"You're lookin' a bit distracted there Slugger. What do you have on your mind?" Izuku looked up at Yang from his position on his back, benching some really heavy weight as his bangs clung to his forehead from all the sweat. He moved to speak but gasped a bit as he remembered, oh right, the huge weight he was currently trying to keep from slamming into his chest and killing him. With a great deal of effort as Yang just nodded her head and grinned as he managed to push the hundreds of pounds of weight off of him and sit up, trying his best to relax his aching muscles as he looked up at her.

"Do I really look that out of it?" Izuku asked as Yang tossed him a towel. The blonde just shrugged her shoulders a bit as she walked over to a bench that sat just on the opposing side of him, taking a seat as she looked at Izuku.

"I mean, it's not terrible. It's not like you've got this thousand yard stare going like you're going through some Color War Flashback or anything." Izuku snorted a bit at Yang's description as the lilac eyed young woman just shrugged. "You're usually just more focused on what you're doing whenever we get down to training like this. Right now... I dunno, your body's certainly into it, but it feels like that mind of yours is one thousand miles away." He nodded as he put the towel to the side, a slight frown on his lips as she tilted her head. "So what's got your mind runnin' off there Slugger? Let's hear it."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts as he tried his best to parse out what it is on his mind, before he scratched at the back of his head awkwardly, a gesture he'd long since picked up from spending so much time around Toshinori in the past. "Well... you know Professor Goodwitch is going to be having us spar tomorrow, right?" Izuku saw Yang nod as his own head dipped a bit. "Well... I've been thinking about last week and... well... as great as managing to finally beat Kacchan was... I know that it wasn't entirely in my own hands that I won. A lot of it was just dumb luck." Izuku expected Yang to fight back against him, to tear down Kacchan and insist against his mindset...

"Yeah, you did get pretty lucky there Izuku." She laughed slightly as she saw the surprise on his face, the young woman shrugging. "Don't get me wrong, I think Bakugo's a tool that my baby sister shouldn't have to put up with, and neither should you, but I'm not about to hold you back from getting better by lying to your face about where you stand. That's not my style." She smiled as she shook her head. "So yeah, you got really lucky and managed to pull out a win... I don't see why you're letting that hang around your head though Izuku. You dropped 'the bomb' on Bakugo!"

...

"Oh that was funny and you know it."

"It really wasn't." Yang sighed and shook her head as he couldn't help but smile; despite the bad joke, he was feeling better. "It's just... I'm worried now that I've got this expectation riding on me. Before... well, I was just Izuku Midoriya. No one might've expected me to do much or to win many fights. People probably wouldn't have tried to challenge me to further their reputation... but now here I am, having beaten Kacchan and... I dunno. I don't want to disappoint anyone by not living up to the idea that I'm the kind of person who 'could' beat him."

"... Well if you ask me, you being 'just Izuku Midoriya' came with its own expectations." Izuku looked up as Yang gave him a gigantic grin, stretching her arms out to the side. "You're the little Slugger that could and friggin' can Izuku. You've been improving week by week, changing yourself and improving as best you can. I never know what you're going to bring to a new week with all the work you do... I mean heck, you lost to Owari, sure, but the week after that you came in with your Second Awakening and beat Mitsu. Then you came in against Bakugo and blew one of his explosions out of the air with that Glenn Smash thing! Heck, I'm looking forward to whatever crazy crap you're going to bring to this week's fight." Yang's enthusiasm washed over him and, after a moment, he couldn't help but grin himself.

"So relax. Maybe you can't live up to the rep you've earned by beating Bakugo. Who the Hell cares. I, for one, know that one way or another, you'll make yourself strong enough to live up to that rep sooner or later." With that, Yang got up and punched him in the shoulder. "So enough of this worrying crap and let's get back to working out! This time, you better put all you got into it, Slugger!"

"... Thanks Yang..."

Izuku couldn't help but think back on that conversation as he and Yang stared at each other from across the Arena Floor, Emerald Gust heavy on his arms as Yang brought her fists forward so that Ember Celica could spring forth.

"S-So... you were looking forward to whatever crazy crap I could bring this week, huh?" Izuku asked, somewhat nervously, as Yang just gave a wide and toothy grin.

"Eh, I wasn't expecting to actually be able to fight you myself, but this just makes it even better." Yang rolled out her wrists as she said that, Izuku himself chuckling as he brought his hands up. When the announcement had come up that he was open for challenges it barely even took a split second before Yang shot up and declared that she wanted a shot at him. He had just swallowed nervously at the time and, after a light amount of ribbing from Yang as they both got changed in the locker room, thankfully in actually separate rooms as his heart wouldn't have been able to handle the alternative, they both arrived in the arena, his friends all cheering them both on.

