Freed from the festival, if only temporarily, and with his shield stored in the support course lockers, Izuku wanders the grounds in search of a certain someone. Through the crowded masses, it's not hard to spot various Heroes as they patrol, with people either parting as they move, or going up for a signature. He himself has found himself under similar intentions, from either people thinking he's a Hero, or recognising him from the events so far.

He eventually spots a pair of purple horns atop blonde hair and hurries over, his gloved hand waving to her. "Takeyama-sensei! Hey!"

The sound of his voice makes her perk up visibly and turn to find him while calling back, "Midoriya, great job out there!" Making it through the crowds between them, both have to fight their initial instincts, instead settling for Yu patting him on the shoulder. "I've been watching when I can, nice work making it to the third round."

Izuku's head tilts a little as he smiles and scratches his hair, replying, "I got lucky that I had such good teammates for the second event."

Fighting the urge to kiss his cute dorky face again, instead, she pats his back while saying, "Let's walk and talk, I'm still on duty. You did good." Poking at his nose with her declaration, he seems a little surprised but follows as she starts walking. "You had good teammates, yes, but you yourself put in plenty of work to win that round. Helping out your friend in the first round was great too, and trust me, Heroes do look at that kind of stuff."

"I just thought she was in trouble or hurt, and I just ran up to help even though she was fine."

"And that sounds heroic to me. Even without a strong or flashy quirk, you've already shown off a lot of things Heroes need." Subtly bumping his hip with her own, she starts listing, "The heroic spirit to try and help someone in danger. The skills and tools to protect them. Athletic ability, teamwork, both with a familiar person as well as strangers. Even strategic planning and the selflessness to let someone more suited to the situation take the spotlight." Seeing him blush at her praise, she takes one final shot, going for the kill. "In my opinion, anyone who watched you compete should be able to see you've got the makings of a great Hero."

He suddenly stops, making her pause too, before she suddenly finds her hand in his as he pulls her along into the side halls of the stadium. The moment they're out of sight, he turns to face her before pulling her in and mashing his lips to hers. Her surprise is only momentary before she embraces him back, the protective armour between them ignored as her hands grasp at his back and one of his quickly slides into the top her chain skirt. When he breaks the kiss, he pulls back just a little with tears in the corner of his eyes and a smile a mile wide on his face. "I love you so much Yu..." He says before pulling her back in for another kiss, both parties unaware of the camera silently taking pictures from around the corner.

"Welcome back to the final event of the Sports Festival, the one you all know and love, the 1v1 Tournament!" Cheers echo across the stadium at Present Mic's declaration, "And boy do we have an interesting lineup this year. We've got two Legacy students, our Entrance Exam top scorer, and even two Support Course students. For a first year sports festival, this is looking to be one for the books!"

"It certainly will be. The students have had their chance to shine among a crowd, in teams, and now, it's time for them to prove themselves standing alone." Nedzu says, "But before we get to that, we have a very important message that just came through the Hero net. If you would, Mic?"

"Let's see what's... WHOAAAAHH!" The windows of the announcer's booth rattle violently as Present Mic's control over his quirk slips for a moment, "Now if that isn't news to match our student's showings today, I don't know what is. Heroes, Students, and people everywhere, we have confirmation that Pro Hero Ingenium has successfully captured the Hero Killer Stain! I'm gonna have to see if I can get him on my show for an interview!"

"A fortuitous event, and an interesting prelude to our first match."

"That's right, as coming in from the north gate, we've got Class 1-A's serious speedster, the youngest member of the Iida family and younger brother to Ingenium. A boy looking to start his own heroic legacy here today. It's Iida Tenya!" Nervousness, pride and determination mix on Iida's face as he crosses the field to immense cheering. Knowing that not only is his brother safe, he's probably free to watch him at this point, a fire burns inside him, ready to give his all.

"Coming from the south gate, we have a support student that's been drawing eyes ever since they stepped out. From his team up in the obstacle race to his squad's strong third place finish in the cavalry battle, he has proven that just because he's quirkless doesn't mean he can't keep up with the best. It's Midoriya Izuku!" Fighting down every single nerve screaming at him to cower and run and hide, Izuku stands tall as he marches across the field. Unlike when Iida did, there are few cheers, instead a confused murmuring spreads across the crowd.

Midnight steps up, looking from one to the other. "Now boys, I want a good clean fight. You can win by knockout, surrender or ring out, so give it your all."

"I wish to apologize in advance, Midoriya, but I am going to go all out." Iida says with a mechanical but perfectly bent bow.

