Warning: Long chapter ahead!

Chapter 4: Battle Tournament!

"WOWIE! Looks like this'll be one tough final event, don't you think so, Eraser?!" Said Present Mic from the commentator's booth.

Aizawa groaned. "How about you present the last event instead of blowing my ear off, Yamada?"

Present Mic laughs. "Sure do! I'm sure our lovely audience is fuming with anticipation about our last event, isn't that right, everyone?" The audience cheers. "Good! Because our last students are about to duel it out the old fashioned way! Let's applaud for the final event: THE BATTLE TOURNAMENT!"

The audience cheers and roars, waiting eagerly for the battle tournament to start.

Itsuka had gone back to the stands for a bit. She was still hoping she'd gotten through to Midoriya, since he was in pretty bad shape. His muscles had taken more damage than his bones, but it was still dangerous for him to go out and fight in the final event if he were to pass. Itsuka was glad that Izuku wouldn't get to participate in the next event and could stay safely in bed watching from a safe distance the Sports Festival finish...

Or at least that's what she would have liked to think.

Itsuka froze when she saw Izuku's name on top of the leaderboard. Who the ACTUAL HELL had allowed him to continue? Itsuka tried to conatin her emotions, but she couldn't supress a groan of frustration at the thought of the green-haired boy and his resilience. He was definitely not in good shape, but from all she's figured out from him thus far, he would DEFINITELY try to compete in this final event despite his physical state. Itsuka groaned, since she had just arrived at the stands and she already had to go back to the infirmary again, but she knew she HAD to prevent Izuku from participating. He was in no shape to compete, and he had to see that one way or another.

Itsuka sighed before leaving the stands. As she passed the other students, she couldn't help but notice a very angry-looking Bakugo staring at the leaderboard with disbelief written across his expression. Her first impression of the guy wasn't a very good one, given the way he claimed he'd best everyone at the beginning of the Sports Festival, but for some reason he seemed to have a personal score to settle with Midoriya.

'Yet another thing to ask him about.' Thought Itsuka as she left the stands.

Izuku couldn't believe it himself. He was just getting up from the bed he was resting on, and he immediately saw his name on top of the leaderboard, ensuring his participation at the final event of the Sports Festival. He thought for sure that he would't be allowed to continue after his injury, but for some reason he was still allowed to press on...

His train of thoughts was interrupted when the door to his room opened, and All Might stepped in in his deflated form. Izuku looked away from the TV screen on his room and looked towards his mentor with a surprised expression. "A-All Might? What are you doing here?"

All Might smiles. "I came here to tell you some stuff you'd probably like to know about, kid."

Izuku raises an eyebrow and sits on the bed. "W-Well... To be honest, there's some stuff I was wondering myself..."

All Might chuckles. "You're surprised about everything that happened in the last event, right?"

Izuku looks at All Might with a surprised expression for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "Y-Yeah... How did I manage to qualify for the final event? I thought I did awful..."

All Might's expression falls a bit and he sits down next to Izuku. "Listen, kid... There's a lot of stuff surrounding this particular Sports Festival that has affected its development. Ever since the USJ was attacked, there's been a rising part of the public who want a clear vision of a safe future. Society's been pretty nervous, and some people are even starting to doubt my ability to keep my students safe..."

Izuku's expression turns to a shocked one. "WHAT?! B-But... You're All Might! You're the symbol of peace! How can people doubt you after one little incident you didn't have much chance to do anything in?!"

All Might giggles and pats Izuku's shoulder to calm him down. "And yet, students were endangered all the same. I know I couldn't do much at the beginning, but the fact is that it still happened, and people don't want something like that to happen ever again. Can you blame them, though? If I had a kid I would like them to be and feel safe at their school, even moreso if that school is U.A of all places."

Izuku calms down after listening to All Might's words and sighs. "I... I get it... But... How does that affect the Sports Festival?"

All Might looks at the TV screen in the room with a pensive expression. "The Sports Festival is a golden chance for students to be noticed by pro heroes, but after the USJ incident the pros will be looking for exclusively the best hero material to ensure the peaceful future society desperately wants. Surely you must have noticed the smaller number of students who qualified for the final event, right?"

Izuku nods. "I did... I've watched every Sports Festival with my mom since I was a kid, and there were always 16 students who participated in the Battle Tournament."

All Might nods as well. "This time the number has been reduced to 8 so that the pros as well as society can focus on the most promising of the bunch."

Izuku looks at the screen again with a concerned expression. "But... If that's the case... Then how did I qualify? I know I didn't do as well as everyone else like Kacchan or Todoroki..."

All Might smiles. "Like I said, the people have been on the lookout for the most promising of the bunch. You seem to fit their standards, kid. Everyone saw the way you plowed through the first event and the way you beat that robot at the end of the second challenge. Talent like that was bound to be noticed by the pros! The judges had to justify a lot and use a lot of technicalities, but they made sure you made it to the next event. Congratulations, young Midoriya!"

Izuku felt a bittersweet sensation in his heart. He appreciated the pros giving him a chance to keep going in the Sports Festival, but at the same time it felt like he didn't earn that place, plus, they could have given that place to someone who actually did well in the second challenge, like Itsuka for example. "All Might... I don't know about this... I'm not sure if I'm worthy of competing in the final event. It feels... unearned."

Izuku looked down, but All Might delivered a swift chop to the top of Izuku's head to snap him out of the blue. "Don't be such a worrywart, kid! The people love you, so own it!"

Izuku looks at All Might with a pained expression, although he smiles through the quick pain. "A-Alright, All Might! But... How did I get to the top? I thought I fell behind at the beginning!"

All Might smiles again. "That robot was supposed to guarantee ten million points to whoever took it down, but since it was a team effort from all of you, the judges didn't know how to split the points. Everyone saw you deliver the finishing blow to the robot, so they thought they might as well give them to you."

Izuku looks at his mentor with a surprised expression. "What?! They gave ME the ten million points?! But... Everyone gave it their best shot! Why me of all people?!"

All Might chuckles. "Like I said, they had to use a lot of technicalities to make sure you passed, and that was one of them." Izuku looks genuinely baffled. All Might laughs at his reaction before placing his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "But enough about that. Let's discuss your tactic to actually win the Sports Festival, young Midoriya."

Izuku snaps out of his reverie and looks at All Might with some concern. He genuinely thought he wasn't going to move on to the final event, so he had absolutely no idea of what to do in order to win. "My... tactic?"

"Yeah, your tactic! You're up against young Todoroki. Do you have a plan that doesn't involve getting yourself severely injured with the use of One for All?"

Izuku blinks. He didn't expect to be paired up against Todoroki of all people. He didn't know the guy very well, but Todoroki seemed like an unstoppable force thus far. The way he used his quirk, his stamina, his training... It was almost perfect. How to win against someone who is just better than you in every way? "Well... I don't know yet. I mean, Todoroki's father must have put him through an intense training to get him to where he is now. I don't have nearly as much experience with One for All yet..."

