Guild Master here again, again.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

"Thank you, Recovery Girl. That feels a lot better."

The old woman could only sigh in pity at the boy's rash actions after getting both of his arms blown to smithereens once again. The bones were in the same state they were after the entrance exams for Izuku. There was at least the consolation that the bones were at least in relatively larger pieces the second time around; for what little that meant. Almost every muscle and blood vessel were all popped and bruised like a roll of bubble wrap under a steam roller and it was by the skin of his teeth that Midoriya had no nerve damage.

He was absolutely drained by the end of the healing process; but at least he made a full recovery like last time. She simply didn't want the boy to think that something like this was going to happen again anytime soon with no consequence. She shot another accusatory glare at All Might and left things at that. There was a match between Bakugou and Kirishima happening at the time when Izuku walked out of the infirmary with All Might in tow. It felt as good a time as any for Izuku to ask a question that's been hanging over his head for some time now.

"... All Might? Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Of course; what is it?"

Swallowing the knot in his throat was all he could do from croaking as he spoke.

"When you first came to UA as an instructor; it was to find a successor for you, correct?"

This was some thin ice territory for All Might with how he needed to address his student's concerns.

"Indeed. I have found a successor in you, young Midoriya."

"... Weren't there others just as worthy and better suited? Fighting everyone and seeing everyone fight made me realize that they're just as committed as I am to my goals."

"..."

"And also, wouldn't One for All benefit them better by giving them more to work with? I don't see why I should keep-"

"I too used to be quirkless…"

It brought Izuku to a screeching halt and made him look upon the man he thought as the greatest hero with shock. The stare was returned with a frank and honest look to confirm that this was nothing but the truth.

"... What you said about how weakness has to be acknowledged and worked on to truly become stronger than all else… I never had that when I became a hero. I kept thinking that pushing to become stronger was to work on one's limits and fight to achieve all they can."

All Might was reflecting deeply while looking at what once were powerful and healthy hands; now reduced to bones and skin. Flexing them only reinforced how far he has fallen from his lofty heights in heroism.

"I was so focused on what needed to be done then, that it came at the cost of what it is that I can do now."

This felt awful for Izuku. His teacher and role model had never looked so sorrowful before. Being emaciated had never taken away from the air of confidence he held; even that unyielding spirit wasn't there as his teacher kept pouring his heart out.

"Ignoring who I was and what I was needed for made me who I am today. Rushing headfirst has not served me well in the long run, young Midoriya. Take my words and heed them well."

What came out of All Might's mouth weren't words like those he said in his heroic persona; though they did not lack any more strength. The emotions were quite powerful, but they felt aged and wise in their purpose of teaching the young boy.

"Look towards the future as well as the present. You aren't obliged to sacrifice yourself constantly to your goals. There are people who need you now, but there are people who will need you in the future as well."

His bony fist raised itself to Izuku. He didn't transform into his other form; but the strength Izuku felt was as if he had already been in that form.

"If you wish to become the greatest hero of all time; become a hero that will endure and protect those in need throughout from any evil that wishes to do harm! Be the best amongst us and endure!"

His doubts of who he was as All Might's successor began to dissolve and flow off of Izuku. Looking back at the road he's walked revealed so much and had put into perspective how far he's actually come. Everything he's endured and went through added up to reveal a very long distance traveled. He simply hadn't bothered taking a good look at his journey to realize he did earn his right as the proper choice for All Might.

A great weight had been lifted off of Izuku's heart and it made him emotional to the point of tears. Relief poured over Izuku's soul and his previous doubts began it's process to come loose and fall off. It was by no means immediate to rid one's own baggage overnight, but this started the process for the boy.

As All Might took the boy into his arms and allowed the boy to cry into his suit; a very familiar face had his back to the wall around the corner of the hall and was listening in on the conversation. Through the white beard, a proud smile adorned Haru's face with how he admitted that All Might truly did start in becoming a proper mentor for Izuku. He gave the two their space as he went away to attend to his own business while nobody was actively looking for him.

