Endeavor's mood is all over the place, and his burning visage makes that apparent. His flames are more sporadic than the tightly controlled manner he is accustomed to, and people actively avoid him more than they usually do.

He stomps like a man on a mission, walking through the arena's halls looking for his son. The boy's results have been less than satisfactory thus far, and he needs to make yet another attempt at breaking him out of his childish, petty streak. He makes it to the first year's area and begins descending stairs, only to pause when someone calls his name.

"It's been a while! Wanna grab some tea, Endeavor?"

All Might's smile is not deterred by the dirty look he received as a response.

"You wanted to talk?" Ryoya asks, leaning against the wall. He feigns being relaxed, but his senses are wide open, and he's ready for any sudden moves. Shouto doesn't say anything, instead opting to glare daggers at the tanned teen and quietly exude an air of intimidation. Ryoya is unamused and glares at him. "Speak or I'll leave."

"I was overwhelmed." Shouto speaks suddenly, maintaining his aloof demeanor. "This is the second time you've done it. The second time you've made me break my pledge."

Ryoya raises a brow. "I'm assuming it has something to do with your left side." It isn't a question, and Shouto doesn't treat it as one.

"Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Usagiyama. None of them feel it. None of them have ever felt it." Shouto, in a rare display of emotion, grits his teeth slightly. "The heat, the destructive power you seem to be able to call forth with nothing more than a thought. The pressure. The same pressure he exudes." Todoroki pauses and takes a deep breath, and raises his left hand towards his face and studies it for a moment. Then he exhales. "So... are you my father's illegitimate child or something?"

Ryoya is completely unreadable for several seconds before he snorts. "...really? That's what you wanted to talk about? Todoroki, my mother is Japanese and my father is Hawaiian. No, I'm not related to you. Why would you even assume such a thing?"

For a second, Todoroki seems to consider his question, then he brushes it off. "As you know, my father is Endeavor. The second greatest hero of all time." The way Todoroki emphasizes the word second makes Ryoya raise a brow once more. "There's something about you. It reminds me of him... and it's been fueling my desire to crush you."

"It's been so long! We haven't spoken since the entrance exams! I spotted you and figured I should say hello." All Might says jovially, and with his trademarked smile.

"Is that right?" Endeavor says, but it's mostly an automatic response. His mind is elsewhere. "If that's all, then get out of my sight." Without waiting for a response, he turns and starts walking away, muttering to himself as he takes his stride. "As if I'd have tea with you. Such a ridiculous notion."

Not three steps later, All Might leaps over him and lands on the stairs in front of him, full of poise and energy. It makes Endeavor sick.

"Why such a party pooper!?" All Might ignores the groan he hears. "Your son Shouto, he pulled some serious attention so far. All without using his left side. Someone's been raising him well!"

At the mention of Shouto, Endeavor's flames flicker and rise for a split second, before returning to normal. He scowls. "What're you trying to say?"

"Actually, I want to ask you for some tips in training the next generation."

Endeavor almost reactively tells him to go away, but something in his mind tells him not to. He isn't sure what it is, but memories of blue flames bring a crease to his brow. That damned kid with his blue fire weighing on his mind again. "...you think I'll tell you anything?" He scoffs. 'You don't want to know,' goes unsaid. He resumes walking down the stairs, and All Might gives him space. "Always with your damn happy-go-lucky attitude. Pisses me off." With that, Endeavor is content to just leave the bumbling fool, but he hears All Might say something else.

"Er, sorry then..."

"Know this much. I'll mold him into a hero that surpasses even the likes of you." All Might can't see it, but Endeavor's face contorts into a sinister grin. "That's the only reason I created that kid."

All Might shudders at the implication.

"Sure, he's being a rebellious brat right now. But he'll outdo you. I'll make him surpass you!"

"My dad... he's a powerful bastard who only thinks of becoming stronger." Todoroki explains. He takes note of how Harushi tensed after his "crush" comment, and makes sure to better choose his words, as he has little doubt in Harushi's more violent tendencies. "Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but... he's always seen that living legend All Might as a roadblock and an eyesore. My father could never beat All Might on his own." Todoroki says with an air of finality. "So he came up with another plan."

Ryoya is listening intently. His mind is taking in all the information but it's not Endeavor he's visualizing. "Why are you telling me this, Todoroki?" His voice sounds strange even to him.

