Well, trying to get into a new game that's been all over the place screwed me over. I tried to download Zenless Zone Zero, and when I saw the file size, I went, 'Nah, I'll download the bulk of that when the month(July) ends'. But that didn't happen. Instead, my computer tried to get the game and burned through ALL my normal data(I didn't even get the entire game, I just managed like 19%).

Chapter 32: Fun and Games

With the bracket decided, Midoriya approached Shinso, the boy still finding it weird to see him dressed like a cheerleader, and as if more bizarre, he made the look work. Midoriya's peppy words knocked him out of that thought. "Good luck out there, Shinso."

"Not sure how much good that'll do me since Monoma probably knows how my quirks works." Shinso rubbed the back of his neck, but Midoriya giggled into his pom-poms.

"Nah-ah, we didn't tell him a thing, even when he asked," he replied, which Shinso looked at in shock. When he looked at his other two teammates, they nodded in agreement, which made him feel a little warm inside. First, they didn't care about his quirk, then they happily worked with him, and now this? The guy had to wipe away some tears before they could fall.

"Which I still think is unfair." Monoma appeared behind, about to lean on Shinso, but Midoriya pushed him out of the way. Monoma's smile broke just a little at Midoriya stopping his plans, but the green-haired boy only cheekily smiled back.

"A hero needs to be able to think on their feet. Besides, we kept it fair and didn't tell him how your quirk works." Midoriya seemed pretty proud of himself, but Monoma was less impressed.

"I feel like that would have been redundant," he pointed out, as you'd need to be an idiot or haven't been paying attention to his earlier performances to not figure that out. Midoriya, on the other hand, didn't care about that.

"Well, we didn't to keep things fair," he retorted before grabbing Monoma and dragging him back to the rest of the boys so they could start their little performance. It was rushed, as Tsunotori had only had 10 minutes to coach them through some stuff she had saved on her phone, but it sounded like it would be fun, and he wanted to have as much fun as he could with his friends, an idea that just made him all the gidier.

Lucky for him, Present Mic spoke up, cutting any opposition from Monoma. "We got our bracket, so let's leave aside the brutal tournament for a fun little interlude! That's right, it's time for the recreational games!" As he declared, fireworks flew into the sky and went off, their bright and colorful blasts and streamer-like effects only added to the excited mood as Midoriya jumped into the air, breathing out a massive emerald fire.

"All right, it's show time!" He yelled, a massive smile on his face as he landed, and the boys, despite zero experience in cheerleading, started their rather basic routine. Still, one that they just had fun with as not even 5 moves in and they were improvising, using their quirks to make it all that more engaging to keep up with the raw skill and experience of their American counterparts, who kept up the smiles, but when they shared a glance, they could tell.

It was on.

Tradition, skills, and experience went up against innovation, spirit, and adaptability. More than that, they were classmates who trained together and could reasonably predict what the other was going to do, so when Fukidashi took a deep breath, Rin and Midoriya, the next shortest boys, got ready. With a 'WOOSH' sound effect, the two were thrown into the air, where they did some crazy spinning flips as if they were in a wind tunnel before landing on a solid air platform Tsuburaba made.

That platform was then sliced to pieces by Monoma and Kamakiri, the former having copied the latter's quirk, leaving the two to tuck into balls, rolling mid-air before being caught by Shishida and Bondo as Midoriya was lowered to his knees where he looked directly up and let loose another stream of fire which Tetsutetsu barrelled right through, his quick active, with Kaibara following, his pom-poms spinning like drills.

It was sheer madness and clearly an amateur project done by people who barely knew the first thing about cheerleading or proper teamwork, as it was more just 2-3 doing something and staying out of the other's way. It was dynamic and clearly a passion project done by people who wanted to have fun, and the audience was more than receptive to it, cheering for them almost as much as they did the professionals, both teams laughing and smiling as they performed, encouraging the other.

