Izuku sat up in the hospital bed, stretched his arms, and bent his spine until loud popping noises echoed in the tiny room. Yawning, Izuku looked around, wondering how he had gotten there.

"Oh right," he said. "That was a good fight."

Recovery Girl froze halfway through opening the door. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a rubber cane and beat Izuku over the head with it.

"A good fight, you say?" Recovery Girl asked. "You came in here as a puddle of static goo in All Might's hands. I didn't even recognize you at first! It took twelve hours of running the emergency generators non-stop just to get your body back in one piece, then another six to fix your arms up. If it hadn't been for that friend of yours, I wouldn't have even known where to begin!"

"Who, Mei? Is she okay? The villains didn't attack anywhere else in the school, right?"

His questions earned him another smack on the head. "Priorities, young man. Get those sorted out before you turn yourself into a puddle again." Wearing rubber gloves, she grabbed his wrists and carefully prodded his arms. "You had hairline fractures all over your right arm. How you didn't shatter it completely is a mystery to me. I'd also say you were concussed, if there was any brain left rattling around that skull of yours."

Izuku chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, it kinda happens, you know? Nothing a little sleep and a glass of milk can't fix."

This time, Izuku caught the cane and cheekily grinned at her. Recovery Girl dropped the cane and swatted him with her hand.

"Enough of that. Mei told me you'd be starving once you woke up. Is that right?"

Izuku's grumbling stomach answered for him. Recovery Girl shook her head. "Teenagers. I don't know why she brought so much over, you need to take it easy since you-"

Recovery Girl looked back at the cart. Entire pots of porridge, heaping plates of scrambled eggs, piles of buttered toast with multiple jars of jam, and a whole host of other breakfast foods haphazardly heaped onto the cart had disappeared in a flash. She looked back at Izuku, whose cheeks bulged like an oversized hamster.

"Don't you dare-"

Izuku swallowed. The bulge of food crept down his throat and slammed into his stomach like a wrecking ball. He let out a satisfied belch and patted his distended stomach. "Wow, that was almost as good as Sanji's food. Hey, Recovery Girl, got any dessert? I've got a bit more room in here."

Recovery Girl gawked at him. She lifted her cane, but after a moment, shook her head and lowered it. "I thought she was crazy when she said it wouldn't be enough. Well, if you want more, it'll have to wait until Nezu's done with you. He wants to talk with you as soon as you're able to get out of that bed."

Izuku threw the covers off of him and leapt onto his feet. "Guess I'll get going then. Thanks for fixing me up!"

As he dashed out the door, Recovery Girl shouted after him, "You better stay that way, you hear me!"

It hadn't occurred to Izuku that he might not be expected in Nezu's office until he flung the door open, but evidently, the principal had expected him anyway. Nezu had an empty chair set out, with a steaming cup of tea and a whole platter of pastries laid out in front of it. Izuku sat down and shoved desserts into his mouth.

"Recovery Girl said you wanted to see me?" Izuku asked with his mouth full.

"Indeed I do. We need to talk about the USJ and how the HPSC is choosing to handle it."

"Did I do anything wrong?"

"Between you and me, no. You saved Aizawa's life and your fellow students, and for that, I consider the villains' deaths very much justified."

Izuku froze, with a pastry halfway inside his mouth. It fell out and plopped back onto the plate. "I didn't mean to. I made sure I held back this time." Taking a deep breath, he asked, "How did they die?"

"Setting aside that 'this time' comment for later," Nezu said, prompting a wince from Izuku, "Four drowned to death after being rendered unconscious in the water, and two more died of internal injuries from getting pelted with those sticky projectiles Mineta and Tsuyu both claim you threw."

Izuku gaped. "That killed them? I barely put any muscle into those."

"Such are the dangers of your strength, Midoriya. We'll have additional control training to prevent that in the future. As for the rest, the shockwave from your final punch caused numerous spinal injuries, fractured bones, and radiation burns. Recovery Girl helped hide the extent of what you did, but nevertheless, the aftermath of your fight with the Nomu has raised concerns within the HPSC."

"Am I in trouble?" Izuku asked.

