Decompress:

Contrary to popular belief, Nezu is rarely stationary at the Third Year sports festival. He moves, refusing to keep idle hands. Especially now, following the events of the USJ, he has eyes everywhere, and ears everywhere else. So far, his eyes and ears have seen and heard quite the interesting selection of things.

He knows that Juri Han is here. But he only knows that after seeing her leave following Harushi's defeat. How long she was there, what she did there, and how she got in is something he can't figure out, but he'll look into it a later day. He has also heard everything between Harushi and Todoroki. Those two are problems he needs to address quickly since he'd rather not have overpowered teenagers with emotional issues in the field of heroics.

Then there was the spectacle regarding the most recent match between the two quirkless students. The entire thing, from start to finish, kept even him on the edge of his seat. He knows he's not the only one, since his phone and emails have been exploding since the word 'start'. He's deliberately ignoring them, of course. Whatever those cretins at the HPSC want means nothing to him. He has his ideas, and his own plans that will go on without them. And if they have problems with it? Well, certainly this Sports Festival proved that U.A has more power than they realize.

Present Mic has yet to pick his jaw up, despite the fight already being over. Who the hell trained these kids!? He'd seen heroes fight villains and their fights not get as intensely personal as that. It was, quite possibly, the first time a fight has left him completely and utterly speechless. He isn't the only one it seems, since Shouta hasn't spoken at all. The entire stadium has a low, perpetual buzz as people regain their composure and the shock dies down. It isn't until his phone rings that his own shock is forced away.

"Ah! Huh?... Principal?" Hizashi asks, confused.

"Hello, Mic! I have some orders for you!" A chill runs down Hizashi's back following the mammal's cheery tone. It was very happy. Almost too happy. He swallows down his nerves and nods, though he knows Nezu can't see him.

"Yes, sir. What is it?"

"What an absolutely incredible fight, ladies and gentlemen! One that will go down in the history books as quite possibly the most electrifying fight in U.A history! Izuku Midoriya of the Hero Course and Ryoya Harushi of General Education put on quite the show!"

Then Mic stops, and he listens. Nezu has routed an audio device in his ear so he could hear the general response. It comes quickly.

'Seriously! Why the hell is that kid in Gen Ed!?'

'Right!? He's absolutely insane!'

'He really should look to transfer out of U.A if they're gonna keep someone like him out of the hero course. He's already stronger than most pros!'

'I heard he was in the hero course but got removed.'

Mic hears the buzzing in his ear. Nezu has given him the order. He has no gripe with the HPSC, not personally, but Nezu's scorn with them runs deep. The principal feeds him a script as he speaks.

"Whoa, there! Settle down, folks! You've been askin' all day about our resident arsonist and we're about to give you an answer!" He pauses and allows the crowd to digest his words. He is a showman first and foremost, after all. "As you have likely heard about the U.S.J event and how it really hit a few nerves within UA! Harushi was unfortunately present there and fought tooth and nail. It was because of his efforts and power that many students were saved from worse fates!" He says dramatically. The crowd is hanging onto his every word closely and he is unsettled to hear Nezu cackling in the background. "He did what he could do and ultimately, went Plus Ultra to keep those villains at bay! He was truly a hero that day! But unfortunately, the HPSC and the Board didn't see it that way! They saw a kid who was forced into a corner and when he attacked, they kicked him out for it!" There, the bombshell has been dropped. Mic feels his throat go dry for some reason. Like a mistake has been made.

'What? Really?'

'This whole time I thought it was because he was evil or something!'

'That's also possible. He wasn't exactly a nice person today. Did you see what he did to Endeavor's kid?'

'So what? The kid's a bit rough around the edges. He's way too strong for that to matter.'

'The suits removed him for being a hero? What the hell is that about?'

"That's all folks! But I wouldn't worry about it! UA has proved its strength today many times over, so kids like Harushi can flourish regardless!" There's a beat of silence before more murmurings fill the stadium. Too many people are talking at once to gauge a reaction. Over his earpiece, he can hear Nezu laughing and it sends a chill down his spine.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Yamada-kun." Nezu squeaks. "This is where the fun begins."

Ochako took a while to gather herself. She was as still as a statue, gripping down on the railing so hard that it left a visible indent. Then it hits her all at once like a sledgehammer when watching both Deku and Harushi be carted off by med-bots.

"Deku… won?" She says airily to herself. She hadn't even realized that she was shaking until a tear fell from her eye and hit her hand. "He… won. He won!" She suddenly yells, startling everyone around her. In one fluid motion, she stands up, removes her gravity and leaps over the students before making a mad dash down the corridor.

