Izuku walks into the waiting room before his match. He expects it to be empty. What he doesn't expect is to find Uraraka sitting on one of the chairs. She seems lost in thought.

He clears his throat in order to get her attention.

"Ah! Deku-kun! I guess I lost." She says, rubbing her neck sheepishly, seemingly back to her old bubbly attitude. It's a huge difference from the fierceness the world witnessed not long ago. "I just got carried away at the end when I thought I could actually win. But I'm okay! Recovery girl healed me!" It's fake though. Her smile... Izuku has seen that smile too many times in the past. Every time he stared in the mirror after a particularly bad day. He'd always wear that smile to hide the pain he was feeling; his mother would get annoyed otherwise. "I just have to try harder next time- "

"Uraraka..." He approaches her wordlessly before she gets to finish her sentence. He wraps his arms around her. Pulling her into a firm embrace, he gives her just enough space to feel comfortable but his hold is firm. She needs to know that she doesn't have to put up an act with him.

Uraraka stills at first. Izuku thought he's done something wrong. However, as soon as her initial shock is over, she melts into his hold and sobs on his shoulder. Uraraka's whole body shudders as she cries in his arms.

"I- I gave it everything I had- Still it wasn't enough." Her voice is raw with emotions, she falters at some of the words in order to catch her breath.

"It's okay. You were amazing out there! You gave Kacchan a run for his money! You need to give yourself a break!" He reassures her, rubbing circles on her back.

He pulls away, holding her by the shoulders at arms lengths. He needs to look at her when he's saying this.

"Uraraka, you're going to be an amazing hero. I believe in you." His voice is steady and unwavering as he tried to convey the sincerity behind his statement.

It seems she got the message, as she only sobs harder and jumps at him, arms wrapping around his shoulders as she thanks him over and over again.

Afterward, they sit down and discuss her strategy and how she might improve next time. Before long, Present mic announces the beginning of the next round. It's time for his match with Todoroki.

"I- I have to go..." He says quietly, dread filling his stomach as he thinks of the battle ahead of him.

"Thanks for being here for me Deku, good luck out there I'm rooting for you!" She replies her smile back to being genuine and her demeanor returning to her old bubbly self.

------------------------------------------

He walks towards the arena, going over the strategies he'd come up with to fight Todoroki. He rounds the corner and abruptly bumps into someone.

He feels like he's burning up when he makes contact, the feeling is gone as soon as it came through and he finds himself face to face with none other than the number two hero; Endeavor.

The flame hero stares down at him. His hulking figure towers over him, his posture intimidating and his presence dominating the whole space.

"There you are! I saw what you did out there, that's an amazing quirk. I'd say it's on par with All Might's. However, my boy Shoto has a duty to surpass All Might. His match against you will prove a valuable test. You may have won the other tasks but don't let it get to your head." The hero says, his voice low and threatening. It sends chills down his spine.

Izuku feels the anger boiling inside of him. How could a father, talk about his own son as if he was just a tool? A means to an end. Although knowing his own mother and his absent father, it's not that strange.

The flaming hero turns to leave but stops when Izuku speaks up.

"I'm not All Might," Izuku states seriously.

"Well, of course, you're not- "

"And Todoroki isn't you either."

The hero stares at him for a moment. Taking in his words. He goes to speak but Izuku cuts him off once again.

"Don't you realize what an idiot you are. You're only pushing your son away. What you're doing is wrong, you call yourself a hero but your actions are that of a villain. Heroes are supposed to save people, comfort them. Not hurt them." Izuku tried to reign in his fury but the words seem to just spill from his mouth.

"How dare you speak- "His shouting is interrupted once again by Izuku's blunt march passed him.

"I don't care about what you have to say. Now, goodbye. I have a match to get to." With that, Izuku takes his leave. Marching angrily into the arena, ignoring the dumbstruck expression he left on the number two hero's face.

----------------------------

"Both of these competitors have shown great power in the previous matches. Midoriya's winning streak hasn't faltered until now, what will happen when faced with the number two heroes' son! THIS ROUND WE HAVE... IZUKU MIDORIYA VERSUS TODOROKI SHOTO!" The crowd roars as Present mic announce the beginning of the second round.

Izuku stares at Todoroki, the boy looks like his usual expressionless self. His features remaining neutral and stoic. However, Izuku doesn't fail to notice the barely visible flinch the boy has when his father is mentioned.

"START!"

Instantly, Izuku is attacked by a rapidly approaching wave of ice. He fires up one for all through his body and swiftly dodges the attack, ducking and rolling to the side.

He barely has time to straighten up before another wave of ice comes rushing at him once again. This time, he doesn't have enough time to dodge. He lifts his arm and flicks two fingers in the direction of the coming shards. The shockwave he creates thoroughly destroys the glaciers.

