Fumikage watched Izuku swing back and forth on the monkey bars with his good arm. For tonight's training regimen, Izuku brought him to a nearby playground. He didn't voice any questions because he knew it was related to the sports festival and that Izuku would tell him eventually. Though he did have one question.

"Are you sure you should be doing that? It might damage your other arm."

"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing," Izuku said, and to prove his point, he used his moment to launch himself to the third bar over. He discounted and did a little pose to show her was fine. "So glad the coin landed on heads."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" Izuku said before clearing his throat. "Anyway, another obstacle UA likes to use is a ginormous pit. They always have a tightrope for their students to walk across, so you'll be using that. The monkey bars should be a good substitute."

"Why aren't we using a tightrope?" Dark Shadow asked.

"Because I can't find a place high enough to simulate the pit without the risk of death or the police or a pro hero noticing us," Izuku answered with a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, you won't be walking across the tightrope. It'll take too long for you to get across the pit and put you in a hole early."

It didn't take long for Fumikage to figure out what Izuku was planning.

"You want us to climb our way across."

Izuku snapped his fingers and nodded.

"You got it," Izuku climbed on top of the monkey bars and looked down on his friend. "But doing it this way will create more obstacles. Not only would you have to worry about falling, but also the other racers making you fall."

"What are you going to do?" Fumikage asked, and Izuku slipped off his backpack.

"Mei was helpful enough to pack a bag full of things to help us out tonight."

Mei wasn't with them tonight because she was at UA working on a lot of things. Mainly her equipment for the sports festival, but she said she had a surprise for both of them. They were a little grateful for the reprieve because their wallets could use a break from buying her dinner.

"I will warn you that this won't be exactly like the sports festival, but treat it like it is. You'll be more prepared that way," Izuku told Fumikage, and he nodded.

Fumikage grabbed onto the first bar and took a deep breath before calling upon Dark Shadow to help him. Dark Shadow reached to the other end of the monkey bars and swung his host over. It wasn't the end of the test. He knew they had to keep going until Izuku said they were done.

Surprisingly, Izuku hadn't used any of the gadgets Mei prepared for him. That changed when Izuku used a small portable fan. It didn't create more than a light breeze, but Fumikage knew to treat it like high-powered winds. He ordered Dark Shadow to hold onto the bars tightly.

It wasn't just the wind. Izuku exploded party poppers around him and blew sand in Fumikage's face. Since Dark Shadow was the one who was climbing, he was able to use his hands to cover his eyes.

"Don't just hang there! Your competition is getting ahead of you," Izuku said before dousing some water onto Fumikage's head.

Fumikage ordered Dark Shadow to keep climbing while he shielded himself. Izuku continued the barrage of sand, water, and party poppers to get him to fall. Dark Shadow's grip was firm and showed no signs of slipping. Fumikage knew Dark Shadow wouldn't let him fall.

This went on for minutes, and there were no signs of Fumikage dropping. Izuku stopped the exercise, stating that Fumikage would've crossed the pit by now. Fumikage dropped to the ground, and Izuku tossed him a towel.

"Dry off and rest for a few minutes. We'll go on a run after this."

"What was the point of the water?" Fumikage asked. He hated getting his feathers wet because they were a pain to dry off. Not to mention the sand that was now caked in them.

"It's to represent the unknown," Izuku answered. "You don't know what UA will throw at you or what quirks the students in the other departments have. Some might be gunning for a spot in the hero course, and they won't care if they screw you over."

Losing his spot in the hero course was a big concern of his. He couldn't afford to be demoted to general studies and wait a year for another shot. He'd be far behind his classmates and have to learn what they did the year prior. Not to mention the pressure of being the top student in the entrance exam.

In every first-year class, the top student from the entrance exam was singled out by the broadcast. There were a lot of expectations placed on them to not only make it to the final event but also place in the final three. In all the years UA has done the sports festival, five haven't made the podium, and only one not making it to the final event. He didn't want to be the sixth.

If he was going to prevent that from happening, then he had to put all his effort into readying himself and Dark Shadow in these upcoming weeks. Izuku and Mei went out of their way to help him. He wouldn't let them down with a poor finish at the sports festival.

