Nagant's response was immediate, her right hand came up to her shoulder while her rifle jutted out of her elbow digging into Izuku's side. Izuku grunted at the impact as Nagant's free hand grabbed his collar, dragging him closer until they were face to face. "Where did you get that information," the heroine hissed.

Izuku's hand wrapped around her wrist, and although he was breathing heavily, it was obvious the teen wasn't nervous if the dark smile on his face was anything to go by. "Careful," he warned, his eyes deliberately flashing towards the row behind them. Nagant followed his gaze and found herself looking at Toga. The woman was casually conversing with the man next to her but her body betrayed the truth of the situation; tense, she sat stiffly in her seat, clearly ready to spring into action. It was obvious the woman wanted to leap forward and intervene, but the glint of metal in her hand mere inches from the man's stomach told Nagant that, should anything happen to the greenette, Toga was ready to go through with the threat of simply running wild in the crowd until captured.

Nagant grimaced, the revelation that someone, a stranger by all accounts, knew just what it was she did for the Commission had driven everything else from her mind. Slowly, one by one, her fingers lifted from Izuku's collar, allowing the boy to lean back rubbing at the base of his neck. "Good," Izuku said calmly, "we wouldn't want any accidents to happen now, would we?"

"Shut up." Nagant growled, as she tried to reign in her emotions. "Just tell me where you got that information."

"Now, now," Izuku scolded, wagging his finger in front of the frustrated heroine, "that would be telling, and I'm certainly in no mood to share after finding myself at the business end of Lady Nagant's infamous rifle."

"What. Do you. Want?" Nagant hissed through clenched teeth.

Izuku grinned, "Food."

Purple eyes closed then opened again, their confusion obvious, "What?"

"You heard me," Izuku smiled, "I'm hungry, and you can't expect me to reveal classified government secrets on an empty stomach now, can you? Present Mic just announced an hour's break for lunch and I'm certainly not going to sit here for that long."

"You also don't know if you can keep me here without it looking suspicious," Nagant stated, her eyes locked onto Izuku's. "Nor can you make sure Toga has enough people around her to deter me from acting since everyone's going to be leaving their seats. She has to keep herself surrounded by civilians and you need to stay with me to ensure I don't get any ideas."

"Yep," Izuku confirmed shamelessly, "so let's go get something to eat. Any preferences or allergies I should know about?" Nagant's silence was an answer all its own. "Great," Izuku said as he rose to his feet where he held out a hand to assist her, "Shall we?" Nagant didn't respond, merely standing up before striding off, making sure to bump into Izuku as she did so. "Well," Izuku murmured, rubbing at his shoulder, a smile still on his face, "this should be fun." So saying the young villain made his way to the end of the row where Nagant stood waiting before the two made their way up through the now mostly deserted stands, Toga already leading the way ahead of them.

Eri sat in her seat in front of the windows overlooking the arena as the crowd filed out of the stands. Yagi had left to 'catch up with an old friend,' assuring Eri that he would be back shortly and if she needed anything, she could simply ask any of the other teachers in the box.

A buffet was set against one of the walls and Eri had gotten herself some food, which she was only now starting to eat. Under Overhaul, her meals had tasted bland, only occasionally interrupted by something more exotic when a caretaker wanted to try and get on her good side. Now though, Eri was discovering just how varied food could be, and she was making sure to enjoy it all. As she nibbled on a piece of fried chicken, Eri looked down at the stands, her crimson eyes searching for the dual purple-pink hair of Lady Nagant.

It'd been a while since she'd last seen the heroine, but when she'd asked Eraserhead, the man had assured her that Nagant made it a point to attend the U.A. festival for each year. Throughout the festival, whenever her gaze hadn't been fixed on the chaos of the main events, Eri had scanned the crowd, trying to pick the heroine out from a sea of faces and hair colors that reflected just how much the world had changed after the appearance of Quirks.

"Whatcha lookin for, little Missy," a modulated voice asked in lightly accented Japanese. Turning, Eri found herself facing the masked cowboy-themed U.A. teacher, Snipe.

