A/N: Hey there, everyone, how it going? Well, we're back on our usual day, and today's chapter is one that I actually REALLY enjoyed writing for. Granted, I've fairly enjoyed writing the Sports Festival so far, but this one has been particularly fun. Getting to introduce a new character AND a couple new concepts into the story is likely the source for that, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Nevertheless, with the tournament coming up, prepared to see a few changes to how things will play out. With that said, let's get on with it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 27: Ready? Fight!

…..

The surprise reunion between brother and sister had thrown everyone for a loop, to say the least. No one could have expected it, but at the same time, the 1-A students who were present couldn't help but feel extremely happy for Kaida. She cried happy tears into her brother's shoulder as they embraced, and it almost got to a point where she was about to take her rice bowl and excuse herself from the table to go with him. However, Ice Age would say otherwise. "Woah, woah, sis, I know you're excited to see me, but far be it from me to break up the whole friend group dynamic you got going here." The young man smiled and gave the entire table a bow. "Which, by the way, thank you all for making friends with my sister. You have no idea how scared I was when she first came to U.A., but now I see I had nothing to worry about."

Kaida deadpanned immediately, wiping her tears from her eyes. "Wow, Aniki, real nice. Didn't have faith that your little sis could make it here, huh?"

"Hey, that is NOT what I said at all, and you know it." Ice Age retorted. "I had plenty of faith that you'd do well here, just as well as I did, in fact."

"H-Hold on!" Izuku stammered, his eyes wide as he shot up from his seat. "You're a U.A. Alumni?! That's so cool!"

Ice Age placed his hands on his hips, throwing his head back with a laugh. "Haha! Yep, that's right! Graduated here almost two years ago."

"Woah, wait a sec!" Eijiro pointed at the hero from across the table. "Yeah, I recognize you from past Sports Festivals! You're Kentaro Kiryu! The guy who transforms into ancient mammals and stuff like that!" Ice Age gave a nod as Eijiro snapped his head over to Kaida. "And HE'S you're brother?! That's so cool!"

"Yeah, well, it is…" Kaida knocked her brother in the shoulder. "But as tough as he acts, he's still a big dork."

But Kentaro didn't seem all that deterred from the jab. In fact, he reached over and pulled her into a headlock, bringing her in for a noogie. "Ah, c'mon sis, ya know ya love me."

"GAH! ANIKI! Not in front of my friends!" Kaida slipped through his arm and rubbed her head, glaring with narrowed eyes at her brother.

Kentaro gave a sigh and shook his head. "Hehe, sis, you can act like you hate it all you want, but ya know you love it." He faced the 1-A students once more, giving a bow while Kaida stuck her tongue out at him from behind. "But really, you have no idea how thankful I am to you guys. Really, I was anxious as hell when I heard that Kaida wanted to come here, given my experience."

Kyoka raised her hand up to him as the others sent him bright smiles. "Oh, it's no big deal, really! Honestly, if anything, Kaida's the one who made friend with US. She's the outgoing one of this group."

"Heh, I'm not surprised." Kentaro sent a grin over to his sister and gave her a pat on the back. "Anyways, sis, you should really finish your lunch, but come find me after you're done, 'kay? I wanna meet your friends properly, plus I wanna talk about how you've been doing so far in the festival, too."

Kaida sighed and gave her brother a smile, pulling him into another embrace. "Hmhm, you got it, Aniki. Meet you in the stadium?"

"Sounds like a plan." He ruffled Kaida's hair a bit before heading off, giving the group one final wave. "I'll catch you all in a bit!"

As he left, the Autobots all eyed one another, wearing smiles as they saw Kaida give a squeal of delight as she sat down. "Well, that was very wholesome!" Sadie commented, leaning forward curiously. "I take it you haven't seen your brother in quite a while, Kaida?"

The Sauro-Parts user gave a single nod, trying to get her mind back on eating. "Yeah… he's been doing his hero work overseas in America for the past year and a half." Kaida could see the amazement on everyone's faces at that. "Yeah, I know. Pretty daring for a beginning hero to want to start their career in a foreign country, but it's what he's always wanted to do."

"Huh, any particular reason why?" Buck asked.

"Well, mom and dad do a lot of their work overseas anyway since the BIGGER landmasses have more fossils to dig up." Kaida curled her lips as memories from childhood rushed through her mind. "And, of course, we'd often get brought along on these expeditions. It's where we found out that we both wanted to be heroes once we discovered our quirks."

Momo clapped her hands together joyfully. "Oh, that's so sweet that you share that bond with your brother! So, do you want to go overseas, too, Kaida?"

Kaida gave a shrug. "Eh, I dunno. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE going overseas, but after doing that my whole childhood, I think sticking around in Japan would be good, at least for a little while." She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "But my brother? Heh, he's ALL about getting himself out there. Trust me, you'll see it when you get to know him."

Orion suddenly cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Well, I must say, that was a very nice moment to witness. My congratulations to you, Kaida, for your family reunion." He craned his head to his Autobots, to which they gave an understanding nod. "But my crew and I must go and find our seats. I'm certain that we'll see you all soon, but for now, best of luck to all of you in the second round."

"Thanks, Orion." Izuku saluted as all of the Autobots stood up. "We'll see you in the stadium!"

As the Autobots left, Kyoka leaned over and gave Izuku a nudge in the arm. "Hey, random question." He titled his head curiously at his her, prompting her to go on. "So these finals… you think you're ready for them? This'll be the first time you'll be using your Full Cowling thing to actually fight other fleshy people, not just mechanical beings."

Izuku sucked in his lips, thinking the question over. It was true, he had never used Full Cowling, or even One for All, for that matter, against actual HUMANS. Just robots or Cybertronians. Well, okay, All Might had been an exception, but the Symbol of Peace could handle Izuku's power quite easily. "Well… at this point, I figure that I can only use about eight or ten percent of my power." Izuku balled a fist. "I'm pretty sure that's enough to where I don't seriously hurt someone."

"Yeah, true." Kyoka pointed to her head. "Though are you mentally ready to start laying the smackdown on people? Even one of US if we end up in the same bracket?"

"That… I'm a bit less sure of." Izuku grinned. "After all, you ARE my friends, but… I also know that you're now my competition."

Kyoka smirked right back at him. "Yep, no more teaming up. If we get stuck against each other, or heck, if we even meet in the finals, it's game on for me." She pointed right at his nose. "And I don't want you to hesitate either. Don't go easy on me just because we're friends, got it?"

"R-Right." Izuku nodded, thoroughly marveled at how much determination his best friend was exhibiting. "Of course, I won't."

Eijiro raised a fist after overhearing that. "Yeah, an' the same goes for us, Midoriya. We're friends, but we're rivals now, too."

Denki also gave a thumbs up. "I'm comin' after that top spot with everything I got, so don't hold back, 'kay?"

