My Hero Academia: The Story of Twin Heroes

by Guy with a fanfic acount

[MHA AU Fic] "What if Izuku had a Twin Sister?" (This story will follow the main show.) After a Villain encounter, Izuku Midoriya meets All Might and learns the truth. Meanwhile his sister, Ami Midoriya, born with a dangerous quirk, tries to overcome her insecurities to become a hero. (Season 1 Done. S2 ongoing.) Reviews are needed & appreciated. :)3YR ANNIVERSARY! Eventual Romance

28. S2 Chapter 18: Sports Fest Conclusion!

Day of the Sports Festival - Somewhere Else

A loud snore woke her up. The sudden sound caused her to hiss which alerted her caretakers to her awakened state. She could sense their presence in the room with her. They were having their own discussion about something. That was the norm in this place. She could hear them talk and talk over the past week while she just sat in the corner. She took heavy breaths and lazily flipped over. She stretched her limbs outward and opened her mouth, releasing a quiet yawn. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing their purple color to the world. She let out a satisfied growl as her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the room.

They were in a small bar of reasonable size tucked away inside a big building. The hideout was chosen by her masters as their base of operations for quite some time. Looking around the room, she stared at a man behind the counter cleaning glasses and looking dressed to impress in a suit and tie. The man acknowledged her presence by nodding slightly and narrowing its slanted yellow eyes. She didn't pay much attention to his greeting as she looked at the other person in the room. Sitting down on a stool in front of the counter was a young adult man sulking to himself. His clothes were black with strange gloves holding onto random parts of his upper body. He wasn't very happy at the moment. Not that the young one was ever happy. She looked at the two and flared her nostrils, lowering her head back down to the floor. Those were the people she was ordered to defend at all costs. It was a command she had to follow no matter what she had to endure. Still, however, she didn't like the bar hideout. The floor was always cold and the people she was meant to protect were always noisy, especially the big one.

She could hear the younger one complaining about something to the other adult but didn't bother with the details. It didn't concern her, anyway. Instead she ignored it and lazily flipped back over to the other side, staring at the brick wall. She rested her head atop her claws and stared at the scratch marks on the brick wall and licked her lips, slowly closing her eyes as sleep took her in. Her body relaxed as she entered a deep sleep, feeling peace sweep through her, making her curve her lips upward into a disturbing smile. She enjoyed her sleep. It was a necessary requirement for her line of work. A good amount of sleep meant a better performance each day. However, there was another part of sleeping that gave her peace. Everytime she slept long enough, she'd start imagining things inside her head. First, they were random. Flashes of looking out a window. Glimpses of people she didn't know before. A house she didn't have a clue about. Happy noises and amazing smells. Eventually, the details would fill in and she'd see it all inside her head. A simple life. A life that had long ago ended. She felt a content smile form on her lips, thinking about the life she remembered.

It was- Her ear twitched. Sirens ringing in her brain. The memory quickly changed from happiness to darkness. That's how it always ended whenever she was about to wake up. The end of her dreams were always a reminder of the life she had now. Her more relatively recent memories would flash instantly in her mind afterwards. Flashes of staring up at the rain. Cars driving fast on the road. Cold, tired, and scared. Then she wasn't. And then the experiments started.

Her eyes opened up again, her ears twitching. She caught a whiff of something. Something smoky, alerting her even more. Raising her head off the ground, she stared at the door to the hidden bar with an aggressive stare. Her quick action alerted her guardians, hearing them stop talking. The three all stared at the door with anticipation, watching the doorknob start to jiggle. She bared her claws and prepared for battle, feeling her orders poke at her exposed brain.

The door opened up, revealing a man who was wearing two heavy jackets on his body. A strange fashion statement. She narrowed her eyes at the man upon seeing him, growling at him. False alarm, it was him. She knew him as the man her owner had brought with him after breaking him free from the prison bus. The man's charcoal skin was patchy, like a dried up lake in a desert. The cracks of his skin would sometimes have a glow to them, signifying the man's quirk. The man walked into the bar carrying some bags. Once her owners knew it was him, they relaxed and returned to doing whatever it was they were doing.

"I'm back." The man said, walking up to the bar. He looked around the hidden bar and groaned the second his eyes laid upon the large cat creature hanging out in a corner of the room. The man could hear the cat's growls from the entrance, annoying him. That creature did not like him at all. He made eye contact with its purple eyes and narrowed his eyes. He whistled at the cat creature, annoying it in return. He grinned after hearing it hiss in response to his whistling. A good sign that it was annoyed by him just as much as he was annoyed by her.

"Welcome back, Kazan." Kurogiri greeted, pulling up a glass. Kazan glanced at the shadowy bartender and nodded, glancing back at the cat. The cat kept its glare on him as he stepped forward, lowering its eyes towards the bags. Something inside the bag alerted its sense of smell, causing its purple eyes to glow brighter. The cat's body tensed as it adapted to the enhanced smell. Kazan grinned again as he knew the cat had picked up on what was inside his bag.

After being welcomed back to the hideout, he had met the cat creature and was forced to get used to it. He'd seen it walking around before and watched it act lazily like some kind of domesticated house cat. Kazan still didn't know much about the creature. All he knew was the cat had a connection with the penguin of some kind. Nomu was what it was called. At least what they had called it. This one however, had a more personal name. Ravage. The similarities between Ravage and Nomu were easy to point out. They both had exposed brains and a creepy smile on their faces. He thought the penguin was disturbing, but this cat version was different. It listened to orders but it also seemed to do it's own thing. That possible intelligence alone was enough to disturb him. Still, by all other means, the thing was a cat. And cats had great senses of smell. Kazan stared at the Cat Nomu as it smelled something coming from his bag, making him grin in amusement at the giant cat.

"Thought you'd smell it the second I walked in." Kazan said, pulling out a giant piece of raw meat. The cat stared at the meat and felt its stomach instantly growl.

"Mrowr." The Cat meowed, standing up on all fours. Her tail lifted upwards, the tailblade scratching at the bar's ceiling.

"Careful." Kurogiri said, watching the tailblade effortlessly scratch up the ceiling. Its tip was incredibly sharp.

"Fetch." Kazan said, throwing the large piece of meat at the Cat. The Cat Nomu leapt up towards the meat and caught it mid air. She bit into the meat and brought it to the floor, tearing into it and enjoying every bite.

"Meh." Kazan commented, watching the Cat Nomu absolutely shred the meat. He shook his head in disgust and walked forward. He quickly reached the bar and took a seat on a stool. The second he took a seat on the stool, he could see the kid glaring at him from his peripheral vision.

"Where were you?" Shigaraki growled in a low voice.

"Got tied up along the way." Kazan said.

"A hero showed up at the pharmacy. Had to lay low for a while." He explained, receiving a harsher glare from the young adult.

"Were you followed?" Shigaraki questioned. Kazan glanced up at him and narrowed his eyes.

"No." He answered, sternly. Shigaraki glared at him and gave in, dropping his glare.

"Good. I'd have to kill you for doing something so stupid." Shigaraki growled. Kazan narrowed his eyes at Shigaraki and flared his nostrils. Recently, the kid's aggression had spiked. He knew why of course. He had that same level of aggression go through his mind upon seeing her face again. Him and Kurogiri watched the Sports Festival earlier on television in the bar while Shigaraki watched from somewhere else. He looked at Shigaraki with a patient glare and pulled out the items in his bag. While doing so he started up a conversation.

"Surprised you're moving around so well considering the first thing I saw coming back here was you lying in bed crying." Kazan insulted, making Shigaraki hiss.

"Shut up." Shigaraki hissed, getting annoyed by his claim. He didn't cry. That damned burn injury on his hand wasn't as easily treatable as gunshot wounds. He had to let his hand recover the old fashioned way. Let it heal on its own for a bit before getting treatment to make a full recovery. Kurogiri wasn't exactly the easiest person to miss in public, so sending him out would be less advantageous. Hence why Kazan was the one who volunteered to get Shigaraki's treatment.

"Anyways, I got your treatment. Show me your hand." Kazan ordered. Shigaraki was hesitant to give Kazan anything but reluctantly followed his orders. Kazan pulled out the treatment in the bag and started to apply it to Shigaraki's wounds. Kurogiri watched from the sidelines as Kazan carefully applied the treatment to Shigaraki's hand. The younger villain winced slightly at the tingling sensation coming from the wound.

"You seem familiar with this." Kurogiri observed, leaning over the counter to watch Kazan.

"I used to run with a crew. Not all of us had fire resistance." Kazan explained. As he finished up applying the treatment, Kazan glanced at his bag and cracked a grin.

"That reminds me. I bought something else for you to have, Kid." Kazan stated, hiding his grin. Shigaraki glared at Kazan and watched him pull out a ball from the bag. Kazan had an amused grin on his face and placed it on the counter right in front of Shigaraki. Shigaraki looked at the stress ball and glared at it, getting angry.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Shigaraki asked, glaring at him.

"Yeah, and it was worth it seeing that expression on your face." Kazan admitted, truthfully.

"Squeeze it." He ordered, glaring at him.

"..." Shigaraki said nothing and looked at Kazan with annoyed suspicion. He wasn't sure if this was part of the joke at his expense. He glanced back at the stress ball and raised his hand towards it.

"The burned hand." Kazan clarified. Shigaraki stopped moving and complied, switching to his burned hand. He grabbed the stress ball in his hand and put all of his fingers on it, squeezing it. Sure enough, the stress ball disintegrated in his hand, causing a satisfied grin to form on Kazan's face.

"Hmph. Was wondering if that quirk of yours still worked on that hand. You're lucky to still have it. There, all done. Hopefully that's the last treatment you need to make a full recovery." Kazan said, putting away the treatment.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The Cat Nomu ceased its eating and licked its lips clean, turning its head towards the beeping sound on the wall. Kazan, Kurogiri, and Shigaraki, all stared up at the monitor at the exact same time.

"Excellent timing." Kurogiri said, watching as the monitor turned itself on. Kazan stared at the monitor and adjusted his eyes, focusing on the silhouette covered in darkness in the video. The only thing he could see was the light illuminating from the man's glasses.

"Is that him?" Kazan asked, referring to the man in charge.

"No." Kurogiri answered, straight away.

"Doctor." Shigaraki said, acknowledging the man's position.

"Kurogiri. How's my Nomu?" The doctor asked.

"Glaring at our new member." Kurogiri answered, staring at the Cat Nomu. Kazan turned his head and looked at the Nomu. Sure enough, she was glaring at him. With the only evidence of her meal being the bone it left behind looking clean.

"Hmph. Still hates me after I picked up that meat out of the goodness of my heart." Kazan scoffed, turning back towards the monitor.

"Kurogiri, It's good to see you back with us after your unfortunate capture two weeks ago." The doctor nodded, causing Shigaraki to clench his fists upon hearing his words. Kurogiri glanced down at Shigaraki's fists and looked back up at the monitor.

"Yes. Rest assured, it won't happen again." Kurogiri answered.

Hm. See to it you keep those words." The doctor nodded.

"Anyways. Ravage." The Doctor said, getting the Cat Nomu's attention.

"Mrowr?" Ravage replied, tapping its claws on the floor.

"Your goal for today is to resume observation of two targets in Hosu City. Keep close to Target #1. As for Target #2, keep your distance and watch him closely. Complete stealth. After you make contact with Target #1, you can begin Target #2's abduction." The doctor ordered, causing the Cat Nomu to nod. She growled and quickly turned her back on the monitor.

"But-" the doctor said, causing Ravage to pause. She turned her head around and tilted her head at the monitor in confusion.

"You will not begin Target #2's abduction until Shigaraki gives you permission."

"Mrowr." Ravage complied, walking up to Shigaraki. She rubbed against his leg and purred, a strange sight considering her brain was exposed. As quickly as she rubbed against his leg, she quickly went into work mode. In an instant, her eyes glowed purple and her body disappeared starting from the head. She looked up at the ceiling and jumped, attaching her claws to the ceiling with ease. Kazan watched as the invisible Cat Nomu crawled towards an air vent. Slipping the vent open, the Cat adjusted its size and roared into the vent. She maneuvered her way inside and closed the vent with her tail. The three villains could hear the Cat Nomu crawling in the vent until the room became silent. Once Kazan was sure the Cat was gone, he started grumbling to himself.

"I never asked, but what the hell is that thing doing anyway? Why's she able to leave?" Kazan questioned, staring at the monitor.

"She's been given a remarkable quirk that'll make hiding in the big city a breeze. It's how she was able to rescue Kurogiri and you." The doctor explained, making Kazan flare his nostrils.

"Right. Invisibility." Kazan said, getting comfortable in a booth seat.

"As for why she's able to come and go. She's been keeping a close eye on a person of interest for the League for some time now. And, most importantly." The doctor said, flashing a grin that appeared visible through the monitor.

"She was made for a very special purpose."

Present - UA Stadium - Hero Stands

A few minutes after the loud chorus of cheers and claps had ended, the heroes sitting next to each other all started talking amongst themselves. Many of them were talking about the fight with extreme enthusiasm. They weren't the only ones talking about the fight enthusiastically. The film crews that captured the whole fight were also excited. Some of them were passing around fistbumps and highfives at the fact they recorded the whole fight at such good quality.

"This fight was incredible!" The cameraman commented, receiving an enthusiastic high five from the cameraman next to him.

"Yeah, this'll definitely get higher ratings than last year's." The second cameraman replied, giving multiple fistbumps to his crew members.

The Hero stands weren't any different. Many heroes talked to one another in their seats discussing what went on in Ami's fight. The heroes were very impressed with what happened and they couldn't hold back the enthusiasm they had. But that wasn't to say Ami was the only one they were talking about up there. Many of the heroes also acknowledged Bakugo's performance.

"That fight between Bakugo and that Midoriya Girl was incredible." A hero exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree. Did you see how she stood up at the end even though she lost?" A second hero questioned, nodding his head in agreement.

"Yeah, but she only did that after that Bakugo guy yelled at her. I wonder what he said?" A pterodactyl-faced hero replied.

"I heard him say something about the ones always smiling are the strongest. But the way he repeated it sounded like it was her words." A hero dressed in a wizard costume replied.

"Ones always smiling are the strongest? Wonder what that means?" The pterodactyl-faced hero questioned.

"Sounds like something All Might would say." The first hero replied, getting nods in agreement from the heroes surrounding him.