All Might sighs, his expression falling at the mention of the man who has been blocking his friendship for years. "Ah, yes... Endeavor is quite the individual. We spoke once ten years ago, and he hasn't spoken to me ever since. He's so focused on surpassing me that he often forgets what makes a symbol. I worry about young Todoroki sometimes... I hope Endeavor's hatred for me doesn't manage to affect the souls of his family members, especially Young Todoroki's..."

Izuku looks down. "Well... I stumbled upon him and Kacchan on the first challenge... They both want to surpass me, but Tododoki looked like he was hiding something. I know Kacchan likes to prove himself better than everyone else, but Todoroki seems to have a special kind of competitive attitude against me... Do you think it's because you're often seen close to me, All Might?"

All Might sighs and looks away, getting up from the bed. "I sure hope not. Otherwise, Endeavor's hatred for me will have truly gone too far." All Might looks back at Izuku with a smile. "But... Let's try not to think about that. If I'm not mistaken, young Kirishima and young Tetsutetsu are battling on the first round of the Battle Tournament. Try to use this time to think of a good tactic to fight against Young Todoroki, kid."

Izuku looks at All Might with a soft smile. "I will. And... All Might... Thanks for giving me a chance."

All Might chuckles. "You gave yourself that chance when I met you, kid. You haven't let me down ever since."

All Might smiles at Izuku one last time before leaving the room. Izuku looks at the TV and notices that Kirishima and Tetsutetsu are indeed the first ones to fight in the Battle Tournament. Izuku decides to lay on the bed for the time being to think of a plan to beat Todoroki. Everything about his soon-to-be opponent was almost perfect, from the way he used his quirk to his analytical skills... Yet, there were two details that Izuku noticed when Todoroki was using his quirk... He only used his right side to create ice while refusing to use his left side, and he looked... rather sad and angry.

Outside, All Might made his way back to his place, making sure that nobody recognized him. Had he looked to the left side of the door, he would have seen a very surprised-looking Itsuka, who had been listening to their entire conversation.

She heard Izuku talking to a guy that presumably was All Might, but the only person she saw exit through the door was a very skinny-looking blonde man with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. There must have been some sort of mistake from someone, she thought. Itsuka didn't give the man much importance, since her mind was already running wild with all the information she managed to get from the conversation.

'So that's why that last event was too extreme... The pros must have wanted a way to separate the best from everyone else...' Thought Itsuka as she kept herself hidden around the corner. Now the absurdity of the last challenge made sense somewhat. Still, it was a little harsh of them to put such a challenge at the end...

Itsuka looked down for a moment, letting her emotions take over briefly. She came to the Sports Festival hoping to be noticed by the pros and to not disappoint everyone who was watching her. The way things ended was very unpleasant... If the pros really wanted to weed out the weak from the strong... Did it mean that she wasn't good enough? Was it a matter of luck? As the class president it felt like she had failed in a way... Itsuka decided to not dwell on the matter for now. She had enough on her plate already and she didn't need to add some self-esteem issue in as well.

Itsuka also thought about the way Izuku talked to that man about his quirk. What did Izuku mean when he said that his quirk was similar to All Might's quirk? All Might's quirk was an unsolvable mystery to everyone, but now that she thought about Izuku punching the giant robot, she couldn't help but see the similarity he shared with All Might.

Although, what really got Itsuka's attention at the moment was Izuku planning to beat Todoroki in the next event.

'Of course he's gonna fight. I should have known. That idiot...' Thought Itsuka in frustration. She had to admit, Izuku was definitely more interesting than she thought, but it was so damn infuriating to her seeing him trying so hard at stuff that will ultimately end up hurting him. She was mad at the judges for letting him compete in the next round, but she knew it was because Izuku didn't deserve to suffer like this. One of the reasons Itsuka became a hero is because she hates seeing innocent people get hurt, and Izuku was definitely someone who was worth protecting.

For a moment, Itsuka's mind told her to just barge in the room and prevent him from participating in the Battle Tournament. Her mind told her to tie him down to the bed if it was necessary so he wouldn't get hurt. She was about to enter the infirmary and give him the scolding of a lifetime if he thought he was going to participate in the next event. That's what she came here for after all, right?

However, she remembered the promise he made to her. He had promised to take care of himself more. He had to do it, right? If Izuku looked at her in the eye and swore to not take it too hard then he'd have to deliver on his promise, right? It was his word. He had given his word to her. He...

Then it hit Itsuka.

'Hang on a second... What am I doing? Why am I even doing this in the first place? He's some guy I met not too long ago. We're not even in the same class. Why do I even care so much?'

Itsuka huffed before returning to the stands with a small blush in her face. She couldn't believe she let her emotions get the better of her. If the guy was so determined to fight despite his current state then let him! She had more important things to do anyway...

Itsuka returns to the stands. She scans the seats and notices that some students of her class are talking to students of class A. It was clear that the robot incident managed to ease SOME of the tension between the classes Bakugo had started up with his little superiority speech at the beginning of the Sports Festival. Itsuka looked to the side of her class and saw a very irritated Neito Monoma sitting on the corner furthest away from class A with a frustrated expression.

'Heh... That meathead sure is stubborn. He'll get over it eventually.' Thought Itsuka to herself with a small giggle.

Then, she spotted Bakugo apart from the rest of his class. He looked just as pissed as when she left some minutes ago, and his anger hadn't wavered in the slightest.

Itsuka thought about Izuku again. He mentioned someone called "Kacchan" in his conversation, and the only person she could think of with that nickname was Bakugo. But... No way. There was no way he had such an innocent nickname for an raging sociopath like Bakugo. Itsuka was feeling bold, so she decided to approach Bakugo to get as much out of him as possible.

Bakugo sensed someone approaching him. He looked to the side and spotted some redheaded girl approaching him with a smile. He scoffed and looked away. "What do you want, extra?"

Itsuka sighed. "Wow. Still as arrogant as ever, huh, chum?"

Bakugo snarls and looks at Itsuka with condescending disdain. "I said... WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT. EXTRA."

Itsuka crosses her arms and looks at Bakugo with a serious expression. "I want to know what's itching you, pal. All I've seen you do is act like you own the damn place and act hatefully towards Midoriya."

Bakugo scoffs and looks away at the mention of his childhood "friend". "Don't mention that nerd. He somehow managed to cheat his way to the final event. If I get my hands on him I'll..."

Itsuka chuckles. "Wow, so you're not even trying to hide the fact that you target him specifically. What's so wrong about him to you?"

Bakugo looks at Itsuka with a glare. "That useless wannabe has ALWAYS been chasing after me! I don't know if he thinks he's better than me, but I'm not gonna let some worthless nerd like him surpass me, and you better not be thinking of doing the same! I'm number one around here, got it?"

Itsuka squints her eyes at Bakugo. "I don't know him very well yet, but Midoriya doesn't seem to be the guy that looks down on anyone, unlike your pathetic self who gets his kicks pushing around others. This is typical bully mentality - lashing out over some wounded pride or insecurity."