"Hardly. The villains trespassed onto U.A. property with clear intent to kill, and you acted in self-defense. However, that hasn't stopped the HPSC from painting your actions in an unfavorable light. They have publicized the casualty list and images of the damage you left behind, and they have the news painting you as a dangerous and unstable student. Already, they're starting petitions to have you removed from the Hero Course and taken into the HPSC's care for remedial studies and therapy."

Izuku's jaw twitched. "They want me to be their puppet."

"Oho! I didn't expect you to catch that so fast. You're a sharp one."

"So how do I stop them?"

"The good news is, you have the perfect opportunity to turn around public opinion. The Sports Festival is a couple weeks away, and a large enough live event that they won't be able to cover up or edit your actions there."

"So, am I supposed to win it or lose?"

"Whichever you prefer, but the important thing is to put on a good show. Come up with what brand of hero you want to be and sell that image to the crowd. Do that well enough, and it'll make discrediting you much harder for the HPSC."

"Alright then. The bad news?"

"The bad news is, the HPSC is citing the recent incident as reason not to trust U.A. with their own Sports Festival, and they've strong-armed their way into managing the event and its security themselves."

"Which means they'll arrange the event to make me look as bad as possible."

"Exactly."

"Do you have any idea what they're going to do, exactly?"

"They'll have their own announcers, so expect them to paint you in a very unfavorable light. I managed to retain control over what events are selected, so at least they can't rig the matchups against you."

Izuku thoughtfully nibbled on a pastry. "This all seems too complicated. I just want to help people."

"Then show that to the world in the Sports Festival." Nezu checked his computer and said, "You're more than welcome to return home if you're feeling unwell, but I have a feeling-"

"I'm good. Class started, right?"

"That you would say that," Nezu finished. "They're still in homeroom, so don't feel any need to rush."

Izuku slammed his tea in one gulp, scooped up the rest of the pastries, and bolted out of the room. Nezu sighed and went back to sending a scathing email to the HPSC director.

Ignoring shouts from Hound Dog not to run in the hallways, Izuku sprinted down the halls fast enough to leave skid marks. He flung the homeroom door open and looked around. "Cool, you're all still in one piece. Sorry I'm late."

The room's temperature dropped a few degrees, and for once it wasn't Todoroki's fault. Most of his classmates avoided his gaze, though Kirishima gave him a cheerful wave, while Bakugo glared at him with crossed arms.

Izuku felt his appetite vanish as he took in the timid and wary glances of his classmates. He had expected a hero's return, expected them celebrating and congratulating him on a good fight. He tried to imagine what he did wrong, then realized it must have been the deaths. Or the news. He had no idea what the news actually said, but was it so terrible they all decided to hate him for it?

"Have a seat and stop disrupting class," Aizawa scolded. "I'd lecture you on making sure you fully recover, but I don't set a proper example." The bandages around his chest crinkled as he sat in his chair.

Once Izuku took his seat, Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "Excuse me, sir, I know we had already done our student council elections-"

"Which are final," Aizawa cut in firmly. "Do not waste time."

"Like hell they are!" Mina shouted. "Are we really going to let him stay president after what he did? You all saw it! He punched that thing until it…"

She cut off, turning green around her cheeks, and she wasn't the only one. Izuku scratched his head, confused. "Until I got rid of it? I don't understand, what did I do wrong?"

Sero snorted. "You killed twenty people, and there's more in a coma."

"Would you rather that I let them kill you?" Izuku asked. "And kill our teachers?"

Aizawa's scarf cracked like a whip. Half the class flinched as the sound sliced through the argument. "Enough. The ethics of killing villains will be a thoroughly discussed topic in your Ethics classes, and while as students you are expected not to make that decision until you graduate and will face consequences for doing so, Midoriya made a judgment call that U.A. chose to accept due to the dire circumstances you all faced. Whatever you hear from the HPSC, whatever you think of what you saw Izuku do, remember that, at minimum, saved my life, and likely saved all of yours as well."

Tsuyu raised a hand. "What about the villains in the flood zone? He wasn't trying to kill them, and they died anyway."

At that, Aizawa balked. "None of you come here with a perfect understanding of your Quirks and strength. Izuku would hardly be the first to have overestimated a villain's ability to survive an attack, nor will he be the last. Any one of you could just as easily kill someone by mistake."

