Moments after Midoriya and Todoroki were called to the arena the doors to Recovery Girl's office were flung open with a clearly worried Raphtalia rushing out. Without missing a beat the Tanuki-girl began to race down the hallway, her leg showing no sign of injury. In truth, it had taken the elder hero only a couple of seconds to heal it so well that no one would have ever suspected she had gotten cut there. There wasn't even so much as a scar! But despite this, Recovery Girl had insisted on having the girl rest for a bit while she examined her.

And, because of this, Raphtalia was now running late to see Izuku.

"Wait missy wait!" cried the elder hero, as she hobbled out the door with a large candy bag in one hand. "At least take some gummies with you!"

-x-

At the same time, Filo was up in the stands as she and Melty explored the stadium together. To be honest, the Filolial girl found this far more fun and exciting than the fights since all she could do was watch. Though, since this next one did have her Master in it then perhaps it would be worth watching. Maybe they could even get a closer look!

Before she could bring this up to her new best friend in the whole wide world, something caught her attention. It was a man, a very skinny one at that, holding onto the railing as he looked down at the field below. Something about the man seemed familiar to her but for some reason she could not place a finger on. But such thoughts were put on hold as the man just randomly began coughing up huge amounts of blood. Like, the amount didn't seem humanly possible! But then again, what did she know about what was humanly possible since she had seen Mrs. Midoriya once cry so much that the tears went up to her ankles?

Shaking her head to pull herself from that memory, Filo noticed the man wobbling and, with a great burst of speed, rushed over to catch him before he fell over. As she held onto him, she got a whiff of a familiar scent that was much like the one smelt every time she transformed. Then she looked up at the man whose piercing blue eyes were looking down at her with gratitude. Eyes she had seen before within her Master's room.

"Thank you for that," said the man, wincing while smiling at her.

Filo beamed as she helped the man stand. "No problem All Might," said the little blonde girl. "My Master would be very disappointed in me if I saw someone in trouble and didn't help."

All Might chuckled as he closed his eyes, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "Would he now?" began All Might. "Looks like he's-"

Suddenly, All Might's eyes shot wide open. His mouth opened wide, more blood spewing out as he looked down at the little winged girl who looked back at him with an innocent smile.

"But…I'm not…You just…How?" was all the pro hero could say as he looked down at the girl in shock.

"Oh, was I not supposed to figure it out?" asked Filo innocently, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. "Are you playing some sort of game with someone else? If so I'm really sorry. It's just that my Master is a really big fan of yours. He has lots and lots of pictures and dolls of you all over his room. He also showed me the disk with you in it. You know, the one where you told him he was getting into this school. You're wearing the same outfit right now. Plus, you have this smell on you that's like mine when I transform."

Filo then paused, a huge smile appearing on her face. She then turned around to see Melty running towards them. She looked a little winded, but there was still a smile on the blue-haired girl's face.

"Come on Melty, come on!" cried Filo as she waved at her new best friend. "I wanna get a closer look to see Master's fight!"

With that, the pair rushed past a still-shocked All Might as the reality of the situation was still catching up with him.

'Did a little girl who was only born a couple of weeks ago just figure out that I'm All Might?' thought the hero.

-x-

While the interaction between All Might and Filo took place, Mina raced as quickly as she could through the stadium. With her heart pounding, she ran up flight after flight of stairs with her shoes squeaking in the deserted hallways. Eventually, she came across the door that would lead her to her target. Once she was close enough, Mina reached for the door handle to open it with the intent of just rushing inside as every moment counted. But, alas, the door was locked.

A growl escaped her throat as Mina began to rapidly twist the door handle, hoping that would get it to open. When that didn't work she began to loudly pound on the door, shouting for them to open up. The pink-skinned girl would have used her acid next had the door not opened to reveal Mr. Aizawa looking at her.