Ochako snapped her head between Momo, Mei and Kaida, her eyes burning with intensity. "Ladies, let's give it our all in this final stretch!" She received a cheer from the girls, though Mei was still a bit distracted with her jetpack. But then, Ochako stood up, a blazing aura now surrounding her. "I may not remember much of the second round, but I'm gonna use that frustration to my advantage! I'm not going down without a fight, and if I come up against that Shinso guy, he's gonna learn to regret brainwashing me!"

"That's the spirit, Uraraka!" Tenya commended with his usual chopping motions. "Turn a bad situation into a good one!" He faced Ojiro and raised a hand to him. "Ojiro, let's do our best as well! Best of luck!"

"O-Oh, yeah, right." Ojiro nodded, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice.

However, it was something that Izuku noticed, along with the tailed student seemingly being lost in his own thoughts. 'Ojirio… what are you thinking about?'

…..

Once their lunch was finished, the group dispersed from their table, though most of them immediately followed Kaida toward the stadium to meet up with her brother. Mei and Ojiro were the only exceptions, the former having returned to her workshop for the time being to fix up a few things while the latter went to think on his own. Izuku still had his concerns regarding Ojiro, but at the same time, maybe a little time alone would do him some good. The greenette could only begin to count the number of times he needed time to himself.

It didn't take long to find the Pleistocene Hero, though he was hard to miss with his unique form of dress. He had found a secluded room where they could talk in peace, and the very first thing he said after waving them over was; "So, guys, I gotta ask…" Kentaro's demeanor changed in a split second as he glared at the males in the group, making them flinch while lowering his head. "None of you boys are getting any ideas about my baby sister, are you?!"

"AAAAAAHHH!" All the guys screamed at once, leaving the girls just as nervous behind them.

But then… CHOP! "AUGH!" Ice Age fell right on his face, swirls in his eyes after Kaida brought her hand down on the back of his head.

"Aniki, stop!" Kaida barked, her face flushed red in embarrassment. "Did you seriously need to pull the protective older brother crap RIGHT now?"

"Hahaha! Sorry, sis!" Kentaro apologized, smiling sheepishly up at her. "I just always wanted to pull that trick." All of the boys fell over, seemingly half-dead as Kentaro jumped to his feet. "Haha! Wait till dad hears I pulled it before HIM!"

"Grrr… of course you two WOULD wanna do that." Kaida pinched the bridge of her nose. "But no, I'm not dating anyone. For god's sakes, my studies pretty much prevent me from doing that, I've got so much."

Kentaro winced, his displeasure clear. "Ugh, yeah, I remember how much work I got saddled with in my first year. …Hey, who did you get for a homeroom teacher?"

"Mr. Aizawa." Immediately, Kentaro's complexion became very pale, even with his tanned skin. "…You had him too, right?"

"Sis, I am SO sorry." Ice Age placed a hand on his sister's arm, his dower mood darkening the whole room. "If I had known you'd gotten Aizawa, I would've pulled WAY back on the teasing. Please tell me he hasn't expelled anyone yet, because he did that with my class in OUR first year."

But Kaida shook her head. "Well, yeah, he threatened us with expulsion, but we all passed fairly easily."

Kentaro's jaw dropped like an anvil. "You ALL passed?! What the hell, I was barely able to pass my test!"

Ochako gave a simple shrug. "Just lucky, I guess. He even told us that the threats were a natural deception to get us to do better."

"No." Kentaro said bluntly, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, no, there's NO way that he'd do that. Aizawa literally expelled half of my class after they performed poorly on the test." That made the students' eyes widen considerably. "Yeah, but you wanna know the crazy part? He actually brought them back a couple of weeks later. Said something about it being a test of resolve or something to help us be better heroes."

"…You're kidding, right?" Kyoka asked.

"Wish I was…" Kentaro put a hand to his chin, scratching thoughtfully. "This could mean a number of things. Either one; he's pitying you, which I doubt. Two; he was told by Principal Nezu that he couldn't do that anymore. Or three…" A small smirk came to Ice Age's face at the last thought. "…Hehe, Old Man Eraser's gone soft."

The teens all eyed one another warily. They were pretty certain he was still talking about the same person who made them do gymnastics on top of a climbing wall… while having to fend off drones in gym class. "…Are you sure you're talkin' about the same guy, dude?" Eijiro asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure Aizawa is FAR from soft." Denki agreed.

Kentaro quickly clarified his meaning. "Oh, I don't expect Shouta Aizawa of all people to go soft overnight, but… maybe he's been teaching for so long that his edges have been worn out! Hahaha!" Kentaro was so busy talking and laughing that he failed to notice the door opening behind him… and the nine students from 1-A felt their stomachs drop at who came in. "Hah, oh man, wait till my old classmates hear about this; Erasure Head; from brooding hard-ass to weird but caring uncle! Hahaha—" SNAP! "HMPH! MM-MMPH!"

"I'm sorry, Kiryu, what was that you were saying?" Aizawa said as he stepped in, his hair sticking on end as his eyes glowed behind his bandages.

"GAH! M-Mr. Aizawa, sir!" Ice Age fell to his knees and bowed in respect, all while Aizawa's scarf was still wrapped around his head. "I-I am SO sorry for talking about you behind your back! I-I meant no disrespect—"

"Is that so?" Aizawa narrowed his eyes, though kept them open enough to where the red-eyed glare didn't cease. "Am I just supposed to believe that when you and your friends did it every single day while you went here?" At that point, Kentaro began to visibly cower, bowing his head more and more apologetically as unintelligible gibberish came from his mouth. Eraser Head sighed and pulled his scarf back, blinking his tired eyes and freeing the hero. "Hmph, you know, I taught you better than this. Last I heard, the Pleistocene Hero had a lot more confidence and integrity than this."

Kentaro's expression became soured as he stood up. "Hmph, well, pardon me if I still have some lingering trauma from when I had you in homeroom."

Aizawa shook his head, deciding to change the subject. "I've heard you've been doing well for yourself, though. Doing your hero work in California, that's impressive, especially with how high the crime rate there is nowadays."

The fur-clad man gave a shrug. "Yeah, it's not easy, but I've managed to hold my own pretty well. I've been considering going solo and opening my own agency, actually."

"Impressive, I wish you all the best, Kentaro." Aizawa bowed his head before shifting his attention to his current students. "And you all." The nine kids all abruptly stood at attention, only for Eraser Head to wave them off. "Relax, you're fine. I just wanted to say that you've all performed pretty good so far, and I expect you to keep it up in the final round." He went back toward the door as he kept speaking. "The finals are where all of the talent scouts and pros will really be judging you on your combat skills, so keep that in mind. I'll see you all in the classroom after the closing ceremonies, understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Aizawa!" everyone echoed.

