A subdued sound, some part stifled and the rest simply just soft, comes from behind the door in front of Izuku. He strains to listen closer in order to identify it. It eases in and out, like light breathing, but more bated. What he hears is something so quiet that likely the only other person who'd be able to notice it is the girl herself that he's come to check up on – otherwise, super heightened spider hearing does a half baked job of achieving the same skill set. And so Izuku eventually does figure out what it is that he's hearing, in due time, by more-so mulling it over in his mind than relying on his ability. It's crying that he hears. From inside the room in front of him, Kyoka Jirou is crying as silently as she can.

Izuku stands in front of the closed door with his hand clenched and hovering in front of it, mid motion towards knocking on it. But he doesn't complete the full motion to let her know that he's there just yet. He doesn't want to make her feel like he's invading her privacy by catching her during a vulnerable moment. But he knows he should have suspected as much – to a certain extent. This is why he came straight here after her match with MJ, afterall. He had assumed she'd be feeling down and could use some cheering up. So, Spider-Man stopped by to pay a visit. The only problem is Spider-Man isn't so sure of what to say or how to help anymore. He wasn't expecting the girl who managed to boost his morale previously to be THIS badly broken up about her own match's loss. So he continues standing there like a fool, not doing anything other than listening to the poor girl cry to herself.

He waits for what feels like elongated seconds turned into minutes. Izuku hopes that there will be a pause that makes for an appropriate time to announce himself. He waits and he waits. He waits for her to stop crying, and he hopes and he hopes. But as hushed as the whimpers are, they never seem to cease – they are somehow still constantly being heard. At a point, he finally can no longer stand it anymore. He prepares to knock on the door regardless of his inner turmoil, pulling his balled up hand back to do so. But instead of it reaching the door, it pulls away completely. Along with the rest of him when he hears a new sound enter his vicinity.

"Oh", both himself and the newcomer that he sensed coming from behind are surprised to see one another. The ginger ponytailed girl who is the cause for Jirou's tears now shares the same space outside the door. Itsuka Kendo and Spider-Man awkwardly stare at eachother, waiting for the other to say something else.

Now, Jirou's crying has become so suppressed that anyone would be able to hear a pin drop with or without heightened hearing. There's hardly any ambience anymore as the atmosphere's mood shifts into something strange. Neither Kendo or the masked boy in front of her are able to understand how they should be feeling at the moment besides being nervous. All they do know is that things are only going to become increasingly more awkward if neither of them says something soon.

So.. "So…" Kendo starts. She avoids making eye contact, even despite the fact that the lenses of Spider-Man's mask hide his actual eyes. "Aren't you going to congratulate me on my win?", a laugh after her question lets him know that she's making a desperate attempt at humor to break the ice. And yet, this somehow only makes things all the more awkward between them.

"Uh.. Ah..", Spider-Man struggles to say something in return; and noticing this, but not knowing the reason why is just a door's way between them, she looks back at him in an effort to understand. Izuku knows full well how misunderstandings can come about, and having previously had to deal with the consequences of those with Kendo, he wants to avoid another mishap. Rather than making her think he doesn't support her, he gives her a thumbs up and replies, "Of course! Congratulations on winning your match."

Another moment of silence, one that not even mourners at a funeral would break, comes and goes. It seems as such, the tension raising and lowering the same as a passing. Izuku turns his head, angling his ear. He doesn't hear Jirou's crying anymore. He wonders if she can hear him and Kendo talking like he had been listening in on her. The thought alone is enough to make him want to get on with things here so that he can return to his original intention to tend to her. He steps aside, giving Kendo room to walk by if she so chooses.

"Anyways…", it's now him who looks away and avoids making any sort of eye contact. "You should probably get to your room to rest up and prepare for the next one", he gestures in the direction that he presumes she was heading before they wound up intersecting paths.

But as she starts walking that way, she slows and stops, not completely passing him by. "I see why you and Midoriya get along so well now.. You're both pretty bad at talking to girls, huh? Honestly, you remind me a lot of him", Kendo's close proximity coupled with her words and Izuku's back against the door to Jirou's room is enough to make him sweat beneath his mask. It gets increasingly hot under his suit and his eye lens start to fog a little.

"Y- Yeah", he nervously chuckles while being at a loss for words. No matter how suffocating it feels against his face, he feels like he's without his mask and has been exposed in the worst way possible.

Kendo steps even closer, nearly touching his body with her own. Izuku can feel his heart pounding as blood courses through it and rushes to his face. His eyes are drawn to her parted lips and he can imagine her kissing him through his mask the way Lady Deadpool did for a moment. But only a moment. "We'll need to work on that", her whisper is laced with a hot breath that he can feel adding to the heat he already feels. But he's able to cool off when she backs away and then turns completely to leave fully.

"Y- Yeah..", he says it again as a breath of relief washes over him to completely cool his body now. But there's no laugh to go along with it. He can't find anything funny about how close of a call that was. The whole secret identity thing has been getting harder to manage as his double lives have now started to cross paths more frequently.

Izuku turns around to face the door again. It's wooden and so it has no reflection, but he can somewhat view it as a mirror. Whether he would see his masked self or his true self... He doesn't know which he would see and so it makes sense that there's actually nothing there, but… He raises his hand to knock. Who it is that will be knocking, he isn't sure anymore. He's come as Spider-Man but he feels like it's Izuku Midoriya now that will be able to console Jirou better. Maybe there's more that can be said from someone with an actual face to put to a name.

But again, before he can go through with trying to tell her anything at all, with or without his mask on – he's interrupted. Present Mic makes an announcement through the intercom system that it's already time for his next match. He needs to head to the field or he'll be late. There's no time for him to talk to Kyoka Jirou as Izuku Midoriya afterall. Spider-Man is needed… elsewhere.

And so Spider-Man turns and leaves, as though he had never come there at all. Because that's the thing about Spider-Man as Izuku Midoriya is coming to learn – he can save everyone except for the people closest to him.

Skittering steadily, down the crevice of a corner, is a spider that is quite small – and yet it is extremely curious for such a miniscule creature. Beneath it, is a glowing warmth far greater than that of the heat that raised up towards the ceiling. This increase in temperature under its previous residency prompted the arachnid to relocate itself.

It crawls closer and closer, leaving the relative safety of the shaded spot above, attracted for reasons it can not even begin to comprehend. On its most basic, fundamental level, it may be wondering whether the radiant yellow pulsations that it draws nearer to might be some sort of sustenance. A change from the usual regimen of flies and such by abandoning where the cooling of ventilation had been.

Electricity flows forward, channeling into and then through the machine that the spider descends onto. Whereas metallic plating shields the internally wired organs of the machine, the spider is not spared and gets suffused with electricity. It staggers, not understanding the force that permeates every cell of its structure any better than it understood what led it to this fate.

