Shouto walked off the field in a daze.

He barely heard Midnight declare him the winner. The bots came to collect Midoriya's limp body as Shouto stood on the field, staring after his opponent, too shocked to move or speak. The noise of the crowd seemed strangely muffled, as though it were coming from far away. Distantly Shouto wondered if he'd blown out his eardrums.

Eventually, looking around blankly for something he couldn't identify, he saw Midnight making a shooing motion, ushering him off the field. With what seemed like a great deal of effort, Shouto put one foot in front of the other and made his way to the archway that led back into the stadium. There was a figure in the shadows, huge and hulking and glowing faint orange, but it took him getting very close to it to identify the person as his father.

"What's the matter?" Endeavor said when they stood together in the shadow of the hallway, untouched by the bright sun outside. "Not gonna tell me to get lost?"

Shouto didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything to say. What was happening now seemed so far removed from what had happened moments ago that it barely seemed real. Endeavor was smirking at him, looking smug and satisfied, and Shouto thought that should have annoyed him. As it was, he didn't have room in him for anything so small as that right now.

"You need to learn to control your left side," Endeavor went on when Shouto didn't respond. "It's dangerous to release so much energy like that."

Control. Midoriya had controlled the situation perfectly, right up until the end of the fight. He had been in control the whole time, and Shouto had been scrambling to catch up. Had Midoriya given up his iron grip on the circumstances, in that final moment? Or was it Shouto who had lost control?

Endeavor spread his arms, looking for once in his life almost fatherly. "But I'm glad you're finally seeing reason," he said, sounding genuinely happy, and now that was starting to grate on Shouto's nerves. "Even if it is a bit galling that what finally got through to you was the desire to step over that quirkless boy."

That cut through the fog in Shouto's brain like a hot knife through butter. What had he said to Midoriya, in training before the sports festival?

At some point in the festival, I may be forced to step over you.

Shouto felt slightly sick.

"I didn't want to step over him," Shouto protested, eyes unfocused as he looked at Endeavor. "I didn't step over him. I don't want him to feel that-"

"It's not your fault if he chooses to take it personally," Endeavor laughed, superior and cruel. "He needs to be prepared for defeat if he takes on someone as powerful as you."

I just don't want you to take it personally, Shouto had said. I want you to be prepared. Suddenly Midoriya's anger, and Shinsou's anger on his behalf, seemed much more justified.

"Now that you've abandoned your childish rebellion, we can get back to what's important," Endeavor continued, oblivious to Shouto's ongoing revelations. "After you graduate you'll work by my side. I'll lead you down the path of the mighty Shouto."

"I haven't abandoned anything," Shouto told him coldly.

Endeavor made a soft noise of surprise, as though he honestly hadn't seen Shouto's disdain coming a mile away. Shouto looked down at his left hand, remembering the feeling of fire, and even more vividly, the sensation of Midoriya's hand on his wrist.

"You're a fool to think my feelings could be so easily reverse," Shouto went on, still looking at his hand. "Instead . . . out there . . . for that one moment . . ."

Shouto's fingers curled inward to his palm, wanting desperately to close on something, not sure what he wanted to reach out and grasp.

". . . I forgot all about you," he said.

Endeavor gasped. Shouto wondered if it was so shocking to him that his presence hadn't factored into someone's calculations, or if he was just surprised that after everything he had done to his family one of them could fail to consider him. Shouto raised his eyes from his hand, not up to Endeavor but forward into the hallway before him.

"Whether that's good or bad," Shouto speculated as he began to walk, skirting Endeavor and careful not to touch him, "whether it's the right thing to do, I don't know."

He thought of Midoriya, and Shinsou, and the rest of the class. They had all helped each other to improve so much, even without a teacher or a pro there to guide them. Midoriya had grown up with no one, less than no one, to train him to be a hero, and he had spent the whole day knocking Shouto repeatedly off his feet.

"Maybe I don't need you."

Endeavor said nothing as Shouto walked away.