Aizawa stared down Todoroki and Bakugo as he said that. Izuku clenched his hands. He thought he had learned that control, back in the other world. Had he really lost control, or were the villains here far weaker than he was used to?

Iida's hand shot up. "Sir! I must insist, given the recent controversy, is Midoriya really the best suited to represent us? His behavior and attitude are far too violent for a proper hero. Why, he's almost as bad as Bakugo!"

"Up yours, four-eyes," Bakugo shot back.

"Enough," Aizawa snapped. "You all made a decision, and now you have to live with the consequences. If you must, consider this a lesson in dealing with hostile press, as I guarantee you that, at some point in your careers, the same will happen to you. Make one mistake on the job, and the press will have a field day with it. They'll take a magnifying lens to your every action and criticize every decision you made."

"And in such cases," Iida cut in, "Heroes are often called to retire should their actions be found too extreme. Shouldn't Midoriya face those same consequences?"

Aizawa tapped a finger on his desk. "I see you won't be considering this rationally. Very well. A show of hands, how many of you wish for Izuku to no longer be class president.

Izuku felt his heart sink as twelve hands rose at once. Tsuyu hesitated, meeting his gaze for a moment, and ultimately kept her hand down. Todoroki and Tokoyami looked around with bored expressions, while Shoji and Sato gave him sympathetic looks. Aoyama looked as though he was debating with himself, but his hand also remained down. Kirishima had his arms crossed and gave Izuku a nod, while Bakugo snorted and mumbled about all of them being cowards.

"This is a clear majority," Iida stated, "Which should be enough to-"

"I see," Aizawa said. The flat, impassive tone made Iida back down. "And of you, how many feel that I should expel Midoriya from this class?"

After a few seconds, half of the hands fell. Iida and Yaoyorozu were first to withdraw, and seeing them withdraw their hands, Jirou and Sato did the same. After a little longer, Ochako's hand fell, followed by Ojiro's.

Aizawa swung his gaze around the room, as if daring the holdouts to keep their hands up. Mineta held his hand firmly in the air and looked around as if trying to muster support, while Kaminari and Mina looked vaguely ashamed of themselves. Hagakure's expression was unreadable, and Koda hid his behind his upheld arm.

"Were U.A.'s every actions not under extreme and unusual surveillance by the HPSC, the five of you with your hands still raised would be packing your things, and I would be telling the other six that they almost joined you."

Mineta's jaw dropped, and Kaminari and Mina both quickly hid their hands under their desks. Iida stood and shouted out, "But sir, that's highly unfair! Midoriya's actions were clearly unheroic, and-"

"Were they? Are you telling me that no hero has ever killed a villain?"

The class had no answer for that. In the silence, Todoroki said, "Endeavor kills multiple villains a week. He says it's saves time and lives."

Aizawa frowned darkly at that line. "I hope you don't share your father's opinion on the merits of killing villains for convenience's sake."

Todoroki met him stare for stare. "I won't be anything like him."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. But back to my original point, if each and every one of you were to become pro heroes some day, I guarantee you that all of you, at some point, will kill a villain. Certain rescue teams and underground heroes specialized in surveillance and tracking can go their careers without any fatalities, but any limelight hero, fighting villains in public with numerous bystanders, will one day have a call to make when the villain decides those bystanders are an easier target."

Aizawa let his capture scarf unfurl and stroked a section of it. "All Might's done it. Endeavor's done it. I and every teacher in this building has at least one kill under their belt. And when that time comes, if you're not ready to put that villian down, it will be a child, or a mother, or a husband, going home in a casket. If what Midoriya did made you feel too uncomfortable to stay near him, the door is right over there. You can either pay Hound Dog a visit, which I recommend for all of you, or you can tender your resignation to the principal."

No one moved. Aizawa gave them a moment to change their minds before turning on a projector. "Back to my original topic, the Sports Festival. Compete, win, get recognition from Pro Heroes. End of lecture."

"But sir!" Iida said. "You never covered the events, or how we get internships, or-"

"I would have had time for all that if you hadn't interrupted me." The bell rang, and Aizawa went to the door. "Time for sparring practice."

