk away while leaving him with a chilling message. 'Cultivate this child. One day, he might be enough to succeed where you and your pathetic master failed.'

All Might nods sadly. "It is unfortunate for young Harushi to have to bare such a burden."

"It is. But he has been trying to tame it. It hasn't been going as well as we hoped because he's been a bit reluctant to use it but... If you think he's going to be a villain," Ryu's stare gets harder and his tone grows venomous. "don't. I can promise you that the boy means nothing but well and wants nothing more than make it so no one suffered the way he did. We here have no ties to Akuma either. Hell, I've fought the guy a few times. I've been trying to defeat him ever since he killed my master."

All Might looked surprised at this revelation. It reminded him of himself before that climatic battle six years ago.

"I assure you, that we have Ryoya's Satsui no Hado under control. He has no interest in being evil."

Ryu's declaration was said with such conviction that Toshinori would practically feel it. "That eases my mind immensely. But why doesn't young Harushi wish to be a hero? Surely, someone with such a noble goal would put his best foot forward."

Ryu and Ken share a look. "He wants to stop Shadaloo. But like," Ken seems to struggle to find the words. "I think it's best for you to just ask him yourself."

While the adults went to speak in the back, Izuku, Ochako and Ryoya took this time to get acquainted.

The first thing the brunette noticed was that Harushi was tall. Like, really tall. And here she though Midoriya was tall. She always considered herself as slightly below average in height, standing at 5'1. When she saw Midoriya for the first time at his 5'9 stature and muscular build, she found it hard to believe they were the same age. The only indication of such being how young his face looked.

But seeing Haruhi stand even taller than Midoriya at roughly 5'11, she had to crane her neck to look up at them both. What the hell were they feeding these boys? Why were they both so muscular?

"So, Ryoya, I never did get to ask you about that thing you did at the beach. Blue fire, huh?" Izuku said casually. Ryoya was one of the very few people he spoke too comfortably at any point, and Ochako could see how relaxed the two were.

"Yeah," Ryoya says. He raises a hand and Ochako watches his ki swirl around his wrist before igniting into a small fire. He focused on the flame and after a few seconds, it turned a bright blue. Despite being a comfortable distance away, the heat radiating off of said flame was unreal. Then it just vanished. "Took like four months learning how to adjust the heat. Bogard helped a lot." Memories of the man's dreaded 'are you okay' catchphrase made Ryoya shudder.

"Oh?" Izuku said suspiciously. "So what'd you do for the other five months I was gone?"

Ryoya shrugged casually. Ochako failed to notice how his stance changed ever so slightly and his muscles tensed. "Train Mo-chan."

Izuku's eyebrow went up. "For five months?" His body also tensed up. He knew what was happening. After all, it was him who issued the unspoken challenge.

"Of course not." Ryoya then grinned. His eyes shone in such a way that Ochako stepped back purely on instinct. The way his fangs shined made her liken him to a wolf stalking its prey.

Izuku, of course, matched his friend's intensity. Before the two could come to blows seemingly over nothing at all, Ochako spoke up.

"H - hey! Wait a minute!" She tried to diffuse the situation. Both boys gave her a look and she could feel the power radiating off of them. She was sure it was an odd visual of seeing such a tiny girl standing between two tall boys.

In an instant, the tension between the two ceased. Izuku smiled sheepishly at her while Ryoya only looked slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry about that." Izuku said while rubbing the back of his fluffy hair. "We tend to get a bit... competitive." Ryoya snorted at that.

"It's certainly one way to put it," Ryu said as he, Ken and All Might returned from wherever they were. The hero looked much more at ease than he had before. "The last time you two got 'competitive', we almost had to call an ambulance."

There was a story there. One that Ochako needed to know.

Ryoya gave them a flat look. "You do realize it's because of you two we're like this right? I can't go a week without feeling the overwhelming urge to kick Izuku with fire."

Izuku laughed at that. "We haven't had an actual, serious fight in a long time."

"Yes!" Ken agreed. "And boy I can't wait to see that! The last time me and Ryu went all out against each other, I won!" The blond martial artist proclaimed with a smile so wide, Ochako was surprised his face wasn't in pain.

