"Izuku! Your dad's on the phone!"

"Coming, mom!"

Izuku, fresh out of bed, bolts out of his room and into the kitchen, only narrowly avoiding hitting his head on some plates Inko had floating around with her quirk.

"Whoa! Easy there, fighter!" Hisashi's voice says as Inko's smartphone floats up to Izuku's eye-level. "Slow down there, buddy. Wouldn't want to get injured before the tournament, right?"

Izuku shook his head so quickly that his features started to blur. The tournament was today, and while the whole day prior gave him enough nerves to nearly keep him awake last night, he woke up feeling well-rested and in a good mood. His father's smile - a look that mirrors his own - helped too.

"Didn't think so. Your mother tells me that training's been coming along really well."

"It's been really fun, dad. I've made some cool friends! The first one is a girl named Sakura and she's super strong! She's really nice and happy all the time!"

"Whoa, there. Sounds like my little hero has a crush." Hisashi teases.

Izuku's face contorted. "Blah! No! She's like a cool big sister! She doesn't come by as much anymore, but she always brings treats when she does!"

"She sounds cool, yeah! Treats are always good! What about the others?"

Izuku sheepishly rubs behind his head. "Hehe, well, it's one other. But he's just as cool! He's from Hawaii."

"Hawaii, huh? Mixed race. That's neat. What's his name?"

"Harushi."

Hisashi clicks his tongue. "Vaguely rings a bell, but can't say much more than that. I'll take your word for it, hero! Anyway, that's not why I called. I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be sending some souvenirs over pretty soon. Ultratech's pretty insane, but they did say I'm allowed to let the family see some things. Nothing major, but really cool support gear anyway!"

Izuku starts to vibrate with excitement. His first piece of American support hero merchandise! All Might never used any, so this was the next best thing.

"Annnnd, I know you're a big fan of heroes, so I managed to get an autograph from the Girl of the Stars: Annie while she was doing a signing a few blocks down. So, make sure you send me a picture when you get it!"

"Sure thing, dad!"

"Great! Now, 'Ko, there's some stuff I want to talk to you about. Don't worry, nothing major. Just something I don't want the little fighter to hear yet."

The child slumps his shoulders, but nods anyway. "Hey, doesn't All Might always smile? No need for that, Izuku! Love you!"

"Love you too, dad."

The early morning quickly transitioned into the afternoon and before anyone knew it, the tournament had arrived.

"Hurry up, Yui!" A nine year old Setsuna said, literally dragging her expressionless, black haired friend across the parking lot. "We're gonna miss Suka's match at this rate!"

"But we're five minutes early." Yui droned.

The green-haired girl waved her off. "Then we can help her scout out the competition! And we can see if any cute boys are here!"

After the two kids ran inside the venue, in this case, a modern dojo with lots of glass, Nemuri Kayama, also known as the pro heroine Midnight, also dragged her two friends towards the door. "Stop being so miserable, Shouta!" She chastised. "It's just a tournament, it'll be over before you know it!" She and her friends were all dressed in casual clothes to suit the occasion.

Shouta Aizawa, also known as pro hero Eraserhead, groaned tiredly. "I still don't get why we have to join you here. Your niece isn't even participating. It's completely irrational." He said in his usual deadpanned tone.

"That is true, Nem." Hizashi Yamada voiced in his usual boisterous voice. "Not that I mind watching the little listeners, but she isn't even fighting herself."

Nemuri paused in her walking to look back. "Er, well right. Setsuna isn't actually fighting today, but one of her friends is and she really wanted to come and her parents couldn't make it."

"So you volunteered to take her instead." Eraserhead surmised while giving the woman a flat look.

"No, actually. They asked me to do it, but it was Yui's mom that asked me to take her too. Poor girl really needs some social skills." Nemuri explained before snapping her fingers as if she just figured out the answer to a really difficult math problem. "Are you sure she's not - ."

"If you say she's actually my daughter, I will leave you right here." Shouta sharply cut off, leaving Nemuri and Hizashi to poorly hide their laughs. "Let's just go inside already. It'll be irrational for us to waste time."

"Midoriya, relax." Ryoya says easily. "It's not a death-match."