In the obstacle race, when Midoriya had used him as a stepping stone, it had made Shouto feel almost pleasantly fizzy inside, buzzing with a feeling he couldn't identify. When Midoriya and Shinsou had beaten him in the cavalry battle the feeling had been back, directed at both of them this time. As Midoriya pinned him, straddled him and held him down by his wrists, the feeling had become almost unbearable, and coupled with his words had completely obliterated Shouto's restraint.

He had not stepped over Midoriya. At every turn, Midoriya had stepped over him. Only when Shouto had been stagnating, so entrenched in his conclusions that he was standing still, had Midoriya sacrificed his own progress to propel Shouto forward.

He needed to know why.

"How about 'you're just like your dad'?" Shinsou suggested, staring at the ceiling in contemplation.

Izuku drained his juice box and shook his head. "Too obvious," he said, "and he'd probably just go all angry-quiet. What about 'Endeavor's only second best for a reason'?"

"He wouldn't defend his old man," Shinsou argued, looking back at Izuku. "If anything he'd agree with me."

"If he agreed verbally though-" Izuku pointed out.

"He knows about my quirk," Shinsou cut him off. "He'll be on guard, so he won't say something unless I make him mad."

Izuku set the juice box down and looked at his bandaged right hand, considering. They were in Recovery Girl's temporary nurse's office, Izuku sitting up in bed and Shinsou perched on the corner by his feet. Shinsou had won his second round fight with Yaoyorozu, who was reportedly a better actress than Ashido, and now they had to contend with Shinsou's third round battle. If Izuku had won, he'd simply have thrown the match and Shinsou could advance to the final. As it was, Shinsou would be fighting Todoroki, so they had to come up with something for him to say.

"I don't want it to be too mean," Izuku said shyly.

"Me either," Shinsou said, and Izuku looked up to find him shaking his head slightly. "If I do the verbal equivalent of biting him all he has to do is bite back, only he'll do it with a fireball. It has to be something that makes him want to clarify the point, not just reject it, you know, violently."

Izuku nodded, and Shinsou lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Besides," Shinsou said, "I'd feel bad."

Izuku sighed, knowing he would also feel bad if Shinsou said something too hurtful. Todoroki had trusted Shinsou, and by extension Izuku, with information they could easily use as ammunition in the upcoming fight. To have tried to help him in one fight only to knock his feet out from under him the next seemed unfair.

Of course, it would also be unfair if Shinsou didn't make it to the finals over this, so there was that too.

"What about-" Shinsou began, but was interrupted by the door opening.

Both of them looked over reflexively, expecting to see Recovery Girl back from whatever she had stepped out to do. Izuku assumed she had just meant to give them a few minutes and was now back to work, perhaps with another patient she'd encountered out in the hall, but it wasn't Recovery Girl who entered. Instead Todoroki stepped into the office, then turned and quietly closed the door behind himself.

"Todoroki?" Izuku asked cautiously. Beside him Shinsou was quiet, also watching the newcomer.

Todoroki took a few steps toward the bed, but stopped still some distance away. The curtain was drawn, there was nothing between them, but still he kept well back, as though there were some additional barrier dividing the room. He looked at Izuku, then turned to Shinsou, then looked back at Izuku.

"Midoriya," he said, at long last. The word sounded cautious in his mouth, like he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say.

"Great fight!" Izuku said nervously, eager to break the tense silence. "You did really well. Congratulations on making it to the semifinals!"

Todoroki was quiet for another moment, still staring at Izuku with an unreadable expression. Izuku glanced at Shinsou, to see him looking at Todoroki with an equally blank look that somehow still conveyed a challenge. Izuku was just about to continue when Todoroki finally spoke.

"You took the hit hard," he said, to Izuku.

Izuku nodded. "I did," he admitted. "There wasn't much I could do against an explosion like that though."

"You've faced explosions before," Todoroki countered.

"Yeah," Izuku said hesitantly, then decided he might as well give Todoroki what he was asking for. "If only I'd known that rapidly heating cold air would cause it to expand so forcefully, I would have kept my back to the thicker ice wall. Then you might have been the one blown out of bounds instead of me."

Todoroki nodded his understanding. "You could have won," he said.

