"Uraraka?" Izuku asked as he walked into the infirmary to see Ochaco wrapped in bandages on the bed nearby.

"Deku?" Ochaco asked quietly sitting up. He walked over to her bedside and took out a small package, handing it to her. "What is this?"

"New P.E. Uniform, since Kacchan ruined your shirt." Izuku said before pulling up a stool to sit down. "How do you feel?"

"I'm just fine." Ochaco said looking down at the shirt in front of her. He sighed and pulled it closer, placing a hand on hers.

"Do you remember the day the media came onto school grounds because of Shigaraki? And you told us that you wanted to be a hero to help support your family?" She nodded at his question. "That day I looked at you and I thought: how selfless can she be? She's willing to throw herself into the biggest disasters that can happen here, and whatever she gets paid for it: it goes to her parents. I know you feel bad about losing to Kacchan...but he didn't go easy on you, because he knew how strong you were. A lot of people saw that, we had pros up there watching who could see why he wasn't taking it easy on you." Izuku said before holding her hand tightly. "If you're upset because you think you didn't get to shine out there: you did. Don't worry." Ochaco smiled at him and pulled him for a hug.

"Thank you. I just wish I could've done more."

"You did enough, it's gonna be okay." Izuku said before Ochaco separated them.

"Are you ready?"

"For?"

"Hayato? You fighting your best friend in the whole world?" Ochaco asked making him sigh.

"I know I can't go easy on him, but every part of me doesn't want to hurt him." Izuku said before Ochaco placed a hand on his cheek, keeping her pinky finger up so he wouldn't begin to float.

"You're both gonna do your best, don't worry." Ochaco said before quickly kissing his cheek. "That's for good luck."

"Th-Thanks!" Izuku said hiding his now red face.

"Are all of you ready?! It's time for the quarterfinals to begin!" Present Mic announced while Hisashi and Inko looked at each other worriedly. "The white blur, Hayato Kiryuu, and the emerald super boy, Izuku Midoriya, are about to put the past decade behind them and duke it out to see who comes out on top!"

"Hayato..." Izuku said to himself as he walked through the tunnel leading to the arena. From the day they met to now, every memory flooded his mind as he made his way into the stadium.

"And Izuku Midoriya is here!"

"Are you ready?" Momo asked as she and Hayato were standing in the tunnel watching Izuku walk up.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Wait for me, even if I win or lose?" Hayato asked pulling her closer by the waist.

"I'll keep a seat empty." Momo said hugging him. She then let go and began walking back to sit with their class while Hayato made his way into the arena.

"And Hayato Kiryuu is the last to arrive! Don't make this boring for us, kiddies!" Present Mic announced making the crowd begin to cheer. Izuku and Hayato looked at each other, determination and hesitation clashing between both of them.

"Izuku."

"Hayato."

"Don't you dare think about holding back on me."

"I was gonna say the same to you." Both boys activated their Quirks as Midnight signaled for the fight to begin.

"Start!"

Almost instantly, both boys ran at each other and delivered two hard punches to each other's faces. Izuku growled and delivered a punch to Hayato's chest making him stagger before delivering a hard kick to the side of his head. Hayato spit out blood and smiled, before running up to him and kneeing him in the jaw. He then pulled Izuku by the collar and slammed him on the ground.

"Is that all you got?!" Izuku asked before kicking Hayato in the nose. He flipped back onto his feet and punched Hayato again, this time with slightly less force than before.

"I felt that, you feeling tired?!" Hayato asked before running at him full speed to punch him again. He continued to land blow after blow, increasing the speed and force behind each one. Izuku gritted his teeth and delivered a hard uppercut to stop him in his tracks. He tackled him to the ground and began to pummel him repeatedly. "Come on!" Hayato yelled before kicking him off of him.

"You can feel the power from these hits from here, you can tell that these boys aren't willing to give even an inch!"

Hayato stood up, spitting out more blood before feeling weaker than he was a minute ago. He ran up to Izuku only for Izuku to run faster than he was and punch him in the stomach, making him slide backwards and hold it in pain.