"Either way, I underestimated him. I can't believe he let her fall on him when she was unconscious. And he laid her on the ground so gently." The pterodactyl-faced hero admitted.

"It was really surprising." A woman in a gas mask replied, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I thought for sure he was gonna blow her up when she started walking all slow-like towards him." The wizard hero replied.

"Maybe there's a heart in him after all?" Another hero said, getting a few laughs out of the heroes. Wyvern heard their comments and flared his nostrils.

"Tch." He grunted, shaking his head at the hero's comments with an amused stoic expression. The end of the fight was a sight to see. Most of the heroes were amazed by how Bakugo acted at the end of the fight. Especially after he won. He couldn't deny his own feelings on the matter especially after what Backdraft had told him. He silently wondered how much of their past was brought up during the fight. And, if it affected Bakugo's actions after he won.

Flames shot up his shoulder, lifting the extra fabric upwards. Wyvern stared at the flame on his shoulder, watching as it slightly poked out of the fabric. He stared at the flames and raised an eyebrow at him curiously. Wyvern nodded his head and leaned his arms back.

"Mhm." He replied. He took a slow breath and flexed his arm, signaling to the flame on his shoulder to leave.

"Go back down." Wyvern ordered, watching as the flames on his shoulder retreated back into him. He stared at his shoulder as the fabric fell comfortably back down to his arm, giving him a direct view of Backdraft. Wyvern looked at him for a few seconds and could tell straight away that he was still sad about the fight.

"Some battle, huh?" He stated, looking at Backdraft. Backdraft heard Wyvern's statement and lifted his head up.

"Yeah." Backdraft replied, nodding.

"How're you feeling?" Wyvern asked, pretending not to know his emotions from his body language.

"Sad." Backdraft truthfully admitted. He lowered his head a little and shrugged.

"Sad, but…happy." He clarified, nodding his head slightly.

"I'm sad to see Ami lose after getting this close to the final match. But, at the same time, I'm happy for her. She did her best and left the ring still standing. And with a smile on her face." He nodded, staring back at the empty battlefield.

"It was a surprise to see them again after all of this time. But, I'm happy I did." Backdraft replied, appreciating the moment. Wyvern looked at him with a stoic expression and nodded.

"Before the match started, you said they had a rivalry of some sort. That it might affect the outcome. You think this is how she wanted it to end?" Wyvern asked, staring into space.

"I'm sure she wanted to win. If she didn't, then that first punch would've been the end of it. No, I think she got what she wanted in the end. Whatever she said to him down there really had an impact on him." Backdraft replied, folding his pipe arms together. Wyvern understood what he meant. Although he couldn't hear most of the shouts between them, he could tell it was personal for both of them.

"Hmph. Y'know a lot of heroes are talking about that last bit, too. How he shouted at her to stand. Seemed like everyone was caught off guard by that." Wyvern mentioned.

"I'd imagine so. He surprised me, too. I didn't interact much with him after he was freed from the Sludge Villain. I let the other heroes do the talking while I assisted with the cleanup. Seems he's also come a long way since that incident." Backdraft said, leaning into his seat.

"Well now he's up against Endeavor's kid, next. He's all that stands between him and winning this Festival. Any predictions for this last match?" Wyvern questioned, receiving a shrug from Backdraft.

"I think I'll just see how this one goes." He said, shaking his head. Wyvern nodded in agreement and returned to relaxing into his seat, listening in on other heroes' conversations. He closed his eyes and reclined in his seat. Unbeknownst to Wyvern, his phone went off in his pocket. But with the phone on silent, he was unable to hear the voicemail left by Tsukauchi.

Recovery Girl's Office

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Owwww." Ami winced, holding a pack of ice on her stomach. Her skin sizzled upon contact with the ice, sending tiny bits of smoke into the air. Ami cringed uncomfortably at the pain shooting through her chest.

"I didn't say it would feel comfortable, Dear." Recovery Girl said, frowning slightly at her patient's sounds of discomfort. Ami groaned and panted steadily, relaxing her shoulders and attempting to get used to the pain.

"This really sucks." She whined, breathing lightly.

"You'll have to bear with it unfortunately." Recovery Girl said, taking no pleasure in saying that, "I healed you up as far as you can go. It's up to your body to do the rest now." She explained, getting a small nod from Ami. Nearly half an hour passed since she entered the Nurse's Office. In that short time, Recovery Girl had managed to heal up the brunt of the damage caused by her match with Bakugo. However, not even Recovery Girl's quirk could fully heal the bruise Bakugo had inflicted on the skin covering the organ unique to her body; her Flame Organ. Once she was able to walk again, Ami hastily put on a replacement gym uniform since her old clothes were charred beyond recognition.

"Okay…" She whimpered, gulping slowly. Recovery Girl stared at Ami's face and frowned, lowering her face a little. She felt a large amount of pity for the green haired girl. She sighed and turned around, heading towards her desk. She stood in front of her desk and placed her hands on the edge, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. She knew who was responsible for her incredible injuries. She had anticipated Ami's wounds to be severe, but she didn't expect her to look the way she did upon entering her office. Clothes charred, hair messy, smoky smell, and a noticeable limp. And once she learned exactly what transpired during the battle she couldn't believe Bakugo would start the match off with such a devastating physical attack. She considered it a miracle that Ami was able to continue fighting, much less be able to use her plasma ability later on in the match. A combination of anger, stress, and disapproval rang through her head as she thought of the overly aggressive blonde that gave the poor girl her injuries.

"That boy…" Recovery Girl said out loud, continuing to shake her head in disapproval. Ami heard the disapproving tone in her voice and raised her head up, staring at the back of her head.

"He's a real pain in the neck, you know? That attitude of his doesn't help either." Recovery Girl complained, getting a tiny laugh out of Ami.

"You have no idea." Ami nodded, smiling lightly.

"Everytime his matches end, I have to work extra hard just to heal your classmates' wounds. I know the rules are to knock your opponent unconscious but he practically leaves them comatose. It puts a lot of strain on my quirk just to heal them. Part of me is glad that the final round is next. Why, I had half a mind to leave those injuries from your fight on him." Recovery Girl said, smirking in amusement at the thought. Ami shook her head and pressed her hands together in apology, causing Recovery Girl to raise her eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry for all the stress he's put on you, Ma'am. It's my fault, anyway. We told each other that we wouldn't hold back. In fact, I wanted Bakugo to hit me hard. It wouldn't be fair for either of us to hold back so it meant a lot to me." Ami apologized, gritting her teeth and frowning. Recovery Girl open her mouth to speak but shrugged instead. She shook her head and returned to smirking, laughing with her mouth closed.

"Yes. Yes. I've heard it before." She said, brushing aside her apology. Ami's eyes raised in curiosity at her response.

"You have?" She said, leaning her head back in confusion. Recovery Girl laughed at her reaction and smiled.

"Mhm. It's what his classmates said, too." She explained.

"Huh? Really?" Ami replied, getting an amused nod from the retired hero.

"They worded it differently each time…but it always ended with the same conclusion…" She said, thinking back on their words.

"He took advantage of my weaknesses and ended up doing more damage to me than I had expected. I learned a lot from fighting him. I'll have to train harder, focus my senses, and reduce my weaknesses. Only then, will I challenge him again." Shoji nodded, flexing all six of his limbs into fists.

"I put everything in that plan and I still lost. No matter, I'll just have to work even harder. I'll beat him someday!" Ochaco said, with a burst of energy. The sudden boost of energy quickly drained out of her, causing her to topple back in the bed.

"That was the coolest fight I've ever been in. Bakugo's super powerful. I've gotta work even harder so that one day not even his explosions will break my skin." Kirishima said, enthusiastically covered in bandages.

"Despite all the pain he put them through, his classmates defended him and treated it as a learning experience. All of them left more eager to improve than before. They actually want a rematch some day in the future. He's won them over. Earned their respect. As hard as it may be for me to believe it." Recovery Girl admitted.

"I can." Ami said, smiling wider. Recovery Girl heard her reply and shook her head lightly, leaving it at that. Ami lowered her head and stared down at her chest. She stared at the bag of ice freezing her bruised skin and squeezed it, tensing up a bit in response. She didn't let the pain bother her as her mind focused on images of Bakugo. His words repeated themself in her head, keeping her smile up.

"You want me to believe you can save people with that pathetic attitude of yours? You said the ones always smiling are the strongest, right? Prove it! Get up and prove to me you're strong with that stupid smile of yours!" Bakugo shouted, echoing through her head. The memory sent a chill down her spine as it repeated over and over in her head. She flared her nostrils and smiled fondly, feeling her face warm up. Recovery Girl shifted around items on her desk and noticed the lack of sound coming from Ami. Getting her attention, she raised her head up and looked at a small mirror off to the side of the desk and grabbed it. Twisting it slightly towards Ami, she looked at the mirror and stared at Ami's expression. She was lost in thought, smiling warmly at nothing. Recovery Girl raised her eyebrow at Ami's expression, getting curious. She examined her face through the small mirror and thought about how she was acting. She almost thought she saw a blush form.

"Hmm." Recovery Girl hummed, narrowing her eyes. The humming sound was just loud enough to snap Ami out of her thoughts. She flinched for half a second and sat up straight, wincing a bit from her stinging chest injury. Ami's smile faltered a bit as she realized how distracted she had gotten. Recovery Girl looked away from the mirror and turned around, facing Ami.

"You have a lot of respect for him. Despite the nasty bruise he gave you." She stated plainly. Ami flared her nostrils and nodded.

"I'm over it. It was a smart move, anyways. Bakugo's always known about my flame organ, but watching Tokoyami must have given him the idea. I should've seen it coming. He defeated me fair and square." She stated, sure of herself.

"But…" She said, feeling her bright smile return once his words entered her mind.

"Alright, fine. I'll admit it, Habanero. You almost got me. Don't act like this is the end, we're not done here." Bakugo's voice said, echoing in her head. Bakugo's admission gave her an intense amount of happiness that she didn't expect.

"He told me I almost got him." Ami smiled, raising her free hand upward. She stared at her hand and clenched it into a fist.

"Hearing something like that from him…it means so much to me." She smiled, feeling her eyes water. She didn't realize how emotional the moment was for her.

"I fought him with everything I had, and I almost beat him." She beamed, feeling an immense amount of pride and accomplishment. She giggled a bit before turning her smile neutral and narrowing her eyes. She glanced down at her free hand and struggled not to grin, keeping her solemn expression.

"I can do better. I know I can. I'll get stronger and fight him again. Someday. And, maybe…next time, I'll win." Ami said, smiling confidently. Recovery Girl stared at the confident smile on Ami's lips and formed her own satisfied smirk. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Ami, confusing her and making her smile fall.

"What?" Ami asked, staring at Recovery Girl incredulously.

"Oh, nothing." Recovery Girl said with an amused smirk, quickly recovering from her laugh.

"That doesn't sound like nothing?" Ami thought, glowering a little.

Knock Knock Knock

"Who is it?" Recovery Girl hollered, turning to face the door. Ami did the same and looked up at the door. She quickly covered her abs and kept the ice pack underneath her shirt.

"It's Izuku. Is Ami in there?" Izuku's voice asked through the door. Ami heard the voice and smiled, feeling her face brighten up immediately.

"Are visitors allowed?" Iida asked through the door, causing Ami to snort in amusement. Iida's voice let her know that Izuku wasn't alone in checking up on her. Recovery Girl heard the concern in their muffled voices and smiled warmly, turning her head back at Ami.

"Sounds like your friends are here." She stated, getting a happy nod from Ami.

"Come in!" Recovery Girl said.

"Ami!" Izuku exclaimed, entering the room in a rush. He took a quick glance of the room and made note of his surroundings. He raised his eyes at the medical table and made eye contact with his sister's warm smile. He saw the joy in her eyes and felt the tense feeling in his stomach vanish. His earlier fears proved to be for naught as he noticed her new set of clothes and fully healed wounds.

"Hey, Izuku." Ami greeted, smiling at the sight of him. Izuku felt tears enter his eyes as he stared at Ami, returning her smile with his own. He zoomed across the room and quickly rushed over to her side and grabbed hold of her hands. Iida and Ochaco also entered the room with smiles, staring at Ami with relief.

"Ami, I'm so glad you're okay! That fight was amazing! You were amazing! You got so many hits on Kacchan, too, I can't believe it!" Izuku exclaimed, getting a giggle out of Ami. Her giggle caused her some unintended pain in her stomach, letting her smile drop a bit. Izuku's smile dropped once he noticed the pain in her face as well as feeling how unnaturally cold her hand was.

"Hey- Why's your left hand so cold?" He asked. Ami looked at the worry on Izuku's face and returned to smiling, easing his worries. She shook her head and sighed, looking down at her stomach.

"Kacchan's explosive punch was a little too hot for me to handle." She answered. She pulled her left hand out of Izuku's grip and lifted her shirt up a little to reveal her injury. Izuku looked down and quickly saw the pack of ice covering her stomach. His eyes shrunk in horror at the sight of her bruised skin, covering his mouth and letting out a gasp. Iida and Ochaco saw the injury from far away and cringed, feeling a chill go down their spines.

"Oh my gosh! Does it hurt?" Izuku questioned, staring at her injury with concern. He placed a hand on her shoulder without looking, causing Ami to flinch a little in discomfort.

"Very. Don't move me." Ami strained, forcing a smile through the pain.

"Right." Izuku nodded, pulling his hand away from her. Ami sighed and relaxed her shoulders, letting go of her shirt. She pulled it back down and made sure the pack of ice was still on her bruise. Once the injury was out of sight and out of mind, everyone quickly adjusted themselves before changing topics. Iida corrected the position of his glasses and nodded.

"Glad to see you are recovering, though." He said, getting a nod from Ochaco in agreement.

"We noticed Bakugo's massive explosions unlocked your plasma beam move. Have you been staying hydrated since using it?" She stared at Ami and spoke up after.

"Yeah. I chugged a whole bottle of water the moment I got here." Ami answered, glancing at the empty bottle in the recycle bin by the door.

"That's a relief." Iida nodded, feeling his shoulders relax. Izuku and Ochaco nodded their heads in agreement.

"We were worried about you ever since you used it. It was really scary. But when you started walking slowly towards Bakugo afterwards, I think you gave everyone a heart attack." Ochaco said in relief, laughing a bit to lighten the mood. Ami let out a quiet sniffle in amusement and sighed.

