Izuku shifted as he stood in front of his mother and Rex, unable to stop himself from moving.

"It's gonna be okay, kid. I wouldn't have told ya this if I knew it would make ya nervous."

The green haired teen flashed a weak smile. "Sorry," he murmured. "I just…"

"You weren't ready," Inko stated.

"Yeah… I thought there would be one more round and that would be that. Not… this is it. All the marbles."

Rex and Inko had come in to break the news to Izuku before anyone else did: Ahsoka was pulling out of the tournament.

They had assured him she was fine, that she wasn't hurt ('physically' he thought to himself, 'not physically hurt. But you know that emotional pain can sometimes be so much worse, don't you?') she just needed to have some extra time to work through some things. Recovery Girl had agreed with her guardians and thus it was being announced to everyone that she was pulling out of the tournament.

'That might hurt her internship offers,' Izuku thought, 'but probably not that much. She still nearly made it to the final round and sometimes people just need to pull out because of issues. It happens often enough.' That didn't mean he wasn't still worried about his friend. 'I wish I could talk to her. See what happened out there.' He was worried about her… wanted to make sure she was okay. Would rather being doing that then think about the fact that…

"I know it's a lot to take in, baby," his mom said with a smile, reaching out and stroking his cheek. "But this is just another match in the end."

"Except… it really isn't, is it?" Izuku asked. "This is now the final round. If I win… I win the Sports Festival."

"…yeah," Inko admitted.

Izuku was glad there was no one else in the locker room save for his family. He didn't want anyone to see him sucking back tears. He had done so well since starting UA, using Rex's breathing exercises to try and keep control of his emotions. But at that moment he just wanted to break down crying.

Because he was in the finals.

Because he might lose.

Because he might WIN.

Because he didn't want to embarrass Rex or his mom.

Because they'd come and let him know about the change personally.

Because he was worried about Ahsoka.

Because he was taking on Inasa.

Because-

"So, I have a few ideas on how to beat that wind boy."

Izuku snapped out of the spiral he'd been going down thanks to his mother's voice.

He looked at her to see her smiling… and a calculating look in her eye.

"He's bigger than you… but it doesn't look like he's faster. So you have the edge there. And other than when he took on that Todoroki boy he seems rather nice and pleasant so he'll fight fair. I assume you want to do the same thing… it would be easy to trick him, of course, but you want to win fair?"

"…yeah," Izuku said, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, I do. He wouldn't mind if I tricked him… probably laugh at it… but there are going to be people who claim that I only won through underhanded tricks. If I am going to win them over I have to do this fair."

"You know that there are people who won't accept you won even if you two do everything fair and honest," Rex pointed out. "They will always claim that you only won because Inasa didn't use his quirk."

"I know," Izuku said. "But that just means that I need to win them over next year. And the year after that. And then when I'm a hero!"

Rex let out a huff, smiling as he patting Izuku on the shoulder. "Good, vod… real good."

~MC~MC~MC~

Eri tugged on Obi Wan's tunic.

"Yes?" he said, turning in his chair and looking down at the girl. "What is it, Eri?"

"…don't let the big boy hurt Izuku," she said after a moment.

"The… oh, you mean Yoarashi." He shifted so he was leaning down a bit closer to her. "Its just a sparring match, Eri. I promise everyone will be okay."

But Eri shook her head before flashing at Obi Wan a look that he was VERY familiar with. It was Padme's 'I am being serious, don't you DARE patronize me' look and he wondered just when Eri had learned that. Of course it also reminded him of Satine's 'You brought this lightsaber to my planet!?' look or Nemuri's 'Those were MY candy bears, Obi Wan' glare.

'Perhaps all women simply know how to do that,' he mused.

"Don't let that big boy hurt Izuku," she said sternly.

Rather that parrot back to original platitudes Obi Wan reached down and picked her up, setting her on his lap. "So you like Izuku?" he asked.

"Yes," Eri said with a nod. "He feels… nice. Safe." She smiled, a small but joyous look. "A cinnamon roll."

"Oh, so he's a cinnamon roll?" Obi Wan said with all the seriousness in the world.

