That evening, Izuku received an email from Nezu, asking him to come in early tomorrow. In the excitement of Himiko's quirk awakening, followed by her encounter with Nagant, he didn't have a chance to follow up with the principal about his questions, so he was glad to finally have a chance to sit down and talk.

The next morning, Izuku cut his run short, coming home early before leaving again for UA. As he made his way to school, he saw some students arriving early for club activities, but it was nowhere near the typical crowd he was used to. Once he stored his bag in the classroom, he began heading toward the principal's office.

When he was approaching the door, he saw it swing open.

"Ah, good morning Mr. Midoriya! Judging by the message you sent, I expected you to come by sooner."

Izuku laughed nervously as he walked into the office, sitting down in a chair. "Well, I was planning on it, but Himi's issue seemed more urgent?"

"Ah yes, the encounter your sister had. I'd say your family is developing a rather unfortunate habit of finding trouble."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Himi said it was my fault that she's like this."

"Yes, I can understand why she would draw that conclusion. But enough about her. Let's talk about why you are here."

"The sports festival," Izuku said.

"Yes. For starters, I can understand why you would suggest that Mr. Todoroki should receive therapy."

Nezu stood up and pulled a remote from his desk, walking towards one of the walls in his office. Pressing the remote, Izuku saw a panel sliding away, revealing a television screen. Nezu pushed another button, and Izuku saw his match against Shoto playing. Except the noise was filtered out, and he could hear his conversations with Shoto.

"That is a very nice trick you have, by the way. Confusing your opponent's senses and allowing yourself a brief moment to act freely."

"Y-you caught that?"

"Of course, I know about that. Kan has repeatedly bragged about your sister's ability to render herself practically invisible. Having seen it in action, I was able to notice when you used it against Todoroki. The only question is why haven't you been using the skill to its full effect before now?"

"Well, it's sort of my trump card," Izuku admitted. "I don't want it to be common knowledge. If you were in the crowd or watching on television they probably didn't notice, unless they were paying careful attention to Todoroki's responses."

"I see. A wise assessment. It is best to not reveal all of your advantages when you don't have to. Now for the second matter - why did you let him win? Your assessment at the start of the fight was correct, so why did you goad him into using his fire, instead of simply taking the victory? After all, the purpose of the Festival is to show off."

Izuku felt his face heating up. "It didn't feel right. Before the event, All Might explained to me that the goal of the festival was to win. However, I needed to do so on my terms. To let people see what kind of hero I want to be. And I want to help people. I want to help everyone, even the son of the number two hero."

"And you decided the best way to do that was to force him to use both halves of his quirk?"

Izuku's face was fully red at this point. "I-it made sense at the time. Endeavor has his crusade to surpass All Might, and he dragged Todoroki into it. He." Izuku took a deep breath. "He needed to accept himself for who he is."

Izuku let the words hang heavily in the air before he finished. "I don't know everything about his situation, but when I put the pieces together, I had a good idea of what Todoroki was going through. And while he needs therapy, I thought - maybe I could at least get him to accept himself, if even for a moment, in the heat of battle."

"A noble idea. And do you think you succeeded?"

Izuku didn't speak and instead turned to the screen, watching the match finish playing out. He saw Todoroki brush past Midnight and walk towards where he was on the ground. "It only lasted for a moment, but yes."

"But that didn't last, did it?"

Izuku shook his head, remembering the finals. "No. That's when I realized he needed therapy. If only things were simple enough that a fight was all it took to solve his issues."

"I agree," Nezu said. "And while I have my doubts that we can convince his father to enroll him in therapy, we can make regular visits to Hound Dog a requirement for him. While Hound Dog is focused on the field of heroics and trauma that may occur from that, I believe he can at least begin to help Mr. Todoroki with his issues."

Izuku felt a faint smile forming on his lips. "I'm glad."

"And now for the other issue you wished to speak about." Nezu pushed the button, and the scene changed to the awards ceremony. The stage rose out of the ground, and everyone was looking awkwardly at Katsuki, who was chained there, quirk-suppressing cuffs keeping him from exploding the stage.