It didn't matter that they were the inferior performance; what happened was the fact they could put on a skirt, grab pom-poms, and perform both because it was fun and to hype up the crowds. Off to the side, class B's girls were their biggest supporters, Kendo and Tokage being the loudest. "Keep it up, guys!" Tokage laughed at the entire thing, Tsunotori struggling to hold her phone straight as she recorded the whole thing, with Yanagi having to help with her quirk.

They weren't the only ones as class A's girls were right with them; even if they had people set to fight in the finals, they couldn't stand aside, not when Midoriya and Monoma helped them out of a tricky situation and were giving them a show as icing on the cake. "You go, boys! Show 'em what U.A. is made of!" Ashido yelled, with Jiro smiling the entire time. They looked like they were having fun; it almost made her want to join in.

Almost.

The recreational games weren't just that; however, an elaborate series of games had been created for it, with many of those who didn't make it to the finals participating.

But others had decided against such, two of whom being Bakugo and Todoroki. They had lost interest as soon as they heard the bracket, though now they glared towards Midoriya, wondering how someone so bothersome could be so immature and silly. Todoroki had been robbed of his victory once by that fire spewing in the first round and barely managed to hold onto it in the last. That was a slight he wouldn't so easily forgive but one he would correct.

'I can already tell that my old man must have his eye on him; well, he won't get his wish. We're set to fight in the quarter-finals; he won't lose to Kirishima.' Todoroki thought to himself as he recalled what Midoriya did to that 0-pointer during the race. 'Good, I want to fight him to beat him and make it clear that I can win this entire thing with just my ice.' He sent one last glare before leaving the flame-loving fool to his fun; if he had his way, it would be some of the previous he had that day.

'Dammit, that pyromaniac isn't in the same block as me.' Bakugo hated that he had repeatedly shown him up, so he wanted him to pay for it. His forearm burned as he recalled their last encounter before U.A. He had already decided that he'll be the one to do it, no one else, so as much as it pained it, he was hoping that the pro-bastard beat shitty hair, half-and-half bastard, and grass head.

Eventually, the two cheer squads finished their routines, with the foreigners approaching the class B boys. "Damn, you guys sure know how to put on a show."

"Yup, my boys are something else!" Tsunotori spoke for them, acting like their coach or manager, which flew right over most of their heads.

"When did we become her boys?" Honenuki asked.

"Hey, Monoma, you guys done?" Kendo ran up to them, Monoma turning to address her as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

"Just about; we were just winging it for most of it and are out of ideas," Monama admitted, even as Tsunotori tried to cover up for that reveal the Americans who turns out, were from a rival state to Nebraska, creating instant beef between their resident Philly and her fellow Americans.

"Good, then come with me!" Kendo held up one of the cards from the retrieval game she had started playing, one with a simple premise where the students picked up a card and had to find whatever the card called for. The one that got the most won, but she was already behind, having taken time to cheer for them first.

"Why?" Monoma saw people asking for textbooks, bags, and makeup, so what could her card possibly call for that required him? Kendo answered that question by showing off how it called for her to find a 'perverse person'.

In his shock at such a backhanded insult, she scooped him up in her enlarged hands and ran off. "Kendo, I believe that you have me confused for someone else." He tried to convince her, but she wasn't listening, and he knew for a fact she was enjoying this as she was smiling the entire time!

"No, you'll do just fine!" Watching this, Midoriya and Tetsutetsu started to laugh at their friend's misfortune till Midoriya felt someone tapping his shoulder. Looking, he saw that it was Komori, who looked a little shy.

"Is there something you need, Komori?" Midoriya asked with a smile, wanting her to feel more comfortable.

"Well, you know how Kendo needed Monoma for the game?" Komori lifted her card, but he couldn't see what it asked her to get, though he had an idea.

"I'm not a perverse person!" Midoriya was nothing like Monoma or those guys from class A.