"Maybe." Izuku shrugged. "I guess we'll never know."

They both knew what that meant.

Todoroki hesitated a moment before forging ahead. "In your fight with Uraraka," he began carefully, "you were tempted to hold back."

"She's my friend," Izuku said. "Its natural for me to want to protect her."

"You decided against it though," Todoroki said. "The others were talking. They said . . . they said you tried not to hurt her, but that you still respected her strength and skill by going all out against her."

Izuku let his gaze flick down to his burned hand, recalling Uraraka's broken fingers, bandaged with similar care and attention.

"I tried," was all he would say for himself.

"Then, holding back against me," Todoroki frowned at the tile floor, like he was concentrating very hard. "Was it meant as some kind of, of insult-"

"No!" Izuku shook his head hurriedly, making Todoroki look up at him in surprise. "I promise, I wasn't trying to imply anything about you! I just . . . well . . ."

He fidgeted, and Todoroki looked at him with eyes too wide to be his usual blank expression.

"Why did you hold back then?" Todoroki asked. "Finding people's weaknesses and exploiting them is your special talent, what you have in place of a quirk, but you refused to use my weakness against me even though you figured it out. Why would you do that?"

Izuku sighed. "I just . . . didn't want to be just another person who took advantage of your weakness, is all. I think, you've had enough of that, in your life."

Todoroki stared at him. "For that you were willing to sacrifice your victory?" he asked. "Some things are more important than winning," Izuku told him.

"Such as?" Todoroki pressed, and though the reply wasn't quick it was eager, like he was almost desperate to understand.

Izuku looked over at Shinsou, to see Shinsou looking back at him. "Like helping out a friend," he said as they shared a small smile. Then he looked back at Todoroki. "Or, someone else in need."

Todoroki stared at him a moment longer. Then he nodded slowly and turned to go. Izuku was just letting his mind slide back to the upcoming match, to what Shinsou might be able to say that would get a reaction without undermining any of this new conversation, when suddenly Todoroki turned abruptly back around and walked over to the bed.

"You two have a plan," Todoroki said firmly, looking at Shinsou this time.

Shinsou, who was leaning back ever so slightly in startlement at Todoroki's sudden proximity, answered before Izuku could.

"Yeah," he said defensively, "what of it?"

"If I wanted to help," Todoroki looked from Shinsou to Izuku and back again, "what would I have to do?"

Shinsou blinked at him a few times, then turned to Izuku and blinked some more. Izuku realized after only an embarrassing number of seconds that he was going to have to respond, and cleared this throat audibly.

"Um," he said, trying not to sound too hopeful or too dismissive, "we're trying to set things up so Shinchan wins the tournament. If you want to help, it means you can't show your father that-"

"I don't want to consider him anymore," Todoroki said adamantly, looking back and forth between Shinsou and Izuku. "I don't want my quirk, either of my quirks, to be just for showing him this or that. I want to use it to help someone."

Izuku looked back at Shinsou, who was looking at Todoroki in shock. Then suddenly his face morphed into an expression of pure unbridled glee, his eyes narrowing wickedly and his grin threatening to split his face in half. It was the second smile today Izuku would have called manic.

"First of all," Shinsou said excitedly, "what's something you've always wanted someone to say about your dad on TV?"

Ojiro beat Iida, surprisingly. Hitoshi wouldn't have suspected him of it, but his tail was actually quite dextrous and he had clearly done a lot of practicing with it. He used the same tactic Midoriya had suggested Hitoshi use on Ashido, staying in one place and letting Iida rush him repeatedly, but instead of trying to ensnare Iida while he was distracted Ojiro used deft movements of his tail to repeatedly trip Iida up as he went by. Eventually Iida used some kind of engine overload -- called Recipro Burst if what he shouted was anything to go by -- and rushed Ojiro much faster than any of his other attempts. Ojiro, however, merely dropped to the ground and used his tail to push Iida up and over him. This sent Iida well out of bounds, and reminded Hitoshi of the way Midoriya had beaten Bakugou.

Well, it was nice to see someone copying Midoriya for a change.

