Izuku found himself wondering the halls of the stadium aimlessly. He just needed to get away from everything. To be by himself for a little while in order to process the newly acquired information.

Todoroki was like him. He was being hurt and abused just like him. He didn't know how it made him feel. He wasn't alone, someone understood him. However, he didn't want that predicament on anyone. He had sworn to never let anyone go through what he is going through. Never let anyone get hurt like him.

Yet, just coming close to admitting what was happening to him was hard enough. How could he save someone else if he couldn't even save himself?

He could feel the hammering of his heart in his chest, the walls were closing in on him. The air in his lungs getting more and more restricted. He could feel the panic attack that was threatening to overtake him.

He leaned against a wall and slid to the floor. Squeezing his eyes shut, He tried to suppress the tears that threatened to fall. He failed miserably. The tears were flowing freely, it hurts. It hurts so much to think about it. What about actually almost saying it out loud for once?

With Shinsou, he didn't have to actually say it. The boy already knew about it. However, Todoroki had seen his scars and was witness to Izuku's momentary slip up about his past. He came so close to admitting it. He couldn't though, could he?

He was nothing more than a pathetic coward, he couldn't even gather the nerves to actually say it out loud. How could he possibly help Todoroki? Izuku took deep shuddering breaths as he sobbed.

He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the telling sound of somebody's footsteps approaching.

"Midoriya... What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" A familiar voice startled him. "Come on man, tell me what's wrong. Should I call recovery girl?" Kirishima crouched down next to his sobbing friend, hands hovering, reaching out but not quite knowing what to do.

Izuku hastily wiped his tears on his sleeve but Kirishima had already seen him if the barely contained concern in his voice was any indication.

He pulled up the most convincing smile he could muster and looked up towards his red-haired friend.
The look of sincere and earnest concern in his friend's eyes was overwhelming, to say the least.
He tried not to cry again as he looked at him. He was going to make up an excuse but whatever he was going to say never made it out. His speech promptly cut off by the sudden embrace he found himself in. Kirishima pulled him into a crushing hug.

Warm and safe. These were the words he would use to describe this particular sensation his friend was emitting. He couldn't help but feel disappointed when he pulled away.

"I'm sorry about that." The redhead said, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "It looked like you needed it." He beamed at him, his smile sharp and toothy.

"Th- thank you Kirishima. I really did." Izuku's voice cracked with emotion.

"Do you want to uh... do you want to talk about it? Kirishima asked hesitantly, not wanting to make the smaller boy uncomfortable.

"I- not- Not really... I uh- thank you. You already helped me there." His eyes drooped, the exhaustion from his previous challenges and the tiring confrontation with Todoroki finally catching up to him.

Kirishima seemed to realize that. His next words proved that.

"You know if you want to... You can take a small nap, you look really tired and I'm sure it will help. So you feel a bit more relaxed in your upcoming match! I can sit here and make sure to wake you up when the times come for you to get ready." The redhead offered brightly.

Usually, Izuku would be wary of leaving himself open and vulnerable like that. The years of waking up to his mother's harsh beatings a testament to the feeling of unease and restlessness when it came to sleeping. However, looking at Kirishima now, he couldn't help but feel the overwhelming sense of safety from the amount of protectiveness that radiated off of his sharp-toothed friend.

He wordlessly relaxed his body. Resting his head on the taller boy's shoulder. Sleep overtook him as he finally surrendered his consciousness.

Izuku woke up to a light touch shaking his shoulder, he felt a lot more rested and calm than before. Safe. He doesn't know how much time went by. However, he does know that at some point he must have moved because he's now lying on top of Kirishima's knees. His face heats up as he flings himself upright. A spiral of apologizies escaping his mouth as he tried to regain any semblance of composure. Kirishima laughs and waved him off.

"It's okay! Don't apologize! You just kind of fell while you were sleeping and you looked so peaceful so I didn't move you. I'm glad you got some rest. Feeling better?" The redhead grinned at him. "Your match is up in ten minutes, they said you'll be going against some guy in the general education course. I think his name was Shinsou. Some of our classmates, Ojiro and a guy from class b withdrew from the competition. They said it had something to do with the guy's quirk."
"Shinsou? I'm up against Shinsou?" His voice was barely a whisper, his previous calmness gone and a familiar sense of anxiousness threatened to take over. He was going to go against Shinsou? Why was fate out to get him? His first match just had to be against the one person who actually knew about his home life and still somehow didn't judge him.