"Well not, but you are cute." Komori replied, a smile peaking out from under bangs as she turned the card and true to her word, it asked her to find a 'cute person'.

"Wait, little kids, girls, and puppies are cute; it doesn't apply to me, right guys?" Midoriya laughed it off, turning to the rest, who went silent. "Guys?"

"Well, you do look great in that outfit," Shishida started, but Midoriya heard only a lack of support.

'Betray!' He screamed in his head as Komori led him away, the boy not even fighting as he pouted angrily. "I'm so burning all your socks, but just the right ones!" He yelled back at them before he was deposited next to Monoma with the rest of the gathered goods, one of which happened to be a cat of all things that decided his head was a great place to take a nap.

Once the game had ended, Midoriya and Monoma were allowed to leave the field, though it took a while to convince the cat that his heated head wasn't its napping spot. With most of the time already gone, they had decided to use the time to get ready as while Monoma went about plotting his way to victory, Midoriya found a nice quiet spot where he could sit and just recharge his social battery, calming his mind before the finals so he could focus entirely on that, and not on the fact he just performed a cheerleader routine in full dress for the entire world to see.

It took him quite a bit to process that now that the positive mood had passed and he could think about how crazy he had been to even propose, never mind go along so passionately. But time still went by, and it soon ran out. The games were ended, rewards were handed out, and students left the field for their class's seating. The students had been given a set of seats directly below the main stands, putting them closer to the action.

With them gone, some robots came onto the field, carrying a large pipe spewing tons of wet cement, allowing Cementoss to quickly create a suitable stage for the finals. "Hey guys, are you ready?!" Answering his question, the crowds cheered, which Present Mic smiled at, though Vlad rolled his eyes. "Well, the wait's over; we've had a rocking day and seen some amazing stuff from these students, but it's time for the main event, the finals!"

Down below both the spectators and even the students, Monoma stood near the entrance to the field, half listening as Present Mic went on about how this was an event that would test students when they didn't have anyone nearby to back them, and how they could only persevere if they had the heart, skills, body, wisdom, and knowledge to defeat their opponents. He was sure he had most of that, but he didn't have the knowledge about his opponent's quirk, nor did he have the wisdom to help him all that much.

He was contemplating when he heard someone walking up to him. Turning around, he saw it was Shiozaki. "Greeting, Monoma." The vine-haired girl said as she approached, a small smile on her typically serene face as Monoma turned to address her.

"Shiozaki, well, this is an unexpected surprise. I didn't think you'd be the one who wished to see me before the match. Came to offer me a maiden good luck?" he asked her, bowing to go with the bit, which made the girl hum in amusement.

"Something like that. We agreed that we'll help Shinso by not telling you his quirk, but that doesn't mean we don't support you either. I hope you know that." She told him, Monoma meeting her gaze. Within those dark green pools, he could see she was genuine, though he had little doubt on that front, as anything involving people like her or Midoriya tended to be devoid of vile intent or malice.

He could still be a little dramatic about it as he sighed, leaning against the wall as if struck by a sudden weakness. "Yes, it might sting that you chose someone from general over me, but I suppose that just shows that those in class B have some large hearts."

Shiozaki let out a quick chuckle at his antics, as she had come to both expect and like how melodramatic but harmless Monoma could be since, at least most of the time, that was all he was. "I wish that is indeed true, as a hero is meant to be compassionate, diligent in sharpening the lord's flock."

Monoma, rather than puff his chest in ego at such a statement, scoffed as his smile got a little more natural. "I'm not sure I'm at the stage where I can care for the entire flock, but if I see a sheep in danger, I will step in. That much I can say for certain." He turned to look out into the light, where they both knew the field was waiting for him and an opponent he'd just have to be careful with.

"Shishida is getting ready for his match, and Midoriya is speaking with Shinso right now, but both asked if I couldn't pass along their words of encouragement. We know you'll do us proud out there." Shiozaki approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, the blonde taking some comfort in it as he reached up and grasped her hand. Like he expected of her, it was covered in callouses and cuts, the hands of someone who worked in the fields.