"Ashido," began her homeroom teacher. "What in the world is-"

"It's Midoriya," interrupted Mina, silencing the darkly dressed man. Without waiting for him to ask her to explain or anything else, the acid-using girl began to tell him everything. How Midoriya had not returned to their seating area, only to be later found by her huddled in a hallway and sitting on the floor. How they had begun to talk, and when she told him that she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, he had begun to cry without realizing it. What's more, the look on his face made her fear for him. She said all of this quickly, barely taking any breaths despite the run she had done to get here.

And as she spoke, Mr. Aizawa just stood there silently. He seemed to just be taking all this in with his eyes narrowing. Behind him, Present Mic had swirled around in his chair to give this conversation his attention as well. Unlike Mr. Aizawa, Present Mic let out a few curses under his breath.

"I'm worried about him," finished Mina. "Everything he's going through is getting to him. But I don't know how to help him."

"I'd be more worried if he wasn't affected by all this, given everything we've seen this far," commented Mr. Aizawa, his tone slightly darker than normal. Like there was a rage that was directed towards something other than her at the moment. However, when he spoke next, he seemed to have calmed down. "You did the right thing coming to me. I'll send a private message to Midnight, asking her to keep an eye on Midoriya during the fight. Then, afterwards, we'll have him meet with Recovery Girl. From there, we can take steps to help him. Hopefully before his next match. Now, you'd best be on your way."

With that, Mina thanked Mr. Aizawa before heading off to sit next to Kirishima. Once she got there, she would tell him that no matter what happened, Midoriya would need their support after this match.

-x-

Meanwhile, Izuku walked onto the arena as Present Mic did the intro for both him and Todoroki. Thankfully the blond man's voice was able to mostly drown out the chorus of boos when he reintroduced Midoriya to the crowd. But the same couldn't be said when Todoroki entered, earning almost deafening cheers from the people in the stands. Something that caused Midoriya to briefly grit his teeth in frustration. Just as quickly as this anger came, Izuku managed to shake it off as he looked over at his classmate, raising his shield in preparation for battle. As for Todoroki, he paid little attention to what was going on around him as he kept his cold gaze on his opponent.

As Midnight pressed a hand to her earpiece, Izuku's eyes remained locked to Todoroki. He knew that this wouldn't be an easy match as Todoroki's quirk was insanely strong. However, that didn't mean that Izuku was without a plan, or a shield, that he could use.

"Begin!" declared Midnight.

As Midnight's whip cracked, Todoroki took a step forward with his right foot sending a wave of ice that was laced with spikes towards Izuku. An attack that came so fast that, had the young shield hero not lunged to the left, he would have either been encased in or impaled on ice. Midoriya did not stop running as he kept his gaze on the dual-quirk user. The half-hot half-cold teen turned on the spot, gritting his teeth as he sent a second wave of ice to where Izuku was. One so large that it crashed right into the stadium wall, shaking it slightly with a spike so long that they could have impaled several people with room to spare. Yet, once more, Todoroki missed as Izuku continued to keep to the teen's left side.

Frustration seemed to mound for the icy hot teen as he slid his right foot across the stony floor, sending forth a wide arch of ice. Something that Izuku spotted instantly as he recognized it from class. When Todoroki did this, he was essentially trading raw power and deadly accuracy he normally used for something more widespread. Sure, it would still freeze Izuku to the ground and cover him in ice, but he wouldn't be stuck inside something the size of a glacier. It would also be more likely to happen given the wider area of attack would make it harder to avoid without serious speed. Something that both teens knew Izuku Midoriya lacked.

Luckily, Izuku had another way of avoiding the issue.

"Air Strike Shield!" shouted Izuku. Without wasting a moment, he leapt into the air before he had finished shouting the name of one of his special moves and landing on his makeshift platform. He didn't hesitate to create another Air Strike Shield, leaping onto it as Todoroki used his quirk to create an ice stake that shot out of the ground to pierce the first. Now on his second platform, Izuku leapt towards Todoroki, shocking not just the teen but everyone watching as his shield began to take on a new shape.

"Soul Eater Shield!" cried the green-haired teen.