"Sorry to frighten you guys." She apologized, smiling brightly.

"No worries. We weren't expecting you to start walking towards Bakugo, but we also didn't expect him to react the way he did." Iida added with a puzzled look, putting a hand on his chin in thought. Izuku glanced at Iida and nodded in agreement, turning back to Ami with questions.

"Yeah, I thought Kacchan would blow you up, but he didn't. Instead, he let you touch him. Then you fell unconscious…" Izuku said, frowning a little as he finished talking. Ochaco quickly spoke up afterwards.

"Yeah. What was that? What happened down there?" Ochaco questioned, looking at Ami. Ami stared at the three pairs of eyes looking at her for answers and awkwardly looked away. She looked at the wall and felt a grin form on her lips before looking down.

"What happened down there?" Ami repeated, brushing her hair. She pulled back a strand of hair over her forehead and stared at the medical table she was sitting on. Her face warmed up a bit as she thought about that moment. The images slowly took shape in her mind.

"That's…why I said all those things to you. That's why I'm smiling, Kacchan. Because…I…I wanted to be like you…" She remembered saying. As soon as those words came to mind, her face went red in embarrassment. She kept her face pointed towards a different direction to avoid Izzy and his friends' looks. Her brain worked quickly to try and answer them, but not even she could wrap her head around it. The realization of her words finally hit her the second she was questioned about it, causing her to start blushing.

"Crap. What do I say?" Ami thought.

"I said…some…stuff." She answered, confusing all three of her friends. Knowing that answer wouldn't satisfy anyone, she brought her hand up to her mouth and cleared her throat.

"I was weak, tired, barely standing, but I walked towards him anyway. And when I reached him, I said some things to him that were personal. Things I'm not comfortable saying out loud, sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear." Ami said, shyly. Izuku raised his eyebrow at her response, a little confused by the answer.

"Personal? How personal? Is she not telling us because it was about One For All?" Izuku wondered, his mind returned to the scene after. He furrowed his brow in deep thought, remembering every detail. He remembered gasping in stunned silence as Bakugo had done something completely unprecedented. He held on to her sister. Instead of pushing her away or letting her unconscious body fall to the ground, he gently carried her and slowly placed her on the floor in a more comfortable position.

"What did you say, Ami?" Izuku wondered, trying to find a justification in his head for what Bakugo did, "What compelled him to do that. He's always acted like we weren't his friends. Did something change?" He thought, quickly returning to reality once he heard Iida and Ochaco's voices.

"I see." Iida nodded.

"That's no problem." Ochaco replied, frowning a bit in dissatisfaction, "So, I guess whatever you said to him when you woke up was personal, too?" She questioned, putting her hand on her back and holding it with her other hand. Ami stared at Ochaco and noticed her curious expression. She flared her nostrils and nodded a bit in amusement.

"...A little." She said with honesty and a light blush. She kept her head down to hide it.

"I told him I wouldn't lose. No matter what he did to me. I said he could blast me, hit me, knock me to the ground, anything he thought of, but nothing would stop me from fighting him."

"I don't know how much you heard when Bakugo started yelling at me, but that's why he told me to stand up. He wanted me to prove that I meant every word of what I said to him. He was right. Even if I lost, I wasn't going to let myself stay down. I couldn't. I had to prove to him how serious I was. That's what pushed me to stand up." Ami said, smiling proudly.

"That's great, Ami." Iida said, nodding his head in respect.

"Yeah, he must have been really surprised to see you stand up." Izuku commented, getting a giggle out of Ami.

"Everyone was surprised, too. When you left the battlefield, we didn't know if you were gonna make it here. You did make it here, right?" Ochaco asked, poking her fingers anxiously. Ami nodded at the question and opened her mouth to speak.

"She made it." Recovery Girl interjected, answering the question for her, "After nearly collapsing several times. Honestly, you should've let the medical droids take you here on the stretcher. Would have been a lot quicker, too." Recovery Girl scolded with a look of displeasure. Ami listened to her words and sighed, she had a point.

"I know." She replied, looking down.

"Everyone thought you were supercool, though!" Ochaco said, cheering Ami up, "You should've seen how much we were cheering for you the whole time."

"Thanks, guys." Ami smiled, appreciating the kind comments. She glanced at Izuku and noticed the somber expression on his face, causing her smile to falter.

"Hey, Izzy. What is it?" She asked, curiously. Izuku was staring off into space and ignored her question, causing Ami to raise an eyebrow. She raised her hand forward and tapped his shoulder, getting his attention.

"Huh? Oh, I…Um- Sorry... I was just thinking about your match." Izuku answered, raising Ami's curiosity.

"I remember what you said to me before you left the stands. I was so excited. I wanted to see what strategy you came up with. And I wanted to see you win so badly. Even though I knew you were fighting Kacchan, I was so excited watching you that I had forgotten how brutal he was…" Izuku grimaced, clenching his fists and staring at the floor. He started to sniffle as the past played out in his head.

BAM

The audience winced upon witnessing Bakugo's fist make contact with her stomach. Up in the student stands, Izuku's jaw dropped at the sight of his effective punch. Goosebumps ran down his entire body as he watched Ami get punched, causing him to freak out.

"Noooo…" Izuku said, hyperventilating. He shook his head in denial at the scene in front of him and clenched his fists in his seat. What Izuku had assumed to be part of Ami's plan had backfired completely on her. Bakugo used her fire and smoked up the battlefield, distracting her long enough for him to enact his true attack.

Izuku watched as Bakugo slammed his fist into her body, quickly realizing the position of his fist on her chest. It was right above her stomach. Right where-

A horrible feeling grew in his stomach. He thought he was prepared to watch this fight, but with only one punch Izuku was proven wrong. His heart was beating fast as Bakugo raised his right arm upward and lifted Ami up off her feet with only his fist. He watched his actions and reared his head back in confusion and terror, wondering what Bakugo had planned next.

BANG

Bakugo's fist exploded with his fist still touching Ami, sending her flying. Izuku stared at the battlefield with wide eyes, flinching wildly in his seat. His body jolted upwards in his seat as if Bakugo had also attacked him the same way. Air escaped his lungs as he jumped out of his seat much to the surprise of his classmates. He ran over to the railing and leaned on it, bending forward with fear in his eyes. He ignored the pain shooting through his recovering body as panic took control.

"AMI!" Izuku screamed, feeling tears stream down his face. His heart beated faster than before.

"I was scared. Really scared. When he started the match off with that powerful punch to your flame organ. I panicked. I knew he wasn't trying to kill you, but I…had that feeling again. That your life was in danger." Izuku frowned, feeling a lump in his throat. As he watched her body go flying in the air and hit the ground hard, flashes of the hand-masked villain came to his head.

"In that moment, watching you hit the ground reminded me of seeing that hand guy charging towards you, reaching his hand out for your face. I was so scared my body moved before I even had time to think." Izuku said.

"I jumped out of my seat and put my hands on the railing. I was ready to jump down there and…punch him. But right when I reached the ledge, I realized what I was about to do and froze." Izuku said, standing completely still. He gripped the rail with one hand and stared at his recovering hand, grimacing.

"I can't." Izuku whispered, letting go of the rail and clenching his fist.

"I wanted to save you. Even though you weren't fighting a villain, protecting you was all I could think about. But I froze because I knew I would be getting in the way again. Jumping into the ring like that could've gotten you in trouble, so, I couldn't let myself do that to you." He admitted, frowning with guilt.

"You were gonna jump into the battlefield for me?" Ami repeated, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Mhm." He nodded, guilty, "I thought you lost." Izuku admitted.

"But then, you used your flamethrower. Right when I thought you were done for, you stood back up and continued fighting him. You were even taunting him. Then you two started fighting and it was amazing. You were doing better than I could've imagined. Landing hits and dishing just as much damage as he did. Even if Kacchan won in the end, you gave it your all. I'm sorry for underestimating you and fearing the worst." Izuku apologized. Ami stared at Izuku with a frown of her own, lowering her head a little in contemplation.

"Oh, Izuku. I always forget how worried you get for other people instead of yourself." Ami thought, closing her eyes to hide her appreciation. She took a deep breath and flared her nostrils, raising her hand out towards Izuku and opening her eyes. Izuku felt her hand touch his shoulder, startling him a bit. He looked at the soft hand and looked back at Ami.

"Thank you, Izuku. And, sorry, for scaring you the most. I remember what it was like protecting you from Kacchan when we were kids, so I understand completely.

When I realized I could eat Bakugo's explosions, I was excited. I thought, maybe this is how I can keep you safe while keeping my distance. So, I get it, really. You wanted to protect me from Kacchan like how I protected you."

"Yeah…"

"I'm grateful, Izzy. It means a lot to know just how far you're willing to go to protect me. Even if you would've gotten in trouble, I'm happy you told me."

"Thanks, Sis." Izuku nodded, lifting his lips upward into a half smile.

"And, besides, do I look sad, Izzy?" Ami smiled, letting out a small chuckle.

"I'm more than satisfied from that match. I got exactly what I wanted. Kacchan was a great fighter and he hit me at full power with no restraint and nothing holding him back. I did the same, too. We fought with everything we had!" Ami exclaimed, tensing her shoulders and straightening her back. In the back of her head, a small thought entered her mind that caused her great confusion.

"Did I get exactly what I wanted?" Ami thought, quickly burying that thought into her head. She stared at Izuku and his friends and smiled firmly, with a look of determination in her eyes.

"That's why…I have to get better. Our fight is far from over. I'll get stronger, smarter, and more precise with my quirk. I have to keep practicing and improving upon my abilities. Faster than anybody else, even Kacchan. And then, when he's not looking, I'll strike!" Ami exclaimed, chopping the air. She swung her hand down fast and winced a little from her bruised area.

"Ow." She muttered. Izuku, Iida, and Ochaco stared at her in surprise. Not expecting to hear the tone in Ami's voice. She didn't seem bothered by losing at all. Ochaco smiled in appreciation, rapidly nodding her head in agreement.

"That's right. It's not like we'll never be able to fight each other again. I'm with you, Ami!" Ochaco smiled, clenching her fists.

"Yeah. That's the spirit." Iida smiled, looking at Ami and Ochaco.

"You're right. I'm sure one day, I'll have a rematch with Kacchan, too. Only, I'll be ready. I'll master my quirk and take him on with everything I learned. And, maybe, we can fight against each other someday, too. To see how far we've come." Izuku said, staring at Ami with a serious expression. Ami stared at him incredulously, a little surprised to hear Izuku would want to fight her someday, too.

"Hmph. It's a deal." Ami replied, nodding her head. She clenched her fist and brought it to Izuku. He stared at her fist with a puzzled expression before realizing what it meant.

"Mhm." Izuku nodded, giving Ami a fistbump to confirm their future fight.

"Anyways, with you out that means Kacchan's going up against Todoroki. I wonder how it's gonna go? Besides intense…" Izuku stated, catching everyone's attention. They didn't think about that. Ami's smile faltered a little upon hearing Izuku mention Todoroki. Her mind drifted a bit back into the past, remembering her words during their fight.

"Maybe that's what Todoroki needed most in his life! Maybe that's the difference between me and him. He just didn't have a friend like you!" Ami exclaimed.

"I wonder how Kacchan feels right now?" Ami thought, feeling sympathy.

"I said a lot of things during our fight. And I compared myself to Todoroki, too. I just hope things turn out okay." Ami thought, flaring her nostrils. As she sat there, another thought reentered her head. It was that unsatisfied feeling from before. Like she didn't get what she wanted. She remembered having this same feeling after her match, too. Right after he had yelled at her to get up by herself. It was confusing. She didn't understand what led to the unsatisfaction she felt deep down or why her face was getting red by just thinking about it.

TICKTICKTICKTICKTICK-

Ami's thoughts were interrupted by the loud ticking, returning her to reality. She flinched a bit as she felt the redness in her face vanish. Hearing the ticking had confused her and the others, causing them to look for the source. It didn't take long for them to see Iida practically vibrating up and down.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" Ochaco and the twins asked in unison, staring at the vibrating Iida. Iida glanced at his pocket and reached into it, feeling the source of the vibration.

"It's just my phone." Iida explained, pulling out his phone.

"Well that's a relief." Ami said, smiling a little. Iida stared at his phone with curiosity. He pressed a button and watched the screen light up with a notification telling him of a missed call. At first, he assumed it to be Ingenium, however he quickly recognized the number was different.

"Mother?" He thought, staring at the phone number confusion.

"Sorry, Ami. But I have to leave. I have to answer this call." Iida apologized, not wanting to ignore answering a call from his mother. Ami looked at the apologetic expression on his face and nodded in understanding.

"Huh? Yeah, sure, Iida. Go ahead." She said, giving permission. Iida nodded back once and smiled in thanks.

"I hope you recover from your injuries. I'll see you when you get out." Iida said, bowing respectfully at her.

"Yup." Ami replied, appreciating his comments, "Bye, Iida."

"See ya." Ochaco said.

"Later." Izuku waved, watching as Iida quickly left the room in a hurry. After a couple seconds of silence, the twins and Ochaco stared at each other with concerned curiosity.

"I wonder what that was about?" Ami asked out loud.

"Probably a call from his brother. He did tell me he tried calling him earlier." izuku said, optimistically.

"That must be it." Ami nodded, convinced by the answer. Deeper within the Stadium Interiors, Iida wandered down an empty hall and stared at the notification on his phone. His mother was calling him. That was strange. He didn't even call or text her yet.

"Was she watching the Festival, too?" Iida wondered, letting his mind flood with questions. Not wanting to waste anymore time guessing, he quickly tapped a button and called his mother. He put the phone up to his ear and waited for the phone to answer. Almost instantly did he hear his mother's voice.

"Hello, Mom? I hate to tell you this, but I lost." Iida said, feeling sadness go through him upon admitting it to his mother.

"No, son, I'm not calling about that." She said, causing Iida to pause.

"What?" He thought.

"I mean, I'm sorry. But Tenya, please listen carefully…" She apologized in a voice filled with grief. Iida recognized the grief in her voice and felt a chill in the back of his spine. He pressed the phone closer to his ear and listened to what his mother had to say next.

"It's your brother. A villain got Tensei!" She said, letting the sound of her sniffling carry over into the phone speaker. Iida's eyes shrunk in terror at his mother's words. Shock and denial were rampant throughout his brain as he slowly began to process what just happened. This wasn't a joke, her mother was crying. This was real. Horrifyingly real.