"Much appreciated." He replied as Present Mic drowned out any response she might have said.

"Audience, the time you've been waiting for has come, as the first match is seconds away!"

"Looks like I'm up." Monoma took a breath and stepped forward, her hand leaving his shoulder as she remained where she stood. But before he could go, she had to give him one final piece of advice.

"Monoma, you have a tendency to talk for far too long, and the lord doesn't look kindly upon the arrogant and disparagers. Focus on your opponent; if you can't, keep your regular comments to a minimum." He turned to her, her face back to her serene expression, one that rivalled Kodai for how little she gave away.

Still, he wondered why she chose now to tell him that; it wasn't like she was the first to bring that up and certainly wouldn't be the last, but something about that felt…off. "The lady asks for much; I'll see what I can do." Still, he could at least respect her wishes and confirm that he understood them, though if he followed them, it was his choice as he turned and walked into the light of day.

"Coming from one side, we have someone who has blasted his way out of left field and is super smug about it! From the hero course, it's Monoma Neito!" Monoma marched out onto the field with a strong sense of poise, his smirk on full display.

"Versus, he's a wildcard but hasn't done all that much to stick out. Will this be the exception? From general studies, it's Shinso Hitoshi!" Shinso did the same on the other side of the arena. The boy looked bored but otherwise locked in on the coming match. Present Mic continued to lay things down as the two continued towards the stage.

"The rules are real simple! Force your opponent out of bounds, restrain or knock them out and you win, baby! You can also win if you get your opponent to say 'I give up'!" As Present Mic spoke, both fighters met in the middle of the ring.

"Don't worry about injuries. With our ever-reliable Recovery Girl on staff, you can set aside morals and ethics and fight like crazy, but that won't be too crazy, as anything life-threatening is an automatic disqualification! Heroes should only use their firsts to catch villains; we don't put people 6 feet under!" Monoma nodded at that, as he supposed it was a given, but one that needed to be said aloud, probably for legal reasons.

"If things go too far, I'll put a stop to it." Cementoss waved, having just finished making a seat, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say a throne out of cement for himself. Monoma returned to focusing on the match and what quirks he had copied for this. It had been too long since he was last in contact with Tokage, Honenuki, and Midoriya, so their quirks weren't an option. There was Shiozaki's, the freshest of the ones he did have, along with Rin and Kendo.

"'I give up?'" Shinso repeated, Monoma detecting amusement and something else in his words as the general studies student looked him right in the eye with an intensity he wasn't expecting. "Well, I can be sure that you'll not gonna say that, not when you remind me of that Bakugo guy so much." At that remark, his brow creased with irritation, but Shinso wasn't done.

"Oh sure, when you know what you want for your future, you don't care about appearances all that much, but people like that are not just scummy on the outside; that goes far further than skin deep." Monoma's smug smile strained as he breathed to calm himself down. He's dealt with assholes calling him names as long as he had a quirk, he could tolerate one more, but Shinso wasn't like those people who said his quirk was the issue, he was insulting his character, and that hit a nerve.

As Present Mic asked if they were ready, Shinso had the gall to smirk back at him, his gaze lifting off him for a moment and towards where their classmates were seated. "You might not be as loud, but I can tell you're just as proud and dismissive of everyone around you. Makes me wonder if you're really friends with people or if they're just tools for your ambition." As he finished that taunt and Present Mic started the match, Monoma decided he'd give this guy a piece of his mind as his arm shifted, becoming covered in scales as he aimed it right at his opponent.

"I'll show you-!" Monoma started but stopped when he immediately realized something was off. Shinso didn't look concerned at all, despite the fact he was up against a hero course student; he wasn't even scared or surprised by Monoma's attack. Hell, he didn't even look like he was about to dodge it; rather, he was stuck still. 'Wait, no-there something off, he's planning something!' Monoma realized as he saw Shinso's face that that smirk had only grown; that was his last thought before a haze fell over his mind.