He finished drying off and tossed the towel back to Izuku.

"I'm ready to go."

"Good," Izuku said, feeding off his determination. "After tonight, we'll be preparing for the fighting tournament, so don't push yourself."

The two went off, and Fumikage hadn't felt more determined to become stronger.

"So, who do you want to go against first?"

It was a question that shouldn't hold as much weight as it should. He needed to be smart and prepare himself to face someone he had a higher chance of fighting. He should start by eliminating those he knows who won't make it to the final event. Not to sound cocky, he had a few in mind.

Koda and Mineta were the two he expected not to make the final event. They weren't the most physically gifted of his classmates, and he doesn't think their quirks will help them in any event. Sadly, he doesn't think Hagakure would make it to the final event either for the same reasons. He had to help her during the quirk assessment test, and she wasn't much of a fighter.

So, all that was left were 16 of his classmates. It was still a lot, not to mention class 1-B and any general education and support course students. He knew nothing about them, but he shouldn't worry too much about them. He should worry about what he knows first.

"Let's start with Tsu," Fumikage answered. "I do not doubt her reaching the tournament."

Izuku nodded and grabbed a remote. The two walked into the ring and started stretching. Izuku crouched and got into a position they had seen Tsu take multiple times.

"With Tsu, you need to worry about her legs and tongue. She moves around a lot, which means her tongue can come at you from anywhere," Izuku explained. "I can't jump as far as her, so the pitching machines will be shooting you from different angles to simulate her tongue. I'll be fair and only attack you after you dodge a ball or hit by one."

Fumikage nodded, and Dark Shadow emerged behind him. His quirk loomed over him to make himself look intimidating. Izuku did a few small hops and liked the feeling. He powered on the pitching machines, and once the first ball was shot, the fight began.

Luckily for Fumikage, the first ball came from the machine behind Izuku. He easily moved aside and avoided the projectile. Izuku used the slight distraction to hop into Fumikage's blindspot. He went for a diving kick, but Dark Shadow grabbed his leg and threw him to the side.

Izuku skidded across the ground but stayed in the ring. He got on all fours and hopped away right before Dark Shadow pounced on him. Another pitching machine went off, but it was behind Fumikage. The ball pelted him in the back of the head, causing him to lose his footing a little, but he stayed on his feet.

Izuku continued to hop away from Dark Shadow. Any time he made a move for Fumikage, Dark Shadow stopped him. The only offense he got in were the balls from the pitching machines. He needed to find an opening.

He hopped around the ring, analyzing his opponents. He paid attention to every movement from Dark Shadow. He noticed the way the quirk moved in the brighter spots of the ring. He was a little slower compared to the darker spots.

He hopped into the brighter spots in the ring. He waited for Dark Shadow to pounce. When the quirk did, he dove forward and somersaulted under the shadow quirk. He hopped to his feet and performed a dropkick on Fumikage.

It hit him in his chest and sent him rolling to the edge of the ring. He managed to stay in, but Izuku was running at him. Dark Shadow came just in time to shield him and force Izuku to back off.

"Dark Shadow is weak to light. Unless you have a way to block out the sun, you must also get involved," Izuku told his friend. "You can't be a statue because if we had a way to replicate Tsu's tongue perfectly, you would've already been eliminated."

Fumikage gritted his teeth and sent Dark Shadow after Izuku. The green-haired boy avoided the quirk and dove at Fumikage. Fumikage moved to the side and watched Izuku fly past him. He tried to get a punch in while Izuku was flying by but missed.

Izuku landed on his hands before he flew out of the ring. He felt his legs shifting over the edge, so he quickly walked backward with his hands while pulling his legs back. When his legs started falling backward, he pushed his hands off the ground so he could land on his feet. He turned around in time to spin past Dark Shadow.

Izuku ran straight at Fumikage and performed a flying kick. Fumikage moved aside again and threw a punch to the back of Izuku's head. Izuku quickly turned and grabbed his fist and flipped him over his shoulder. When he landed, Izuku struck his chest with his arm still in his hand.