HOSU CITY

Police quickly surrounded the scene. Red and blue lights illuminated the dark alleyway below. An ambulance arrived shortly thereafter, opening the back doors for the doctors to pull out a stretcher. They had to work fast to get him on it before it was too late. The doctors rushed into the alleyway accompanied by police. They rushed over towards the fallen heroes and checked their vitals. The police men crouched next to the red hero leaning against the wall and checked for a pulse. The officers knew this hero for a long time. He was a local hero in Hosu. There were lots of police officers and heroes who knew him.

The police officer flared his nostrils and frowned, shaking his head in silent frustration. The hero had no pulse. The worst thing you want to see as a police officer. A dead hero.

"He's gone." The officer said, frowning. He stood back up and took a deep breath, putting a hand on his forehead in sadness. The other police men near him, patted his shoulder and frowned. Feeling sorry for their fellow officer. They, too, had their own sad reactions to the news.

Further down the alleyway, the doctors stared at the bloodied and broken mess that was Ingenium and cringed. Police officers and doctors stared at the damage to his body and frowned in shock and disgust.

"My god. What'd he do to him?" Another police officer said, gasping at the sight of the hero's injured body.

"Mmrrrrmm…" Ingenium groaned, scaring some of the officers. The doctors were surprised at first but quickly recovered, going into work mode.

"He's conscious." The doctor said, working fast. She activated her quirk and touched Ingenium's body, allowing a soothing sensation to fill his body. Ingenium felt a little bit of the pain go away, causing to open his eyes half-lidded. As his brain focused on his surroundings, he attempted to move his limbs. He moved his head a little and crawled his left hand into view, staring at the blood on his arm. The doctor saw him moving his arm and quickly put an end to it.

"Ingenium. Don't move, I'm a doctor. I'm here to help." She said, calmly.

"Mmm-No…" Ingenium groaned, clenching his fist.

"What?" The doctor asked.

"He- K-Killer…Monster…are they here?" Ingenium muttered out, causing the doctor to raise her eye in confusion.

"Killer? Monster? Sir, no one was here when we found you." She replied. Ingenium heard her words and relaxed, mumbling some unintelligible words. He quickly fell back into unconsciousness, getting a concerned look from the doctors surrounding him.

"He's unconscious. He needs to head to the hospital." The other doctor said, receiving a nod in agreement.

"Load him up." She ordered, preparing the stretcher with her other doctors. Crowds had formed near the area, quickly surrounding the sidewalks. Some citizens stood in the road just to get a glimpse of the alleyway. Police officers surrounding the alleyway quickly moved people out of the streets and cleared a path for the ambulance. Their quick action came just in time for the doctors as they walked out of the alleyway with the stretcher. The crowds gasped in shock when they saw the person on the stretcher.

"It's Ingenium!"

"Oh my God!"

"Is he okay?"

"Not, Ingenium…"

The citizens watched as the doctors carried Ingenium into the ambulance, quickly closing the doors and starting the engine. The emergency sirens turned on as soon as the ambulance started moving. The citizens all stared at the ambulance as it drove off, glancing at each other with worry for the fallen hero.

Police officers near the alleyway quickly emptied the surrounding streets as best they could, putting up yellow tape everywhere. The buildings between the alleyway were being searched as well, looking for any signs or evidence leading towards the man responsible. Investigators in the alleyway surveyed the scene, taking photos of the crime scene. In the midst of their investigation, one of them noticed something attached to one of Ingenium's broken armor pieces. He squinted his eyes and crouched down, grabbing hold of the evidence with pliers. He examined the evidence and recognized it was hair. But it wasn't human hair. This was more like an animal's hair. Confused, the investigator placed the evidence in a bag and resumed photographing the scene. The officers kept everything quiet as they searched around. By the time an hour had passed, they were already exhausted. The hero killer had struck again. This time killing one hero and injuring another. This was going to be a long day for the police.

Up on the roof of a building far off from the crime scene. A man stared down at the scene below, breathing intensely in sick satisfaction. A crazed, malicious smile formed on his lips as he stared at the mess.

"You haven't even noticed it, have you?" He said, staring malignantly at the police.

"This warped society mired by hypocrisy and vanity." He said, narrowing his eyes, "That's fine, I'll open your eyes, Heroes. You will see the world that you've created." The Hero Killer proclaimed, glaring silently at the road. As he stared at the road, he felt a breeze pick up from behind him. It didn't take more than a second for him to remember the breeze wasn't flowing that direction.

"There you are." He smiled, reaching for his blade and pulling it out. Within a split second, he lunged his blade towards the source of the breeze. But the blade never reached him, instead it went through a purple cloud of smoke.

"Please remain calm. We are of the same mind." A voice called out to him, catching the Hero Killer by surprise. He definitely felt the blade make contact with something. The Hero Killer quickly twisted his head around slightly and stared at the talking purple smoke cloud with his left eye raised in confusion.

"I have been searching for you, Hero Killer Stain." a deep voice called out to him within the smoke. Stain stared at the purple cloud and watched as it's true height revealed itself in front of him. The purple cloud was tall. Very tall. The most noticeable of its features, however, were the slanted yellow eyes that calmly stared down at him. Stain stared at those eyes and narrowed his own, letting his mind bring up the past in his head.

"Those eyes." He thought, seething a little.

"I heard of your exploits and wanted to meet you in person. I think you'll be interested in what I have to offer." The purple cloud said, causing Stain to narrow his eyes at him.

"Your eyes…They're yellow." He said, catching the purple cloud by surprise. He watched its slanted eyes loosen up a little in surprise before returning to its original position. The Hero Killer tried to examine its body language, but it was difficult figuring out the language of a cloud. As far as he could tell, the way the eyes moved meant he was surprised and caught off guard by what he said. And if he was surprised, then it meant he knew what he meant by mentioning eye color.

"You're not the one that's been watching me. But you know what it is, don't you?" Stain glared, gritting his teeth menacingly at the cloud.

"So you've been aware of her?"

"Her?" Stain repeated in his head.

"Fascinating." The purple cloud complimented, commending his ability. He lifted his eyes upward a bit and drifted them to his left, pointing them towards that direction. Stain looked at his yellow eyes and noticed his actions. He took a slow hesitant glance to his right and saw nothing. Then he saw her eyes on the rooftop in the next building. Stain narrowed his eyes at the floating purple eyes staring back at him menacingly. His blade was still sticking inside the floating cloud of smoke.

"I'll repeat myself, Hero Killer. It's best if you come with me." The purple smoke monster explained, getting a more curious look upon the Hero Killer. He glared up at the cloud's eyes and figured he must have some kind of teleportation quirk. It was obvious the cloud shared a link with the strange beast nearby and assessed his chances of escape. He went over it through his head and relented, pulling his blade back and sheathing it.

Stadium Interiors - Waiting Room 2

The waiting room was quiet. Or as quiet as it could be. Other than the sounds of the audience echoing through the building, nothing in the waiting room was producing noise. However, there was one person sitting alone in the quiet room. He sat there quietly thinking to himself in the middle of the room. Todoroki tuned out the noises in his ears a long time ago, choosing instead to focus on his left hand. The cold look in his eyes was all anyone would need to see to understand what Todoroki was thinking about. His fight with Midoriya had caused him to think thoughts that he had kept hidden long ago. It shook him to the core. The moments afterward as well. His thoughts were abuzz with unlocked memories and repressed emotions, forcing him to think deeply upon them. He remembered events from the past. Happy memories, sad memories. Painful memories. He saw flashes of one of these memories. He was a child back then. Woken up by distraught noises coming from the kitchen. He could hear a tea kettle and the sound of a woman crying. When he'd reach the corner of the room, he saw his mother talking on the phone. She said things he shouldn't have heard, confusing him at the time.

"And Shoto- That child's left side sometimes looks unbearable to me. All I can see is his father." She said, in a quiet, scared voice. She spoke on the phone with an intentional whisper, making it hard for him to hear. Either way, he heard it. He heard it all. And when he made his presence known, it set into motion a bad series of events.

"So come at me with all you've got!" Izuku's voice shouted into his head. The loud outburst interrupted the memory of his mother.

"It's yours! Your quirk, not his!" He shouted, causing Shoto's body to tense up. The realization of what he was thinking about caused him to flare his nostrils.

"How did this happen? I pushed her out of my mind. I tried not to think about her. Then that fight with Midoriya…" He said to himself, feeling conflict stirring in his head. The match still had an effect on him, even after watching the previous match. Izuku's words couldn't leave his head no matter what he did. It troubled him. The way he talked, the way he acted, it was like he understood.

"I know a girl who used to hide half her power once. An accident happened when her quirk manifested. And it..it changed her. I wanted to do something. Make her see her power wasn't something to fear. But I never could for the longest time. But, eventually, she realized what she was doing wasn't right. And when she saw a friend in danger, she ran towards him and used her power without giving it a second thought. Because of that, she's been all the better for it!" Izuku shouted. Todoroki listened to those words repeat inside his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Who were you talking about, Midoriya?" He questioned, thinking deeply. Izuku knew a girl that used to hide half her power, but who? An image popped into his head as he thought about it more. Slowly, his mind reached a conclusion as he stared at his left hand. He had his doubts about the answer he came up with. He's always seen her use her power freely. She used it against him in the Cavalry Battle most notably. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was right.

"Midoriya…Could you have been talking about your sister?" He thought, settling on his answer.

KICK

The loud kicking sound sent the door flying into the wall. The loud slam surprised Shoto, alerting him of another person's presence. His body, however, didn't even flinch from the loud noise. He turned his head to the left and stared at the door, making eye contact with the angry blonde. Shoto stared at him in silence as the blonde recognized his opponent sitting alone in an empty table.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing in here? This is my space to-" Bakugo yelled, peeking his head at the sign on the wall. His eyes widened when he realized the sign said Waiting Room 2.

"Crap. This is Waiting Room Number Two?" He said out loud, staring back at IcyHot. The room was filled with awkward silence for nearly ten seconds. After the ten second mark, Todoroki turned back to staring at his left hand. Todoroki's silence and lack of actions were quickly noticed by Bakugo, pissing him off. The zero acknowledgement he made towards his presence enraged Bakugo the most. He narrowed his eyes and groaned, flaring his nostrils in agitation. He slowly stepped forward and approached Todoroki with irritation.

"All right, fine, so I may have walked into the wrong room. But don't think that means I'm not gonna be on top of my game, you got that?" Bakugo shouted, glaring angrily at Todoroki.

"You better bring all you got to this, IcyHot!" He proclaimed, glaring at him aggressively. Todoroki wasn't responding to him in the hopes that he'd leave faster, but after hearing his words Izuku's voice echoed through his head.

"Midoriya." He blurted out, causing Bakugo to pause.

"Huh?" Bakugo stated, caught off guard by the response. Todoroki made no comment on his surprised expression as he stared at his hand.

"He said the same thing." He explained, staring deeply at his left hand with cold eyes.

"That fool. Instead of trying to win the match himself, he focused on breaking my walls…" Todoroki grimaced, tensing up his wrist.

"He acted like he knew how I felt. Even compared me to an experience with someone else…." Todoroki stated, causing Bakugo to raise his eyebrow. He knew exactly what Deku did after piecing it together and talking with Habanero. Deku screwed his own match by letting his emotions get in the way. He got compromised and it caused him to lose even with All Might's quirk.

"You guys were childhood friends, right?" Todoroki asked, bringing Bakugo back to reality.

"Was he like that when you were kids? So helpful?" He asked. Bakugo heard the question repeat over and over and felt his eye twitch. Even more memories popped up of the twins. It was a bunch of helpful words and happy smiles. Things that annoyed him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt? I was worried you might have hit your head or something?" Deku asked, with a voice filled with nothing but concern. He hated that memory. It was embarrassing. He was completely fine. Deku didn't need to go down there and check. He didn't need saving and he definitely didn't need some quirkless loser looking down on him. But a different feeling came from the memory. Her voice entered his head again, creating conflict within him.

"We had our own reasons to look up to you, Bakugo. So I don't care if you hate us, but you're still our friend." Habanero said, stinging Bakugo's conscience. His mind quickly filled up with a new set of mixed emotions. Her words were irritating him more than he expected. Words he used to brush aside felt different now. It was confusing. She was telling the truth, so then, what about Deku? Was he telling the truth, too?

"Was he really looking down on me?" His mind thought in the midst of his confusion. The thought paralyzed him for a second, causing him to flare his nostrils and make his anger rise. He returned to reality and gritted his teeth, clenching his fists and growling. In anger, he sprung into action and slammed his foot into the edge of the table, knocking it several feet away from Todoroki. Todoroki stared at the table in silence, surprised by his overreaction. He turned his head slightly and stared at Bakugo's eyes. His eyes were slanted and formed a glare more threatening than he had ever seen on him before. It didn't take a genius to know that he had struck a chord within the blonde.

"Shut up! What do the twins have to do with any of this? It's all between you and me now. Focus on the match. That's the only thing I give a damn about. Whatever your family problems are, whatever you're feeling-

"None of that crap matters, just make sure you don't hold back. Use your flames on me." Bakugo shouted, turning around, "I want everyone to know I beat you at your best." He said, exiting the Waiting Room with both hands clenched tightly in rage.

"Twins? But, I only brought up Midoriya. I didn't ask about his sister yet." Todoroki thought, glancing at the fallen table several feet away. His mind began to slowly process what happened, making him think about the blonde in a different light.

"Hmm. Maybe…I'm not the only one that's clouded right now." Todoroki whispered, letting his frown become more apparent. Outside the Waiting Room, Bakugo stomped down the halls with his jaw clenched and steam coming out of his nose. After getting some distance away from Waiting Room #2, he closed his eyes and exhaled, releasing all the air stored inside.

"Damnit." He groaned, leaning against a wall with his hand. He dropped his shoulders and focused on lowering his temper with short consecutive breaths. He glared at the floor and listened to his steadily decreasing breaths, feeling the fog in his head dissipate.

"It's just a distraction. Nothing more." Bakugo thought, flaring his nostrils in defiance. Quoting himself caused him to think back to what he said to Habanero afterwards.

"What happened to him was bullshit, sure, but I'm not going to change what I think or do against him. He's still the enemy. To you, and me. One sob story isn't enough for me to hold back against that bastard and neither should your dumbass." Bakugo stated, catching a glimpse of Habanero's offended expression. His mind focused back on Habanero, annoying his already confused mind.