"Good." As Aizawa went through the door, he gave his students one last nod before leaving, which is when the nine kids all breathed a heavy sigh.

Ochako leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. "Oh wow, that was REALLY unexpected."

Denki ran his fingers through his hair. "I know, right? I was expecting him to like, criticize our performance or something."

"Well, glad that didn't happen." Kaida wiped the nervous sweat from her brow… only to then see her brother with his jaw almost to the floor. "…Uh, Aniki? You okay?"

Ice Age almost seemed to be mentally broken as he kept trying to process what he just saw. "Th-Tha… do you realize what just happened?! That's probably THE most encouraging that I've heard Eraser Head EVER be!" He wagged his finger at the group. "There's no doubt about it… I think he likes you guys, MUCH more than he's liked any class in the past."

"You really think so?" Momo tilted her head. "He still seemed rather… blunt with his compliments."

"But they were compliments nonetheless." Kentaro stressed. "My class was lucky to get a simple "good job" from him back in the day. Consider YOURSELVES lucky, that's all I'll say."

Izuku and the others were left rather stunned by the revelation. Could it be that the homeroom teacher they once saw as no-nonsense ACTUALLY had a soft spot somewhere inside him? "Wow… we should probably never call Mr. Aizawa out on this." The greenette was met with a chorus of agreements before he noticed the time. "Well, we've still got an hour left before the break is over. What do you think we should do?"

"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm gonna get in some last-minute psych-up before we get out there." Eijiro grinned as he balled a fist, hardening it up. "I wanna make sure I'm at my peak when before I get out there!"

Tenya hummed, concurring with the redhead. "Indeed, let's make sure that we're mentally AND physically prepared for what may happen out there."

"Aniki, where will you be watching from?" Kaida beamed at her brother. "I hope you've got some good seats, because this is gonna be intense!"

Kentaro gave a laugh, setting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I don't doubt that, sis. Don't worry, I've got good seats on the south side of the stadium. I'll be cheering for ya, so keep your ears out." He sent her a small wink. "I'll probably be the loudest out there when your turn comes up, after all."

The Sauro-Parts user winced a little at that. "Just try not to do anything embarrassing, 'kay?"

"Heh, and pull a dad? Nah, don't worry, I won't do that." Ice Age gave Kaida one last hug and a pat on the back. "Do your best out there, 'kay? And whether you come in first place or not, know that we'll ALL be proud of you."

"Thanks, but I'm still going for the gold."

"Oh, I know." Kentaro broke the embrace and nudged his head toward the door. "Now go on, get outta here." As he and the students all left the room, Ice Age gave one last; "Break a leg!" before they all went their separate ways.

…..

Once another hour passed, things were finally getting back underway. The stadium had been refilled to capacity and Present Mic was back in his usual spot, announcing the action at the top of his lungs. "Get those foam fingers in the air, sports fans! It's almost time for the last round! But before that, good news for everyone who didn't make the finals; since this IS a Sports Festival, we've prepared some super fun side games everyone can participate in!" He then brought everyone's attention toward the cavalcade of women who were on the sidelines, all wearing U.A. cheer uniforms while doing a routine. "We've even brought in cheerleaders from America to get your blood pumping!"

As the students made their way onto the field, several lingering eyes couldn't help but glance over to the cheerleaders… including a certain electric blonde's. "Man, oh man, they REALLY didn't spare any expense!" Denki smiled mirthfully… only to get an earphone jack straight to his elbow. "AGH! Oh come on, I didn't say ANYTHING bad!"

"But you were THINKING it." Kyoka said pointedly. "Weren't you?"

"Hey, I'm respectfully looking." Denki pointed toward the other students around them, where several guys and girls alike were also staring at the cheerleaders. "What're you gonna do? Jab your jacks into ALL of them?"

Kyoka pursed her lips and huffed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, it's still not really polite."

Once the cheerleaders brought their routine for a halt for the time being, Present Mic continued. "Have fun competing in the side games, everyone! Once they're over, the sixteen students from the top four teams will be duking it out one-on-one in a tournament style competition!" On the big screen, the bracket for the tournament appeared, with black spaces where the competitors would soon be displayed. "I promise you're not gonna wanna miss these epic matchups!"

Up on the main stage, Midnight was holding a rather colorful box, filled with tiny pieces of paper that held the students' fates. "Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against! Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start. The sixteen finalists have the option of participating in those activities or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina, after all." She began moving over to Izuku, Kyoka, Mei and Kaida. "I'll begin with the first-place team…"

"…Um, excuse me." Much to everyone's surprise, Ojiro raised his hand, the blonde, tailed young man wearing a remorseful expression. "Sorry… but I'm withdrawing."

A collective gasp went through the crowd of students, his own classmates doing a double take. "Ojiro, no way." Izuku uttered, stunned by the news.

"But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted!" Tenya insisted.

Ojiro pursed his lips as he brought his hand down, balling it into a fist. "It just wouldn't be right. Like I told you guys, I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it." His eyes met the gazes of his classmates, where they could see the seriousness within them. "I know this is a great opportunity. I wish I could take advantage of it, but my conscience won't let me."

Izuku reached forward, hoping to convince him otherwise. "Just think about this for a sec—"

"I have, okay?" Ojiro retorted, taking them all off guard. "Everyone gave their all-in round two, but I was just someone's puppet. No way. I don't wanna advance if I only barely remember how I got here. It wouldn't be fair, and my pride won't let me."

From the back of the group, Toru Hagakure pushed forward, the invisible girl imploring Ojiro to reconsider. "Ojiro, you're making way too much out of this! Just kill it in the finals and prove you should be here!"

"Yeah, exactly!" Mina agreed. "I didn't do much in the battle either. And heck, Ochako's still—"

"Guys, don't." Ochako cut in, her own voice filled with conviction. "This situation is not the same. Ojiro and I both have our own reasons for wanting to compete in the Sports Festival, and I respect his decision to withdraw." Her eyes glanced down sadly. "In all honesty, if the situation were different for me, I'd probably consider doing so myself…" She brought her eyes up and smiled at the tailed boy. "But I do get where you're coming from, Ojiro. You do what you feel is right." She gave him a thumbs up. "And I promise, I'll fight for both of us."

Ojiro sent a smile to the brunette, appreciative of her understanding. "Thank you, Uraraka. I know you must have a lot riding on this, so best of luck."

Just then, another voice piped up over in 1-B's group. It belonged to a short, somewhat stocky boy with short, pale blue hair, his tone just as nervous as his features seemed to be. Izuku and the others recognized him as the third kid who was on Shinso's team. "Um, Nirengeki Shoda from Class 1-B." he introduced himself. "I think I should withdraw for the exact same reason. Regardless of how strong I am, this isn't how I wanted to get here. To me, it would go against the values of the festival to advance without earning my spot."