The moment they lined up in the gym, Izuku felt the literal gap that had formed between him and the rest of the class. Even the people who stayed silent on his behalf avoided him, and the ones that had wanted him gone actively hid from him and looked away the moment he caught them staring. Only Kirishima made any effort to bridge the gap between them, sauntering over and asking if he really feels up for a few rounds. Izuku chuckled and shot back by asking if he was ready.

"Pick partners before I pick them for you."

With many a frightened glance at Izuku, everyone practically leapt at each other. Bakugo ignored the few wanting to spar with him and walked over to Izuku.

"You, me. Let's do this."

"Let's not."

Katsuki growled through gritted teeth. "What, I'm not good enough for you? I'm the only one in this sorry lot who stands half a chance against you."

"You sound awfully confident you could beat me," Todoroki observed.

"Eh? What was that, IcyHot? Think because your daddy's such a bigshot that you're any good?"

A wisp of flame curled around Todoroki's side before he ruthlessly smothered it. "I'm good in spite of him, not because of him."

"Alright, prove it then."

As Bakugo and Todoroki squared off against each other, Kirishima awkwardly asked, "So, I guess you two have history?"

"You could say that. It's just us two then, huh?"

Kirishima laughed. "Come on, don't make it sound like we got picked last for dodgeball. I wouldn't have it any other way."

As Izuku took the other side of the ring, he felt every pair of eyes on him. He felt his usual thrill at an impending battle, but worry and hesitation tempered it. He had killed villains by accident, and he could just as easily imagine himself accidentally frying Kirishima.

"Hey, think you can do that giant punch thing again?" Kirishima asked, hardening his body. "I want to see if I can take it."

Izuku laughed anxiously. "That one took a lot out of me. I better stick with simpler stuff, you know?"

Kirishima's smile faltered. "Ah, right. Guess you were laid up in the nurse's office, weren't you?"

Izuku slipped the Sea Prism manacles in his pocket around his wrists. "Just come at me with whatever you got. I'll let you know if it's too much."

"If you're sure."

Kirishima charged and swung a massive right hook. Izuku ducked easily under it and had to hold himself back from punching into his exposed side. Kirishima threw more punches, and each time, Izuku stepped or bent out of the way.

"How'd you learn how to move like this?" Kirishima said between panted breaths.

"Dodging cannonballs thrown by a Marine."

"Fine, don't tell me."

Izuku rolled his eyes as he rolled backwards on his heels, letting the fist graze the tip of his nose, before rocketing his head forward. Before he could think better of it, skull met skull with a solid *thunk* that echoed across the room.

Dead silence fell as everyone stopped sparring to stare. Mina gasped in fright, and Aizawa had his scarf unfurled, ready to intervene.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Izuku began in a rush.

Kirishima busted out laughing. "Damn dude, you're the only person I've met with a skull as solid as mine! I actually felt that one!"

Izuku sighed in relief. Still, even knowing Kirishima could take a hit or two, Izuku still had to hold back. It felt like play-fighting with a toddler, compared to the punishment Luffy or Sanji could dish out. As he went through the motions, he found himself wishing to go back, to where everything seemed so much simpler and he could fight without holding himself back.

Izuku shook the thought away. He wouldn't go back, not until he achieved his goal. But to do that, he didn't just need to be strong. If anything, his strength was making it harder. But All Might had to be stronger than him, and he was the number one Hero.

All Might was stronger than him… wasn't he?

A fist rammed into his face. Izuku barely felt the impact, but instinct made him grab the wrist and bodily hurl Kirishima towards the far wall. He left a Kirishima-shaped crater in the padding that lined the practice room and hit the floor with a wheeze.

"Sorry, I got distracted."

Kirishima massaged his wrist. "Your Quirk makes you lightning fast, pun not intended. I didn't even see you move."

"But that wasn't my Quirk." Izuku held up his forearms. "These turn it off."

"No way, for real? You did all that Quirkless?"

Bakugo's head snapped towards him. Izuku flexed a muscle and asked, "Does this look like a Quirk to you?"

"Has to be, to throw me that far."

"Why don't we put it to the test then?" Izuku slipped the armbands off and held up a crackling orb of electricity. "Aizawa-sensei, if you wouldn't mind?"