'Too late.' Shinso saw that Monoma was incredibly quick on the uptake, but lucky for him, not quick enough. Even if he stopped himself, he had spoken, and that was enough for his quirk to activate; the familiar feeling of his mind stretching came to him as Monoma came to a halt. His aim was still poised to fire on him, but not a scale left his body. "I win."

Up in the stands, Shiozaki and Midoriya, both having rushed back, saw this happen and knew that it was over. As their classmates wondered what was wrong and why Monoma had stopped dead in his tracks, Shiozaki lamented, "I feel terrible that we didn't inform him of what and how Shinso's quirk worked." Midoriya put a hand on her shoulder.

"If we did that, he wouldn't have had a chance. Monoma's in the hero course and is super talented; he can recover from this. Shinso doesn't." Midoriya replied as they had this same talk earlier when it came time to disclose what they knew to their classmates. He and his team knew that, depending on whether or not Monoma knew Shinso's quirk, it would guarantee his victory. Ultimately, if reluctantly, they decided that Shinso was the one that needed a leg up. He just hoped that Monoma didn't take this too hard.

"Wait, you guys know what his quirk is?" Awase asked them, both green haired students nodding.

Shiozaki reminded them, "We were on the same team." It made sense that they would know stuff like that.

"Any chance you'll tell us?" Tsunotori asked, but Midoriya shook his head.

"Not out secret to tell." He said as he turned his attention back to the field.

"Hey, what's the matter, Monoma? Posing for the cameras? Maybe wait till after the match to do that!" Present Mic called, but Monoma remained still as a statue, his eyes vacant. Meanwhile, within his mind, the boy was confused as he couldn't speak, he couldn't move, it was like he was forced into the back seat of his own body, and then someone went the extra mile by throwing a bag over his head, so he could hardly make out what was around anymore.

'What the heck is this? Shinso's quirk? Does it have a paralysis type deal? Wait, he didn't touch his chest at all, I'm sure he did that during the last event!' He asked himself, his mind racing yet feeling sluggish at the same time as he saw Shinso approaching. 'Was it merely a rouse? Dammit, then what's the real activation requirement.'

'I should have known better; now I can't move-move, dammit, I can't let myself be beaten like this!' He tried in vain but couldn't even make a finger twitch, much less fight back as Shinso got closer to him.

"It was some pretty bad luck that we fought like this, at least for you, as if you have known how my quirks work; well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Shinso started but lost interest. Instead, he looked over the stands filled with tens of thousands of people, his eye shifting to where the hero course was, where one particular blonde was.

"I don't like Bakugo; rather, I don't like people like him. You're not like that, but I needed a way to win, so sorry for basically calling you a piece of shit." Shinso stated that his attention remained on where Bakugo was, though he didn't think the guy was interested in this match or them.

Then his gaze returned to Monoma, and it was just as piercing as it had been when the match started. "But not, I saw it in your eyes; we're more alike than you know; you know what it's like to have the weight of a heroic dream but not a heroic power."

'What is he babbling on about?' Monoma asked himself, as this was confusing, though his sluggish mind struggled to figure out how.

Shinso seemed to guess that question despite Monoma's blank face as he sighed. "Look at me wasting time. All right, turn around and march out of bounds."

'Why would do-what the hell, why am I following his orders?' Monoma screamed in his mind as he felt his body just turn and walk the other way. Rin's copied quirk was still active in his arm, but he couldn't do anything with it. The only way this could happen was because-'His quirk, it isn't a paralysis, it's a mind control type! That's what he meant!' Monoma realized, but that knowledge didn't help him at all, as no matter how much he willed his body to stop, slow down, or do anything, he could not do anything.

