"Oh man, oh man, I am so not ready for this." Izuku said to himself as the semi-finals were about to begin. He paced back and forth in the waiting room as he hoped his nerves would calm down so he could think about what he was going to do.
"Izuku." He ran to the door and opened it to see Hayato standing behind it.
"Thank god you're here!" Izuku yelled pulling him into the room. "I'm so nervous you don't get it I'm gonna die and Todoroki's gonna beat me and-"
"Breathe, damn it, BREATHE!" Hayato yelled slapping him.
"AND WHY WERE YOU KISSING YAOYOROZU?!" Izuku yelled making Hayato's eyes widen.
"When the hell did that happen?! I haven't even seen her since her fight." Hayato said shaking his head.
"B-But when I went to check on you, I saw both of you!"
"Are you sure it was us? You know people like to sneak around."
"Hayato, I'm not stupid! I know what I saw! You and Yaoyorozu were-" Hayato cut him off by placing his hand over his mouth.
"Izuku, stop screaming. Yes, Momo and I kissed. She and I are a thing now. But this is something that stays a secret between me and her and now you and me, capeesh?" Hayato said quietly while keeping a finger raised. "Now, think about your situation right now. There are four people left: you, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Bakugo. It can end so many different ways: you lose, he fights Bakugo or Tokoyami. You win, you fight Bakugo or Tokoyami. Either way, you're in the top 3 now. What are you so nervous about?"
"Todoroki's really strong...I don't know if I can beat him." Izuku said as Hayato moved his hand off of his mouth.
"Then fight with everything you've got! Why do you need to doubt yourself?!" Hayato asked making Izuku nod.
"For our first match of the semi-finals: we have the boy with a stare colder than ice: Shoto Todoroki! And his opponent is the green pulverizer, Izuku Midoriya!"
"You just sound like a bad boxing announcer at this point."
"Midoriya, I'm going to beat you." Shoto said as he glared at the boy across the arena.
"Fight me with everything you have, Todoroki." Izuku said as he activated Full Cowling.
"Start!"
Immediately, Shoto unleashed a wall of ice to where Izuku stood. But as soon as it hit where he once stood, Izuku appeared above him and kicked him in the head. Shoto gritted his teeth and swiped his right hand up, making a wall of ice rise to protect him and make Izuku jump backwards. He continued to make swiping motions with his arm, making blocks of ice fire from the ground towards Izuku who blocked them by either punching or kicking the ice into the others. He then kicked one of the blocks toward Shoto before flicking bursts of wind at him as well. The ice block shattered the ice wall and the wind bursts hit Shoto, making him slide backwards.
"Damn it!" Shoto slammed his right foot into the ground, creating another ice wall he then slid across and around Izuku. Izuku smirked and lunged forward, anticipating where he was going and punched Shoto, sending him flying near the boundary.
'Just like I thought, by overusing his right side his movements are slowing down. That's the amazing part of his Quirk he doesn't understand yet. The drawbacks that come from using either side gets reversed by the other.' Izuku said as he effortlessly dodged more ice being shot at him by Shoto, each one going slower than the last. 'Use your left side, come on.' Izuku then appeared in front of Shoto, noticing the frost forming on his right side, before punching him in the side.
"Damn it! I'm getting slower." Shoto said holding his side in pain. He looked up to see Izuku running towards him and tried using his Quirk one more time. But Izuku quickly moved to the left and grabbed him by the collar, flipping him over his shoulder and more towards the center of the arena.
"Come on! Use everything you have!"
"But..."
"Forget about what you told me! That left side isn't your dad's, it's YOUR power!" Shoto stood up and looked at Izuku, clenching his left fist. Everything came back to him at once, his abusive childhood, his mother snapping and throwing a pot of boiling water at his face, his promise to never use his left side. But, what he remembered the most was the time he was crying to his mother about his father's abuse, and she told him he would never have to be a hero like him: that he could be the hero he wants to be. Once that memory replayed in his mind: fire erupted from his left side and around him, not only melting the frost on his arm but surprising the crowd as well. "There we go..."