Midoriya however, did not relax. They were both in their normal training Gi's, both white and with the character from 'shotokan' on the back. "How can you be so calm? We'll be fighting in front of a crowd and against all kinds of people. Are quirks allowed? Oh, no. I don't want to get blown up in front of my mother!" As Izuku slowly fell further into a muttering spree, Ryoya sighed with the energy of a dying man. He moved quickly with a forceful flick to the forehead that actually made Izuku rear back. "Would you stop that?! You have strong fingers!" Izuku muttered with a pout, rubbing his forehead gently.

"You were muttering in circles again." Ryoya said dryly. "And to answer your questions, I'm calm because I've fought before. I've fought people way scarier than the people in this tournament." Well, that wasn't ominous at all. "And I'm confident in myself and you, something you desperately need to get some of. And from what I've heard, yeah. Quirks are allowed, but only melee ones that actually can be used in martial arts. I've been told that mine is in somewhat of a gray area, so I'll probably not use it. So unless your power is to make things explode the second you touch them, you're gonna be fine."

Izuku wanted to retort that he knew someone who could do that, but was a bit surprised. That was the most he'd ever heard Ryoya speak in a single setting.

"It's only eight people too, so it's not like it's gonna be really intense." Ryoya continued, "And I'm on the other side of the bracket, so if I don't meet you in the finals, I'm gonna kick your ass in sparring next week."

Izuku gulped audibly at the threat but then shook away his nerves. "G - Guess I'll have to meet you there?" He tried. "Are you sure you're not using your quirk here?"

"I might, depending on everyone else's. But I don't think I'll need to."

"O - Oh. Well, I'll make sure you have to use it against me…?" Izuku tried a second time, only for Ryoya to give him a blank stare and a shrug.

"...Good enough. Ken-sensei's confidence lessons are starting to show."

Well, Izuku thought 'lesson' was a strong word. It was basically Ken lecturing him while they sparred and he kicked Izuku a bit harder than one would think an adult should. Was he feeling more confident in himself? Yes, but did Ken-sensei really need to kick him in the ribs to do it? Up for debate there.

"Oi," Speak of the devil, "There you two are, did you finish your stretches?" Ken asked. Both Ryoya and Izuku were slightly taken aback by the sight of the large man in casual clothes, as they were accustomed to seeing him in his trademarked red Gi. Even more surprising than his casual clothes however were his arms.

"Holy crap, you own shirts with sleeves!" Ryoya couldn't help but to voice, his stoic expression changing into one of genuine shock.

Ken's smile faltered ever so slightly, and being the professional he was, he kept going as if Ryoya hadn't spoken. "They're doing the introduction in a few minutes, so you two can head to the main room while you wait."

And to the main room they went and there they met the six other fighters. As expected, Ryoya simply leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, not rude, but definitely showing that he wasn't much of a talker. Giving his anti-social friend a withering look, Izuku took note of the room. Four boys, two of which were plain looking with brown and a shaved head respectively were practicing loudly and with sloppy movements. They were clearly trying to get the girl's attention and failing miserably. The other two however, were much more tame, but still going through their own motions. One had short blond hair and a tail and the other was a bit taller than Izuku himself, with black hair twisted in a braid and... were those scales?

The girls stood out a bit more. One had bright orange hair and teal eyes with a long ponytail hanging on the left side of her head. She was going through a rather complicated looking kata while not so subtly stealing glances at Ryoya. She might've been sizing him up from a distance, but Izuku couldn't be sure. The other girl, one who was a bit taller than Ryoya himself with long black hair, also tied into a wild, high ponytail, was openly staring at Ryoya however, but this time Izuku instantly recognized the trepidation. He had learned from Ryu-sensei that some martial artists after training long enough could recognize a strong fighter by their presence alone so he assumed that to be the case. After all, even he had to admit that Ryoya, despite his calm and a bit lazy demeanor, simply looked strong.

They give him passing glances as well, and then linger on him longer than he feels necessary. It makes him feel awkward, so he rigidly turns away, but not before seeing the same look of trepidation in their eyes. Did they think he was strong too…? Surely not… right?

After Chun-Li went to the stage and announced the event, the proceeds and thanked the audience for showing up, she started the introductions for the first fight of the day.

"Okay! Without further ado, will the first two fighters come to the ring? From the Shotokan dojo, trained personally by one of my best friends, Ryu, Izuku Midoriya! And the second fighter, coming all the way from China, Rin Hiryu!" As the two boys walked to the middle of the mat, one with more confidence than the other, Chun-Li reads off the rules. "No hitting below the belt. Quirks are allowed. Winner is decided when one is unable to continue, taps out or is thrown out of the ring, understood?" Both boys nodded and gave each other a respectful bow. "Good. Round One, Fight!"