Ryu simply groaned. "Yeah, you won. But the record is still 323 - 315 in my favor."

Before either All Might or Ochako could comment on that little nugget, the four shotos perked up at the same time and looked at the door.

"Ah, she's here."

"Dear lord," Ryu groaned while bringing a hand down his face. "Didn't we ask you to dress appropriately, Mika?"

"I am though!" R. Mika said while looking scandalized. She wore a blue and white blue and white lingerie-like leotard with ruffles around the collar, sleeves, and leg holes. She also had on wrestling boots, with white stockings, and white bustier with blue hearts on both bosoms. Her chest and behind were very noticeably exposed, and All Might had to resist the urge to cover Young Midoriya's eyes.

Said young man's face was so red that it was a bit concerning. He had been spending the last few seconds trying to formulate some kind of verbal comment, but all that came out was nonsensical strings. Young Harushi was handling it better. His face was also very red and he ended up simply turning around. Young Uraraka looked like she was about to have a stroke.

"Look, all I'm saying Mika, if my wife walked in here right now, I'd be forced to kick you in the face to make sure I don't sleep on the couch tonight, purely on principle." Ken said nervously.

"That's so rude, Ken!" Mika protested. She crossed her arms under her chest and thumbed her foot on the floor.

"Can you at least get changed? There's kids in here." If there was any questions as to where Young Harushi got his deadpanned stare from, it was answered right there.

"But why!? The green one hasn't stopped staring since I got here!" She said, dramatically pointing at Izuku, who seemed to have gone catatonic. "And the pretty boy isn't even looking!"

"Mika, they're both fifteen. Please, change."

"Ugh, fine!"

When Mika came back, she was wearing a hot pink Gi and a scowl. Off to the side, Izuku had finally regained something of akin to composure when Ryoya literally placed a burning hand on Izuku's shoulder. After a brief scuffle, Izuku asked a question. "So who's she? Based on how she was dressed," Izuku's face lit up just by saying that. "I'd assume she was a hero. But she isn't someone I recognize."

"That's because she isn't." Ryu answers. "Mika is a pro wrestler. We met back in the day through a mutual friend."

"You," She said while gesturing to Ochako. "You're the one I'm training today right?"

Ochako nodded shakily. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, what's your quirk?"

"Uh, I have a strength enhancer and I can remove the gravity of anything I touch with all five fingers."

Mika just nodded. If she had an issue with the girl seemingly having two quirks, she didn't say anything. "Strength enhancers huh?" She said seriously, before smiling in a way that made every male in the room immediately step back. "What'll you do when you run into someone with more strength than you, huh girly? Or someone like me who knows how to counter you?"

Ochako is quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't think you'd know how counter me exactly." She says as respectfully as possible. She had two quirks now, both were really strong and she'd been training for the past nine months.

Someone on the sidelines says something along the lines of 'she's so fucked'. Ochako's head snapped over to Izuku and All Might, who both looked with eyes filled with disbelief that she actually said that.

"Aha! You doubting the great R. Mika?!" Mika snapped.

"No, ma'am! Not at all! It's just that my quirks -"

Mika raises a hand to silence the girl. "Zip it! It's not nothin'! I'll show you! Come at me, right now!" She orders, her blond twin tails swinging back and fourth as she drops into a wide stance. Ochako, still in her work out clothes, reluctantly raises her fist and activates One For All at the lowest possible level, figuring now would be a good opportunity to get some experience with the power.

She rushes forward as fast as she could, a bit unused to the speed. When she gets a couple a feet away from the woman, she darts to the side, remembering Izuku's lesson about never charging straight ahead. She intends to tackle the woman from the side before she could react. She fails miserably.

Mika sees the attack coming from the next prefecture and easily spins to avoid the tackle. She follows up with one of her own before putting Ochako in an iron tight headlock, before flipping the girl over and flat on her back. Ochako is put in a chokehold before she ever truly realizes what happened. "Did you like that!?" Mika yells while looking the four guys watching from a safe distance. "I call it, the Daydream Headlock!" She said proudly. She still has pressure on Ochako's neck; not enough to crush the girl, but more than enough to make it unpleasant. "You still doubting the great R. Mika?"