Bakugo's glare hardens, and he makes small explosions in his hands. "You're lucky you're not in the final event, or I would have blasted that smug face off your head, orange hair."

Itsuka huffs and walks away. "Whatever. Just enjoy the rest of the event if you are even able to."

Bakugo and Itsuka mutter to themselves.

"Skank..."

"Asshole..."

Well, that went about as smooth as a cactus with knives on a rocky mountain. The comment he made about her not getting to the final event stung a little, but she attributed it to his aggressive attitude overall and not something personal against her. What was up with that guy? Why was he so hellbent on targetting Izuku of all people? They definitely had SOME sort of backstory for him to act this way towards Izuku only.

'And yet again, ANOTHER thing I need to ask Midoriya about...' Thought Itsuka to herself as she made her way to her seat. At least it was nice to see that SOME members of her class were getting along with class A, even if two particular blondes weren't interested in bonding yet.

Itsuka decided to forget about the two blondes and focus on the match below.

Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were currently fighting, but neither was able to get some sort of advantage over the other. They had similar quirks, similar fighting styles and similar levels of endurance. They had been fighting for about ten minutes with neither coming out on top. Then, the battle came to a head when the two opponents charged at each other with their fists raised. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had punched each other so hard that the sound was heard in the stands, with both opponents falling unconscious to the ground afterwards.

Present Mic speaks in a bored tone. "Well... Looks like our contestants are too equally matched. We'll have to move on to the next round while our participants wake up so that we can settle the score in some other way, agree?"

Midnight nods from the arena, looking at the two unconscious students and waving at the medical staff to take care of them.

Izuku laid on the bed at the infirmary with his gaze fixated on the TV screen. Since Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were knocked out at the same time, Tokoyami and Iida were about to fight in their place. One part of Izuku's brain was focused on their incoming fight, since Izuku didn't know if Tokoyami's quirk had any kind of weakness whatsoever. It would be hard to fight him if they were to be matched up in a later fight.

However, most of Izuku's thoughts were directed at a certain girl with orange hair. Izuku didn't know her very well yet, but he could tell that Itsuka was amazing. The way she fought the robots using her quirk, her straightforwarded attitude, her prowess and majestic look when she fought... She was someone he definitely didn't want to let down... Which is also why he was so nervous about his incoming fight.

He had promised Itsuka to not injure himself more than he should, and he didn't know how to deliver on that promise. Much less when he was supposed to fight Todoroki of all people. He knew he had more chances of winning if he used One for All against Todoroki, but the muscles on his arm were pretty roughed up after the last punch he threw. If he did it again there were no guarantees that his arm wouldn't shatter completely. How to win against someone who had no drawbacks to their quirk, had the analytical skills of a pro, surely had some training before enrolling into U.A, and harbored a pretty competitive attitude towards him?

Izuku groaned mentally at the thought. Fighting Todoroki will be a pain, both literally and figuratively. He just hoped he could handle himself when the time came to not worry Itsuka anymore.

On the arena, the match between Tokoyami and Iida was just getting started. Iida began the match by dashing straight towards Tokoyami and throwing a kick to his side.

"Dark Shadow! Shield!" As those words left Tokoyami's mouth, the monster living in his shadow manifested and covered him using his giant claws.

Iida had to step back for a moment. 'Darn! Tokoyami's quirk is stronger than what I thought! I won't beat him with strength alone! I have to be clever!'

As Iida stepped back, Tokoyami went on the offensive, ordering Dark Shadow to chase him. At the sight of the shadow monster approaching, Iida activated his engines and ran across the arena.

A very frustrated-looking Monoma sighs. "This event is rigged. Most of it has been class A flaunting. Not a single one of us made it to the finals! Seems fishy to me..."

Itsuka chuckles and pats Monoma's shoulder. "Well, you sure seem happy to be here, don't you?"

Monoma chuckles bitterly while looking at the match below. "If I was the one battling down there I would have given class A a run for their money and you know it, Kendo."

Itsuka smirks. "Feeling grumpy like an old man, Monoma?"

Monoma giggles. "Not at all. Just disappointed in this event. I mean, we DID help to defeat that thing on the last event, Kendo. Either way, who are the irresponsable judges in charge of this event anyways and why didn't they allow more of us to qualify?"

Itsuka looks away for a moment, remembering the information Izuku and the person who supposedly was All Might talked about. She thought about revealing the information she learned to Monoma, but she bit her tongue at the last moment. Knowing Monoma, revealing that information to him would only cause more turmoil between the sister classes. "Well... I don't know, but maybe you should be glad you're not down there. Things seem pretty extreme."

Monoma rolls his eyes. "Whatever. I still don't like this, Kendo." Monoma goes back to looking at the match between Tokoyami and Iida, which now begins to take a more interesting turn.

Iida was getting tired from running circles around Tokoyami while Dark Shadow didn't seem to be getting tired at all. Iida knew that he should make one last effort to finish the match here or he'd collapse soon. Iida turns around and runs straight at Dark Shadow.

Tokoyami orders Dark Shadow to attack. Iida smirks. 'You're strong, Tokoyami... But I am FASTER!' Just as Dark Shadow was about to punch Iida, Iida slides on the floor and goes past the floating monster.

Tokoyami's eyes widen in surprise while Iida makes one last sprint towards him. "This is it!"

Iida jumps and moves his left leg to the side, ready to kick Tokoyami out of bounds...

But then...

Oh no.

Iida felt something grab his leg. He looked back to see Dark Shadow extending his arm and grabbing his leg with a firm grip. 'What in the world...? He can change his size too?!'

Iida didn't even have enough time to react before Dark Shadow threw him out of bounds.

Midnight raises her arm at the sight of Iida flying out of the arena. "Iida is out of bounds! Tokoyami moves to the semifinals!"

Tokoyami makes Dark Shadow retreat before bowing respectfully and walking out of the arena silently.

On the other hand, Iida groans and gets to his feet, looking defeated. 'Why...? Was I too slow...? Did I fail to notice something important...?' Iida sighs before walking out of the arena with his head hung low. 'Sorry, brother... I have failed the Iida name... I must work harder from here...'

Itsuka notices that many people aren't quite satisfied with the result of this match. One particular person is Monoma himself, who is rolling his eyes and looking at Iida with disdain. "Hey, what's got you so worked up? Why are you looking at Iida like that?"

Monoma sighs. "I wasn't expecting much, but I was somehow still disappointed. I can't believe that idiot let himself lose with all he has going for him."

Itsuka looks slightly offended. "What do you mean, Monoma?"

Monoma gets up and walks away. "Nothing you would understand, Kendo. I have to go to the bathroom."

Itsuka groans and looks at the arena again. Why was Monoma so antagonistic of their sister class?

Izuku found himself walking through the halls of the stadium, deep in thought. He heard that the last match was a victory for Tokoyami, which didn't calm his nerves one bit. He always had a knack for observing stuff others would dismiss, but Tokoyami's quirk was exceptional even for him. A shadow monster with no weaknesses... How on Earth would he fight something like that?