Bakugou was up against Kirishima next, and he showed his former teammate no more mercy than he had shown Kaminari. With blast after blast he kept Kirishima on the defensive, forcing him to waste his strength on keeping himself from taking hits rather than dishing them out. In the end Kirishima couldn't sustain his hardening forever, and Bakugou had finished him off with a larger blast than Hitoshi had seen him use before.

As Kirishima was carried off the pitch though, Bakugou stood in the ring, hunched over and panting. He looked like nothing so much as a feral animal, his whole body flexing with each breath and emitting frustrated growling sounds that could be heard even from the participants box. Hitoshi also noticed his arms were shaking. Might this perfect quirk have a weakness, besides its owner's ego?

Then it was time for the third round.

"It's the semifinals everyone!" called Present Mic as Hitoshi stood in the shadows, waiting to make his entrance. "Things are getting intense, and only the best of the best have made it this far!"

Hitoshi saw Todoroki walk out on the other side of the pitch, so Hitoshi too stepped out into the light. Maybe his ears had adjusted, but the roar of the crowd seemed more distant now, or maybe more subdued. After watching Todoroki completely wreck both his earlier opponents, they probably didn't think much of the odds for someone with a nonphysical quirk.

Hitoshi had heard their responses to Midoriya's loss. Some of them, mainly the ones without obvious quirks, had been impressed by how long he lasted, and how much power Todoroki clearly had to use to overwhelm him. Others, however, had simply said that it was inevitable that the quirkless kid should have lost to the son of the Number Two hero. There had been one or two who had gone still further, insisting that he should never have been allowed to participate in the sports festival, let alone the hero course. Hitoshi wondered how they could justify their doubts after watching all Midoriya's previous victories, but he supposed there would always be people more invested in their preconceived notions of the world than in the evidence in front of them.

"Its Shinsou versus Todoroki in an epic match of physical against nonphysical quirks!" Mic screamed, surprisingly Hitoshi with the sophistication of his commentary for the first time. "Who will win, the overwhelming powerhouse or the sneaky manipulator?"

Hitoshi tensed, knowing he'd have to be ready to dodge Todoroki's opening attack. For their plan to work, they had to make it look good.

"Ready?" Mic demanded. "Begin!"

Showtime.

Todoroki immediately flung his right arm forward, creating a line of very sharp looking ice crystals that rocketed towards Hitoshi. Being careful to dodge left instead of right, Hitoshi dove out of the way, leaving the low wall of ice to shoot past him and hit the wall of the stands. He rolled and popped back to his feet, like he'd seen Midoriya do so many times before. It was harder than Midoriya made it look, but he'd shown Hitoshi how to do it in their joint training.

"Todoroki opens with a rapidfire ice attack!" Mic called. "But Shinsou's a little too quick to take that hit!"

"He's being cautious," speculated a voice in the stands behind Hitoshi. "He probably doesn't want to get pinned again," agreed another.

There was a general murmur of agreement, and Hitoshi turned his attention back to where Todoroki was waiting for his next move.

"What's with that weak ice attack?" Hitoshi called, carefully not casting out his mind with the question. "Running out of steam?"

Todoroki narrowed his eyes but didn't respond. That wasn't the bait he was supposed to rise to. Instead he lifted his left arm and shot fire at Hitoshi, a long but thin jet of flame easily covering the distance between them. Hurriedly Hitoshi crouched behind the ice wall, which he had positioned between himself and Todoroki's left side, letting it take the brunt of the fire.

"Looks like things are heating up!" Mic crowed.

There it was. One ice attack and one fire attack. Time to end this.

"Nice scar by the way!" Hitoshi called, loud enough for anyone in the first few rows of the stands to hear. "Gift from dad?"

"You're not wrong," Todoroki replied.

This time Hitoshi had used his quirk, and he felt his control catch on Todoroki's mind. He stood up from his crouch, to see Todoroki's eyes had gone white and unfocused, and his expression had gone blank and slack.

"What's this!?" Mic cried, acting for all the world as though he was surprised by this turn of events. Hitoshi wasn't sure whether he should be insulted or not. "Todoroki rises to the bait of a painful memory and is now under Shinsou's control!"

