"Some time in September of 2020," I said, and then proceeded to finish everything I needed ahead of time three hours later. Anyway, here's the Runner Ups reboot. I'll be deleting the old version in a week's time.

I.

Runner Ups

Amai Ichigo would've been content to never see a dead body in her life. Despite her desire to become a hero, dead bodies never really came up on the list of things she expected to see—injuries, she was prepared for. Hospital trips and rehabilitation, maybe for herself, maybe for someone else. But never this.

She never expected to see a hero so distraught, either. She never really expected any of what was happening tonight—the crowd blocking authorities from reaching the scene, so curious about what was going on; the small body of someone younger than her, already decomposing and strung up in the middle of the mall like a marionette while their school uniform was in tatters; and the Pro Hero Red Riot on his knees, screaming hysterically up at the student as he cried out her name.

Despite her being missing for two weeks, probably dead for just as long, Red Riot still begged her to show him she was okay.

Amai Ichigo—no, she was Neapolitan right now—split into three and quickly rushed to Red Riot's side. As Chocolate and Strawberry pulled him away, telling him that he needed to let the ambulance through, Vanilla ran over to another intern—Wonderland—and helped him make a path for authorities. Dead bodies weren't a common sight for civilians, but dead hero students were even less common. Perhaps even for everyone, especially Red Riot.

Strawberry and Chocolate successfully pulled Red Riot away as other heroes reassured him, but the reassurances were hollow even to the chipper Ichigo. Saying she wasn't suffering didn't help. Saying she was free didn't help. At the end of the day, Red Riot's student still died at the hands of some creep—or worse, one of his copycats.

A hand brushed against her own once police and an ambulance scurried past. Vanilla jumped, gaze turning from her sister Ichigos by the Pro Hero, and she looked down at Wonderland. He'd lifted his visor, dark skin drained of colour by the sight of the student hanging above the mall fountain. The son of Usagiyama Rumi had seen many things growing up—his mother's injuries being one of them—but he'd never seen someone his age suffer like this before. He gripped Vanilla's hand tightly, lips pursed, and one of his long rabbit legs tapped against the ground nervously.

"I—It's okay," Vanilla whispered to him. Wonderland gave her an uncertain glance. "Red Riot'll catch the guy. And all those copycats will realise they're toast."

His lip trembled. He squeezed her hand harder. He was a year younger than her, a second-year at the same school as her, and she'd been hoping they'd form a duo—technically a quad—when he graduated. The strength and speed of the Quirk he inherited from his mother complimented Ichigo's own ability to split into three, and neither of them was truly alone in the field this way. They tried not to think often of the single year Ichigo would have to work alone as a sidekick while Usamaru finished his studies.

It happened without warning. Windows blew out, explosions spreading thick plumes of smoke that didn't rise, but instead descended upon the crowd gathered in the mall. Vanilla let go of Wonderland in surprise, cries coming out from Strawberry and Chocolate as Red Riot moved them aside and began screaming. The smoke moved quicker than regular smoke should, and the explosions only made it thicker and thicker as fire gathered within. People began shrieking, the plumes engulfing them, and it was the only warning Vanilla had before the sounds faded from her.

As soon as the smoke swallowed her up, all she could see was darkness. There was no sound, only the deafening echo of her panicked heartbeat in her ears. As much as she tried to move, to find people she knew where people had been, Vanilla was alone. Ichigo was alone.

In the distance, she could make out the signature pink of Strawberry—and the two collided in a panic, forming their strawberry and cream ensemble as she searched for Chocolate. If she didn't become whole again, who knew what would happen? One way or another, all of Ichigo's thirds came back to each other; but the injuries each sustained always happened tenfold to her when she became whole again. Vanilla had cut her finger open at home once, and when Ichigo reformed the cut had become a large gash that split an artery.

She had to find Chocolate. She screamed for Chocolate.

It took some frantic searching, but eventually she spotted the brunette hair and brown leotard Chocolate sported. Chocolate let out a relieved cry, sprinting in her direction, and the two were just about to collide—but then Ichigo saw it, saw the glimmer of steel in the darkness as it careened in Chocolate's direction. There was no blood, no scream from Chocolate; the blade sliced through her neck like a guillotine, her head combining with Ichigo before her lifeless body could.

Ichigo shrieked. She dropped to her knees and clamped her hands on each side of her head. Don't come off. Don't come off. Please don't come off. I don't want to die like that.