Izuku's train of thoughts was interrupted when the flame hero Endeavor stood in his path. Izuku immediately snapped out of his reverie and looked at Endeavor with wide eyes. Endeavor never had the friendliest of looks or expressions, but Izuku never had the chance to meet him face to face. The flame hero was even more intimidating in person.

"E-Endeavor...?!"

The number two hero looks at Izuku with an amused expression. "Ah, there you are. I've been looking for you."

Izuku steps back in disbelief. "M-Me? But why...?"

"I've been watching you closely since the Sports Festival begun. When it comes to power, yours is comparable to All Might's."

Izuku tries to contain his shock, but his eyes betray the surprise he feels. "W-What...?! But..."

"Listen. Ever since Shoto was born he had a path that was carved out for him. He will surpass All Might. That's his path in life. When you fight against him, don't hold anything back. I want him to be prepared to surpass even myself."

Izuku's shocked expression turns into a somber one. "Is... Is that what you want of me? Of him?"

Endeavor keeps speaking in a dead serious tone. "Yes. You don't know how much struggle I've gone through to surpass All Might. Even if I am not capable of doing so, my bloodline will. It is Shoto's destiny to surpass All Might, and his match against you will be a good testing ground to see how much training he has left. Hit him hard. Don't disgrace yourself or him by restraining yourself."

Endeavor turns around to leave. Izuku looks at his retreating form for a bit before a small glare forms in his eyes. "Endeavor..."

Endeavor turns around, and his eyes widen slightly at the sight of Izuku glaring at him. "You're right. I don't know what you've gone through to surpass All Might, sir. But... I am not All Might, and the same goes for Todoroki. He might be your son, but he isn't you."

Endeavor looks at Izuku with some intrigue before leaving. Izuku sighs when Endeavor leaves. The way Endeavor talked about his quirk made it sound like he knew about One for All, but it was impossible for him to know... Izuku knew that if there was one person who couldn't know about it, it was definitely Endeavor.

Sometimes keeping the secret of One for All was tough. People weren't dumb, and many had gone too close to discovering the secret many times before, whether because Izuku was often seen around All Might, because their quirk effects were similar, because the way they moved was similar and stuff like that... Someone was bound to know about it sooner or later. All Izuku hoped was for the secret to come out when he was ready to deal with the situation. Or at the very least, he hoped he could share the secret with someone trustworthy...

Outside, the crowd was cheering for the next battle to start. The two opponents approached each other with determined expressions, eager to win by whatever means necessary. The two contestants were none other than Uraraka and Bakugo, who wore determined expressions each.

The girls of class A looked at Uraraka with concern. "This might be the most disturbing battle so far." Said Tsuyu Asui, concerned for the well-being of her best friend.

Momo sighs. "Agreed. Uraraka must have some sort of plan up her sleeve if she wants to claim victory. I fear that Bakugo won't hold back."

Mina tries to lighten up the mood. "Oh come on, everyone! Have some faith in Uraraka! Girl is tougher than she looks!"

Jiro squints her eyes at the blonde boy below. "Maybe so, but Bakugo is an explosive sociopath. He better not hurt her severely or he'll regret it."

The invisible girl known as Hagakure giggles. "Relax, everyone! Let's just cheer for her!"

In the infirmary, Izuku watched the incoming fight with concern. He knew Bakugo very well, and he knew he would never hold back, not even if his opponent was a girl. Izuku couldn't help but feel even more guilty for his injury. Perhaps he could have given some advice to Uraraka if he didn't get hurt. Or he could have devised a plan to help her. Or he could at least have given her some moral support... Either way, things just happened. He had a broken pinky finger, a very pained left arm and no way to help Uraraka at all. Izuku sighs and sits on the bed, hoping that Uraraka could fend for herself.

Then, the bell rings, signaling the beginning of the match.

Bakugo reacted by blasting himself towards Uraraka. Uraraka barely had time to react, but she managed to dodge Bakugo's explosive hand at the last second. 'Crap! He's serious!' Uraraka thought to herself as she got up to her feet.

Bakugo smirks before propelling himself towards Uraraka again. Uraraka extends her hand to use her quirk on him, which he notices.

"Nice try!" Says Bakugo before setting off an explosion in front of him, sending Uraraka back.

Bakugo walks to the site of the explosion, only to find that Uraraka is gone, and she left her jacket there as bait.

Uraraka approaches Bakugo from behind, extending her hand. 'Now is my chance! I'll win and be just like Deku!'

However, Bakugo's reflexes prove to be too much, and he turns around instantly, blowing Uraraka back with another explosion.

The audience gasps, and they start to berate Bakugo verbally.

On the other hand, Bakugo looks at his opponent with an intrigued expression. 'She almost got me... Did Round Face get some plans from that nerd or something? But... There's no way! Deku's been in the infirmary ever since the last event finished! Does that mean she's coming up with all of this on her own?'

Uraraka immediately rushes towards Bakugo again, and he quickly sends her back again with another explosion. This process repeats numerous times, with Uraraka growing more and more exhausted as the battle goes on.

The boys from class A start to feel offended. Kirishima gets up from his seat. "Bakugo! Not manly, man!"

Sero joins Kirishima. "She's just a girl, man! Can't you give her a break?!"

The audience starts to boo Bakugo. Aizawa notices this, and he quickly steps in front of the microphone. "I think that Bakugo is acting accordingly to the challenge. He recognizes his opponent's strength, and he's making sure Uraraka doesn't take him by surprise, since she is a very strong opponent herself. Both opponents should be praised for using every tactic they know against each other in this tournament."

Just as Aizawa says that, Uraraka smiles. "Hey, Bakugo!" The explosive boy raises an eyebrow to the mention of his name. "Watch your head!"

Bakugo looks up to see a huge pile of debris and rubble floating above him, result of him using his quirk repeatedly. Uraraka presses the tips of her fingers together, releasing her hold on the debris to drop it on top of him.

The audience stops booing Bakugo and stare in shock at Uraraka's plan. Aizawa smiles under his bandages, proud of his student.

As the pile of rubble starts to fall, Uraraka runs towards Bakugo. 'Once he gets hit, he'll be too confused to see me approach! I'll make him float out of the arena with my quirk!'

Bakugo's surprise shows for a moment.

But only for a moment.

With one swift motion, Bakugo raises his arms and sets off a huge explosion on top of him, destroying Uraraka's plan and blowing her back in the process.

Uraraka falls on her knees. 'Come on, Ochaco! Move! Move! You... can't let it end like this...!'

The audience looks at Uraraka with amazed expressions. In the infirmary, Izuku looks on in awe. He expected Uraraka to put up a fight, but she certainly exceeded his expectation! Though, it looked like the match would end with her failure...

Uraraka tries to get up, but her fatigue is already spreading to the rest of her body. 'Come on...! My body... won't listen...! I can't let... Deku down...! My parents...!'

Both classes look at Uraraka with adoration and amazement. The way she kept trying to push herself despite her low stamina was inspiring, even to a certain blonde boy who hated the opposite class.