"Mmmhmm."

"And what about the big boy?" he asked.

Eri frowned at that. "He… he's nice. Feels nice." She screwed up her eyes a bit in thought and Obi Wan realized with a start that she was using the Force to get a sense of the students. That wasn't the surprising part, of course… rather it was that Eri's shields were SO strong that he didn't even realize she was doing it. She was casting out a wide mental net into the Force and he couldn't even detect it.

'She could be just as powerful than Anakin!' he realized. They had no way to test her, to find out her potential strength. Not with what they had on hand. All they could do is watch her grow… but Obi Wan was coming to suspect that Eri was going to be the most powerful Jedi ever. 'Sometimes I wonder if this isn't Master Qui Gon's final joke against me. Every padawan I will take will be absurdly powerful.'

"Popcorn," Eri finally stated.

"Hmmm?" Obi Wan asked, knowing she wasn't saying she wanted something to eat.

"He's like popcorn," she said, opening her eyes and looking down at his hand, reaching out and playing with his fingers. Tugging on them, lifting them up and then setting them down. Obi Wan let he do as she wished, not trying to guess why she was so interested in his fingers. He remembered in his own childhood that he would become fond of the oddest things. And Master Yoda had remarked more than once that he had, as a toddler, loved to get down on his belly and look at the old master's toes.

"Is he?" Obi Wan asked.

"Yes," Eri commented. "Loud. Pop pop pop. And scary." Obi Wan nodded at that; Padme had made popcorn a week ago and Eri had burrowed into Anakin in terror at the sound of it. "But good. Nice." After she had settled down she'd been delighted by the treat, happily munching on it and saying that it was a 'good scary'.

"So perhaps he won't hurt Midoriya then."

"Better safe than… worried?"

"Sorry," Obi Wan gently corrected her. "Better safe than sorry. And its no different than when Anakin and I spar. Remember?" Nemuri had brought Eri down once to watch the two of them engage in lightsaber practice; she hadn't seemed frightened at all then.

"They don't have the Force," Eri stated. "Can't tell that something might hurt."

Obi Wan blinked at that. "Ah… well, don't worry." He shifted her and she turned her head, following where he was pointing with his other hand as the little girl stubbornly refused to let go of his thumb. "See down there? Nemuri will protect them."

"Momma," Eri replied. "Momma will protect them, papa."

Obi Wan felt something flutter in his heart at that. Eri had… been rather careful in how she addressed him.

"Of course," he said. "Momma will protect them."

And with that he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

'Well Qui-Gon… if you are able to hear me in the Force… it seems you finally got what you desired. Anakin can't decide if I am his brother or his father… and I freely admit that Eri is my daughter. I am attached… and I feel it anchoring me to the Living Force, rather than driving me to Darkness.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Of course it does, Obi Wan," Qui Gon said, smiling as he watched the two. He knew his padawan wasn't quite ready to see him yet but… that was okay. One day he would be.

Eri suddenly snapped her head and stared RIGHT at him.

"Well… hello little one," Qui Gon said in a whisper, surprised when Eri smiled at him, it clear she SAW him. "Could you not let your papa know I'm here… he's not quite ready to see me."

Eri nodded and after a moment wiggled off of Obi Wan's lap as Present Mic came back into the announcer's booth. Eri walked over to building blocks and began to work on building up a little archway for the toy car Anakin had gotten her to drive through. Qui Gon, for his part, happily sat down on the ground.

"Now then… would you like to hear some stories about when I raised Obi Wan?" She opened her mouth only for Qui Gon to press a finger to his lips, causing her to just nod… but shoot his a questioning look. "Ah… I am Obi Wan's master. Which, I suppose, means I am his papa… and your grandpapa." He smiled and Eri, nodding in acceptance of that, continued to play. "Now then…" Qui Gon said, launching into his favorite tale about Obi Wan… and how his snoring had once caused a Hutt to think the human was trying to sing to him.

~MC~MC~MC~

Izuku smiled as he walked over to Inasa, bowing to him.