There is a tiny space in the juncture where dials are protruding from the machine's front facing panel. This is where the spider now skitters to, some part of its preservation seeking to return to a dark crevice once more. And yet, that will not save it. Electricity follows the spider into its hiding place and just as that power invaded its tiny body, the electricity invades this entire space of electrical engineering. It lights up as more pulsating shocks spread throughout the system.

The spider dies with no escape from the flow of voltage. And as though the spider had somehow been what separated that power from reaching anything further, not that it's gone, everything else gets affected. Supercharged, the machine whirs as it works to process this new added energy.

The dials respond to the surge, acting as a form of mechanical muscle spasming, and the slots start to spin. They rotate at a dizzying speed. Then land and lock. Faces of Sports Festival contestants appear. The slots rotate and the faces change. The dials shift and they click until the faces are particularly chosen as a select two.

Spider-Man and Denki Kaminari are pitted against eachother for the next round.

After honing his ears to hear Jirou's crying at a lower level, the sound of the speaker system blaring is rather jarring to Izuku, the high pitched frequency catching him by surprise. He stalls in his stride, reactively stopping as some sort of reversed flinch. As he does, he listens to Present Mic make an announcement through the intercom, "This just in! It looks like there was a minor malfunction with our selection system for the next round and Spider-Man's opponent has been adjusted from Shoto Todoroki to Denki Kaminari."

Izuku glances up at the speaker mounted from within the hallway that he's in as though he's glancing directly at Present Mic. The lenses on his mask are wide eyed while he waits to hear more, but that's all that he gets. Izuku stays standing still awhile longer, still processing the information that he just heard. His opponent being changed so suddenly makes him uneasy for some reason.

But it just so happens that where he stopped in the hallway is by a janitor's closet, and when he lowers his gaze back down to a regular leveled height, he gets an idea upon seeing the supply closet; he suddenly doesn't feel so concerned about the switch anymore.

At the epicenter of the Sports Festival's ovaled stadium, Cementoss has refashioned the combat stage for the next set of combatants. There are steps on either side of it, both staircases leading up from a grassy green field. It's there that both Spider-Man and his opponent wave to the audience that awaits their upcoming battle.

Denki Kaminari raises his hands to showcase his skillset via sparks popping from the ends of his fingertips. It's a sight similar to that of Katsuki Bakugo's usual threatening display of power and it doesn't sit right with Izuku when making that mental comparison. Especially when Kaminari gets a feral grin to boot while tacking on some trash talk, "I eat guys like you for breakfast!"

The only solace that Spidey has is that he's under the guise of Spider-Man here and not Izuku Midoriya, so he doesn't have to take the bullying at face value. He can play along and make light of it the way he would with criminals or villains. "Sorry to spoil your appetite", Spider-Man gets down into a lowered fighting stance.

And then it's on. Like, flipping on a lightswitch kindof on.

Underneath the skin of his suit, Spider-Man's hairs stand on end. He reflexively jumps clear of what's practically a lightning bolt. It's a shift in power and intent as any, his Spider-Sense signaling him to the change in danger levels.

"Nice trick, Sparky! Now let me show you one of mine!" When he comes back down, Spider-Man squats low enough to the ground to grab ahold of it. His fingers slide in between the slight crevice of where Cementoss made stone slabs to create the staging. And that's how he's able to lift loose one of the massive slabs that makes up the flooring of the fighting arena that they are on. It flies forward as though tossed by him digging it up.

A crackle in the air is followed by a pop and a blinding yellow flash of light. Another lightning strike carries across the stage, but this one strikes the slab. The stone slab smashes apart when making contact with the electricity. Several pieces splinter off as though it were a plate made of glass instead of a heavy chunk of cement.

"Wow", Kaminari sarcastically comments, "You really showed me."

Spidey is glad that his mask hides the expression of dismay on his face. Since, outwardly, he keeps up his usual mocking front. "Yeah, that all you're ever going to hit is a wall, pal!"

Spider-Man goes with the next best long ranged attack option that he's got. His webbing. A glob of gray goo gets sprayed towards Kaminari. The electrical quirked boy grabs at the obstruction, getting his hand caught in the still drying webbing. But a second later, he begins burning the web away with electric discharges from his fingers. And he still has his other hand; the same one that fires larger bands of discharge at Spider-Man.

Spider-Man flips forwards instead of away, hoping Kaminari will need time to recharge after all of that energy output. But as he sticks out a leg and lands in a crouch to try and sweep around to take out Kaminari's feet, things go differently. That brief contact is like kicking a live cable. The current that then runs through Spider-Man forces his muscles to contract, which leads to him folding up his leg and thus also cancels much of the force of the kick.

Kaminari only staggers before regaining his balance. Whereas Spider-Man gasps in pain while rolling away in an effort to gain some distance.

Through a vibrating and clouded cranium, Spidey thinks that what just happened is awfully familiar. Denki Kaminari is putting up an electrical body field to shield himself the way that Electro had. Whether that's a coincidence or not, electric type quirks being a dime a dozen, he doesn't dwell on for much longer – he has to avoid getting zapped again first.

"Try all you want but you can't touch this!", Kaminari keeps bragging and boasting while believing he has the upper hand. Maybe he has a bone to pick, Izuku recalling the blonde boy didn't have much good to say about his alter ego during their brief meeting in U.A's cafeteria.

"I gotta admit that I never really liked that song…", he grumbles to himself while narrowly avoiding getting caught in his apparent hater's electrical streaks of power output.

Though, he starts considering this guy could be a bigger hater than previously imagined.

Again, there's a familiarity to all of this. Izuku thinks to himself how odd it was for there to be a malfunction to U.A's system and begins making another connection. Like the robots had been able to be reprogrammed, it's possible for the likes of Electro being someone capable of infiltrating the facilities to do so again.

If he's right about his hunches and his deductions, then he doesn't feel so bad about what he's about to do. He pulls something out from the back of his costume's waistline. It's what he took from the janitorial storage space as a pre-meditative calculation, "Okay.. The gloves are ON", the insulation mitts slide on and fit just fine.

Now, Kaminari's electrical forcefield is rendered useless. Spider-Man grabs the surprised blonde and slams him down. Once pinned under the superiorly stronger being, Kaminari chokes out a cough from having taken a heavy hit. And he's about to take another if he's not careful; Spider-Man cocks back an arm, the fist at the end of it primed and ready to punch.

"I yield! I yield!", Kaminari cries out and taps the ground beneath him to show that he surrenders. He's spared the finishing blow and breathes a sigh of relief.

Midnight calls the match and the crowd cheers. They are none the wiser to the slight tension that remains on the stage. There's a friction there and it's not just from the electricity.