"No..." Ochako wheezes pathetically trying to regain some of her lost breath. Mika is merciful and slowly lets go.

After they get up, she eyes the brunette critically. "Okay!" Mika says with flare. "I'll be showing you a few of my super special moves!" Mika poses and pauses for dramatic effect. "Since you're kinda small, I'll show you more about how to use your size to your advantage. Mostly judo throws, and western-styled wrestling!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

A week later, Usagiyama returned. She kicked open the door like she worked for a SWAT team and immediately started scanning the dojo. When she spots Ryoya peacefully sitting alone in a mediative pose, she does what any rational, battle hungry teenage girl would do. She immediately approached him with violent intent.

"Oi! Open your eyes, fucker! I'm back for my rematch!" She says while cracking her knuckles. Ryoya does open his eyes slowly and Rumi is a bit taken aback by the sheer expression in the sea of gold. She tries not to stare when he regards her.

"Hello, Bunny-san." Ryoya says lazily.

Rumi growls and swipes at him but he just leans back to avoid it. "Get up, we're fighting."

"We are?"

"Yes!"

"Since when?"

"Since now!"

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course not!"

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

Ryoya just sighed. He couldn't argue with that. Slowly, so slowly that Rumi just knew it was deliberate, Ryoya got to his feet. He yawned and for the first time, Rumi noticed that he had fangs. It was an interesting revelation that made her feel a weird pit in her stomach. But whatever that feeling was, it was quickly replaced by the burning urge to kick his ass since he just started to walk away.

She stormed after him and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder. Fuck, why was he so tall? She herself stood at a respectable 5'4 if you counted the ears (she did) but this guy was just so annoyingly tall. "Oi! Where do you think you're going?!"

"I was just walking to get some distance between us before the fight starts." Ryoya shoots back with a raised brow. "Did you expect me just to attack you?"

Truthfully, she kind of was. That's what she was planning to do herself, anyway.

"Fuck all of that!" She shouted before tightening her grip on his shoulder. Ryoya watched with slightly narrowed eyes as her body tenses and she throws a really quick kick to his ribs. Since she was still holding onto him, he couldn't really dodge, but he could block. And so he did.

Rumi's kick met what felt like a wall, but she wasn't finished. She let go of his shoulder, quickly retracted her leg and threw another kick, this time a front one aimed to his abs. Ryoya of course blocked it, but that's what Rumi wanted. She used his guard for leverage to perform a backflip while extending her other leg and grazing his chin with her attack. When she landed, Ryoya was lightly rubbing the spot.

"Good attack, Bunny-san. I almost didn't see it coming."

She inwardly felt pride at the praise, but outwardly, she scowled. "Less taking, more fighting!" Rumi kicked off the ground like a rocket and, to Ryoya's surprise, sprung up and preformed a front flip before bringing down a powerful axe kick. The tan boy narrowly avoided the hit by leaning back and upon seeing the feral grin on Rumi's face, smirked himself.

"Your call."

Then Ryoya moved.

Rumi knew the fucker was fast, their spar last week proved that. And she knew he hit really, really hard, he arms were healed by she still felt phantom pain at the mere thought of the fight. But seeing him actually go on the offense was a different experience altogether. She barely ducked under his left jab, only to immediately have to shield her face from a raising knee. It actually raised her off of her feet ever so slightly, and stung her arms, but Rumi was nothing if not stubborn.

The very first chance she got to go on the offensive, she did.

The fight got way more intense then. Rumi held absolutely nothing back. At one point, she even started bouncing from wall to ceiling to floor to switch up her angle of attack. To her immense joy, Ryoya kept up every step of the way. Sure, he wasn't quite capable of replicating the girl's style, but his more grounded, high-mobility style kept her on her toes. She didn't know how long they were going at it, but she knew that her face was starting to hurt from smiling so much.

Then she heard someone clear their throat. Both her and Ryoya snapped their head to the entrance to see Izuku, Ryu and Ken watching them intently.

Due to the distraction, Rumi miscalculated her lunge and thus, ended up flying head first into Ryoya. The boy caught her in a bear hug with surprising ease but never once took his eyes off of the entrance. With their bodies literally pressed together, Rumi's eyes went comedically wide and her face burned while Ryoya turned his head to the side and coughed awkwardly.