"You got what you wanted...I hope you're ready, THIS is MY power!" Shoto said grinning at Izuku who returned it with one as well. He looked to the stands to see Endeavor smiling proudly at him before turning his attention back to Izuku. "Don't blame me for what happens next." He extended his left arm forward, firing a stream of fire at Izuku who dodged and ran towards him. Shoto unleashed frozen streams of ice at Izuku who had no choice but to dodge them by jumping over them. Shoto anticipated this and fired another stream of fire, this time hitting Izuku out of the air. Izuku spun as he was about to hit the ground and landed on his feet, breathing heavily. He noticed his breath was visible and looked forward to see Shoto freezing the ground near them. He then raised his left arm. now bursting into flames, and threw it forward: making a colossal blast of warm air form and fire towards Izuku. Izuku gritted his teeth and pushed One for All past five percent, raising it to 100 percent and slammed his hands together as hard as possible: creating an immense burst of wind that countered Shoto's and created a giant explosion that made everyone hold onto their seats, even knocking Cementoss and Midnight from where they stood and knocking Present Mic off of his seat in the announcer's booth. Once the dust settled: everyone, especially Ochaco, Hayato, and the Midoriyas, watched to see the aftermath of the two attacks. Midnight looked past the dust to see Shoto standing in the now destroyed arena with the left half of his shirt burnt off. She turned to her right to see Izuku with his back against the wall of the stadium, unconscious from the impact that happened.
"Midoriya is out of bounds! Todoroki advances to the finals!" Midnight announced running over to the boy as the medic bots arrived to take him to Recovery Girl.
"Your class is insane, Eraser!"
"Huh?" Izuku opened his eyes to find himself once again in the infirmary, and looked forward to see All Might and Hayato standing near the end of the bed. "What a reversal right?"
"You lost, but you put on quite a show." All Might said smiling at the boy. "Good job."
"Yeah, those last attacks were insane. But, Recovery Girl said you broke both of your arms doing that clap." Hayato explained as Izuku looked down to see both of his arms wrapped up in bandages. "She patched you up, but to take it easy for a while."
"Okay...has Kacchan and Tokoyami's battle started?"
"You two obliterated the arena, Cementoss has to remake it again so they have a few more minutes." Hayato explained before bursting into laughter. "I mean, it's funny. You two looked like a manga with how those last attacks collided. But, you did amazing today."
"I agree, at least you showed you had control over a small percentage of One for All. Remember, Young Midoriya, as the next Symbol of Peace: you must make your presence known before it's my time." All Might said before walking over and placing a hand on Izuku's head. "I have to go get ready, I'll see you when I give out the medals." All Might said smiling at the boy before leaving. Once he was gone, Hayato stayed behind and let out a deep sigh.
"So, hell of a day right?"
"I mean, you have a girlfriend now. I have nothing but a third place standing here at the Sports Festival. I think it's a win-win." Izuku said with a slight chuckle.
"Okay first of all, don't use the g-word yet. Second of all, don't say you have nothing but that. You showed the world what you could do, and plus: you gave Ochaco something to stare at." Hayato said walking over to his best friend's side. He helped him out of bed and laughed as his face began to turn a bright shade of red.
"I-I-I-"
"You like Ochaco. Face it." Hayato said as he helped Izuku put on his P.E. shirt.
"W-Well, you-"
"I what? There is nothing you can use against me now, so good luck. Just make a move buddy." Hayato said before both of them left the infirmary.
"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage yelled as his and Katsuki's battle had just begun. Dark Shadow lunged from his body and flew towards Katsuki. He simply smirked and placed his hands together, creating a ball of light between them.
"STUN GRENADE!" The ball exploded, creating a large flash of light that made Dark Shadow scream in pain, and made Fumikage cover his eyes to protect himself. Katsuki ran up to him and fired a small explosion against his chest, sending the boy flying out of bounds.
"Tokoyami is out of bounds! Bakugo advances to the finals!" Midnight announced making Katsuki smirk and begin to leave before making eye contact with Shoto who stood in the stands, watching intently.
"We're back." Hayato said as he and Izuku arrived to sit with their class, making Momo and Ochaco turn around happily.
"Kiryuu!"
"Deku!"
"Amazing work today, you two." Tenya said as he motioned for them to sit next to him and the girls.
"You guys were insane!" Denki yelled earning nods from everyone else in the class.
"Kiryuu, it's gonna be me and you next time. Watch." Hitoshi said making Hayato nod at him.
"I'll be waiting."
"Who do you guys think is gonna win? Bakugo or Todoroki?" Eijiro asked earning shrugs from everyone else.