Uraraka closes her eyes and succumbs to her exhaustion. Bakugo stands still, looking at Uraraka with a surprised expression, though he carried a new sense of respect for the gravity girl.

Once Uraraka collapses, Midnight steps in and raises her arm. "Uraraka is unable to continue! Bakugo moves on to the semi finals!"

A few minutes pass after Bakugo's victory, although the thing on everyone's mouths is Uraraka's determination and will to carry on instead of Bakugo. Class A were talking between themselves, praising Uraraka and regretting doubting her. Class B were mostly the same, although there was one boy that still didn't manage to snap out of his trance.

Itsuka noticed this, and move away from the girls to speak to the boy. "Monoma, what's up? That was some match, am I right?"

Monoma looks at Itsuka with some concern. "Kendo... Do you think we'll have to fight class A sometime in the future?"

Itsuka raises an eyebrow, surprised by the question. "Wha...? Well, given that our teachers want us to be as prepared as possible I wouldn't write off the possibility entirely. Why do you ask that of all things?"

Monoma looks back at the arena with a disturbed expression. "I... I guess I don't feel ready yet. With people like that, it'll be pretty hard to surpass them."

Itsuka sighs. She should have known. "Really? You're still thinking about surpassing class A?" Monoma nods, causing Itsuka to facepalm. "Look, I still don't understand why you hate class A so much, but you have to tone it down, dude. You can't let your life be dictated by other people if you wanna be happy."

Monoma scoffs. "That's easy for you to say. It's not like a side character like me has the same chances of surpassing a main character like her as someone like you, Kendo."

Kendo is baffled. Side characters? What on Earth was he on about? "Monoma, I don't know what kind of world you're living in, but that's not how the real world works. There are no "main" or "side" characters. We're all real people!"

Monoma sighs. "I don't expect a main character like you to understand, Kendo."

Itsuka groans before walking to her seat. "Look... The next match is about to start, and it'll be between Midoriya and that other boy who creates fire and ice. Can you please just forget about that whole "main and side chatacters" thing? You might just be going about things the completely wrong way. You could learn from this, actually."

Monoma begrudgingly looks at the arena. Itsuka sure seemed to be interested in this match, he thought. It couldn't be because that green-haired guy was there, right? No, that's not it. Itsuka wouldn't affiliate with class A scum. Although, it was weird that she already knew his last name... Nah, he was imagining things. There was simply NO WAY Itsuka and that "Midoriya" guy knew each other.

Meanwhile, Shoto Todoroki and Izuku Midoriya were standing on opposite sides of the arena, looking at each other with determined expressions.

On the one hand, Todoroki was glaring at Izuku. He knew his father was watching this fight, and that he was hoping he'd use his left side. Todoroki would never use his fire, no matter what. He would never give that bastard the satisfaction of using his quirk, not after all he's done to his mother and himself. He'd win first place without using his fire.

On the other hand, Izuku was staring at Todoroki with mixed feelings. He felt determined to get as far as he could, he felt scared at Todoroki's sheer power and abilities, he felt worried about injuring himself more than he could, he felt intrigued by Todoroki's attitude so far and he felt a twinge of guilt for being in that podium whereas many more could have been in his place instead but couldn't due to the heroes behind the scenes pulling some strings for him.

Nevertheless, Izuku remembered that Todoroki had something akin to a sworn rivalry with him. He knew Todoroki saw him as a rival he was bound to surpass, but there was something else underneath that cold exterior of his. Something... tragic, almost. Still, Izuku knew that he couldn't let his own guard down. Izuku's plan wasn't much of a plan as it was more of a concept. He planned to play defensive until the right opportunity presented itself. It just would be hard to do so when his left arm was still hurting and his pinky finger was broken.

Then, the sound of the match starting snaps Izuku out of his train of thoughts.

Todoroki started with an ice attack directed straight at his opponent. Izuku quickly reacted by raising his right arm and aiming his middle finger towards the incoming barrage of ice.

'SMASH...!' Izuku shouted internally as he released his middle finger, effectively stopping the ice in its tracks and blowing it right back to Todoroki at the cost of his middle finger.

Todoroki quickly created a small ice wall behind him to not be pushed out of bounds. When the wind calmed down, Todoroki looked towards Izuku and his middle finger. 'He was prepared to injure himself in order to stop the attack. Just as I expected.'

Present Mic started to get into the mood of the Battle Tournament after a boring first match, an underwhelming second match and a bittersweet third match. "WOWWW! Midoriya stopped Todoroki's attack!"

The cameras zoomed in on Izuku's now broken middle finger, to which many people gasped, including Itsuka. 'What the...? Is he REALLY doing this now?! That... idiot!' Itsuka groaned to herself as she saw Izuku injure himself as she specifically told him NOT to do.

Todoroki got up to his feet before glaring at Izuku. "Let's continue, Midoriya." Said Todoroki in a low tine before launching another ice barrage at him.

"SMAAAASH!" Shouted Izuku before deflecting the incoming ice attack with an attack from his index finger.

Present Mic got more into the mood, while Aizawa glared at his student from the commentator's booth. "HE STOPPED IT AGAIN!"

Izuku clenched his teeth in pain. 'Crap...! I need to find some opening... But... He attacks very quickly...! It's almost impossible to get information out of him! Come on, Deku! Don't give up! No one is unbeatable, not even him! Just gotta keep observing him...!' Izuku looks to his arms. 'Great... That makes three broken fingers. I got seven chances...!'

Todoroki launches another ice barrage at Izuku, which he quickly deflects by aiming his right ring finger and releasing it. 'Great...! Six more chances...!'

Meanwhile, Todoroki is getting frustrated. "Midoriya... I'll end this quickly!" Todoroki launches yet another ice barrage towards Izuku, which he deflects by aiming his right pinky finger at it and releasing it. Just as the wind calms down, Todoroki creates an upwards ice path to approach Izuku.

Izuku looks up and sees Todoroki about to jump down at him, and he reacts by jumping backwards. Todoroki smashes the ground below him and creates a pile of ice. Todoroki looks at the retreating form of Izuku, and he expands the ice to encase him.

Izuku looks on in horror as the ice envelops his foot. 'Crap! He's too close!'

Izuku thinks for a moment...

Before the power of One for All engulfs his injured left arm!

Izuku punches in front of him, and a huge shockwave of air and ice expands across the stadium. Izuku cries out in pain as the already injured muscles on his right arm feel the weight of the power of One for All taking its toll on his bones.

Izuku calms down as he sees that Todoroki is now standing on the opposite side of the arena, at a safe distance from him. The audience looks on in awe, and Izuku's classmates are no different. Itsuka is absolutely flabbergasted. 'What is he doing?! Four of the fingers on his right arm are broken and his left arm is busted! He can't keep doing this!'

Izuku notices that Todoroki is trembling slightly, although he seems to not be too bothered. "Midoriya... That attack was more powerful than your last ones... Guess you really didn't want me getting close."