But even so, both boys play it off as nonexistent. Spider-Man stands up, getting off Kaminari, and offers an outstretched hand. Though Kaminari wants to send a zillion volts into that hand, he knows it's not worth trying regardless of the insulation glove that Spider-Man is still wearing, for he still has a long term goal to prioritize. So, he takes the offered hand and gets helped to his feet.

"Till next time", Kaminari makes a threat under the guise of a promise when leaving. It's his parting shot, the one he'll take if he's allowed to give or take any.

And it's all that Spider-Man needs to hear to gain confirmation of his suspicions. For who is to say that there would be a next time or how … ? Other than if they were to be at odds with one another.

When Spider-Man turns to walk the other way, he spots in the stands Kyoka Jirou. She's apart from the rest of the crowd, not just because of how he singles her out, but because she isn't clapping like the others. That makes his heart feel heavy. Especially when he sees her stand and exit the bleachers.

She had been sitting with some of the girls he recognizes from when she paid him a visit in U.A's cafeteria. And he's reminded that they are all friends with Denki Kaminari. Once again, the mask that he wears to hide his face complicates his relationships.

"Izuku.. Isn't like everyone else.."

Spider-Man skirts around electricity on replay through the backscattered reflection of the television's screen glinting along Taneo Tokuda's eyeglasses; he's been watching the Sports Festival, like everyone else, but has been keeping a special watch this year for the very reason of Spider-Man's involvement.

"He's… Different.. Unique.."

Next on the replay comes Spider-Man's subduing of his opponent, and then the mercy promptly following that takedown. Tokuda continues to keep a close eye on that too. One hand wields a pen to put his thoughts to paper while his other hand holds his phone to his ear.

"You understand… Don't you?", Inko Midoriya's voice carries over the line – but her brief speech about her son ends conveniently around the time that the Sports Festival goes to commercial.

Tokuda sighs as he clicks the phone's receiver to speaker and sets it down. "Yes", he finishes the last of his writing before responding, "I think I do."

"Then you'll talk to him for me?", she somehow has both such a tender and yet firm tone as she says, "It may be better if he hears this sort of thing coming from you than me."

And so Tokuda needs to take a deep breath before releasing another sigh. "I'll be frank with you, Mrs. Midoriya.." He removes his glasses, closes his eyes, and leans his head back. He needs to really consider how he's going to respond here. "It's only natural to worry about your son's safety and I don't fault you for it", he starts by addressing the woman as a mother first and foremost. "However.. You have to consider that any line of work in close relation to heroes or hero media will be dangerous", and then follows up by lightly reminding her of how she can't always shelter her child despite that motherly role.

He hears a sharp intake of breath and can already imagine the poor lady choking back tears. A photojournalist can picture a lot of things in their mind's eye, so he reopens his actual eyes to not let his mind run too wild with it. "But he's just been getting so reckless lately.. Sneaking out to take pictures? I never taught him that", he continues listening to Inko and starts to understand more what led her to making this call now of all times rather than sooner.

"Neither did I", he puts his glasses back on as he gets a clearer vision of it all – both figuratively and literally. "And I will have a conversation with him about that to set things straight", Tokuda checks his notes as he adds, "Your son has nothing to prove to me."

It's Inko who sighs this time, "Thank you", a sigh of relief.

Quirkless nature aside, whether that makes the boy more fragile than others or not, she was concerned about the way this photography gig has been affecting him lately. She knows her son well enough to know he puts his all into his passions, including his work. Both heroes and this job meant the obvious that his sneaking out must mean it's to do with the Sports Festival. She called Taneo Tokuda to – well, she had half a mind to try and convince him to fire Izuku … but she knew that Izuku would have only resented her for it – she called to try and get him to talk some sense into her son. He's been … distant .. lately. This was the only thing she could think of to do. With Hisashi gone, there aren't many male role models left in Izuku's life otherwise.

"But, Mrs. Midoriya, correct me if I'm wrong.." She snaps back to attention when she hears the man say more on the subject of her son. "He just might feel he has something to prove to you?"

And then she's back in her own head, wondering about that instead.

Present Mic kicks back, swinging his legs forward and up; then he proceeds to prop them against the audio control panel as a foot rest. He tends to ease into this relaxed position during commercial breaks. "Quite the show this year! Eh, Eraser?!" And yet, otherwise never gives the commentary an actual break.

"Mm", Eraserhead responds with a mumble that's muffled by his scarf; it's his way of answering 'yes' without actually having to articulate it. But by his co-commentator's contrast, his lax demeanor is forced to verbally respond eventually. "They've certainly showcased themselves in a way that will be enticing to the heroes watching out for potential interns", his tired eyes stare out of the booth's glass pane and out towards the VIP stands where licensed heroes sit.

Mic nods along in agreement. His grin gains some toothiness as he adds, "Not to mention your pal Spidey!" Eraserhead had shared stories about the two teaming up that he knows just how to tease the underground hero. "Think he'll be joining us in the teacher's lounge next week?"

Eraserhead looks away from the Sports Festival stadium, shifting his sights onto Present Mic. "That was always a guaranteed decision on Nezu's part", his drawl has hardened to something serious as he says, "The real meaning of his involvement here was to win the public's favor."

Mic's smile slips somewhat when hearing that tone of his friend's voice. "And hasn't he?", he stops lounging and puts his legs down whilst sitting up straighter.

Eraserhead glances back towards the crowded stands, "Tough to say", and then returns his gaze to Mic.

Present Mic hums as he considers this. After a while, he has to shrug. "People will always be divided on what they like and dislike…"

But it's not something so easily shrugged off. "That's how villains are made", Eraserhead lowers his voice even further as though some of those villains could be listening in on their conversation.

They very well may as well be. Even divisions within how heroes are meant to hero can result in the likes of agents like Vulture or Lady Deadpool, the variants of Hawks & Lady Nagant sent out by the HPSC enough proof of this. Then there's Nezu and his questionable methodology. What makes a villain a villain is not so clear anymore.

"Yeah, well.. It's not always so black and white.." Present Mic reads between the lines and understands this himself that he doesn't even need to ask, "Is it?"

"No", Eraserhead looks down and away as he answers anyways, "It's not.." His eyes are torn between looking at his absent arm and the field that's being prepared outside for the next match, "And though these are children.. they're learning that themselves now."

Present Mic tracks his friend's stare and offers a soft smile, "Try and be proud of them for once!" He gestures outside the viewing box as though that's proof enough, "They're all giving it their all!"

But right outside the viewing box is proof of otherwise. At least, in Eraserhead's eyes that is. "Not all of them", the underground hero is savvy to Shoto Todoroki holding back the true extent of his power when he sees his student step onto the stage. Which is opposed on the opposite side by Katsuki Bakugo, "And that's bound to backfire sooner rather than later."