"Quirk marriages." Shouto responds simply. "You've heard of them, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I know what they are."

"Good, it saves me an explanation. My father used his wealth and fame to make my mother's family agree to a quirk marriage. All to get his hands on her quirk. Raising me as a hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions."

Ryoya's eye twitches minutely. He understands.

"I hate it!" Shouto suddenly barks, taking Ryoya out of his thoughts. "Being no more than a tool for that human garbage." Unconsciously, Shouto raises his hand up to his scar and lightly taps the burnt skin. "As I remember it, mom was always crying... 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours' is what she said before throwing scalding water on my face."

For the first time, Ryoya's stoic expression cracks, and he looks upset.

"In short, not using my fire against you was my revenge on him. Never using my rotten father's quirk... no. Rising to the top without it. I'll have denied him everything." As he finishes, Todoroki gazes directly at Ryoya, gauging his reaction. To his interest, Harushi isn't doing much of anything nor has he reacted much. His head is tilted at an angle, his eyes are distant and his entire body is relaxed.

After a few seconds, Todoroki starts to walk away. "You might not be my father, but I'll rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time."

"Todoroki."

Shouto stops walking and turns to give Ryoya a side eye.

"I get it." He says quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Get what?"

"Everything really. I understand it. I understand you. But I don't understand your decision. It took me a while to understand it myself, but power is power, dude. It's neither good nor evil. It just is. It is what you do with your power that defines it."

Todoroki scoffs. "What could you possibly understand about me?"

"My grandfather wants me to kill him." Ryoya says flatly. Todoroki's eyes widened.

"W - what?"

"My grandfather," Ryoya says slowly, as if talking to a child. "wants me to kill him. Don't think you're the only one who's had his home shattered by the curse of ambition." Todoroki turns his full attention back on him and watches as Ryoya exhales and deflates slightly. "I understand in ways you wouldn't believe. That's why I can confidently say I don't understand your choice. Why would you not use the power you were born with?"

Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "Did you not hear me? My father's fire is evil. I'll never use his power."

"It's no one's power but your own, Todoroki. Stop calling it your father's fire because last I checked, your quirk is Half Hot, Half Cold, not Hellflame. Sorry if I'm being insensitive, but I think it's kinda stupid to purposely weaken yourself to spite someone else."

Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes look around before growing distant.

"Here, let me show you something."

Ryoya's eyes shine and a dark, heavy aura pours from his body and Shouto feels it in his very bones. Then like someone hitting a light switch, it stops. Ryoya lets out a very deep sigh and Shouto feels like he looks much older than he should. "That power just now, that's a power you can call evil. It's literally a "surge of murderous intent". I hate it, Todoroki. But you can bet your ass I'll use it at a moment's notice if I have to."

"How can you choose to use a power you hate?" Shouto just doesn't understand. Harushi seems strong enough without it, so why would he use something he hates?

Ryoya snorts and then shrugs. "Well, for starters, if I didn't, Mo-chan and Rumi would've died at the USJ and I promise you, they are way more important than some silly issues I have. I've long since come to the realization that when lives are at stake, personal feelings mean nothing. We're training to be heroes, right? It's a selfless job by nature. If you aren't willing to get over your own problems, how can you help people with their own? How can you say you'll never use your own power? Do you think it's easy to walk up to a mother and explain to her that the reason her son isn't coming home is because the hero that showed up has daddy issues?"

The question makes Todoroki's stomach feel heavy.

"It's different now, isn't it?" Ryoya turns and begins walking away. "I can't say whether either of us are right or wrong here but I can say, as you are now, you'll never be able to defeat me. Not because you lack power, but because you don't seem to realize that the power you possess is yours and yours alone. I've made peace with my monsters, Shouto. I'm not Endeavor. You're not Endeavor. When you understand that, I'll be more than willing to put this behind us. I'll help you learn that fire doesn't only destroy," He raises his hand and Shouto watches as it ignites just like his father's does, but it's different. The heat he feels is intense, but not overbearing. It's warm, but not uncomfortably so. "It also purifies."

With that, Ryoya turns and walks away leaving Shouto to his thoughts. Once he gets down the hall, without looking, he reaches his hand out and lightly flicks Rumi's right ear. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop, Bunny-san?" He says lightheartedly and with a small, teasing smile.