"Either way, thank goodness we have the weekend to relax after this." Mashirao said making Mina nod.
"How about to celebrate, we all go to the beach tomorrow?" Mina suggested making everyone nod.
"Sounds like a plan!"
"Time for the final fight of the U.A. Sports Festival!" The class turned their attention back to the arena as Present Mic began to talk. "The two who have made it to the final round are: Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo! These two are at the top of their class, and seeing the performances they've given us today: that's a high bar set already!" Katsuki and Shoto walked into the arena, both ready to begin to fight at any moment. "Whenever you're ready, Midnight!" Once the two walked past the boundary lines, Midnight nodded and raised her arm before pointing it forward. "Start!"
"You better use your left side on me too!" Katsuki yelled jumping towards Shoto. He smirked and slammed his foot into the ground, making a wall of ice rise from it, hoping it would make Katsuki dodge backwards so he could trap him. Instead, he responded by firing explosions one after another to destroy the ice. Shoto rolled out of the way as Katsuki tried to attack where he stood, and fired blocks of ice and hit him out of the air and to the ground. "I'm not going down that easily." Katsuki gritted his teeth and fired two explosions to propel himself to Shoto again.
'He needs to get close to me so those explosions can actually do some damage. As much as I hate my left side...I have no choice.' Shoto reeled his right arm back, ready to attack again, only for Katsuki to move to his right in the air.
"I know all your tricks, you half and half bastard!" Katsuki yelled as he reached to grab Shoto's head.
"Do you, now?" Shoto asked with a smirk. He ignited his left side and threw his left arm forward, punching Katsuki in the stomach with a fist covered in fire. Katsuki burst into laughter as he flew up into the air.
"That's it. COME ON, LET'S GIVE THESE ASSHOLES A REAL SHOW!" Katsuki yelled as he began to fire explosion after explosion, using them to spin in the air. Shoto looked in surprise as Katsuki began to spin in a tornado made of smoke that was now heading towards him. "HOWITZER IMPACT!"
"Midoriya, thanks." Shoto said as he raised another ice wall to block Katsuki's path. He then covered the ground behind him with more ice before raising his left arm, igniting it and creating the same attack he used against Izuku. As Katsuki hit the ice wall, he created a giant explosion that combined with Shoto's attack, which then resulted in an explosion that was slightly weaker than the one from his battle with Izuku. Everybody braced themselves again, even Present Mic held on for dear life as the windows of his booth finally broke and the force sent the glass flying past him and Aizawa. Once the dust settled, everybody looked to see Shoto and Katsuki standing near the far sides of the arena. Midnight looked and noticed something about the position of one of the boys' feet, raising her whip.
"Todoroki is out of bounds! Bakugo is the winner!" Katsuki and Shoto looked down to see that Shoto's right foot had slid past the line and his heel was touching the outside of the line. The crowd erupted into cheers while Katsuki dropped his arms to his side.
"I...won? And he used his left side?" Katsuki looked down before tears began to well into his eyes. "I FUCKING TOLD YOU ALL! I'M GOING TO BE NUMBER ONE!" Katsuki yelled victoriously hiding his tears before turning to the stands. "DEKU! KIRYUU! I'M GONNA SETTLE THE SCORES WITH YOU TWO NEXT!" Izuku and Hayato smiled as Katsuki pointed at them.
"We'll be waiting for that day." Izuku said making Ochaco smile at him.
"Is he different now than when you were kids?"
"Todoroki acknowledged his strength, that's what matters the most to him. To be number one, he's gonna have to push himself to prove he's the best." Hayato explained as he secretly grabbed Momo's hand. "And you even melted ice queen Todoroki. Izuku, you sure are something else." Hayato said playfully punching Izuku's shoulder.
"He just needed a push to use his power."
"All of the first-year events for this year's U.A. Sports Festival have been completed. And now, we will begin the award ceremony!" Midnight announced as all of the first year students stood in the middle of the stadium. Fireworks went off into the air and the crowd erupted into cheers as the pedestals holding the four winners rose from the ground. "Now we will award the medals! The presentation of the medals will of course, be by this man!" The crowd watched excitedly as All Might's laughter echoed throughout the stadium. They looked up to see him jumping in, but could barely make out what he was saying over Midnight talking. "Our very own hero, All Might!" He turned around as he landed and began shaking from disappointment. "I talked over you...sorry." Midnight placed her hands together to apologize to him before raising up the four medals. "Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third place."