Some Time Later

It was simultaneously an intense as well as a drawn out match with Kirishima and Bakugou duking it out with one another. One after the other, Bakugou kept hitting Kirishima with tight and quick combos with explosions augmenting his blows. He even threw in a few special moves like breaching charge to get past Kirishima's defenses. That quirk mixed with his near indomitable spirit really did make him a boulder against any river current.

"Midoriya! I'm glad to see you well again!"

Izuku turned to see Iida approach him from behind. He was still just as intensely honest as before.

"Iida! Oh, yeah. It wasn't as bad as it seemed and it looks like I'll make a full recovery."

A quick flex of his arm was enough of a demonstration to show he indeed made a full enough recovery. Besides a little fatigue, he was back on his feet.

"Good, what a relief. Uraraka has been fretting over you after seeing you come back with such terrible looking injuries."

Iida had been closer to Ochaco than the others since she and him had come into their circle of friends later than the others. She obliged the straightforward boy and often would talk with him whenever they hung out. She had been concerned about Izuku and it had Iida promise her to go and check on the green haired boy out of friendship. One more thing for Izuku to consider approaching due to the insistence of a very affectionate pink girl. To be honest, he was just as intrigued as well.

They got to talking about what Iida had planned ahead of him as a hero and where he wishes to go with it once he arrives. Izuku was curious as to whether or not his brother was here to witness the event. Ingenium had a duty to be out and about while most heroes were still stuck at the event for recruiting purposes. There was no disappointment on Iida's part since he admired his brother's heroism so much and accepted the reasoning. At least the brother was keen enough to wish him well during the festival.

While this all was happening, Iida received a call over his cell from his mother. He politely excused himself from Izuku and answered the phone to see what it was she wanted to say.

"Mom? Is everyth-... What?... When?!..."

The sudden pickup in volume and intensity startled Izuku as Iida's expression morphed into shock and disbelief. A few more words were exchanged on the phone before Iida excused himself and ran straight for the exit. By the sound of his voice and expression, there was some pretty serious news that had been delivered to the teen.

Back to the fight; Kirishima was indeed a mighty and strong boulder, but stone isn't immune to the effects of weathering and wear. It ended with Bakugou sending Kirishima flying back towards the outside of the ring. A long and hard fought victory for the explosion user. Quite a bit of fanfare was given to the introduction of the semifinals and got the crowd hyped for the next match in the lineup.

Semifinals

Murmuring was echoing in the crowd as Todoroki patiently awaited Iida to make his entrance without avail. It was just for a few minutes and already Izuku was starting to worry dearly for Tenya. Mina could guess that the absence of Iida was something Midoriya was clued in on. Deciding to just offer her emotional support was all she could do for someone like Izuku. Her hand grasped him and gently stroked the back of it with her thumb. Looking up at Mina's concerned smile was enough for him to return the affection and clasp his hand with hers.

Ochaco hadn't missed the subtle motions and felt a bit conflicted over how Mina and Izuku were involved with one another. While not one for being so ill mannered to think down on them and having feelings of happiness for their relationship; all of this just gave her a bit of a migraine. The announcer finally received news that Tenya Iida has unfortunately dropped out voluntarily and will no longer be participating in that year's semifinals.

Many of Iida's classmates and friends were a little shocked after how committed Iida had been to get this far into the tournament. Disappointed would have been the term to describe the audience's mood while a few less reserved members of the crowd actively booed the arena space. Shoto had advanced without any struggle and left his father out to hang and dry. Endeavor was steaming at the lack of opportunity for his son to demonstrate the full extent of his power. Shoto couldn't have cared less after his fight with Midoriya.

Entering the tunnel greeted the sight of Haru standing in the hallway, patiently waiting for Shoto to approach. His body turned to the side and let Shoto walk next to him as they moved while chatting. It was a bit of fresh air for Todoroki to just hang out with someone he trusted.

"Good job today. I'm proud of you for trusting yourself."