"Get it together." He strained, shaking his head. His efforts proved futile as her voice entered his mind again.

"Maybe that's what Todoroki needed most in his life! Maybe that's the difference between me and him. He just didn't have a friend like you!" Ami exclaimed. Her words made Bakugo narrow his eyes in defiance, staring at the floor with gritted teeth.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I need to focus. I can't think of anyone else. Not when I'm this close to the finale. I need to put 100 percent of my focus in destroying that IcyHot bastard. He thinks he can distract me with the twins? Bullshit! I'll kick his ass. I'll show him not to mess with me. Let's see him try and use his powers against me when I'm bombing every inch of the stadium. I'll show the world what a champion looks like." Bakugo thought, sporting a look that could scare off a tiger.

UA Stadium - Class 1-A Student Stands

"Ah…Fresh air!" Ami sighed, relaxing into her seat. She had once again returned to her spot in the student stands, enjoying the outside air.

"Feels good to be back up here again." She thought, closing her eyes. She listened to the sounds of the stadium in her ears and heard the audience's loud and excited cheering. Their cheers were louder this time due to the next match being the final fight in the tournament.

She opened her eyes and exhaled, stretching her arms out and yawning. Her yawn caused her to wince a bit as the bruise was irritated beneath her shirt, making her smile dip a little. She looked down at her chest and gently rubbed the wound over her shirt, relaxing a bit once more. The student sitting closest to Ami noticed her wincing and looked at her with concern.

"You good?" Sero asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Mhm. Still hurts a teensy bit, is all." Ami answered, curling her lips back into a smile.

"Maybe you should try and take it easy." Sero suggested, nervously.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Yeah, but after a fight like that, I'm amazed you're still alive." He admitted.

"Meh. I'm better adapted to hits like that. Being a fire user and all. I'll get better." She assured Sero, displaying a proud smile with confidence. Sero looked at her confident smile and accepted it, smiling back at her in amusement.

"Alright then." Sero laughed, nodding his head. Ami watched as Sero looked back down at the battlefield before dropping her smile and keeping a neutral expression. She took a glance to her right and stared at the empty seat with soft eyes. Staring at it reminded her of him, already hearing his yelling in her head.

"He's fighting IcyHot soon." She thought, staring at Bakugo's seat. As she stared at the seat, she started poking her fingers together in curiosity.

"I wonder what his plan is? IcyHot may have used his ice on Iida, but there's still a chance he might use it on Kacchan." Ami thought, feeling slightly worried.

"IcyHot. I'm using Bakugo's names again." Ami scoffed, shaking her head in amusement and self awareness.

"But, will he use his flames? He'll have to. Kacchan isn't a person you can get away with fighting at half power. It'd be too unfair If he holds back. That's why I didn't, that's why Kacchan didn't hold back, either. That's why I'm supporting you, Kacchan. Make him use his flames. Make him accept them and let go." Ami thought, nodding her head firmly. She stared down at the battlefield right on cue for the pyrotechnics to light up. The audience cheered louder in excitement, feeling pumped up for the final fight. Ami felt the excitement in the air and got ready as well, adjusting herself in her seat for maximum comfort. It didn't take long for Bakugo and Todoroki to appear from their tunnels, walking towards the battlefield with serious eyes. Bakugo entered the field and walked towards the ring, entering his side. Without thinking, he made a passing glance towards the student stands and saw his classmates watching with intense suspense and excitement. As his eyes made contact with everyone else's, his eyes did a double take when he saw Habanero staring back at him from her seat. A tiny smile appeared from the corners of his lips as he noticed her. Ami noticed his eyes as well and nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"He's looking better." Ami thought, noticing his healed condition. She looked at his chest and noticed the hole she put there was gone.

"He must have put on some backup clothes." Ami thought, feeling a smile growing on her face. He was looking more healed than her, making her question how much she injured him in the first place. Nonetheless, she was surprised how relieved she was to see him. Down on the battlefield, Bakugo did the same and examined her healed condition.

"Hmph. She's looking better." Bakugo thought, flaring his nostrils and nodding back slightly in acknowledgement. As he stared at her, he felt a strange sense of relief pass through him at the sight of her looking normal again. He didn't realize it until his heart skipped a beat, causing him to freeze. As soon as he stopped moving, he twisted his brow and gritted his teeth as more depressing thoughts entered his head. Flashes of their fight played out in his head, reminding Bakugo of the damage he had inflicted. He saw her barely standing body struggle to limp over to him. Her clothes were charred and cuts and bruises were all over her arms. The memory gave him an uneasy feeling, activating his brain. He immediately shook his head and closed his eyes, letting out an annoyed grunt as he looked away from Habanero. He hoped that what he was doing didn't appear obvious. Keeping his eyes away from the student stands, Bakugo took a deep breath and continued walking, falling back into his fighting mindset.

"So, you got healed already, Habanero? Good. Now you can watch how a champion fights." Bakugo thought, glaring maliciously at IcyHot. He looked towards the hero stands and instantly noticed the Number Two Hero standing above the rest. Habanero's previous words came flying back to him as he glared at Endeavor.

"-he said I was the only one who could get Todoroki to use his flames." Habanero admitted, causing Bakugo to growl.

"Just wait and see, Number Two. I'll get those flames out. And when I do, I'll show you not even his fire can stop me!" Bakugo thought, grinning sadistically.

Ami had kept her eyes on Bakugo the whole time and noticed his odd behavior. She saw him freeze for a second before looking away from her, raising alarms of concern.

"What was that about?" She questioned, squinting her eyes at him with concern.

"He looked at me and froze for a second." Ami noticed, lifting her eyebrow in confusion.

"I guess my recovery caught him off guard. I don't think he realized I still have the bruise on my chest, though." Ami thought, justifying Bakugo's behavior in her head. She folded her hands together and put her chin on top of both hands, taking a deep breath and sighing.

"No matter. We'll talk soon." Ami mumbled to herself in a quiet whisper.

UA Battlefield

"Welcome to the final battle of the UA High School Sports Festival! In just a moment here, we'll see which first years come out on top!" Present Mic announced, receiving thunderous applause from the excited audience. The crowds roared with excitement as the fighters entered the ring, eagerly awaiting the match to start.

"Yes, it all comes down to this, folks! From the hero course, Shoto Todoroki!" Present Mic introduced. Up from the top of the hero stands, Endeavor watched his son with anticipation, keeping a solemn expression as he watched with arms crossed.

"Versus, his classmate, Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic introduced, receiving loud, excited cheers.

"Now begin!" Present Mic announced. Todoroki narrowed his eyes and quickly crouched down. He slammed his palm into the ground and activated his quirk, freezing the cement around him. An instant barrage of ice came poking out of the cement, rising at superfast speeds toward Bakugo. The crowd's jaws opened up at the sight of the superfast ice barrage and gasped. Bakugo gritted his teeth and stared at the incoming ice barrage and grunted. He raised both his hands up and activated his quirk, blowing up the ice as it reached him.

"Damn it!" He roared, firing off multiple explosions as quickly as possible. Despite igniting multiple fast and powerful explosions into the ice, the barrage didn't let up. He grunted angrily as he was quickly consumed by the ice barrage.

"Todoroki starts with a crazy ice blast! Bakugo seems to be completely buried! Is it possible we've already got a winner down there?" Present Mic questioned. Ami stared at the giant iceberg on the field with wide eyes and felt her body get the chills. She contemplated activating her quirk but kept it deactivated, not wanting to possibly ruin her recovery progress. She hugged her body tightly with her arms and shook her head in denial at Present Mic's comments.

"I wouldn't sell him off short yet…" Ami said. She heard Izuku talking with Ochaco and listened in.

"This isn't like when he attacked Sero. The ice just now was more controlled. He's being cautious." Izuku said, examining Todoroki's attack. He focused on Todoroki before his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of muffled explosions.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

"What's that terrifying sound?" Mineta asked anxiously, feeling sweat fall down the side of his head.

"It's gotta be Bakugo's doing." Tsu replied.

Boom. Boom. BOOM.

Ice exploded around the bottom of the ice barrage, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. Todoroki stared at the ice and smoke and jumped back, landing easily and getting some distance between him and the ice. He gritted his teeth and tensed up his body as Bakugo appeared in front of the ice. The audience gasped and roared as soon as Bakugo appeared into view. Ami smiled and felt a rush of excitement build up as she stared at the battlefield.

"Alright." Ami said, amazed by Bakugo's impressive move. Her classmates were also amazed by his impressive escape from the ice.

"He used his explosions to tunnel through the ice like some kinda mole man!"

"Heh. I knew that wouldn't work on you." Ami smirked, clenching her fists in excitement.

"These two are insane."

Bakugo slammed his hands into the shattered ice and glared at Todoroki in annoyance. He gritted his teeth and felt his hands heat up the ice, releasing steam into the air.

"You've got some pretty powerful attacks." Bakugo stated, jumping out of the ice with an explosion, "But you're a bad aim!" He exclaimed, igniting his hands with two explosive blasts. The blasts quickly propelled him forward, forcing Todoroki to quickly react.

Todoroki saw his advance and leapt forward, reaching his right hand out towards the explosive blonde. Bakugo glared at him and watched his movements. When he was a foot away from Todoroki's hand, he quickly shot off an explosion from his left side, redirecting his body towards Todoroki's left.

"Try harder!" He insulted, easily avoiding Todoroki's grasp. Shoto's eyes raised in response to the action before letting out a painful grunt as Bakugo slammed his palm into his forehead and left shoulder, knocking him back a bit. Bakugo kept his hands on him and used Todoroki as a wall, landing on the cement behind him with ease.

"Are you underestimating me? Idiot!" Bakugo shouted, literally picking up Todoroki by the forehead and shoulder and throwing him far across the battlefield. The momentum of his attacks and adrenaline assisted him with his long distance throw. Todoroki flew across the battlefield, spinning wildly in the air. He grunted and raised his right hand, forming ice on the cement. In the middle of his spin, ice rose out of the ground and came rapidly flying towards him, cushioning his fall. He kept up his ice and formed an ice wave that prevented him from going out of bounds. He swerved to the left and propelled himself with his own ice, riding on the top like a wave.

"Todoroki surfs an ice wave to avoid going out of bounds. Looks like fun." Present Mic commented. Ami gasped at the speed Todoroki was moving in, watching as his ice wave swirled around Bakugo. Bakugo stared at the ice menacingly and waited for him to make his move. He glared at IcyHot and raised his right hand upward, creating explosions out of his right hand. He lunged forward and went for the offense. Todoroki glared at Bakugo's exploding arm and readied himself, thinking back to how many times he'd watch him start a fight with his right arm. He swerved out of his way and grabbed Bakugo's wrist, quickly getting overtaken by slow motion as the realization of which hand he used to grab him set in. Bakugo's eyes widened at the sight of Todoroki's left hand gripping onto his wrist, picturing flames coming out in his head..

"Use your left side. Do it, Shoto!" Endeavor shouted, loud enough for him to hear. Bakugo and Ami heard the voice and stared at Todoroki.

"Do it." Bakugo thought, narrowing his eyes with a dead serious expression.

"Will he?" Ami thought, watching with bated breath.

After a second passed, Todoroki squeezed his wrist tightly and threw Bakugo into the air. Bakugo gritted his teeth and grunted. He landed back on the floor with a thud, growling at Todoroki with increased rage.

"He didn't use his flames…Don't tell me he's still holding back on purpose?" Ami thought, frowning with disappointment. Down in the battlefield, Bakugo glared at Todoroki and stood up with a scowl.

"What the hell was that? I was open, you dumbass! Instead you just threw me!" Bakugo shouted. Todoroki listened to his harsh insult and looked down on the ground with a conflicted expression, angering Bakugo even more.

"Use your flames, damnit." He thought, flaring his nostrils in annoyance.

"What, do you think I'm not worthy of your fire?" Bakugo yelled, creating small popping sounds on his hands for intimidation. Up in the Announcer Room, Aizawa stared at the match with scrutiny. Bakugo's actions proved to him that he was learning after every fight.

"Bakugo timed his explosions and grabbed Todoroki's left side on purpose. He's done his research." Mr. Aizawa explained, "His aptitude for this becomes more apparent with every fight." He complimented, getting a nod from Present Mic.

"Interesting." Present Mic commented in agreement.

"Todoroki's doing well so far. But his attacks are too simple. It almost seems like he lost his spark after the match with Midoriya." Mr. Aizawa theorized. Ami listened to Aizawa's commentary and tilted her head in confusion.

"Lost his spark?" She questioned, internally. She lowered her head and stared back down at Todoroki, scanning the cold expression on his face.

"Is that why he's back to only using ice?" She wondered, putting a hand under chin in thought. Back down on the battlefield, Bakugo overheard the commentary by Aizawa and grinded on his teeth, letting out an annoyed growl at Todoroki.

"Grr! Don't you dare hold back on me, you bastard. I'll tell you what'll happen if you make a fool outta me. I'll kill you!" Bakugo threatened, getting Todoroki's eyes to widen at his seriousness. He raised his palms out towards him and fired off two explosions from his hand. Todoroki saw the explosions heading his way and stomped his foot on the ground. He activated his quirk and quickly made two ice walls that shielded him. The explosions impacted with the ice and completely destroyed the two ice walls, sending a gust of wind everywhere.

"Ice. Who could've seen that coming!" Bakugo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes in frustration. He grunted and clenched his fists, feeling his knuckles crack upon doing so. He flared his nostrils and continued to exchange glares with Todoroki. His lack of fire was getting him fed up.

"The teacher's right. Did fighting that damn nerd make you lose your spark? Is that why you didn't use your flames on Four Eyes?" He asked, receiving a cold stare from Todoroki.

"..." He stayed silent and made no reply to the question. Bakugo heard his silence and scoffed in annoyance, not needing an answer to know he was right.

"Tch. I thought so. You're such an idiot." He said, insulting him again. Bakugo couldn't believe him right now. The idea of Todoroki losing his spark enraged him. He only got to use his fire in one match and he decides he's done now? Bullshit.

"Deku lost to you even with All Might's power on his side. Your fire is no joke, IcyHot. So, why won't you use it?" Bakugo thought, feeling his veins bulge out more in anger.

"Listen here. I don't want there to be any doubt that I'm the best student at the festival. That's only possible if you come at me as hard as you can! There's no point if you don't fight me with the same power you used on Deku." Bakugo shouted, aggressively.