"Slugger, I'm gonna tell you this right now... I really want a good fight." Izuku nodded as Yang's grin managed to stretch even further. "This isn't going to be like our spars. This isn't to teach you or to help you get better... this is going to be me giving it everything I've got in order to win. I want the same from you Slugger. I want you to throw everything you got at me and try to beat me... key word being try." Yang chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at him for a moment, before winking. "Sound good there, Izuku?"

"Izuku Midoriya vs. Yang Xiao Long! Ready?! GO!"

"Yang... I'm honored you want to fight me this much. Even before we took up training with each other... I could tell that you were really strong. One of the strongest people here. You were so much more confident than I was... it was easy to see all that." Yang grinned as she recoiled back, ready for his first charge. "You're one of the people I want to beat... that I want to surpass. That I want to live up to the example of! Everything I've seen of what you can do since then has only heightened that idea in my mind!" With that Izuku surprised pretty much 'everyone' by immediately turning on his spot and running away from Yang, finishing off his sprint with a very long jump. Yang, after recovering from her own surprise, gave a wild smile as she immediately set about chasing him.

"If that's the case then why are you running off Izuku! Let's give these people a show of two bad asses throwing down and kicking each other's asses!" Yang yelled with a wide smile, Izuku just gritting his teeth as he hid his right hand behind his body. Yang was pretty fast on her feet when she wanted to be... he had no doubt that she could duck out of the way of his Glenn Smash if she saw it coming. So he needed space to get away from her and get it ready with her seeing... then he could start the fight off right.

Thankfully, it seemed as though all his running and exercising had paid off; he was faster than Yang right then and could jump farther. The chase went on for seconds though he eventually stopped as he felt himself ready, gritting his teeth as he turned to face Yang. The blonde's lilac eyes were shimmering as she approached him, fists clenched and reared back in preparation for a fight.

When Izuku turned to face her, presenting an unprotected right hand with a finger pulled back and glowing, those same lilac eyes went wide with surprise.

"GLENN... SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

With a roar of wind that accompanied that shout Izuku fired off the attack at Yang who could've only been a scant couple yards from him. The element of surprise worked perfectly to his advantage and Yang was hit dead on by the Smash, her body's stance practically crumpling under the sudden force of the shock wave as she gasped in surprise. A second later and Yang was sent 'flying' at rapid speeds. However Yang immediately dug one hand into the ground, pushing herself up and toward Izuku in an attempt to slow the momentum. A series of flips, twists and motions to slow herself down in the air and, eventually, Yang dug her boots into the floor and managed to arrest herself, taking deep breaths as she brought a hand up to her head in order to arrest the bit of dizziness that struck her.

"Did I... did I just go flying?" She seemingly asked no one as she shook her head before turning her eyes on Izuku... only to go in some surprise as she took him in. He couldn't imagine how he was looking but he continued on with his answer to her.

"That's why... that's why I promise I'm not going to hold anything back! I can't beat you hand to hand... I just can't... so... so I have to focus on what I CAN do!" Izuku clenched his fist despite the pain as he looked Yang right in the eyes. "I'm going to give it everything I can so that I can surpass you! So that I can take the next step to my Dream! Besides... if you're going to give it everything then... ugh, I guess I can't leave you yanging, right?" Doing his best to get the bad taste of horrible pun out of his mouth, he brought his fist forward, broken finger and all. "SO LET'S GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT AND MAKE THIS A GOOD FIGHT!"

There was a moment of silence over the arena as Yang just looked straight on at him, a silence that the audience shared in. After but a moment, he saw a smile crosses Yang's face.

"You're really serious about winning huh. You want it bad... you really want it."

Before Izuku could even response Yang just leaped forward as she had before, landing right in front of his face as she grinned at him.

"Well Slugger, looks like I'll have to step up my game and MAKE YOU WORK FOR IT!"

His first instinct immediately drove Izuku into action as he leapt away from Yang and pulled up his right hand, moving on from his broken middle finger and onto his index finger. Pushing One For All into his digit, he ground his teeth together...

"GLENN SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Another flick, another forceful Smash... but this time his eyes went wide as Yang managed to duck underneath his Smash, a wide grin on her face as she charged toward him. Izuku dug in his heels and gritted his teeth as best he could, knowing that pain is coming and boy oh boy... does it come alright. Yang drilled her fist into his torso and, moments later, her shotgun immediately followed up by blowing its rounds into his gut. He couldn't help but flinch as he felt the full force... 'holy woah, is this really what it feels like. Really smarts…'

Still, Izuku managed to pull himself together and his body held itself together despite the fact that, in a minor way, he felt his Aura fail. Not in the exact same way as Bakugo's had, thankfully, so he was still able to push back against the potentially harmful injury coming his way. Still that left Yang right in front of Izuku... and with nowhere to run. She'd just keep throwing herself at Izuku and he realized that he was not going to get her off from on top of him with his current tactic. He needed to disable her with a throw, like he did with Bakugo. It was a somewhat clumsy first attempt as, even as he got a grip on Yang's arms, Yang flipped that grip around and forced him to let go, a wide grin on her face and a spark of recognition in her eyes. Soon enough Yang reared back her fists... and Izuku couldn't help but swallow nervously as he brought his own hands up, breathing deeply.