Izuku looks down, clutching his left arm while Todoroki lets out an icy sigh, looking at his father with disdain. "Thanks to you, HE looks pissed. I've managed to get this far without using his quirk, and I plan to keep doing it to reject him entirely. You can't keep fighting with your arms in that state, can you? Let's just get this over with."

Todoroki launches a final ice barrage towards Izuku, thinking that the fight is already over.

Izuku looks up to Todoroki with a fired up expression. "Is THAT so?"

Todoroki is taken by surprise when Izuku also manages to somehow deflect this attack. Todoroki was so shocked that he was almost thrown out of bounds, but he managed to create an ice wall behind him just before falling off the arena. The audience looks on inawe, and when the cameras zoom in on Izuku, Todoroki understands what happened.

"You bastard... You used your broken index finger?"

"You're trembling, Todoroki..."

Todoroki raises his eyebrows in surprise. Izuku is shaking, but he looks more determined than ever. "Quirks are physical abilities... There's a limit to how much cold your body can take, right? Isn't that something you could solve using the heat from your LEFT SIDE?"

Todoroki clenches his teeth in frustration as Izuku keeps speaking. Izuku looks at his classmates briefly before continuing. "Everyone is fighting with everything they've got in order to achieve their dreams and get closer to their goals... To become number one... You think you can win with just half of your strength? You haven't put a single scratch on me, you know!" Izuku clenches the broken fingers on his right hand before looking at Todoroki with a determined expression, much to the horror of the audience and even Present Mic. "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

Itsuka didn't know what Izuku was saying, but he looked pretty fired up. Seeing him hurt himself to this level was just worrying to a whole new extent. 'What... is he doing? Why is he going THIS far? What drives him to so this to himself?' Itsuka's angry expression turns into a more concerned one. 'Izuku Midoriya... Just WHO are you?'

Meanwhile, Todoroki looks even angrier than before. "Midoriya... What did you just say? Everything I've got...? Did my bastard old man buy you off or something? You don't know what you're talking about! Now I REALLY am pissed!"

Todoroki charges at Izuku again, although it's clear for everyone that his movements are much slower. Todoroki jumps towards Izuku, but he was already prepared. "Imagine the egg again... Come on... It won't explode... You got this...!"

Izuku charges up One for All in his right arm and punches Todoroki in the stomach, sending him back. The audience goes wild and Present Mic comments with renewed energy. "HE GOT A HIT ON TODOROKI!"

Aizawa's gaze softens. He rememberes what he told Izuku on the very first day of school... The kid still had a long way to go, but his control over his quirk was definitely better. He isn't just fighting recklessly because hee wants to, Izuku is fighting in any way he can with the control he had over his quirk in this point of time.

Todoroki and Izuku charge at each other again, with Izuku launching even more attacks from his broken fingers. His left arm's muscles still hurt from the previous challenge, and it was painful to lift up, but Izuku was so full of adrenaline that he hardly noticed the pain and he kept breaking his fingers to shove Todoroki away.

The pros were starting to get worried. Cementoss speaks to Midnight through her earpiece. "Midnight, we might have to stop this match if this keeps up. That Midoriya boy might think that Recovery Girl will heal him after this, so he is probably not too worried, but at the rate he's going right now he might sustain permanent injuries. Plus, even if he wins, he might not be in good enough shape to continue fighting on the next round." Midnight nods from the arena and keeps watching the fight with a serious expression.

Izuku groaned when he found himself unable to make a fist. Izuku resorted to placing his thumb on his inner cheek like he did when he was a kid. "SHHHMAAAAASHHH!"

Todoroki was sent back yet again when Izuku released his thumb. "You... Why... WHY?!"

Izuku replied through multiple pants and groans. "Because... I want to be able to make people smile... I want to be a hero!"

Todoroki freezes in place for a moment. A flashback from his childhood he had forgotten about passed through his eyes, one that featured him sitting on the couch with his mother, and one that made him unaware of the incoming Izuku, who headbutted him and sent him back, snapping him out of his thoughts abruptly.

"Todoroki! I don't know or care about your circumstances or resolve! My motivation might even be silly compared to yours... But you have NO RIGHT to become number one if you won't give it your all! Stop messing around and come at me with everything you've got!"

Todoroki felt a pang of nostalgia creep up on him as Izuku said those words. His mind started to drift off to places in the past he wanted to leave behind... Memories of himself being hit by his father in order to train him since he was a kid, memories of him being separated from his siblings because of his father, memories of his mother being hit in front of him, the memory of his mother dumping boiling water on his face due to her trauma... It was hard for Todoroki to focus on the match with these thoughts coursing through his mind.

Izuku charged up One for All in his left arm before punching Todoroki. It wasn't nearly enough to seriously injure the half and half user or himself, but Todoroki was sent back either way. "THAT'S WHY I'LL WIN THIS! I'LL SURPASS YOU!"

Todoroki grunted before getting up tiredly. "I... will not... use... my old man's quirk..."

Izuku screamed at Todoroki at the top of his lungs. "IT'S YOURS! YOUR QUIRK, NOT HIS!"

As soon as those words left Izuku's lips, Todoroki's mind drifted to a memory he thought he had forgotten because of so much darkness in his past being brought on by his father...

A memory of himself sitting on the couch with his mother, back when everything was peaceful.

All Might was giving an interview, and Shoto looked on in awe and amazement. "Of course, quirks are more often than not inherited by one's parents... But the really important thing is not that connection. Recognizing your flesh and blood... Recognizing yourself! We are more than the quirks we were born with, and we must learn that we aren't what our bodies tell us that we are. We are ourselves, and no one can take that away from us. That's what I mean when I say: I AM HERE!"

Shoto smiled brightly at the TV, and his mother noticed it, rubbing his head lovingly.

"You want to be a hero too, don't you? You're not a prisoner of your own blood, Shoto. It's okay for you to become... who you want to be."

'I can't believe how much I'd forgotten...'

Todoroki felt like tearing up, but any tears that might have formed on his eyes were immediately dried out when Todoroki bursted into flames much to everyone's surprise.

Todoroki's classmates were stunned. "He's using his fire!"

All Might and Itsuka looked on in amazement. Itsuka's gaze turned into a surprised one. 'Midoriya... Did he do all of this for Todoroki?'

All Might furrowed his eyebrows. 'Young Midoriya... Don't tell me you were trying to save Young Todoroki all along...'

Izuku had to cover his eyes for a moment, but the sound of Todoroki's voice made him look at Todoroki with a surprised expression. "Now which one of us is screwing around? Helping your enemy like that..."

Todoroki emerged from the fire wearing a grin on his face. "I... want to be a hero too!"

Izuku smiles proudly, an action that's also shared by Endeavor, who grins and suddenly shouts. "YES, SHOTO!"

Everyone looks at Endeavor, who is walking down from the bleachers with a smirk. "Have you finally come to your senses? YES! Very good! With my blood, you will surpass me and live up to the reason I CREATED YOU!"

Present Mic rubs his head sheepishly. "And Endeavor suddenly souts encouragement for his son! Such a doting, loving and supportive father..."