Wasting no time, Hiryu lunged forward with a right fist reared back. Izuku, taking a deep breath and assuming the classic Shotokan stance, waited in place. ' That is way too obvious, must be a faint.'

Izuku's thoughts were proven correct as he noticed Hiryu's left fist start to turn a bright green and acted quickly by planting his feet and swatting Hiryu's fist away in a manner that made it impossible for him to follow up. Then Izuku moved. He mentally started his flowchart. ' Two light jabs, wait for reaction. Dodge potential counter, feint a medium leg kick, dash forward with a heavy front kick.' It was masterful to watch it play out exactly how Izuku thought it would.

When the heavy roundhouse connected to the boy's stomach, he expected that to be enough to put Hiryu down, but was surprised to see him shakily getting up while panting. "W - wow. I had my scales up and that still knocked the wind outta me." Hiryu said slowly. "But it's not enough just yet."

Then the fight changed in tempo. Hiryu started to move faster, throwing more aggressive punches and kicks that were either blocked, dodged or parried by Izuku. Hiryu was fast and strong, yes, and Izuku had no doubts in his mind that had he fought anyone else in the bracket, save for maybe one, he would've had a good chance at winning. But Izuku was used to sparring Ryoya Harushi. Hiryu simply just didn't compare. So while Izuku remained on the defensive, he kept looking for an opening. Rin's form was tight and well practiced, but he threw way too much medium and heavy punches and not enough light ones. ' Lean forward, bait the heavy jab, and punish with a judo throw.' And that's exactly what he did and exactly what happened.

When Hiryu slammed onto the mat, Izuku stood over him, body relaxed but not dropping his stance. "Do you yield?" He asked cautiously.

Hiryu sighed then nodded.

"Rin Hiryu has conceded! Izuku Midoriya wins!"

"Izuku!" Inko cried from the crowd. People were next to her complaining about the excessive amount of tears but she heard none of it. She was just so proud of her boy!

"Damn it, Inko!" The gargled voice of Hisashi Midoriya shouted over the video call. "So sorry everyone! My wife is just a bit emotional." He said in exasperation.

"Our baby won, Hisashi!" Inko cried again, reigning in the tears just enough to not flood the place but not enough to stop fully.

"I saw Inko. I'm proud of our son, but can you hold the camera still!?"

Upon bowing to the crowd and Hiryu again, Izuku walked back to the waiting area where he saw Ryoya leaning against the wall with his arms still crossed but this time, a small smirk came to his face. "You made it look easy." He complemented, holding his fist out.

Izuku beamed. "Well, no disrespect to Hiryu-san, but he isn't you." He met Ryoya's fist with his own.

Ryoya actually chuckled. "That's one down, one more to go."

"You better be sure to win your fight, Harushi-san!"

'Such a good fight and such a great show of sportsmanship! The next match up will be between one of my personal students, coming all the way from Aichi, Momo Yaoyorozu! And the second fighter, coming all the way from Hawaii, and also a student of my friend, Ryoya Harushi!"

"Well, guess I'm up." Ryoya said easily. "Against that nervous girl as well. Well, this is gonna be fun if nothing else."

"Try to win, okay?"

Ryoya snorts, "One win and he's ready for banter? I see how it is, Deku. " He responds lightheartedly.

The name that Izuku once dreaded felt different to hear, and instead of feeling like a gut punch, feels more like a friendly tap.

Momo Yaoyorozu was many things. Smart, polite, a bit chubby these days due to growing up a bit spoiled, and a quick learner. Another thing she was right now was, as she's heard her housekeeper's say once, shook. She was well trained and had been for at least two years now, but there was something about her opponent that brought her unease. You'd think that having one of the best female martial artists in all of Asia train you would do wonders for her confidence, after all Chun-Li was the best money could buy and her parents spared no expense in helping her in her goal of being a hero.

But something about Harushi gave her a pause. Whether it was his gait, or just his general demeanor of strong and silent, she didn't know. Or maybe it was because of how highly her sensei praised the other teacher and his student before.

"You okay?" To her surprise, it was Harushi who askes. His voice was nothing as she'd expected it to be. From his smooth tan skin, to his piercing gold eyes, to his messy black hair and ponytail, she didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't that. He sounded so... smooth and soothing. He had one hand by his side and the other nervously rubbing the back of his head. His face, though largely neutral, seemed a bit... unsure? "You seem scared."