"Yeah... You should go to the waiting room and wait for them to call your name." Kirishima responded with the same amount of excitement.

"You're- yeah... you're right. Thank you, Kirishima. For everything. It really helped." He smiled at the redhead. This time his smile genuine despite the raging emotions he was feeling.

"YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL TO GET HERE! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE ONE VS ONE TOURNAMENT!" Present mics booming voice resonates through the whole stadium as he introduces the next and final part of the sports festival. Next will be a series of one on one battles that will determine the winner by slowly sorting through the sixteen winning competitors from the previous task. "COMING ON TOP AT EVERY TASK UNTIL NOW THROUGH HIS EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA FROM THE HERO COURSE!" Izuku steps hesitantly into the arena, the crowd going wild, cheering for the boy who's done nothing but impress until now. "VERSUS... THE UNDERDOG THAT NO ONE EVEN NOTICE BUT STILL WON HIMSELF FOURTH PLACE IN THE SECOND TASK, IT'S SHINSOU HITOSHI FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES!" Shinsou walks into the arena, his posture confident and determination is written all over his features.

Midnight steps on the stage that was set near the main field and informs them about the rule of the battle. Win by knocking your opponent out of bounds or immobilize them. Anything goes as long as it's not fatal.

Shinsou nods at Izuku. A gesture meant to reassure the boy that despite the circumstances, everything will remain the same between them.

Izuku knows that in this fight Shinsou is at a disadvantage. From what Izuku gathered from that night all those months ago, was that Shinsou's quirk required a verbal response for it to activate. Knowing that gave him the upper hand. if he stayed quiet, the boy in front of him would be as good as quirkless. Even then, he would have the upper hand, he, unlike Shinsou had been trained and had a concrete fighting style. To keep this fight fair, he would have to refrain from using his quirk. He needed to give Shinsou a chance to show the teacher and UA what he was made of. He needed to get them to transfer him to the hero course where he belonged.

That, however, didn't mean Izuku wouldn't put up a fight.

"START" Midnight yelled, flinging her whip with a resounding clang.

"May the best man win Midoriya." Shinsou needed to get the boy to talk, knowing what he knew about his opponent. Maybe being nice would get a response from him.

Midoriya closed his mouth shut. He wasn't going to go down that easily. He walked towards Shinsou, each step he took followed by a slightly faster one until he was full-on sprinting towards the purple haired boy.

He punched Shinsou in the gut, effectively sending him back a few steps. He wasn't using his quirk but the months spent clearing the beach had made his body's strengths evolve considerably.

Shinsou moved to cuff him, his fist aimed for his face. However, Izuku's reflexes were sharper and he saw the hit coming from a mile away, quickly ducking under it and striking the boy with a roundhouse kick to the head.

The latter was effectively thrown to the side, his hand clutching the side of his head as he hissed in pain. "Ok... That hurt..." Shinsou heaved between his gasping breath.

"Sorry..." Just like that, he felt his body go lax, his mind foggy as his body was overtaken by Shinsou's control. So that's what it felt like. Izuku cursed his desperate need to apologize for everything.

"MIDORIYA IS FROZEN IN PLACE! HE'S NOT EVEN TWITCHING! COULD THIS BE SHINSOU'S QUIRK? WE BARELY KNEW THIS GUY EVEN EXISTED BUT NOW...HE SURE IS ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON!" Present mic called out through the speakers.

"Like I said the entrance exam was completely irrational. Shinsou despite his extraordinarily powerful quirk, he failed the hero course exam and got into general studies. Given the format of the exam... His ability didn't help him out." Aizawa who had kept quiet for most of the sports festival spoke up, his voice calm and collected, ringing through the speakers.

"Ah... I'm sorry Midoriya but this is my only chance to get into the hero course. Now please walk out of bounds." Shinsou ordered sheepishly, his gaze apologetic but resolute.

Izuku panicked at the sudden involuntary movements his body was making. His legs were moving on their own, slowly taking him out of bounds. He tried to gain back any semblance of control, to move, to do anything to get out of this.