The first punch rocketed towards him and as he brought his hands up... no, ne wouldn't make it in time. Izuku couldn't make it in time. So he did what he did best... Izuku clenched his fist.

He clenched his fist and took a deep, deep breath. Yang's eyes were on Izuku and her fist... but they glanced over in surprise as a glow emanated from his right hand.

'Keep your focus, keep your focus... don't let it break... don't let go of your control.'

His fist, empowered by 5% of One For All, slammed into Yang's and, in that exchange, it was Yang's that gave first as her fist was sent flying off in a poor direction. Her eyes did not remain wide in surprise for long as the look of excitement sprang back onto her face, bringing her other fist to strike him right in the chest. Izuku ducked back and away, managing to avoid the potential blow, only to see another one immediately follow it up. He again knew that he couldn't bring his hands up to block it in time so, once again, he called upon that power inside of him, One For All. In addition he pulled at his Aura and, with the first of energy that comes from that, Izuku managed to push his body even further and, once again, Izuku slammed his fist directly into Yang's and hers gave way. Yang gave a bit of a laugh as she swung at Izuku again and, once more, Izuku dodged.

Yang made a misstep in that moment, the force of her swing having knocked her off her feet. Izuku saw her grimace as she did so and, in a moment of immediate action, Izuku reached forward and grabbed Yang's arm. Taking a step into her space, pressing his back to her front, Izuku bodily threw her over Izuku and slammed her onto her back, One For All coursing through him again as he did so. Izuku could see her own Aura flicker up to try to reinforce her body and he grimaced; it wouldn't be enough to keep her down. Still, Izuku bought himself just enough space to prepare a third Smash, Izuku thought, and he backed off. At first, Yang was slow to stand up but, soon enough, did so and immediately ran toward Izuku, making up the distance quite well.

Still, it wasn't enough and as he brought up his right hand again and focus One For All into his ring finger, Izuku pointed right at her and prepare to Smash, fully expecting her to try and duck out of the way...

She didn't though.

"GLENN... SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Yang was hit bodily by the blow from his Smash and was immediately flung back. Her body folded again, her stance dropped from the sheer force of the blow, and... and blood spurted from Yang's mouth. Izuku eyes went wide as he saw this and, though Yang immediately flipped through the air to land safely a bit away from him, Izuku eyes immediately darted over to Glynda Goodwitch, ready for her to call the match.

...

"Miss Xiao Long... that is your agreed to limit. If Mr. Midoriya looks to hurt you worse than this, then I shall call the bout. Is that clear?"

...

What?

Izuku watched in confusion as Yang spat off to the side, a wide grin on her face.

"Crystal teach." Glynda clucked her tongue at Yang's, though it seemed she was keen to let it go. He imagined that it was the adrenaline pumping through Yang that allowed her to both speak so casually and to stand up despite the blow he had just delivered to her. Izuku saw Yang spat again as she gave him a grin, only a very small amount of blood left around her mouth. "Izuku... I'm really sorry. I said I was going to give this my best and make you earn your win... but I underestimated just what kind of drive you had. How much 'you' wanted to be the best, how much your dream rides on it. I need to remember that you act like a sparrow most of the time... but Gods be damned if you don't have the heart of a lion." Izuku was taken aback by how casual Yang was being as he watched her bring her fists up in an... odd posture.

"You deserve my best Izuku."

And with that, Yang slammed her fists together.

"So just sit back, Slugger... and watch me burn."

Izuku had to shield his eyes, feeling like he was suddenly staring into the Sun itself. A bright flash of golden light surrounded Yang for a moment and, just as it died down, he turned his Emerald eyes to look at her... and he couldn't help but feel her jaw drop slightly. Yang's hair, already very voluminous, was now 'literally' glowing and swaying in the air, despite the lack of wind. Her eyes, a lilac hue before, had turned a deep red and her skin was practically glowing. Despite all this Yang was just looking straight at him, that same confident grin on her face as she separated her fists, only to bring her hands back together to fold her fingers together and crack her knuckles.

"You'd better have more of that glowing shit wherever you dug it up from Izuku... cause you're going to need it."

Izuku ground his teeth at Yang's taunt, his body tensed as he clenched his hand into a fist, broken fingers and all. He brought up his pinkie finger and began charging One For All into it, the glow of power enveloping it as he stared at Yang head on.

"Well then come and get it Yang!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

Without taking so much as a pause Yang immediately broke off into a sprint, from his vantage he was able to tell she was a lot faster now. She'd be able to keep up with his running pace even as her movements to be far more graceful now... not exactly a great sign if he said so himself. Still he stood his ground as Yang charged forward and he finished charging One For All into his digit.