It had been as though Haru knew what it was that loomed over Shoto's head like the sword of damocles. Being raised in isolation with rare moments of socialization at a young age instilled a very deep wound in his heart. Everything he hated about his father had a great deal to do with himself as well. To see Shoto finally come to the conclusion that none of it was his obligation to try and rebel was a sight long overdue.

"Trusting myself?"

They just kept walking and chatting with the air between them being nice and casual.

"Yeah, trusting yourself. So much of what we are tends to come from our parents; looks, mannerisms, heath, you name it. Getting upset over parts of who you are and mistaking them for things your dad forced into you was… It was hard to stomach."

"... So why didn't you say anything?"

A deep sigh went through Haru's nose as he broke it down for the slightly impatient teen he watched over for the past ten years.

"Telling you would have been useless. Knowing something and understanding something are two different things. Knowing the words would have been to just let the sentence sit on a shelf and do nothing with it. Understanding would be to take the words and build something to add to the foundation of who you are, kiddo."

Still out of the loop, Shoto was getting a bit frazzled over what felt like cryptic mumbo jumbo. Haru stopped momentarily and soon Shoto followed suit to look back at him.

"Telling you wouldn't have changed the fact that you were using your contempt for your father as a source of motivation. You would have gotten defensive and sunk your heels deeper into the ground. Now you know what it feels like to learn and let go of what isn't necessary for your happiness."

That moment where he forgot about his dad's overbearing torment and just embraced his abilities had been the most liberating moment of his entire life. Even now it was clear that Shoto now felt lighter and could even feel comfortable in his own skin without too much effort. This man really had a knack for understanding him. The feeling of Haru just rubbing his hair and telling him that lunch was on him was something he always wanted from a father figure. Haru never backed away from anything that was bothering Shoto and helped him through so much. He joined Haru at his van to have a meal before his match with Bakugou.

Elsewhere

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!"

Stain had regained consciousness recently and it pissed him off so much to see evidence of his complete loss plastered onto his skin. Massive purple welts on his stomach, thigh and face ached with the reminder of what happened just before he hit the ground unconscious. The second punch that knocked him out only made Stain from furious to downright wrathful. The water tank and fence next to him on the rooftop were all sliced to pieces as he needed something to immediately destroy when he woke up.

Breathing hard and eyes bloodshot, there was no way he would ever forget that guy. He may not know what he looks like or who it was in the first place, but he was going to do what it took to end that man's life. To be toyed with and humiliated while being treated like a child was beyond humiliating for him. He knew for certain that it wasn't any kind of hero from the public sector.

That weapon he was sporting would have been banned and melted into slag in no time at all had he tried to get it approved. His clothing wasn't anything that stuck out either. His look was as if he was trying to break into an enemy stronghold on his own and render the place lifeless. The mask was the worst part of it for Stain. It hid his face and facial structure, so there was no point in even checking for general features. Voice modulation meant that it was impossible to go around the neighborhoods to listen in on who was a possible candidate. Even the way the mask twisted around and formed in his vision kept pissing him off.

Stain was sure that his mission was to bring back the true definition of heroes for society by being a villain only heroes were worthy of facing. To have somebody as twisted as that thing was… It gave the hero killer a great deal of grief on top of everything else he's been dealing with. First this new Emergency Security Thing or whatever it was called kept getting in the way of some of his hits. If any kind of help was called for, they were there in less than five minutes to try and apprehend him.

Nothing he threw at them could get past their defenses or training. Those capture devices were especially irritating as he had no luck in cutting into it as one flew right at him. His speed or quirk meant nothing to the well armed and intensely trained ESD officers. Now he had his own version of himself coming after him and he was just about done being toyed with by this city at this point.

Sounds of warping and airflow behind him caused him to take aim at the source with the tip of his jagged sword. Nothing came out of the darkness, but instead it was like the shadowy mist itself was talking to him. There were even two yellow slants that looked to be its eyes floating around.

"It seems as though I caught you at a bad time, hero slayer. Perhaps I should come back-"

"What the FUCK do you want with me?! Spit it out or I'll cut you to pieces!"

