Izuku had the first match of the tournament. He was against Sero, who seemed to not be too worried.

That would be his first mistake.

But there was still another hour of recreational activities before the tournament began.

Izuku entered the section of the stands designated to 1-A, heading straight for Tenya. He was greeted with a small wave and returned it, sending Uraraka a small smile as he walked.

Given this hour of 'leisure activities' before the tournament started, Izuku felt fine about taking some time to chat with his friends before he had to prepare for his match. Tenya didn't seem to be busy, anyway.

Izuku sat next to Tenya in the back row of the stands and they started talking. They were careful to not bring up any mention of Shouta as they had no doubt Mina would jump right into gathering gossip if his name was so much as whispered.

The time flew by fast and Izuku left Tenya to head down to a preparation room to stretch and warm up before his match. He heard Sero go into the room across the hall with about five minutes to spare and Izuku huffed out a laugh. Sero wouldn't be physically ready, making Izuku's task all the more easy.

Hizashi's voice rang out through the hallway, announcing that it was almost time for the first match of the tournament. Izuku left his room then, seeing Sero do the same, though they quickly parted ways, each heading for their own entrance.

All Might's words played on repeat in Izuku's thoughts on his way out.

'Show the world you're here.'

Izuku smiled and the vestiges cheered as he stepped into the arena.

Shouta watched with barely concealed pride as Izuku took Sero down in under a minute. It wasn't really even a fight. They exchanged some words, Sero swung out his tape, Izuku grabbed it and tossed Sero out of the arena, and all without using One For All.

Of course he was… a little biased, but Shouta could be a proud older brother sometimes.

Hizashi, to his credit, kept his squeals of excitement in very well, despite the smile that grew slightly after Izuku won.

Shouta's phone pinged a few minutes after the match, while they waited for the next. He lifted his phone from the space in front of him to see that it was a message from Izuku.

Izuku: I was so scared omg

But wow I won XD

Shouta: You did very well Izuku

Izuku: Ahhh ty

Shouta sighed contentedly at the message from Izuku. He was clearly back in the stands already, phone out.

'Teenagers.'

Izuku watched, notebook laying across his lap, long forgotten, as Hatsume used Tenya as an advertisement. For fifteen minutes. The support kids were really something, but that might just be from experience. Himiko wasn't the most sane of his siblings.

When Hatsume left the arena, Izuku had to stifle a laugh at Aunty Nem's bewildered look. Tenya raised his eyebrows in confusion as he left the field, Izuku only just managing to catch his expression before he was out of sight.

The third match – Todoroki against Tokoyami – wasn't due to start for another five minutes, so Izuku took the time to talk to Uraraka, Tenya joining their conversation once he had made it back up to the stands.

Then, the next match was announced. They watched in silence as Todoroki flung a fucking iceberg at Tokoyami. The match was over in under ten seconds.

Izuku pitied whoever fought Todoroki next. By the looks on his friends' faces, they felt the same.

Uraraka left just before Aoyama and Mina's match, informing the other two that she was heading down to a preparation room. She knew perfectly well that Kacchan would be a challenge, and was not going to fight him without warming up properly. Izuku caught her in the halls after she had left, but his offer of help was turned down. Izuku gave her a smile and wished her luck. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to 'cheat', as many people might put it.

Still, he wished he could've done something to advise her.

Aoyama and Mina's match was more drawn-out than the first three; Aoyama put up a good fight, but was ultimately beaten by Mina, who simply had more control and fighting skills.

There was a short break after those few, the tournament already halfway through the first round. Izuku spent the time in the stands playing games with the few classmates he was closest to.

As Uraraka stepped onto the field with the introduction for her and Kacchan's fight, Izuku was sure that he and Tenya were among the loudest cheering for her. Kacchan stepped out onto the arena with his fists clenched by his sides. Izuku couldn't help but notice the determination in his face when the screen zoomed in.

Uraraka matched his glower when the countdown began. Izuku sent her a smile, despite knowing she couldn't see it. The vestiges cheered around him, unknown to the students of 1-A. Nana placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder as the fight began, Yoichi taking Izuku's hand on the other side and squeezing it comfortingly. They cheered the most throughout the duration of the match, even when Uraraka collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

Izuku and Tenya shared a look at the end, coming to a silent agreement. They stood up, making their way down from the stands quickly, heading towards the rooms Recovery Girl had reserved for times when people came out of their matches in a bad state.

Uraraka was propped up on one of the beds in a room, the door open for Tenya and Izuku to see inside. Recovery Girl, who had seemingly finished healing Uraraka, noticed them standing in the doorway and beckoned them inside. She left the room as they entered, closing the door behind her with a quiet, "Quickly, the girl needs to rest."

Izuku made his way over to her and sat in a chair by the bed. "You did really well," He said, giving her a smile. Uraraka returned it, though she didn't say anything.

