Present Mic narrated, "He didn't stand out in the first rounds at all, but it's possible Shinso's crazy powerful! Who could've imagined this turn of events? That's the Festival for ya!"
Aizawa commented, "This is a perfect example of why the entrance exam isn't rational."
"Why's that?" Present Mic asked.
Aizawa answered, "Since we're on to the individual matches, I had some information compiled about our final competitors. Shinso failed the practical exam to get into the hero course. Since he also applied for general studies, he probably figured that would happen. His Quirk is incredibly strong, but that entrance exam consists of fighting faux villains. Robots. It gave a huge advantage to those who had physical superpowers they could show off. Despite his abilities, Shinso never stood a chance at passing."
Shinso looked at Izuku, "So here we are. You're lucky to have been so blessed, Izuku Midoriya. Now turn around and walk out of bounds like a good little hero."
Izuku turned around and started to walk towards the boundary line.
"What?" Present Mic narrated. "Midoriya's obeying him!"
Ochaco cried, "Oh, no, Deku, what are you doing?"
"He can't walk out of the ring," Tenya added. "He'll lose the match if he does!"
Danny growled, "Because Shinso brainwashed him. Shinso's just like that Freakshow…"
Momo looked over at Danny, "What are you talking about?"
Danny muttered, "Bad memory, that's all."
Momo thought that someone with a similar Quirk to Shinso must have brainwashed Danny and Danny holds resentment for that. "He must have a painful past."
Aizawa noted, "In the fitness test on the first day of school, Midoriya scored pretty low for a student who'd been accepted into the hero course. Still, even in tests where he didn't use his Quirk, he outperformed Shinso. If they fought without powers, Midoriya would almost certainly win. But he'd have to overcome Shinso's brainwashing to do that. Either way, this match would be over pretty quickly."
"Come on, Izuku," Danny muttered. "Fight it. You're stronger than him."
All Might said, "What are you doing, kid? Get back in there and show him what you're made of!"
While Izuku was walking over to the boundary line, he thought, "What's happening? My body's moving on its own. I feel like my brain is full of fog. I can't concentrate. No! Not like this! Gotta stop! Dammit! I fell for it, even though Oijiro warned me about his power. I'm an idiot. This is all my fault. I can't stop it. I'm gonna lose. It's all over. Even though so many people are counting on me. Everyone is watching. Everyone!"
Suddenly Izuku saw something in the tunnel ahead of him, several spirits were staring back at him. "What is this?" One For All activated in two of his fingers.
Danny's ghost sense went off, and Danny looked around, trying to see where the ghost was. He then saw the same spirits that Izuku saw, but they were surrounding Izuku. "Ghosts? But they don't feel the same as the ghosts from the Zone. What are they?"
Shinso said, "Even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dreams of becoming a great hero. So, lose for me."
Suddenly Izuku used One For All with his fingers and created a giant wind storm, stopping himself in his tracks and he broke through Shinso's brainwashing. He took some deep breaths and Danny cheered from the stands, "You did it!"
Present Mic narrated, "What's this? Midoriya stopped just in time!"
The crowd cheered along with Danny.
"That's the way to do it!" Tenya shouted.
"Whoa," Ochaco added. "I was about to freak out."
Momo smiled, "What a surprise."
Aizawa commented, "His fingers. He broke them in order to stop Shinso."
Oijiro sighed in relief, "Whew. That just about killed me."
Shinso was shocked, "No. Impossible. You're not supposed to be able to fight back! What did you do?'
Izuku covered his mouth so he wouldn't reply. "I'm the one who used One For All. But I'm not the one who moved my fingers just now. It was like people I didn't know came into my mind. And for a second, it was clear. Those people. Were they the ones who cultivated this power? Did they save me? Is that even possible?"
"How'd you do that?" Shinso asked.
"Later," Izuku thought. "I don't have time to figure things out right now. I have to focus."
"He won't answer," Shinso thought. "Did he figure it out? No. He's known. That monkey must have told him. I have to get him to talk again."