"Snff… listen to these guys…" Eijiro sniffled, holding back tears of joy. "They're just so manly!"

"Yeah, but would they even be ALLOWED to withdraw?" Denki asked.

Next to him, Fumikage Tokoyami crossed his arms, the bird-headed boy bringing his attention back to Midnight. "Who can say? Only Miss Midnight is able to pass judgement on that…"

After a few seconds of consideration, however, Midnight had her answer ready. "This kind of talk is incredibly naïve, my boys…" All of a sudden, a wide smile came to her face, her cheeks flushing a slight shade of pink as she raised her flog toward them. "THAT TURNS ME ON! Shoda! Ojiro! You're withdrawn!"

Pretty much every student in attendance were thinking the same thing; 'Did she just say that turns her on?'

"Now, let's see… we'll need to move up two students from the fifth-place cavalry team so we have enough contestants."

Seeing that Midnight had her focus on her group, Itsuka Kendo was quick to point something out. "We were frozen most of the time, Miss Midnight. Honestly, we barely did anything in the cavalry battle. Isn't that right, girls?" The ponytailed redhead shifted her eyes toward the rest of her team, who all gave affirming nods. "Hm, that being the case, you should choose from the team who kept fighting until the end; Team Tetsutetsu."

Tetsutestu himself was stunned by his Class Rep's words, as were Ibara Shiozaki and the rest of his team. "Kendo… a-are ya sure?!"

"Hey, I'm not doing this as a favor." Itsuka shrugged. "It's just fair. You guys gave it your all, so you deserve it."

Ibara was quick to bow to her friend graciously for the support, while Tetsutetsu seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Seriously… you guys… THANK YOU!" the Heavy Metal Quirk user shouted to the heavens.

Once things were all straightened out, Tetsu and Ibara were given a good luck send off by their teammates as they joined the fourteen other finalists. "And so, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki of Class 1-B have advanced to the finals!" Midnight announced, bringing the box of lots back up. "Now, if everyone would please come up and choose a lot, we can get things underway!" The students all did as Midnight asked, and once everyone had a lot, Midnight whipped her flog up to the screen. "Now, pay close attention, my darlings! Here are the brackets!"

Each end of the tournament brackets on screen began displaying the names of the students, revealing who they'd be going up against. …And to say that Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were left stunned was an understatement. They were going up against each other. "SERIOUSLY?!" the boys echoed as they butted heads. "How does this keep happening?!"

Kaida's eyes widened as she saw that her and Mina would be going up against one another, sending the Acid user a smirk. "Well, well, now THIS is gonna be fun. Ready for me to whup ya with my tail, Mina?"

"Psh, please! I'mma melt your butt!" Mina countered.

Denki glanced over to Ibara, the thorny vine-haired girl being the one he'd be facing off with. 'Hm, not a bad first battle. Wonder what she can do with that hair of hers…'

Shoto noticed that he was on the same bracket side as Midoriya… though it would be a while before they'd potentially get to one another. 'He could be my third match. You have to make it to the semi-finals, Midoriya, so I can beat you with one hand.'

Izuku himself was smiling at the prospect laid before him. His bracket and Tenya's bracket were side-by-side with one another, the latter being paired up with Hatsume. He craned his head up to the Engine user and pointed toward the sign. "Hey, Iida, look! We could be each other's second match!"

"I know, it's exhilarating!" Tenya pumped a fist. "Hopefully I will be able to meet you there… oh." The spectacle-wearing boy adjusted his glasses, making sure he was seeing things correctly. "Um… Midoriya, you might have a problem, however."

"…Yeah, I know." Izuku affirmed, seeing exactly who he'd be going up against. It was Shinso. He could see the wild-haired boy smirking off to the side, though Izuku made sure to not make eye contact. It was then that he remembered Shinso's words from a few weeks back when he came to 1-A's classroom; "If any of us do well in the Sports Festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the Hero Course." The One for All inheritor bit his lip. That had to be Shinso's ultimate goal… and it was obvious that he was willing to do whatever it took to get it.

His thoughts were interrupted, though, when Mei suddenly popped up next to Tenya, spooking him nearly out of his shoes. "HEYA, SPECS!"

"AGH! Hatsume! What is the meaning of this?!" Tenya flinched, rather comically so.

"Looks like we'll be goin' head-to-head in the first round!" Mei's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I can't wait!"

"O-Oh, yes! Of course, I'm looking forward to it as well."

"That's good, because I've got something SPECIAL for you!" Mei grabbed a hold of Tenya's arm and began pulling him against his will, much to his confusion. "C'mon, this way!"

All Izuku could think as his friend got pulled away was; 'Oh boy, she's got something planned for him, I can tell.' He shook his head and set his attention over to Kyoka… who seemed to be staring up at the screen worriedly. "Huh? Kyoka, you okay?" Wordlessly, the punk rocker brought her hand up and pointed to the screen… and Izuku's eyes widened when he saw.

Kyoka had been matched up with Momo.

"Oh… gosh." Izuku could see that the raven-haired girl in question wasn't too far away either, a worried hand clenched over her chest as she too stared at the board. 'Of course… facing off with your friend right off the bat WOULD be pretty difficult.' Admittedly, Izuku was excited at the prospect of engaging in battle with Iida, but he could understand why Kyoka and Momo were more hesitant. They had gotten pretty close since the start of the year, even faster than him and Iida. He suspected that Momo getting dragged into the big Autobot secret helped a lot with that, too. "…Kyoka, I—"

"Just a sec, Celery Stick." The punk rocker cut him off, taking a deep breath as she smiled to him. "I appreciate the help, but I've gotta handle this on my own."

Izuku wore a serious expression, as if to ask; 'Are you sure?' But, with one resolute nod, Izuku relented and returned her grin. "Alright, if you say so. Good luck."

"Thanks." Kyoka spun on her heel and headed straight for Momo, the rich girl doing a double take at how fast she came over. "Yaomomo… listen, I've got no doubt you and I are feeling pretty much the same way right now."

"Hesitant? Nervous? Afraid of what might happen if either one of us wins?" Momo asked in a rapid-fire way.

Kyoka confirmed that without question. "All that and more. But I just want to say this right now." She extended her hand toward her best friend and opponent, giving her a wink. "Win or lose, let's make sure that nothing changes. Friends to the end. We both wanna win and leave a good impression, so I say let's give 'em something that they'll all remember, 'kay?"

Momo blinked in awe, feeling as if a huge weight had just been removed from her shoulders. Of course, Kyoka was definitely still scared to face her, just as she was, but at the same time, she seemed very happy, too. 'Kyoka… I knew I made a good choice in being your friend.' Momo put on a smile and extended her hand, grasping Kyoka's in a gentle shake. "Of course! We'll put on a fantastic showing. May the best woman win."