Gasps could be heard as Izuku's shield took on the appearance of a ghostly white face, the green gem now placed between two sinister-looking red eyes. Below that, the shield grinned evilly as it showed off its row of razor-sharp teeth. But Izuku didn't have any time to worry about how it looked as his shield collided with Todoroki's face, causing the teen to stumble back a bit while Izuku's new shield activated. Its mouth opened up and seemed to inhale, sucking in something from its victim who began to feel a little drained. Rather than ponder what Midoriya had done to him, Todoroki raised a hand as he willed his ice to lay waste to the fool who was now too close to him. An act that caused Izuku to notice that parts of his sleeve had ice on it that had begun to fall off. But when nothing happened, Todoroki's eyes widened in shock and horror as Izuku's shield transformed again.

"Chimera Viper Shield!" yelled Izuku as he capitalized on his opponent's weakened state. The shield on his arm then began to glow green, transforming from the Soul Eater Shield into a familiar green, four-pointed one with twin golden snakes on its surface. But, they didn't remain that way for long as the golden snakes sprang to life, their colors changing into a more natural green as they launched themselves at Todoroki. The moment they were close enough their fangs bit into the other teen's flesh causing him to cry out while a weak poison entered his veins. But, this lasted for only a moment as ice began to cover the snakes, signaling the end of the effect of Izuku's Soul Eater Shield. Seeing this, Izuku's shield began to glow green once more as he leapt back from Todoroki who instantly began to hold onto one of the spots where he had been bitten. As for Izuku, he switched his shield back into the Soul Eater Shield.

'Wow! I knew that any shield I got from Mr. Aizawa would be impressive, but I never expected it to be this useful!' thought Izuku as he glanced down at the Soul Eater Shield. 'It's ability to mimic the erasure quirk when the shield is struck is nothing short of amazing! Though why it looks this way…Focus Izuku, focus! Ok, when I got close to Todoroki I could see frost forming on his body meaning he's not immune to the cold. Makes sense since he usually tries to end his training matches as quickly as possible. That means my plan was the correct one: I just need to keep dodging his ice assaults and eventually his own quirk will be his undoing. Well, unless he can figure out how to…heat himself…up…Wait a moment! Todoroki's quirk is a mix of fire and ice. So he could just use his left side to warm himself up! So why doesn't he-"

Izuku was cut off as Todoroki took another step forward, sending another rush of ice towards Izuku.

'Questions for later! Questions for later!' With those rambling, panicked thoughts Midoriya raced with all his might to the left. Even getting into a roll as he nearly tripped on his own foot. When Izuku's roll ended, he was on one knee looking at the other teen with his mind racing. Already he was beginning to see a flaw in his plan. Namely, it would only work if he kept the pressure up and continued to dodge. But the longer this went on, the more tired he would be for the next round. If he didn't get caught by one of those ice attacks. There had to be a way to speed things up.

Just as new ice began to form around Todoroki's foot, a memory of the battle trail came to Izuku. If he could apply that move once again, then there was a chance of speeding up his plan.

"Shield Prison!" said Izuku under his breath. Just in the nick of time too as his opponent's eyes widened in surprise as a dome of shields surrounded him as well as the ice he was using. Half a heartbeat later several dozen spikes of solid ice found their way through the crack in the barrier, a few even making their own method of escape. Yet still the prison held firm as it kept as much of the cold inside while chilling the air around it. After a moment or two, Midnight began to carefully approach the green dome only to suddenly back away as more ice began to shoot out of it and freeing the prisoner inside. As the shields began to vanish into nothing, Todoroki remained standing in the middle of it all. But just barely. The recommendation student was hunched over, breathing heavily as his body shook from the cold. The teen's body was almost to the point where he was turning blue with bits of ice clinging to his hair.