"Is that true?" a new voice asked, sounding positively horrified.

"Endeavor did that to his own kid?" said someone else, equally alarmed.

"I always knew he had a temper," a third voice insisted, "but to do a thing like that!"

Hitoshi grinned to himself. It looked like he could make pretty good plans of his own, when the situation called for it. With that accusation spreading like wildfire through the crowd already, Endeavor would pretty soon be dealing with a PR nightmare. Todoroki would look even more the innocent victim after this humiliating defeat.

"Walk out of the ring!" Hitoshi ordered.

Todoroki turned to obey, dazedly complying without any semblance of hesitation. Hitoshi couldn't tell if he just wasn't fighting by choice or if he really was that deep under, but he felt no resistance from Todoroki's mind. With slow, jerky movements Todoroki walked toward his side of the ring, indifferent to the mounting protests of the crowd.

"Shouto!" called a loud, booming voice from off to one side.

Hitoshi turned reflexively at the noise, to see Endeavor walking down one of the aisles dividing the stands into sections. He was big, bigger than Hitoshi had imagined him, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles, and fire was flaring up from his costume, from around his eyes, and outwards

from his chin in some strange approximation of a beard. His eyes were narrowed in frustration, and his teeth were bared as though in intimidation. He looked, in essence, pissed.

"You will not go down this easily!" Endeavor commanded, audible even over the many voices of the crowd. "Not so soon after you've proven that you are my blood! You will not disgrace me this way!"

Todoroki, if it was possible, began putting up even less resistance. If anything, Hitoshi thought he might have been trying to go faster.

"In Todoroki's moment of need, Endeavor shouts words of . . . encouragement?" Mic narrated, his voice going all high at the end like a question.

"Shouto!" Endeavor thundered, but to no avail. Todoroki reached the boundary line and stepped out of the ring.

"Shinsou wins!" Midnight announced. "He advances to the final!"

Endeavor threw back his head and roared, flames exploding from his body and reaching for the sky, but he was drowned out by the raucous cheering of the crowd. Hitoshi watched as he stormed away, back up the stairs and through one of the doorways leading deeper into the stadium. It seemed like his PR nightmare would be even bigger than Hitoshi had thought.

Perfect.

It wasn't so much that Shouto snuck past his father. It was more that Endeavor had been busy when Shouto had been forced to pass through the section of the stadium where he'd been watching. Shinsou's plan had worked beautifully, and Endeavor was on the phone with his public relations agent, both of them talking a little louder than was probably advisable in the crowded stadium. Shouto had spoken to the woman only a couple of times, or rather been spoken to by her. He didn't feel at all sorry for the mess she would now be responsible for cleaning up. If she could manage it.

He made his way back to the participants box by some of the lesser traveled corridors, hoping not to attract too much attention, and so arrived there after Shinsou had already returned to his seat beside Midoriya. They were watching with the others as the field was prepared for the next match, which would be Ojiro vs Bakugou. Shouto had a hunch he knew who would win, but then again, today had been full of surprises.

"Midoriya," he called from the door to the box. "Shinsou."

Both of them turned to look at him, along with almost every girl in the room: Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Ashido and the girl from the support course that had been on Midoriya and Shinsou's cavalry battle team. Shouto was given to understand that most of the girls in class were in on Midoriya's plan, but he didn't know how or why.

"Todoroki?" Midoriya asked uncertainly.

"Can I talk to you both for a minute?" Shouto asked, keeping his eyes focused on the two of them and not on the way the girls began to whisper. "Privately?"

Midoriya and Shinsou looked at each other, and Shinsou shrugged. Then Midoriya stood and made his way out of the row of seats, Shinsou not far behind him. Shouto led them away from the box and through the upper hallways, to one of the waiting rooms meant to be used by students

preparing for battle. Shinsou, being in the final, was now entitled to one, so it was empty when the three of them went in and Shouto closed the door behind them.