"I'm not gonna hold back." Izuku said wiping blood from the side of his mouth. Hayato chuckled and reached into his pocket, taking out a small red cube before throwing it in his mouth. "What is that?"

"Gift from Momo, it's an electrolyte gummy. Made with the same properties as sports drinks and energy bars, just in a smaller container. And it does the job when I'm running low on fuel." Hayato said before feeling his Quirk back to full power. He chuckled and ran at Izuku, delivering a hard punch to the side of his head. "And I put in a form for me to have some snacks with me that got approved so I don't black out suddenly." Hayato said before flipping Izuku over his shoulder and to the ground. "I was only allowed to carry 3, so I've got one left. You've got the stamina to keep going, and now I got enough to do the same."

"Then bring it the hell on!" Izuku yelled pushing his power to its limits and jumped onto his feet. He put his index finger and thumb together and made a flicking motion towards Hayato, creating a burst of wind that him in his chest and sent him onto his back in pain. "Looks like I've got the high ground now, Hayato."

"You're underestimating me, Izuku." Hayato said as he stood up. He began to run at him before Izuku fired another burst of wind at him, this time sending him further than before. He began to do the same to near him several times, running in a Z shape to avoid the attacks only for Izuku to punch him in the stomach when he got near him. Hayato began to repeat this again while he felt himself running out of energy quicker. 'I'll keep moving in a zigzag to get near him and force him to anticipate me being near his right...' Hayato dodged another blast of wind.

'...and then he'll be right in front of me if I swing to my right, so I'll use my other arm to go for a close-range blast at him...' Izuku threw a punch towards his right side, only for Hayato to appear now on his left.

'...but I'll duck his attack, and go for his legs...' Hayato ducked under a blast of wind Izuku used his other hand to fire, and then went to sweep Izuku's legs, knocking him off balance. '...and then I'll hit him in the gut to knock the air out of him...'

'...and in that moment, I'll hit him in the face with another blast of wind.' Izuku did just that as Hayato spun in the air to kick him in the stomach, hitting Hayato in the face as his kick connected with his stomach. Hayato slid backwards and Izuku coughed up blood as the crowd went silent. Both boys took a deep breath as the adrenaline in them was beginning to leave their bodies, the pain from all the hits now multiplying with each passing second.

"Is it over?" Present Mic's answer came in the form of both boys standing back up, breathing heavily. "How are these two not down?! What's making them fight so hard, Eraser?!"

"It's their bond, it's what's giving them the strength to keep standing and fighting. They knew everything the other was going to do and anticipated it to be four steps ahead of the other. Each hit, each blow, while to us it's two students beating each other to bloody pulps: it's a silent conversation being told by their fists to show the other their conviction, their will to keep going and become heroes. In this moment they don't see each others as enemies or best friends, they're rivals fighting to stand on top of the other and reach their dream first." Aizawa explained making the crowd began to chant their names, even Class 1-A was divided as they began to root for their classmates.

"MIDORIYA!"

"KIRYUU!"

"Let's end this." Hayato said as readied himself to charge one more time, vibrating rapidly while his eyes now faintly glowing white.

"You took the words out of my mouth." Izuku said as he did the same, the green energy of One for All sparking off him.

"GO GET HIM, IZUKU!" The Midoriyas yelled with tears welling in their eyes.

"GO, HAYATO!" The Kiryuus yelled standing up in their chairs.

"DEKU!" Ochaco yelled as Izuku ran first.

"HAYATO!" Momo yelled as Hayato followed.

Both boys ran at each other, their fists extended forward as they zoomed towards one another. The crowd went silent one last time as the punches connected against the other's faces one last time. Both boys fell to the ground with smiles on their faces before closing their eyes.

"Who won...?" Present Mic asked as everyone, especially the faculty and Class 1-A, watched as the two boys laid on the ground. Izuku coughed up blood and struggled to stand, his cheek now swollen from the punch while he was covered in dirt, scratches, and bruises everywhere. Midnight rushed to Hayato's side and placed two fingers on his neck again before placing a hand in front of his nostrils to make sure he was breathing.