Usagiyama is hot on her heels, while others are sitting in shock at what they'd just witnessed. Kaminari breaks the silence by laughing nervously. "So… some fight, right?"

Kirishima swallows a lump in his throat and nods. "Y - yeah. Those two bros are on a whole 'nother level."

"Did Midoriya just go Super Saiyan?!" Mina shouts. "I thought he said his ki wasn't like that!"

"It's not… usually." Itsuka says with a tilt of her head, the red ponytail bouncing as she does. "It's normally lukewarm and relaxed. A bit of a buzzing feel when you really focus in on it. But that was…" She pauses and shakes her head, struggling to find the words. "Different. Almost otherworldly." It was like someone had dunked her in cold water when the first wave hit her. "I… don't know what that was."

"I think I know," Yaomomo says, taking deep steady breaths to calm herself. She seems agitated, which Itsuka understands. "It's one of those 'hidden hados' Midoriya mentioned before. The Power of Nothingness?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself," Itsuka admits. "Either way, those two are just…" Incredible doesn't seem to be a strong enough word, so she trails off.

"Power of what?" Monoma chimes. "That's clearly some energy quirk. You 1-A students couldn't wait to steal our thunder again, couldn't you?" Then he takes on a smug smile. "Well, I guess it's only fair that your top dog struggled with a Gen Ed student."

Silence. For most, the silence stemmed from confusion, as though they couldn't believe Monoma had just said that. Did he - did he not watch the same fight they did? Was it not painfully obvious that Harushi had quite a bit more to offer than just being a 'gen ed student.' He was quite clearly stronger than Todoroki, who himself could stand toe-to-toe with most pro heroes. And yet, here is Monoma. Somehow implying that Midoriya was lesser for defeating someone like him.

"Monoma, I -" Itsuka says, before sighing and shaking her head. "I can't with you right now." She says. "Komori, can you give me that jacket, please?"

Kinoko snapped out of whatever daze she was in and slowly gave Itsuka the coat she'd been holding, staring at it the whole time before recoiling as if it burned her when it left her hand. People raised a brow at that, but Kinoko kept to herself, looking down at her hands instead of her classmates.

"If you're going to take him his jacket, I'd like to come with you, Kendo." Momo says quietly, slowly raising to her feet. There's a weird look on her face, a mixture of concern and melancholy that looks weird with her small smile. "Both he and Midoriya fought hard. And I'd like to make sure our friends are alright."

"Yeah!" Setsuna agrees. "Seems like they both went pretty hard there. Almost too hard. But we all saw that coming, didn't we?"

"Unfortunately." Momo agrees, "Those two tend to go about Plus Ultra against each other with little regard for anything else. I just wish they'd learn just a bit of restraint."

"Best friends, amirite?"

"They're best friends?" Someone from 1-B, a lipless teen asks incredulously. "I'm sorry, I thought they hated each other. Did you just see that fight!?"

Itsuka waves him off. "Best friends. Anyway, we should go. I know they're pretty tough, but… that was a serious fight."

"Any further questions, Howard?" Bison says smugly as he returns to the main meeting room, twirling the wine in his glass. "Surely that proves to you that the boy is on a higher priority than you expected."

Geese glares at the man and then looks back to the TV. The highlight reel does little to encapsulate just how grandiose the fight actually was, and Geese finds himself more angry and frustrated as he recognizes some of the techniques the boys throw out.

"Piss off, Bison." He spits. "I knew the little brat was strong, but he's nothing compared to me."

Bison takes a sip. "Of course not. He's a child. I'd find it hysterical if the mighty Geese Howard loses to a boy fresh out of the crib."

"Ha! Fat chance an infant stands a chance against me. In fact, the little runt won't see it coming. And after that, I'll get my payment and we can pretend this whole thing never happened, right, Bison?"

Bison barely regards the threat in his voice. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Blah, blah, blah. Just make sure you bring his body to me in one piece. I am not a fan of damaged goods."

As the two villains continued their conversation, FANG shook his head to himself. 'The poor fool.' He thinks. 'Master is playing him like a cheap kazoo and he has no idea.'

"Haha!" Flect-Turn's laughter booms throughout the Humarise compound. "What a glorious showing, Izuku Midoriya! You've certainly proved you worth tenfold! You even possess a hidden Hado! Truthfully, you would be invaluable to us." The blue man rejoices, keeping his eyes locked on the screen; a still frame of Izuku standing up, cloaked in white lightning.

"He… brilliant light… strong fighter."