The darkness lifted. The smoke vanished like mist. When the light of the evening sky was visible again, Ichigo—Vanilla—could see Chocolate and Strawberry cowering much like she was, hands clamped over their heads and tears and snot streaming down their faces. The people around her were in much the same state, a few of the elderly clutching their chests as though having heart attacks from fright; some had even passed out, injuring themselves in their falls. And then there was Red Riot, staring down at his hardened skin and hyperventilating.

"It's a villain's Quirk!" he shouted. "It's the Boogeyman! Everyone check your interns!"

Vanilla was quick to call out to Red Riot, "I'm here, sir!" Chocolate and Strawberry clung to him as they wept that they were still there too. Vanilla was ready to account for Wonderland too, but when she reached for his hand—she felt only empty air. No tiny bunny boy standing by her side, no sign of Wonderland to be found. While everyone had been distracted by the smoke and the panic, he'd just… vanished.

"Wonderland?" Vanilla called. She rose to her feet, peering through the crowd of people still reeling from the ordeal. "Wonderland!?"

A hiccup bubbled up. Wonderland was mute, he couldn't account for himself without taking the time to use the text to speech function in his headset. Ichigo was his voice, but she couldn't be his voice if she couldn't see what he was saying—where he was!

"Did anyone see where Wonderland went?" she frantically asked the crowd. People shook their heads. Others simply wept and begged for help. Vanilla cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "Usamaru-kun!"

She got no answer. Even as Strawberry and Chocolate joined in their calls, Red Riot realising one of his interns was missing, Vanilla was quick to realise what had happened. Usamaru was a perfect target. He wouldn't scream if you took him by surprise. He wouldn't call for help, because he just couldn't. If you got rid of his fighting spirit, you could take him so… so easily.

The Boogeyman laid out his last victim as bait, and he took the same hero's charge as he did so. The Boogeyman took Usagiyama Usamaru.

His knuckles still hurt. His lip and eye hurt more. But his pride hurt the most.

Across from him, Shiichi sat with a busted lip and arms crossed over his chest. Disappointed. Justified. Unapologetic. No matter what anyone said, he was convinced he was in the right today and that he was a victim, someone who just wanted to do something good and got punished for it.

Beside him, Tsuna dabbed at the injuries on his knuckle with the medicine kit she snuck in from the nurse's office. Although she hadn't been there for the fight, she'd come in just in time to see him being pulled off of Shiichi and scolded by his teacher.

Teru kept a blank stare trained on Shiichi the whole time. It was all he had the energy for now, his fight sapped from him when teachers began yelling at Suzuna, calling her unladylike and scolding her for attacking Shiichi so crudely. For trying to make Shiichi look bad to UA. Shiichi was already rotten, Teru thought; UA would see it sooner or later and regret taking him in as a recommendation. As much as Teru wanted so bad to attack Shiichi again for the things he said, being called by a name that wasn't his just drained so much out of him. Like the teachers were humouring him just as much as Shiichi had until it got inconvenient for them.

He flinched when the swab hit a sore spot, and Tsuna was quick to turn to Shiichi with a hand raised as he tried to surge forward, hoping to see if Teru was okay. "You've done enough," Tsuna said, voice deep and commanding. Shiichi's brow twitched, but he sat back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest again.

To Teru, Tsuna's voice was soft. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll be a little more gentle."

Teru didn't answer. He knew if he tried to form words, he'd use up what energy he had left waiting for his mother to come pick him up.

Everything just… hurt. Not just physically, but also emotionally—to the point of physical pain. He thought things were fine, but clearly they weren't. Clearly Shiichi saw this as some kind of game to entertain so his girlfriend stayed happy. Clearly the teachers saw this as a phase that Kousaki Suzuna would grow out of before graduation. Grades hadn't been impacted, but now image had.

Why did people think he was joking? Why did people just expect him to one day get bored and stop? He'd been doing this for almost a whole year, if he was really doing this as a joke, he would've stopped after a day. Why didn't anyone believe him?

His hand shook in Tsuna's. Tsuna stopped dabbing at it, instead rubbing circles into his palm with her thumb. "It's okay, Teru-chi," she whispered. "I'm here."

Tsuna listened. Tsuna understood. Why couldn't anyone else? What did one little marker impact his Quirk? His future? His intellect? He just went by a different name, a different gender, and nothing else would change. He still liked cute things. He still liked baking. He was still a little shit when he wanted to be. He was everything Suzuna was, so why did everyone prefer Suzuna more?