"Kiryuu is out of commission! Midoriya advances to the Semi-Finals!" Midnight announced making the crowd erupt into cheers while four robots came over with stretchers and placed both boys on them. "Good job you two, let Recovery Girl patch you both up." Midnight said as she proudly placed her hands on their heads.

"Oh man...what bus hit me?" Hayato asked as he woke up in the infirmary, minutes after being treated by Recovery Girl's Quirk.

"A bus called One for All." All Might said catching his attention making him look forward to see both him and Izuku standing in front of his bed. "Both of you fought amazingly, I felt excited just watching it."

"Thank you." Izuku said as All Might began to laugh.

"You've both come a long way, as your mentor I couldn't be prouder of you both. That certainly got the attention of pros, now let's hope that when it's time for internships: you get offers from some amazing ones." All Might said before the door opened, Hayato flinched slightly as he hoped it was Momo but it was actually Sorahiko.

"Well, you're awake." Sorahiko said as he walked over to his grandson's bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm uh...good?" Hayato said before looking at All Might. "Who's the old man."

"Young Kiryuu and Midoriya, this is my teacher and the man who helped me master One for All: Gran Torino." Sorahiko nodded at his introduction.

"But, you can call me: grandpa." Sorahiko said taking a seat next to Hayato.

"Grandpa?"

"Kiryuu, Gran Torino is your mother's father. He's also the one Kazuma asked to take over as your new guardian." Recovery Girl explained from the far side of the room before walking over. Hayato's eyes widened as he looked at his grandfather carefully.

"It's a lot of news at once, but I failed your mother when she was growing up and it cost me her love and it cost me my grandson. I might not be able to make up for my mistakes with Towa, but I want to at least help my grandson finish becoming a hero." Sorahiko said before jumping onto the bed. "It might be a little early for this: but I want you both to intern under me once the time comes, I'd like to personally train you both to use your Quirks to their full potentials." Sorahiko said before jumping down and walking towards the door, followed by Recovery Girl. "We'll continue talking about this later."

"I should return as well, I'll leave you both to talk." All Might said before following his mentor out the door. Once it closed, Izuku began chuckling and took out one of Hayato's gummy cubes.

"I had Recovery Girl check this out, this is just straight up candy. You lied to me out there." Izuku said beginning to eat the candy. Hayato chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry. I was running on fumes at the very end, that's what made me pass out at the end there." Hayato chuckled before smiling at his best friend. "You deserved the win anyway."

"Doesn't feel like much of a win."

"What's a win for you? That you gave up or we half-assed everything we did out there? Izuku, you fought me with everything you had. I gave you everything I had. I forced myself past my limits to show the world what the next Symbol of Peace is made of. If that's not a win for you, then you need to wake up and realize that if you get win because you did your best: THAT'S a win." Hayato said as he struggled to stand up and walk over to his best friend's side. "Whoever wins between Shiozaki and Todoroki, most definitely Todoroki, is your next opponent. So stop being such a wet noodle and go get ready." Hayato said placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder before pushing him out of the room. He limped back to bed and laid down pulling the pillow over his head. He groaned as the door opened again. "OH MY GOD, IZUKU IF THAT'S YOU AGAIN: GO GET READY! AND GRANDPA IF THAT'S YOU, YOU SAID WE'LL TALK LATER!"

"You went through everybody but me? I'm offended." He ripped the pillow off of his head to see Momo quietly closing the door behind her. Hayato sat up and she walked over. "And Recovery Girl?"

"She went with my grandfather and All Might."

"I thought he-"

"My dad's dad is the one who died. I just met my mom's dad, and he's my new guardian." Hayato explained before burying his face in his hands. "What a lovely turn of events."

"But you know, you did fight really well out there." Momo said as she climbed onto the bed with him.