"That's true, Leviathan. But you must remain here for the time being. Kanzen, round up some men and head to Japan. We must meet Midoriya in person. And while you're at it, contact Legion. Tell them that there's a potential contract on the table."

A tall man in deep blue armor nods. "Legion, sir? Are you sure they're necessary for this? Midoriya is only just a boy."

"It's called having your bases covered, dear Kanzen." Flect corrects lazily. "Keep Legion on standby just in case Midoriya's… unwilling to see reason."

"And what of the other one?"

"Leave him." The leader states bluntly. "He's untamed, wild and ferocious. Like an animal. Strong he may be, taming a wild wolf is not worth the trouble. Those frenzied flames of destruction are of no use to us."

"If he gets in the way?"

"Crush him until there's nothing left. But," Flect-Turn glances back to the screen and thinks aloud. "I feel as though he'll be caught up in his own endeavors. U.A is foolish if they believe someone like him wouldn't bring anarchy."

"So…." David says after finding the composure to pick his jaw up. "Huh, wow."

"I'll say…" Melissa chimes. Whatever document she had opened on her laptop had been long forgotten by the time the fight had reached its climax, and she and her father had been left astonished at what they'd just witnessed. "What an intense fight."

"So, what're you thinking? Wanna take a trip to Japan?"

"Yeah! It'll be nice to see what other quirkless people are like, even if they have those amazing powers. Think they'll teach me that?"

"I don't see a reason why not." The father shrugs. "Well, let me get All Might on the phone, and get some arrangements in order."

"Deku!"

"Will you keep it down, girl!?" Recovery Girl snaps the minute Ochako barges into the room. "You're worried, I get it, but screaming over those two buffoons won't get anywhere!"

"O - oh, sorry!" Ochako says with a bow before looking around the room. Deku is in the closet bed, wrapped up in various bandages from head to toe. He's unconscious, but he has a somewhat content look on his face. Harushi is on the other side of the room in a cot of his own, also dead to the world, and wrapped in enough bandages that he looks like a poor man's mummy. "Is he - are they gonna be okay?"

"Probably not," Recovery Girl says plainly. "These two expended far too much energy for me to safely use my quirk on. They're likely going to be here for the rest of the day, at least."

"Huh? B - but what about the finals!?"

"Final?" The older heroine scoffs. "They'd be lucky to wake up by the end of the day. Let alone fight."

Ochako's shoulders slumped. "But…" 'He promised he'd see me in the finals…'

It was then that the rest of their friends came in, Rumi leading the way. She all but throws the door open, stumbling over her own two feet as she does. She would've fallen over had it not been for Itsuka making her hands slightly larger to grab her.

"Pretty - !"

"Would you kids stop yelling!?" Recovery Girl snaps. "Honestly! I get it, 'young love' and all but must you be so dramatic!?"

Rumi only scowls at the older woman, but holds her tongue. The last time she was here, following the entrance exam, the old bat proved to be much tougher than she thought. "I'm just here to see my friend, Granny!"

"You can see your friend quietly, girl!"

"Um, excuse me." Momo says quietly with a raised hand. "I'm sorry, I must've misheard before we entered, but is stamina the only issue?"

"Well, that's the main thing." Recovery Girl corrects. "My quirk requires stamina and if I use it on them now, it would only do more harm than good."

It was then that All Might in his deflated form walked in the room. He opens his mouth to say something, but experience and Recovery Girl's glare is enough to keep his voice down. "Young Midoriya!" He says in concern. Then he takes inventory of how many people are in the room, and clears his throat. "A - and young Harushi."

"Who's the stick?" Rumi asks with narrowed eyes.

Ochako panics. "That's uh - uh…"

"I'm Yagi. Midoriya's personal trainer." He replies smoothly. "I just came in to check up on him. He looks… rough."

"He is." Recovery Girl confirms. "Several broken bones, stress fractures, torn muscles and ligaments, second and third degree burns. I'm going to give Nemuri an earful for letting the fight go on that long."

Everyone collectively winced with the diagnosis. They hadn't realized the fight got that bad, but upon recollection, it's honestly amazing that Midoriya wasn't worse off. Then the elder continues. "I don't think it's likely for him to compete after this."

Ochako's eyes widened at that. "Wait! Are you sure!?"

"Girl, did you not hear me?" Comes a flat response. "The boy isn't even awake, and I doubt he'd even shift in the time it takes for them to fix the ring and you to fight next. Let alone be in fighting shape in time for that." Ochako deflates.

"I see… it's possible we can help with that."

Itsuka nods in agreement. "If you allow it, we can give them an energy boost that would allow you to use your quirk." Ochako perks up.