Bowing back, Izuku replies, "I wouldn't want any less. I need to show what I can do, and you going easy on me would defeat that purpose."

A moan comes from Midnight as she says, "Yes, this is the fires of youth that I love! Show me your all, boys! Are you ready?" When Izuku and Iida both nod, she steps back off the stage before raising her flogger. "Then this match will start in Three..."

Iida lowers himself, preparing for a runners start while Izuku sets himself and his shield.

"Two..."

Silence falls over the stadium, the crowd going silent, eager to watch the fight.

"One..."

Clutching a pillow tight to her chest, Inko quietly prays and cheers for her son. Outside the stadium, Yu watches on a screen, one of many crowded around it.

"Begin!"

Engines roar and Iida shoots from his spot, long strides crossing the arena in seconds while his hands reach out. Even braced, Izuku skids back at the power of Iida's quirk and strength before falling to a knee and tilting his shield to deflect him up and over. The force suddenly stops as Iida lets go and instead kicks off the shield and jumps back to avoid a self ring out. Izuku barely has time to get back to his feet before Iida is in his face again, this time with a heavy kick that slams into his shield and rattles his arm.

Izuku's shield shoves the leg away while he pivots to throw a punch, one that ends up falling short as Iida breaks away, running towards the arena's edge. Rather than a self-out, Izuku realizes his goal as he Ida begins to run around the radius. Turning on Mei's upgrade to his shield, he sets it in line with his opponent and crouches down behind it. Already faster than his first charge, Iida finishes his half loop around and accelerates.

Mere steps away, Iida leaps and raises a leg, the thrust of his engines guiding him into a perfect Hurricane kick. Steel like leg slams into steel shield with a devastating clang, Mei's balancer doing everything it can to fight to keep the shield upright. It holds just long enough for Izuku to spring up from the side, shocking Iida and giving him the opportunity to grab.

One hand around Iida's arm, the other grabbing his outfit's waist, it's a clumsy throw, but even so Iida hits the ground hard. Fists rain down on him as Izuku straddles his waist, Iida barely able to get his arms up to guard in time. It doesn't last, as Iida turns his legs and revs his engines, kicking them out with enough force to send both of them tumbling across the arena. Scrambling to their feet, a lull forms as they stare each other down.

"You've impressed me, Midoriya." Iida says as he slowly shifts back. "I said I would give you my all, but I've got one trump card I've been holding back."

"Recipro Burst. The Iidaten signature technique." Izuku says, and Iida nods.

"Take up your shield and do everything you can to stop me. Show the world your worth just as I intend to." Walking back to the far side, Iida takes up his sprinter's stance again while Izuku grabs his shield and detaches the stabilizer after a thought.

"What's this?! We've got a reset in the stadium, what's going on?" Present Mic's shouts cut through the silence of the stadium, before there's the sound of a bonk and he is silenced.

Iida's engines start to rumble as Izuku grips his shield tight, squaring it with his opponent and squatting a little to brace as best as he can. The engines reach a crescendo before there's a roar as blue flames burst forth from their exhausts. "Recipro Burst!" Iida shouts before becoming a blur. Leg meets shield with a clang that echoes across the stadium and a force that flings Izuku to the edge of the ring.

Izuku fights to stand but his left arm refuses to listen, now broken behind his dented shield. Iida appears before him in a blur again, delivering the final blow to push him from the ring.

"And with that impressive display, Iida Tenya is the winner!" Midnight declares as the crowd goes wild. "Medical bots are already on their way, Midoriya, they'll get you to Recovery Girl right away."

"Blink and you miss it, like a samurai showdown of old, a single hit determined this match!" Present Mic screams over the mic, "Let's give it up for our winner with their super move finish!"

"It was an impressive display of skill for a first year." Nedzu agrees, "Most students only start working on super moves near the end of their first year, so to have one ready already and use it with such proficiency, I think Iida will have no shortage of internship offers. His opponent was no slouch either, with clever usage of support gear to create an opening, and the skills to follow up. If Iida hadn't been able to shake Midoriya off, that attack would have been enough for Midoriya to secure the win."

The voices of the announcers fade away as mechanical assistants carry Izuku through the halls, Iida walking alongside and keeping pace with ease. "I feel like I must apologize for the injury, Midoriya. I may have gone too far in the fight."

Shaking his head, Izuku winces as it jolts the break in his arm, before replying, "We gave it our all, and that's what we wanted. As my friend says, failure just shows that your baby needs improvement." Iida blanches while Izuku smiles. "She calls her inventions her babies, and while they tend to fail at first, she always works hard to make them better."