"...it's not what it looks like." Ryoya said slowly.

"Oh?" Ryu said with a teasing grin and raised brow while Ken and Izuku barely held back their laughs. "It looks like you and the girl were getting pretty heated there."

Rumi, from her position in Ryoya's arm, blushed up a storm at the insinuation before demanding to be put down. Ryoya, to his credit, kept an impassive face with only minor blushing.

"...it's exactly what it looks like then." He concedes. "She attacked just randomly came in and demanded a fight."

"And you said yes?"

Ryoya shrugged. "She's cute. I had no reason to say no."

His casual statement made Usagiyama's eyes widen to the size of plates and snap to him, cheeks reddening.

Ryu and Izuku, who'd long since gotten used to how bluntly Ryoya said things and his lack of social skills, just nodded. "Fair. After all, she did run into us on the way here. So we just told her you were alone." Ken just mischievously gave a thumbs up.

After Rumi calmed down from the cute comment, she growled at the golden eyed boy.

"How long have you been watching?" Ryoya asked, completely ignoring Rumi's body language.

"We came in just before she started leaping around." Ken answered. "Good thing this place is durable, those legs seem strong."

"I'm kinda surprised you didn't sense us." Izuku chipped in.

"I was uh, a bit distracted by Bunny-san."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Rumi huffed. "I had you too! I was gonna win."

"No, you weren't." Ryoya said dryly.

"Yes, I was!"

"No."

"Fuck you! Yes I was!" Rumi punched him in the shoulder and was a bit annoyed when he barely budged.

"Ah, no you weren't, young lady!" Ken said, being the professional instigator he was. "Ryoya hasn't even used ki yet!" Ryoya gave Ken a withering look that could shatter glass.

Rumi's reaction was instant. She grabbed Ryoya's gi by it's collar and pulled them face to face. He had to arch quite a bit to get eye level with the girl and he noticed the pink tint on her cheeks as she glared at him. "What's ki? You holding back on me? What, do you think you're better than me?!" She demanded. Ryoya turned his head to glare at Ken for putting him in this situation, but Rumi used her other hand to grab his chin to force him to meet her gaze.

Ken was enjoying every second of this.

"I held back because I wasn't trying to hurt you, Bunny-san." Ryoya said honestly which only seemed to make Rumi more irate. She leaned in even closer until their faces were centimeters apart.

"What? You think I'm weak?! Holding back because I'm a girl huh?!" Ryoya noticed that the pink tint on her cheeks got darker, and assumed it was due to how annoyed she was.

"No, I -"

"I don't wanna hear it!"

"You just asked me a question though."

"It was fucking rhetorical!"

"Oh."

"Fucking fight me seriously!"

"But - "

"But nothing!"

Ryoya, realizing that victory was impossible, just sighed. At least she was cute. That made this whole thing a bit more bearable.

Eventually, they did fight with Ryoya using his Heat Rush. It was even more one sided than before. Rumi, ever the graceful in defeat, cursed up a storm.

"Look, I'm going to apply to UA soon. I better see your ass there! My rival better be aiming for the top!"

The rabbit had left for a solid twenty minutes before Ryoya finally fully digested the words.

"I'm her rival? I thought I was yours." He said to Izuku.

The greenette just shrugged. "I guess it's possible to have more than one rival? But was that really the thing you focused on? Not the part about 'applying to UA'?" Izuku questions with a raised brow.

"Oh, no. I heard that. I am applying to UA though. You know that."

"...I assumed she was meaning the hero course."

"Oh."

"Do you still not want to be one? There's still time for the application."

Ryoya didn't say anything for the longest time. Izuku thought he was about to simply ignore the question like he's done so many times before. But Ryoya looked conflicted. This was the final week before UA's application deadline, so if he ever wanted to tell Izuku the truth, it would be now.

"I..." Ryoya makes a sound before frowning. "Izuku, tell me honestly. Do you think revenge is a good reason to be a hero?"

Izuku is surprised by the question. "Wh - what do you mean?"

"I mean, - ugh, fuck." Ryoya runs his hand through his hair. "I really do want to protect the weak. That's a philosophy that's been with me for a long as I can remember. Those who can't protect themselves should be protected by others who could."