"WOAH! HE SMASHED RIGHT THROUGH! WHAT POWER!" Present mic exclaims excitedly as the crowd cheer in amazement.

He feels a small throbbing in his fingers, it's not broken but it's not unharmed either. It will take more than his current level of control over One for all to win against Todoroki.

He realizes that Todoroki still isn't using his left side. The boy still adamant on only using his ice.

They keep at it for a couple of minutes, Todoroki firing off rounds of ice, one after the other and Izuku swiftly dodging them or destroying them.

From an outsider's point of view, they match each other in terms of power.

However, Izuku can see the way Todoroki's right side is slowly icing over, his whole body shivering slightly. He can even feel the way the ice is slowing down, not quite as powerful as they initially were.
Every quirk has its limit. Izuku thinks he knows Todoroki's.

"You're planning on stretching out the match. Not happening I'll end this quickly." The ice user says, voice low and cold as he fires off another round of ice towards him. He uses it as a distraction and rushes at Midoriya.

"TODOROKI IS UNDAUNTED BY MIDORIYA'S POWERS! HE MOVES IN TO CLOSE THE GAP!"

Midoriya sees the way Todoroki leaps at him and effectively dodges as he jumps backward using a small amount of One for all. He needs to make sure not to get over his limit.

"CLOSE ONE! BUT MIDORIYA DODGES IN AN INCREDIBLE SHOW OF REFLEXES!"

He's not even on the ground yet and another wave of ice comes barreling towards him. He has no choice but to power up his fist with all for one, surprisingly the backlash is minimal, only a dull throbbing makes itself known, it isn't broken but he can't keep this up much longer.

He smashes the glaciers coming his way, the power now, much stronger than his previous shockwaves. The outburst sends Todoroki flying a couple of meters back but he manages to catch himself with ice to stop himself from crossing the boundary line.

Todoroki is way more than just his quirk, Izuku realizes. He's got an excellent judgment, execution and, mobility. Everything about him is strong.

"Why are you going so far to win this!?" Todoroki shouts from across the arena, his breathing is ragged and he keeps glancing at the stands. Probably looking for Endeavor.

"You're shivering Todoroki." Izuku's control may be slipping but until now, Todoroki hasn't put a single scratch on him. "Quirks are just physical abilities, you must have a limit to how much of that cold you bear! But then...You can always use your left side to thaw yourself out, right?" he clenches his throbbing fist, frustration, and anger radiating off his every movement. "Everyone is giving it there all!" He remembers Uraraka's fight "To win.", he remembers Shinsou's determination. "To achieve their goals." He thinks about Bakugou." To reach the top! And you're only using half your power?!" He screams, his voice raw with pure and unfiltered emotions.

Izuku waits for Todoroki to come rushing at him again. As soon as his foot is lifted in the air to move, Midoriya takes it's his opportunity to go on the offensive. He dashed towards the half and half quirk user and lands a punch to his abdomen. The force sends the teen tumbling backward. However, Todoroki quickly gets back to his feet. "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Izuku shouts trying to convey his intentions.

"What are you saying! I thought you of all people would understand!" Todoroki's voice loses its usual cold and neutral tone, he's angry and it's palpable from a mile away.

"I DO UNDERSTAND! OUR PARENT'S DON'T DETERMINE WHO WE ARE! I WANT TO BE A HERO AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME! DON'T LET YOUR FATHER'S ACTIONS INFLUENCE YOUR'S! DON'T YOU SEE! YOU'RE LETTING HIM WIN!" Izuku doesn't care anymore about the repercussion that will follow after he admits this to Todoroki. Right now, all he cares about is helping him. "MY MOTHER WILL NOT DETERMINE WHAT I AM! NEITHER WILL YOURS! I WANT TO BE A HERO TO HELP THOSE LIKE ME! TO SMILE IN THE FACE OF DESPAIR. THAT'S WHY I'M GIVING IT MY ALL! TO BECOME A HERO PEOPLE WILL LOOK UP TO. A HERO THAT WILL PREVENT PEOPLE LIKE ME AND YOU FROM HURTING ANYMORE!" Todoroki doesn't know how he forgot. However, now, as Midoriya screams at him, he remembers it like it was yesterday. He remembers his mother showing him All Might on the television. He remembers wanting to become a hero just like him. He remembers his mother's smile, as she hugs him and reassures him that if he wants to. he could be a hero. "IT'S YOUR POWER TODOROKI! NOT HIS!"

Just like that, as if a switch had been turned on. Todoroki's left side erupts in bright and scorching hot flames. The magnitude and intensity of the fire blinding the crowd and leaving them speechless at the incredible show of power the boy is showing. The ice that had gathered on his right side slowly thaws out as he regains some of his strengths.