"I wish you the best in your endeavour to improve, and I will strive to do the same."

Raising a thumbs up, Izuku holds it for a second before lowering it back down and relaxing to ease any strains on his arm. An amicable silence follows the two all the way to Recovery Girl's on-site office, where the door opens automatically to let the robots in. "Just set him on the bed there, dearies," Recovery Girl says before turning to Iida, "Do you need my assistance as well, Iida?"

"I will be fine, Recovery Girl, I just wished to ensure my opponent safely made it here." He explains with a chop, before bowing, "If you'll excuse me."

As he leaves, Izuku calls out, "Good luck, I'll cheer for you!" before wincing as Recovery girl begins poking at the shield.

"I am going to go slowly, but this will still hurt and I need you to stay as still as you can." She says, before beginning the slow and painful process of sliding his broken arm from the shield. The robots take the shield away once it's free, while she carefully cradles his arm. "The break is pretty clean, so this won't take long." Her lips stretch out, making a loud wet smooching noise as it meets his arm. Bones set and knit, muscles mend and energy drains from Izuku as the pain fades. "And there we go. You can stay for a nap if you wish, or head back to your class."

Nodding slowly, Izuku's eyes slowly drift shut as he falls asleep.

"Well, they were the winners this year! But listen here! Anyone here could have ended up on these podiums." All Might declares, sweeping a hand out over the students, "It's just as you saw. They competed, improved and pushed each other higher! The next generation of Heroes are sprouting from the efforts this day! And so, I'll add one more thing!" Raising a hand up, All Might points to the sky, "Everyone say it with me now! Ready, go! PLUS ULTRA!"

"PLUS ULTRA!" Echoes across the stadium as the crowd joins the cheer, Izuku included.

The stands slowly empty while All Might linger for some photos with the winners, students, Heroes and civilians mingling into a massive crowd spilling out into the stands and grounds around the stadium. Changed back into street clothes, Izuku drifts along with the crowd, silently debating about what to do.

His thoughts are cut short by a shout of "Greenie!" before Mei practically tackles him from behind. "Did you see my match? I got to show off all my babies with no interruption! It was great!"

"Hey Mei, sorry, I missed it..." He replies with a sad look, and a rub of his hair, "But I know Mom recorded the whole festival, and I'm gonna be rewatching it a lot, so I know I'll get to see it."

"That sounds like an idea. We'll get together over the weekend and rewatch to see what everyone else saw of us. I gotta know if I made a good impression."

"Hmnnn, does Sunday work for you then? I do a big workout day on Saturday, and with the second year students tomorrow, and third year students Friday, that's the best time for me."

"That sounds perfect." She replies, slapping him on the shoulder, "I've already got ideas I need to get started on, so I'll get them out of my head before then. Anyways, I'm gonna go see if Power Loader Sensei will let me into the lab for the rest of today. See ya!"

"Bye!" He calls back as Mei heads off, waving despite her turned back. Slipping from the crowd, he pulls out his phone before shooting off a quick text. The answer comes back barely a minute later, bringing an end to his self-debate and sending him off to the entrance of U.A.. From there it's not hard to find his girlfriend, even in her street clothes, and without a word, they slip into her car.

"You did amazing out there, Izuku!" Yu says, sparing a moment to pat him on the shoulder as they slowly drive through the creeping traffic leaving U.A., "Even in the first years where the skill and training gap is smallest, Support and Gen Ed students almost never make it to the third round. That even won me a little bet with Death Arms. He didn't think you'd make it that far." Izuku nods silently next to her, hands clenched in his lap. Letting out a sigh, she says, "Do I have to pull into a parking lot and kiss you till you understand how amazing you are?"

A blush creeps up as he replies, "I wouldn't mind that..."

"Later." She says with a snort, "Really though, even Nedzu was impressed with you out there, and that's no easy task. I'm already going to send in an internship request for you, but don't be surprised if other heroes want to take you too."

"I can do internships?!" He asks, blinking as he looks over at her.

"Yep. Heroes and Agencies can send in internships for any student, though only Hero courses get default options if they don't get any offers. After that display of hers, I bet Hatsume's going to have a pile of them too. Most Agencies just send for Hero students, but some are looking for new support staff."

Nodding in understanding, he lets a growing smile form. "So if I accept your offer, it's going to be just you and me for a whole week? Hero Work during the day, and nights to do whatever we want together, with no Mom around?"

"And I thought I was the horny one."

"Who said anything about that? I was thinking we could watch movies or shows, play games and cuddle on the couch without interruption."

"Cheeky," She mutters while poking his side. "But yes. I'll be able to get you involved in more of the patrol side too, not just the officework."