Izuku had to let go and jump away when Dark Shadow flew in. Dark Shadow stayed behind and checked on his host. Fumikage slowly got up, holding his right pec. He spat and looked at Izuku with a look of determination.

Fumikage nodded at his quirk, and Dark Shadow went on the attack. Sadly, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Another pitching machine went off, and a ball smacked him in the cheek. He became disoriented, and Dark Shadow turned back to check on him.

That moment was all Izuku needed. He blew past Dark Shadow and performed another flying kick. It connected this time, on the same spot where the ball hit Fumikage. His friend was sent flying to the edge of the ring but somehow managed to stay in.

Before Fumikage could recover, Izuku drop-kicked him out of the ring. He hit the ground like a pile of bricks and lay defeated. Izuku, being a good friend, offered his hand.

"You did great, but you can't rely on Dark Shadow," Izuku informed him while pulling him to his feet.

Dark Shadow checked over him worriedly, and Fumikage waved his hand to tell him he was fine.

"Mr. Aizawa told me the same thing."

Izuku tossed Fumikage a sports drink and a towel.

"You should listen. If you go up against someone like Bakugo, he'd wipe the floor with you. Not to mention that Aoyama guy."

Fumikage grunted. His whole life, he had Dark Shadow handle everything for him. He was bigger and stronger than him and more intimidating. He didn't have to worry about learning how to fight or work out.

But now that he's in UA, he's in a class of strong and courageous students. They wouldn't be easily intimidated by Dark Shadow. They would be able to power through him easily. He's probably one of the weakest students in his class.

"Hey, don't worry about it. The sports festival is still a week away. We have time to teach you the basics," Izuku said to raise his friend's spirits. "As long Dark Shadow can tire out your opponent, the basics are all you'll need to get through the tournament."

"How'd you learn to fight?"

"Mostly from the internet," Izuku answered as he grabbed his phone. He showed Fumikage a list of martial arts videos. Pro heroes even made some. "They're mostly advertisements, but they teach you the basics to get you interested in their classes."

Fumikage hummed as he watched one of the videos. His friend wasn't kidding. The instructor was demonstrating how to throw a punch and the proper way to do a kick. With this, he could be prepared for the tournament.

With a new sense of vigor, Fumikage was ready to fight again.

"It's great to see you're excited, but let's use Mei's computer. The screen is bigger and I don't want you to break my phone."

Izuku stretched to test out his mobility in his new costume. No longer needing to wear street clothes and a mask. He now had a real pro-style costume. And it felt great.

It was a full-body, dark green suit with knee pads and arm guards on the inside of the suit. His shoulders and hips were colored black. There was also a black stripe on the back of his arms and side of his legs, and on the center of his chest was a forward-facing silhouette of an angry rabbit. He still had the boots and gloves from his old costume.

His utility belt had more pouches. He still had the smoke and foam pellets, but now he has a pouch for bandages, marbles, and a new gadget that Mei hasn't told him about. They were small, and he believed he could use them as projectiles. He also had a holster for his new grappling hook.

The grappling hook was also new. The rope was longer, and it no longer had a hook. On the end of the rope was a small slab that had a strong adhesive. It's much stronger and can hold more weight.

The final part of his costume was his mask. It was attached to his suit and shaped like a rabbit that covered his entire head, except for his mouth. It fit perfectly, and he could easily breathe in it.

With his shoulder healed, he was excited to get back out there.

"You really outdid yourself on this one, Mei," Izuku complimented her. Mei smiled and looked excited to explain all of the stuff she added.

"Thank you! Everything I learned and saw at school really helped me come up with ideas for your suit and equipment!"

Izuku then turned to Fumikage. His friend looked impressed but also worried.

"There's nothing I can do to talk you out of this? You still have time to back out, and no one would know about this."

Izuku shook his head.

"Nope, I made my decision, and I'm going to stick with it."

Fumikage sighed and backed off. It was his silent way of giving his blessing, even though Izuku didn't need it. He was glad his friend cared about him.

Sensing their interaction was over, Mei jumped in to explain her new babies.