"The only reason you won against that nerd was because of your flames. So why aren't you using them?" Bakugo shouted, irking Todoroki. Todoroki scoffed at him in annoyance and activated his quirk, forming ice on his right side.

"So, you can piss off your father?" Bakugo questioned, causing Todoroki to stop. He let out a grunt and froze, eyes widening in response.

"What did you say?" He questioned, deepening his glare towards Bakugo. Bakugo looked at Todoroki's reaction and couldn't hold back his sadistic grin.

"Got him." He thought.

"Yeah, that's right, IcyHot. I know what you're doing. I figured it out from watching you glare at your father all the damn time." He lied, easily covering up the real reason he knew.

"Remember what I said back in the Waiting Room?" Bakugo asked, causing Todoroki to think back. He remembered their conversation in the waiting room and let it repeat in his head.

"It's all between you and me now. Focus on the match. That's the only thing I give a damn about. Whatever your family problems are, whatever you're feeling-

"None of that crap matters, just make sure you don't hold back. Use your flames on me." Bakugo's voice echoed through his head, causing Todoroki to scowl and clench his jaw. Bakugo's grin grew wider at how much this was affecting Todoroki.

"It's obvious you've got some resentment towards your father. That's why you're not using your flames, right? What, does fire remind you of him or some other dumb crap like that?" Bakugo questioned, prodding at Todoroki's nerves. Shoto's glare lessened as Bakugo's words prodded him, making him second guess himself. He lowered his head a bit and glanced at his left hand, frowning a bit in contemplation.

"Was it that easy to see?" He asked himself, clenching his left hand into a tight ball.

"And what you said back there about Deku. How he focused on breaking your walls instead of fighting." Bakugo mentioned, getting his attention.

"Hm?" Todoroki grunted, looking back up at Bakugo. Bakugo made eye contact with Bakugo's eyes and continued letting out miniature explosions on his hands in intimidation.

"Deku was right to think of her when fighting you." Bakugo blurted, confusing Todoroki, "Except you're a helluva lot worse than her." He yelled. Todoroki squinted his eyes at him and gritted his teeth, unsure of what he was saying.

"I don't even know who you're talking about." Todoroki replied, receiving a confused look from Bakugo.

"Huh?" He said, dumbfounded. He flared his nostrils and shook his head, scoffing at him.

"Are you kidding me, IcyHot? Do you seriously not know?" Bakugo questioned, receiving a nod from him. Bakugo reared his head back and felt his eye twitch at Todoroki's obliviousness.

"Deku was talking about his sister, you dumbass!" He shouted, revealing the truth to Todoroki. As soon as he heard the answer, he immediately dropped his guard.

"What?" He stated, completely shocked by the revelation.

"So, In the waiting room. My guess was right?" Todoroki questioned, staying silent the whole time. Bakugo listened to the silence that filled the battlefield and rolled his eyes.

"Are you serious? Don't what me! How was that so hard for you to figure out?" Bakugo asked in bewilderment.

"Midoriya's sister? But…" Todoroki repeated, troubled by this information. Flashes of watching her throughout the festival played in his head.

"Todoroki!" Ami shouted with anger, breaking through his ice wall and charging at him with Shoji.

"Midoriya compared me to his sister? Why? From what I've seen of her, she seems perfectly fine with using her flames." Todoroki thought, thinking back to the first time he saw her. It was during the fitness test. She used her flames to fly right past him in the race. He remembered the shock on his face when he felt the air around him heat up. It scared him. Not because of how close the flames were to him, but how much they reminded him of his father.

"Her flames frustrated me, even angered me. But she's the one Midoriya was talking about?" Shoto thought, thinking back to his match with Deku.

"Listen to me. I think I get it."

"I know a girl who used to hide half her power once. An accident happened when her quirk manifested. And it..it changed her. I wanted to do something. Make her see her power wasn't something to fear. But I never could for the longest time. But, eventually, she realized what she was doing wasn't right. And when she saw a friend in danger, she ran towards him and used her power without giving it a second thought. Because of that, she's been all the better for it!" Izuku shouted.

There's no way I can know what you've gone through, or why you're even here. Your life has been so much different than mine or hers, but right now-"

"Stop screwing around!" Bakugo shouted over Todoroki's thoughts, completing the quote in Shoto's head. Todoroki took in his words and lowered his head, darting his eyes left and right in slow understanding.

"If you don't wanna win this, why are you even here? Show everyone, you're trying to destroy me!" Bakugo shouted, charging at him with his hands out wide.

"I want it, too. I'll be a hero!" Todoroki said, solemnly. The memory vanished from his head as he realized Bakugo was running towards him. He stared at him and took a step back, feeling shaken by his previous words.

"I'm sorry, Bakugo. Since I fought Midoriya, I'm unsure of so much. Whether or not I did the right thing. What my left side means to me. And with what you said about Midoriya's sister. I'm even more lost than before." Todoroki thought, feeling conflicted. He wanted to fight, but the last remnants of his willpower were quickly fading. He stared at the ground and unclenched his fists, accepting defeat.

"C'mon, Todoroki. Don't give up! Do your best!" Izuku shouted in his seat. His voice echoed around the battlefield, forcing Todoroki to widen his eyes. He listened to Midoriya's support and felt air escape his lungs.

"Midoriya?" He said, raising his eyes.

"Izuku…" Ami said, looking at Izuku incredulously. She wasn't expecting Izuku to show his support for Todoroki like that. She looked back on the field and continued to watch Bakugo. He heard Izuku's outburst while running and felt an amused chuckle escape his lips.

"Heh. Better listen to that stupid nerd before I kill you." Bakugo warned, pointing his hands towards the ground. He fired off a big explosion on both hands and lifted his body up in the air. Todoroki stared at Bakugo in the air and gritted his teeth, feeling his heart rate increase. He needed to move. He needed to fight. Midoriya's encouragement repeated itself in his head, causing his whole body to shake.

"You're helping your opponent. You fool." Todoroki remembered, feeling adrenaline rush through him. He flexed the muscles in both of his arms and focused, feeling his body begin to warm up. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, slanting his eyebrows into a glare. He looked up at Bakugo with serious eyes as fire ignited and covered the entire left side of his face.

"His fire…He's gonna use it!" Ami thought, feeling her heart start pounding. She tensed up in her seat and frowned in suspense. A large amount of fear formed inside her as she watched Bakugo continue to fly towards him with no restraint.

"Kacchan. You got him to use his fire. So why are you still charging at him with a direct assault?" Ami thought, tapping her foot anxiously. She covered her mouth with her hand and continued to watch, feeling more and more worried for his safety. Meanwhile, Bakugo looked at the fire on Todoroki's left side and smiled sadistically. This was exactly what he wanted. Endeavor also smiled at him from the stands. This was also what he wanted.

"Hell yeah. That's it! If you're gonna face me, you can't half ass it!" Bakugo thought, yelling inside his head. The adrenaline in his body reached an all time high as he reactivated his quirk. He let off multiple big explosions in his hands that spun him around in midair, sending him higher towards the sky and moving towards Todoroki at an even faster rate.

"Try everything you can to beat me. Don't you dare hold back!" Bakugo yelled in his head. His body spun around in midair and at an extreme speed, creating a whirlwind made of dust, debris, and smoke from his numerous blasts. His body was moving so fast it was like a tornado was forming around him, causing Ami's eyes to widen with shock.

"What the hell is that?" She blurted out, standing up out of her seat. As Bakugo approached, Todoroki glared at him and aimed his flaming left hand towards him, ready to unleash a volley of flames towards the blonde. However, as he stared at the crazed look on Bakugo's, his mind started drifting. Flashes of his childhood crept into his head, taking priority over reality. The harsh look of his father staring at him, The pain he felt from the punch to his stomach at age five. He saw glimpses of his mother crying, and, worst of all, he saw the fear in her eyes as she stared at him. All of the memories distracted him and pulled him away from the fight. He deactivated his quirk and felt the flames on his left arm and face disappear, staring down at the floor with a sad frown.

"Howitzer Impact!" Bakugo shouted, releasing a huge blast of explosive power directly on Todoroki's body. The audience gasped at Bakugo once more as the explosion filled up the entire section Todoroki was in. The colossal iceberg in the ring started to melt and crack at the explosions close proximity, letting out loud cracks from the strain. A loud crunch echoed around the ring as something had impacted the ice at incredible speeds. The audience covered their eyes from the bright explosion as the wind quickly blasted them.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho! Bakugo combined speed and rotation with a huge blast like he used against Uraraka and Ami! He turned himself into a human missile!" He exclaimed, rising out of his seat with excitement. He grabbed the mic on the desk and leaned forward, staring down at the battlefield while standing on his chair.

"Todoroki didn't fire off the flame attack that wowed us in his match with Midoriya!"

"So what has become of our two top competitors?" Present Mic questioned, staring at the smoke. The audience stared at the smoke in silence, waiting for it to clear up. Ami did the same and tapped her foot on the ground, eagerly waiting for any sign of Bakugo. Finally, when enough of the smoke had cleared, Ami saw Bakugo lying on the floor as the smoke cleared. She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed he was still awake and inside the ring. Lying in a rubble of ice a few dozen feet away from Bakugo was Todoroki. Ami's eyes bulged out in shock as she realized Todoroki had been knocked out of bounds by Bakugo's move. An amazing feeling flowed through her at that moment, making her smile and fall back down to her seat.

"No way! Kacchan, you won!" Ami exclaimed, feeling her worry disappear. She took a deep breath and calmed down, letting her heart rate decrease into normal levels. She smiled at his victory for an unusual amount of time, not knowing why she felt so happy. She flared her nostrils and sighed, looking back down at the field. Just as she did, she noticed the shocked expression on Bakugo's face, confusing her. Down on the battlefield, Bakugo raised his head off the ground and stared at Todoroki with wide eyes.

"Huh? You decided not to use your fire…" Bakugo said, staring at his unconscious body with genuine shock. His eye twitched in disturbance as he stared at him, unsure what to think. No, he did know what to think. He fully comprehended his actions and started to move.

"No." He growled in a low voice. He placed his hands on the cement and bent his arms downward, lifting his body off the ground. He gritted his teeth and got to his knees, slowly standing up.

"Hey…hey!" Bakugo shouted, feeling his voice weakening. He sprinted over towards the fallen teen with adrenaline still coursing through him. A look of pure denial adorned his face as sadness coursed through him. Everyone watched as Bakugo sprinted towards Todoroki with suspense, letting out gasps when he lifted Todoroki off the ice by grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. Bakugo stared at Todoroki and felt his eye twitch as the realization of his unconscious state struck him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot? You're not supposed to let me kick your ass! This isn't a real win for me unless you try harder!" Bakugo shouted, staring at Todoroki's unconscious face. A whole mix of emotions went through him as he held onto his collar. This wasn't okay. This wasn't okay at all. This was the final match. Where every experience gained would be utilized. Where all cards would be thrown on the table. This was supposed to be an intense fight. Yet, it wasn't. There was no intense fight. There was no satisfaction at all. Just like with his match before. The thought made Bakugo more frustrated, causing him to tremble.

"It can't end this way. You can't do this to me! All that talk to piss you off so you could actually fight me and you do this bullshit! Why are you giving up now? Get up!" Bakugo shouted, trying desperately to awaken Todoroki. He narrowed his eyes and shook him around, trying his hardest to hold back the water in his eyes.

"Not like this damnit!" He thought, continuing to try to wake him. As he struggled to awaken him, a pink mist swirled around him. He glanced at the pink mist and felt a strong smell overtake his nostrils, causing him to take in a whiff of it.

"Get…up, y-you bas-st…" Bakugo muttered, slowly letting go of Todoroki. The strange mist entered his body, knocking him unconscious in seconds. Bakugo knew what was happening and tried to resist, but to no avail, The last thing he saw was Todoroki dropping back on the ice as he fell over on top of another patch of ice, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Ami stared at Bakugo's unconscious body with shock, feeling sympathy for him. She understood why he acted that way. He wanted him to fight at full power, but he didn't. Ami knew deep down that, just as Aizawa had explained, Todoroki didn't have the spark to continue fighting.

Midnight approached the two unconscious students slowly, checking up on their injuries. Bakugo was fine. Todoroki, however, was a different story. He would have to go see Recovery Girl before proceeding to the awards ceremony. After a couple seconds of examination, she decided to call it.

"Todoroki is out of bounds. That means… Bakugo is the winner!" Midnight exclaimed.

"And, with that, the final match is officially over! The first-year champion of the UA Sports Festival is…Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!" Present Mic exclaimed, receiving thunderous applause from the audience.

"Poor, Kacchan…" Ami whispered, feeling bad for Bakugo.

"He won but not the way he wanted to. No matter what he did, Todoroki couldn't use his flames on him. Still…he did beat him. He's the champion of the Sports Festival now. He should at least be satisfied with that." Ami thought, smiling optimistically.

UA Sports Festival - Awards Ceremony

She could not have been more wrong. Ami sighed and stared blankly at the wall in front of her, listening to Bakugo's growls of anger. Ami and Todoroki could only wait and listen to Bakugo's groans as the pedestals they stood on were slowly rising up towards the center of the field.

"The first-year students have completed all of the events for the UA Sports Festival. Now it's time to relax and enjoy the awards ceremony." Midnight announced, receiving cheers from the audience. The ring opened up like a massive door thanks to Cementoss's quirk, getting the attention of everyone in the field. Most of their excitement quickly turned into shock once they noticed what Bakugo was trapped in. Bakugo was flaring around in a cement prison cell with hands restrained to a giant metal box. Chains prevented him from moving his chest and legs, and his roars were muffled by a metal mask that covered his entire mouth.

"Whoa."

"What the heck."

"Is that legal?" Mineta questioned, easily scared by the prison cell.

"He's been goin' nuts ever since he woke up." Kirishima explained, watching Bakugo flail around in his prison. Seeing him trapped in cement and covered in chains disturbed him a lot, "Man, Bakugo…Pull yourself together." He said, feeling second hand embarrassment at the fact the best in their class was chained up like a rabid animal.

"Kacchan. Can't you just relax and act normal?" Ami suggested, giving him the side way from her spot on the pedestal. Bakugo's eyes turned towards her as best as he could and got a good view of her disappointment. He narrowed his eyes and growled, letting out ineligible growls and groans.