"I'm trying to find Nagant," the horned girl muttered shyly.

Snipe recoiled, his surprise obvious, "You mean she's here? Really?" Eri nodded, "Well I'd be glad to help you find her." Snipe offered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly; for some reason, Eri got the sense the man was blushing, "Truthfully, I'm a big fan of hers. It's not everyday you have someone show up on the scene that just completely outclasses you."

Eri blinked before tilting her head to the side to show her confusion. Snipe laughed, "I guess that's a bit much for you, isn't it? Let's just say that I am good at what I do and I've worked hard, trained hard, to get that good. Nagant though, my best is her casual. She can do what I do without even trying, and make it seem effortless. Even if I spent the rest of my life working to improve, she'd probably still be better than me on her worst day."

Snipe turned his back to Eri, who was looking up at him with a face filled with awe, her eyes sparkling. "Wow."

"Yeah, it is pretty impressive," Snipe agreed as he stepped up to the window, raising an arm above his head as he leaned against it. "Now let's see if I can find our missing lady." As Snipe scanned the crowd, Eri ate another piece of chicken, wondering just how long it would take the cowboy to find the heroine. "I've got eyes on her." The man said not even a minute later.

"Where?" Eri asked, craning her head as she scanned the dispersing crowd.

"She's right over there," Snipe pointed as he crouched down next to Eri so he could show her where to look."

When Eri's eyes finally found the distant heroine, she gasped. Standing up, she rushed forward to press her face against the window, uncaring as her plate fell to the ground. There was Lady Nagant, and right next to her was a boy with fluffy green hair Eri would recognize anywhere. It was him, her hero! He was here! Her hero was here! And he was talking to Nagant! He knew her! Eri smiled widely as she squealed in excitement. If he knew Nagant, then maybe she could talk to him, thank him for saving her. She could meet her hero!

"Eri, is everything okay?" Recollecting herself, Eri turned towards the concerned looking hero, who'd found her quarry unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Yeah," she nodded cheerfully, "everything is just great."

"Not going to eat anything?" Izuku inquired as he bit into a rice ball, while Nagant's takoyaki sat cooling before her untouched. The sniper didn't respond, merely looking at the greenette. Izuku sighed as he set his rice ball down before looking at the sniper tiredly. "Fine, let's just get this over with. Ask your questions. I promise that I'll answer honestly."

"Why?" Nagant asked suspiciously.

Izuku's answer was immediate, "Because I want you to trust me."

"Why?"

"Because I have questions for you as well, and if I'm being honest with you, I'm hoping you'll be transparent with me."

"Why?"

"Is that the only thing you're got to say?" Izuku asked, annoyed, but he raised his hands complacently when Nagant glared at him.

"Fine, where did you learn about what it is I do?"

"In the compound I've been living in for the last year."

"Let me try again," Nagant's annoyance was clear, "How did you learn about my work for the Commission?"

"I could say that I learned about it from my Sensei, and leave it at that," Izuku trailed off, "but I know that'll do nothing but frustrate you, so I'll give you a full answer. I told you that the reason Toga and I would be considered villains is because we attacked another villainous organization. Well, Sensei warned me that such an action would draw attention. He gave me a list of potential investigators and you were amongst them."

"So you investigated me," Nagant guessed. "And you've already proven you're able to find information people would rather not know. What about me gave away what it is I do?"

"Crimson Riot." Izuku said simply. Nagant's shoulders drooped slightly at the name. "You were just starting your career when he died, but his death has always been a matter of speculation. Officially, it was reported that he died from private medical issues, unofficially he was in the middle of patrol and at the peak of health. There were no reports of villain activity around the route he patrolled and his hardening Quirk meant he would likely have sustained at least some injuries if he died in battle."

"That doesn't connect him to me," Nagant pointed out.