It's weird.

It wasn't weird.

I'm saying this for both our sakes.

He only said it for his own sake.

People are going to look at a Pro Hero and make fun of his girlfriend pretending to be a man.

People were going to look at a Pro Hero and his boyfriend.

They'd make fun of you, and I can't bear to see you go through that.

He was the only one putting Teru through this.

Can't you just stop? Can't you just keep being Suzuna and forget all this?

Teru was never Suzuna to begin with. He was always Teru. Suzuna was just the placeholder until Teru had flourished.

Anger flared for the briefest of moments, but it was snuffed out when the door to the principal's office opened and Shiichi's parents stepped out. They sat beside their son, shaking their heads at Teru, and his energy drained further. Even the adults who knew him were looking at him like a freak. He wasn't a freak. He was being ignored.

Did they forget about the Wild, Wild Pussycats? About Tiger? People like Teru weren't weird. People like Teru were some of the most famous heroes out there!

Why was it so outlandish for Teru to want to be a hero? With his new identity? With his fragile Quirk? With his everything?

One of Tsuna's hands reached up and wiped away at his cheek. Teru sniffed and hung his head. He wanted to go home. He worked too hard to have his achievements torn down like this. He refused to sit through it any longer.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Shushu's voice rang down the hall, and she jogged as fast as she could towards the principal's office. She was hastily dressed, still in her pyjama pants and slippers while she at least tried to put on some makeup and a turtleneck to cover her skin. Her hair was a mess, almost as messy as her eyeliner. If Teru were in a better mood, he'd call her a tanuki. "I'm here! I'm sorry!"

"Shushu-chan?" Shiichi's father sat up, confused. "Where's Megumi-san?"

"School only called for a—a legal guardian," Shushu panted. "I've been Teru's guardian since I graduated high school."

Both of Shiichi's parents gave each other uncertain looks. They looked at Teru, then at Shushu.

"You mean Suzuna-chan?"

Shushu was quick to anger, much like her brother. It was no surprise that she scoffed on the spot and waved her arms about mockingly. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she drawled. "Did literally everyone in the family forget to tell you this past year that his name is Teru? That he's my brother, not my sister? I swear we talked about it over a few dinners."

"Please, Shushu-chan," his mother muttered, "there's no need to be rude. We didn't know."

"My mother has told you countless times what to call him," Shushu snapped. The principal's office opened, and out stepped the principal and both boys' homeroom teachers. Shushu didn't stop. "How do you forget a whole year's worth of reminders like that?"

The Tsume family rose at once, and Tsuna lifted Teru to his feet to join Shushu. Both parents looked apologetic, the father's grip on Shiichi's shoulder so tight his knuckles were white.

"Please, Shushu-chan," the father pleaded, "we only know what Shiichi tells us. We thought this was Suzuna-chan playing around. We thought your family did it for fun."

Shiichi… told them he did it for fun? Teru's gaze lifted. His eyes went wide, landed on Shiichi. Shushu looked ready to attack the boy.

"It that true?" she demanded. The principal looked on nervously, uncertain if he should jump in just when the truth had come out.

Shiichi chewed his lip and tore his arm from his father's grip. "She's making herself look like an idiot!" he snapped. "I kept telling her that it was weird, but she keeps ignoring me! If Suzuna would just listen—"

Teru flew at Shiichi in an instant. Tsuna screamed, begging him to stop, and Shushu looked on silently. Shiichi's parents let out surprised shouts, backing away, and the boys crashed into the chairs in the hall violently. Fists were thrown, insults slung around, but all Teru knew was that this was all Shiichi's fault. If he hadn't said all of this, if he hadn't made Teru look so horrible—none of this would be as bad as it was!

Chains snaked around his limbs, and Teru was yanked off of Shiichi by Tsuna just as his fist slammed into Shiichi's nose, breaking it. Tsuna pulled Teru as far as she could from Shiichi, visibly straining as Shushu approached the principal; Shiichi's parents helped him to his feet, but they were so angry as they did so. Like they believed Teru. Like they'd have always believed Teru, if it weren't for Shiichi.

Paperwork was pulled from Shushu's small backpack, enclosed in an envelope that she wasted no time shoving at the principal's chest. It was no doubt the legal name change, organised by Megumi for Teru's birthday this year.