"Shuhhhdddrrrrrf, Hbrmmnro!" Bakugo shouted, through the metal covering his mouth. Ami rolled her eyes immediately. She couldn't understand much of what he said through the mask but she could always understand when he was referring to her by her nickname. She flared her nostrils and looked at him with a sour smile, glaring back at him.

"Actually how bout I keep talking now that you've got that mask on your face. Not like I'd be able to hear anything you say to stop me." Ami said, crossing her arms and smirking with mischievous intent.

"IRRRDEBBBROOYUUU!" Bakugo yelled, translating to, "I'll destroy you!" Ami paid the threat no mind and started to laugh at his expense, making him growl even more. Ami was having a great time listening to his muffled yelling and stuck her tongue out, blowing raspberries in defiance.

"Grrr!" Bakugo growled, squirming, shaking, and wiggling through the chains in an attempt to break free. The other students in Class 1-A watched Ami mess with Bakugo with slight concern, fearing he'd break free. Most of them were entertained by Ami taking advantage of Bakugo's state but the rest were more concerned with Bakugo's behavior.

"He's acting like a feral animal." Tokoyami said, crossing his arms and shaking his head in disapproval.

"Uhh, Ami. I'm not sure you should be doing that…" Kirishima warned, raising his hands up anxiously. Midnight looked at the two feuding students and rolled her eyes at them, turning around and putting on a show for the cameras.

"Tenya Iida actually shares the third-place award with Ami Midoriya. But, unfortunately, he had to leave for family reasons. Gotta love those familial bonds." Midnight said, posing and winking at the cameras.

"What's with that pose?" Ami questioned, staring at Midnight with a puzzled look. Her words pulled her focus away from Bakugo as a sad, depressive frown formed in her lips.

"Iida's supposed to be up here with me, huh?" Ami thought, frowning with sympathy. She remembered what Iida had told them before heading off to the battlefield. While the class was leaving, he pulled her, Izuku, and Ochaco out to have a private talk. She didn't know what it was about until Iida had announced the sad news. Hearing the hurt in Iida's voice made her feel sad, making her clench her fists.

"Uraraka, Midoriya's. I know that this is sudden, but I have to leave now. A villain got my older brother." Iida explained, receiving horrified gasps from all three of them.

"Wait, you're saying Ingenium is hurt?" Izuku asked.

"Yes." Iida replied, nodding his head.

"No way…" Ami frowned, covering her mouth with her hand with shock. She quickly recovered and looked at Iida with worry, "Iida, I'm so sorry." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. Iida squirmed a bit and nodded slowly, holding back his tears from just saying the words, Ingenium and hurt, in one sentence.

"Do they think he's gonna be okay?" Ochaco questioned, staring at him with sympathy.

"I don't know many details yet. That's why I have to go right away." Iida explained, getting nods of agreement from all three.

"Take care, Iida. I'm sure he'll be okay." Ami said, trying her best to cheer him up. Iida appreciated the comments and nodded, swallowing his saliva.

"Thank you, Ami. I'll see you all tomorrow." Iida said, walking off. Ami returned to the present with the frown still visible on her face. She knew about Ingenium. It was amazing finding out he was Iida's older brother. Like Izuku was to her. Even if it was only by three minutes. She empathized with him and understood very well what he was going through. She could only hope that Ingenium was safe. For Iida's sake.

She looked around the battlefield and sighed, taking deep breaths to compose herself and relax.

"Now, let's break out the hardware. Of course, there's only one person worthy of distributing the awards." Midnight explained, causing the stadium to erupt with pure excitement. They felt chills go through them as loud laughter echoed throughout the whole stadium.

"Up there!" An audience member shouted, pointing at a figure on the roof. The stadium cheered louder than ever before as All Might appeared in full costume, hyping up the audience.

"Citizens! I am here-"

"All Might is the Number One Hero!" Midnight interrupted, watching awkwardly as All Might landed on the battlefield.

"Ruined that, didn't I?" She said in embarrassment, smiling apologetically at him. All Might looked at her with a slight crack in his smile at the awkward situation. He quickly stood up and brushed it aside to save time. Midnight understood his rush and happily moved along, happy to get out of that one.

"So, now that you're here, All Might, why don't you start the presentation?" Midnight offered, hiding her shame through laughter.

"Don't mind if I do." All Might smiled, grabbing hold of the bronze medal. He smiled at the medal in his hand and felt proud to know who he was handing it off to. He turned around and stared at Ami, walking over to her in seconds.

"Now, to third place: Ami Midoriya! Congratulations." All Might smiled, wrapping the bronze medal around her neck. Ami looked at the bronze medal on top of her clothes and flared her nostrils, showing off a slight smile on her lips. The feeling of accomplishment swept through her, however, it quickly dissolved. A wave of negative emotions hit her, causing her frown to return. All Might smiled at her the whole time and noticed the frown on her face, raising his eyebrow in concerned curiosity.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. What's with that frown, young lady? It takes a lot of effort, skill, determination, and resolve to get far in this festival. And I'd say you demonstrated all four tremendously well today. Well done." All Might complimented, getting an appreciative nod from Ami. She heard his compliment and looked up at him, feeling the corners of her lips curve upward a bit. The tiny smile was progress but not good enough. She appreciated his words and gulped, holding in her tears and staring at him with squinted half-shut eyes.

"Thanks, All Might. I'm grateful to have this opportunity to be here, really…but-" Ami said, hesitantly. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth softly.

"Hmm?" All Might replied, tilting his head a little in curiosity.

"It just…doesn't feel right that I'm the one that's up here." She admitted, flaring her nostrils a bit. All Might raised his eyebrow even higher at her comment, surprised by her honesty.

"What do you mean?" All Might questioned. Ami sniffled and looked back up at his face with sad eyes, holding back tears.

"It's Izuku. It feels like he's the one that should be up here. Not me. He's the one that's had to work the hardest to even get to this point. I mean, you told him to- he wanted this festival to be like his debut. He wanted to introduce himself to the world and proudly say, "I am here," Just like you, All Might." Ami explained, causing All Might's smile to falter a tiny bit in understanding.

"He wants to be just like you someday. The Number One Hero, the Symbol Of Peace, the hero who saves everyone with a smile on his face. He's the one with a dream…but, I-I just wanted to win for myself." Ami said, looking back down at the floor with shame.

"I wanted to let people know that I could be a hero even with a quirk like mine. I wanted them to see that they had nothing to be afraid of as long as I was standing. My reasons for fighting weren't near as grand and hopeful as Izzy's. Kacchan and Todoroki got where they are so they could be heroes just like you, but I'm the only one up here that doesn't want to be the Number One Hero. I was only thinking for myself. That's why I don't know if I deserve to be up here." Ami finished, sniffling slightly. All Might's eyes lowered slightly in sympathy for her. He understood the sadness she was feeling and knew he had to cheer her up.

"Oh, Ami. I'm sorry you feel that way. And I'm sorry about your brother's loss, too." He apologized, placing his hand on her shoulder with sympathy.

"Thank you." Ami said, politely. She felt All Might's hand touch her shoulder, making her eyes turn red with emotion.

"But, you absolutely do deserve to be up here." All Might said, surprising her. She flared her nostrils and looked up at All Might's face, staring into his sympathetic eyes with confusion.

"B-but…How can you be sure? I mean, I shouldn't have been in the tournament in the first place, right? Me and my friends only got in because of Backdraft and the other heroes convincing Midnight to declare a tie." Ami explained, feeling water fall from her eyes. All Might smiled at her explanation and nodded.

"Yes, and that's precisely why you deserve to be up here." He answered, confusing her even more.

"Huh?" Ami muttered, letting her jaw stay slightly open.

"Take a look at young Midoriya over there. Does he look sad to you?" All Might said, pointing Ami in the direction of Izuku. Ami listened to All Might's instructions and nodded, taking a look at her brother's face. Ami quickly scanned his facial expressions and noticed the proud smile on his face as well as the small tears forming in his eyes. It wasn't much of a surprise to her that Izuku would be acting this way towards her being here. Nonetheless, the sadness she felt within her decreased slightly by just a fraction.

"No. He looks happy for me." She answered honestly.

"That's right. He may have lost but he doesn't have any regrets for what he did. Instead, he supported you and cheered you on while you pushed ahead in his stead. He's proud of you, Ami. Like all brother's should when seeing their sister succeed." All Might nodded, getting his point across. He wasn't done however, and pointed her attention to the students.

"Now, look at the students. All of your classmates are cheering for you. Friends and rivals, alike." All Might said, overlooking the combined classes. Ami looked at the crowd of students and easily found her classmates through the crowd. They all stayed relatively close to one another. Among the students cheering for her was the students in 1-B. Vine girl was clapping and smiling fondly at her. Upon making eye contact, Shiozaki prayed and nodded in congratulations. Ami looked at the sincerity on her face and smiled back, grateful for their congratulations. Iida would be proud of their sportsmanship. Although not every student in 1-B was clapping. The blonde one was currently lying on the floor unconscious while the girl next to him held onto his body by the back of his shirt collar. She quickly noticed Ami's confusion and awkwardly smiled, waving and nodding at her in congratulations.

"Not to mention, the students you helped the most. Young Asui, young Shoji, and young Mineta. It was your plan that got you the tie with 4th place, remember? They might've never been able to take part in the tournament if it wasn't for you. You helped them get closer to their dreams, today, Young Ami. You should be honored." All Might said, making Ami's smile grow wide with appreciation. Ami made eye contact with Tsu, Shoji, and Mineta. The three of them each nodded and waved at her in congratulations. Ami appreciated their smiles and nodded, smiling back at them with appreciation. All Might noticed her smile get bigger and felt proud, moving on to his next point.

"But, most importantly, Ami. You, too, made a big step towards your dream." He said, confusing her. Ami raised her eyes at him and looked at him incredulously.

"My dream? What do you mean?" Ami questioned, looking perplexed. All Might nodded and looked up at the stadium.

"Mhm. Look at the crowd, Ami. Listen to their roars. Hear their voices." All Might ordered. Ami complied with his order and did as told, looking up at the large crowds of people in the stadium. She focused on their voices and took a deep breath, gulping at the same time. She controlled her breathing and listened to the crowds.

"Woooo!" An audience member shouted.

Good job!"

"You were amazing!" A hero shouted.

"Incredible!" Another hero said, clapping wildly.

Ami heard the compliments and congratulatory cheers from them and smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat. All of their cheers weren't towards anyone but her, making her feel warm inside. She looked at the hero stands and noticed the nods of approval and loud claps she received from the seated heroes. She smiled knowing that somewhere in that crowd, Backdraft was watching her. The thought of it made her tears fall even faster as the heat of the moment overwhelmed her emotions.

"Remember what you said to me long ago? About what kind of hero you wanted to be?" All Might asked, looking at the crowds with Ami. Ami glanced at All Might and thought back to the past, remembering their talk on the beach.

"But I know who I want to be now. I want to do more than save people. I want people to look at me and my dangerous quirk and see that anyone can become a hero. I want to inspire people. And I want them to see my smile and know they're safe." Ami said. She smiled fondly at the memory and looked at All Might, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I do." She replied, letting her voice crack a little as she sniffled.

"You spent so long being scared of what others think of you, it clouded your judgment. Made you afraid of yourself, of hurting others. But look at them. See how they're looking at you?" All Might asked, looking back down at Ami. He noticed the tears streaming down her face and watched as she rubbed her eyes while looking at the crowds.

"They're smiling, cheering, waving their arms in the air. All for you. They've watched you this whole time, Ami. Looking at you at your highest and your lowest. They watched you succeed at every hardship thrown at you. Cheered you on and celebrated every victory you earned. And, even at your defeat, they still cheered for you. Sure, you got in the final round thanks to some convincing by the heroes, but isn't that what you wanted? Your determination and resolve captured everyone's hearts today, Ami. You inspired them, and in turn, made them root for you. Believe in you." All Might said. Her lips quivered and her body started to shake as her emotions took complete control of her.

"You said you didn't want people to be scared of you, right? Well, you did just that. No one's afraid of you, Ami. They're happy for you. Happy at all the hard work you put in to get here. So don't let yourself believe you shouldn't be up here, Ami. Because you are exactly the kind of person that should." All Might smiled, instantly getting pulled into a hug from Ami.

"Thank you, All Might…Thank you so much." She cried, letting her tears flow out of her. Everyone stared at the emotional scene with smiles and hands over their chests with admiration. All of Class 1-A clapped once more for Ami's sake, making her cry even more. Izuku watched Ami cry into All Might's chest and couldn't hold back his tears either, flooding the field with their tears. No one was more proud of her than Izuku himself. Bakugo and Todoroki stared at Ami and All Might with silence. Todoroki listened to what she said along with Bakugo and stayed silent. There was a lot in his mind as well. His impression of Bakugo and the twins was rapidly changing before his very eyes, causing him to reexamine himself.

Bakugo remained quiet and stared at the floor, listening to All Might speak with Habanero. He didn't bother looking at her, not that he couldn't, he just didn't want to. It was obvious that she was crying. Although, surprisingly, it didn't annoy him as much. Maybe it was because they were happy tears. Either way, listening to her made his rage die down momentarily. He listened to her cries and rolled his eyes scoffing through the metal mask. He didn't have much to say about her words, except that they were bull. She could complain about it all she wanted, but that doesn't mean she didn't deserve it. Once the thought crossed his mind, so did the realization of what he was thinking. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, groaning lightly as confusion entered his mind. Winning first place like this wasn't what he wanted, yet looking at her made it more bearable than he thought, confusing him even more. How can someone so easily annoy you yet make you want to stick around?

"Damnit." Bakugo thought, wondering why those strange emotions were coming out now.

Later that day - UA High - Classroom

"Your friend can also be a worthy opponent. The Sports Festival showed us that. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves."

"Nice work." Aizawa said, staring down the class with tired eyes through his bandages.

"You have the next two days of school off to recuperate. I'm sure the pros who watched the festival will wanna recruit some of you. We'll look over the draft forms and update you when you return." He explained, receiving several nods from class. Ami nodded as well and made a quick glance to the boy on her left. Bakugo was wearing the gold medal around his neck, staring at the teacher with an irritated expression. She raised her eyebrow at him and frowned slightly at his behavior. He calmed down but he was still acting grumpy towards winning gold.