"What's this about?" Shinsou asked, hands in his pockets as he leaned against the table. Midoriya stood off to one side, hands pulled up to his chest and fidgeting nervously with his fingers.

"I wanted to thank you," Shouto said, addressing Shinsou specifically. "Your plan worked beautifully. My old man was on the phone with his PR agent, and she was having a fit. It looks like his reputation is going to take some damage just from the accusation."

"She's probably going to want you to make a 'clarifying statement' to the press," Shinsou warned him.

Shouto felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Thankfully I'm not five years old anymore. I can say 'no' to her."

Shinsou also smiled crookedly, and Midoriya relaxed someone, looking both relieved and happy.

"Thank you too, Todoroki," Midoriya piped up. "You were really convincing out there! And thanks to you, Shinchan is in the final!"

"I still gotta win that though," Shinsou sighed. "You'll do great!" Midoriya said sunnily.

"I'm glad I was able to-" Shouto began, then stopped himself. That was what he'd said to Midoriya after the obstacle race. Was that also disrespectful?

"It's OK Todoroki," Midoriya said, drawing Shouto's attention and giving him a benevolent smile. "We made a plan this time. I asked for your help and you gave it. That's what friends do."

Shouto nodded, wondering how to say the other things on his mind. He had told Shinsou about his past to prove he wasn't like Endeavor, but he'd ended up contradicting his words with his actions. He hadn't meant to do it, but he'd hurt Midoriya. Now he had to answer for that.

"Also," he began, then hesitated, trying to find the words. "I owe you an apology."

Midoriya and Shinsou both looked surprised. He knew he had no right to be dissatisfied with that reaction, but it made him feel empty inside. In the end though, he was the one who would have to act to change that. He closed his eyes, lowered his head, and kept going.

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier," he said, "both in training and before the cavalry battle. I began with the assumption not only that I was strong enough to beat you, but that you were weak enough to not be able to handle defeat gracefully. I dismissed your accomplishments in pursuit of my own, and I didn't consider the differences in our perspectives."

He bent at the waist, bowing formally to Midoriya. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Todoroki," said Midoriya softly.

There was a pause while Shouto waited for his reaction, but he looked up when he heard a faint sniffle. Midoriya was staring at him, eyes shining and wet, tears collecting and the edges of his lashes. His mouth was a thin, wibbling line, and when he closed his eyes against whatever he was feeling the tears spilled out. Shinsou stepped over to him and offered him a white handkerchief, which Shouto noted had a small amount of blood on it, and Midoriya wiped his streaming eyes.

"Of course I forgive you Todoroki," Midoriya said, once he had himself back under control. "You were trying to reject your father, but he's the only real influence in your life, so of course there were going to be a few things you picked up from him. I don't blame you for that."

Shouto straightened, and Midoriya gave him a watery smile.

Then Shouto hesitated. It felt good to have Midoriya's forgiveness, but there was one last point he wanted to clear up. He wasn't sure if it would be seen as making excuses for himself, but he didn't want Midoriya to go on thinking he had meant to say something he hadn't.

"There is one other thing," Shouto said.

Midoriya looked at him curiously, but Shinsou's eyes narrowed. Shouto could see that Shinsou also suspected Shouto was going to try and make excuses.

"Oh?" Shinsou asked, more a challenge than a question.

Shouto took a deep breath and plunged on. "When we were talking in training, before the sports festival began, you asked me why I singled you out. It's true I shouldn't have, but you assumed the reason I did so was that you were quirkless."

"That wasn't the reason?" Midoriya said, nonplussed. Even Shinsou looked surprised.

"What I was going to say," Shouto told him, "what I didn't know how to say, was that I wanted to warn you because I didn't want you to think less of me. What you think of me . . . matters to me. It matters even more now, after today. It matters so much I don't really know what to do with it. Even then, I knew I would be sad if you were angry with me. Now, I think that would be unbearable."

"Wow," said Shinsou, drawing Shouto's attention onto him. "Just lay it all out there why don't you."