Rumi doesn't have a witty or rude comeback. She is just standing there, looking up at him with an expression he can't place.

"You okay?" He asks when she says nothing.

"I'm sorry." She says suddenly, but she seems confused. Like she has no idea what she's saying sorry for. He can sense the turmoil in her ki.

"Don't worry about it." He says with a light smile. "Come on, we still have some time before lunch ends."

Izuku is mentally absent, and Ochako can see it. He hasn't said much during their entire recess, other than a few sounds of acknowledgement at whatever her, Iida or any of their friends say. At first, she thought nothing of it, but the more he just used his chopsticks to lightly push around with his katsudon instead of actually eating it, the more she started to grow concerned.

"You alright, Deku?"

"Uh huh."

"Deku, I'm thinking the food is a little dry."

"Hmm."

"I think you left your notebook on the bleachers."

"Indeed."

Ochako sighs. Clearly, she isn't getting anyway with this, so she takes drastic measures. "Izuku, did you hear about the new All Might merch that's dropping soon?" Her cheeks get a bit red at the casual use of his first name, but she powers on.

Izuku's head snapped up like a rubber band. "How soon!? And my notification didn't tell me!?"

Ochako giggles. "There's no All Might merch," Izuku looks betrayed beyond words. "But you were kinda zoned out there. Are you okay, Deku?"

Izuku chuckles sheepishly. "Yeah, I - I'm good. Just... thinking about what's to come, I guess." That wasn't a lie, but wasn't entirely true either. He did focus on the tournament, most definitely. There were some match-ups there that he'd rather not deal with so early on without a relevant plan. One such person was the girl to his left, prodding him lightly on the shoulder. The other would be Katsuki. And then Todoroki. And a few others he'd rather have time to plan for.

The other thing plaguing his mind was Ryoya's ki and how it lingered around Todoroki's. Usagiyama was there as well, not far away, but when the Satsui no Hado flares, Izuku's entire body froze. He nearly flies out of his seat, but as quickly as it comes, it goes and only he and Yaoyorozu are left in a daze as to what that could've possibly been about.

Ochako looks like she doesn't believe him, and wants to press forth, but doesn't get the chance.

"Before we get to the final event, I've got good news for all those who've been eliminated! This is still a Sports Festival, so we've prepared recreational activities for all participants! We even shipped some cheerleaders from America to help get you pumped up! Hope everyone enjoys a little recreational competition! Once that's over, we're onto the final event! Between the 16 members of the four winning teams, we'll have a formal tournament! Huh? We have more than 16 people? How the heck did that happen?"

"Mic, for the love of God, you're still speaking into the microphone."

"A tournament huh? So we'll be in the same ring I see on TV every year!" Kirishima said excitedly.

"Was it a tournament last year, too?"

"The format's always different, but most years involve some kind of head-to-head competition. Last year, it was foam sword fighting."

"Now, now. Settle down," Midnight interjects. "The matchups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that's settled we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! Normally, we have 16 people and this is where I remind you that you're free to withdraw if you want but this year's a bit different. Being that there are 18 of you, we at UA have come up with two solutions. Either two of you can kindly withdraw or we can have a small competition between Team Kendo to see who has to sit out. Don't be ashamed in withdrawing!" She says quickly, "After all, being an underground hero means you probably wouldn't want your abilities broadcasted all over Japan."

"Makes sense, but I think it's stupid that we can't participate when we all worked hard for it." Kuroiro huffs. "I'll withdraw because my quirk really has no use here. Too much light."

"Ah, you're right Kuroiro." Shoda says sadly. "It's not that I don't think my quirk works here but I don't feel like I did much of anything. It was Kendo doing most of the work... I didn't feel like I really did anything to earn a place to advance. Doesn't that defeat the whole point of a Sports Festival?"

"These guys are so manly!" Kirishima says while wiping his tears with the back of his sleeve.

"I too," Rin suddenly speaks up, raising a scaled hand. "would like to withdraw." Monoma gasped. "I know this is a great opportunity, and how stupid I must be for throwing it away. But, everyone made it here on their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, mostly piggybacking off of Kendo's power. I just can't take it."

"Hiryu!" Monoma shouts, completely scandalized. "You're thinking about it too hard! Just show what 1-B er -, I mean you're made of in the tournament!"