"At least he's not growling like an animal." Ami thought, sighing in relief. She kept her eyes on Bakugo and was surprised when he glanced at her. In that second of eye contact, the irritation in his eyes disappeared. Ami's eyes went wide realizing she was caught staring at him and quickly looked away, staring at the teacher with an embarrassed blush.

"Get some rest. You still have a lot of training." Aizawa ordered, dismissing class. The students all looked at him and nodded.

"Yes, sir!" They shouted in unison, getting up out of their seats. The students piled up towards the door and slowly began exiting the class. Izuku did the same and headed towards the door, stopping right in front of Ami's desk.

"Guess we go home now." Izuku said, pointing at the door with his thumb. Ami smiled at him and nodded.

"Mhm." She mumbled in agreement. She made one quick glance at Bakugo and still saw the irritation in his eyes.

"Go on ahead. I'll catch up." She said. Izuku was a little reluctant to leave without her but agreed anyway.

"Alright." Izuku said, nodding in confirmation. He headed towards the door and slowly walked out into the hallway, soon meeting up with Ochaco. Ami stared at the door and sighed, turning her head towards Bakugo again.

"You know. You really should be happy you won, Kacchan. I am." Ami grinned, insisting on cheering him up. Bakugo looked back at her with slanted eyes and stared at her face. She wasn't lying right now, either. She was genuinely happy that he won, bothering him slightly. He squinted his eyes and scoffed at her.

"Hmph. It's not real. I beat him, but it wasn't how it was supposed to go. Damn, IcyHot bastard." Bakugo growled, clenching his fists in frustration. Ami stared at his hands and frowned slightly, listening to his anger.

"The gold on this dumb thing is as fake as that match." He said, staring at the gold medal wrapped around his neck. Ami listened to the frustration in his voice and the anger in his eyes and shrugged, standing up out of her seat. Bakugo watched her stand without issue and looked up at the bright smile on her face.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better. Pretend I fought you last." She smirked, winking at him. She quickly stood up and walked off towards the door, leaving Bakugo behind in his seat. He remained seated and watched Habanero leave. She was looking a lot better than before. Since her injuries got healed up, of course. Her smile was brighter, too. Her words repeated themselves over and over in his head as he stared at her. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed, smiling a little in amusement.

"Pretend I fought you last." Bakugo repeated, flaring his nostrils and holding his smile.

"Funny." He muttered, closing his eyes. His mind thought back to that match with Habanero, putting a more positive light on it. It was a good match. Better than IcyHot, at least. No, better than all of his matches. Not even the villains at the USJ were as challenging. For all the crap he gives her, she gave him something he'd been wanting this whole time. A fight with no restraint. That's something he's never going to forget.

"After that, the atmosphere around the school started to change. Even though it was gradual at first."

Hosu General Hospital

Iida entered the front plaza of the Hospital in a rush. He quickly approached the nurse sitting down behind the counter and informed him of his arrival. She nodded and told him the info regarding the room his brother was in with the deepest of sympathies. Iida thanked her for her help and bowed respectfully before quickly running towards the halls.

"Please don't run in the hallways!" The nurse exclaimed, standing up around leaning over the counter. Iida heard her warning and tried to slow down but the fear inside him compelled him to stay running. He needed to get there fast. He had to see him. People in the plaza watched Iida run into the halls with sympathy for him, knowing what running towards the emergency room meant. Sitting near the front door, a detective lowered his newspaper and watched Iida zoom down the halls with worry. Eventually, Iida turned a corner towards another hall and saw his mother.

"Mom!" Iida said, running up to her. Iida's mom noticed him running towards her and stood up out of the chair, rushing up to him as well.

"Oh, Tenya!" She said with a sad voice.

"How is Tensei doing?" Iida asked, looking at her with worry. She was barely struggling to put the words into her mouth, causing his heart to beat faster with worry. He looked ahead of her and saw into the room through the door window. He immediately panicked and barged into the room much to his mother's dismay.

"Brother!" Iida shouted, frantically entering the room.

"Tenya, keep your voice down and put on a mask." His mother warned. Iida stared at the hospital bed and felt his jaw drop at the sight of his brother. Bandages were all over his skin as well as IV's and monitors. His heartrate was displayed on the tv screen next to him and he was breathing slowly with the assistance of an oxygen mask.

The doctor in the room stepped away from the patient and looked at Iida with a frown, noticing the horrified concern on his face.

"The anesthesia's worn off, but he's still in and out. If the surgery had happened any later, I don't know if he would have made it." The doctor said. The noise in the room caused Ingenium to squirm, opening his eyes slowly.

"Little brother? Is that you?" Ingenium asked, looking at the horror in his little brother's face. Their mother fell to the floor in sobs as Iida rushed to his brother's side.

"Tensei. You're going to be fine!" Iida said, trying to comfort him. Ingenium looked at him and frowned, feeling terrible.

"Sorry. I'm supposed to be someone you can look up to and respect, but look at me." Ingenium said, making Iida frown.

"Tenya… Little brother…I'm so sorry. I failed you." He apologized, feeling his eyes water. Iida couldn't hold in his tears either and cried.

"Tensei!"

The Next Day - Midoriya Household

"14!" Isn't that crazy!" Inko said, being completely honest.

"Well. Yeah…" Izuku said, messing with his plate.

"That's how many times I passed out after the Cavalry Battle. I'm pretty sure the last four were because of dehydration." She laughed, getting a concerned glance from her daughter. Ami sat on Izuku's right, messing with her own plate.

"That doesn't sound right, are you okay, Mom?" She asked, showing genuine concern.

"Oh. Don't worry about me, Sweetie. I'm used to it." Inko replied, laughing it off.

"Wait what?" Ami replied, tilting her head in confusion. Izuku also heard her response and was also caught off guard by it. The twins glanced at each other in confusion.

"Kinda sounds like you were way more heroic than I was out there." Izuku said, returning to messing with his plate.

"Don't mock your mother." Inko stated, plainly.

"Suddenly finding out you had a power like that- I'm glad you have a quirk, but did it have to be so different from ours?" Inko said, floating the fork towards her hand. Izuku knew what she was getting at and remembered the conversation they had with explaining how his quirk appeared.

"Yeah, it's the weirdest thing! Apparently it's not medically impossible or anything like that, I'm just a late bloomer, and, anyway, now I have a quirk of my own…" Izuku said, lifting his arm around. Ami was there, too, nodding her head rapidly at everything Izuku said while Inko cried out with joy.

"Baby, I'm so happy for you!" Inko cried, opening the flood gates. Izuku returned to the present and nodded his head at her words.

"Of course I'll keep supporting you. But I am still your mother, so I'm going to worry, too."

"You don't have to worry, Mom. I'll be keeping an eye on Izzy, too." Ami said, wrapping her arm around Izuku's neck.

"Mmhm." Izuku nodded in agreement. Inko smiled at the two of them and laughed, continuing to eat. Ami let go of him and returned to eating as well while Izuku continued to stare at her and their mother.

"I keep putting everything I have into achieving my dreams. But I can't forget that there are people who are concerned about me. If I want to be a hero who smiles while living up to everyone's expectations, I can't give up."

"I need to figure out how to use One For All and make it my own. And then…maybe I'll finally be able to say it: I am here!" Izuku narrated.

"So! Do you wanna watch the festival recording? It's in HD!" Inko said.

"How bout we watch it later?"

---

Author's Notes:

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the story. I hope you had a lovely March and April. Now because of how long it took for this chapter to come out since the last one. Combined with the stuff that went down in this chapter, it might seem a little underwhelming. And, honestly, I don't think anything was going to compare to Chapter 27. I put everything I had in that chapter all so it could work and hopefully make sense. So, I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Besides the obvious College distractions. I had problems keeping focus this month because I stopped taking my ADHD medication during spring break, which meant I was doing a lot more stuff that wasn't writing this chapter. Once I went back on my medication, I immediately began working. There is some good news that I mentioned in my profile updates. That being, I no longer have just a niece, I have a nephew now! I'm so happy my older sister has two kids now. She lives in a different state, so it'll take a while before I can officially meet him, but I'm excited all the same! Anyways, enough about my private life. You all want to know my thoughts about the chapter and see what questions I answer today. Let's begin.

Last chapter, I said that this chapter would start a little differently than you might expect. That is, we see the return of Kazan as well as the League of Villains hideout from the eyes of Ravage. This part was made to show the kind of person Kazan is. Not only is he tough he also acknowledges the issues that come with being around coworkers that aren't as flame resistant as he is. His time in the sun will come, but for the time being the real focus is on Ravage. She's a Nomu with dreams. Dreams of what? I'm not telling till later. But let's say there's more to Ravage than meets the eye. She will play a very important role in the coming chapters in this next arc.

So Bakugo's feelings in this chapter are meant to display the confusion he's feeling towards Ami. Bakugo could listen to Ami and tolerate her presence, but throughout this arc, the more Bakugo saw the improvement Ami was making to accepting herself and her power, the more he began to accept her being around him. But after their match, not only is Bakugo thinking about Ami more, her past words are now starting to have more of an effect on him. More specifically, their conversations regarding Todoroki. That's why, compared to canon, Bakugo was more emotionally compromised while fighting Todoroki.

Bakugo vs Todoroki was a short fight in canon but it still ended up taking a while to complete writing. I'm not sure if fights are my biggest weakness but I'm starting to notice the time it takes for me to write a chapter doubles when multiple fights are involved. But the reason the results stayed the same is because I don't think pushing Todoroki's buttons even more would change anything. Todoroki was done and he wasn't going to use his flames no matter what because he was lost and confused. That's why Todoroki still didn't use his flames and threw the match.

I added Izuku's perspective to the explosive punch scene because I kinda rushed Izuku's reaction in the last chapter and since it was already at 40k words I decided to move on. That's why in this chapter I expanded on Izuku's reaction.

A lot of people wanted me to show more Izuku acting like a big brother to Ami and being protective. Since I can't really showcase that in this arc, I wrote Izuku's confession to Ami about wanting to jump down to the battlefield and punch Kacchan. Though even if I did make that happen, Izuku would just shield Ami and not punch him. I don't think he'd actually punch him considering this is a combat match and it's supposed to be physical. But, you know, that never happened. Izuku just thought about it and stopped himself for Ami's sake. He didn't want to get her in trouble and ruin her chance. This might not be the big brother moment you guys wanted, but I hope it'll suffice for now.

Now everything after the fight I completed in a day so sorry if it seemed sloppy. Ever since my short burst of inspiration, I've been noticing that I've been staying up a lot longer. I used to wake up feeling good but nowadays I wake up still feeling tired. It's not like I'm losing motivation since I still do my best to submit my work on time. It's just that I'm falling asleep more often than I'd like. I guess I'm not getting enough sleep or something idk.

Anyways, about the last talk with All Might. I wanted to get one last emotional scene in with Ami and All Might before moving on. I think given all the ways the festival could've turned out for Ami it makes sense that she'd have doubts about placing third in the tournament. She'd wonder if she really deserved to be there after the help the heroes made to keep her in. Hopefully I got the emotions across.

Sorry for skipping the stuff with Todoroki and his family. It didn't really apply here and this chapter was already getting long again so I didn't want to increase the delay any longer.

A question I received from DMs was now that I'm going ahead and adding romance to the story, how concerned am I with following canon?

As the description for the story says, I am still going to follow the main show. However, there will be more focus on Ami and Bakugo's relationship from time-to-time. Other than adding romance, there's the regular story stuff as well. Next arc will probably be the biggest departure from the main show. Although, not really, since it is just Ami's internship. Thinking about it more, the only canon characters that will have an appearance will probably only be Backdraft, Tsukauchi, the villains, and maybe some others if the situation is right.

"What is my opinion on romance in general?" A long time ago when I used to pretend to be old enough to have a YouTube account, young me learned what fandoms were. And it SEVERELY affected my life. Just kidding. Do I consider myself a shipper? Yes and no. I'm a big fan of canon ships and pairings that seem like they're legitimately going that route. (Ex. Inuyasha: Sango & Miroku, Ouran: Haruhi & Tamaki) My knowledge of romance anime is just Ouran Host Club, Inuyasha, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I've never seen the old show but I've heard it's a lot different. Anyways, getting sidetracked. I did watch Horimiya this year. I thought it was good. A little too fast for me, but fun to watch.

I don't actively ship characters unless they're really obvious. Or when they're done in a way that makes me want them to be together like Edward&Winry and Sango&Miroku.

So one thing I've been seeing in DMs lately is more alternate universe questions. Specifically, the villain Ami route. Now this might be shocking, but I can't see Ami becoming a villain unless Izuku dies. Whether it's through the Sludge Villain or something else, dealing with the loss of Izuku's life will make Ami realize she should've done more. It'd make her hate herself even more and she'd blame herself. At least for a little bit. In this version of events, she might pin it all on Bakugo as the root cause and attempt to get revenge on him.

I can't comment on villain Izuku stories because I've only seen a few. Personally, I don't think Izuku could ever become a villain so I don't really read them. But that's why I like AU stories, they make the impossible happen and end up working incredibly. But, anyways, in a TwinAU, I just can't see Ami becoming a villain with Izuku alive. If you have any questions about Ami AUs, tell me in your reviews. :)

"What is Wyvern's quirk?"

After reading some of your guesses, some of you were very close but were missing one essential thing about his quirk that I've hinted at for a while. The answer to this question may come in the next chapter or the one after, depends on the chapter length.

"How many quirks does Ravage have?"

That's a secret, but you've already read about three.

Now that the Sports Festival is officially over I can now live up to my promise about Ami's hero name. If you remember back in season 1 I asked you guys what Ami's hero name should be. A lot of you guys came up with a lot of names but, eventually, I settled on Flame Guard. Next chapter will cover Ami's hero name and why it's her hero name. That's pretty much it for the time being unless I edit something later. Anyways, thank you all for your reviews. The amount of Dm's I received have noticably decreased so I was waiting for more reviews to appear. Thankfully, a lot did. Once again, thank you guys so much for leaving a review. Please leave more. I really could use the help and I'd love to know what everyones thinking.

Be sure to leave feedback and tell me what you think about this chapter in your reivews. If you haven't already, tell me what you think about the last chapter and the romance subplot. I'd love to know what suggestions you have for how I should approach this. Anyways, if you see any mistakes or errors please tell me and I will do my best to correct them. Thanks for reading and have a good day!

Next chapter: Ami picks Flame Guard as her hero name! The twins learn about a former teacher of All Might's.