Everything moved on in a blur. Shiichi and his parents were allowed to leave, and while Shushu talked with the principal, Teru and Tsuna were pulled away by their homeroom teacher to discuss Teru's outbursts. He stood in front of the desk as Tsuna continued to clean his wounds, gauze around one hand while she applied more to the other. Their teacher stared at the scene for a few moments, a single slip of paper in his hands, and he said nothing.

Finally, when Tsuna was packing up the medicine kit, the teacher spoke up. "Kousaki-kun," he said, voice neutral. "You do realise what you did today will negatively impact your chances of getting into a Hero Academy."

"Yes, sir," Teru deadpanned.

"Most schools find such uncontrollable tempers to be liabilities." He looked down at the paper in his hand. "Most schools you wanted to apply to will outright turn you away once this goes on your record."

"I know, sir."

He sighed and set the paper down. He leaned back in his chair and gave both Teru and Tsuna contemplative looks.

"You both applied for Zenshi Academy," he noted. Tsuna gave him a wide-eyed stare.

"W—Well, Teru-chi and I like to train together," she piped up. She huddled close to Teru as though it would prove her point. "And Zenshi lets its students form teams upon graduation, so being sidekicks together doesn't sound so bad…"

Their homeroom teacher let out a hum. He clicked a pen once, then looked at the paper.

"Kousaki-kun," he went on. "Zenshi is one of the schools I can say might let you take their entrance exam after today. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"But the only way that could happen is if notes are taken by not only myself, but the principal." He clicked the pen again. "And what do you think I could possibly say that could let you into an entrance exam like this?"

Teru pursed his lips. Honestly? There was no defense. He was goaded, tempted to get violent, and he fell for it. If anything, Tsuna was more deserving of a glowing report than he was of a barely salvageable one.

Teru sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You can write that Keima Tsuna showed great promise in non-violently apprehending people and restraining others with her Quirk to minimise injury. Use me as an example."

"Wh—" Tsuna looked at him with wide eyes.

Their teacher leaned back in his chair. "No defense for yourself? Your character?"

"Just an example for someone who didn't sabotage herself," Teru sighed. "I may have wanted to be a hero, but I did listen when you and my mom told me to have a backup. Culinary school won't be as apprehensive about me having a mark on my record. So." He shrugged.

He was given a surprised raise of two black brows. Their teacher twirled the pen in his hand and glanced at the classroom door; seconds later, Shushu opened it and tiredly gazed inside.

"This conversation was enlightening. Both of you," their teacher told them. "You may both leave. Travel safely on your way home."

"We're doing our best to locate Usagiyama Usamaru's whereabouts, but for now we ask that everyone give as much information as they can. Witness reports have compiled what may be the Boogeyman's Quirk, and if anyone recognises the effects of such a Quirk, please come forward and report to the police your concerns. If we all work together, we can surely—"

Skathi switched off the live feed on her phone with a huff. If only finding someone was as easy as working together, as easy as cooperating smoothly. As much as her coworkers did their best, not even the prettiest of words could make this situation better than it was. The son of one of the former top Pro Heroes was missing, probably already dead, and the body of a UA girl had just surfaced so unrecognisable that her parents probably wouldn't be able to look at photos of her anymore without seeing her cadaver.

Perhaps it wasn't even the Boogeyman who did this to the UA girl. Perhaps it was one of the copycats. Nothing would surprise her at this point.

The small apartment in Musutafu was quiet from the outside, but it would soon be abuzz with life. Places tended to liven up like that when the Number One Hero was involved; Skathi just had to wait for him, since her position as Number Twenty wasn't as… impactful to most people. Plus, who didn't want encouragement from someone like Deku?

Footsteps approached, someone dressed too heavily for a warm night like this making their way down to the apartment door. Even in the dim light it was easy to see the mess of hair that belonged to Midoriya Izuku, and the closer he got, the more prominent his freckles became. As did the silvery scars peeking from the neckline of his jacket, sneaking up to his jaw.

"Took you long enough," Skathi joked. It was the best she could do, despite the circumstances. Deku gave her an apologetic look, fixing his cap as he did so.

"It's harder nowadays to avoid the press," he admitted. "Everyone wants a statement about the UA student that was found, but…"

"Yeah." Skathi knew what he meant. "Yeah, same here."

"So." Deku perked up a little and looked to the apartment. "This is the place?"