"No, it doesn't," Izuku pointed his half eaten rice ball at the heroine, "What does, however, are sightings of you in the area at the time. You were a new name so people weren't on the lookout for you like they are now, and most reports concerning you were buried under other hero news. But once you became more well known, it was quite easy to backtrack and place you in the city at the time of Crimson's death even if your exact location relative to his couldn't be pinpointed."

"That still doesn't mean I killed him," Nagant challenged, her voice low so as not to be overheard by the crowds passing by their table.

"Everything is circumstantial," Izuku admitted, "but there's a pattern, especially later in your career. You'll go to a city, but sightings will be covered up by other hero news. Then a hero will die, often connected or blamed on a villain or group. You'll then make yourself known, catch some criminals, save a kitten from a tree, etc., all before moving on for the process to repeat. No evidence, but a lot to think on." Finished, Izuku took another bite while Nagant sat silently, looking down at her untouched takoyaki.

"Do you mind if I ask a question now?" Izuku inquired, "I can understand the HPSC's need to control their heroes. They need to keep up the appearance of being the good guys and anyone that threatens that image has to be dealt with one way or another. What I'm curious about is just why you, Tsutsumi, do what you do? Do you enjoy it? Like it? Or is there some other reason?"

Despite the noise and bustle around them, silence fell between the two as Izuku waited for Nagant's answer. "Why should I tell you?" The heroine asked eventually, her voice quiet, "You're a villain."

"That's an excuse and you know it." Nagant was silent and Izuku sighed, "You don't have to tell me," he offered, his voice softening, "but I'm here. A stranger that in all likelihood you're never going to see again after today. I don't know how many times I wanted someone I could talk to about being Quirkless, someone who would just listen. I might be a villain, but you don't have to hide what you've done from me. You can talk about it."

Looking up, Nagant found herself pulled once more into Izuku's green eyes. She'd seen a myriad of emotions in those eyes the short time they'd been together: anger, hatred, but also fondness and sadness. Izuku's eyes were old, betraying just what it was he'd been in through. But now looking at those emerald orbs, Kaina found herself plagued by the guilt she'd felt ever since she put a bullet in Crimson Riot's back. It'd build over the years, with every shot, every kill. Somedays Kaina couldn't even look at herself in the mirror, she just wanted to just let loose, finally rant and spill everything she'd hidden away inside. Swallowing, her mouth suddenly dry, Kaina licked her lips before taking her first bite of her now fairly cool takoyaki. Then after swallowing, the dual haired heroine opened her mouth once more and began to speak.

PLEASE READ THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THE AUTHOR NOTE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

"Hey! Long time no see, Endeavor." At the sound of that man's voice, the #2 Hero paused halfway down the steps he was on.

"All Might," Endeavor grumbled, turning to look at the man that even now stood above him on the landing.

"It's been a few years since we last spoke, hasn't it?" All Might said with his infamous smile, "I saw you so I thought I'd say hi."

"Hi? Well you've done that now leave." Turning, Endeavor once more made his way down the stairs, only to be forced to stop as a laughing All Might leapt above him to land in front of the flaming hero.

"Don't be so cold," the hero joked, although he seemed to realize Endeavor wasn't in the mood for puns at the sneer on the man's face.

"Get to the point," Endeavor growled. "What do you want?"

"Your son, Young Todoroki, did wonderful without even using half his power. Is it because you taught him well?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Why? I'm a teacher now, I want to know how best to raise the next generation."

"And you thought I'd tell you? You still have that same stupid grin on your face and it's getting on my nerves."

Brushing past All Might, Endeavor continued on down the stairs, ignoring the #1's quiet, "Sorry," as he did so. To think that the man who stood as an unyielding pillar atop heroic society would apologize for such a minor inconvenience only served to further rouse Endeavor's temper.

"Just remember this," Endeavor paused, "I will make Shoto into a hero that will surpass you one day. It's why he was born."

"I hope so."

"What?" Whirling around, Endeavor turned to look at the blond oaf who seemed to be smiling happily.

"I hope that Young Todoroki will surpass me. As will Young Yorashi and Kendo and all the other students. To see them grow and blossom into the Heroes I know they will become, it makes me happy that I'm able to be their teacher."