"OK, so, I know you're wondering about your new pouch. It's for these!" Mei held up a miniature disk. "These are your new hidden cameras. It uses the same adhesive as your grapple gun, so you can stick it anywhere."

To prove her point, she threw the disk, and it stuck to the wall. She then opened up a program on her computer, and it showed the live feed. Izuku and Fumikage were impressed.

"Not only that…" Mei typed something, and a map popped up on the screen. There was a blinking rabbit icon above a building. "It also tracks your location."

"This is great!" Izuku said.

"But that's not the only thing I have for you…"

Mei grabbed something off of her workbench and tossed it over to Izuku. When he caught it, he saw it was a small metal stick. He gave her a puzzled look, and she waved her arms, urging him to do something.

"Push the button," she ordered.

Izuku did that, and the stick extended on both ends, becoming his staff.

"That's awesome!" Izuku said while swinging it around.

"If you push it again, it retracts," Mei informed him. "Now, it's just a seamless transition from your belt."

"So that's why there's a slot on my belt."

Izuku retracted his staff and latched it onto his belt. With everything set, Izuku flipped on his mask and became Jack Rabbit

"I would like to apologize for not making all the babies. With my school work and having to make babies for the other hero course students, I couldn't finish everything."

"It's fine. You did enough," he told her. He then turned to his friend before he headed out.

"You don't need to stay for this. You can go home and rest to prepare for the sports festival," Jack Rabbit told him. "But if you do stay, you were never here. It was just me and Echo."

Fumikage hummed as he mulled it over.

"I'll stay," he decided. Jack Rabbit patted his shoulder as a thank you. Before he left, Dark Shadow had something to say.

"You should do something around your eyes. We can see your skin, and it looks weird under the mask."

Jack Rabbit groaned as Mei laughed.

"I'll get some face paint," she said as Jack Rabbit left to strap himself to Sora.

After reaching the city, Jack Rabbit unstrapped himself from Sora and ran along the roofs. Flying felt great, but after being sidelined with an injury for so long, he wanted to stretch his legs. Jumping between buildings was the rush he needed to get him excited for tonight.

"Calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself again," Echo warned him. Jack Rabbit brushed off her concerns.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Jack Rabbit told her while unholstering his grapple gun. "Besides, we should test out your new baby."

He shot the gun before jumping off the building. When he felt the slab stick onto something, he swung between the buildings before landing his feet on the wall of an apartment complex. As he climbed up the wall, he heard Fumikage calling him crazy in his earpiece.

"At least we know it works," he responded cheekily.

"He's not usually like this," Jack Rabbit heard Echo say, no doubt talking to Fumikage.

When he reached the top, he holstered his grapple gun before equipping his staff. The gap between the two buildings wasn't far, but he had an idea that he wanted to try. He got a running start, and when he reached the edge, he extended his staff as he jumped. The bottom of the staff bounced off the ground, giving him an extra boost and helping him clear the gap and then some.

Jack Rabbit was giddy. Being back out on the street and having new equipment to work with made him excited for the night ahead. He hoped Fumikage wasn't too worried.

He continued to roof hop across the city, keeping an eye and ear peeled for anything. Everything seemed peaceful until a flash of light shone in his eyes. It was coming from the alleyway below him. He peered over the edge and gasped with fright from what he saw.

"Oh my god…" Echo muttered in his earpiece.

Down below was a bloodied, mangled corpse of a pro hero. He couldn't tell who it was, but based on their costume, he knew they were a hero. It was a nauseating sight, but what made it worse was that the killer was still there.

He couldn't make out their whole appearance from where they were standing, but he was able to tell they were tall, muscular, and had messy black hair. He could also see their long red and white scarf blowing in the wind. His arms were heavily bandaged, too. But what scared him the most was the long katana in his hand.

"Can you hear me?" Echo asked.

"He killed them," was all Jack Rabbit could muster.

This was the first time he saw something so horrifying. He saw a lot of things during his time as a vigilante, but he never saw a hero getting murdered or their dead body. They were supposed to be larger-than-life figures, so seeing one dead is unnatural. He didn't know what to do.

"Iz– Jack Rabbit," Fumikage's voice broke through. "You need to get out of there. They haven't noticed you yet."