"What's the point?" Izuku asked.

"Well. He was the rightful winner. His issue was related to the fact that Mr. Todoroki was holding himself back."

"He has always been like that." Izuku sighed. "He thinks Todoroki was looking down on him because he didn't use his fire. The fact that I was able to force Todoroki to fight at full strength, while he didn't, just made it worse."

"That accurately describes what we heard from Mr. Bakugou as well." Nezu agreed.

"So rather than let him refuse the win you forced the medal on him anyways?"

Nezu sighed. This is where it gets complicated. "Yes. Because we have to make a show of things for the HPSC. They want us to elevate the winner, to give them attention and focus. Even with his behavior, we still had to go through with the ceremony."

"Why?"

Nezu pauses the recording and turns to Izuku. "Do you understand the format of the games, and what they represent?"

Izuku nodded. "The first represents a race to the top of the hero standings. The second teaches us that heroes have to work together to defeat villains - sometimes under less than ideal circumstances. And the third - the third is simply a show for the flashiest quirks."

"Indeed. Because as you are fully aware, flashy quirks mean recognition, and recognition helps with your hero ranking."

"But what about Class 2? The second-place winner had a super-regeneration quirk. That isn't exactly flashy."

"Isn't it?" Nezu asked, pointedly. "To see someone lose an arm, a leg, or even part of their body, only for muscle, bone, and organs to knit themselves back together, the attack rendered worthless? It may not be flashy in the same sense as Mr. Bakugo's, but it would still be visually impressive to a bystander, and leave an impression."

Izuku seemed to be processing the information before he nodded.

"And the goal of the system is one of simple reinforcement. It is supposed to subtly reinforce the idea that flashy quirks are powerful, and that those heroes deserve to have high rankings on the hero billboards. Their personality doesn't matter, as much as results - how much are they seen, how much are they remembered, and how much criminal activity they have stopped."

Izuku immediately thought of Endeavor, the number two hero, and his attitude. "I think I get it. But why do you go along with it?"

"Let me ask you, in all of the years watching the sports festival, have you ever seen another situation such as this?"

Izuku thought about it for a moment, but the answer was obvious. "No."

"Precisely. As much as I would like the situation to be different, we are still dependent on the HPSC. If they want us to go through the routine no matter what, it isn't worth wasting what influence we have on something such as this. Especially since the problem lies with the individual, rather than the system. For anyone else, it would be an honor to be standing on that podium and being declared the winner."

Izuku was silent for a long time as he thought about it.

"Now there are two issues to discuss, but for today, let's stick to your classmates. Now then, why do you think Mr. Bakugo acted this way?"

Izuku looked at Nezu in surprise. He didn't expect the principal to turn this into a lesson.

Quickly recovering, Izuku answered the question. "Bakugo has always been like this. He's not only focused on being the best, but he also has to feel like he has earned it."

"He seems to have a rather specific mindset, yes. We have been keeping an eye on Bakugo's ingrained quirkism, but it seems like he has other issues as well. I must say, someone with a combination of both superiority and inferiority complexes is a rare sight."

Izuku looked down at the table. "His entire life, he has been placed on a pedestal and told that he was destined for greatness, and everyone at our school essentially encouraged that behavior. Coming to UA was the first time anyone has challenged that assumption."

Looking at Nezu, Izuku continued. "Even when it came to how he treated me. The school turned a blind eye towards it, and only when my mom threatened action did they help - by transferring me to another class. He had gotten worse after that."

Izuku frowned. "UA is the first time where he was among equals. People who were just as smart and as strong as him, and who wouldn't put up with his attitude."

The silence in the room was heavy until Nezu continued. "So, while you are willing to recommend therapy for Mr. Todoroki, why haven't you asked for the same for Mr. Bakugo?"

Izuku's face turned red from embarrassment. "I guess he's sort of a blind spot for me? I just accepted it as the way things were."