But Rin holds firm. "No, I'm talking about my pride here. I don't think it's right."

"What a strange turn of events... but it fixed our problem!"

"Mic, it fixed one problem and only created another. I'm glad you aren't a math teacher."

"Hey!"

"How naïve and green... I like it!" She cracked her whip and made some people jump. Hiryu, Shoda and Kuroio officially withdraw! We only need one person to replace them to bring the total back up to 16, so I'm choosing the leader of the team that came sixth, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"

"Wait, what!?" Tetsutetsu suddenly shouts. "Me?"

"Yeah," Itsuka cuts in. "Your team gave it their all until the very end, it only makes sense you get in."

Tetsutetsu immediately breaks down in tears. "You guys...!"

"Now, without further ado, here are the matchups!"

Right Bracket:

Midoriya vs Shino

Todoroki vs Sero

Harushi vs Tetsutetsu

Iida vs Mei

LeftBracket:

Yaoyorozu vs Kendo

Uraraka vs Bakugo

Tokoyami vs Kirishima

Ashido vs Aoyama

Izuku looks at the screen then scans the battlefield.

'If I win my first match, my second is against the winner of Ryoya and Todoroki... talk about bad bracket luck. But before that,' The person he was looking for comes into view, looking just as ominous as he always did.

"Izuku Midoriya. You ready, Class Rep-kun?" Shinso drawls lazily, with a small, fake smile.

Izuku says nothing and gives Shinso a hard stare; one that is returned before the lavender haired teen walks away.

Todoroki narrows his eyes on the screen. His mind is still reeling from his and Harushi's conversation, but he feels something resembling relief in knowing that he fights neither he, nor Midoriya before he could mentally compose himself.

"Uraraka, huh?" Bakugo says to himself. On the surface, he appears disinterested, but his mind is in overdrive. Uraraka is a tough opponent, and he knows that. There is no doubt in his mind that he'll win, but he isn't foolish enough to think it won't take the absolute best he can to put the girl down. It bruises his ego somewhat to think so brutally about a girl who should be a stepping stone like that stupid Deku, but he intends to soothe it with victory.

Ochako herself is somewhat surprised, and she panics. But her panic quickly subsides and is replaced by her intense drive to win. One For All flares with her emotions and pink lightning dances along her knuckles. "Deku!" She calls out.

Izuku, having already gotten used to this, just looks at her and preemptively raises his fist. "You're gonna win?" He guesses.

"I'm gonna win!"

Off to the side, Hatsume approaches Iida. "Are you Iida!?"

"Er, um indeed, miss. I am Iida."

"Great! I have a proposition for you!"

"Now, let's set aside the tournament for the time being and let's get on with the thrill-a-minute festivities!"

Izuku used this time to return to the locker room. He uses his senses to look for a calm, quiet place so he can truly be alone to practice and meditate. He'd been trying to call upon the Power of Nothingness all day, but he hasn't had any luck. He has been calm, but he hasn't been calm enough to access it, no matter how big of a help it might've been. So once alone, Izuku sits on the floor, closes his eyes, crosses his legs and drifts.

Like always, the Kyosui no Hado is akin to being on a beach. He envisions it easily, then runs into the water. With a mere thought, the power comes to him. White lightning sparks around his person, slowly at first before growing more chaotic and he gets deeper into the endless sea. The power is intoxicating and he wants to use it, but as he feels himself getting excited, the water starts to get shallow, and the calm waves get more violent. Trying to use this without a single emotion will be a challenge, but he is ready. He might not be able to call upon this on a whim like he'd like, but he is more than content to drift lazily in the clear blue water.

"Quite the power there."

Izuku's eyes snap open. He looks around for the mocking, feminine voice, but sees no one and senses no one. "W - who's there?"

"Typical Shotokan. So much power, but you use it in the most unfun way." The voice says again. "You're nearly as interesting as the other one, but at least he knows how to play rough." Izuku jumps back when someone lands in front of him. Despite being directly in front of him, the ki blazing around the woman is so thick, it's nearly impossible to make out any features. She appears like a torrent of violent, aggressive bright purple ki. "You've got my attention now, boy. Don't disappoint."

"Hey, guys! Are you ready?"

Mic's announcement catches Izuku off guard and his eyes snap up to the speaker in the corner of the room.