"Young Tokoyami, you really are strong." All Might said as he walked up to Fumikage and placed a bronze medal around his neck.
"You're too kind."
"However, in order to fight well against different types, you must not rely only on your Quirk. If you train your own strength more, then you'll have more options when you fight." All Might said as he pulled the boy in for a hug. He grabbed another bronze medal and walked over to Izuku, placing it around his neck. "You have great potential, Young Midoriya. But, you must learn to control your Quirk more, I can feel that there is more to your abilities than you know. Train more, and one day I'll be honored to work alongside you as a pro." All Might said pulling him in for a hug.
"Yes, sir." Izuku said holding back his tears. All Might then grabbed a silver medal and walked over to Shoto.
"Young Todoroki, congratulations." All Might said as he placed it around his neck. "I heard today was your first time using your left side, may I ask why?"
"Midoriya opened my eyes during our match, he showed me that I can't rely on just half of my abilities if I hope to become a hero as well...otherwise, I'd fall behind everyone while they work their hardest to become stronger. I can see why you're interested in him." Shoto said as All Might pulled him in for a hug.
"Even the look on your face is different, I won't ask for the details. I look forward to seeing you grow further." All Might said as he pulled away and grabbed the gold medal. "Now then, Young Bakugo! Good job doing what you said you would during the player pledge."
"I told them, and at least they were a springy step for me." Katsuki said as he snatched the medal from All Might's hands and placed it around his neck.
"But. Remember, your peers will also be there for you when you need them. While a sense of competition is normal and recommended, don't let it control who you are. You may have been the top as a child, but you and your class are all equals in an always-changing scale. Remember that." All Might said as he hugged the boy. "Now, any of you could've been up here! You all saw! Competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting!" All Might yelled turning his attention to the students. "So, I have just one more thing to say! Everyone please say it with me! Ready, go!"
"Thanks for your hard work/Plus Ultra!" The first years burst into laughter as the crowd yelled "Plus Ultra" while All Might yelled "Thanks for your hard work!"
"What?! It should've been Plus Ultra there, All Might!" The crowd yelled making All Might rub the back of his head sheepishly.
"W-Well...I thought they all worked really hard."
"Good work. Now enjoy your weekend, I'm sure the pro heroes who watched the festival will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when you get back. So rest well and I'll see you all on Monday." Aizawa said as Class 1-A returned to their classroom to meet up with him. Everybody stood up and began to leave.
"I'll call you later, alright?" Hayato whispered to Momo making her smile and nod. When no one else was looking, he planted a quick kiss on her cheek and rushed to follow Izuku and meet up with his parents.
"So, are we really gonna intern under your grandpa?" Izuku asked as they made their way downstairs.
"Honestly, I don't really know. You can if you want, I need some time to think about it." Hayato said as they swapped their shoes at the lockers near the entrance. Once they made their way out, they were surprised to see Sorahiko waiting with the Midoriyas.
"Good job, boys." Hisashi said waving to the boys.
"I'm making Pork Cutlet bowls for dinner tonight to celebrate." Inko said smiling proudly at the two.
"Grandpa?" Hayato asked seeing his grandfather looking at him hesitantly.
"I talked with Inko and Hisashi and we came to an agreement, it wouldn't be right for me to drag you so far away from your school to live with me. So, you're going to live with them now." Sorahiko said fixing his cane. "But, I will come by to spend time with you and all decisions regarding you will still have to go through me. I just don't have the kind of home for another person to live in right now." Sorahiko said as Hayato walked up to him. He knelt down to his grandfather's height and pulled him in for a hug.
"It's alright, grandpa. I'm just glad you're here for me." Hayato said making Sorahiko chuckle and return the hug.
"Hayato." Hayato's eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Raito and Towa walking up to them.
"What are you-"
"Hayato. Calm down. They just want to talk to you." Hisashi said placing a hand on his shoulder. He helped him stand up straight to look at the two.
"What are you two doing here? Don't you have better things to do? Or better places to be?" Hayato asked making his mother wince at the venom in his voice.