Izuku's smile vanishes when he sees Todoroki heat up his flames. "Why are you smiling? With those injuries, in this situation... You're crazy, Midoriya. Don't blame me for what happens next."

Todoroki stomps the ground and charges up one final attack with Izuku doing the same.

Cementoss places his hands on the concrete below the arena and uses his quirk to try to block the two boys away from each other with concrete walls. "Midnight! We have to stop this or they'll kill each other!"

Midnight tears the sleeves on her outfit and aims for the boys. "Ths boy's body won't hold up!"

Todoroki sends out one last barrage of ice bigger than any of his previous attacks, and Izuku jumps over it with the power of One for All. 'That's it... Gotta get close... And hit him with everything I've got!'

Todoroki heats up even more, and the ice around him melts in under a second as Izuku extends the palm of his hand towards him.

Todoroki raises his arm while speaking in a low, yet sincere tone. "Midoriya... Thanks."

Itsuka can't stand this anymore. She quickly gets up from her seat and shouts to the top of her lungs, an action that doesn't go unnoticed by her classmates. "MIDORIYA, YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT OF TH-!"

Itsuka's sentence is cut short when Shoto uses his fire power to ignite the cold generated by his wave of ice to create a huge wind blast which, along with Izuku's wind pressure attack, creates a huge shock wave which blasts both of them back and destroys Cementoss' cement wall in the process.

The blast is felt all across the arena, with many people from the audience having to cover their eyes due to the sheer number of dust particles in tha air. "What's happening down there?!" Shouts Momo, who is covering her eyes.

"Dude! This is insane!" Shouts Kaminari, who is clinging to his seat.

"What the heck is up with class A?!" Shouts Monoma from his seat, with Pony clutching onto him with all her strength to not be blown away.

When the wind calms down, the pros who were at ground level get up and rub their backs in pain. Cementoss looks at the arena in awe. "Just because something is powerful doesn't mean it's good... But man, these two are good."

Midnight gets up and rubs her back before looking at the arena, with the audience following after her. She spots someone standing outside the arena. Everyone's hearts stop for a solid second before the smoke clears, revealing the identity of the boy out of bounds.

It's Izuku. He slumps over before collapsing entirely on the floor.

On the other hand, Tooroki is standing on the arena with a pensive expression, panting heavily, yet at a calmer rate than when he was fighting Izuku.

Midnight rases her arm. "Midoriya is out of bounds! Todoroki moves on to the semi finals!" The audience cheers loudly for Todoroki.

On her part, Itsuka was now absolutely blown away. She watched as Midoriya was being carried away by the medical staff to the infirmary again, but her mind couldn't stop repeating the images of him fighting Todoroki. The way he broke his own body multiple times, the way he stumbled all over the arena, the way he was barely holding himself together... Izuku definitely lost, but it didn't feel that way to her. He managed to get Todoroki to use his fire, after all. It was then that Itsuka decided that ENOUGH was ENOUGH. Everything she'd learned about this "Izuku Midoriya" boy was surprising, confusing, contradicting and more on so many levels... But what she definitely knew was that he was someone exceptional, and she needed to know why.

Itsuka got up from her seat and walked towards the infirmary in hopes of getting to talk with him again. Itsuka's classmates noticed this too, but decided to not disturb her since they were still recovering from the intense match themselves.

Itsuka spent most of the way towards the infirmary muttering to herself. What would she say to him? What did she plan on knowing? What on Earth was she supposed to say to not appear so obvious or intruding? She walked at a very slow pace to answer these questions, and yet she didn't know the answer to them. Perhaps it was best to just let things flow naturally, she thought.

As she finally got the courage to approach the infirmary, she heard some voices coming from inside. They sounded concerned and startled. "SURGERY?!" Was all she could hear from inside. The voices gradually became louder until they were pushed out of the room.

"B-But...!"

"Surgery is kinda a big deal, isn't it?!"

"Will his injuries be completely healed?!"

Itsuka raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw four of Izuku's classmates being pushed out of the room by Recovery Girl. If she remembered their names correctly, they were Tenya Iida, Tsuyu Asui, Minoru Mineta and Ochaco Uraraka. They looked pretty concerned about Izuku, but they were forced to let him rest.

The four students sighed in resignation before walking towards their seats once again. At the sight of Itsuka, Iida decided to greet his classmate. "Greetings. If I'm not mistaken, you are Itsuka Kendo, the president of class B, correct?"

Itsuka giggles awkwardly. "Y-Yeah... That's me. Say, was Midoriya in there just now?"

Iida crosses his arms and looks down. "Unfortunately, yes. We were instructed to leave the room for Recovery Girl to perform surgery on him."

Itsuka raises her eyebrows and steps back for a moment. "What?! Surgery?! Is he really THAT badly injured?!"

Tsu steps forward. "Well, she said that she needed to extract the small fragments of bone that could be stuck in his joints."

Itsuka looks away. "Jeez... I didn't think it was THAT bad..."

Iida smiles softly. "I don't think we should worry. Midoriya is a lot stronger than he looks. As his friend and fellow classmate I have utmost faith in him and I know he'll pull through this."

Itsuka giggles at how formal Iida is, even in moments like these. "You got that right... He's lucky to have friends that look out for him like you."

Tsuyu smiles. "You shouldn't forget about yourself, Itsuka-chan. You were also coming to check on him, weren't you?"

Itsuka blushes before crossing her arms. "Wha-? W-Well... I guess so. I mean, I met him not too long ago, but I can tell he's someone kind and sweet. I'd hate for something bad to happen to innocent people like him."

Tsuyu giggles before walking past Itsuka. "Well, we're going back to our seats. The stage suffered a lot of damage, so they're taking a break to repair it, but it'll be fun to talk with everyone else about this, right?"

Iida nods. "Agree. This is a learning experience like no other, although I have to remind everyone to not go to the lengths Midoriya went to."

Itsuka smiles and rolls her eyes at Iida's attitude. At first she tought the guy was a jerk like Bakugo, but in reality he was just pretty serious about school in general. At least she was happy about the previous challenge bringing their classes together to some extent. She was getting to know more about class A, and they didn't seem nearly enough of a bunch of jerks as Monoma made them sound like. They were actually pretty nice and interesting people, and Itsuka found herself wanting to know more about them. Itsuka smiles to herself as she walks alongside Iida and Tsuyu back to their seats.

The only ones that hadn't said anything through it all were Uraraka and Mineta. Mineta had been too busy staring at Itsuka's legs to care about what she had to say, but Uraraka was a different case... It was this feeling again. She didn't know why, but seeing Kendo worried about Midoriya felt off to her for some reason. Uraraka thought about ignoring this feeling again, but it was harder due to her not being used to feeling like this two times in a row, and for a boy of all things!

Uraraka sighed before walking alongside the rest of the group, hoping that she could sort out her feelings soon.

Thirty minutes later, the arena was about to be fixed and the next set of matches would start soon. The students of class A and B took advantage of this time to get to know each other a bit more. They weren't friends yet, but the tension between classes had diminished somewhat. Itsuka was currently speaking to Momo Yaoyorozu, talking about the agencies they'd like to join, the matches they'd witnessed so far and the former events.