"GLENN SMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

A shower of blood erupted from his pinkie as he Smashed it into the air, sending the shock wave to Yang. Izuku gasped, four fingers down and his entire hand almost entirely shot for it. All for naught that time as he watched as Yang charged a bit of Aura into her body to dodge out of the way of the attack. He grit his teeth and quickly withdrew, just barely avoiding coming face to face with Yang as she stumbled onto the ground and got herself some solid footing.

"Aw come on Slugger, don't tell me that's how you're going to play this game. You're not gonna win just continually sending those little love taps my way!" Izuku's teeth ground together as Yang stood up, rolling out her shoulders as she brought her fists up. "Still, I do like the idea of that attack... here, let me see if I can take it for a spin!"

HIs eyes went wide as dinner plates as he watched the next few seconds unfold. In a flurry of motion he was barely able to keep up with, Yang just kept throwing out punch after punch. Even without striking a solid surface he heard the cocking of Emerald Celica as Yang's shotgun bracers go off with nearly every punch. Izuku's heart leapt into his throat as he watched the punches fly and, soon enough, the bullets followed behind. Izuku swore that more would follow up if it wasn't for the fact that... well, to put it simply, in the middle of one of the punches Yang's left bracer ended up 'slipping off her hand entirely' and flying off into the arena.

"DAMMIT!" Yang called out, the force of the blow that was strong enough to send her bracer flying off of her having also been enough to send her stumbling, Yang having barely caught herself in time to keep from falling flat on her face. Still, it wasn't a frustrated look that twisted up to greet Izuku as Yang just smiles away; it was a look of cocksure determination and excitement.

A practical wall of bullets, backed up by Gravity Dust, was being sent flying his way. He could practically 'feel' the force of gravity behind them as they soar at Izuku.

For a moment, he was not sure what to do. His mind went blank... after all, his right hand... it hurt so bad. He couldn't even really make a fist anymore. He'd always been limited with Glenn Smash so far, a finger or maybe two in training. He'd never broken all four of his fingers in one go... and it hurt so much. Izuku's eyes glanced over and he could see Glynda raising her riding crop…

'She's…'

'she's getting ready to call the match…'

'She's already counting me out. So is Yang…'

...

'So am I…'

...

It was with shocked expressions that Yang and Glynda watched as Izuku charged One For All into his thumb. Izuku gritted his teeth, ready for the unbelievable pain that's sure to follow as he brought his thumb up to his mouth. Opening it he slid it in his cheek... and then pulled.

"SSSHHHHMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Izuku's shout was muddled by the fact that he had his thumb pushing against the wall of his cheek but, nonetheless, his last minute plan worked. With a flick One For All slammed into the air and sent a shock wave flying. It hit the wall of bullets being sent his way and he heard five of them scatter. It slowed down the others too but with the Gravity Dust behind them, they'd still hurt if Izuku let them hit him.

'If I let them.'

'IF I LET THEM!'

'THIS IS IN MY HANDS!'

Izuku pulled at what of One For All he could control and he could feel it, from the tips of his toes all the way up to his face, as he pushed it throughout his body. The glowing red scars erupted across his skin and, he was pretty sure, across his nose, as he did his best to push One For All anywhere and everywhere it could go all at once. He immediately jumped, diving as fast as he could to avoid the volley. He couldn't see them... but he could practically 'feel' them. Pulling at his soul, pushing it into his body, his Aura pushed him through the rest of the way. Despite everything... he did it.

'I dodged them all.'

Izuku hit the ground with a roll, barely forcing himself back up to his feet at he did so. The pain erupted almost as soon as he was back on his feet. Izuku cried out as his hand reached up for his cheek, feeling blood pooling up in his mouth from where the Smash gathered and was released there. He was almost certain that he had a huge bruise there now... but... but he couldn't concern himself with them. He turned his gaze back to face Yang and locked eyes with her, her deep red eyes wide with surprise and she met his gaze.

Without even breaking eye contact he reached down to his other gauntlet's safety with his teeth. With all five of his fingers broken on his right hand, there was no way he was going to undo it with his hand. So he gritted his teeth against the switch and forced it to give, sliding the protective guard up over his fist and exposing his left hand as well.

There was an audible gasp that went over the crowd as he brought up his left hand and channeled One For All into his middle finger.

"GLENN SMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Another spray of blood, another shattered finger and another cry of pain were his world for the briefest of moments as another shock wave was sent Yang's way, the red eyed fighter barely catching herself as she managed to dodge out of the way of it. Her gaze was back on him even as he was stumbling away, trying to make up distance again as he started charging One For All into his left index finger. Now, the cocksure look of confidence was no longer on Yang's face. There's a strict look of determination as she took a deep breath and sprinted forward, taking a great leap and winding up little more than a yard away from Izuku. Both his eyes met and it seemed like Yang had thought she'd have more time to maneuver than she did.

Izuku took full advantage of that.