You've been through hell to get here! But now it's time for the one-on-one tournament! You've only got yourself to rely on! Even if you're not a hero, that saying holds true! You know it, YEAH! Spirit, Technique, Knowledge and Wisdom - use em all show us what you've got!"

When Izuku's eyes drift back down, the woman is gone and he lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

On his way to the tunnel to find a teacher or someone to explain what he'd just witnessed, he runs into Ryoya. He, like himself, must've wanted time alone to gather his thoughts, since he is leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, eyes closed and head tilted at an angle.

"Izuku." He calls without moving.

"Yeah?"

"She visited you too?"

Izuku is taken aback by the comment. "...yeah. Who was that?"

"I can't confirm, but I have an idea. Anyway, you and I need to talk about something, about Todoroki."

"What about him?"

"I'll tell you after your match. Just know, I at least know why he didn't like me." Ryoya only then leans off the wall and opens his eyes. He gives Izuku a glance.

Izuku snorts. "Well, that's good at least, right?"

"If by good you mean an absolute shitshow, then yeah. It's pretty great. Spectacular even." He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "But that's for later. For now, do you have a plan to beat this guy's ass?"

Izuku lingers on the first part of his statement for a while before nodding. "Yeah, should be easy."

"Good," Ryoya holds out of a fist. "Hurry up and take this guy out so we can meet in the semi's. I can't wait to kick you with fire again."

Izuku meets his fist without hesitation. "Of course. And I can't wait to yell Smash while I punch you in the face."

"Do that again and I'm terminating this friendship."

Izuku chuckles light-heartedly. "Yeah," then he moves to walk further down the corridor. "Thanks."

Ryo shrugs, "It's what friends are for."

"The first match!" Mic announces as two students make their way towards the ring. "He's making a weird face like he hasn't had a thought in years despite his amazing performance! It's Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course! Versus... sorry, but this guy hasn't done much of anything to stand out yet, it's Hitoshi Shinso, also from the Hero Course!"

The crowd roars in excitement. Several students in 1-A shout in anticipation, while others (read Usagiyama) yell for Midoriya to kick his ass.

"The rules are simple! Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them or getting them to say 'I give up'! Bring the pain! We've got our good old Recovery Girl on standby! And fight dirty if you must! Ethics mean nothing here! Well, of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You'll be disqualified!" The camera and the big screen pan to Cementoss sitting nearby. He waves. "Because a true hero's fist fly only when in pursuit of villains!"

Shinso speaks immediately. "'I give up', huh? Get it, Class Rep-kun? This battle is going to test your strength of will. If you've got any kind of vision for your future, there's no sense in worrying about how you get here."

"Now, let's get this thing started!"

"Like those dumbasses babbling about pride."

"READDDDYYYY?! START!"

"So what if they got carried by some stupid girl?" Shinso sees Midoriya jolt at the mention of some 'stupid' girl and inwardly grins. "She probably wasn't even - "

He tries to continue his sentence, but is stopped when a Hadoken comes flying his way. His eyes widen and he narrowly manages to jump out of the way. As he regains his composure, Midoriya is already upon him, catching him right in the solar plexus with a sharp elbow that Shinso is sure he'll feel for days to come. He reels, but Midoriya's offense is overwhelming, as he follows up the elbow with a right hook, then a left, before grabbing Shinso by the front of his uniform and tossing him over his shoulder and onto the hard cement floor.

The air leaves his lungs on impact, and he struggles to breathe, let alone speak.

"Wow! Midoriya is really tossing Shinso around like it's nothin'! All without using his quirk!"

Izuku mercifully lets Shinso get back to his feet and he receives a filthy glare. "Am I not worth your quirk, Midoriya!?" He barks. "You people and your powerful quirks! It must be nice, right?! Having everything handed to you! Having to just be born with so much power! You have no idea what it's like to have a villain's quirk! I may as well be born quirkless!"

Izuku gasped. "You have no idea - "

Izuku goes completely stiff.

"Hey! What's going on? The battle's only just begun and Midoriya's frozen in place? Looking confounded, he's not even twitching! Could this be Shinso's quirk!?"

1-A is especially vocal about this turn of events. While Shinso told no one how his quirk truly operated, he used it enough in classes for them to at least have some idea of how it worked. It came with a general rule: never respond to him. A rule that Midoriya broke. Over near the 1-C section, Ryoya is standing away from his class with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.