Izuku pointedly didn't look at his teacher, yet the electricity fizzled out the moment Aizawa activated his Quirk. With the lightning still inactive, Izuku dashed forward and punched the wall hard enough to punch through the foam and hit concrete.

Izuku shook off his arm. "See? No Quirk."

He had hoped that the demonstration would prove that he wasn't simply an insanely powerful Quirk, that he was strong by his own merit and not someone to be afraid of. If anything, proving his strength wasn't a Quirk made them even more afraid.

"How the heck did you do that?" Mineta screeched. "Like, no Quirk, and you can just punch through concrete like it's wet toilet paper. How?"

Izuku flexed a bicep. "I work out."

Total silence greeted his statement. Sensing the unease in the room, Aizawa said, "My Quirk doesn't work on mutant types. If some aspect of your Quirk improved your physical strength…"

Aizawa let the implication trickle across the room. The students all relaxed slightly after Aizawa's explanation. "Oh, guess it's a part of your Quirk then," Ojiro said. "I mean, I've been practicing martial arts since I was a kid and I couldn't move anywhere near that fast."

Izuku felt his heart sink. He tried to explain how he got so strong, and they all dismissed it as impossible. The gulf spanning them got wider and wider no matter what he tried. Despondently, he turned back to Kirishima and raised his fists. He let Kirishima get a few punches in, but he barely felt them with Tekkai hardening his body.

As he thought over the problem his strength posed, he wondered how he should handle the Sports Festival. He could sweep through it easily, but what would the audience think? Would he seem even more terrifying to them if no one could keep up with him?

But at the same time, holding back would solve nothing. If he wanted to be the number one hero, he had to prove himself. And in order to prove himself, he needed someone to prove himself against. But who could match him in this class? Bakugo once seemed invincible to him, but now, his wild punches and uncontrolled explosions solicited only pity. Todoroki? His ice was impressive, but he had no endurance and struggled in close quarters. And no one else in class could even hold a candle to those two.

Who did that leave? General Studies? Support? Mei might hold her own against him - she got the jump on Kizaru after all, but what were the odds they'd run into each other? Would she make it all the way to the finals or bow out after advertising her inventions?

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kirishima asked. "I get that I'm not in your league at all, but hitting you while you stare off into space just feels wrong."

Izuku snapped back to attention. He had no idea how long he had been staring there muttering to himself. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "Sorry about that, just thinking. Again."

"About what happened in class?"

Izuku's lack of response was answer enough. Kirishima sighed. "Mina and I went to primary school together. I don't think it was cool of her, to, you know."

"It's fine. I get it. I felt like U.A. would be a fresh start, and people were actually liking me, but now…" With a sigh, Izuku said, "If only I could make someone else as strong as I am."

It was like a lightbulb went off in his head. He remembered Rayleigh's warnings about how dangerous it was, but surely someone in U.A. could endure what he did. So, who had the most willpower? Bakugo came to mind first, but he ruthlessly shoved the thought aside. Todoroki was just as strong, but Izuku could tell with half an eye on his fight that he was holding back. That left the one other person with the guts to step into the ring against him.

"Hey Kirishima," Izuku asked, voice low so no one else would hear. "Want to get as strong as I am?"

A/N: ugh, those last twelve days of work leading into Christmas sucked. For the first four, I didn't just have one coworker out. Oh no. Both of them were out with COVID for the week. But did I get my week of COVID leave? Nope, just got a sore throat and a negative test for my troubles. Yay. And every day had a fresh minor disaster that required my immediate attention. Missing code dates, cut seals, wrong code dates, it was great. Just. Great. At least when one of them came back on Friday I got to foist the hold of the day onto them. We'd usually get maybe one of those a week, but not that week! Then I worked Saturday and Sunday alone and almost had the same issues. This past week was more normal, at least, but I still felt so out of it for those days. It's a relief to be on vacation.

This chapter really did not want to be written. I got it done, but being honest, I'm not entirely happy with it. I can't see it getting any better anytime soon, and I gotta ship it out at some point. Part of it might be simply coming out of an epic fight scene just to write a lot of drama, but eh, that's the ebb and flow of a story for you. It can't all be Izuku kicking ass.