"And now for a brutal brawl between two heavy hitters! Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo! These two are literally fire and ice!", Present Mic's voice carries across the crowded stands that proclaim the excitement for the match just as loudly. Cheers accompanied by applause and feet stomping rumble around the arena.

All of that noise ceases abruptly when Todoroki makes his first move. A near heaven piercing shroud of ice consumes the stage. Along with it, a misty haze casts a cold cloud over everything and everyone.

Present Mic swallows before shouting again to break the silence, "Wowie! Perhaps I spoke too soon! Might we already have a winner?!"

But Bakugo blasts away the massive ice mountain with just as powerful of an attack. An explosion decimates the glacier and brings it down, both boiling water and a now hot misty evaporation replacing the prior cool contrast.

"That all you got?!", Bakugo glares at Todoroki through the fog.

"It's more than enough", whereas Todoroki has an otherwise nonplussed reaction to the challenger.

A second iceberg replaces the first. This one is slightly bigger as well. Bakugo braces himself for it. But rather than trying to destroy it completely, he instead focuses on only what's in front of him this time in order to conserve energy. He digs through the ice wall like a mole might, consecutive explosions drilling the way for him.

Seeing Bakugo coming in hot – figuratively and literally – Todoroki tries to block the path with extra sheeting. Rather than continuing forward though, Bakugo throws himself off course with the next explosion that he generates. This latest blast launches him over the new ice layer and propels him over Todoroki.

As he passes overhead, Bakugo grabs ahold of the fabric of Todoroki's jacket and flips him over to toss him. "You looking down on me, you bastard?!"

Todoroki throws a hand back; ice walls off the edge of the stage so that he doesn't get thrown out of bounds. Whilst not as irate as his opponent, he might admit to being annoyed by this turn of events.

Bakugo doesn't let up, he propels himself forward with more explosions. Once within grabbing range, the living firecracker moves with purpose. He goes for the side of Todoroki that isn't frosting over. "Use it", Bakugo locks eyes with his opponent.

And NOW Todoroki is mutually glaring. He whips himself around, completely turning his body so that he can still use his other side as a defensive measure. Bakugo is able to evade in time because of the time that this takes, but it does achieve the means of putting distance between the two of them.

"What.. I ain't good enough for that?", Bakugo raises himself up from where he landed; his body heaves with every breath, but not from exerting energy, rather due to the levels of anger that he's now reached.

Todoroki grits his teeth. Whilst not prone to vocal outbursts, he himself is getting upset. Being pushed this way is rather irksome when he has a purpose to prove that he can clear the competition easily. He spots Endeavor in the VIP section and gets even madder.

"You'll regret making a fool of me!", Bakugo lets off explosions per the norm but they aren't with much purpose at this point rather than to blow off some of the steam he's emitting.

Todoroki launches another ice attack. It spreads forward at a rapid rate before bursting into something bigger. Bakugo redirects the explosions that he's emitting and they blast away the ice.

"I'll freaking kill you!", Bakugo is unimpressed by the weaker attack by comparison to the previous waves he had to meet head on; he sees the way that Todoroki is getting a frostbitten quirk backlash, hence the lower level of combat ability now. "There's no point in winning against some half assed punk! Why're you even here if you won't give me your all?!"

"Shut up", Todoroki takes that as a challenge to unleash a bigger wave of ice. Attacking with sheer force lacks control and takes a lot more out of him but he deems it worth the effort when backed into a corner such as he is now.

Bakugo bites back any other words he has to say about his opponent holding back, forgetting about the fire aspect of Todoroki's quirk for awhile, and goes all out on this new brand of ice power. He's able to blast it away. Of course he's able to. It's just that this amount of force requires to be met by an equal show of force. And so, the explosions he secretes from his hands are a bit more extreme. His hands start to blister and he too starts suffering the effects of quirk backlash.

"I won't use fire", Todoroki watches as his most powerful ice attack gets met with the same level of power and yet still refuses to use his other side, "Ever."

"You fucker..", Bakugo growls upon hearing that. He's tired of being looked down on by everybody. He's bitter that even side characters like Kaminari don't think he has what it takes.

Desperate to prove that he's more than enough to take the top spot, he goes in haphazardly with another insane amount of explosive power. Todoroki has no choice but to defend himself with as much ice as he can. It becomes a contest of cold and hot output until one can no longer release any more of either opposing force.

The conflicting temperatures erupt into a new explosion and they are both nullified in the same instant. It releases something of a shockwave that travels through the air. Bakugo is knocked back. Todoroki keeps himself planted by freezing his feet to the floor.

Seizing that second as a chance unlike any other, Todoroki sends out one final ice wave. It's destroyed like the others. But it accomplishes its purpose. It wasn't meant to trap Bakugo. It was meant to create another updraft. An updraft plus an updraft means more wind to blow Bakugo away. And eventually, Bakugo is blown out of bounds.

"And that decides it! Bakugo is out and Todoroki will be moving on!", Present Mic makes the judgment call as soon as it happens.

Todoroki falls to his knees, finding himself completely exhausted and drained of energy. He's grateful that last push worked. He's fairly certain that it was all that he had left in himself. But on that same note, this means that perhaps his ice isn't enough afterall. Endeavor watches still from the VIP section of the stands, lacking satisfaction with his son's decision but content with the turnout of the match – not for the victory that Shoto achieved, but the deeper meaning of what the near loss means.

Bakugo is also on his knees. He's in a similar state of being distraught. Not only was he unable to get his opponent to fight him as an equal, but he lost. Bakugo has to close his eyes to keep them from watering. That he lost is one thing. That he lost to someone who wasn't even giving it their full power though…

Whereas Endeavor was watching this fight closely, so was Denki Kaminari. The electric blonde smirks as he crosses his arms.

Izuku finds himself feeling conflicted after watching that latest match. His childhood friend had been someone he looked up to for the sake of never giving up much like All Might. To see a figure he had assumed would never lose wind up losing makes him feel a certain way. It could be in part to getting older, the incompatibility of what he's been through, both, or something else… but he wonders if he's starting to feel that way about even All Might too.

Watching his bully get a dose of his own medicine in some capacity though, also makes him feel a certain way. He knows it's wrong to relish in that sort of thing but there isn't many that could blame him or beg to differ. Maybe his father… Izuku sighs as he stands and takes his thoughts elsewhere. He doubts Katsuki Bakugo needs any sympathy any time soon anyways; least of all from him. He'd much rather focus on his current friends than his friend turned bully.

So, Izuku finds himself a secluded spot where he won't be disturbed, and takes some time to actually be Izuku. Spider-Man removes his mask to let his freckled face breathe a little. There, he dials Hitoshi Shinso as though they aren't under the same building's roof. His phone rings twice before Shinso answers.