Shakily, Todoroki moved to send even more ice at Izuku. However, the act itself seemed to cause Todoroki a great deal of pain that he was trying his hardest to grit through. An act that slowed him down allowing Izuku to take action to end this match before the recommendation student put his life in any more danger. Before the ice could form, Izuku was in front of Todoroki sending his fist, along with the edge of his Soul Eater Shield, right into the teen's gut with enough force that he was knocked off his feet. The shield user watched as his classmate spat out spit as the air was knocked out of his system while the Soul Eater Shield opened its mouth once more to temporarily drain Todoroki of his quirk once more. All of this seemed to be too much for the teen as he fell down to the ground with a grunt. But, when Todoroki stopped he did not lie there and accept that this was over. Instead he began to crawl back up so that he was on all fours, looking at Midoriya with seething hatred.

Finally, Izuku spoke in his most calming tone in hopes that he could end this.

"Todoroki, it's over," said the green-haired teen. "You fought well. But we both know that your body can't take much more of this cold. So, please, just surrender."

"Shut up!" spat Todoroki.

"I-If you don't give up on your own, Midnight will call the match any moment," continued Izuku, hoping Todoroki would see reason. "You're going to lose no matter what. Unless you use your left side-"

"Never!" screamed Todoroki as he managed to stand with eyes filled with hate as he focused on Midoriya. As he stood there, breathing heavily, memories began to flow through him as if his life were flashing before his eyes. He could remember the blows his father had dealt to him, how he kept him separated from the rest of his siblings. He heard the strike that knocked his mother down when all she had done was beg the flame hero to go easier on him. He could remember the cold way he had disposed of his mother, sending her away to a mental hospital and locking her away. Then, Izuku was before him once more.

"I will never use that man's quirk," breathed the trembling Todoroki. "You're…you're just like him Midoriya. You're both trying so hard to get me to use that man's quirk. How you both use women to accomplish your own selfish goals. Striking at them when you get upset. All while avoiding the law! Neither of you deserves to be heroes!"

Izuku found himself taking a step back at that, his body going numb while the green gem in his shield began to darken.

"…No," continued Todoroki, gritting his teeth even harder. "I take it back. You are worse than my father. Because you pretended to be a decent person. You had us all fooled. Bet you were laughing it up every night."

Izuku's mind reeled as he stumbled back like he had been struck. It hurt him so much to be compared to that man even with the limited knowledge that Midoriya had on the home life of the number two hero. But, to be called worse? Was that really how Todoroki saw him?

Then, as he stood there, the crowd above began to boo again. Izuku had no idea if they heard what Todoroki said or if it was just that they were unhappy with how things were turning out. But in that moment, Izuku didn't care. Not when the people were shouting things like 'get him out of here' and 'false hero' as well as other things. It felt like all those words, those negative feelings that the world was hurling at him just building this pressure down upon him. Pressure that he was buckling under.

Then something inside Izuku cracked. He found himself gritting his teeth in anger. It was so unfair. In his mind, the image of his class when they had first started at U.A. appeared with everyone laughing and being on good terms. Then, that image was consumed by fire as Izuku seethed. Were they ever friends? Did they ever trust him? How could they? Not when they so quickly turned on him, labeling him as a villain without ever asking his side of the story! Then, as drool began running down Izuku's chin while continuing to grit his teeth, the gem in his shield turned red.

Izuku let out a howl of pain, throwing his head back as his vision began to blur. In his mind, he could see the massive tree grid of shields he had acquired vanishing before being replaced with a few simple words: Cursed Series. Red markings began to cover his body, his head being thrown back as he continued to scream while the whites of his eyes turned red. The gem on Izuku's shield seemed to catch on fire before it spread across the rest of his shield, turning it into something black and dangerous to behold. He could no longer hear the crowd for they had gone silent as they watched in fear at what was happening before them.

All the while, Todoroki watched panting from the cold and pain caused by the poison Midoriya had unleashed. But despite that the teen managed a small smirk of satisfaction. This, he believed, must be the true Midoriya. The one that attacked that General Studies student Malty. The true wickedness within him coming to light.