Fumikage was right. He should get out of here before he becomes their next target.

"Hold on," Echo interjected before he did anything. "Try planting a camera. I can send the footage to the police and see if they have a lead on them."

Echo had a point. If they could get a shot of this guy, then they could easily help the police and pros hunt this killer down before they kill again. It wouldn't be that big of a risk. He just needed to throw a camera from up here and book it before anything happened.

Jack Rabbit fished a camera from the pouch. He threw it down the alleyway onto the wall close to the killer. But something went wrong. They sensed the camera flying at them, and they turned around and cut it in half.

The murderer made eye contact with him, and Jack Rabbit froze. Everything in his body told him to run, but he couldn't. It's like the nerves in his legs were severed. They wouldn't move no matter how much he begged.

In a flash, the killer was halfway up the wall. The closer they got, the more Jack Rabbit pleaded with his legs to move. They were almost to the top, and he could feel their murderous intent. His legs wouldn't listen, so he begged for whatever God that heard his pleas to help him.

"MOVE!"

The voices of his friends were enough to get him to step back. That was enough for him to avoid the killer's sword by a hair. Now, face to face, he could tell the murderer was a man. They also didn't have a nose.

"You're not a hero."

His dark, gravelly voice sent a shiver down Jack Rabbit's spine. He slowly backed away when the killer raised his katana and pointed it at him. He could see it was severely chipped but also sharp.

"What are you doing here?"

Jack Rabbit swallowed hard and mustered up all the courage he could.

"Y-You killed them," Jack Rabbit cursed himself for showing his fear.

The killer looked unimpressed, but he didn't move his weapon.

"'Heroes' like them deserve it," the killer spat.

Jack Rabbit would normally question him, but he was too busy looking for a way out. He saw Sora hovering overhead, but he knew he wouldn't have enough to strap himself to her. The killer has proven he was extremely fast. He needed to create a distraction.

Jack Rabbit slowly reached for one of his pouches, but the killer inched his katana forward with a glare.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Jack Rabbit flinched, causing him to accidentally drop a smoke pellet. Smoke instantly blocked their view of each other. He coughed as he waved away the smoke. He couldn't see the killer, but he knew he was in danger when Split Second activated.

Jack Rabbit dropped to the floor in time to avoid the killer's katana. He somersaulted out of the smoke and ran to the edge. When Split Second went off again, he dove to the right into another somersault. He could feel the killer glaring daggers in the back of his head.

He wasn't close to the edge of the building, and he knew the killer would stop any of his attempts to escape. He needed to put some distance between them. He had an idea, but it was very dangerous. He knew the verbal lashing he's going to get for doing it, but he'd rather live and receive it than die.

Jack Rabbit dug into one of his pouches while reaching for his staff. The killer rushed at him when he saw him reaching for his equipment. Jack Rabbit was counting on this because he ran at him when he had his staff in his hand.

Time slowed down when the killer swung his sword. Jack Rabbit raised his staff and perfectly timed their attack by extending his staff to knock the sword upward and leaving the killer open. He slammed a smoke pellet into their chest and spun away right before it blew up. Time returned to normal, and he heard the killer coughing behind him.

Not wasting any time, Jack Rabbit dove off the roof and grabbed onto the closest fire escape. He pulled himself onto it and hid in the shadows. He saw the killer peering over the edge, looking for him. Jack Rabbit covered his mouth to muffle his breathing as he waited for them to leave.

The killer was gone after a few seconds. Jack Rabbit waited a few minutes until he was comfortable enough to move his hands and breathe freely.

"Hey, are you still there?" Echo's worried voice broke into his ears.

"Yeah, I'm here," Jack Rabbit said through bated breaths. He could feel his heart beating rapidly through his chest. He was a little worried about passing out or having a heart attack.

"Good, because you need to come back. Now."

The urgency in her voice was all the convincing he needed. After what happened, he was fine with calling it a night. He wasn't in the mental state to do anything heroic, and he didn't want to risk running into that guy again.

As Sora hovered down to him, he just hoped they had something that could help the police and heroes catch that guy.