"You'd better not be calling to tell me you got a disease that's going to kill you or something", the uninterested tone would make most believe the boy doesn't genuinely care but Izuku knows by now how to read in between the lines.

Despite understanding both Shinso's concern and woe, Izuku can't help but smile. He asks, "Having that tough a time?"

Shinso goes silent for a second but eventually does respond. And rather earnestly too when he says, "I could really use some good news right about now."

At a loss for good news, Izuku only has one suggestion after wracking his brain for something. "There's a new brand of pants coming out from Best Jeanist's fashion line?", he tries the first thing that comes to mind.

And as expected, Shinso's dry & dull tone tells him all he needs to know that he failed to offer what can be considered as 'good news'. "Do I seem like a guy that wears denim?", Shinso's rhetorical question is laced with sarcasm.

"I.. Honestly don't know?", yet Izuku still answers, "Maybe if they're ripped?"

"If this is your idea of cheering me up then I'm gonna hang up", Izuku can practically hear Shinso smiling that he knows the threat isn't all that authentic.

But still, Izuku feels obligated to keep trying his best. "Hey, you still made it pretty far, don't feel too down about it!" He hopes he's better at cheering up Shinso than he is at cheering up Jirou.

"Doesn't matter if that was the final match I made it to, just seeing how I got manhandled alone is enough to tell the heroes watching all they care to know.." Shinso's response doesn't bode much hope though.

Knowing that he secretly had a role to play in that judgment, Izuku swallows an apology that he can't quite give without revealing that secret. All he can offer instead is more optimistic suggestions, "I'm sure they'll still factor the other events–"

"I really don't wanna talk about it, Midoriya" But he's met with bitterness that has some bite to it in the way that Shinso snaps at him.

This time, Izuku doesn't swallow down an apology and he says, "Sorry…" It doesn't really do much to change the mood that so easily shifted before though. So he tries changing the subject somewhat. "Um, so, did you take any pictures?"

That doesn't help either. It actually winds up being a big mistake. "...What?", Shinso breathes into the phone before shouting, "What?! While your friend was humiliating me?! Yeah, I'm sure that woulda made great front page material!"

Izuku realizes how what he said could have been taken in that wrong sort of context and immediately tries to backpedal, "That's not what I meant–"

"You know, sometimes when it comes to Spider-Man, I think you treat him more like a friend than you do me!" But it's too late. Shinso has a lot to say about the way his photography gig and the relation to Spider-Man affects their dynamic. And worse yet, Izuku can't really disagree with it.

"Believe me, Spider-Man isn't very much of a friend to me either.." Despite all the good he's done as a vigilante, Izuku holds onto his own resentment for what his alter ego costs him.

"Then maybe you need to reconsider your priorities and make a decision on what you put first", which makes what Shinso says next all the more meaningful. "School? Family? Friends?", and really begs thought to the questions once again being asked, "Or Spider-Man?"

Gold gleams off the silver arch of the Sports Festival stadium roofing, sunlight shimmering along the polished surface. As equally radiant by this casted reflection are the lenses of Spider-Man's mask. Each mirroring colors a bright view of the city that stretches beyond and surrounds.

Spidey has sat on ceilings whilst being contemplative before. It's his go-to method to process his thoughts when web swinging is off the table. Though he's not too sure how he always finds himself in that same place anymore. Before it made sense with his zero lack of confidence, but now, just when he thinks he has some bit of clarity for what he decides to do – he always winds up having to do a 180 – he always finds himself wondering time and time again if Spider-Man does more harm than good. Every step forward is two steps back it seems.

He nearly pulls off his mask to hold it in his hands, another habit that he's developed when being introspective. It sometimes helps to stare into the reflective eye lens, as though his own face staring into the symbolically webbed face of Spider-Man sets them apart enough to gauge his thoughts as separate. But considering where he's at is a bit more of a public place in which the public could tend to look up more than usual, he refrains from doing so this time.

And good thing too, because he isn't alone. Turns out being broody and introspective on rooftops is a commonality amongst hero types. Spider-Man turns his head when hearing the shuffling of fabric and feet; it's no surprise his Spider-Sense didn't go off because who has snuck up on him is All Might of all people.

"Quite the view, eh young man?" The hero's broad smile has a reflection of light of its own, the man's perfect white teeth on full display. With his fists on his hips, all that's missing is a cape billowing in the wind like one of the hero's older costume renditions. It is quite the view. All Might's pose backlit by the city is like a comic cover come to life.

Despite having had previous conversations with All Might, Izuku is still momentarily starstruck all over again. He takes back what he thought about outgrowing his idolism for the number one hero. He couldn't possibly. Never. No matter all he does himself, there's just a whole other air about who's standing in front of him currently.

Even so, his last talk with the symbol of peace was about becoming a symbol of his own, and he needs to try and own up to that. He shrugs off his awe and plays it cool. "Actually, it's Spider-Man, with a hyphen" He jokingly corrects All Might, "Young Man is another vigilante."

This gains a chuckle out of the hero, at the very least. "From what I hear, you're becoming something else entirely!"

Spider-Man simply shrugs. "Until they invent a new term or I get a license, I'm basically a vigilante, let's be real…" In truth, he's a rare complicated case in an already case-by-case law basis.

All Might nods, understanding the oddness of the situation. "That's certainly how the Hero Public Safety Commission sees it", his smile slips somewhat when thinking about why that is, "Have they been giving you trouble?"

Spider-Man is quick to answer, "Nah" But after pausing to reconsider… "Well, no more than usual aside from heroes turned assassins", he has to reiterate his answer, "That isn't why I'm up here."

At that, All Might raises a single eyebrow. "What is it this time?", he asks.

Spider-Man stalls somewhat. He looks away, unsure of how to answer that. All Might is about to take back his question, believing he's crossed a line – but then Spider-Man looks back and asks quietly, "..Have you ever hurt anyone by being All Might?"

This stirs up a lot in the man. Not just memories of his predecessor/master dying because he failed to save her or how his sidekick and him now have a strained relationship, but also concern for the young man asking about these delicate matters. Whereas emotions is where his mind first goes, it could be different for a masked vigilante. Whatever he's thinking must start to show in his expression since Spider-Man is quick to explain himself.

"I don't mean physically! Well, obviously villains and stuff but…", Spider-Man keeps himself from rambling by shaking his head, "I mean have you ever accidentally hurt your friends or family because you had to keep a secret?"

That's all the confirmation All Might needs. "Ah..", his muscular shoulders droop as he relaxes. But despite that outward relaxation, he still feels the need to look around first. After making sure they're the only ones up there, he steps closer. "May I?", and he gestures to ask to sit. Spider-Man nods, letting him.