To the shock of the crowd and the students watching, Monoma continued to march towards the boundary with a black face. "Hey, hey, hey! Who could have seen this? I have no idea what Shinso did, but it seems like he's caught Monoma in his trap! He had barely stuck at before, but he's sticking out now!" Present Mic yelled as Monoma slowly marched off towards his defeat. As this happened, Vlad looked through both fighters' papers and found something.

"I see what Eraser is about when he talks about the flaws of the entrance exam." The bandaged pro noted, which got Present Mic to turn to him, shocked by such an admission.

"Huh? You agreeing with Eraser? That's a shock; now, where are the flying pigs?" Vlad grunted at Present Mic's comments.

"Get your head on straight, Mic. I have their basic stats right now, academically, the two are comparable but while Monoma passed the entrance exam, Shinso didn't manage a singe point during it, but he must have known something like that would happen as he also put in an application for the general studies course." Vlad explained that, though Present Mic and most of the audience didn't get the point,

"Okay, so he failed the hero entrance exam; what does that have to do with things now?"

"It matters because he has an incredibly powerful quirk, but because the exam is geared towards quirks that can do visible damage, he was one of those who just had bad luck. But as you can see, when used against living beings, his quirk is one of the most powerful a hero can have as he's all but won the match and didn't need to throw a single punch." Vlad concluded.

"Is that why you two kept quiet?" Kendo asked Shiozaki and Midoriya.

Both nodded, though they didn't look happy about it. "We knew that if Monoma knew what his quirk was, he wouldn't have fallen for it. But Shinso already lost out because the entrance exam wasn't geared towards quirks like his." Midoriya explained, feeling like he could have chosen his classmate over who he hoped would be his latest friend.

"So, you have to pick one of two bad options; either one meant assuring a sad ending for one of them." Kendo thought aloud, sighing as she reached a hand over both their shoulders. "I understand, it couldn't have been an easy choice." She stated right as Monoma reached the end, and once his foot went over the line, Midnight made the clear.

"Monoma has stepped out of bounds! Shinso progresses to the next round!" Once she declared him the victor and the crowds cheered for their underdog winner, Shinso released Monoma from his control, who flinched as if he had been thrown back into the driver's seat. Turning back to Shinso, the blonde was stunned, silent, and sweaty from how hard he had fought to regain control, a battle he had lost as he looked at where he stood.

Shinso didn't run from his gaze, though there was some remorse in his eyes now as he frowned. He didn't back down, as he could hate the decision he had to make but still stand by it. "For what it's worth, I wish I didn't have to fight you, but when you have a dream, you fight for it with all you have; it's as simple as that."

"There you have it, folks. The first person to advance to the second round is the out of nowhere Shinso Hitoshi from general studies!" Present Mic roared as the two fighters returned to the middle of the ring, though Monoma looked down thanks to his quick defeat. Shinso didn't even look all that happy with his win, leaving the mood on the field rather dim. "Though it was a little boring for an opening match, we should praise them for their effort, so clap your hands!"

As the crowd's cheers were replaced with applause for their performance, Monoma asked a question: "Shinso, you said you and I are alike. What did you mean by that?"

"We're not what people think of when they think 'hero', we're not even what they want…" Shinso started, his mind going back to days he had hoped he had left behind, along with the stares, the whispers, and passive, hurtful comments. "Yet our hearts yearn for it all the same, even if we know it could end in disappointment." He finished as Monoma nodded, disappointed yet not at the same time. He lost that stung, but he could at least gleam something of an understanding from his vanquisher.

As he turned and walked off the field, his head remained bowed till he heard someone shouting.

"Monoma! You did great." Looking up, he saw Midoriya at the rails, nearly falling over as he cheered for him, a bright smile on his face.

"Yeah, you made it to the finals! How many can say that!" Tokage's head popped over the rails, detached from her body.

"And listen-listen, they think so too!" Midoriya shook his entire body as he nodded, pointing above to where some pros were seated.