But when he rose up he was startled to see the taller teen had already left the bow, a smile on his lips.

"No, Izuku… we can do better than that." And with that he reached over and gave Izuku a hug, slapping him on the back. "We will do this now… and when this is over. Because I want the world to know that you are my friend!"

"And I am yours," Izuku confirmed before stepping back. "Now… want to put on a show?"

Inasa raised an eyebrow… before laughing. "But of course! Let us show them all what we can do!"

"I was thinking Western… 10 paces?"

"Ha! Even better!" He leaned in close. "My father still wishes I'd make my hero costume look like an American cowboy."

"Well, this won't help." With that the two of them turned, back to back. It made clear the height and size that Inasa had on him… but that didn't matter to Izuku. Because he had PLANS. "1."

"2."

"What is this?" Present Mic called out over the intercom system. "It appears that Midoriya and Yoarashi have decided to treat this like a traditional western duel! Ten paces folks… and then the battle begins!"

"3."

"4."

"This will certainly make this final battle rather interesting," Mr. Kenobi stated.

"5."

"6."

"The tension is building folks… but I don't know if want to see what happens when it finally breaks!

"7."

"8."

"For those of you who were looking for the best UA's First Years have to offer…" Mr. Kenobi continued, "you are about to see it."

"9."

"…10!"

And with that both of them whipped around and raced towards each other.

Inasa thundered towards him, arms held out and ready to snag him. But that was what Izuku was hoping for and at the last possible moment he leapt up. And just as he predicted Inasa suddenly swung his arms out to try and snag him from the air… only to realize a second too late that Izuku had purposely made his jump shallow, dropping back to the ground and sliding between Inasa's legs. His friend tried to spin around but Izuku had already twisted around and with a hard kick drove his shoe into Inasa's ankle.

The larger boy let out a cry as he suddenly found himself unable to support his own weight.

"And Midooriya delivers a devastating kick to the start of the match!" Present Mic cried out. "Yoarashi is teetering, trying to right himself…"

Inasa waved his arms about, trying to regain his balance, but Izuku didn't bother to wait around and watch.

'The only way you know a foe is down is if they are dead,' he thought, though the words were in Rex's voice. 'If they are down they can't harm you. If they can't harm you they can't stop you. If they can't stop you they can't keep you from protecting your brothers. All that matters is the vode. The vode have your back, just as you have them. Never leave a knife that might stab your brother in the back.'

Izuku moved around to Inasa's side and delivered a spin kick to Inasa's head.

His friend JUST managed to bring his arm up to keep the blow from striking.

But… that was okay. Izuku didn't mind that he'd done that. Because Inasa had used one arm to block the blow… with gave him one less arm to try and keep himself from falling.

Already moving even as Inasa shoved his leg away Izuku pivoted before bringing both his fists down hard onto his friend's back, right between his shoulder blades. Inasa cried out in pain but it was the strike to the ground that truly had to hurt, based on the way he gasped.

At once Izuku leapt onto his back, forcing one of Inasa's arms behind his back while slamming his knees down onto the opposite shoulder. He pinned the arm with his other leg before grabbing onto Inasa's head with his arms and yanking him upward.

"What is THAT?!" Present Mic screamed, nearly making Izuku let go due to how loud he had gotten. "I've never seen a hold like that!"

"It's the Kashyyyk Hold," Mr. Kenobi said in far more calmer tones. "It is used to hold down larger and stronger opponents. It uses one's bulk against them."

Izuku struggled to hold on, feeling his muscles screaming in protest as he pulled up a bit more. Just a moment-

Inasa suddenly managed to grab him by the ankle and yank him off.

He rolled on the ground only to quickly leap back to his feet, seeing his friend already running towards him. Izuku fought the urge to run and instead held his ground.

'You are the wall,' Rex's voice whispered in his mind. He remembered the lessons well… the terror as Rex had raced at him, warning that if he flinched he would have to run laps. It was one thing to know that he needed to stay put but it was another when he had such a large foe coming at him to keep himself from darting away. 'The wall protects the civvies. That is our purpose. They can't protect themselves so we must protect them. You are the wall…'

Inasa charged closer.