Then, when Izuku lowered his head, Todoroki's heart sank. The look in Izuku's eyes was the same his mother had the day she had scared his face. That same look of horror and pain she had just by looking at him, at seeing the face that resembled her tormentor so much. Had…Had he inflicted that same level of pain onto Izuku? It seemed so as another cry of pain escaped from Midoriya as black armor began to form on the shield teen's arm, ripping apart his gym jacket in the process. Then, as wicked curved spike began to grow out of the armor, Izuku gave Todoroki another look that he knew so well. The same hate-filled expression he had when he looked in the mirror while thinking of his father.

Then, all hell broke loose. With a primal roar, Izuku lunged forward at Todoroki while flames appeared on his shield. The freezing teen tried sending a wave of ice towards him, but it was slower this time making it painfully easy to dodge. Only, Izuku didn't dodge it. Instead he just plowed through it like it was nothing at all, the fire on his shield melting it away until it was nothing but steam. Seeing this, Todoroki managed to dodge out of the way by rolling to his side at the last minute before Izuku impaled the ground where he once stood. Flames then erupted from the ground where the shield had struck, the sight of which caused a pit of dread within Todoroki's gut. He couldn't explain it, but something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to not let those flames touch him. So, as quickly as he could, Todoroki got to his feet to begin making some distance. Not that he could get far right now as, before he had even taken a few steps, Midoriya's glowing red eyes were on him.

'Can't let that thing touch me,' thought Todoroki, his mind reeling by what he was seeing. At the same time, Midoriya got to his feet while screaming in anger with his shield still set ablaze. 'But, that might be easier said than done. My body, it's so cold. I need to warm up. Just…'

The bi-colored haired teen looked up as his opponent started to slowly walk over to him. It seemed so alien to see Izuku like this, his face contorted with such a hateful expression. All traces of intelligence seemed to be gone, replaced with what seemed like a single-minded desire: to destroy. To burn down everything around him. He was more like a wild animal than a hero in training. The teachers would stop him of course. It was just…It was just…

"Midoriya, I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I am sorry," said Todoroki as a solemn expression crossed his features. "I helped break you. I need to be the one to set this right. No matter the cost."

With that, Todoroki used his left side. Fire began to form all over that part of his body, warming him up like never before. Without thinking, flames shot out of his left hand and flew towards the berserker in the hopes that it would do something. Hoping that it might at least shock Izuku out of whatever state he was in! Alas, it was not to be as Midoriya simply raised his shield to block the attack as he approached his target slowly.

While that attack didn't work, Todoroki refused to give up as he backed away while continuing his assault. With his body no longer feeling the effects of the extreme cold, he was able to send out another massive wave of ice towards his green-haired classmate. He watched as the ice crashed into him, hoping it would either freeze around him or send him flying backwards. However, neither thing happened as the flames from Izuku's shield just seemed to melt the ice. It slowed him down a bit, his feet momentarily frozen to the stadium floor. But only for a moment as he broke free. Refusing to let up, Todoroki then blasted him with another stream of flames that shot towards their target like a high powered flamethrower. Yet this proved equally in vain as Izuku used his shield to deflect the flames without losing any of his momentum.

Seeing this, Torodroki just gritted his teeth as he tried again and again sending waves of fire and ice. But the most he ever got was a grunt of annoyance from Midoriya who just continued to slowly close the distance with little difficulty.

Feeling the pressure on him, Todoroki decided to try something else. Quickly he pushed the right side of his body to its limit, cooling the air around him, before switching to his fire side to rapidly heat and expand the air around him. The end result was a superheated blast aimed right at Midoriya that, upon impact, rocked the arena as well as parts of the stadium. Even a pro hero like Midnight was thrown off her feet, flung back with so much force that she hit the wall before crumbling to the ground.