"I don't think so, I think we looked like a mix between an anime and a pair of school kids fighting in a playground."

"Well you did, you didn't make it far but you did a good job."

"Thanks." Hayato said smiling at the girl in front of him. "Can we uh...talk about something?"

"That's actually why I'm here." Momo said as a blush crept on her cheeks.

"Is it about when you kissed me?"

"...I let my emotions get the better of me, I shouldn't have done that." Momo said hiding her face from Hayato.

"And what's so bad about that?" Hayato asked placing his hand on hers.

"Hayato..." His eyes widened slightly hearing her call him by his first name. "I come from a rich and powerful family of heroes, my mother is so strict on everything. She's not gonna approve of this in the slightest, she's gonna call you a distraction and so much more. That's why we should leave it at what happened and that's it." Momo said before beginning to stand. Before she could even begin to walk away, Hayato stood up and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Momo, why are you so worried about your mom's approval? Just relax alright?" Hayato said making Momo turn around and take a step closer to him. "I like you, like I REALLY like you."

"I-I feel the same way...but you know as well as I do, this might not work out if we try it."

"It might not, but it just might. I'm willing to take that chance if it's with you." Hayato said placing his hands on her cheeks.

"What will everyone else think?"

"I think I don't give a damn what they think, I think I only care what you think. So, what do you think?"

"I think...I think if you're willing, I'll give it a shot. But, we should only keep it secret for now." Momo said making Hayato chuckle. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, she giggled and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Shiozaki is trying her hardest to beat Todoroki!" Present Mic yelled as Ibara's vines ripped through the ground and zoomed towards Shoto. He dodged and placed his hands on them, freezing the vines in place. He neared her only for the same to happen making him growl in frustration.

"Frustrated aren't we, Todoroki?" Ibara asked as she put her hands in a pray-like pose. Shoto gritted his teeth and stomped his foot onto the ground, freezing it all the way until it was up to Ibara's waist. "What?!"

"If Midoriya's next, I have no reason to go easy on you." Shoto said before placing his hand on her back, making the ice grow up to her chin.

"Shiozaki is immobilized! Todoroki advances to the semi-finals!" Midnight announced making the crowd erupt into cheers as he melted the ice around her.

"Hey Hayato, I know you told me to get ready but-" Izuku said as he walked back to the infirmary. He opened the door slightly only to be met with the sight of Hayato and Momo still kissing. His jaw dropped as quickly as the blood rushed to his face and closed the door quietly. He quickly ran back to the stands and took a seat next to Ochaco, who looked at him confused.

"Are you okay, Deku? What happened?" As he was about to tell her what happened, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Tenya standing next to him. "Iida?"

"Is Kiryuu okay?"

"Y-Yes! He's fine!" Izuku said as the thought of his best friend and their vice representative being an item returned to his brain.

"No offense to you, Midoriya: but I would've preferred fighting him over you."

"Well, Iida, even if you win against Tokoyami: you would still have to beat Kacchan while I would have to beat Todoroki. The same would've applied for Hayato as well." Izuku said making Tenya nod. "Oh, is your brother watching?"

"My brother? He should be, since my mother is trying to keep him away from patrols at the moment." Tenya said surprising both of them. Having such a popular hero for a brother, hearing that Ingenium was being kept from doing his job came as a shock to them.

"Why?"

"Apparently in Hosu City, there were reports of two dangerous villains." Tenya said fixing his glasses. "First, the Hero Killer: Stain. My brother was chasing him down before a second villain sighting was made public."

"Who?"

"The Speed Hunter." Tenya said with a bit of fear in his voice. Recently, other Speedsters across all of Asia have either died or lost the use of their legs: and the villain committing these attacks was labeled the Speed Hunter.

"Speed...Hunter...?" Ochaco asked confused as Izuku's eyes widened. "What's his villain name?"

"He doesn't have one, by the time anyone finds his victims:he's long gone...all they've described is a black blur and the next thing they knew, they were bleeding out with their spines beyond fixing. And your brother is being kept from patrolling because of him?" Izuku asked beginning to tremble from fear.