"GLENN SMMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" It was shorter this time as more and more energy departs his own body, the pain from his broken fingers wearing him down as he once again unleash One For All through them. Yang brought her arms up across her face, realizing she didn't have enough time to maneuver around the blow and just took it. She dug her heels into the ground to keep from being pushed back and, to his surprise, she was indeed standing right where she was when the winds died down and she lowered her arms to look at Izuku... worse for wear. Blood was seeping slightly out of her mouth and her arms were very much bruised. Izuku suspected that her ability to tank the hit head on came from her Semblance, as Glynda hadn't called the fight yet, but that mattered little to him as he, once again, scampered back and away from Yang, trying to put some distance between them. It wasn't enough that time however; with a half start and a leap, Yang was able to cross the distance between the two of them, her fist reared back as she seemed about ready to slam it right into his gut. He grimaced as he bent his knees and hopped slightly to the side, barely avoiding Yang's blow as it dug itself into the very floor itself, the blonde having to wrench her fist free as her red eyes meet his again.

Izuku saw the trickle of the blood speed up as her skin turns red. She was reaching her limit... and to be fair, so was he. A Smash would break her... and he couldn't get away from her anymore.

'There's no point to backing up now. Backing up and Smashing her might kill her... and I'm not going to risk a friend over a spar.'

...

'But I want to win.'

'I want to win so bad.'

'I NEED to prove I belong here.'

'That I can be a Hero…'

'No.'

'Not just a Hero, but a Great Hero.'

'The greatest who ever lived.'

'That's the only way I can make up for everything Toshinori and everyone else has done for me!'

Izuku tried to summon One For All again into his body but that time... he lost his grip on it. He'd either have to tighten it and threaten to send 100% charging through him or lose it all together. So he choose the latter, his body's glow dimming as he tightened his left fist and tried to smack Yang about. Two swings later and... well... Yang knocked them both to the side, her own movements slightly sluggish as she did so.

Yang's breathing was deep and labored as she reared her own fists back. The first swing was easy enough, he parried it away... but he saw that second swing coming. An uppercut aimed right at his gut. He tried to bring forth 5% again but... but he just couldn't. He was exhausted. He could barely move and his hands and arms hurt from having channeled so much of One For All through himself this entire fight. Not even his Aura was enough in this case. So he gritted his teeth, ready for the inevitable hit

... a hit that, coincidentally, never came.

A telltale yellow glow surrounded Yang, stopping her in place as Glynda's riding crop was raised. Seconds later the glow left Yang's hair, her red eyes turn back to lilac and her body practically slumped over... and Izuku heard the bell above ring, signaling she had dropped into the red.

"Izuku Midoriya would have faced serious harm if he took that punch... as I had to step in, the match was called. Yang Xiao Long is victorious."

With that, something left Izuku. Adrenaline maybe or just the sheer, stubborn determination that was keeping him up despite the number of fingers he'd broken and the pain he had put himself through. Whatever the case, he felt his legs give as he gave a small yelp as he went heading toward the ground... only for the same yellow glow to envelop him as it had Yang. He looked up and saw Glynda looking at both them and Yang, readjusting her glasses as she took a deep, long breath.

"The both of you are going to the nurses. 'Now'." There was a finality in her tone, an insistence that, 'yes' that was what was going to happen and that 'no' there was no getting around it.

"C-Come on Professor Goodwitch... we'll be fine... I'm just a little-"

"Probably bleeding internally with only what little Aura you have leftover to heal yourself from the attacks you've taken, Miss Xiao Long." Yang's mouth snapped shut as Glynda spoke, before she turned her sharp glare down at Izuku. What, he didn't even say anything! "Mr. Midoriya here, meanwhile, will need 'hours' for his Aura to dip in to heal his body and the stress he's put it through... hours he'll need to stay bandaged up to make sure he heals correctly in the meantime."

"B-But-"

"Nurse. Now." To make sure neither of them kept trying to argue she floated both over her head and began walking out of the arena. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes, if any of you leave I'll know. We'll proceed with the rest of the fights when I return." The rest of the audience just sat there in stunned silence and numbly nodded their heads, still blown away by the fight they just witnessed.

It's only when they were a ways down the hall that they heard the explosion of raucous applause that finally happened.

"..."

The silence is kind of horrible as Peach stared at both Izuku and Yang... there was something about the look on her face that he couldn't quite place, but it clearly said she was 'pissed'. Yang's full on laid up in one of the beds in the nurse's office, though he wouldn't know she wasn't just a guest taking advantage of it from how she looked; Peach hadn't bandaged her as his connecting Smash didn't actually do horrific, serious and deep damage... just a lot of surface damage that, combined with Yang's utterly exhausted Aura, totaled up to 'a lot'. She had been treated with some balms and Dust from behind a screen and from there was just told to 'lay there' until Peach gave her, in the Professor's words, 'permission to get back up' and that if she tried, she'd regret it...