There was a sound that echoed from out of the portal. After it ceased what sounded to be chuckling, the voice got straight to business in telling Stain what it was here for.

"We've been hearing of your notoriety and have something to propose that could benefit us both. Would you care to come with me for a short spell?"

It felt like a trap. Not a lot was going for Stain in terms of trust for his fellow man. His mind then returned to the image of the masked gunman and it suddenly came to him what he should do. His teeth went wide in a toothy grin and split the face apart throughout the middle.

"I believe I can take this as a yes?"

This was perfect for Stain. That shitbag was going to pay for toying with the hero slayer Stain.

UA Sports Festival

Todoroki Jr. had an amazing mochi dessert break for a few minutes while waiting for his turn at the finals. He wanted to be left with his thoughts for a bit to help center himself, so he left for the green room and just sat at a folding table in complete silence. Haru had once again emphasized for Shoto that at some point after he's learned to overcome his contempt; next come actually accepting forgiveness and forgiving on his own.

Shoto thought Haru went insane for a moment as Haru kept elaborating. It seems impossible for him now, but eventually Shoto will learn that his father is indeed his dad. That right is one of the strongest bonds there are, even if it turns out to be a negative one. Giving Shoto the tools to prepare for that day when he can truly start to heel was all that mattered for him. All of it was just a fleeting dream in the eyes of Shoto. What good would it do if he were to forgive? Then that would just give his dad another opportunity to do it all over again. Though what had happened today felt like a felting dream as well just this morning. A voice at the door alerted Shoto to the newest presence in the room.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

Standing in the door frame was none other than his to-be opponent Bakugou Katsuki. He opened the door to enter and was confused by the sight of his opponent as there were separate designated rooms for them to prepare for their fights in private. He leaned back to check and saw that it wasn't his room.

"Room 2? Shit. Whatever, mind if I crash here?"

It was against the rules, technically. The lack of protest was enough to tell Bakugou he didn't care one way or the other.

"Tch, what's your problem? I aint said shit to you and you're acting all bitchy."

The lack of tact from Katsuki was something Todoroki expected and didn't feel anything from the explosives user. Bakugou took up the chair opposite to Shoto's place at the table and slouched in his chair as he pulled out his phone to kill time until their match. The time remaining to the fight was still too early for any sort of stretching and would lead to more injury if either were to overstretch.

"Just don't go all soft on me during the fight. I can't stand it when people start something and punk out."

Katsuki ignored Shoto and Shoto was too deep in thought to acknowledge Bakugou. The silence was left as it was while the both of them fell into their own headspace. It was Todoroki who eyeballed the other boy to the point that Bakugou got irritated with the silent stare.

"What is it? Something on my face? Wanna date? What the fuck do you want?"

His phone clicked and went dark as he glared back at the other slightly irritated.

"You know, Midoriya said something to me that was similar to what you just said. He seems to have a habit of making people confront their problems and air them out."

Eyes met as Shoto posed the question that he wasn't sure was going to be answered.

"You're childhood friends, right? Was he always like that; even then?"

Remembering the event at the shopping center last year reminded him of how incessantly nice Izuku was towards him. It also reminded him why it was that he started to…

"Yeah. I think he's more annoying than anything, but yeah. Guy just thinks what he wants to and does whatever the fuck he thinks he needs to do…"

A bit callous, though it had no lack of honesty on Katsuki's part. It gave them both something to think about as the clock kept ticking away.

"... Why don't you like him?"

"Huh?"

That question got him irritated with Shoto himself. The pointed look Bakugou gave the other boy was enough of a warning.

"You clearly don't hate him, yet you constantly create space between the two of you. It just seems a bit bizarre for how contradict-"

The blond slammed an explosion on the table and growed at the curious Todoroki. He finally got Haru off his back after several years of constant nagging; Shoto didn't need to be the next one on the list.

"What I do is what I do. If he had anything to say, then that's his problem. So don't go busting into other peoples problems and expect to be treated like a guest, got it?!"