As the man squats to sit, Spider-Man can see what was hidden in the sun shaded silhouette. As he looks at his hero, he sees that his hero has grown old. Canyons carve through the aging man's skin, crevices deep in his cheeks. They hollow further as wise blue eyes further sink inward. And soon, what were mighty muscles deflate to creaking bones accompanied by strained kneecaps. He grunts and groans as though just sitting is an effort these days.

It's in this moment that Spider-Man is reminded of what he saw at the USJ. It's in this moment he remembers that All Might, much like all the other heroes and himself, are only human. The widened eye lens of his mask threaten to fog when tears threaten to spill.

Toshinori Yagi's smile is much more reserved. But kind all the same. "You look shocked", the depowered All Might can tell even with a mask covering the boy's face.

When Spider-Man gets all flustered about getting caught staring, Toshinori can't help but chuckle. But the mood sobers quickly when just laughing is enough to wear him down – his laugh becomes a cough and with that cough comes blood – he wipes it away from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Spider-Man visibly deflates as well after that. Maybe not in an extremely literal sense like All Might, but a noticeable dropping of his shoulders all the same. "I guess I forgot…", the boy's voice is choked too as he whispers what he can manage to say about it.

Toshinori glances down at himself. Seeing his frail and thinned hand instead of the primed palm full of calluses that usually clenches into a fist to deliver a mighty blow is numbing to even his own attitude. When his narrow fingers fold over, it's a sad comparison. "We hadn't really had a talk about this.. Have we?", he eventually raises his gaze back up to the youthful future in front of him instead.

"I didn't tell anybody! I swear!", Spider-Man frantically waves his arms around to exaggerate what he's saying. The kid sure does have a ton of energy; a perk of being so young.

Toshinori gestures with the same boney hand he had clenched, "Calm down", hoping to soothe the boy's worries as he waves it aside, "I wouldn't have expected you to or else we would have discussed this sooner."

Spider-Man slowly settles down when hearing that, much to Toshinori's relief. The masked kid swallows before asking, "What… What happened?"

That's an expected question. Toshinori isn't prepared to answer it just yet though, "It's a story for another time.." He gets things back on track with their original conversation topic instead. "Rather, the reason I'm showing myself like this to you again is to remind you that I too keep secrets from people that I care about."

Spider-Man takes a second to let that sink in. And Toshinori lets him by taking a second too. Eventually, Spider-Man recalls the question he asked originally. "Does it ever hurt them?", he asks it again.

Toshinori's mind thinks back to the people he's had to distance himself from. "More than often it hurts me instead", and it's perfect timing that his life lasting injury starts acting up in that same moment. He grits his teeth to bite down on the pain. "And that I can live with…" His hand hovers over the covered scar unconsciously. Hearing all of this, with or without context, Spider-Man can relate in his own way.

"But other times.. Like at the USJ when I was running on fumes.. If you hadn't stepped in then things could have gone bad..", Toshinori tenderly touches the aching spot as he recalls the close encounter they had with the bio-engineered Nomu. Between physical capability and the will to act, it's a matter of what winds up happening afterwards that eats at them.

Spider-Man listens intently, taking all of this in. Before now, before seeing the humanity in his hero, all he saw was the video he'd play on loop as a kid where All Might carried a literal bus load of people out of a crash. "I have to admit that even I expected you to pull through anyways.. I mean, you're All Might."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence", this makes Toshinori smile again despite his disposition. "But isn't that one of the reasons why we keep those kind of secrets? Sure, it places a certain kind of expectation on us to uphold .. but that's the responsibility we have."

Spider-Man stares ahead at his idol, the weight of those words heavier than the weight of the world. It's not a physical sore spot, but it may as well be his own nasty scar to keep on himself. Those words have a way of always coming back around to echo in the back of his mind in some manner or another. Heck, it's what he hypocritically said during his speech to kick off the whole mess that is the Sports Festival.

"Responsibility…", Spider-Man tests it on his tongue but it tastes as bitter as it sounds. He lets loose on his pent up emotions a little more now that he has a catalyst for them all, "I'm kinda sick and tired of hearing that… I didn't ask for this power! I didn't ask for friends who all think that I'm scum or all of the other distrust it's caused me!"

The blue of Toshinori's eyes twinkle. Maybe it's out of some kindred spiritual relation. Maybe it's due to an emotional chord being struck that they just might have teared up. Whatever the case may be, he stares at Spider-Man in a new light. "We're a lot more alike than you'd think", the lengthy blonde strands of hair that hang over his face billow in the wind as a breeze blows by, "I didn't ask for my power either.."

Realizing he accidentally let more of his secret slip, he backpedals. "I mean, nobody asks for their quirk! They're all born with them!" Toshinori sweatdrops over the close call but believes he managed to salvage the situation. "Anyways, my point is.. We've been given this power and thus so with it comes–"

"Comes great responsibility", Spider-Man finishes the sentence for All Might as though it's a quote from some sacred superhero Bible.

Which should surprise Toshinori. But it doesn't. It's mostly the kid's own words of wisdom thrown right back at him. He reaffirms the solid statement, "Yes."

"Yeah…", Spider-Man looks out at the people below and sighs, "So what if nobody throws me a parade.." He knows it's right. He just needed to hear it from someone other than himself again. "At the end of the day, if it means I can help then I should!"

"If it's of any other solace", Toshinori places a hand on the boy's shoulder and gives it as strong a squeeze as he can while in his depowered form, "If we had met sooner then I'm sure I would have chosen to give you power and not just let it be a random turn of fate."

Spider-Man's heart practically skips a beat. He breathlessly asks, "Really?"

Toshinori pats the kid on the shoulder, "In another lifetime", and he swears by what he said with complete conviction.

Moved deeply, Spider-Man is at a loss for words. "Thanks, All Might.." He hardly gets it out vocally so he shows his appreciation with a bow as best as he can whilst being seated. During the bow, he realizes something though. "Wait.. By giving power– ?"

"I meant rhetorically", Toshinori quickly clarifies what he meant. Perhaps a little too quickly, but that's besides the point. Again, he sweatdrops.

"Oh", Spider-Man sits up straight again and nods, "Right."

Toshinori forces a laugh, "What did you think? That I can pass my quirk along? That'd be crazy!", he's aware that he's overselling what he's saying and starts sweating more because of it.

But fortunately for him, Spider-Man and the lack thereof for this far fetched power transfer doesn't cross his mind as anything aside from his own origin, "Not as crazy as a spider essentially doing the same.."

Toshinori's interest is peaked that he completely moves on from being concerned with covering for his own origin story, "Is that how.. ?"