"I don't-" Shouto began, confused by Shinsou's words, but suddenly he found himself with an armload of blubbering Midoriya.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya wailed, wrapping his arms around Shouto's waist and burying his face in Shouto's shirt. "I promise I'm not mad at you! I was, a little bit, but it wasn't a big deal and I promise I'm not anymore!"

Shouto struggled with where to put his hands. They fluttered uselessly around Midoriya for a few moments, wanting to touch but not entirely sure he was allowed, then finally he let one rest on Midoriya's shoulder blade and the other settle gently into his curly green hair.

His hair was . . . very soft.

"I was mad at you," Shinsou said nonchalantly. Shouto looked over at him, to find him staring tactfully at the ceiling. "Like, super mad."

"Are you still?" Shouto asked. Somehow the thought of Shinsou being angry at him felt almost as bad as when he considered Midoriya might be.

"Nah," Shinsou shook his head, then lowered his gaze to Shouto's face. "You're alright."

"Thank you," Shouto said as Midoriya sniffled again and drew away. That too felt strangely wrong, but he didn't think he had any right to ask Midoriya to let him touch his hair again, so he

ignored that feeling for now. "Both of you."

The three of them walked back to the participants box together. Midoriya chattered the whole way about how impressive their fight had been, and ways in which he might encourage the public relations fiasco Endeavor would now be facing. Apparently Midoriya was active on several message boards that discussed this kind of thing, and he was confident he could craft a suitably inflammatory description of events.

"You're terrifying," Shinsou said as they reached the box, Midoriya's musings about word choice devolving into indistinct muttering.

"I'm not that intimidating," Midoriya protested.

"You're a little terrifying," Shouto offered. He wasn't sure he was allowed to do that, but Shinsou lit up at his contribution.

"See!" he said, poking Midoriya in the cheek. "Even Todoroki thinks you strike fear into the hearts of all who oppose you!"

Midoriya continued to argue even as they stepped into the box, but quieted once he caught sight of the pitch. The support course girl looked back and waved them over to the row of empty seats beside her, but she was the only one who took her eyes off the fight going on below. As Shouto sat down he too turned his attention to the match.

Bakugou fired an explosion at Ojiro, which Ojiro barely managed to dodge. Judging by the look of him, there had been a few explosions he hadn't been able to avoid. His gym uniform was in tatters, sporting many large holes that revealed bleeding, blackened flesh beneath them. Ojiro's tail, too, was singed in several places, including one large burnmark that was oozing blood in droplets onto the ground. Ojiro was swaying on his feet, clearly nearing his limit, but Bakugou didn't seem to have a scratch on him.

"It's getting brutal down there folks," Yamada-sensei said, an obvious cringe to his voice. "It looks like Bakugou's got Ojiro on the ropes, and he's not letting up!"

Bakugou certainly wasn't letting up. He fired off an explosion from his right hand, and Ojiro thumped his tail against the ground to help him leap out of the way, smearing blood across the pitch and surely getting dirt in his wound. Almost immediately though Bakugou fired downwards with his left hand, propelling himself into the air in pursuit. Ojiro came down a few feet back, but Bakugou came down on top of him, then grabbed Ojiro's head in both hands.

"That's enough!" Cementoss called, standing up from his chair and preparing a wave of cement, but a wall wasn't going to stop an attack at close range.

Bakugou didn't listen, and it was only by wedging his tail between himself and Bakugou that Ojiro managed to throw him off before he detonated two explosions right next to Ojiro's skull. Even at a small distance the force of them sent Ojiro careening backwards across the pitch, and he landed flat on his back with his tail laying limply to one side. His face was badly burned, his hair smoking gently, and his tail only gave one valiant twitch before he groaned and went still.

"Bakugou wins!" Midnight shouted hurriedly. "He advances to the final!"

"We're not done!" Bakugou screamed, diving at Ojiro, but instead of landing on his downed opponent he hit a solid wall of cement and bounced off it.

"You're done Bakugou," Cementoss said firmly. "You've immobilized your opponent. You win." Bakugou gave a little growl of rage and stalked off the field.

"Looks like I'm up against him then," Shinsou said, and Shouto thought he detected a note of fear in his voice.

For that, Shouto didn't blame him.