Suddenly his vision went dark as he saw eight shadowy figures appear in his line of sight. One of the figures seemed to be a woman, she had her arm wrapped around a man's shoulder. The man's silhouette reminded him of his mentor. He didn't have time to think about it though. He felt a tiny bit of control slip back into his fingers. Using a small amount of One for all, he let a small shockwave go from a flick of his index with his thumb and just like that the control Shinsou had over him was gone.

"MIDORIYA! HE STOPPED! IS SHINSOU'S POWER NOT ABSOLUTE AFTER ALL? MIDORIYA MANAGED TO BREAK THROUGH HIS CONTROL!"

He turned around slowly, Shinsou's eyes were wide and disbelieving. How could someone break his control? Nothing like that had ever happened before.

It was just like Midoriya to be the exception though. He couldn't help but smile at that.
Izuku needed to get this match over with. This was a close call. He dashed at the still shell-shocked teen and dropped low, kicking the boy's feet from under him. Shinsou didn't go down though, he regained his balance and dived in for his own hit. However, Izuku had months of sparring and training up his sleeves and promptly caught the boy's wrist, twisting it into a painful hold and twisting the boy so that his own back would face the bounds.

He started pressing and hitting the boy, slowly herding him towards the bounds. When he deemed the distance acceptable, he twisted the boy's hand and promptly threw him over his shoulder. Shinsou's back hit the ground hard, the breath getting knocked out of him in the process.

"Shinsou is out of the ring. Midoriya moves to the next round." Midnight announces as they replay the finishing moves on the screens. Shinsou's legs had landed out of bounds.

Izuku holds out his hands, the other boy accepting his offer instantly. A shout of 'what sportsmanship' can be heard in the background but Izuku is more focused on Shinsou right now. The boy has a bruise forming on his left cheek and looks worse for wear but he's smiling.

He looks at Izuku for a solid moment before speaking up. "Show her Midoriya. Show her- Show the world what you're made of. You're going to be a great hero." His voice is steady and unwavering, the sincerity behind his statement is intense and genuine. As if he's just stating a fact.

That alone makes Izuku's eyes shine with unshed tears as he stares at his new friend- could he call him that? He really hoped so.

"I won't let you down Shinsou!"

Izuku goes back to the stands. He finds that Uraraka and Iida saved him a seat in the third row. The next match is Sero versus Todoroki. The one that wins will go against Izuku in the second round. Izuku has a pretty good idea who's going to win. Of course, Sero is pretty strong too, his quirk is very versatile, it gives him both offensive powers and mobility. However, Todoroki, who has been trained his entire life by none other than the number too hero, that and his overwhelmingly powerful quirk. Let's just say, this fight will most likely be short.

He's proved right when Todoroki steps into the arena. As soon as Present mic calls the start of the fight. A huge wave of ice comes rushing at the tape quirk user and thoroughly encases him. Instantly rendering him immobile and therefore winning Todoroki the chance to move on to the next round. The crowd is left speechless at the incredible show of power. Izuku stares at Todoroki's stiff movements. The boy seems to be going through many emotions as he slowly thaws through the ice shards he created. Todoroki, Izuku notes, seems above all else really sad.
Izuku looked at him, for once really taking in the past few hours revelations. He'll help Todoroki, he'll make him accept himself. Even if it's going to take all he's got.

The matches go by in a blur. Up next is Uraraka and Bakugou's match. Izuku tried to give Uraraka some of the notes he'd gathered on Bakugou throughout their childhood and the time he'd spent witnessing the explosive boy's quirk in action. However, she had politely declined. She wanted to win this fight on her own.

Uraraka stood in the waiting room. Her fist was clenched, her nails digging into her palms. Her match was in a couple of minutes. She was going up against Bakugou.

She didn't know much about the blonde. All she knew was that the boy had a complicated past with Midoriya. She'd come really close to hating the boy when he had attacked her green-haired friend. Izuku had asked them to give Bakugou a rest. If Midoriya had forgiven him, maybe she could try too. However, that didn't stop her from glaring at the blonde from across the classroom.

She had kept an eye on him through their training, she would step in at any wrong move on his part. All this observing had given her insight on the boy's powers. The explosive boy had an incredibly powerful quirk, not only this but he also had exceptionally good control over it. The more he fights, the more he sweats and the stronger he gets. However, despite his close-range offensive ability and his capacity to manoeuver mid-air, if she could touch him, she'd have the advantage.