"I want to be a hero too!" Todoroki screams at the top of his lungs. The sounds muffled by the crackles of the flames around him.

Izuku can't help the smile that stretches across his features as he stares at the beautiful scorching red fire that dances in front of him.

"Incredible...You must be crazy Midoriya. To help your opponent in a match like this." Todoroki's features reflect Izuku's own smile as he forgets for once in his life everything about his father.

It's like, at this moment. The whole arena is gone. The only people present are him and Midoriya. Nothing else matters. They tune out the crowd's uproar and focus solely on their fight.

"Midoriya! Give me everything you've got!" Todoroki shouts with all his might.

Midoriya dashes towards him, green sparks dance around his whole body as he rushes straight at him. Todoroki extends his left hand, directing the flames at Midoriya.

In the background, Midnight shouts something intangible. Something about the fight. Their too occupied though, to give it much attention.

"Thank you Izuku," Todoroki whispers just as Midoriya's fist connects with his left cheek. Cementos, the concrete hero decides to step in then. Creating multiple walls of concrete to separate the two opponents.

It all happens in an instant. The stadium erupts. A shockwave blowing both heated wind and cold air at the spectators as they hold on in order to not get blown away.

People stare in awe and shock at the destruction left behind the two opponents. Smoke covers the arena, nobody knows what happened yet.

"WHAT THE- WHAT'S WITH YOUR CLASS ERASERHEAD!" Present Mic shouts from his place on the floor, where he'd been promptly blown away.

"All the chilled air was heated in an instant, making it expand. That and the shockwave created by Midoriya's punch." Aizawa explains calmly, his voice somewhat betraying his indifference and showing his shock.

"WHAT A BLAST! AND WHAT HEAT! CAN'T SEE A THING THOUGH. HAS THE MATCH BEEN DECIDED?" The voice hero asks through the speakers, his curiosity mirroring the thoughts of everyone in the arena.

The smoke clears ever so slowly and from the dust two figures are visible. Todoroki and Midoriya are both still standing. However, Todoroki has one foot out bounds whereas Midoriya is still inside.

"TODOROKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! MIDORIYA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!" Midnight announces, her voice wavering as she tries to get over her shock from the fight she'd just witnessed.

As soon as she pronounces those words. Midoriya wobbles on his feet but manages to catch himself before he falls. Todoroki isn't so lucky though.

Darkness consumes the fire and ice user as he hits the ground with a thud.

-------------------------------------

Izuku feels the adrenaline slowly fade away as he stares at the onslaught of cheers and the uproar coming from the crowd.

He can feel his whole-body aching, his arm is throbbing, probably fractured or in the least severely bruised. However, he can't bring himself to care about it right now. He helped Todoroki. He was able to free the boy from his father's cruel expectations, finally making him use his fire and accept himself fully and unleash all those year's pent-up emotions. Todoroki is currently being carted away by some medical robots, probably to Recovery girl's office.

Izuku follows the bots into the hallway, glad to get out of the spotlight. As soon as he steps into the infirmary he gets whacked on the head with a cane.

"Young man! You almost gave me a heart attack! Stop being so reckless!" She huffs and turns to face the bots carrying the still unconscious Todoroki. She checks on him, writing things down on the small notepad she's clutching in her hands. She nods to herself seemingly satisfied before turning her attention back to Izuku. "He has a concussion and a few cracked ribs. He should be okay after a round of healing." She says it and Izuku feels a weight being lifted from his shoulders. He was afraid he might have gone overboard in this battle.

Recovery girl looks him over, checking for any kind of serious wound. When she finds none in need of immediate attention, she quickly kisses his forehead in precaution and goes back to helping the slowly waking boy on the stretcher.

Todoroki's eyes flutter open. He looks around sluggishly, his eyes widen comically as he seems to realize where he was. He's stopped from shooting upright by Recovery girl's small arms holding his shoulders down. She scolds him for his reckless behavior and informs him about his injuries. The boy calms down and finally notice Izuku.

He looks at him for a moment then looks back at recovery girl. The elderly woman seems to get the message. She steps out in order to give them a chance to talk.

"Todoroki... I- I'm sorry- "His apology is promptly interrupted by Todoroki's raspy voice peaking up.

"Thank you Midoriya." His voice is soft, tone serious. Todoroki looks at him, heterochromatic eyes seem to be gazing into his very soul as he tries to convey his gratitude. "You made me realize my mistakes and helped me remember something I have long since forgotten." He smiles at him, a genuine smile. A huge difference from the ever-present scowl he had in the past weeks they've known each other.

Izuku stutters out a response but whatever he says is overlapped by Present Mic's announcement of the next match. He's going to be fighting Iida.