Skathi shrugged. "Yeah. Normally a house call to urge a student on is uncalled for, but honestly? I saw a bit of yourself and Ground Zero in the report his teacher put down."

The way Deku laughed nervously made Skathi purse her lips. "Except less as rivals and more as unconventional friends," she added quickly.

"Kacchan and I are friends."

"Now, maybe. At that age? C'mon."

Deku's sigh was a defeated one. For all the goodness he exuded, Skathi still heard his complaints about certain things and his grievances. His anxieties. Sometimes, when they went out drinking, he'd let slip his troubles just getting to the path to the top. He knew when Skathi could point out the contradictions between his public face and his exhausted, private one.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "I won't say anything else on it."

"It's 'cause you're too nice." Skathi walked over to the door, fist raised, and knocked sharply three times. "Being a Symbol of Peace isn't a personality trait, I'll have you know."

Deku came up beside her, stared up at her eight-foot form, and grinned. "And I'll have you know," he bit back, "that cynicism is an unattractive personality trait."

"Boo. Be mean to people other than me for once."

They both chuckled. The door opened as they did, and both Deku and Skathi blinked in surprise at who answered. They'd been expecting Kousaki Megumi, or even Kousaki Shushu, but the one who answered the door was an equally surprised Kousaki Teruki. With a facial mask on and his sweatshirt declaring, BUY MY SILENCE: ¥500,000 A MONTH, he looked ready to call it a night as soon as the time for his mask was up.

"Oh," he said softly, more to himself than to the two Pro Heroes in front of him. Once the initial surprise faded, he let his expression relax and called over his shoulder, "Shu-nee! Guests!"

That was how the duo wound up in the living room, mugs of coffee in their hands as they were watched eagerly by the siblings. In the background, not quite muted, the same report Skathi had been watching from her phone played on the TV. She kept her gaze deliberately away from the screen, instead basking in the rather awkward silence that had settled upon them.

Shushu at least noticed the discomfort on Skathi's face at the news report, and when she moved for the remote was the moment Teruki decided to actually speak. Almost as though challenging the Pro Heroes to sit through their mess instead of ignoring it. Teruki leaned forward, and if not for the face mask and hair pinned out of his face, he'd have looked intimidating—or like he was trying to be. "So. How do Skathi and Deku know where I live?"

Shushu smacked her brother's shoulder. "Manners, asshole," she hissed.

"You wanna know too!" Teruki snapped.

"Yeah, but I have tact," Shushu retorted. Skathi dared a glance at Deku as the siblings bickered. The nervous smile on his face—he knew she was right about seeing Bakugou Katsuki in Teruki where he himself shone through in Tsuna. He even looked at her through his peripherals, and he was not impressed about being shown how right she was.

The siblings went on a little longer before Deku finally got fidgety. He leaned forward a tad, still smiling nervously, and muttered, "Um…"

Shushu and Teruki were quiet in an instant. Deku actually hesitated at how quickly they stopped when he began to speak.

This fool needed a hero even when he was off the clock, Skathi thought bemusedly. "Do forgive us for showing up so suddenly," she began. "Deku and myself were eager to handle this as soon as possible."

"Handle…" Shushu furrowed her brows. "Hey, you're not here to arrest someone, are you?"

"No, no!" Deku jumped in. He waved his hands about as placatingly as possible, but it just made him look like he was panicking. "Skathi brought this to my attention, actually. Teruki-kun, your application to Zenshi had some interesting notes on it. She wanted me to weigh in."

Teruki just sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Listen, you guys are cool and all, but isn't a rejection in person a bit too harsh?"

"We're not rejecting you," Skathi corrected him. A pregnant pause settled over the room. The siblings sat stock still, expressions blank for the longest time. Like they couldn't tell if they'd misheard or not. Skathi watched them, features neutral, and waited for a reaction. For anything. Surely he'd be jumping for joy by now and celebrating the fact that he got into one of his schools of choice.

But he didn't do anything. Teruki's blank stare eventually turned into that of vacancy, like he mentally checked out of the conversation. Shushu even shook his shoulder a little, jaw slowly dropping as the words sank in.

Deku let out a nervous chuckle. The silence was a bit awkward for him, it seemed. "I'm recommending you to Zenshi," he told Teruki.

Finally the boy spoke. "What?"