Uraraka had spent most of the festival counting on Deku to get her to the top. This would stop now. She'd seen the fiery determination in her friend's eyes, he was giving it his all. She would do the same. She would try to win with everything she had.

"A CELEBRITY SINCE HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS, AN EXPLOSIVE QUIRK FOR AN EXPLOSIVE BOY! IT'S BAKUGOU KATISUKI FROM THE HERO COURSE!!" Present mic introduced from his previous place in the viewing booth.

Bakugou stepped into the arena, his whole demeanor threatening. Radiating confidence and conviction.

"VERSUS... MY PERSONAL PICK! OCHACKO URARAKA FROM THE HERO COURSE!" Uraraka marched into the field, looking at her opponent head-on. Her gaze, despite her usually bubbly attitude screamed defiance and fortitude.

"CONTESTANTS IN POSITION. START!" Midnight snapped her whip, the instant it hit the ground Uraraka was already dashing towards Bakugou, her stance low and swift. She managed to cross half the distance before the blond used his quirk to blow her away.

Despite the abrupt and violent explosion, the girl got back up instantly. Foregoing any rest and promptly rushing at the blond again.

"SHE KEEPS CHARGING RELENTLESSLY!"

They kept their dance for a few more minutes. Uraraka doing everything in her power to try and close in on the explosive teen.

She was bruised, scratches and minor burns littering her previously soft skin. However, she was not going to give up. She kept getting back up. Kept powering through the pain and exhaustion. Kept rushing and running at her target. Her every try blown away and deflected.

"Shouldn't you stop this fight!" Screams a man from the crowd.

"YEAH! Stop toying with that girl! Just end the fight already!" Continues another pro hero from the crowd infuriated by Bakugou's treatment towards the sweet and frail girl.

What they failed to notice though was the plan Uraraka was slowly but surely setting into motion. With every attack, with every confrontation, she would stay low, close to the ground. Every explosion would create rubble, would destroy the field. Effectively giving her the ammunition, she needed.

She was leading Bakugou by the nose this whole time, using his own quirk to her advantage, operating under the cover of the smoke screens he created in order to use her quirk unnoticed and exploiting his own destructive powers against him.

The crowd could only stare in awe as they finally noticed the hundreds of boulders and rocks that were floating above the two students. Uraraka brought her hands together, releasing her quirk and creating a meteor shower of rubble and rocks coming hurling down on her opponent.

"IT'S A METEOR SHOWER!!" The disbelieving voice hero called out.

She had fought hard for this, she had struggled and scrapped and bruised herself to get this one chance. Whether he dodges or intercepts, in that instant, she'll close the gap. This was how she would win.

Bakugou stared at the fast approaching meteor shower headed towards him. Uraraka had brought him to his limit. Every quirk had some kind of boundary. She had forced him to use his quirk, over and over again. The throbbing in his wrists was greater with every explosion. He wasn't going to give up though. He wasn't going to lose. He lifted his aching arms, mustering one last huge explosion. The power behind the blow decimated all the rubble, despite their numbers, he had spent years developing his quirk. He was going to be number one damn it!

"WHAT AN EXPLOSION! URARAKA'S SECRET PLAN WENT INTO SMOKE!" Present Mic hollers through the speakers.

"That was close..." Too close for comfort, Bakugou thinks as he regains his breath. He stares at the girl responsible for his exhaustion. He was right not to underestimate her. She was stronger than she looked.

The girl is panting hard, every breath sending shudders down her body. She wipes the sweat from her forehead. This was the best she could do, but it wasn't enough.

Still, she was still standing, she will not give up. She takes one step, determined to win, despite the aching in her body and the throbbing in her limbs. She had worked too hard for this, she wouldn't give up. Her foot touches the ground and her legs give up from under her. Exhaustion and fatigue overpowering her and sending her collapsing to the ground.

No...my body, it won't move. She had reached her limit a long time ago.
She tries to get up, to urge her body to react, to fight on. Darkness envelops her field of vision. Consciousness finally leaving her. Her last thought pleading for her to fight. To win.

"Uraraka is unable to move. Bakugou moves to the next round."