Tenya stood on the other side of her bed, for lack of another chair. "Well done." It was short, but held the emotion he wanted to convey.

"Thank you, guys," Uraraka offered, slumping her shoulders. "Still a pity I didn't win. My parents-"

"Should be very proud," Izuku interrupted, taking her hand in his own and giving it a small squeeze before he let go. "Kacchan looked tired; almost ready to pass out, as well. That on its own is impressive."

Uraraka clenched her jaw, nodding, but turned her head to the door. "I'll have to call them once I can get out. My phone is still in the preparation room."

Tenya motioned to the hall. "I could go get it, if you like?"

"No. Thank you though, Iida-kun. I'd rather talk to you two… if you don't mind staying, that is."

"It's no problem," Izuku reassured her. "We'd love to stay."

Tenya nodded in agreement, perching on the end of her bed.

They talked for a while, until Recovery Girl returned and shooed them away. "The poor girl needs rest," she said, pulling the door closed. "You can see her later."

Izuku and Tenya returned to the stands to find that they had been down there for almost twenty minutes. Izuku asked Mina to fill them in, which the girl did excitedly, saying she was bored and needed something to do. Kirishima and Ojiro had fought: a longer battle focused on hand-to-hand (or hand-to-tail, rather) more than anything else. Kirishima had come out on top in the end, and then there was a short break before Asui against Kaminari. That one had ended pretty quickly, according to Mina, who didn't tell them much because 'there wasn't much to tell', apparently.

The next match was Hitoshi against Yaoyorozu, due to start in a couple of minutes. Izuku sent Hitoshi a quick text, knowing that he probably wouldn't see it, but wanted to do it just in case. To his surprise, he received a response, only a minute before the match began.

Hitoshi: I better see you cheering lol

Izuku laughed quietly, acknowledging that he would, and set his phone down beside him.

Hizashi's voice announced the two competitors who stepped out onto the field, Yaoyorozu's face serious, while Hitoshi smirked. The fight began with Hitoshi stepping forward, appearing to say something to the other, who's face darkened.

Yaoyorozu pulled a bo staff from her arm, though she didn't make any move to either attack or speak. Hitoshi's smirk grew, his face magnified on the huge screens above the arena. He said something else, and that seemed to raise an argument from the girl. She leapt forward, bo staff outstretched, shouting something inaudible as she did so. Hitoshi ducked under her swing, but Yaoyorozu didn't stop, much to Izuku's surprise.

Hitoshi… wasn't using his quirk.

Throughout the rest of the match, Hitoshi spoke to Yaoyorozu, his face moving clearly from what Izuku could see on the screens. Yaoyorozu always responded, never getting caught in Hitoshi's quirk, though her frown deepened with every time he spoke.

Eventually, Yaoyorozu backed Hitoshi into a corner and moved to hit him one final time, but he slid under her legs, and Yaoyorozu flew out of the arena, landing on the dirt. She stood, head bowed, but Hitoshi offered her a hand. She took it, and Izuku saw her smile before the screens cut back to show Hizashi and Shouta's faces up in the announcer's booth.

"Well, what a show of sportsmanship we had there!" Hizashi smiled at the camera. "Good to see they're getting along after that fight. Now, we have a ten minute break before the next round of the tournament to give our competitors some time to rest!"

Izuku gave Tenya a nod as they stood up to head down to their respective preparation rooms, their classmates oblivious to them leaving, cheering for Yaoyorozu, who had just re-entered the stands.

They made their way down, separating near the entrance to the field. As they were already somewhat warmed up from their first fights, they didn't need too much time. Izuku focused on stretching, as that would be his advantage with Tenya, who would always be faster.

Before too long, they were announced, and they left the corridor together, moving to their different entrances after one more high-five.

They walked onto the arena after Hizashi's introductions, smiles absent for once. They were both fighting to impress their siblings, and neither would back down easily.

Shouta had trained Izuku well. Whether that was boasting or not, it was true.

Tenya was out of the ring in a few short minutes, after backing Izuku into a corner and rushing at him, engines flaring. All Izuku had to do was step out of the way at the last possible moment, and Tenya didn't quite have the control to stop or turn in time. His engines cut off just as he left the marked area.

Both he and Izuku, who had dived away quickly, fell on their fronts. When they lifted their faces, their eyes met and they both burst out laughing. It was clear to everyone watching that the two boys were friends, and would stay that way, no matter what competition came between them.

Hitoshi watched Izuku and his friend fight from the stands where he sat with class 1-C. They had all congratulated him profusely when he returned, praising the way he 'took down a Hero Course kid faster than a Pro Hero'.

That was an over-exaggeration, obviously, but his classmates were so happy that Hitoshi let it be.

He had collected his phone from the preparation room after his match but hadn't turned it on yet. He opened it to see an unread message from Izuku. He didn't reply, knowing that Izuku wouldn't have his phone on at the time, making a mental note to text him once he had finished his next match.