"Son...we're here because we wanted to see you." Raito said making Hayato begin to tremble. "I should've said something at dad's funeral, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for-"
"Sorry?! You want to talk about sorry?! You left me! You abandoned me! I never knew what it was like having real parents growing up! Your father was the only one who was ever there for me! Mother's day?! Father's day?! You know how I felt, seeing all my friends with their parents and all I had was just my grandpa?!" Hayato yelled as tears began streaming down his face. "Not to mention Christmas?! Even my own birthday?! I used to cry myself to sleep so often growing up because I was jealous of them! My own parents left me just to keep jobs and you even left me at home when I was a baby! Everything I am now is because of him! Everything I can do now is because of him! These people are the only ones who ever gave me the kind of love I deserved from you!" Hayato yelled pointing at the Midoriyas and at the sky. Towa began to tear up and Raito looked away as Hayato began slowly walking towards them. "I can forgive the old man right behind me, he didn't know anything about me! But you two?! There is no excuse on this goddamn Earth to justify being out of my life for twelve years! Why?! Why are you here now?!" Hayato asked before Towa ran and hugged him. He began to sob into his mother's arms as both of them fell to their knees.
"Because we made a mistake. Our beautiful boy is all grown up now and we missed out on the important moments of your life. I might not have been the mother you wanted, but please don't hate me." Towa said kissing Hayato's head as he held her tightly. Raito knelt down and hugged both of them, making Inko tear up happily while Izuku, Hisashi, and Sorahiko all watched with a smile on their faces.
"We're moving back to Japan, but we're not going to take you from these people. I bought dad's place and I'm going to keep it how it is for you, whenever you feel ready to move in with us and Sorahiko: you can." Raito said rubbing his son's back. "We might not be able to take back what we missed from your childhood, but we'll definitely be there to watch you become a hero."
"So, your parents are back and your grandfather is letting you live with Midoriya and his family? What a turn of events." Momo said as she laid in bed talking to Hayato on the phone that night, hearing what had happened after they left.
"You're telling me. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm gonna do."
"I mean, what DO you want to do?" Momo asked rolling to her side.
"I dunno, I mean Hisashi and Inko said I can stay here for as long as I want. My dad bought my childhood home and he's gonna keep everything how it is. It feels like bribery honestly."
"But, at least they're here for you now. A lot of people in this world go without their parents wanting anything to do with them. You should at least feel happy about that." Momo said before hearing Hayato sigh. "And why are you sighing?"
"Because I feel like they want something, but I don't know what the hell they could want from me considering my grandpa didn't really leave me anything in his will."
"You do have something."
"What? You?" Hayato asked making Momo blush.
"N-No. YOU. Your love. Your heart. That's what they want from you. You're their son, and since you haven't brought anyone else up: most likely their only child too. They're not trying to buy your love back with gifts, they're trying to earn it from you. They know they made a mistake and they know you won't forgive them so easily, but at least if they try to spend time with you: they'll finally feel like they earned their love as parents." Momo said before letting out a small yawn.
"Alright sleepyhead, I should let you get to bed. Did Mina say what time we should all meet up tomorrow at the beach?"
"She said by noon at the latest, and I'm not sleepy. I could spend all night talking to you."
"Me too, but it's been a long day. My beautiful girl needs her beauty sleep." Momo giggled at his compliment.
"Alright then, see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Momo ended the call and looked at her phone, seeing a news report with a photo of a black blur jumping over buildings with the caption "FIRST LOOK AT THE SPEED HUNTER?!" under it.
"The Speed Hunter...I hope he never finds Hayato." Momo said quietly as she turned off her phone and closed her eyes.
"Aren't you two just adorable?" Izuku asked as Hayato had just finished his call with Momo.
"Shut up." Hayato said throwing one of his pillows at him. "Besides, tomorrow I know you're gonna be staring at Ochaco."
"I-I will not!" Izuku yelled sitting up as a blush crept on his face.
"Ochaco in a bikini. The sun shining brightly and the water glistening off her skin. Try not to think about her asking you to but sunblock on her back, I don't wanna wake up in the middle of the night to hear-" He was cut off by Izuku jumping on him and slamming a pillow over his head.
"S-Stop it!"
"I'm just saying, try to control tiny Izuku tomorrow and I'm gonna take gauze for your nosebleed." Hayato laughed under the pillow making Izuku's face turn completely red and faint from embarrassment.