This was far more complicated than what Todoroki first thought was just a simple dislike of personality traits. Eyes like that don't come out unless people truly feel the need to defend something. Katsuki left in a huff without saying another word to the other student. It was almost time and he needed to get ready anyway. He just didn't want his head to go where it was already headed before the match.

Final Round

Todoroki and Bakugou were standing face to face inside of the fighting ring. Present Mic was raising the stakes for the audience and the cheering was reaching a fever pitch with how excited everyone was with how powerful these students were in their previous rounds. Each of them were zeroed in on the other with a mission to complete in their own heads. The time to start was announced and it was tense as it kept getting closer and closer to the moment where it would all collide and result in the final champion being the last to stand. A simple one two count to begin the show.

First one to strike was Todoroki. The same move used against his classmate after meeting his dad was used here to completely encase the other boy, rather than it just being a form of therapeutic release of stress. Just as before, a thin and transparent tarp shot out from the edge between the arena and the audience and attempted to block the attack. This new feature was installed in cases like what Shoto had just demonstrated.

Too many factors came into consideration for the safety of the innocent crowd with all sorts of nasty stuff that could injure or kill them by accident. The UA principle still wanted to provide an open seated design while the ESD wanted them behind a shield. This curtain of sorts was the compromise.

It was a remarkably thin and resilient material that was capable of retaining against significant weight while being puncture or tear resistant. It wasn't immune to damages, but when Todoroki had used the massive iceberg as a way to cope with his anger issues; The curtain went up immediately and kept the chunks of ice from hanging over the audience. It still was intact enough for repeated use after a sharpened boulder of ice had come and attempted to breach the material. A relief for those who happened to be sitting in the direction of the attack.

Most people were certain that Bakugou was well enough done with how quickly and preemptively Todoroki reacted after the starting bell. The closest section of ice to Shoto burst open and revealed Bakugou to be completely unscathed. He launched himself at Todoroki and went in for a solid knee that Shoto had difficulty completely blocking. Katsuki didn't give Todoroki enough time to react with a straight that made contact with the boy's left cheek. His final attack to end the combo was one solid blast to the abdomen and send the stunned Shoto towards the outside of the arena.

Endeavor looked upon his son and didn't want to acknowledge that somebody unrelated to his grudge against All Might would best his creation in a one on one. The amount of physical aptitude demonstrated by Bakugou actually did put him on edge slightly. These were not moves a kid happened to come across while experimenting with their quirk. He was trained and it showed in how fast and precise all of his movements were.

Todoroki was well aware that in a close quarter melee, he was the one that would be the loser every time. Seeing it at the mission simulation from the beginning of the year was enough of a demonstration of Katsuki's advanced physical movements. With a wall of ice, Shoto managed to just barely stop himself from falling out of the ring. Bakugou was already back on top of Todoroki and went for a midair roundhouse kick to his head. There was just enough time for Shoto to catch the leg and possibly freeze it; the left hook coming in towards his face made him have to block instead.

It wasn't quite a left hook that Bakugou went for. He overextended and grasped the other boy by the back of his head and used the moment of confusion to sink in his other arm and clasp the head into a position to start kneeing the face. As it made the most logical sense, Todoroki put his arms down to start absorbing the blows before retaliating with his ice. That wasn't what Bakugou used to strike Todoroki in the head.

The hold on his head let up enough for him to look into Katsuki's chest and was just enough for him to launch Bakugou back in a blast of ice. What was faster was Katsuki's head striking Todoroki in the nose and causing a gush of blood to pour out of the others nostrils. This was another moment for Katuki to take advantage of. He did so with a loaded blast knocking the boy right back into the ice wall he made to stop himself from falling out. The impact created all went into Todoroki.

He was slightly dazed as everything that had just happened was almost too fast for him to keep up. It was a small decision of how to block that caused him to slip up and be sent towards the ground in a bleeding mess. The blood both tasted and smelled like raw copper to Shoto. His eyes readjusted to see Katsuki stand over him with a fairly agitated look of disappointment.