Izuku held up his hand and wrapped it in One For All's power. "Even by accepting One For All, I feel like some part of me agrees with him about quirkless heroes."

"We have gone over this before."

"I know," Izuku lowered his hand. "As a quirkless hero, I could only do so much to help people, compared to the power I will wield once I fully master One For All. And if I didn't accept this gift, then someone else would have, and they would have their own motivations and goals."

"But just because Mr. Bakugo had a point with regards to quirkless heroes, doesn't mean he is correct about everything," Nezu answered, steering the conversation back to its original topic. "And perhaps with the influence he still holds over you, I should recommend you seek out some additional therapy yourself. I hear your family has a reputable therapist on call."

Izuku's face heated up. "I-I can talk to my mom."

"Excellent. But that still leaves the question of what to do about Mr. Bakugo."

Izuku sighed, before returning to the image on the screen. "Are you worried about him becoming a villain if you expel him?"

"Yes. It is an unfortunate situation where we do not have a simple solution. Fortunately, I believe I know just the person who can help."

Nezu returned to his desk and sat down. As he began typing, the image on the screen changed to an internship offer, and Izuku began reading it. As he was reading, he began to realize Nezu's plan.

"Do you think this will work?"

"For young Bakugo's sake, I hope so. If not, he will be spending the next semester as one of the very students he was looking down on in the General Studies program."

Even though Nezu's expression was unreadable, Izuku could sense the threat behind those words and felt a sense of dread.

Using the remote, Nezu once again hid the screen before turning to Izuku. "Now then, I know there is one more outstanding question, but I believe I have taken up enough of your time. Perhaps, once internships are over, I can sit down with you and your sister and we can continue our discussion about the HPSC?"

Izuku swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and nodded.

"It is rather a heavy topic for a first- and second-year student, but given both of your ambitions, perhaps you should be made aware of the realities of the situation sooner than I would like."

"S-sounds good."

Izuku stood up to leave before Nezu spoke again. "Oh, and one last thing. At Power Loader's recommendation, we will be adding a support student to our quirk analysis class today. He claims that she is rather talented, although she has a rather unique way of thinking. He is hoping that by having her study quirk analysis with a deeper focus than she is receiving in her classes, she will improve her designs."

Izuku didn't even need to guess who he was talking about. "Mei Hatsume."

"Correct." Nezu sounded pleased at Izuku's guess.

"She impressed quite a few people at the Sports Festival, even though her methods were unorthodox."

Izuku was now filled with a completely different sense of dread.

"I-I guess I'll see you in class later today."

Izuku returned to his classroom, deep in thought from his conversation with Nezu. Sitting down at his desk, he began going through the motions to prepare for the day out of habit, while his mind tried to process the information.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by Ochako and Tsuyu coming up to his desk.

"Deku, is everything alright?"

Izuku tensed up for a moment, before looking at the two girls. "Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind."

It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Izuku looked down at his desk and frowned. "I'm not sure."

"Is something wrong with Midoriya?" Izuku could hear Tenya as he came up behind his friends, joining them around his desk.

"He's more distracted than usual, kero."

Izuku laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "I-it's nothing, really!"

None of his friends appeared to be believing it as they stared at him.

"Midoriya, I must insist! After our conversation earlier this week, it would be hypocritical of you to bottle your feelings up!"

Izuku looked at his friends and felt warm from their concern. As he looked at them he felt better, like everything will turn out alright. He just has to remember that he has people he can rely on now, beyond his mom and Himiko.

A genuine smile filled his face as he looked at his friends. "Thanks, guys. I just had a pretty heavy conversation this morning, about some personal matters. I just… need some time to process it all."

He felt Ochako's hand on his shoulder. "If there's anything we can do to help, you'll tell us, right?"

Izuku looked at his friends, his smile growing as he nodded. "Yeah! I promise."

That evening, after he had walked Ochako to the train station and returned home, Izuku went to Himiko's room and sat down on her bed.

"It sounds like Nezu wants to meet with both of us."

Himiko spun around in her chair and looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

"Apparently, my questions about the sports festival are related to the HPSC?"