Deku nodded, beaming at him. "It's true! Skathi suggested it and I thought it was a good idea. There's paperwork I'll have to fill out and get you to sign—you'll be able to swing by my agency sometime, right? I'll email the documents to you if you can't. It's a little tedious, but it's all worth it in the end. Ah, by the way, I almost forgot to ask what your Quirk was? Skathi never said much about it, just that it was a Transformation type."

"H—He turns his skin to jewels," Shushu stammered. "Me and Mom can do it too."

"I see." Deku pulled his phone from his pocket and almost immediately the rapidfire typing began. Skathi turned, gave him a disgruntled look, but nothing seemed to be stopping Deku as he took down the notes Shushu provided. The questions just kept coming, and Shushu was too bewildered to stop answering. "Considering they replicate the mohs as well, does that mean the gems can break while you replicate them?"

Shushu stopped talking. She chewed her lip. Finally, as though he'd been hit with the gravity of the situation, Teruki blinked back into reality. He looked frantically from Deku to Shushu, and then to Skathi. When his eyes fell on Shushu a second time, Skathi noticed Shushu slowly rising from her chair and tugging at the hem of her sweatshirt.

Shushu turned around and pulled the sweatshirt over her head. All along her back, glistening like the most priceless of jewels, patches of amethyst littered her skin all along her torso. Skathi leaned forward, surprised at how perfectly they melded with Shushu's skin, but the surprise soon turned to pity; alongside some of the amethysts were patches of pink, worn out skin. Scarring, clearly still healing and sensitive to touch.

"It hurts when they break off," Shushu explained. "Teru only knows up to a seven on the mohs scale since I taught him what Mom taught me. That's… third degree burn from a liquid in terms of pain if they shatter. But Mom and I have had some issues, as you can see. I got the… easier time compared to Mom."

"Easier…?"

"Mom had to have her arm amputated," Teruki said quietly. He laced his fingers together and lightly tugged at his hands. "She got mercury poisoning after that and had to have a rib removed. Cinnabar." He gave Shushu a glance, winced, and angled himself away from his sister. "Shu-nee clearly isn't using her Quirk right now, either. Those ones are stuck for good."

"I can change them," Shushu added. "I did that when I tried to pull some patches off and couldn't take the pain. But even the weaker mohs left scarring."

Oh. Skathi wasn't aware the Quirk had that much of a negative impact on the family. She was… starting to have her doubts, she supposed. Was it truly a good idea to let the kid hurt himself even more in Zenshi? Unless he miraculously learned how to replicate a ten, or at least a nine, he was going to suffer more than he already was in training. Perhaps she'd jumped into this too quickly, wanting to give a chance to someone who was just standing up for himself.

"I see, I see." Deku leaned back in his chair. He didn't seem as horrified as everyone else in the room. In fact, he seemed understanding. Nostalgic, even. "Is there anything else?"

Teruki slowly shook his head.

"I don't see a problem, then," Deku decided. The trio gawked at him—Shushu hurriedly put her sweatshirt back on to even ask him to repeat himself. "I think it's fine for Teruki-kun to be recommended with his Quirk. No one's a master at his age. I certainly wasn't."

Inheriting a Quirk at fourteen is far different to being born with a Quirk that hurts you! Skathi almost snapped. The specifics of One for All weren't public, and Deku didn't seem to be elaborating on his own statement. He was just reassuring everyone as vaguely as possible. Of course, Skathi wasn't about to compare breaking entire limbs in a single move to permanently turning into something more fragile than bone.

"Skathi's the headmistress and combat instructor for Zenshi, if I recall," Deku went on, gesturing to the gargantuan woman. "She's familiar with the struggles I'd described to her. In fact, I trust she'll know how to mould you into the best you can be."

She gave him an alarmed look. He gave her a smile that dared her to disagree.

The hope that glistened in mint green eyes was enough to make her hold her tongue. "You can?" Teruki asked Skathi. "You can make my Quirk useful?"

"Wh—Hey now!" Skathi waved her hands about like Deku had earlier. Oh, how the tables had turned. She was going to give him hell for this, being mean to her and no one else. Sometimes this playful teasing was outright bullying. "I never said it wasn't useful! I'm just—If you lose an arm—"

"I'm fully prepared for it!" Teruki insisted. "I've practiced writing with both hands! I have all kinds of hobbies to keep myself busy with more than just my hands! It's cruel, but—but I've learned from Shu-nee and Mom's mistakes!"