And Peach was pretty serious. Meanwhile his fingers were thoroughly bandaged as well as a small little bandage for his cheek, some balm and Dust handed off to help ease the bruising and the help his bones sit back into place while his Aura did its work... work that was leaving him more and more exhausted by the second.

"... Agh..." Peach rubbed her temples slightly as she stared at the both of them, the woman clearly feeling a headache come on. "Just... just sit here and don't move. Seriously, if you two try anything, I'll break your legs and then wait for the rest of your injuries to patch themselves up before I fix your legs. Friggin' kids... I wasn't this stupid or reckless when I was your age, no sir..." Izuku watched as the woman muttered to herself before she started to wander of... only to look back over her shoulder at the two of them. "I mean it too. I have to some documents back to Glynda on your two states... if I catch either one of you two out of your respective beds, or if I catch 'any' sign that you moved... please believe that I'm not lying."

Izuku really didn't doubt her and, judging by Yang's slow nod, she didn't doubt her either.

With that Peach departed, leaving him, Yang and the silence of the nurse's office. The both of them hadn't said much of anything on the way here or while Peach was treating the both of them; Glynda and Peach made for some heavy company and... well... the fight had been so intense and, while Izuku couldn't speak for Yang, he expected she was just as exhausted as he was.

'How do I start off a conversation with someone after how thoroughly us two had gone after each other?'

Yang flinched in pain as she experimented moving her hands around. 'Oh wow, that hurt a lot more than I thought it would.'

While this wasn't the first time that Yang had taken damage to activate her semblance, she had never used something like Izuku's Glenn Smash to charge up her semblance.

"Look, Yang, I know that you have a really powerful semblance, but you must not depend on it to get you out of situations because I know that one day there will be something that you face that you can't rely on your semblance for."

Yang remembered her father's lectures and how at the time she dismissed his worries. Sure there were huntsmen or huntresses who could do that but by the time she would graduate Beacon she'd be ready for them. Now, she wasn't so confident about that.

She couldn't beat Izuku Midoriya's full power. Sure she beat him in that fight but that was because he was being careful not to accidentally kill her. After all, Izuku never risked shooting that "Smash" when she was right in front of him. He always kept his distance so that she would only be hit by the shockwave, he never once risked her life by flicking his smash right into her... and he was right to do so. Because if she's that beat up by only being hit by his shockwaves, then Izuku would be more than capable of killing her if he wanted to.

Not that he would though, he wouldn't risk his friend's life just to win a spar even though if he had tried a Glenn Smash at the end he could've won the match. But still...

"Trust me, kiddo you might think that you're some sort of hotshot but out there is a whole 'nother story."

Yang sighed when thinking back to her father and her uncle Qrow's advice and warnings. While she would never admit it to them, she's starting to realize why they had warned her and Ruby about the difficulties of being a huntsmen and to not overestimate themselves. If Izuku who only had Aura for about a month now, was able to fight on par with her, then there would be plenty of others out there, who are stronger and much more dangerous then she is... and that when the time comes she may still be outmatched by them.

Maybe it's time for her to really challenge herself? For the most part she's been fighting either weaklings or close-range fighters like herself. Maybe it's time for her to branch out or for her to start challenging those who might be above her? Plus while it may take a long time before she would adjust, maybe she could ask Tenya for advice on something to help her out. As Yang began to think deeply on ways she could improve, Izuku spoke up.

"So... uh..." She swiveled her head curiously to Izuku as he spoke up, sheepishly scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of a good way of breaking the ice. "Was it good for you too?" Izuku finally managed to ask... only to watch, in confusion, as Yang's jaw dropped slightly, her lilac eyes going wide for a moment.

"Wait, what?" She asked, seemingly stunned, as Izuku immediately backpedal.

'Did I say something wrong?'

"I-I just mean... you know, you said that you wanted a good fight out of me and you were excited! That you wanted to see what I could do... so I thought I'd ask... you know, if it was a good fight for you? Cause it was good for me." Izuku watched Yang just continue to stare at him in disbelief for a moment, as if trying to parse out if he was for real.

And then, well, she laughed. She laughed and laughed, wincing and moaning in pain in between laughs as she held onto her gut, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she reached a hand up to quickly sweep them away.

"Oh my... HAHAHAHHA... oh... oh... never change Izuku. I swear, never change." Izuku tilted his head to the side, now both confused and worried, as Yang eventually stopped wincing and leaned back into her bed. "Yeah, it was super good for me Slugger. You got me all hot under the collar with that performance. Probably the best I've ever had... gosh, maybe the best I'll ever have. Gotta wonder if you ruined me for other people in the future. Such a bad boy underneath that sparrow-like exterior, aren't you slugger?" Izuku missed the sly look on her face, the blonde twirling a hand through her luxurious hair as she spoke.

"O-OH! I'm sorry!" Tears threaten to peek out of the corners of his eyes as he leaned forward, him trying to forge a determined look as him gave her a firm nod. "I promise I'll take responsibility!"

"AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!" And she was at it again, a blush on her face even as she laughed her ass off. "Oh God, HAHAHAHA, it hurts but I can't stop laughing! Izuku, you're such a-hahahahaha... ah... aaaaahhh..." Finally, Yang calmed down and leaned back, the medication Peach having given them both likely finally hitting her. "Ah... you're a real card Izuku." She said with a grin as she casually placed her hands up behind her head, relaxing in her bed while he remained as confused as ever. "I was kidding anyway... not about being satisfied, but about the rest. That was a fantastic fight Slugger... you gave me everything I could've wanted and way more... heck, way more than I was expecting."

"Same here... I didn't think you had a Semblance like that. It's a really powerful one too! I mean, there's the obvious drawback of needing to be harmed in order to activate it but being able to turn your opponents own strength against themselves has got to be some way of evening the playing field if I've ever seen, it might even it against opponents who might be leagues stronger than you all you'd have to do would be take enough of their punishment to survive and then you'd be squared away to just power up and keep on fighting because not only do you get stronger and faster but you start being able to tank hits which, Yang, I have to askifyoucanactivateyourSemblanceoffofthedamageyoutaketothat-"

"Slugger, you're doing the thing." Izuku immediately slapped his hands over his mouth as Yang spoke up, an amused smile on her face as she turned back to look up at the ceiling. "Yeah, it's a strong Semblance... but jeez, it gets blown out of the water by yours by a mile if you ask me." Izuku blushed slightly, shaking his head as he scratched the back of it.

"I-I mean, I wouldn't say that. They're pretty similar Semblances if you think about it and just because yours ends up draining you doesn't mean mine is better, because after all, I have such a hard time-"

"Using it because you're not used to it." Yang said with a grin as she looked back over at him. "Izuku, you're about a month or so into using your Aura if you're right... and yeah, you don't have control over this thing but, jeez Izuku, for not having much control over it that Semblance is 'busted'." Izuku again blushed at the compliment as Yang threw her hands up into the air. "You can flick a finger with it and cause a 'shock wave'... ONE FINGER! And you can't even control it super well! Can you imagine what you're going to be like when you do manage to control it as well as I can control my Semblance? Dear Gods Slugger, you'll be a beast."

"Come on..."

"It's true! You're going to friggin' stomp some mud holes into a whole bunch of Grimm Izuku. If I had any doubt about it before, there's no doubt now." Izuku couldn't help but smile at Yang's declaration, the young woman bringing her arms back down to fold over her stomach. "It's kind of crazy. I was the best kid in my Combat School. Strongest, fastest-" Yang watched as she saw him nod in agreement, after all, it was easy to imagine that Yang was a pretty impressive specimen in her year, "-, most attractive." Izuku nodded again... and then immediately went red as he brought his hands up, Yang just chuckling again as she waved him off. "It's too easy to get you but your reactions make it work it." Izuku pouted a bit, eliciting chuckles from her, before she continued. "Anyway, I've been so used to being on top... Beacon's been kind of an eye opener. You wouldn't know it but when Tenya gets in that armor of his, he 'really' hurts. Blake and Tsu are really evasive as well. I haven't fought too many of our friends in spars... actually, just my team in private sessions and you at this point, but I know they'd all be tough nuggets to crack. Even my baby sis."

"And you nearly beat me... heck, if you flicked your finger right in my face, it'd probably be a one-hit KO."

"W-Well I think it's pointless to think about the fight on terms like that because if we both went for stuff like... that then it's hard to say who'd win... I think at least." Izuku saw Yang smile softly, before she shrugged.

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Yeah, nope." Yang brought her hands back behind her head as she turned to look up at the ceiling. "Izuku, if it was a fight to the death, I think you'd kill me at this point. I might be a better fighter over all, but that Semblance of yours is one Hell of an equalizer." Izuku frowned slightly as he looked down to the side.

"Yang... I'm sorry about that, I know I'm just lucky to-"

"Up up up up, none of that Slugger." Yang shook her head. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to the guy who thought he was Broken for who knows how many years talk about how he's sorry that he had the 'good fortune' to have a powerful Semblance revealed to him only 'a month' ago. You aren't 'lucky', you worked hard to be able to use that when you've been without it for so long. I'm not about that kind of pettiness anyway." Yang grinned. "As far as I'm concerned, your Semblance is your Semblance, it's as much a part of you as me kicking butt is me. If you didn't use it I'd feel insulted."

"Still, if I only fought with my own fighting skills-"

"Then I'd clean your clock, yeah." Izuku chuckled at how frank Yang's words were as she shrugged. "But like I said, that doesn't matter. Cause we're both not just our butt-kicking abilities, we're also our Souls... and you know what, you've got a strong Semblance and I asked you to throw it at me. It kind of stinks that I still nearly lost but... well, that just means I have to start doing better." Izuku saw Yang look up to the ceiling, a thoughtful expression slowly replacing her more coy and playful one as she shrugged.