As the girls beamed happily at one another, Izuku also felt his lips tug up into a small grin. 'It's awesome to see good sportsmanship, especially between friends.' As he thought this, though, he heard Bakugo say something that irked him and many others within earshot;

"Uraraka?" Katsuki tilted his head at the name of his upcoming opponent. "Who the hell is that?"

Izuku could feel his eye twitch at the sound of his friend being disrespected. Of course, Katsuki didn't know the names of ANYONE in Class 1-A other than his, so this was to be expected. But still, the sight of Uraraka's jaw-dropped disbelief at the comment definitely left Izuku annoyed with the explosive blonde. …And then there was Kaida and Kyoka's expressions of pure rage. "That's it, Imma kill 'im!" Kyoka bellowed.

"Get in line!" Kaida said as she rolled up her sleeves.

"AGH! Girls, stop!" Izuku frantically jumped in front of the ladies, holding up his hands to stop them before anyone noticed. "This is NOT the time or place to confront Kacchan!"

Momo also did the same, giving Kyoka a serious look. "Midoriya's right. If you start a fight here, you could get pulled from the competition!" she whispered harshly.

Kaida's fists were shaking in frustration while Kyoka snarled, both of them glaring at Bakugo as he sauntered off. "Grr… he makes me SO mad." Kaida stomped her foot. "I freaking hate bullies like him who don't give a crap about people."

"Girls, please." Uraraka said as she herself went over to them, giving a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, really. I agree, Bakugo's a pretty big jerk, but I'm not gonna let some backhanded comment deter me from this match."

Kyoka and Kaida were rather surprised and impressed by the brunette's mature handling of the situation, which served to bring them down from their rage-fueled highs. "Hah, you're right, 'Chako." Kaida lowered her head in defeat. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Yeah, Izuku was right, this isn't the time or place." Kyoka nodded, taking a deep breath. "So… you're in the final first round match with that asshat, huh? You think you'll be okay?"

Ochako balled a fist, her smile becoming slightly shaky. "To be honest… I-I don't know, but I'm gonna give it my all, I promise you."

Before either of them could say anything, Present Mic's voice came blaring through again. "Alright! Now that the battles have been assigned, let's press pause for a momentary interlude! Before the battles begin, it's time for some pulse-pounding side games!"

…..

The side games didn't take too long, if Ochako were being completely honest, only lasting about fifty minutes. But what an entertaining fifty minutes it was. There had been a short track race, a ball-rolling competition, and even scavenger hunt where people went around searching for random objects. Even the people in the stands got involved on that one, handing out objects that the teens were searching for. However, the winner of that competition was no contest; Itsuka Kendo of Class 1-B. She had been assigned to find and retrieve a "Perverse Person"… and she came back with Monoma, literally holding him in her hands, which she could make really big with her Quirk.

"Trust me, this counts." she had said, getting a laugh out of everyone at Monoma's expense.

But, after that, the teens went up to their class's own personal stands as Cementoss began working on creating the battlefield. There, they would sit watch the battles unfold, all while the competitors would wait for their turns. The only exceptions were Izuku, who had to make his way to the entrance tunnel as he was the first match, as well as Bakugo and Shoto, both of whom had gone off by themselves somewhere for the time being. When Class 1-A arrived at their seats, however… they were met with a surprising sight.

Ochako, Tenya, Momo, Mina, Kyoka, Denki and Kirishima all did a double take at the sight of their Autobot allies all sitting in their seating area. Brian, Buck, Sadie, Stella, Sid, Sonny and Jeff all craned their heads around the second the students arrived, the latter giving them a wave. "Yo! Whaddup, Class 1-A? Glad ya'll could make it!"

"About time, too." Sid smirked, jerking his thumb toward the center of the stadium. "Man, you guys as excited about these battles as us?"

"…Um, sorry, but… WHO are you?" Sato asked, the big-lipped boy scratching his spikey hair.

Toru raised her arm, presumably pointing toward Brian. "Hey, wait, I recognize him! He's All Might's intern, remember? He was at our first class WITH All Might!"

Tsuyu placed a finger to her chin, recognizing him as well. "Oh, yeah, he is! Good to see you, ribbit." Brian smiled and waved back to her.

"Okay, but does anyone recognize those other people?" Hanta Sero tilted his head.

Tokoyami crossed his arms, raising a brow as Koda shook his head silently. "Can't say that I do. Just who are you all, anyway?"

"Wait, I think I saw them earlier." Shoji piped up, the multi-armed young man shifting his eyes over to Kyoka and the others. "Jiro, weren't they sitting at your guys' table earlier? Do you know them?"

"O-Oh, well, yeah…" Kyoka scratched the back of her head, still thrown for a loop by the Autobots' presence. "Ya see… i-it's kinda complicated."

"Not really, Kyoka. It's actually fairly easy to explain." Sadie stood up, bowing apologetically to the students. "But I AM very sorry to all of you. We completely forgot to introduce ourselves to the rest of you earlier, didn't we?" She placed a hand over her chest. "My name is Sadie, and WE are the personal trainers of your classmates over there." She waved her hand over to their charges, who still seemed pretty nervous about the whole thing.

"Wait a sec, personal trainers?!" Toru whipped around and pointed at her fellow classmates. "I KNEW it! I knew there had to be SOME reason you guys were all going somewhere after school! Those cars must've been theirs, right?"

"U-Uh… yeah, exactly." Ochako said anxiously. "Sorry we couldn't tell you guys about it, but these guys are a bit… secretive."

That made Tsuyu even MORE curious, though. "Ribbit. What d'ya mean by "secretive", Ochako?"

Buck stood up, prepared to give his own explanation. "What she means to say is, and you can't say this to ANYONE, by the way, is that we're actually undercover heroes from America." He said this as softly as possible so that no one in the neighboring stands could hear them, but nonetheless, the students were still left stunned. "We're here with our team leader on assignment and we're currently staying at All Might's hero agency." He nudged his head over to the seven teenagers. "The reason why we didn't have any of them tell you about us is because we didn't want to make it seem like favoritism on All Might's part. We may be staying at his agency, but I can assure you he has nothing to do with this training."

Of course, all of that was a bold-faced lie, but it was a CONVINCING one, as the rest of the 1-A students all seemed to believe it. "Woah… seriously?" Sero whispered.

"That's SO cool." Sato agreed, craning his head over to the seven charges of the Autobots. "Man, you guys and Midoriya are SUPER lucky, being trained by undercover heroes."

"Ahaha! Yeah, we sure are!" Mina laughed, trying to keep the act going. 'They're taking the bait hook line and sinker! Sorry guys, but the Autobot secret HAS to be kept up.'

Just then, before anyone could say anything else, Present Mic piped back up; "Hey, Sports Fans! Are ya REA-DAY!? After all the action you've already witnessed, it's time for the REAL battles to begin! Can ya feel the excitement?!"