"N - no, Harushi-san. I'm fine. A bit anxious is all." Momo replied as steadily as possible, but her voice was still tight.

Ryoya didn't respond verbally, instead just raising a brow that showed he didn't believe her.

"Are you two good for our second fight?" Chun-Li questioned, looking at both kids curiously. When Momo said yes and Ryoya nodded, she took it in stride. "Another fun fight in the works, Fight!"

And the fight began.

"Don't say it."

"But Sho..."

"Do not say it."

"Shouta, really..."

"Do. Not. Say. It."

"Wow, Aizawa-san, that Harushi boy looks a bit like you." Kodai's silent voice said just loud enough for their small group to hear. Shouta's head snapped to the child with a filthy glare, but upon remembering that she was, in fact, nine years old, he turned his glare to the adults instead.

"Right?!" Mic said loud enough that they started getting looks. "He looks like a younger, cuter version of you except a darker skin and different eyes. He even has the same hair color and length! I wonder if he has an eye quirk too."

Setsuna, who's been openly gawking at Ryoya this whole time with a very deep blush on her face, suddenly exclaimed, "He's so adorable!"

Aizawa, at that moment, never wanted to die more. He gave Nemuri and Hizashi looks so dry, it could've chipped paint. "I knew this was a terrible idea to come here. Can we at least focus on the fight? This speculation is the height of irrationality."

And focus on the fight they did, which was honestly not much. It was clear from the jump that while Yaoyorozu was skilled and Chun-Li had taught her very well, Harushi was just on another level. Every move she did was expertly countered or dodged while he returned some light strikes of his own. Not enough to do any lasting damage, but enough to remind her to tighten up. Even from Aizawa's rather extensive knowledge on martial arts, he could tell that Harushi could've ended this fight the minute it started, but he didn't. After a particularly close exchange between the two, they separated and Harushi said something to the girl he couldn't hear. He noticed how her face shifted in confusion for a brief second before her stance changed just a bit and she threw a punch much heavier and faster than what she had done prior.

Whatever it was he'd told her clearly helped since now she was getting closer to hitting him, and when she got close enough to graze his nose, he gave a ghost of a smile and instantly closed the gap between the two and ended the fight with a smooth dodge around Yaoyorozu's punch and a swift but strong chop to the back of the neck.

"Winner by TKO, Ryoya Harushi!"

"Kid's good." Aizawa says softly, only to immediately regret his decision. Nemuri and Hizashi are relentless.

"Do you already have a favorite, Sho?!"

"You were trying to help her improve weren't you?" Izuku said, tucking his chin into his chest to hide his ever growing grin. "You could've ended that fight at any point, but you chose not to. What did you say to her anyway?"

Ryoya, to his credit, kept a completely straight face. "...I told her she fights like you. Thinking too much and acting too little. I gave her a bit of advice on how to better shift her weight so as to not waste too much energy on a missed hit while hitting harder."

"Awww, Harushi-san! You're such a softie!" Izuku said, faking tears. Or they were real tears, it was hard for Ryoya to tell the difference.

"...plus she was cute." He said with a casual shrug, leaving Izuku slack jawed.

The rest of the fights went by fairly quickly after that. A girl with a quirk that made her hands bigger easily took out some kid with a shaved head while two plain looking kids fought and the winner was the one with the tail.

'Will the next fighters come to the stage? Izuku Midoriya vs Itsuka Kendo!"

Izuku's tears quickly dry and he starts to panic again. Ryoya is there quicker than he realizes. "Dude, breathe. You with me? Good. It's just a fight, nothing more, nothing less."

"But you saw how strong she looked!"

"And you saw how she looked at you. Now get out there and have fun!" Ryoya says with his attempt at a smile. It's… weird and a bit intimidating really, like a wolf or predator, but it gets the point across.

"You make it sound so easy!"

"You make it sound hard." Ryoya grumbles. "You're in your own head."

"I -"

"Just go out there, dude."

A/N: This one is much the same as the original, with the added bonus of Hisashi. As said, chapter 4 is when the real changes start to show. Like the intro to a certain bunny. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

Chronolocked: Thanks! I learned from both my mistakes and lack of confidence in the early parts of the original and now the story's gonna be better before of it! Thank you for the review!