"He has a good head on his shoulders if he came first in the obstacle race and managed third in that Calvary battle. Kid's got potential." One noted, impressed with the fight as it wasn't long or all that exciting, but hero work was best when it was clean and quirk.

"With a quirk like that, he'll be great in the field; he can just swap out quirks to suit the situation. That's a lot more useful than mine." Another sighed, though the smile on their betrayed that it was a minor thing to them.

"It's not just him; Shinso's quirk is incredible. Imagine all the good it could do by ending fights with villains; collateral would be a fraction of what it normally is," a crocodile heteromorph mused.

"U.A.'s not that smart if someone like that could fail their hero entrance exam." A heroine with a gas mask and smiley faces on it was critiqued.

"It can't be helped. When you have to test so many people, there's bound to be diamonds that slip through the cracks." A fish-based hero stated, his arms crossed.

"Still, it's a waste." Midoriya nearly fell over the rails if not for Kendo holding him back as he joyfully turned back to Monoma.

"You hear that, Monoma? They loved you out there!" he yelled. Students from general doing the same, if not as enthusiastic about it as he was.

"You too, Shinso! You proved them all wrong and showed that hero student what you could do!" they yelled at their classmate. It's safe to say both froze at how positive people were and how they saw so much potential in them. Monoma bowed his head and quickly rushed off the field, hiding the tears that had been forming while Shinso just had to wipe at his face to get rid of them, a smile stretching across his face.

"He's back!" Tsunotori announced when Monoma walked up to their booth. Everyone was happy to see him and waved him in.

"We saved you a seat!" Tetsutetsu pointed at the vacant spot next to him, with Midoriya waving at him from his spot between Tokage and Shiozaki. Monoma smiled at that as he graciously accepted the seat.

"Sorry about being knocked out so early, guys." He apologized, but that waved it off.

"Hey man, don't sweat it. Shinso's quirk seems like an instant win kind of thing." Honenuki replied as they waited for the next match to start.

"No kidding, once he had me, I couldn't even move a finger, and my body just did what he told me." Monoma sighed, though he couldn't help as he started scheming ways to get Shinso into their group and then their class, as that would be an excellent way to further the skill gap between them and class A

"Still, we feel horrible that we couldn't tell you about his quirk beforehand, but we felt like it would be just as unfair to Shinso to do so," Shiozaki stated that Midoriya and her feeling down over the entire thing.

"Well, you did tell me to not speak, though I didn't realize why till it was too late," Monoma replied, as he wished that he had thought about her words more, but if she had been more on the nose, she would have given him all he needed without saying the actual words.

"Well, if Shishida wins this next match, he'll face off against Shinso next, so just one win and he's assured a spot in the semi-finals." Kaibara shrugged as if Shiozaki and Midoriya knew what Shinso's game was, then Shishida must also know.

"Midoriya, did Tsu ever talk about Sato's quirk?" Tsunotori asked, with Midoriya waving his head, so much so that his shoulders moved with it as he thought about it.

"Not really. She mentioned that he gets super strong, but that's it." They didn't talk too much about their classes when they hung out; mainly, they talked about school stuff, themselves, or their families. Speaking of, her siblings wanted him to visit some time, so maybe he should make time for that.

"Does he bulk up like Shishida?" Tsuburaba asked, but Kamakiri scoffed at it.

"Even if he does, our guy is going to clean his clock." Kamakiri was sure of that fact, and his confidence was infectious.

And done! I won't lie; writing this, I was tempted to change the plan and have Shinso lose that match to give Monoma a chance to make it further, but I stayed true to what I had been aiming for, mainly because future plans would need to change and because I couldn't think of a way that Monoma could knock himself out of Shinso's quirk, as he would have needed to copy a quirk that could hurt him, even as a byproduct and fire it off before he was brainwashed. Midoriya's was a prime choice since I've clarified that he feels EVERYTHING when he uses it, but that felt like a cop-out.

Next chapter should be out on August 13th.

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