Himiko looked like she ate something sour. "So he wants to drag you into this too?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah."

While Himiko sat there with a frown on her face, Izuku held out his hand and began pushing the energy of One For All into it.

"Do you remember, after my entrance exam, how I promised I was still the same little brother you spent two years growing up with?"

Himiko felt a knot in her stomach and nodded.

"I never told you, but I felt guilty about accepting a quirk."

The knot was replaced with confusion. "Huh?"

Izuku gave his sister a sheepish smile. "Isn't it ironic that a quirkless kid accepts a quirk to protect those who aren't as lucky? And it's the kind of quirk that people would think of when they think about heroic quirks. And yet I want to use the power to help those with villainous quirks."

Himiko paused for a long time. "I never thought about it that way."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "So for the longest time, I felt like a hypocrite and felt guilty about it. But then I began to realize something important."

"What's that?"

"It's a matter of scale. I absolutely could become a quirkless hero, but I'd be limited. Sure, I'd probably do well as an underground hero, but then I'd never get any attention. How many underground heroes have you heard of?"

"Thanks to you, quite a few!" Himiko snarked back.

Izuku gave a nervous laugh. "I guess that's fair. But if I were a quirkless hero competing in the rankings, I doubt I'd be able to break into the top 100 by myself. There are just too many villains where I'd have to call in support. And knowing the media, they'd love to say it was the Bakugos and the Todorokis who saved the day."

Izuku channeled power into his hand again, holding it up. "But now? Now I have a chance of achieving my dream, and being the number one hero!"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Izuku let the power dissipate as he looked at Himiko. "I was just thinking about your quirk. Have you thought about being a hero that lives in the limelight, instead of being underground?"

Himiko looked at Izuku as if he had grown a second head. "Are you serious? Doesn't that defeat the whole point of my quirk?"

"Does it?" Izuku asked seriously.

"What good is a shapeshifting quirk if everyone knows that I can do it?"

"Well…" Izuku started. "What about how powerful your quirk is now that it's awakened?"

Himiko's eyes seemed to lose focus as she was thinking hard about what Izuku just said, before snapping back into focus. "I never thought about it like that!"

Izuku smiled. "Exactly. Being a sneaky underground hero suits you! But you could also spend some time in the spotlight with your ability to copy other heroes' powers."

"Or villains!" Himiko pointed out. "Once I get my new support gear!"

"Or villains." Izuku agreed. "Assuming you can learn to use their powers on the fly."

Himiko giggled. "I'm sure you and Emmy won't stop harassing me until I can copy powers on demand."

"What can I say?"

"Nothing, I know you too well." Himiko stuck out her tongue.

They settled into a comfortable silence before Himiko finally continued. "You've proven over and over again that quirk or not you're still the same person. I was just jealous. I wanted the two of us to take on the world, and show everyone why they shouldn't underestimate us."

"And now?"

"Now my quirk is awesome!" Himiko proudly proclaimed.

"So you're not jealous anymore?"

Himiko shook her head. "Nope!"

Izuku looked relieved. "I guess I was hoping we could still take on the world together? Just well, taking it on in a different way?"

Himiko suddenly had a serious look on her face. "This is about Nezu wanting to talk to us."

Izuku nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I guess I just wanted to get that off of my chest first."

Himiko smiled at her brother before she stood up and collapsed on the bed next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"I don't think I have a choice in the matter. If I don't watch out for you then you're going to keep hurting yourself, and that would make mom sad."

Izuku turned red from embarrassment and Himiko giggled, before she continued.

"If Nezu wants to help us, I'll take it. I owe him so much - for helping me escape my family, and for giving me this chance." Himiko waved around her room for emphasis. "I would do it alone if I had to. But with the two of us? With our quirks now? The bad guys are screwed!"

Izuku smiled at her. "I was hoping you'd agree."

AN: After Himiko had her big conversation with Nezu, Izuku was due one as well. The kids have certainly gotten quite ambitious in their goals!