"Stain isn't as big a worry as the Speed Hunter, coming from a family of Speedsters especially...it's not just my mother either, other heroes want him to avoid being found by either of them. They said he's got too big a target on his head to risk it, especially considering how loved and well known my brother is."

"But if no one knows who he is, how do they know he's in Hosu?" Ochaco asked still confused by the situation.

"There was another Speedster there, and they found him paralyzed with the same markings as the other ones: claw and puncture marks all over his body, and the spine broken in pieces like a child's building block tower. I should be going, my next battle is soon." Tenya said before leaving to his battle with Fumikage. Izuku looked forward and began to grip the legs of his pants in fear.

"Deku, what's wrong?"

"Hero Killer...Speed Hunter...I hope we don't cross paths with them soon." Izuku said to himself as he imagined a sword being driven through his chest and a claw ripping through Hayato's.

"I mean, what are the odds of that? Remember that we're at U.A. High, one of the most secure schools on earth ever. USJ was a one time slip up, the teachers will never let anything like that get near us ever again." Ochaco said placing her hand on Izuku's. "It's gonna be fine, just avoid any internships near Hosu if you're that worried about it."

"You're right, I shouldn't be so worried about that." Izuku said as Tenya and Fumikage's fight began. They watched as Dark Shadow ran towards Tenya, only for the boy to quickly spin out of the way and run at him. Dark Shadow whipped around and grabbed Tenya, throwing him to the far side of the arena. He dug his hands and feet into the ground to stop himself and chuckled as he made it.

"Iida is out of bounds! Tokoyami advances to the semi-finals!" Tenya looked behind him and saw that his left foot had slid out past the boundary line and his jaw dropped hearing the announcement.

"Sorry, Iida. I can't go easy on you."

"Man for a big guy, you're so easy to throw!"

"He did it so easily..." Tenya said quietly to himself before walking off the field. His pocket began to vibrate and he immediately took out his phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Tenya, good job."

"Tensei?" Tenya froze up hearing his brother's voice on the other end.

"You made it to the quarterfinals. Even I didn't make it that far in my first year. I hope you're not beating yourself up over it."

"But...I couldn't be as awesome as you are out there."

"You're barely starting out, consider this your starting line. You're racing for three years to be the best you can be, I'll be in your corner the entire time."

"Really?"

"Well yeah, you gotta prove you're better than that other Speedster after all." Tensei laughed on the other line making Tenya chuckle as well. "I know mom told you that everybody's making me take a break for right now until the Speed Hunter and Hero Killer are gone-"

"Isn't that for the best? Stain has avoided capture at every point and no one even knows who the Speed Hunter is or what he even looks like."

"Tenya, if I don't risk my life: I can't call myself a hero."

"But it's not even a risk, it's suicide!"

"I'm not saying that I'm gonna go against everyone's wishes, but the moment someone else I know gets attacked: I'm jumping to action. Enjoy the rest of the festival." Tensei said before ending the call. Tenya punched the wall and grit his teeth, thinking about his brother being maimed by either villain.

"Come on!" Eijiro yelled as he took on explosion after explosion from Katsuki during the last battle of the quarterfinals. He had already spent three minutes taking the attacks head on, hoping that Katsuki's muscles would give in as time went on. "Is that all you got?!"

"That's not all I've got! This is all I've got, dumb hair!" Katsuki yelled as he placed his hands on Eijiro's chest and fired an explosion that was slightly weaker than the one he used against Ochaco but strong enough to send Eijiro flying out of bounds.

"Kirishima is out of bounds! Bakugo advances to the semi-finals!" Midnight announced as Katsuki grabbed his forearms in pain.

"Damn it! I shouldn't be creating explosions like that so often." Katsuki said as he walked out of the arena. As he made his way out, he looked up and shot a death glare at Izuku, who flinched as he made eye contact with him. "I'm going to crush you and Todoroki, Deku. Just fucking watch."