"Where is it? This isn't even close to what you're capable of!"

This moment was Todorokis and what he decided to use was to send Bakugou into the sky while trapped in a pillar of ice. This was a delay tactic obvious for anybody who was paying attention from the last few rounds. That first strike by Todoroki used up a lot of his stamina to withstand the freezing effect it had on his body. It was odd to see the boy not use his left side when he had used it earlier on Izuku. Up on the bleachers was the father looking at his son in great frustration at what he was watching.

So many of the problems that his son was facing could have easily been circumvented with the use of his fire quirk. His temples were bulging as it was obvious his son hadn't fallen under his influence like he had thought. Likely, it was that man who brainwashed Shoto and made him weak again.

The tip of the pillar glowed and burst wide open with Bakugou perched at the top. He was not pleased with the half measures that were used against him so far. He hasn't even gone all out and Todoroki was looking far worse than even he expected.

"Is this some sort of joke to you?"

The enraged Bakugou clenched his fists while trying to contain his frustration with the effort that was given by Todoroki.

"I'm fighting for everything, and you're just sitting around with your thumb up your ass!"

Roaring and yelling like a prehistoric animal had made a few of those watching see Bakugou as a very formidable person. This kid was very aware of his strength and wasn't scared to use all of it.

"Get your balls out already and fight!"

He leapt from the tower he was standing on and dropped right on top of Todoroki. Looking up at the blonde dropping down on him with hellfire in his fist didn't help him feel the same motivation that he felt earlier.

"COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!"

A brief moment of clarity provided by Midoriya helped Shoto realize that this was a fight worth winning. His left side went up in flames and was even pointed right as Bakugou while he was coming at the other boy with every intention to end this here and now. A sudden pull back down to the depths as he remembered his father speaking of how he would eventually return to him; the sight of his mother looking upon his face in horror. The flames were once again going out and fading to darkness.

"SHOTO!"

Thunder would have been less violent if lightning struck where the source of the sound came from. Witnessing Shoto fall back into his misery was something Haru would never allow as long as he was there to help the boy. People's ears were ringing with the sudden declaration of Todoroki Jr.'s first name. Shoto remembered that there was a voice calling out to him as he was lying in pain and agony. Warmth like the sun as someone brought the boy to see his mother when his chest ached to see her again. A belly that didn't hurt anymore after so much aching and pain.

The previously gone strength was instantly reignited to answer Bakugou's pleas for a challenge and ended up producing flames far stronger than before. It was this kindness that kept his heart from closing off and abandoning himself to misery. Kindness that asked for what he wanted and didn't berate or punish him for asking and wanting. The kindness that had kept him alive was now demanding he live and prove that the effort to help the boy wasn't just a waste of time.

The moment that both sides collided was like a cataclysm had gone off and threw chinks of ice and other debris towards the audience. The barriers shot up and caught every single piece before even one person could feel anything fall on top or hit them. An explosion that ripped up and punched a hole into the concrete layer of the prebuilt arena. And showered massive blocks of ice all around.

Bakugou managed to pull himself free from a pile of frozen debris ready to continue. His eyes scanned around for his opponent and found him lying in a pike of his own ice. Both were still technically in the ring and made it obvious to Katsuki that Shoto being unconscious meant…

"... No."

He took offense to the sudden victory and started towards the unconscious Todoroki.

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen!"

He lifted the limp unconscious body of Shoto and shook the limp form while demanding answers in absolute vain.

"Why were you being such a bitch?! Did you think I wasn't worth it?! AM I JUST AS WORTHLESS AS-"

"Katsuki. That's enough…"

Bakugou stopped and turned his head to look over his shoulder. To his surprise, it was one of the last people he expected to see out here.

Earlier

For him, he was far more concerned with the fact that Todoroki had been getting slower and less offensive was a bad enough sign for Haru. He had been watching from a nearby tunnel and was certain that the boy still was trying to find his way through his emotions while fighting Bakugou. It was a terrible match-up as Shoto was starting to work through what was holding him back while Katsuki was rushing too far ahead without addressing what it was that was making him run himself ragged.