Stella waved the kids over toward the seats, urging them to sit down. "Oh, oh! The tournament's about to begin! Come on kids, take your seats, because I have a feeling this is going to be quite exciting!" Everyone did as they were instructed, sitting in front of the row of Autobot holoforms as their gazes went down to the completed battle arena.

"Hey." Kyoka whispered over to Jeff, raising a brow. "Where's Orion?"

"Oh, he stepped on down to give Izuku a few more supportin' words." Jeff said with a knowing grin. "He'll be back soon enough."

…..

Down below at the eastern entrance, however, Izuku himself was trying to collect himself for what was about to happen. The first two rounds had gone fairly well, all things considered, but this third round was where he'd REALLY be tested. Every eye in the country and several around the world were all paying attention, so now was the time to leave his mark. "Our competitors are on their own now." Present Mic's voice reminded him, making Izuku feel trepidatious knowing that he'd be going solo from here on. "Sometimes, heroes only have themselves to rely on! Heart. Skill. Strength. Wisdom. Courage. They'll have to use all of these things to rise to the top!"

'Easier said than done.' the greenette thought, squeezing his fist tighter and tighter.

"Hey!" Izuku gave a small gasp and whipped himself around, being met by Toshinori and Optimus walking toward him at a casual pace. "Sorry I haven't said hi." The Symbol of Peace said with a thumbs up. "But you've been doing spectacular, young Midoriya! You've harnessed One for All quite well."

"Indeed, Izuku, we've been quite impressed with your performance so far." Orion grinned. "Though I suppose that should come as no surprise."

"Y-Yes, well…" Izuku began, his sights going back to his fist. "…to tell the truth, I'm still worried about using it. I've been careful with it so far because I don't want to hurt anyone here, but now… I suppose I don't have much of a choice when it comes to the finals."

Toshinori nodded in understanding. "Hm, well, I can see why you feel that way. They ARE your classmates after all." He reached forward, placing a supportive hand on Izuku's shoulder. "But don't worry. Since you can only use about eight or ten percent of One for All, you probably can't blow 'em in half or anything. …Maybe a few broken bones at the very least."

Orion raised a finger. "Though it would be preferred if you didn't break their bodies."

"Right… eight or ten percent." Izuku lowered his head in contemplation. That was still so little in comparison to All Might's full power. It only reinforced his feelings on how he was even able to GET this far. "I guess I really HAVE only been getting by because of luck and my friends helping me out—GUH!"

Without warning, Toshinori gave a double chop to Izuku's head and neck, trying to knock some sense into him. "Would ya stop brow beatin' yourself and actually LISTEN to what people are telling you? All I wanna hear you say is that you'll do your best, dammit!" Izuku stared at the Number One hero in stunned silence as he spoke to him. "There's no such thing as luck, and you're never gonna become the hero you wanna be if you believe in something like that. The reason you're here is because YOU made it happen. Sure, you had help along the way, but you've still pulled your own weight, no one's had to pull it FOR you."

"Incredibly wise words." Orion agreed, reaching out to pat Izuku on the head. "Young man, you have unbelievable power that you are only just beginning to harness, but you have so much more than that to contribute, as you've shown in this festival. You are a great tactician, and have shown remarkable leadership potential as well."

At that point, Izuku began to get choked up, not quite believing what they were saying. "B-But, I…"

"Listen, whenever you're scared or nervous about a fight, remember this;" All Might buffed up to his heroic form, smiling and giving his protégé a thumbs up. "Just try and deal with it by smiling! You've made it this far, young Midoriya, and that take great talent that you DO have, whether you want to admit it or not." The hero pointed out the entry gate up toward the stands. "Don't forget, we're all watching and rooting for you, including the friends that you're competing against. They want you to proceed as much as anyone else here after all."

Izuku looked between his two teachers and then out toward the gate, seeing the battlefield ready and waiting for him. The countless people cheering indeed made him nervous… but now, he could also see that those were the same people who were cheering for him since the end of the first round. Slowly but surely, he put on a smile. It was a nervous one, yet also a happy one all the same. He turned back to his mentors, bowing to them gratefully. "Thank you both… so much."

"You're welcome." POOF! "Now get out there and break a leg."

"Again, not literally." Orion remarked. That got a laugh out of Izuku before he went toward the entry gate, ready to start the last stretch of the festival.

…..

"Alright, audience! Let's cut to the good stuff and not delay these finals any longer!" Present Mic's words got a BIG reaction. Finally, after nearly three hours of waiting, the tournament could truly begin. On the big screen, the match graphic appeared, showing a neutral-faced Shinso and nervous Midoriya. "Let's welcome our first fighters! Woah, he looks kinda scared in that picture, doesn't he? It's Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course!" With that being his cue, Izuku walked out and made his way toward the battle stage, still wearing his smile. "Versus… Hitoshi Shinso from General Studies, who really hasn't done much to really stand out yet." From the other side of the stadium, Shinso emerged, keeping his bored expression. Both competitors stepped onto the battle arena, sticking to their opposite sides as Midnight took the referee's position on the side.

"The rules are simple; immobilize your opponent or force them outta the ring!" Mic explained in his own over-the-top way. "You can also win by getting the other person to cry uncle! Bring on the injuries, because we've got healers on standby! So put your morals aside and don't be afraid to play dirty!" He coughed into his hand as he added; "But of course, not life-threatening crap, folks, it's not allowed. Real heroes use their powers to throw villains in jail, not kill 'em!"

Not far from Midnight, Cementoss was also still present, having made a cement chair for himself to sit in. "I'll stop anyone who tries to be too rough." he said with a friendly wave.

Izuku took a deep breath, ready to get started after loosening up his hands a bit. But then… "So you can just give up, huh?" The greenette's eyes shot up to Shinso across the ring, his unrelenting stare boring into him. "In a way, this is a test of how strong your spirit is. If you know what you want your future to hold for you, you can't worry about what other people think." Izuku wasn't too sure what he was getting at… until Shinso glanced up to 1-A's seats. "That monkey was going on about his pride earlier. But I think he's an idiot for throwing away his chance like that. In that respect, the gravity girl is a LOT smarter than he is."

The greenette could feel his insides begin to churn in discomfort. So THAT was it. Shinso was trying to get under his skin to psyche him out. But Izuku kept his serious demeanor. 'Well, I won't let it happen—'

"Ready—BEGIN!" Midnight raised her hand into the air, signaling the start of the battle.