Gamelover41592: "this was an epic chapter, awesome battle and loved Izuku's counters, though there is one thing I have to ask, why did you decide to skip the class rep vote?"

Bardothren: I skipped it initially because it had no story relevance and didn't feel like wasting time on it. Since I actually used it this chapter, I went back and added a brief mention of it. Since you probably put the idea in my head, thanks for reminding me of it.

solisarturo: "como nota aparte enel en el manga esta en la luna si no mal recuerdo como mierda respira o acaso ser un ser de ennergia no tienes necesidad de respirar en el espacio ? tantas dudas y tan poca yerba .

Bardothren: Sea posible que espacio funciona diferentemente en la realidad de One Piece y hay aire en la luna, pero no puedo decir con seguridad. Ahora, no tengo planes para Izuku visitar espacio, pero lo recordaré.

ProjectIceman: "Well it is something to see that Izuku, even in this story, can't help but ruin his arms LOL"

Bardothren: what can I say? I gotta keep Izuku somewhat in character.

Joshua the Hand-Written: "No doubt they were weaker. My point was more that Kirishima wouldn't be so doubtful of pirates existing. I'm not really sure what they were translated as, but I feel like the concept of "criminals on boats" wouldn't be such a foreign concept to them. By that conversation, I think the boys would have very different definitions of what a pirate is. Unless you were doing a hand-wavey thing where Izuku didn't actually say "Pirates," but a One Piece universe specific noun that basically translates to "Pirates" in English but would be impossible for his class to understand. It probably doesn't matter in the long run, but I figured I'd add some constructive criticism if you ever feel like editing old chapters."

Bardothren: It's a fair point. I'm going to go with the idea that the term 'pirate' is antiquated by a few centuries thanks to the Quirk revolution and all criminals being rebranded as villains. If it's illegal and on a boat, they're just villains with a boat, and pirates are far enough back in the history books that the only ones in the MHA zeitgeist bury treasure and sail wooden ships.

Mernom: "Are the laws of physics in the MHA world more solid, which means the physics breaking actions the characters take have 'realer' consequences?"

Bardothren: I would say it's less a matter of physical consequences and more a matter of social consequences. In One Piece, entire islands can get leveled on a whim with quasi-nuclear firepower. In MHA, that level of power is only found in the hands of entire nations, not lone individuals.

RedBurnDragon: "Im suprised Izuku didnt just rain lightning down on shigaraki"

Bardothren: Izuku was a little busy keeping Aizawa from getting turned into paste. Otherwise, that's exactly how that fight would've ended.

Caspian123: "I wonder if now that Izuku has demonstrated Haki, if anyone is gonna develop it. I can see 4 characters getting Conquerors very easily: All Might, AfO, Endeavor and Stain. The willpower of those four is titanic, at least for the MHA verse. And the ones that do have potential to develop later I guess Shoto, Bakugo, Shigaraki, and maybe Kirishima (all depends of how Unbrakable works for his psyche)."

Bardothren: does this look like a War of Thunder forum to you? Why do you have to keep spilling all of my secrets?

damilatimofeev713: "Будет ли медленное развитие коробля Изуку/Мэй?"

Bardothren: sorry, this one's Greek to me. I mean, I could – and did – throw this one in google translate, and hey, it's Russian, but that feels dishonest.

Greek and Russian are technically the same, right?

Also, Вам придется это выяснить вместе с остальным пролетариатом, товарищ.

Blame Google if that's butchered.

Imperial Stormtroooper: "Izuku seems to have a habit of copying people he admires, ik canon he copied a lot of All Might's moves, here he copied Luffy's Gears. I was wondering why he didn't copy Roger but his moves are swords exclusive only and Rayleigh didn't really name his attack, so he copied Luffy's instead."

Bardothren: Izuku didn't copy Roger's moves because he can't pull them off yet. That, and I have no idea what the hell they are.

Neil: "your late"

Bardothren: a fanfic author is neither late nor early, he arrives precisely when he means to.

And that's a wrap on the naughty and nice list for this chapter. Speaking of Christmas, there will be at least two presents for you guys to unwrap tomorrow. Keep an eye out for them!