"I won't allow it." Recovery Girl says sternly. "That would be irresponsible."

"Would it though?" Toshinori interjects, keeping the fear out of his voice when Recovery Girl's glare snaps to him. "L - look, I understand why you wouldn't want to, but this has gone beyond simple combat to these students. That last fight for example, I'm not sure if you noticed, but that was less of a fight and more of a clash of ideals. Those two fought to the bitter end, not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of proving a point. I ask that you look beyond this just this once, so these kids can finally prove themselves to themselves, if that makes sense."

An uncomfortable amount of time passes while Recovery Girl stews on the speech. Then she groans and mutters under her breath about a 'heroic idiot who's good at talking' before approaching Momo and Itsuka.

"I assume it's an application of ki. What you were talking about." The doctor ponders aloud. "Makes sense. Ki is lifeforce, is it not? Very well, what will you do exactly?"

"We just intend to transfer some of our energy to them. Ki is stored differently per person, so it's likely that what we offer won't be a whole lot compared to them since they're been training much longer than we have, but it'll be enough to help." Itsuka explains, waving her hand back and forth while the black, inky swipes follow it.

Recovery Girl raises a brow in intrigue. "What exactly are you doing though? Just forcing energy into them?"

"Somewhat. It'll be a stamina boost, and it should allow you to use your quirk without issue."

"I see. Will it be enough though? These two, especially Harushi, are exhausted to points I've almost never seen before outside of All Might."

Toshinori sweats nervously.

Momo chews her bottom lip. "I'm… not sure? There's a bit of a power gap there. Kendo-san would have a better idea of how that really gauges."

"I'm not really an expert myself," Itsuka says sheepishly. "From what Chun-Li-sensei said, it's a bit like a pool. A reserve of energy that you can tap into. Some people have way more than others, and…" she sighs. "I only just realized that there's probably not enough energy between the two of us to get either of those two up and about."

Rumi makes a sound of disbelief. "You're joking, right? You two - combined - so you're saying that you can't - ugh! Give it to Pretty Boy then!"

"What!?" Ochako shrieks. "No! Give it to Deku! He's supposed to meet me in - he won! He deserves to finish the day!"

"Pretty boy was kicking his ass until he did that magic shit at the end! He was totally about to win that! I say give it to Pretty Boy because he deserves the rematch!"

"Rematch? He lost fair and square! Deku should get it! Tell her Yagi!" Ochako suddenly says, causing all eyes to snap to Toshinori, who'd been trying to sneak out of the room before anyone noticed. All eyes on him put more pressure on him than anything he'd ever experienced in life and he started to sweat a bit more than you'd think reasonable for a cooled room.

"I - I, er… well, you see." He stammers out before remembering that he was, in fact, the Symbol of Peace and he didn't get that by being intimidated by a group of high school girls. "I think young Midoriya should get it." Usagiyama opens her mouth to argue, of course, but the deflated hero raises a hand. "I understand, young lady. The boy also showed a frankly amazing amount of grit and determination, but he did ultimately lose at the end of the day. For as impressive of a showing as it was, and believe me, it was truthfully incredible, he did lose. It's only fair."

Usagiyama made a face as she was processing the information. You could see the gears turning in her mind. "He did… lose, didn't he?" She says with a strange voice. "He… -" she trails off before pouting and crossing her arms. "Fine." Rumi huffs before walking - storming out really - of the room.

Momo and Itsuka share a look before looking at Harushi then to the door. They frown.

"We should get started, girls." Recovery Girl says in a soothing tone.

It takes a bit longer than twenty minutes for Cementoss to fix the entire stadium following that battle and in the meantime, Ochako gets to her stretches in her prep room. With the new news that Deku might (Recovery Girl said she makes no promises) be ready to fight in the next round, she felt happier than she'd been all day. But she was torn.

Does she draw this out? Or finish this quickly?

On one hand, drawing this out gives Deku more time to recover, as well as gives Tokoyami more time to show what he could do. But on the other hand, she could lose here. She wasn't sure how, but R. Mika had told her that no fight is ever truly over until the bell sounds, and even then, people would hit you with the bell.

So she weighs her options until Mic starts his announcements.

"Coming up, ladies and gentlemen, is a fight that I've been waiting for! If you're looking for flash, you just missed it but this fight is just as important as the last YEAHH! The mistress of gravity who's pulled on everyone's hearts and minds thus far! She's kept up with the best of the best and floated them away! Ochako Uraraka of the Hero Course!"

"Mic, please stop being biased."

"Never!"