Words failing him, Endeavor could do little more than snarl like a beast before turning away. For years, he'd done everything he could to surpass that muscular idiot. Yearly, it wasn't All Might that resolved more incidents, it was Endeavor, yet the position of #1 didn't change.

"Enji," Endeavor froze. All Might never called him by name; it was always Endeavor.

"What?"

"This summer," the blond took a deep breath, "I'm planning on formally announcing my retirement from heroics."

The stairway underneath the Flame Hero seemed to fall away, "W-what," he choked out.

"Surely you've noticed," All Might said, his voice feeling faint to Endeavor's ears. "Lately I've been spending less and less time resolving incidents. My public appearances have been dropping. When was the last time I did a formal interview or attended an event? I'm weakening Enji, and if I keep it up, I'm going to burn out. I have to choose what to focus on, and I've decided that my attention should be with my students ensuring that they reach their full potential.

Enji- no, Endeavor, I know how hard you've worked. The effort you've put in has not gone unnoticed. I know you're a great hero, so I wanted to be the one to tell you that, come this summer, you will be Japan's new #1 Hero."

Endeavor felt faint on his feet. He grabbed the railing in an effort to remain upright, uncaring of the weakness he was showing. All Might was retiring. He was going to be the next #1 Hero. The goal he'd held for two and a half decades since becoming #2 at the age of only 23 would finally be completed. Because the man was retiring. Because All Might was hanging up his cape. The metal railing clutched in his hand glowed red as the flames from his hand heated it up to the point of melting.

The #1 Hero. Symbol of Peace. Everything he'd ever wanted handed to him on a silver platter. What a joke. The positions were meaningless unless Endeavor surpassed All Might himself, but now he would never get the chance to. Shoto would never get the chance to. Endeavor froze; Shoto would never surpass All Might. None of his children would. Not that Natsuo or Fuyumi were pursuing such a career, but Shoto, the one who had, even if he beat All Might's records, carved a name for himself in the history books it would be against the man's legacy, not the man himself. What was the point then? What was the point of the training? The hours spent in their home dojo? They were… meaningless.

No, not meaningless. Training had served its purpose. Shoto had honed his Quirk into a weapon, and although he would never get a chance to surpass All Might, he would get the chance to surpass another. To surpass him. Endeavor glowered at the thought, but it was true nonetheless. He knew how his son viewed him, how he hated him. His decision to use only his ice was foolish and short sighted, but it showed the lengths he was willing to go to reach his goals. Like him.

Letting go of the railing, Endeavor continued on his way while inside his mind, goals that'd remained firm for decades shattered and shifted. Shoto would one day become the #1 Hero, the next All Might, the better one. He would be the Hero Endeavor could not, the greatest Hero. Endeavor might not have gotten a chance to surpass All Might, but he was the man's successor and his son would make his mark by succeeding him. There was a lot that had to be done, but the next step remained the same: getting the boy to accept and use his fire.

"WELCOME BACK EVERYBODY! Now that the lunch break is over, it's time to reveal the last game of the first-year festival! Sorry for those of you that didn't make it to the finals, but don't worry! Before that starts, there are recreational games that you can participate in. We've even brought cheerleaders from America to liven things up and- oh? What's this?"

Mic leaned forward to get a better view while Aizawa groaned, his head dropping down on the table. "What are they doing?"

"Oyyy! Class A & B, what's with this fan service?!" Standing on the field, their faces obscured by shadows, the female members of the two Heroic classes stood in the same cheerleading outfits worn by the foreigners.

"Mineta! Kaminari! You tricked us, didn't you?!" Momo yelled, waving a pom pom furiously at the two perverts who were grinning with their co-conspirator, 1-B's Tsuburaba.

"To think that I would be tricked into putting on an outfit for such a sinful reason." Ibara muttered, burying her head in her hands while the more diminutive Komori hid behind her bashfully.