He then said, "Come on. Say something. I didn't know you had so much power in your fingers. I'm kinda jealous of you. Thanks to the way my Quirk works, I've always been at a big disadvantage. But someone as blessed as you wouldn't understand that. You're lucky enough to have a heroic Quirk! It'll be so easy for you to reach your goal!"
But Izuku ignored him and charged in and pushed him towards the boundary line. Shinso punched him in the face, then his injured hand, but Izuku kept on going. He grabbed Shinso and threw him over his shoulder, over the line.
Midnight announced, "Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to the next match!"
The crowd cheered loudly, along with Class 1-A. Danny pumped his fist in the air.
Present Mic narrated, "And with that expertly performed throw, we have our first victor of the finals! Class 1-A's Izuku Midoriya!"
Ochaco sighed, "Ugh, that was so nerve-wracking!"
Tenya added, "Turning the tables at the last moment, a classic Midoriya maneuver!"
Kaminari said to Bakugo, "He's pulled that shoulder throw on you before, huh?"
Bakugo growled, "Shut your damn face, Sparky."
Danny looked down at Shinso, still feeling uneasy about him, due to bad memories. Momo noticed this.
Present Mic announced, "Oh, yeah! That was kind of a boring first match, kids. But both of you fought bravely. Let's show them some love, everyone!"
The crowd cheered for the two students.
Izuku looked over at Shinso, "Why do you wanna be a hero? What's driving you?"
Shinso muttered, "You can't help the things your heart longs for." He turned around and walked out of the arena.
Izuku thought, "I felt the same way. Before I inherited One For All, I was just like him. But, nothing I say is gonna make him feel better."
As Shinso was walking out, some of his classmates shouted, "You were awesome out there, Shinso! We're proud of you! You didn't tell us you were that good. You're the star of our program! I can't believe you put up such a great fight against the dude who was in first place earlier. The crowd behind us think you're incredible."
Shinso was stunned. He then said to Izuku, "Depending on the results, they might transfer people to the hero course. Remember that. Even if it didn't work out this time, I'm not giving up. I'll get onto the hero track, get certified, and then, I'll become a better pro than any of you."
Izuku grunted and nodded in response, but then got brainwashed. Danny noticed this and his eyes glowed green in anger.
Shinso looked back at Izuku, "You know, people usually tense up whenever they talk to me. If you're not on guard, someone's going to defeat you. So be careful. You better not lose and make me look bad." He then freed Izuku of the brainwashing.
Izuku had heard the last part Shinso said, and responded, "I won't."
Izuku made his way to Recovery Girl, who healed his fingers, "That should do it."
All Might and Danny were in there with him. Izuku sighed, "That match with Shinso, I couldn't smile through it like you would, All Might."
All Might sighed, "I heard some of the things he said to you. It must've been painful, knowing how much you could relate to him."
"Yeah," Izuku replied. "But I still couldn't go easy on him. I have to keep my eye on the prize. Aiming for the top. Just like you've said."
Recovery Girl sighed, "Poor little darling. Have you been putting too much pressure on him again, All Might?" She whacked All Might.
All Might cried, "It was necessary, and that hurt!"
Danny sighed, "At least you didn't go too hard on him, like I would have."
Izuku looked at Danny, "Why?"
"I've been brainwashed before," Danny revealed. "I was forced to do horrible things. Luckily I broke out of it. Eventually. You broke out a lot quicker than I did. So seeing Shinso do that to you just brought back some bad memories."
All Might looked over at Danny, "This kid has clearly been through a lot."
Izuku then said, "Oh, All Might. I had….some kind of vision in the match. There were people. Maybe eight or nine of them? I'm not sure. When I was under Shinso's control, it felt like my brain was full of fog or something. But when the vision appeared, it completely drove the fog away. That's when I was finally able to move for a second. Just my fingertips. One of the figures had eyes just like yours, All Might. Do you think all the people who've used One For All in the past were there, pushing me on? Like spirits?"
"Spooky," All Might muttered. "I'm a ghost?"