Looking down at his hands, Izuku can't help his smile and speak softly to himself, "Going on a patrol with Yu..."

"They're not as glamorous as they might seem. It's a lot of walking around while being on constant alert, even while dealing with fans or else you might need a brave young hero to run in and save you."

"Yu..."

"But sometimes you'll get called in to a crime in progress nearby, or even more rarely, you come across one on your own. But most of the time, it's just you out there providing a feeling of safety to those around you." Izuku nods quietly and the car falls into silence, though this only last a few minutes before Yu lets out a near growl, "We should be celebrating! You made it to the third round of the sports festival and are gonna be interning with a Pro Hero! Be happy, be excited, nerd out about the quirks you saw or something!"

"I'm holding it all in because I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fall over the moment it all finally clicks with me."

True to his word, he barely manages a couple steps into the apartment before his eyes go wide and his knees give out, and he breathlessly exclaims, "I made it to the final event in the sports festival!"

"I'm so proud of you!" Inko wails, bursting into view and crashing into her son with tears in her eyes. Izuku's own barely held back tears burst forth as he hugs back, and unable to resist, Yu joins in before long.

Despite expecting, or perhaps hoping for it, Izuku finds himself strangling down his anxiety as he makes his way up to Nedzu's office. It doesn't take long enough to get there, and facing down the massive doors to his destination he does everything he can to squash down enough fear to walk up to them. Even without touching them, they swing open at his approach, Nedzu sitting at his desk in the room beyond.

"Welcome, Midoriya, and Good Morning to you. Would you like some tea while we talk?" A paw gestures to a steaming teapot, but Izuku shakes his head. "No? That's quite alright. Please, take a seat." Neither speaks as Nedzu methodically makes his own cup of tea, performing each step with practiced precision. A small testing sip brings a smile to the Principal's face, before he sets the cup in its saucer and brings his paws together. "Perfect. Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your performance in the Sports Festival. It's already rare for a non-Hero course student to make it to the final round in the first year, and even more so to do it quirkless. And to do it while drawing attention to yourself with brazen displays of style, skill and tactics, Bravo."

"Uhm, thank you?" Izuku replies with a confused smile.

"No, thank you for a wonderful performance. But on to the matter at hand, I do believe you know that students who do well in the sports festival can be moved to the Hero Course, correct?" Izuku nods. "And you know, should you wish to join, and become a Hero, there will be far more challenges ahead than a student with a quirk?" He nods again. "Well then, should you wish to be moved, I will let you know in advance that you won't be able to join the class till the next term, but to ensure you keep up, extra studies will be provided, along with gyms for training after class. You don't have to decide right away, but I will need an answer by the end of the Internship week."

"I want to say yes, more than anything in the world," Izuku replies, sitting up a little straighter, "but I should take my time and think about it."

Nedzu nods slowly at the response before pausing to take a sip of his tea. "A wise decision. Should you have any questions, your teachers or myself will do our best to answer them. If you don't have any right now, I would suggest hurrying back to class. Majima is probably going over the Internships, and after your performance, I'm sure you've got more than a few offers."

"I will. Thank you." After bowing to the Principal, Izuku shoulders his bag before hurrying off at a speed that isn't quite running. Hustling through the empty halls and stairs, he swiftly reaches his class, and quietly opens the door to slink to his seat.

"Ah, there you are, Midoriya. Hurry to your seat so we can get this done before class." Power Loader says, nodding at him. "The quick and dirty of it is you'll all be able to accept any offers for internships you got, or if you don't want to or didn't get any, you'll be able to spend extra time in the labs here during the week. Now, as for who got offers..." A click of a remote puts a projection on the wall, revealing a small handful of names with numbers next to them. "This is honestly more than most years, mainly thanks to the two who made it to the third round, but then, the Sports Festival always was more for the Hero Course."

"Hurry up, Sensei, Greenie and I want to see our offers!" Mei exclaims, her leg bouncing audibly in her impatience.

"Fine, fine. Here's the paper offers." Going around the room, he sets down small stacks of papers in front of the students who got them, briefly glaring unseen at Mei's stack from the debacle she caused. "You can go over them now, we just need your decision by Wednesday so we can send confirmations."

Flipping through his small selection of offers, Izuku pauses on the one he knew would be there. His smile grows alongside a warmth in his chest as he pulls it to the front of the stack. The rest of the stack is almost entirely Support companies, with a low rank Hero or two mixed in, ultimately nothing he's interested in.

Just one signature and his internship is set. One whole week alone with Mt Lady.