Panting, Shoto Todoroki sank to his knees as a cloud of smoke filled the stadium floor. For a moment, he believed that he had put down the student with the highest defense in the class. Hopefully just knocking him out. But such a hopeful thought ended as an armored hand reached out from the smoke to grab him by the neck! The grip tightened as Todoroki was lifted into the air so that his feet dangled, barely noticing Izuku's shield was smoking slightly from the impact of that last attack. Fearfully, the icy-hot teen began to claw at that arm in a desperate attempt to get away before Midoriya slammed that flaming shield into his face or had his throat crushed. However, his nails couldn't penetrate the armor surrounding Midoriya's arm, feeling them scrape around the surface as he looked into Izuku's red eyes.

"Stop it! Izuku, that's enough!" came a new voice.

Everyone watched as Izuku turned, shield aflame and ready to launch it at whoever was now heading towards him. But, he stopped when he saw who it was. Raphtalia! Ignoring all rules, the Tanuki girl was running towards him with tears in her eyes. And behind her was Filo in her human/angel form. Whether it was just seeing them like this or the sudden realization of what he might have done to them seemed to snap Midoriya out of his rage, the black armor on his arm vanished as he released Todoroki. As his shield returned to its normal, silver state and the red in his eyes left a look of horror fell upon him. With a sickened look, Midoriya raced out of the arena where he then began to empty his stomach.

It was over. Izuku Midoriya was out of bounds and had lost.

-x-

"HAHAHA! Look at that Master!" Shigaraki laughed, kicking his feet about wildly as he sat in his seat within the dirty bar that served as his headquarters. Glee filled his eyes as he looked at the many different screens before him, his smile sickening to behold. The main one showed the shield brat being helped out of the arena, head held low as the many people in the crowd began to call him a villain once more. He would really have to thank that Malty girl when she came by the bar again. Had it not been for her constant whisper campaigns and live interviews, he doubted that the crowd would have reacted this way.

It was like his Master had always said: Hearts are so easily swayed.

Now the scene was having a domino effect as evidenced by the images on the other screens. News outlets and opinion show hosts were already tearing into the Midoriya brat, calling him an out-of-control monster that needed to be kicked out of the school.

"This is just so wonderful!" cried Shigaraki with glee. "The first act of my plan is going so well! Just wait till we get to the final stage. When that day comes you'll be finished!"

"Yes, I am happy for you," came All for One's voice over one of the TV's. The only one not displaying the events of the Sports Festival, instead having the words 'Sound Only' displayed.

Shigaraki's ears perked at that. Smiling fading, he turned to look at the screen where his Master's voice had come from. Something about the tone seemed a little off. He had known his Master for years and could easily pick out his mood even through this system. But this time, it was rather hard. Was that worry?

"Is something wrong Master?" asked the decaying villain.

"What?" came All for One's reply, sounding startled. As if he had been pulled out of his own thoughts. But, when he spoke again, he sounded more like his composed self. "Oh no, nothing is wrong per-say. It's just that I have encountered that quirk before when I was trying to take it for my own as well as the other Legendary Weapons. And that shield never behaved like that. Perhaps it is changing. Well, no matter. In the end, I am pleased with your motivation. Continue as you please for I sense that the path you are on will bring forth the downfall of not just that young man, but the entire school as well. Perhaps even All Might's."

-x-

Later, as the sun began to set over the horizon, Izuku sat by himself within the stands of the stadium with his head lowered. The first day of the Sports Festival had ended hours ago with him missing the closing ceremony altogether. Partly because Recovery Girl wanted to make sure he was alright, dragging out all of her tests since she didn't want him to go back into that environment. Well, Izuku didn't really fight her on that since he also didn't want that. Right now, he just couldn't face the looks he knew he was going to receive. The fear. The hatred. And feeling the shame.

He didn't leave the medical office until sometime after he was sure everyone had left. When he did, the green hero slowly made his way towards the stadium, moving almost as if in a trace or like a zombie, before finding a random seat and taking it. There he sat, with his head hung low as his last match replayed in what felt like an endless loop within the silence. At one point he lifted his head finding that All Might was walking up the steps and pausing to look at him. But the pro hero quickly looked away, scratching the back of his head before moving on.