Danny chuckled at All Might's reaction as Izuku said, "Huh? I thought you'd have answers!"
All Might sighed, "Actually, I saw something like that, too. In my younger days. It's a clear sign that you're getting closer to making One For All your own power."
"What was it?" Izuku asked.
All Might answered, "I think it's like a trace of the user's spirit that's left behind in One For All when it's passed on. Don't worry. Whatever you saw, it won't be interfering with you or your progress in the future, I promise. In other words, that vision wasn't what got rid of the brainwashing effects. Regardless of what you saw there, it was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso's power, even if it was only long enough for you to wiggle your fingertips and expel some energy."
Izuku sighed, "Man, that explanation is so not satisfying."
"Forget about it," All Might replied. "More importantly, shouldn't you be worrying about who you're fighting next?"
Izuku realized he was right and ran out of the office, forgetting that Danny was standing there with All Might and Recovery Girl.
Danny said, "I saw it, too."
All Might turned to Danny, "You did?"
Danny nodded, "First, my ghost sense went off, like it did against that warp guy and that monster. But this time, it didn't feel the same. And I saw those spirits surrounding Izuku. They were clearly there to help him. I have a feeling they might turn up again in the future. No matter what you think." He then turned around and left.
All Might was shocked, "This kid is surprising me more and more."
"Indeed," Recovery Girl said. "And, the boy saw you there too."
All Might sighed, "That's a good thing."
Meanwhile, Shoto was walking out of the room he was waiting in and toward the entrance to the arena, "Of course Midoriya won." He stopped when he saw his father, Endeavour, standing there. "What do you want?"
Endeavour said, "You're acting disgracefully, Shoto. If you simply used the power in your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in both of the first rounds. It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours. You have a duty to surpass that imbecile All Might. Do you understand what I'm saying? You're different from your siblings. You're my greatest masterpiece."
Shoto walked past him, "Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard? I'll win this match and advance using only Mom's Quirk. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use yours."
Endeavour replied, "Even if that works for you in this tournament, you'll soon find the limits of that power."
Shoto just kept walking and ignored his dad.
Izuku made his way to where Class 1-A was sitting in the stands.
Ochaco said, "There you are, Deku. You did good."
"Come on down here," Tenya added. "We saved you a seat."
Izuku smiled, "Thanks, guys."
Oijiro gave him a thumbs up.
As Izuku sat down, Danny came back, "Thanks for leaving without me."
Izuku panicked, "Sorry, Danny."
Danny replied, "It's OK. You got distracted." He sat down next to Momo.
"Let's see how Kaminari will do against Todoroki," Momo said.
Present Mic announced, "Enough standing around! Now welcome to the ring, our next players! He's got skills and some electrical thrills! From the hero course, it's Denki Kaminari!"
"Time to show what I'm made of!" Kaminari shouted.
Present Mic announced, "Versus, an early frontrunner in the competition who's way too strong for his own good! Someone who rightfully got into the hero course based on recommendations! It's Shoto Todoroki! And now, for the second match of the finals! Begin!"
Kaminari immediately launched an electrical attack at Shoto, shocking him pretty good. But Shoto looked up at Kaminari and brushed his shoulder off, shocking Kaminari, "Aww man."
"Apologies," Shoto said before he unleashed a massive wall of ice that covered half of the arena, freezing Kaminari in place. It also caused a slight earthquake that Recovery Girl and All Might felt in the nurse's office.
Everyone in the audience was shocked, though Danny muttered, "Showoff."
Kaminari asked with shivering, "Uh, don't you think you went overboard?"
Midnight was also half frozen, "Tell the truth, Kaminari. Can you move at all?"
Kaminari tried to use his electricity, but he was too cold, "Nope. Tried, but nope."
"Kaminari has been immobilized!" Midnight announced. "Todoroki advances to the next round!"
"Nice try!" the audience shouted.
Shoto walked up to Kaminari, "Sorry about that. It was a bit much. I was angry, is all." He then started to melt Kaminari from the ice.
Izuku and Danny both noticed something about Shoto. For a moment, he looked sad.