He was desperate now. Pleading. Shushu put a hand on his shoulder, supportive but holding him back at the same time. She was just as eager to see Teruki succeed in this regard, but she was also scared. For him, more than likely.

Skathi let out a breath, sighing heavily, and sagged her shoulders. "We'd be glad to have you, Kousaki-san. As long as you understand the risks."

The reaction was immediate. Shushu engulfed the small boy in a hug, spinning him around the room as they both cheered in unison. Skathi watched, silent, as the exchange went on and Deku finally handed Teruki a business card—a way to contact him if meeting at Deku's agency didn't work. Their visit didn't last for much longer; with the good news and warnings delivered, Skathi and Deku excused themselves and took their leave. The Kousaki siblings had lots of work to do, lots of paperwork to prepare for, and Deku had to organise it all with Skathi by morning.

As they walked away from the apartment, hoods drawn and flimsy disguises on their faces, Skathi elbowed Deku and grumbled, "You're such a little shit."

"You're just upset because you didn't expect me to disagree," he teased her. Skathi pouted down at him. "He needs a chance. I know you saw Kacchan in him, but I saw a bit of myself too. I wanted to encourage him and give him his shot."

Skathi sighed. Sometimes he had too big a heart for his own good. She knew Deku saw a bit of himself in Teruki, and that Deku hadn't been given the opportunities he'd wanted in the past, but—

"Hold the phone." She clamped a hand down on his shoulder and held him firming in place. "You're not considering him as a successor, are you?"

The question made him burst out laughing. "No, no, I'm not," he reassured her. Skathi let out a relieved breath. So he wasn't going into early retirement, then. "I just think he shouldn't be judged for his Quirk. It might hurt him or cause him to lose limbs, poison him. But it also might not. He might overcome it. He's had his mother and sister show him what misuse can do, and he's prepared himself for if he goes down the same path as them."

Deku looked up at her, a soft smile on his face.

"Everyone deserves a chance," he told her.

Zenshi Entrance Exam Arc: Begin

Arc Theme: Hello, World! by BUMP OF CHICKEN

And here we are! Welcome to the Runner Ups reboot! I hope this opener was worth the wait, and that you enjoyed it! I'll list the rules here and you can find my form for the fic on my profile, right at the bottom. You have until October 18th to send in your character, and I'm asking here and now that all the rules be heeded and that, if you need to ask something for clarification, you message me.

RULES

1.) Do not ask me to give feedback. I'm not good at it and I spend more time nerfing characters than praising them. It's a habit I can't curb, and asking me to give feedback won't break it miraculously.

2.) If your character isn't sent completed - no matter how many messages it takes to send the full character - they will not even be CONSIDERED for Runner Ups.

3.) I will allow for children of canon characters, HOWEVER those characters must be run by me prior and the Quirk must be as well. I will not allow characters currently still in school in canon to be their parents. So in short: Son of Shigaraki Tomura = Allowed; Son of Deku = Not Allowed.

4.) No one is allowed to be a recommendation! Zenshi very rarely accepts recommendations due to their desire to foster teamwork from day 1, and those who don't go through the entrance exam will be considered "behind".

5.) Your character is going to be in 1B, not 1A. Though both hero courses are equal in the eyes of Zenshi students beyond their first year, the 24 top scoring entrants are in 1A while the 24 following them make up 1B. Your character will not ace the entrance exam, but they will be one of the 48 highest performers. Basically what I'm saying is that your character doesn't have to be the very best like no one ever was.

6.) I normally don't like using this as a rule, but I think I need to since it's the only way I know for sure if I'm doing well with characters: Please try to review every few chapters, if only to let me know how I'm doing with your character.

7.) Runner Ups is set 20 years post-canon, so our favourite UA students are 35-40 years old now! Even though the League of Villains are gone, or thought to be, threats in someone called the Boogeyman are present! Copycats are even arising! Make sure you put a good reason for why your character is applying for a Hero Academy despite a notorious serial killer targeting Hero Academy students is still on the loose - alongside his numerous copycats.

7A.) Further in that regard, if you put "yes" to the clause in the form, DO NOT EXPECT YOUR CHARACTER TO HAVE PLOT ARMOUR. And while I'm at it, don't make your character perfect in the hopes they'll be able to catch the killer or escape death. They're kids.

8.) Finally, make sure you prove you've read the rules AND the first chapter by including Teru in your character's relationships section. This doubles as their thoughts on him, and if I don't see it, your character gets put lower on the acceptance ladder.