You'd think Ochako would be used to Present Mic's greetings by now, but you'd be wrong. She still felt awkward at all the bombast.

"VS! The Raven of Nevermore himself! Fumikage Tokoyami of the Hero Course!"

"Uraraka." Fumikage says in his low baritone. "It's an honor to fight you today. You are a respectable opponent and I wish you the best of luck."

"Likewise, Tokoyami!"

"And please go easy on us." Dark Shadow suddenly says, "You're pretty scary, 'Raka!"

"Oh, geez." Ochako smiles and rubs the back of her neck sheepishly.

"START!"

The sheepish smile fell immediately as Dark Shadow lunged at her, roaring in delight when Ochako stood her ground. One For All spread itself around her like a robe, then she punched her palm.

Heavy Point may not have been the most visually stunning technique out there, especially following that previous fight, but it was no doubt effective. Dark Shadow slams into her and Fumikage is somewhat expecting to overpower her and fling her out of the ring, much like it had done the whole day. So imagine his surprise when his quirk comes to a dead stop and recoils.

"I knew you were formidable, but to equal Dark Shadow…"

Ochako grits her teeth but doesn't budge. Dark Shadow is strong, and she could feel herself slowly losing ground even with One For All and Heavy Point. Realizing that this method is getting nowhere, Ochako pulls back only to spring forward with a strong left hook to the shadow's beak. Dark Shadow rears back and roars, but Ochako uses this brief moment to go on the offensive. She dashes forward, intending to ignore Dark Shadow entirely and focus on Tokoyami himself. She's seen him during class and most of the day. A single hit from her would be more than enough.

If Tokoyami is surprised by this, he doesn't show it. Instead he beckons his quirk back and when Ochako gets within striking distance, Dark Shadow slams into her unprotected side. The impact is jarring, but with Heavy Point active, she barely moves, though it does make her narrowingly miss her grapple. She catches herself in a combat roll and squares up, bouncing on the balls of her heels much like she's seen All Might do in the past. Then she rears back her right fist when Dark Shadow charges again.

"Smash!"

The beast stops in its tracks and its head whiplashes upward, leaving it open for another quick strike to the center-mass. With the sentient quirk stunned, Ochako makes another mad dash at Tokoyami, who this time, appears somewhat shaken.

"D - dark shadow!" He shouts frantically.

The quirk shakes and tries to recover before shrinking and expanding to be between the two it tries recklessly dashing at Ochako again. She's ready this time. She sees the dark mass overtake her vision, inwardly smiles, before deactivating Heavy Point and flaring One For All to 7%. In one fluid motion, she springs upwards, letting Dark Shadow pass harmlessly under her feet before making herself heavier again.

"SMASH!"

The impact of Ochako's punch is enough to make the crowd wince, and when Dark Shadow hits the concrete, it forms a small, but deep crater.

"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami yells but it's futile. Ochako lands with another roll and dashes at him with her arm extended. The lariat hits Tokoyami harder than he's ever been hit before and he sails out of the ring, taking his quirk with him.

"Winner by ring-out, Ochako Uraraka!"

"YEAAH -"

"Hizashi!"

More scuffling is heard over the PA system and when it stops, Mic sounds notably in pain and winded.

"S - sorry about that folks. Some technical difficulties! Anyway without - ow - further ado! With the two finalists confirmed for the next round, now's a good time to prepare everything you need! After a quick recess, we finally reached the conclusion! Who will come out on top!? Find out next time!"

A/N: Next chapter is finally the end of the first saga. It's been a very fun ride, and I'd like to think everyone for their support this entire time. It means a lot to me. As always, if you want to find me, I'm in the Jaded Discord: discord gg pkmgFzUkBu

Monster King: Thanks!

Helljumper206: That's a good song to play for this, but! I can assure you, it's not the final showdown between those two! Glad you enjoyed.

NinjaFang1331: Thank you!

Ryuujin96: :D! I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was a very fun fight to write, and I knew I had to go all out since it was the most anticipated fight thus far. Izuku's Power of Nothingness awakens, and who better against than the Satsui Child, his best friend? Thanks for the review and continued support.

Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Thanks, glad you enjoyed. And yeah, Ryo threw down the gauntlet and forced Izuku to pick it up. Thankfully, he did. He proved himself and rised.

Solbandgus: Answered already, but yeah! Nice catch. Though the variant I used was the Street Fighter: Animated Movie where Ryu used the Metsu powered by the Power of Nothingness.

Ninja4hir3: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed :D!

aresstorm98: I can't wait to show how things are gonna go for them!

Guest: :) Thanks.