Yeah, it made sense that someone like All Might would want to keep their distance from him.

"Hello there Little Hero."

Izuku didn't jump at the sudden voice, merely lifting his head slightly, casting a glance at Midnight as she sat next to him.

"So this is where you've been," she said with concern. "I've been looking all over the place for you. Not just me, but all of your friends. Some of them were ready to do some very naughty things in order to find you."

Then, an arm draped over Izuku's shoulders causing him to flinch this time. The teen then gulped as he looked over at the older woman, seeing that her expression was not the playful one she normally had. Nor was it the fierce one he saw that night when they first met. This time, all he could see was compassion and worry as their eyes locked. It was enough for a lump to form in his throat.

"How are you? Really?" she asked.

With that, Izuku felt another emotional dam breaking within him so when he spoke his words were choked with sobs. "I don't know. I-I really don't know anymore. I messed up so bad. I don't…I didn't…I thought I could handle it all, I really did. But I messed up and I don't know how to fix this. I could have killed Todoroki. I could have hurt Raphtalia and Filo. Everyone saw it. Everyone hates me. How can I be a hero who saves people with a smile on my face when I don't even feel like a hero? They all think I'm a monster. A villain. No better…Maybe they're right. I'm scared."

Izuku clutched onto Midnight the way a frightened child clings to his parents after a bad dream, tears pouring freely down his face. All the while Midnight gently stroked his curly green locks in a reassuring manner, never saying a word as her student let out all the things that he had been keeping inside. It was only when he had finished that she pulled away from him before cupping his chin with one hand so that he had to look her in the eyes.

"I'm not going to lie to you Little Hero," said Midnight gently. "Yes, things look bad for you right now. But I believe that you can pull yourself out of this. Just like how you saved yourself and that little cutie pie all those years ago."

"B-But what if I can't?" asked the scared teen. "I don't think I can do it on my own."

At that, Midnight smiled as she looked at something in front of them. "Who said you were alone?" she asked as she turned her attention back to Izuku. "You still have your friends, don't you?"

"IZUKU!"

As if on cue, Midnight let go of Midoriya's chin so he could turn to see Raphtalia racing towards him, jumping over the stadium seats, at a frantic pace. And she wasn't alone as a worried Filo was right behind her. Very soon she was right in front of him with both hands on his shoulders.

"I was so worried about you," cried Raphtalia with tears in her eyes. "You weren't there when All Might was handing out the metals and no one would tell me where you were! I checked Recovery Girl's office but she said you had left so-"

"Why?" Izuku's question was spoken softly, almost like a whisper. But it silenced Raphtalia as if he had screamed it at the top of his lungs.

"What?" asked the girl.

"Why did you come looking for me?" asked/demanded Izuku with a fearful look. Like he was afraid to ask the question but couldn't help himself. "Aren't you scared?! Raphtalia, I got so angry that I was barely in control of myself back there. I could have killed Todoroki. I could have attacked you or Filo! You should be terrified of me! You should hate me like everyone else does!"

For a moment, Izuku watched as Raphtalia looked at him with a blank expression. Then, slowly, her expression grew soft while an understanding smile appeared on her lips. Slowly whatever distance they had from each other vanished as she embraced Izuku in a hug, tears falling down his face anew.

"I could never hate you Izuku," she whispered softly, gently in his ear. "Nor could I be afraid of you. You might have slipped up today, made a mistake. But that's ok. Because, to me, you're the world's greatest hero."

"I…" began Izuku, new tears forming in his eyes. His body trembled at those words, wanting to tell her that it was impossible for him to be that. Not after what he had done that day!

"You saved me that night in the warehouse," whispered Raphtalia, the soft and honest tone she spoke with, silencing all his fears. "Not just getting me out of there, but pulling me out of the darkness so that I could smile again. You gave me hope when I had none. And even when it looked like that hope was going to be taken away, you stood there willing to take on more pain just for me. That's why you will always be the greatest hero in my eyes. I don't care what everyone else says. Even if the whole world turns on you, telling me that you are a villain, I'll stand up and shout from the top of my lungs that they are wrong. So please, let me be your sword so that I can cut through your sorrow."