"But I have to say, you've got interesting tastes when it comes to partners, Midoriya." This remark made Izuku's eyes widen, wondering what he met. "Honestly, Jiro probably wouldn't have been my first choice. Nothing too remarkable about her other than her ear accessories." Now that was definitely getting on Izuku's nerves, and Shinso could see it in his eyes. Of course, Shinso didn't mean any of that, but he also knew that pulling out the big guns would work. "But hey, Kiryu and Hatsume definitely balance things out. Izuku Midoriya… who would've guessed that you'd be a pi—"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Izuku snarled at the implication. Shinso could insult him all he wanted, but to even SUGGEST that those three were like that was—

Everything stopped. At least for Izuku, anyway. He came to a sudden halt as his eyes glazed over, his vision becoming hazy and dim. His brain was in a fog, and he could no longer control his body movements. It was then that he realized… everything that Shinso said was all just to get him to talk. …And it worked. 'Dammit… I screwed up!'

"That's it. I win." Shinso said simply.

…..

Up in Class 1-A's seats, everyone was completely aghast at what had just happened. Somehow, someway, Shinso had gotten Izuku to talk, and those in the know about the former's Quirk were immediately taken aback. …But none more so than Kyoka. She had heard everything, and her emotions were going a mile a minute. She was shocked, upset, frustrated, and even a bit angry. Of course, what Shinso was implying about her and the other girls was part of the source, and his comments served to make her feel even MORE self-conscious about herself. But the fact that he'd stoop to so low JUST to get Izuku to talk to him was what REALLY got her nettled. 'Is he SERIOUSLY that committed to winning?'

"Huh?! Hey, hey, what's the dealio?!" Present Mic asked, serving to break the tension just a little. "It's the first match! It should start off with a bang! The fight's just begun, but Izuku Midoriya is as solid as a statue!"

"What the… he's completely frozen!" Sero exclaimed.

"The heck just happened?" Sato added.

Ojiro shot out of his seat, his hands flying to his head. "GAH! I warned him not to say anything!"

Ochako and Tenya also stood up, the girl cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her call; "Come on, Deku! Don't give up!"

"Get moving! You cannot possibly be defeated this easily!" Tenya pressed as well.

Kaida leaned over to Kyoka, her eyes still focused worriedly on Izuku. "Kyo', could you pick up on what Shinso said? What did he say that got Midoriya so angry?"

"I… I-I don't know. The crowd's jumbling everything up for me." That was another lie, but she had a feeling that Kaida wouldn't be too happy if she knew the truth. "But whatever it is, it must've gotten under Izuku's skin pretty bad." She shot up out of her seat and screamed as loud as she could; "IZUKU! Snap out of it!"

…..

In the announce booth, Present Mic was just as baffled as almost everyone else in the stadium. "Hitoshi Shinso seems to have Midoriya completely stunned! Could this be his Quirk at work?! If so, then this is a MAJOR turn of events that no one could've anticipated!"

"Just another example of why the entrance exams aren't logical."

Mic's head snapped to his co-host in confusion. "Huh? Whaddya mean?"

Eraser Head pulled up two papers that he had printed out earlier, containing Izuku and Hitoshi's student profiles. "Since we're onto the individual matches, I had some info compiled about our final competitors." His tired eyes focused onto Shinso down below. "Hitoshi Shinso failed the Hero Course practical exam. Since he also applied for General Studies, he probably figured that would happen. His Quirk is incredibly strong, but that entrance test consisted of fighting faux villains, robots. It gave a huge advantage to those who had physical superpowers they could show off." His brow furrowed at the sound of this very familiar scenario. "Because of this, Shinso never stood a chance at passing."

Present Mic's eyebrows rose up in realization, having flashbacks to his and Eraser's school days. 'This Shinso kid… he sounds a lot like… oh.' He inwardly smirked as he put his focus back on the action. 'He reminds ya a lot of yourself, huh, Eraser?'

…..

"So, here we are." Shinso muttered, his voice being the only thing Izuku could hear at the moment. "You're lucky to have been so blessed, Izuku Midoriya." He raised his head ever so slightly, giving his ultimate order; "Now turn around and walk out of bounds like a good little hero." Sure enough, Izuku followed Hitoshi's instructions to the letter, much to the dismay of his friends.

The Autobots were beginning to panic, with Brian silently flailing around and shaking Sid by the shoulders. "AH-AH-AH! Bri, STOP! I'm gonna get SICK!"

"GAH! Izuku, what the hell are you doing?!" Buck bellowed, balling his fists in frustration. "Wake the frag up already!"

Stella was fidgeting in her seat, shaking anxiously. "He can't walk out of the ring, he'll lose the match!"

Sadie simply covered her eyes in terror. "Ah! I can't watch! Tell me when it's over!"

Back down in the entry way, even Toshinori and Orion were left flabbergasted at what was happening. Their protégé, with his eyes in a complete haze, was lumbering slowly toward the boundary line like a zombie. It was unsettling, and both men were doing all they could to get Izuku to come to his senses. "Ah! What're you doing, kid?!" Toshi hollered. "Ger back in there an' show 'em what you're made of!"

"Izuku, you must wake up!" Orion encouraged. "Remember what we told you; you've arrived here under your own power, so you must use that power to get yourself out of this! Fight though it!"

…..

But Izuku couldn't stop. He couldn't even hear the sound of any of his friends' voices. All he could here were the orders of Shinso echoing in his head, as well as his own footsteps. 'M-My body… it's moving on its own. I feel like my brain is full of fog. I can't concentrate!' Through his blurred vision, he could see he was nearing the edge of the arena, which made his fear grow. 'No! Not like this! Gotta stop… DAMMIT! I fell for it even Ojiro warned me. I'm an idiot… this is all my fault!' As much as he wished he could move a part—ANY part—of his body, he just couldn't, no matter how much he tried to force it. 'I'm going to lose… it's all over. Even though so many people are counting on me… everyone is watching! EVERYONE!'

However, in the heat of the moment… something happened.

Izuku's clouded vision suddenly was met by a massive glowing light coming through the entrance tunnel, before then being darkened again. As his focus was brought to the tunnel, he saw something that nearly made his heart stop. Gathered together were eight shadowy figures, all of them staring at him with sharp, glowing golden eyes. The one down on the lower left was particularly familiar, as that was where All Might was standing, and the figure matched his silhouette perfectly. The figures covered up Optimus' holoform completely, however… though what came next served to stun him to his very core.

He saw… another figure rise up from behind all of the others. At first, he thought this was Optimus… but it soon became apparent that wasn't the case. Whatever this figure was, it WAS humanoid, but had a rather smooth head, appearing to have no distinguishable silhouette at all. But what it DID have… were a pair of circular, bright red eyes that seemed to stare directly into his soul. These features definitely served to separate it from the rest of the figures.

'What… what IS that thing?' Izuku shuddered in his mind. 'Some sort of monster?' Whatever it was, it didn't SEEM to have any malice behind its gaze, even though it was intimidating. Much to his surprise, the red-eyed figure craned its head down, its sights focusing on Izuku's left hand. And then, all at once, the silhouettes dissipated as a small surge of One for All's power began flowing into his fingers. 'What… is… this?'