Suddenly, a green-haired boy makes his entrance from the top of the bleachers. Izuku has a cast around his right leg and left arm, but he is still smiling as usual. Uraraka turns around and looks at him worryingly. "Deku! Is your surgery done already?"

Izuku giggles. "Yup. Recovery Girl has magical hands!"

Uraraka raises an eyebrow in concern. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Izuku shakes his head. "Maybe, but I wanted to watch properly. Everyone's efforts to be number one... They're all so inspiring! I almost feel like I'm getting stronger just by watching them."

Uraraka smiles softly at Izuku. The way he spoke about his friends and classmates was one that infatuated her in secret.

"Midoriya."

Izuku turned around to the mention of his name, and he saw a very serious-looking Itsuka, who had moved away from Yaoyorozu and was now at the top of the bleachers. "We need to talk. Don't worry, I'll be quick"

Izuku nodded nervously. "I... Y-Yes, Kendo..."

Izuku got up from his seat and followed Itsuka, who was taking him to an area in which no one would hear them. Uraraka looked on, trying to ignore the sinking sensation she felt in her stomach.

Once they were alone, Itsuka looked at Izuku with a small glare and crossed her arms. "So... I told you to not get hurt and you didn't listen."

Izuku cringed at Itsuka's words. He knew he had promised her to be more careful, and he blew it away. "Y-Yes... I did... Sorry, Kendo..."

Itsuka nods. "And not only that, but you had to get surgery to not get any permanent damage on your joints... Is that correct?"

Izuku felt himself cringe even more. "Y-Yes..."

Itsuka sighs. "You know... I'm not mad at you, but I'm a bit disappointed. I really thought you could take care of yourself a bit more... I guess I just wanted to talk to you to tell you that I don't understand you, Midoriya. I don't understand why you did all of that. I don't understand what drove you to break your body so much. I don't understand what you wanted to achieve..."

Izuku also sighs and looks at Itsuka with a sad expression. "I know... I'm sorry, Kendo... But..." Izuku's sad expression falls for a bit. "I don't think I would have done things any differently."

Itsuka raises her eyebrows and uncrosses her arms in surprise. "Wait... What did you say?"

Izuku flinches a bit before looking at Itsuka with absolute conviction in his eyes. "I said I wouldn't have done things differently."

Itsuka's serious expression turns into a slightly angry one. "But... Why? You could have seriously injured yourself out there! Hell, you probably would have died!"

Izuku sighs. "I know, but... I saw someone who needed help, and I couldn't just stay still."

Itsuka's anger is replaced by some confusion and a hint of sadness can be seen in her eyes. "Explain yourself, mister."

"Ever since I met him, Todoroki always stuck out to me as someone who thought too highly of himself. Everyone knew he was the son of Endeavor, and yet, he refused to use his father's quirk. I thought he hated everyone, but... I saw that, underneath the anger in his eyes, there was some sadness and grief deep in his soul. I don't know what happened to him to make him the way he is today, but it must have been bad."

Itsuka raises an eyebrow again. "So... you did all of this to yourself for him, then?"

Izuku grabs his left arm softly and looks down in thought. "I know I could have died... I know I could have ignored it... I know my motivation might seem silly to everyone... But I've always wanted to be a hero who can save everyone, and a hero's duty is essentially to meddle where you're not called. I saw someone who needed saving, and I couldn't bring myself to let him suffer anymore..."

Itsuka's gaze softens at his words, and she tries to contain herself from becoming too emotional as he continues to speak.

"Plus, I meant every word I said to Todoroki. Everyone is giving it their all here, and he had no right to become number one if he wasn't gonna use his full strength. Todoroki's heart was sealed in some darkness brought by his past, and it was preventing him from using his left side. I'm glad I could convince him to use his fire, but that was his choice in the end. All I did was convince him that his quirk was his and no one else's. I wouldn't have done things any differently, because I saved Todoroki from himself."

Itsuka felt moved by his words. She still didn't know much about him, but he was... just a really sweet and kind person in general. Itsuka couldn't help but feel a pang of happiness at Izuku's motivations to become a hero. He was noble, brave, determined and resilient, all qualities she admired.

Izuku almost jolted in surprise when he felt Itsuka wrap her arms around him softly. "Erm... K-K-Kendo...?"

Itsuka chuckles before letting go of Izuku. "You sure are a frustrating person, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku giggles awkwardly and rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "A-Ah... I am?"

Itsuka smiles. "Yeah... I told you not to hurt yourself and you showed everyone what you're made of instead... Can't say I'm surprised, though. Based on everything I've learned about you I can tell you've always been one tough cookie. I'm guessing you've got a heart too brave and loyal for your own good sometimes. But dang, you took it too far this time." Itsuka places her hand on Izuku's cast while smiling softly.

Izuku laughs softly and he feels his cheeks heating up. "Heh... Heh... I guess that's just how I am? Maybe? Kinda? Sorta?"

Itsuka's smile widens. "Just take it easy, okay? I'm here now. Besides, I bet no one's gonna bother you again, not after that match! Though maybe next time... maybe check with your pal Itsuka first before going all Rambo on 'em?" Itsuka chuckles.

Izuku chuckles too in response. "Thanks, Kendo... But you don't have to do this. I'm fine now..."

Itsuka smiles before taking out a pen. "Nope! Too bad for you, tough guy! From here on out you'll have to answer to me whenever you get hurt, you hear me? Plus, I got a way to make sure you behave."

Izuku watches as Itsuka writes something on his cast. "K-Kendo... What are you doing?"

Itsuka chuckles as she stops writing. "I'm giving you my number, of course!"

Izuku looks at the cast on his arm and realizes that it's indeed her phone number. It's a bit small and located in an awkward part of his cast, probably due to Itsuka wanting no one to know about it. "H-Huh?! A-Are you sure about this, Kendo?"

Itsuka nods. "Yup. And one more thing... Our classes seem to be getting along, so we'll probably meet again. I want to get to know you a bit better, and... Since we'll see each other again you might as well call me Itsuka."

Izuku blushes furiously. "A-A-Are you serious...?!"

Itsuka nods while chuckling. "Well, I gotta get back to my seat to make sure Monoma isn't causing fights again. See you around, tough guy!" Itsuka ruffles Izuku's hair before walking away.

Izuku is left dumbfounded for a moment. He has a lot of questions in his mind, but a voice in his head takes the lead.

'OMIGOSH! A GIRL GAVE ME HER NUMBER!'

So, there you have it. The ending of the Sports Festival arc...

To be honest, I just wanted to end this arc as soon as possible to properly kick things off.

Now that THIS is out of the way, would you guys like me to write chapters in which Izuku and Itsuka bond more or should I stick to the canon events and arcs only?

Either way, I'm still reading and listening to your rewiews and opinions!

Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry for the extra long chapter!

See ya in the next chapter! Bye!