"Is that your reason? Because forgive me, but that sounds like the opposite of a reason to not be a hero."

"You didn't let me finish." Ryoya said sharply. "I want to protect people. I want to help people. I want to make sure no one ever goes through what I do. But, it all starts from one place. One specific person."

Izuku's eyes narrowed. "Ryoya, what are you talking about? All of this sounds like you'd be a great hero! A real one who doesn't care about money or fame or anything! You just want to help for the sake of helping!" Izuku got progressively louder. He really didn't mean to, but the topic of heroes always made him more emotional than others.

"You don't get it!" Ryoya snaps. "I don't want to be a hero because the only way I can see myself achieving any of that is by destroying Shadaloo and killing Bison!" The tan boy admits. Izuku's mouth snaps shut and he looks at Ryoya in shock. "That's my real goal. It's always been! I want revenge Izuku! I want to eradicate Shadaloo and Bison!"

"So that's why..." Izuku says softly. "You want to ki - kill someone. Ryoya, how can you say that!?"

Izuku had long since gotten used to people casually saying kill in a conversation. Bakugo had said it more than enough to desensitize him from the word. But hearing it from Ryoya, someone with serious power, and such serious conviction behind the word made Izuku feel like he swallowed lead.

"Is everything okay?" Ryu said, barging into the room. "Your ki signatures are going crazy."

"It's nothing." Ryoya says automatically. "I was just leaving to go for a walk."

"No!" Izuku snaps. "It's not nothing! We need to talk about this, Ryoya!"

"There's nothing else to talk about! I shouldn't have even said what I said just now!" Ryoya turns to leave, but is immediately forced to turn around to block a lightning coated fist from Izuku. "What are you doing?" He says icily.

"Trying to get you to listen to me!"

"Enough!" Ryu suddenly roars, emitting enough ki to cause both boys to drop to their knees. "Look, we've put this talk off long enough. I've let you two fester over this for to long now, and we need to address it. Ryoya, tell him the truth. Tell him why you don't want to be a hero."

"What? I just did."

Ryu glares and it's enough to give lesser men heart attacks. "No, I'm meaning the truth. I'm not meaning the bullshit excuse you keep trying to tell yourself. I'm meaning about the Satsui no Hado and how you are scared of it."

Izuku is taken aback by Ryu's swearing and even more shocked at Ryoya's glare suddenly softening.

I uh..." Ryoya stumbles over his words. "I - I - "

"Exactly." Ryu says sternly. "I'll admit, it's partially my fault, but it's the truth. Just admit you're afraid the Satsui and that fear has been stopping you from doing what you really want to do."

"Um, what's the Satsui no Hado?" Izuku askes while watching in concern as his friend gets increasingly more distraught.

"It literally means Surge of Murderous Intent. Not much is known about it other than it taking the spirit to kill the opponent to the extreme, and transforming it into a physical power." Ryu explains while keeping his eyes locked on Ryoya. He hates doing this. Truthfully. But he's let this go far longer than he should've.

"So that's why he said..." Izuku trails off.

"Ryoya, I'm going to be honest with you. Your fear of the Dark Hado is warranted, but it's also bullshit." Ryu says.

"You don't know that!" Ryoya argues. "I've spent more time with Akuma than you have! I've seen what it does to people. I don't want to be become... that." At this point, Ryoya's whole body deflated, and Izuku had never seen the boy look so defeated. Ever.

"You think I don't know about it boy!?" Ryu demands. "You're not the only one who possess it!" Then, without warning, Ryu's whole body is engulfed a blood red aura. His eyes turn blood red and his hair changes shades from black to a reddish brown, matching his skin tone.

He's monstrous in this form, and his ki is so oppressive and heavy, that both Ryoya and Izuku struggle to breath.

Then as quickly as he took the form, he returned to normal. "I too possess it. But I've tamed it by having someone who could counter it in my corner."

"It's possible to counter it?" Ryoya asked.

"Yes," Ryu says with a sigh. "I honestly should've brought this up before. But the Satsui no Hado is only one half of what we call the 'Yin-Yang ki'. The other half is the Power of Nothingness or the Sacred Hado."