…..

"Even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dreams of becoming a hero." Shinso stated, watching as Izuku went to step over the boundary line. "So, lose for me."

What he failed to notice, though, was that Izuku's pointer and middle fingers were glowing red with power… before he flicked them. BWOOOOOM! With that simple motion, a powerful gust of wind was kicked up, blowing through the entire stadium and taking Shinso by surprise. "What's this?! Midoriya stopped just in time!"

It was true. Izuku was back up and running, even though two of his fingers were now broken thanks to that flick. Up in the stands, Class 1-A and the Autobots were all elated by the sight, especially the greenette's friends. "THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT!" Tenya shouted.

"Whoo, that just about killed me." Ojiro said as he slumped back in his seat.

"Yeah, I was about to freak out." Ochako placed a hand over her chest.

Meanwhile, Kyoka was freaking out. "AAAAAAHH! YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YEEEESS!" She pumped her fists up and down at Izuku's awesome move. She had no idea how he was able to break through Shinso's mind control, but she did NOT care. "Do it, Izuku! Show that jerk who's BOSS!"

Back down on the battlefield, Shinso was having his own crisis of mind at what he had just seen. This… this had never happened before. "No, impossible… you're not supposed to be able to fight back!" He saw Izuku's head move slightly, knowing he had gotten his attention. There was still hope to get him to talk. "What did you DO?!"

Immediately, Izuku clamped his hand over his mouth, keeping it shut tight. All the while, he pondered over what he had just experienced, trying to ignore the pain in his broken fingers. 'I'm the one who used One for All… but I'm not the one who moved my fingers just now.' He could remember them vividly; the eight figures with glowing yellow eyes… and the one at the top with bright red ones. 'It was like people I didn't know came into my mind. And for a second, it was clear. Could it be…' He recalled that one of them resembled All Might in a way, and the realization hit him. 'Those people, were they the ones who cultivated this power?'

It made sense, but at the same time… something didn't add up. There should only have been EIGHT previous users of One for All. All Might had always told him that he was the ninth holder. So then… 'Who was that red-eyed figure? And why was he different from all the others? And even then… DID they save me? Is that even possible?' Izuku's mind was flying with questions at that point, but unfortunately, they'd have to wait.

"How did you DO that?!" Shinso yelled again, only for Izuku to stay silent. 'He won't answer… did he figure it out?' As Izuku turned back toward him, though, Shinso could see a look in his eye that said otherwise, which made him sneer. 'No… he's known all along. That monkey must've told him. I have to get him to talk again.' He put on an apologetic smile and tried a nicer approach. "H-Hey, sorry about what I said about the girls earlier, it's obvious that I went way too far in trying to psyche you out. But hey, I had no idea you had so much power in your fingers. I'm kinda jealous, you know."

'I know what that jealousy's like.' Izuku said in his mind as he charged forward to meet his challenge. 'I've been there.'

"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." Shinso's voice had become bitter, which Izuku took note of as well.

'I get it. Even though he's right, I HAVE been blessed.'

Shinso raised his voice the closer Izuku got to him. "You're lucky enough to have a heroic Quirk! It'll be so easy for you to reach your goal—urk!" Izuku had finally closed the distance, pushing against Shinso to get him closer to the boundary line.

'I've been blessed by others!' The images of his friends and mentors flashed in Izuku's mind, Autobot and human alike. 'That's why I'm here! I can't lose this! I'll do it for them!'

The purple-haired boy raised his fist. "Say something, DAMMIT!" WHACK! He punched Izuku's broken fingers, getting him to let go, but ultimately, the greenette didn't even make a pained peep. "You've gotta be KIDDING ME!" With another punch, Shinso socked Izuku right in the jaw, making him stumble closer to the boundary. "Get outta this ring, you lucky brat!"

Shinso went to charge Izuku… but this would prove to be a fatal mistake. Izuku powered up his Full Cowling and leapt straight over Shinso, making the latter's eyes widen in shock at how fast that was. 'No… I refuse to let this be the end!' The Quirk Inheritor repositioned himself in midair and thrust his arms backward, creating some momentum for him to come down crashing down in a diving kick onto Shinso's back, making him fall straight out of the ring. Not by much, but enough to that his upper body was over the line.

As Izuku landed, his nose beginning to bleed from that punch, Midnight raised her hand. "Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to the next match!" The crowd went absolutely ballistic, and Izuku himself had to take some time to process this. But, the moment he saw Toshinori and Orion giving him thumbs up, it finally settled in for him.

He was moving on.

…..

A/N: And there you have it, the first match of the tournament is decided just as it was in the original, with Izuku getting the win over Shinso. Granted, there HAVE been some alterations to how Izuku beat Shinso, namely that fancy diving kick now that he's able to use Full Cowling. Also, it took a bit more coaxing from Shinso to get Izuku to talk… and well, what he said wasn't very nice. He'll likely get an earful later on. Also, here, Izuku received even MORE encouragement from All Might than in the original, thanks in part to Optimus being there as well. Hopefully now, he'll be able to go further into the tournament with more confidence.

However, you guys undoubtedly all noticed the BIGGEST change… that being a NINTH silhouette in Izuku's vision. One that's visually much different than all the rest. Could this be some sort of… SECRET holder of One for All that went unnoticed in this alternate reality? Or perhaps something else entirely given how different it was? Well, only time will tell what this mystery figure is, but until then, feel free to speculate in the comments.

Also, yes, I've rearranged the tournament a little bit from the original. Instead of Izuku facing off against Todoroki in the second round, he'll likely be meeting him in the third, provided Izuku can get through Tenya. Why make this change? Well, mainly so that Izuku can get more of a chance to show off Full Cowling to the talent scouts, plus I like the idea of him and Tenya having a match together. Also, it's gonna be interesting seeing Kyoka and Momo go up against one another in the second bracket, that's for sure, especially since the latter has gone through her training with Windblade.

And then of course, there's Ice Age, or Kentaro Kiryu. Of course, he's pretty much the older brother-type of character who you'd see in most scenarios, teasing his little sister and such. But at the very least, Kaida knows how to reign him in when he goes too far, as seen with that "over-protective brother" bit he tried to pull. …Also, pretty sure ANYONE would be traumatized after having Aizawa as a homeroom teacher, so that's understandable, though Kentaro noticing his old teach going a bit "soft" is interesting… but, with that said…

And now, the Preview! After delving into Shinso's past (as well as a much-needed apologizing session), the first round of the tournament continues with Tenya vs Mei and Denki vs Ibara. However, the Decepticons ARE still watching, and are eager to put in their two cents on these matches as well. But… when we get to Todoroki's match… well, let's just say that an encounter with his father has left him feeling VERY nettled. Next time; The First Bracket. Poor Sero has no idea what he's in for. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!