"Oh come on girls, enjoy it!" Tokage grinned, highlighting her mouth full of sharp teeth. "We've got some time before the finals actually start, and it'd be a pain if things got tense so let's just do it."

"But-but these outfits are so revealing," Kyoka complained with a blush.

"Just consider it practice for the future." Tokage shrugged. "See? Pony's getting into it." Indeed the horned blonde of 1-B was jumping around yelling in her native English, although she was quickly joined by what appeared to be a set of floating clothes.

"Hagakure!" Momo yelled, scandalized.

"You like this, huh Toru-chan?" The froggy Tsuyu commented.

"Now, for the final round, our seventeen finalists who have pushed themselves Plus Ultra will be duking it out 1-on-1 tournament style! The bracket was randomly assigned and for those of you wondering about how this will work with an odd number of participants, every round one student will be randomly selected to have a bye with the last round's bye, replacing the new one in the tournament. That means you gotta be careful because the opponent you were planning to fight against might be switched out, flipping all your plans on their head. For our first round, the bye will be awarded to the student that has dominated the festival so far, Yoarashi! Now without further ado, let's reveal the competition!"

Katsuki Bakugo vs Neito Monoma

Eijiro Kirishima vs Mei Hatsume

Juzo Honenuki vs Shoto Todoroki

Itsuka Kendo vs Mezo Shoji

Hitoshi Shinso vs Fumikage Tokoyami

Mina Ashido vs Tenya Iida

Ochaco Uraraka vs Setsuna Tokage

Yui Kodai vs Momo Yaoyorozu

Bye: Inasa Yoarashi

"Finalists, you guys are welcome to participate in the recreational games, although resting or saving your strength is fine too! Basically, you're free to do whatever you want until the finals, so make sure to put on a good show for us!"

The sound of trumpets blared through the stadium speakers as the crowd roared loud enough to nearly drown them out. Present Mic spoke once more, his voice unusually serious. "At the beginning of today's festivities, there were over two hundred U.A. first-year students hoping to show the world what it is they were capable of. After two events, that number has been reduced to a mere seventeen. The field's been prepared, our competitors are awaiting their chance to once more step into the spotlight; that's right, the finals you've all been waiting for are finally starting!"

Present Mic was forced to pause due to the sheer volume coming from the crowd. "Joining Midnight as backup referee and field coordinator, we have UA's very own Cementoss." The billboards flashed to a picture of the hero sitting on a makeshift cement throne. "Now to start us off match number one, he's got a fiery temper matched only by his explosive Quirk, from the hero course, 1-A's Katsuki Bakugo! Versus… The teen who wants to show that just because he's in Class 1-B doesn't mean he's in second place, from the hero course, Neito Monoma! Force your opponent out of bounds, immobilize them, or get them to admit defeat and you win!"

As the two boys walked onto the field, Izuku couldn't help leaning forward. Getting the chance to see Quirks in use was always something he loved, and to get a front row seat to witness those of the best hero hopefuls from across Japan was a dream come true. He was of course rooting for Momo's triumphant win, but he was proud of her no matter how she performed. He couldn't help but wonder just how much of her ability she was going to display here and how much she would keep hidden for the future. Either way, her opponents were in for a tough fight. As for Bakugo, Izuku just hoped that the boy was eliminated quickly, although he couldn't help but feel it would have to be one of the more powerful students if they hoped to have any chance of doing so.

Standing in the middle of the ring, the two blonds faced each other, one sporting an arrogant smirk, the other an expression of indifferent annoyance. "Hey," Monoma called out, rubbing the back of his head, "what was it you said again during that thing you called a speech? 'I pledge to win?'" He snorted, shaking his head, "Aren't you embarrassed? I mean you made such a big promise and you certainly haven't been living up to your words. You got, what? Seventh in the first round? Fourth in the second? You haven't even made it in the top three and you claim you're going to win. Don't make me laugh."

"READY?"

"Oyyy," Bakugo muttered, his cold voice contrasting sharply against the berserker-like expression of rage he was sporting, "Shut up before I kill you."