From up on the spire of ice came Bakugou to deliver his most powerful attack. Seeing todoroki simply accept it wasn't what he wanted. If it were to end here, then so be it. A loss at this point wouldn't be too far up the ladder for a boy like Shoto.

"COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!"

That voice was easily identified as Izuku for Haru. A sudden spark of life caused Shoto to take up his power and begin his counterattack. The life that Todoroki desperately needed in his life. A light Haru was trying to nurture in him to not let it die. That flame was fading once more and it was fading fast. Losing now for Todoroki would be the same as accepting the end of that flame that would help the boy rather than scar him; like his fathers flame.

"SHOTO!"

It was a brash decision for him to go and call out to Todoroki. There was too much at stake for him to sit idly by and allow Shoto to lay in his misery. The shout reached deep enough apparently and caused the fire to ignite into a blaze that was reviving something thought lost in the boy's eyes. His want for better without having to feel hate or sorrow was still well on it's way to grow and develop.

The explosion that almost consumed the arena caused all of the arena entrances to become jet engine intakes with the power of the pressure being so violently strong. Haru simply took one step at a time to approach the ring while all of this was going on as he saw what the results were based on what had happened. He had to prevent Bakugou from taking things too far.

His phone was retrieved from his pocket after the explosion died down and everyone was still recoiling from the force of the blast. His phone went directly to the stadium control center.

"Yes sir?"

"Draw up the secondaries and cut the feed."

A moment of pause for the technician on the other side since that would mean the inner area of the stadium would essentially be a dark spot for the rest of the world while everyone was looking directly at it. Whatever his reasons; they didn't question it and did exactly as he said.

"Yes sir, right away."

The non-transparent version of the debris shield protecting the audience went up and blocked out the audience's view of the stadium field. Every available feed going to every available new's station was disabled and left the studios to fumble with the lack of any sort of visual or auditory connection.

It left people wondering what was going on to have prevented them from knowing what happened during those brief moments of uncertainty. Haru took the opportunity to approach the enraged Bakugou who was shaking Shoto from the front of his jumpsuit.

"Katsuki. That's enough…"

Bakugou turned to Haru enough to see him while holding Todoroki in his firm grasp. Present Mic was trying to find a way to explain to the audience what was going on while Aizawa plainly announced that it was Bakugou Katsuki who won while dragging his co-host away from the window. Seeing his trainer down there with Bakugou told him enough. He needed time alone with Bakugou without prying eyes invading their privacy.

"What?! You gonna lecture me?! Tell me how I'm so lacking?! That I can't even get a straight answer, when-"

Haru didn't let Bakugou say another word as he embraced the boy and forced him to let Todoroki go. Katsuki first tried to physically push back without success. He would never hit or use his quirk against Haru, but he certainly did try to escape. Katsuki eventually got too tired; and that was when Haru spoke.

"I am so sorry, Bakugou. It still bothers you so much and it tortures you to feel unfulfilled after everything you went through. I wish things were better for you, I really do."

There was a moment where Bakugou felt his heart crack and soften for a moment. Scrambling to push it all back down did little to stop the overflow of grief and sadness that he held in.

"... I want you to realize that none of it is on you. There is nothing I want more than to take away what you hold in yourself and make it disappear… But I can't. I'm sorry I can't be better. I truly cannot apologize enough for how little I can do for you…"

This wasn't what he wanted to hear. Bakugou was someone who surrounded himself with symbols of strength and took pride in keeping a tough exterior. Hearing Haru, who did nothing but try to help him, apologizing for his pain felt like his heart was shrinking into a dense marble. His grief mounted into him clutching Haru and sobbing deeply into the front of his shirt. He felt so tired from all the constant effort and needs to feel stronger. He felt like he was going to shatter and with how heavy everything felt on his shoulders.

This was the best Haru could do for the boy. It made him feel so incredibly worthless; but it was all he could do to help this boy who needed his help to get through their pain.