"We barely knew this guy existed, but now? He's sure one to keep an eye on!"

Shinso painfully got to his feet and smiled. "Gotcha." He says ruefully. "Now turn around and walk out of the ring." To his surprise, Izuku doesn't budge. His eye twitches when a single white spark flashes across Midoriya's face. "Didn't you hear me? Turn around, and walk out of the ring." He says a bit more forcefully this time. Once again, Midoriya doesn't move. He can feel him still under the effects of his quirk, so he has no idea what's happening. Getting frustrated, Shinso walks up to Midoriya and attempts to shove him. "I said move!" Midoriya does, side stepping his push and causing the boy to stumble and nearly fall over. Another spark of white lightning runs along Midoriya's body.

Shinso growls. He makes an attempt to charge Midoriya again, this time intending to just punch him, but like before Midoriya dodges. Then Shinso tries again, and again, and each time, Midoriya just dodges with a blank, listless stare. 'What the fuck is going on!?' Shinso mentally panics. Midoriya is still under the effects of his quirk, of that much, he is positive. But it feels weird. There's more resistance than he'd ever felt from anyone before and it's starting to give him a headache.

"Wow! This is a bit... embarrassing really. Even using his quirk, Shinso can't lay a finger on Midoriya!"

The white lightning is gradually becoming more common and sporadic. Shinso can feel his hold weakening. He needs to end this now. So, in an act of desperation, Shinso charges at Midoriya again, this time holding onto his quirk as hard as he could. "Stop. Dodging!" He commands while winding up a punch. Midoriya doesn't dodge, but his arm does snap up and he catches Shinso's fist. The gaunt teen's eyes widened.

Midoriya groans and blinks a few times as though waking up from a long nap. Shinso looks him in the eyes to see his pupils have gone from black to white. That is unnerving enough, but then Midoriya smiles and it is so disarmingly calm and relaxed, that Shinso nearly forgets this is a fight. That is, until Midoriya raises his hand and chops him on the side of the neck while still holding his fist. Shinso's eyes roll over to the back of his head and he falls over, and his quirk releases itself, allowing Midoriya's lightning to fade away.

"Shinso has been defeated!" Midnight announces. "Midoriya moves onto the second round!"

Izuku blinks the remaining fog from his mind and looks down at Shinso. He frowns. While he can't remember everything he said, his comment about being born quirkless struck a nerve. As med bots arrive to retrieve Shinso's prone form, Izuku sighs and goes with them. He's not hurt at all, but he'd at least like to talk with his classmate. If Ryoya could come to an understanding with Todoroki, there is no reason he wouldn't be able to understand Shinso.

After all, he's going to be a hero and a hero's job is to save people in need.

A/N: Well, there goes Shinso. Gotta love Izuku's completely bullshit ability since the Kyosui has some hax that I'll definitely need to tinker with to make it somewhat fair. Also, Ryo and Todoroki! That's something I've been waiting to write for ages! They've finally started on their quest to being friends!

If you want to talk more about the fic, or just meme about the story in general, feel free to join me at Jade's Discord. I have my own channel. discord. gg/ pkmgFzUkBu

Monster King: Thanks!

Ryuujin96: Thanks, it was a really fun Cavalry Battle to write. IzuOcha is one OP team in the right situations.

Zacker1590: Funny you should mention the hidden hados... :3 Also, I will confirm now, Tekken is coming up! I have it tagged on AO3, but people can't it see here so yes. Tekken is on it's way, as well as another hidden gem no one expects.

Marbled Gold: The bunny just wanted her emotional support fighter to vent to, now she has to hear that. It's a shame lol

Born-From-Black-Lightning: Thanks, it was a fun chapter. Also, lots of people forget Toga's there, because her part hasn't come up yet. A hint, it involves another psychotic, disaster bisexual who just so happened to appear in this chapter.

Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Shinso has gotten really lucky to not fight Ryo here, but it's not much better for him really...

Solbandgus: Yeah, Ryo cared more about just making it in the tournament, he'll deal with Shinso's bullshit later. And yeah, Ryo is always in Shouto's plans lol.

EMSNaruto: Who knows where I'll go with that dynamic? People have asked for it, and people in the Discord have started a ship war over this fic, so we'll see how it plays out. xD