"Kill me?" Monoma blinked, "That's certainly not something a hero should say."

"START!"

Bakugo let out a maddened roar as he launched himself forward propelled by his explosions. Bringing his right arm back, the explosive blond let loose with a massive explosion, intending to send Monoma flying out of the ring and straight into a hospital bed. The last thing Bakugo saw before the smoke produced by his explosion enshrouded the two competitors was Monoma bringing up his left arm defensively, a victorious smile on his face.

"I win."

Author's Note:

Good day oh dedicated fans of mine and thank you for reading this new chapter of Rival Heirs. Sorry for the delay in getting it out but I wanted to save this chapter for June since I likely won't be posting a chapter next month either. In case you didn't know I'm leaving in about a week to do a study abroad in Greece so the rest of the month I likely won't be doing a whole lot of writing. Sorry again but don't worry the finals will definitely start in August and I plan on ending this arc by the end of the year. Also plans change so maybe when I get back from Greece I'll post chapter 21 just as a special gift. Either way I'll make sure there's something good for you all.

In other news I've got a special project right now in the works based off of a MHA work I read a while back that I haven't been able to find since so it's probably been taken down but be aware this new story will be capital D DARK! Details will come as we get closer to the reveal but needless to say I'm interested in getting your help. Design a villain oc and pm me them and I might very well use them in the story. Now I know ocs make people skeptical but I'm not looking to include a hundred new characters just about five or so. Preferably they'd be in their late teens or old enough to attend either high school or college. Be sure to send me information about their appearance, backstory, personality, and any other information you think I should know as well as their Quirk. Nothing completely op please but feel free to explain how their use of it might grow or what supermoves or awakenings might look like as well as any drawbacks it might have. Also since this story will be very mature feel free to put them through the ringer. Tragic backstories, issues, and deep seated traumas are not only welcome but encouraged. Please be aware that once an oc has been submitted I am within my right to use them as well as change things to better suit the story I want to create. Other than that have fun with it, I look forward to seeing the results. Also instructions on how to find a picture of them would be nice too since I would like to see what they look like. Don't worry you'll be credited for your character.

As for this chapter well it's mostly a break before we throw ourselves into the finals. From here on out for the rest of the arc things are going to be moving fast and nobody's going to have much time to relax. I know it seems a bit uncharacteristic for Nagant to tell Izuku her secrets but she's not going to tell him everything and we've all had things we've wanted to share but can't, this is her way to get rid of some of that weight she's been carrying around. Izuku's a stranger, someone who she'll likely never see again and who already knows just what she does. What's the harm in telling him just talking to him a little?

As for the final as I told my editor Dutch Horizon (hail): 'for the final I set it up so that I could explore fights between characters who I felt would be an interesting match for one another. Shoto uses only ice but what will happen when he faces Juzo who can soften it? If Hitoshi brainwashes Tokoyami would Dark Shadow be able to act independently and win or would Tokoyami be able to control it? What if Hitoshi does the opposite and hypnotizes Dark Shadow but leaves Tokoyami alone? Uraraka can make anyone float but what about Tokage who can control her split pieces? Momo can create anything but Yui can affect its size, how would the two fare against one another? Basically the finals is my way of exploring matchups between characters I'd like to see fight while also keeping it unique and different. The bye is thrown in as well to add some extra chaos.'

That about sums everything up and covers all the important bits. Make sure to leave a review since they keep me writing and if you don't want to wait and read the entirety of the finals now that's available over on P-atreon. Until next time this is the devil going to Greece who kinda thinks with his luck he'll end up accidentally killing an immortal Olympian signing off.

- D'yavol Lucifer 3:)

*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

All the cover art for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw the cover I have in my head. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!

Stats For Nerds:

June 2, 2023

Reviews - 465

Followers - 2,221

Favorites - 1,817

Communities - 4

Views - 279,222

Favorites Page - 7

Follows Page - 5

[Please note that the last two are when search conditions are set to:

Anime/Manga: My Hero Academia

Rating: All]