"I've been coasting off the fact that I have a strong Semblance and that I'm a good fighter... but people like you are proof that there are bigger fish out there Slugger. Eventually you're going to improve that Semblance of yours and be the big damn Hero that you're dreaming of being After everything that went down in that fight... that look on your face... I don't have any doubt of that now. If... if I stay the way I am now, I'm not even going to be in the remote ballpark of how powerful you're going to end up. If I don't get my rear in gear... well, then eventually you and all our other friends who're putting in so much effort are just gonna leave me behind in the dust."

"Then you'll get stronger." Izuku was not sure which of the two of he was more surprised by the certainty that lines his voice, he or Yang. Still, he barreled through that surprise as he gave a firm nod, a determined look on his face eased by a slightly nervous smile. "I mean... you said it yourself Yang. 'You burn'. I really can't think of any fire that's ever content with what it's got. So I think... no, I know you'll keep burning brighter and brighter and that you'll do so from now until... who knows how far into the future." Admittedly at that point his nerves started to catch up to him, both from talking to someone like that and from the fact that he was about to seal it little bit of reassurance with a pun of all thing... but he suspected that Yang, of all people, would be the person to appreciate that gesture.

So with a slightly wry grin he raised his right hand, all five fingers broken and bandaged, and gave a nod. "Plus you never know. Your big break might just be right around the corner."

...

'Oh God that was terrible, it's dead silent, what were you thinking, trying to give an inspirational speech at all and then ending it with a 'pun' of all things, this was such a bad idea, quick, just, just say something, anything to-'

His train of thought was interrupted as Yang barks out a melodious little laugh, the blonde bringing a hand up to try to hold it back as her cheeks puffed up behind it.

"Man Slugger, I appreciate the effort, but you got a long way to go before you can strong crackin' out puns like me... a 'Xiao Long' way to go, you might say." Izuku groaned a little as he shook his head, Yang continuing to laugh and smile. Eventually the girl's mirth slowly died down and what replaced it was something you didn't see a lot out of Yang. More used to coy grins or thoroughly pleased smiles after delivering what she thought was the perfect pun, to see her instead offering him a rather warm grin was a bit of a surprise. "But other than that weakness... thanks Izuku. That's something I needed to hear."

He couldn't help but smile at that.

"I'm glad."

With that the expression was gone almost as soon as it had appeared as Yang immediately fell back onto the back and relaxed a little. "You know, I really hope Glynda remembered to get my bracer off the ground before starting the next match." Izuku blinked in confusion at Yang's change in topic, the girl turning her lilac eyes as that damned pleased look was back on her face. "After all, I'd hate for Ember Celica to get all busted up after I threw down the gauntlet during out fight. Eh, eh?" Yang allowed herself a few chuckles and Izuku just groaned again. Seemed like now that she could reasonably be sure that Tsuyu wasn't around to punish her puns, that Yang was going to try to get in as many as she could...

*THWWWWAAAAAAAP!*

Or at least that seemed like the plan up until Yang was blind-sided by said Frog Faunus.

"AGH! WHAT THE HECK, SHE'S NOT EVEN HERE, HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?"

"Actually, we're all here, ribbit ribbit." Indeed, stood by the doorway was the rest of their peer group, a sea of grins of varying levels of excitement plastered across their faces... well, except for Kacchan's of course, and Ren and Shoto were, well, themselves... you know what, Izuku was sure that they were enthusiastic in their owns ways. At any rate, their friends all funneled in and immediately bombarded both Izuku and Yang. Half of the attention was the two of them being chewed out for being so irresponsible during that fight, Weiss made 'especially' sure that he was getting sprayed with the spray bottle for having broken so many fingers... the other half was them excitedly asking about the various stunts the two of them had pulled off.

Izuku couldn't help but smile, especially as Izuku saw Yang fully recover from the previous dour mood she had been in before their pep talk as she talked with her... their friends. Maybe they both should've been resting instead of entertaining the more excitable members of the group like Ruby or Nora but...

Well, Izuku'd much rather be surrounded by all their friends right now.

"By the way Izuku..."

"Yeah Tsu?"

*THWWWAAAAAAAP!*

"OW, HOLY WOAH THAT REALLY HURTS!"

"SEE, WHAT DID I TELL YOU, SHE'S MERCILESS!"

Even if they could hurt just as much every now and then.

E/N: Here we get Yang's perspective from "Yang's Aftermath Thoughts" by Supa. readers from SB might notice a certain reaction missing, It just got moved in with the next phase. I hope Gorilla will have explained phases to you by now cause I'm not gonna.

-Shovern

...I really hate that "Was it good for you" thing. Just sounds too much like something young Goku or Luffy or Naruto would say. Izuku was never that innocent.

Eh...it's what the thread wanted.

-Wind-Waker