That's when Izuku felt someone else holding him, hugging him by the waist. It was Filo.

"I feel the same way Master," said the blonde girl. "You were the first person I saw when I hatched. You've taken care of me, gave me this dress, and let me race down the streets. Everything I love in this world comes from you. I love you a whole bunch. And I'm going to eat up all those bad feelings until they don't bother you anymore."

For a moment, Izuku stayed in this embrace. Soon, others who had been looking for him showed up. People like Kirishima, Tsu, Ashido, Uraraka, and for some reason Shinso. They all came, clearly worried about him. Still trusted him. And for right now, that was more than enough.

-x-

Elsewhere, All Might walked through the private hallways of the school with his head down. Steam had risen from his body the moment the doors to the public arena closed behind him, reverting the hero to this slender form. And with his hero costume still draped across his body, he looked like a fool. A mockery of everything he stood for. Yet that was how he felt as the costume seemed all the more heavier.

After some time, the man entered a lounge meant for the teachers alone. He didn't even bother to see who was in the room at the time, just moving to a couch and sitting down while his eyes fixed on the wooden table before him. Then, after sitting there for a moment, he raised both fists into the air before slamming them down on the table with all the strength this weak form had.

"Feel better?" came the voice of Nezu. All Might looked up and through the bangs in his hair he could see the principal sitting there in a plush armchair, sipping tea while keeping his eyes on the new teacher. Close to him was Aizawa, lying on the floor in his sleeping bag with his back facing the rest of the room.

"No," said All Might as a hand reached up to press against his forehead. "No, I don't feel any better. I feel frustrated as all hell! One of my students is suffering and I don't have any idea how to help him with it!"

"Making eye contact and then moving away without saying anything is not the way to go," grumbled Aizawa.

"I know that!" snapped All Might. Then, just as quickly as his anger came it faded away while the man sank back into the cushions. "I just…I've never really dealt with a situation like this before. I want to say something to cheer the boy up. But what can I say, especially today, that won't sound hollow? Or worse, condescending?" The man paused. "What Young Midoriya is going through is something I can't finish with a laugh. The last thing I want to do is make things worse."

"Well, you certainly aren't helping him by keeping your distance," replied Aizawa flatly. "Saying nothing and looking awkward around him is having the same effect as saying you think he's a villain. Only you're keeping it to yourself."

"Thankfully, Midnight is handling this," said Nezu calmly. "Honestly, given their history, she is without a doubt the best person to help him. For now, at least." A twitch then crossed Nezu's lips. "Sadly, we have our work cut out for us. Ever since his match with Todoroki ended, my phone has been flooded with calls demanding that we expel Midoriya for his behavior. Similar demands have been filling up my email, almost to the point where the U.A. server crashed. I was also informed that Mr. Melromarc is planning on holding a press conference to publicly condemn the boy for his actions."

Upon hearing that, Aizawa turned around in his sleeping bag. "Is that so," said the man, his eyes no longer looking tired. Now there was only anger as they threatened to turn red. "Then perhaps we should have some words with the man before that."

At that, All Might nodded as his eyes narrowed.

"Already done," replied Nezu, a bit more cheer in his voice. "I have scheduled a meeting with the full board of the Hero Public Safety Commission to have a…chat with them regarding this issue. That, as well as the role the man's daughter played in this recent series of events." Slowly, a very sadistic smile crossed the rodent's features. "I believe young Malty Melromarc has been playing this game long enough without a proper opponent. So I would be delighted to show her what happens when someone like her messes with my students."

With that, Nezu began to cackle wildly in a manner that would normally cause all the other heroes around him to shudder. To feel pity for whoever was at the other end of their boss's ire. But not this time. No, neither All Might nor Mr. Aizawa could wait to see what hell Nezu was planning.