"Such a power exists?" Ryoya's eyes were wide. "Why didn't you ever tell me that? Or have Ken-sensei tell me? You knew about this and never mentioned it!?"

The older fighter can only be disappointed in himself. "Yes, it does. How else do you think I've sealed that darkness in you away?" Ryu says with a raised brow, choosing to ignore the questions since he really hadn't had a good reason for putting this off as long as he did. "The Sacred Hado is the only way to stop the Dark one. It's the power to act without being attached to emotions and thought, free of fear or anger, and to draw upon the contents of one's heart intuitively without hesitation. To be aware of the world and to know one's place and meaning within its vastness, to flow with all of creation without the need of worry, desire, and doubt."

"Act without hesitation? Without thought?" Izuku said quietly as he took it all in. Ryoya's eyes widened a bit more than normal.

"Wait a second..."

"Before you say it, no. Izuku doesn't have it...yet. His ki has been building towards it, or at least, me and Ken assume it has. When we found out he had light type ki, we thought it was possible way later down the line for him, but you two have progressed at such a quick rate. When two strong ki users fight, it's like iron sharpening iron. "

Ryoya and Izuku share a look. Izuku is beyond fascinated by this new information is Ryoya is reeling.

"So, Ryu-sensei. If I unlock the Sacred Hado, I'd be able to save Ryoya from the Dark one?" Izuku said cautiously. The emotions he felt were similar to the day he met All Might for the second time and he told him he could be a hero.

"Save? No." Ryu says honestly and with a sigh. "There's no way to 'save' someone from it. You can only be there for him to hope he can save himself."

"A - are you sure there's no way?"

"Izuku, the Dark Hado is one's ki. A pure manifestation of one's soul no different than your electricity and Ryoya's fire." Ryu says gravely. "You can do things to prevent him from accessing it, that's what my master did to me and I did to him. But that's only a temporary fix. The only person who can truly stop the Dark Hado is the person using it. Someone once told me that it's not an inherently evil power, but a power always used for evil. So maybe, just maybe, Ryoya can be the first person to use it for good. If not..." Ryu trails off, unwilling to finish and letting the boys fill in the blanks.

Ryoya gives Izuku a serious look. "Izuku, promise me something. Promise that you'll train to achieve this 'Sacred Hado'. And promise me that if you do fail in taming the Dark Hado... that you'll be the one to put me down." His expression and tone were grave and resigned. "If I can't beat this, I'd at least hope you can." 'You've always been mentally stronger than me anyway.'

"Of course!" Izuku nodded without hesitation. Ryoya was his best friend. They'd seen each other at their highest and Ryoya had seen him at his lowest. They were a team. They were rivals. But more importantly, they picked up each other when the other fell. They pushed each other when no one else did. "Heroes save people right? How can I call myself a hero when I can't even save my best friend?"

Ryoya didn't seem surprised at how quickly Izuku responded. But he was taken aback by the sheer conviction in his voice.

"So, now that that's out of the way, it's time to face it Ryoya and ask yourself, do you want to be a hero?" Ryu's face is carefully blank, but his eyes seem hopeful.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...yes, I want to be a hero."

A/N: Well, the UA entrance exams are next chapter! I hope you're as hype for it as I am. Ryoya's inner turmoil has been confronted. But this won't be the last time it comes up. Izuku learns about the Power of Nothingness. Rumi has no idea what she's doing, but she seems to be enjoying herself. Ochako got bodied immediately. I wonder which classes everyone will end up in...

MrFoxHoundSir: Rumi is 15 in this.

Ryuujin96: Thank you. Yes, Ryoya's connection to Akuma has been touched upon a bit more here, so it starts to paint a picture of what happened. Ryoya's decision finally happened. It only took forever and a lot of yelling. Rumi for sure will be sticking around. At this point, Ryoya probably couldn't escape her if he tried. She and Ryoya are fun to watch interact because she's so brash and he just goes with it.

I liked the Izuku and Ryoya spar as well. Who knows when the two will fight all out again? (cough) Sports Festival (cough).

NinjaFang1331: Thanks!

speedy24: All Might has now spoken to Ryu and Ken and appears to be satisfied. All seems right in the world.

Animeguy1101: We spoke on AO3, but thanks for the review here!