'…until you are the gate, swinging close and locking the trap!'

Izuku sidestepped JUST as Inasa's fingertips ghosted along his shoulder.

He snapped his leg out, tripping Inasa up once more. As the larger teen fell Izuku dropped to the ground, wrapping his legs around Inasa's throat and locking his ankles as he began to squeeze.

"Now that is a rather familiar hold!" Present Mic declared. "And a dangerous one… though usually one not used by men."

"Which is rather foolish," Mr. Kenobi said. "While that hold is preferred by female heroes it is still a powerful move for a hero to have."

"One could argue even more devastating for a man to use, seeing as few would expect someone like Izuku to use it…"

Inasa reached up, desperately trying to go for Izuku's ankles, to try and rip his legs apart and free himself. But Izuku just roared out to the sky and tightened his grip, bracing his arms against the ground and shifting his weight so he could pressing his calves and knees harder against Inasa's head.

His friend suddenly dropped and rolled, catching him off guard and causing his face to slam into the ground. The pain jolted him and caused him to let go… and that was enough for Inasa to break free of the hold and once more scramble to his feet. Izuku scrambled to get away but Inasa was on him FAR too quickly, lifting him up by the shoulder before punching him hard in the stomach.

"A crippling blow from Yoarashi!" Present Mic exclaimed even as Inasa drove his fist once more into Izuku's belly. "And another one!"

"Midoriya will need to do something quick if he hopes to win this match."

Izuku gasped for air before going for Inasa's head.

'Those that call it fighting dirty just don't like to admit that they didn't have the guts to do what needed to be done.'

He hooked his fingers into Inasa's mouth, making his friend gag even as he jerked hard on his cheek.

It was enough to cause Inasa to drop him and once more Izuku was moving, getting under the larger teen before he lashed out with his leg. But Inasa leapt over the strike and then shifted to avoid the one he tried to send to his side. Izuku delivered two more kicks before going into a tuck and roll, moving beyond Inasa and forcing him to lunge forward.

This time… Izuku didn't dodge.

He felt the wind blast out of him as his friend wrapped him up. But he had just enough focus to wiggle upward, squirming up along Inasa's right shoulder before wrapping his one arm around his neck and the other covering the other teen's eyes.

"Now, what hold would you call that?" Present Mic asked.

Mr. Kenobi paused. "The winning one."

Midnight's whistle blasted shrilly through the air. "Yoarashi has stepped out of bounds!"

His friend stopped struggling and looked down… finally realizing what Izuku had been doing the entire match. Every hold, every move… and been to distract the larger teen so that he forgot where he was, never realizing he was inching closer and closer to the out of bounds line.

Until it was too late.

At once Izuku found himself whipped around, Inasa laughing and clapping him hard on the shoulders. "Well done! That was truly amazing! I didn't even realize what you were doing!"

"It… it was just something I came up with-" Izuku began only to be cut off by someone in the audience.

"What a gipe!" the man, who had a mutation quirk that caused his hair to have a metallic sheen to it. "That quirkless nobody would have never won if that kid had used his powers! I came here to see something amazing, not affirmative action!"

Izuku lowered his eyes at that.

Inasa… did not.

"YOU DARE?!" he roared, pointing his finger right at the man. "You think you can just stand there and insult my friend? Insult all he has done? Even if I had used my quirk he would have still beaten me! Because he is that good!"

"Or you're that weak!" the man said, clearly embarrassed that he'd been called out and not wanting to be made a fool of any more. "I could take out that quirkless punk easily-"

There was a crack and the man went down… revealing Rex, his hand having chopped the man right on the back of the neck.

"You went down pretty quick alright," he said before going ramrod straight and bringing his hand up in a salute.

Izuku, tears in his eyes, lifted his head at returned the gesture.

Perhaps the stadium wasn't roaring with cheers as he'd always imagined when he was a kid.

Maybe there were more murmurs of doubt that he would have liked.

But none of that mattered as Izuku saluted his mentor.

Midoriya Izuku.

Winner of UA's Year 1 Sports Festival.