Except, before there can be any swappage or exchange of those stories from either side, the speaker system announces the next match of the festival. And it's none other than Spider-Man versus Shoto Todoroki.

"Maybe that's enough trading secrets for now", Spider-Man stands himself up before holding out a hand to help up Toshinori, "Thanks for the pep talk, All Might."

Toshinori gratefully accepts the offer of the outstretched hand. "Any time you need one, I'll be there to give it!" And once on his feet again, he stands tall in his buffed up form. "Speaking of which: good luck!", All Might flashes Spider-Man a thumbs up.

Beneath his mask, Izuku Midoriya smiles. Yeah. There's no way what he thought before this talk can ever be true. He doesn't know what the heck he was thinking. He definitely can't ever outgrow idolizing that guy.

Shoto steps onto the stage, holding himself steady. He's made it this far on his mother's side alone. He only needs to make it through this final match and he'll win without having to use fire. If he does that, he'll prove to his father his point. He clenches both of his hands into fists, squeezing them closed as tight as they can go.

Seeing this demeanor from his opponent, coupled with his Spider-Sense, Spider-Man may as well understand how high the stakes of this match are. Though he does misread the meaning of it, "You're not still mad at me because of what we talked about earlier, are you?"

Taking into account the size of the ice wave sent his way, perhaps Spider-Man didn't entirely misread the meaning. He flips away from it, keeping himself on the outskirts of the arena by balancing upside down on a single finger.

"Good to see you cooled off since then", Spider-Man quips with a quivering voice and it's not just because of the chilliness of the air.

While it's true that he's fought opponents with a power scale arguably greater than his own, and they were trying to kill him whereas this is a simple school fight, he still has a bad feeling about this matchup. With the temperature dropping as low as it is, he finds his usual acrobatic agility slowed slightly.

And Todoroki plays a hard game of keep-away. Having learned his lesson from Bakugo, he skids along an ice trail to either end of the stage each time Spider-Man gets more than half way across. The giant erected ice walls are a slippery slope to climb on.

"Snowball fight!", Spidey resorts to using his long range attack methods; when globs of gossamer pelt Todoroki instead of packed ice, he feels a sense of accomplishment in it. "Did I say snowballs? I meant web balls!", a few more rounds of ammunition adds to that pleasure until Todoroki blocks them with an ice barrier.

It's with this temporary blind field of view in Todoroki's way that Spider-Man darts forward. The gap is closed. And Spider-Man smashes his way through. Todoroki, startled, lets loose a wild counter attack. Ice generates indiscriminately and covers the entire stage.

Within the audience, Itsuka Kendo rubs her hands together to generate heat; she's pretty confident that even with One For All sparking within them that even she would be unable to keep warm after an attack like that.

"Wow! What an insane display of power!", Present Mic provides a commentary that vocalizes a good margin of the spectators in the stands' thoughts.

Spider-Man sits atop a spire of ice, perched upon it the way a bird might roost. While everyone is focused on the glacier, he's watching the one responsible for its existence. "Todoroki..", he calls out to the boy below and points out what he has noticed, "You're shivering."

Todoroki chokes on the condensation of his own gasp. It's true. That much power output took a lot of his energy and he's already suffering the consequences of quirk backlash. Frostbite is as real a threat to him as it is to his opponents.

"You must have a limit to how much you can bear", Spider-Man squints as he keeps analyzing Todoroki's quirk, "But then.. You could always use your left side to thaw yourself out, right?"

Todoroki grits his teeth to keep them from chattering. A wild wave of his hand tosses a whirlwind of snow and ice at Spider-Man. It twists like a tornado as it comes winding forth.

Spider-Man creates a thin sheet of webbing and casts it out as though he's trying to catch fish from a frozen pond. The bitter breeze gets caught in the net instead. Spider-Man is lifted and blown from his perch by riding the makeshift parachute. He's the living embodiment of a hot air balloon – or rather, a cold air balloon.

"Everyone's giving it their all to win and achieve their goals! And meanwhile you're going to win with only half your power?!", Spider-Man lets go of the web chute when Todoroki sends up a thicker ice attack; as he falls, he flips, and he dodges. "If not for your father, then do it for yourself!"

"I told you.. If you don't have a father, then you should stop pretending to understand!" Todoroki lashes out yet again; this ice wave sprouts forth in bursts as it receives added boosts to reinforce its power.

But those boosts aren't enough. Spider-Man doesn't even dodge. He simply smashes straight through it with a punch. "It's not just that you're slowing down", Spider-Man holds up his fist and clenches it tighter as a show of force, "Your ice is weaker too."

Todoroki doesn't waste his labored breaths on saying it aloud, but he admits to himself that he noticed that too. Hence why he tried reinforcing his latest attack with those extra boosts. If he's going to make it through this, he needs to get a little more inventive with his lighter weight move sets.

Todoroki slaps his hand on the ground. Ice spreads out from his palm and coats the floor of the arena. Spider-Man stands firm. "Nice try but that won't work against a guy that can stick to things", the masked fighter continues to charge forward and proves that he isn't just bluffing.

Todoroki staggers. It's he who has a hard time remaining standing now. As he slips and falls to his knees, he still swears to uphold his vow. He starts to reaffirm his oath, "I'll show my father–"

"It's YOUR power! Not his!", Spider-Man disrupts Shoto Todoroki's thought process and actually manages to get through this time. Seeing that he's got Todoroki's attention, Spider-Man continues to say what he has to say. "When I got my power, I wasn't so sure that I deserved it – I was a.. Late bloomer – I thought that if it was meant to be mine that it would have been my own to begin with", he redirects his gaze to the audience and finds where All Might is sitting, "But I was recently reminded that it doesn't matter where that power comes from or how we got it but rather what we decide to do with it to make it our own! That's our responsibility! It's your responsibility to use the power you were given and not let it go to waste!"

"So that's why you became a vigilante, huh?" Todoroki lowers his arm, the frost fizzling out. "I always wondered.." And then fire fizzles in instead from the other arm. "Guess that's a good enough reason to become a hero as any", soon a blaze of flames ignites as Shoto Todoroki finds a burning passion to fight, "Let's become heroes of our own making then! Together! Spider-Man!"

The arena gains a glowing radiance as unbridled fire gets released. Spider-Man tries shielding himself with webbing but the flames quickly eat through it. When his web shooters run empty, he's forced to retreat. Spider-Man is backed to the end of the stage and has no choice but to leap out of bounds in order to not be burned to a crisp.

"Sure", Spider-Man stands up once outside of the ring, "Let's do that."

And though Present Mic calls that he lost the fight, he still feels that he won this time.

The sword slides out easier than it slid in. Between the grooves of armored padding, punctured flesh squelches and oozes out a dark red liquid. No more screams are elicited with this action, for the body is now nothing more than a corpse.