He bids the Fire and ice user goodbye and once again apologizes before scurrying towards the arena's entrance.

Going against Iida won't be easy, the boy has been surrounded by heroes for most of his childhood. His brother, Ingenium, the turbo hero is known for respectable hero work. Training his whole life with the help of his older brother. Izuku's going to have to give it his all once again. Not that he was ever planning on doing anything else.

Unbeknown to him, just as he steps into the arena. A green haired woman is turning the television off in her apartment. She gets into her car. Her hands are clenched and digging into the steering wheel. She seems to be seizing with anger.

-----------------------------------------

"AFTER AN AMAZING BATTLE THAT GOT BAKUGOU TO MOVE TO THE FINALS. IT'S TIME TO SEE WHO HE WILL GO AGAINST!! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... IT'S TENYA IIDA VERSUS IZUKU MIDORIYA!!" Present Mic's shouting shakes the very foundation of the stadium. The crowd cheers and applaud for the two hero course students.

Midoriya steps into the arena, a strange feeling welling up in his chest. This was it, he was so close to the final. Iida looks at him head on. Gaze serious and challenging.

"BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE TOUGH OPPONENTS! IIDA'S FAMILLY'S BACKGROUND IN HEROICS AND MIDORIYA'S UNDETTERED WINNING STREAK. IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING FIGHT! OPPONENTS IN POSITION...START!!" The voice hero booms through the speakers.

As soon as Present Mic announces the start of the fight, Iida is already rushing towards Midoriya. He's fast. Too fast, Izuku thinks. However, if he plays this right. He'll get the opening he needs to finish this.

Iida retracts his leg at an unbelievable speed and uses his engines to enhance the power behind the hit. His leg collides with Izuku's guarded arm, the latter had put it up in a mock defense attempt. The hit is painful, a loud crack can be heard.

"WOW! THAT KICK WAS INSANELY FAST! HE LANDED A REALLY SOLID HIT!" The voice hero comments.

Iida seems to real back, clearly not expecting Izuku to take the blow head on. Izuku takes this brief moment of hesitation and powers up his body, he powers through the pain in his arm. One for All flows through his veins as he swipes his opponent's legs from under him.

Iida tumbles forward, avoiding crossing the boundary by a few meters only. He regains his composure and instantly goes in for another kick, this time he's planning on using his special move, Recipro burst. Izuku sees right through the move though. He waits for the perfect moment. Just as Iida's leg lift of the ground, he rushes forward, sliding right into the Hero student's path.

Said student loses his bearings and having used the gears on his leg to their full potential, his engines stalls. This sends him running straight into the wall outside the ring.

Midnight announces Izuku as the winner. He just wished he could have done it without hurting his friend.
He runs towards Iida, apologies quickly threatening to spill from his mouth. However, he remembers what Todoroki had told him. He doesn't want his friend's effort to be overlooked. So, he wordlessly offers his hand to the fallen teen and waits patiently for the taller boy's response. Iida looks up at him, his frustration is palpable but he accepts his outstretched hand without missing a beat.

"I can honestly say that you have beaten fair and square. You used my own special move against me. Despite my frustration at winning, I am glad it was against such a formidable opponent Midoriya." Iida says sternly, his fist is clenched but, in his eyes, Izuku spots a new fire. One that screams determination. He sure that Iida will take this loss at a stride and will improve and work hard to win next time. Izuku doesn't expect anything less from his friend.

-------------------------------------------

Izuku walks back to the waiting lounge. He just needs to clear his head for a little while. He'll be fighting Kacchan next. They have roughly, a twenty-minute break before the fight.

He walks into the break room and freezes. His blood ran cold, shivers running down his spine as his eyes meet a similar set of emerald irises. His mother stares back at him, the look in her eyes promising nothing but pure and unadulterated pain.

-------------------------------------------

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! AT LAST WE'VE ARRIVED! THE BEST OF THE BEST AMONG UA'S FIRST YEAR'S WILL BE DECIDED! IT'S THE FINAL MATCH MIDORIYA VERSUS BAKUGOU!!!!! WAIT! WHAT?" low whispering can be heard through the microphone, too quiet to decipher. "MIDORIYA HAS WITHDRAWN DUE TO FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCE. THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL IS NONE OTHER THAN BAKUGOU KATISUKI!"

The crowd boos and shout in indignation. Bakugou stairs straight at the empty place where the useless nerd should have been. He can feel the anger building up in his chest. This isn't a win. It's not even close.

Meanwhile, at another place in the stadium, a purple-haired teenager is running at full speed towards the announcement stand. His expression serious and urgent as he slams the door to the viewing room open. Visibly startling the two occupants.

"Eraserhead. You need to save him. He's in danger."