Hitoshi spent the break in between rounds talking to his classmates, who all seemed much more willing to be friendly now that they had seen him fight a student from 1-A; something he noticed with a bitter feeling under the smile he had forced onto his face.

Quirks really made all the difference until you proved otherwise.

But he was moving forward in the tournament, and Hitoshi had no intention of losing until he had landed himself the free seat in the Hero Course.

Izuku entered the arena to cheers, albeit confused and slightly wary ones. He had yet to use his quirk, so none of the spectators had an inkling of what it could be. Of course, that would only serve to cause a bigger reaction from the crowd when he revealed it.

Izuku was such a drama queen.

He recognised Iida Tenya from photos Izuku had shown him and a few mentions in passing. Hitoshi didn't know that much about the other boy; only that he was a family friend, so he and Izuku had grown up together. He hoped he could meet Iida properly at some point – he seemed like a good person to befriend.

The two didn't smile as Auntie Nem started their match, instead looking at each other with a somewhat determined stare. Frankly, it was kind of unnerving.

It really shocked Hitoshi just how good Izuku was at combat, even without his quirk. It seemed obvious when he remembered that Izuku had been training with Dad for years, but then again, Iida must've been trained by Dad as well, if their descriptions of visits were anything to go by. It was clear for Hitoshi, and probably many others watching, that Izuku had the advantage.

That was only proven when Iida skidded out of bounds, falling flat on his face immediately after his quirk cut out. Izuku had done the same after diving out of the way, but both of them seemed to find it funny. They helped each other up and left after Izuku was announced the victor, before the screen switched back to Pops.

Izuku had advanced another round, so he would have to do the same.

He was meeting Izuku in the finals – no matter who he would have to fight (though he hoped to God it wasn't Bakugou).

Izuku left the field with Tenya, both amicably chatting about how they were going to celebrate later with their families. Despite having been moved into the dorms already, UA had given the students an optional evening away from the school to spend time with their families. As it was the weekend anyway, they only had to have returned by Saturday night, so as to do any homework they hadn't already completed on Sunday for their lessons the next day. Izuku's family had planned a party in the bar, and Natsuo and Asuka were planning to go too.

They made their way back up together, sitting back down in their seats once they had reached their class. As most of 1-A had already been eliminated, the only ones missing from the stands were Mina and Todoroki, who were about to begin their match. Izuku was engaged in conversation with Uraraka – Tenya had stepped out to take a phone call – when the next fight was announced.

To absolutely no one's surprise, it ended just as quickly as Todoroki's previous match. With one glacier, Todoroki was moving on to the next round. Mina looked a bit off-put that she had been eliminated so quickly, but overall not too upset.

Izuku left then, hoping to use the toilet before the match between Kacchan and Kirishima. He had just stepped out of the toilet to return to the stands, when his wrist was grabbed by a hand from behind him. Izuku reeled back at the shock of cold skin and spun around to see who had a hold of his arm.

He was met with Todoroki, who was looking at Izuku with cold eyes, expression absent. Izuku opened his mouth to speak, but Todoroki beat him to it.

"Midoriya. May I speak with you?"

Izuku paused before agreeing slowly, unsure of what was happening. Todoroki gave him a small nod, and let go, beckoning for Izuku to follow as he moved down the corridor.

Izuku hurried after the other boy, not speaking, as it seemed Todoroki wanted to be somewhere else before they talked. Surprisingly, they didn't end up in a spare room. Todoroki checked down a few halls and then backed up against a wall, relaxing his shoulders ever-so-slightly.

"Todoroki-san?" Izuku prompted after a moment of nothing.

He raised his eyes to the other's face, though he found no trace of emotion there. It was another few seconds before Todoroki finally broke the silence.

"Midoriya. You seem to know All Might from outside of UA."

Well, that wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"Why would you think that?" He responded, trying hard to not give anything away through his face.

"In our first foundational heroics lesson, he talked with you for longer than everyone else."

"A-ah, I see." That made sense, at least. Izuku swallowed, feeling just a little intimidated. "Why does it matter though?" Play it cool, Izuku.

Todoroki pulled his hand out of his pocket and stared at it, seemingly lost in thought. "In the cavalry battle, I felt something. No one else noticed, but it reminded me of someone familiar… All Might."

"Uh… okay? Is that all?" Izuku wasn't sure what was happening, but the situation was feeling a bit too much like an interrogation. He didn't like it.

"I'm saying, your quirk felt a lot like All Might's." Todoroki paused, lowering his hand as he looked up at Izuku. "Midoriya. Are you All Might's secret love child?"

Izuku had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. That guess couldn't have been more wrong. 'So close, yet so far, Todoroki.'

And he had to answer before Todoroki started coming up with something even worse. "No, nothing like that!" He blurted.

He got a raised eyebrow in return. "No? The way you phrased that says to me that there is something going on between you two. So… what is it?"