The owner of the sword swings his blade up and over before sheathing it, so that most of the blood gets flung off. He'd normally savor the taste of victory by licking the edge clean but he's opted for a different means of celebration this time around. He's chosen to take with him a trophy.

Perhaps it's due to his niece and her behavior rubbing off on him, but Chizome decides to bring with him home a piece of memorabilia. The Hero Hunter kicks Ingenium's helmet with enough force to launch it up into the air where he can catch it with an outstretched hand; he believes it will make a fine addition to the other wall mounted masks that he has made a collection out of.

Stain stands over the dead body of Tensei Iida, mercissely making sport of it the way a hunter might hunt an animal for fun and return home with its head.

Spider-Man treads down the hallway back from the stadium. Whereas the award ceremony will be starting soon, and he should be in attendance out of a respective courtesy, he does have somewhere else he wishes to be first. High off his breakthrough with Todoroki, he's hoping that he can also reach Jirou.

He eventually finds her. Just not where he was expecting to find her. She sits outside of her private room, back propped against the wall and legs pulled up to her chest. Her ear jacks are plugged into her phone. Until she notices Spider-Man and removes them so that she can hear him.

"Hi", he waves almost awkwardly. It was somehow easier to express his emotions in a grudge match than this way.

Jirou must take some sort of notice in this and helps him along. "So, you lost too, huh?"

Spider-Man looks back down the way that he came. He realizes that she's sitting here purposely to intercept his path. While he was worried about consoling her, she was feeling the same way about him. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, not when I have a pretty girl waiting for me to get back.." He smiles softly underneath his mask whilst blushing.

Unlike Spider-Man, Jirou does not have a mask to hide her blush. She looks away, flustered. "Sh- Shut it..", she whispers for him to stop but she secretly smiles softly too.

Inviting himself to sit down and join her, Spider-Man gets into a cross legged position down on the floor. "I would've tried harder if I knew you were rooting for me."

Jirou rolls her eyes and scoffs, "Why wouldn't I have been?"

Spider-Man raises a finger as though he has something to point out but lowers it a moment later when realizing he has nothing. "Yeah.. Maybe I just don't want to feel like I let you down by losing..", he suddenly feels silly about it all.

But it's Jirou who feels all the more ridiculous about it. "Let YOU down? I was the one who lost my match first", she looks away again but this time because she's ashamed more-so than embarrassed.

"I wouldn't let that change the way I see you", the boy across from her assures her otherwise before insisting on his own faults, "Besides.. The difference is I basically forfeited by goading Todoroki into using his fire."

Jirou raises her head, slowly fixing her gaze on the masked boy again. "How did you pull that off by the way?", she asks.

Spider-Man feels although she's somehow staring through the eye coverings on his mask when he stares back. "It was really more because of the why..", he sheepishly rubs the back of his head while trying to explain it, "Todoroki was troubled and I felt the need to try and save him rather than trying to beat him. So, I consider that a win, at least."

Jirou hears the sincerity in Spider-Man's voice and she's once again won over by his compassion. She edges closer to him and offers one ear bud for him to listen with her to the music that's playing from her phone.

Nothing more needs to be said after that. It's a love language that speaks through the action alone. Especially when Spider-Man accepts the offer, slipping the ear bud under his mask to share with her.

Though, when he hears the graphic lyrics that belong to 'Chu Chu Lovely' by Maximum The Hormone playing into his ear, Izuku does raise his eyebrows in shock over the kind of music that Jirou listens to.

The locker room is as silent as the end itself. The aftermath often always is. With nothing more to boast or holler about, the crowds' screaming doesn't echo within the vacant space anymore. It's the age old expression that someone could hear a pin drop.

Or, someone could hear a drop of sweat hitting the floor. Katsuki Bakugo slouches on a bench, bent over as he broods, and plenty of sweat drops fall from his heaving body. He's not allowing himself to blow up. It's all stored within. Rage. Hate. It pools around him on the plain beige tiled floor where mildew-darkened grout undoubtedly came from other losers like himself.

Empty lockers line up along either side of him, doors yawning open on occasion. They're as vacant as his mind. In this place, it's as though his unbridled anger has so much space. But still, he feels trapped with nowhere left to go.

Bakugo stands abruptly, instinctively reacting how a caged animal would, savagely uncontent with feeling trapped. When he does, his feet skid back underneath the bench he had been resting on. The back of his foot hits something cylindrical and causes the tube to roll out.

Bakugo's fogged mind makes way when he realizes something has brushed up against his foot. He crouches down to pick up the item and inspect it. When he does, he sees that what he's stumbled upon is a vial containing a greenish liquid. The vial makes his eye reflect in an odd way, the way a funhouse mirror distorts shapes. He realizes that this is the performance enhancer Kaminari tried getting him to take.

One part of Bakugo wants to chuck the damned thing and break it. Another part of him thinks to pour it down a sink or toilet. He should probably report it to a teacher or some type of faculty. But with his anger quelled and replaced with what that anger typically always masks, he's left feeling only somberly disappointed in himself. He knows that if anyone else were to feel that way, then someone weaker might be tempted to drink the stuff. So, he shoves it in his pants pocket to make sure it doesn't fall into any weakling's hands who might give in to that temptation.

"Tch", Bakugo walks away with the green drug in his possession. For better, or for worse.

AUTHOR NOTES

I'm back! And with a longer chapter this time to compensate for the wait! There was quite a bit to cover but I mainly wanted to conclude the Sports Festival.

Also, I forgot during the last few chapters since the USJ incident to share the U.A class lineups. In case nobody noticed, I shortlisted the class sizes to 15 students instead of 20 and did some tweaking in terms of who's in which class.

Class 1-A Members:

1) Kyoka Jirou

2) Kendo Itsuka

3) Katsuki Bakugo

4) Denki Kaminari (Electro/Traitor)

5) Toru Hagakure

6) Mina Ashido

7) Tenya Iida

8) Tsuyu Asui

9) Mashirao Ojiro 9 (Scorpion Nomu/MIA)

10) Ejiro Kirishima

11) Shoto Todoroki

12) Momo Yaoyorozu

13) Setsuna Tokage

14) Manga Fukidashi

15) Fumikage Tokoyami

The Sports Festival shed a little light on who may be in Class 1-B like Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki, and Honenuki but I otherwise didn't give it much other thought for the time being.

Now that we've got that out of the way, onto reading & responding to some reviews!

Thank you CapoPerk and Guest for your continued support! And you as well, Splashyatom431, I hadn't thought about how someone less versed with Spidey would like or dislike the story so I'm glad you're in for the ride thus far! Last but not least, welcome Iron M. Writer and welcome to your theories since you aren't too far off base!

Until next time, dear readers!

-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood author!