32

It wasn't long until Izuku realized why All Might was looking at him like that.

"This is like a normal playground game, but with a twist! Each one of you will be assigned a point value, going up in fives. That means 42nd place is awarded five points, while 41st place is worth ten points." All Might pointed a finger down at the students. "You'll each join in teams of two-to-four as you see fit and your point values will be added together into the headband your team's rider wears."

Izuku nodded. That meant he would have a headband with 210 points. That gave him an advan-

"I know all too well the dangers of being in the spotlight. There are those who will come for you just because you're on top. Which brings me to my next point…" All Might looked straight at Izuku and pointed a finger at him. "The winner of our first round, Young Midoriya… your headband will be worth ten million points!"

Izuku's eyes widened.

Some would have expected Izuku to shrink down, to be cowed by the forty-one other students now staring him down with bloodlust in their eyes.

But Izuku was a dragon.

He was a dragon and All Might had just given him a hoard.

His quirk pulsed harder and harder each second. His eyes began to glow brighter as his horns stretched slightly larger. A grin broke across his face as his fangs glinted in the sunlight.

Some of the closest students took small steps back, faltering in the face of the taller, smirking man.

"Choose your teams! You have 15 minutes!"

Izuku immediately began to think. He considered several angles, formulating probable teams and possible combinations. He turned around, looking for and quickly spotting a couple of the people on his short-list.

"Mina, Ochak-"

Mina held up her hand. "Let me stop you right there, Midori. We don't think pairing up with you gives us the best chance at winning." Ochako nodded in agreement.

Izuku stood there, blinking for a second before beginning to laugh. They made him proud.

"Alright, fine." He smiled again. "Don't think you're going to take my points, though."

"Just try and stop me," Ochako declared.

He turned around as a little bit of worry began to seep into his mind. The women were right, his points made him a target. Did that mean that nobody would want to partner with him? He didn't take that into account. Surely Katsuki wouldn't want to join his team either, that would just m-

"Oi, Izuku."

Izuku turned around, spotting his blonde friend.

"Kacchan?"

"Let's win this shit." He smirked.

Izuku blinked. "You… you want to join me? But I'll be a huge target?"

"You think I would let you face this on your own?" He laughed once. "Besides, this is a game about grabbing and hoarding stuff; I want to be with the dragon."

Izuku's quirk flared again. He grinned with determination.

"That gives me a good idea."

In the end, nobody else joined their team. Only one other person even tried- that pink-haired Support Course student, Hatsume, as she introduced herself- but Izuku turned her away. He had a plan.

Izuku handed the 10,000,205 point headband to his friend, who strapped his around his forehead firmly. He looked down at Katsuki with determination. "Since I can carry just you easily, we have the ultimate mobility."

"I figured that's what you'd want to do," Katsuki muttered as he stretched his legs. "Just fly over everything again."

"If it works, why not?" Izuku asked, shrugging.

"Contestants, get ready!"

Izuku took his shirt off again and threw it down to the ground as he bent down, his wings unfurling. Katsuki hopped on, Izuku locking his elbows behind his friend's knees as he stood back up.

"Alright, Toothless, let's go."

"Screw you, Dandy."

"Your ten minutes begins… now!"

Katsuki, with one hand steadying himself on Izuku's shoulder, threw his other arm back and prepared a blast. Like the hundreds of times they had practiced this move, Izuku jumped at the same time that Katsuki's explosion went off, propelling him even higher than normal as his wings beat mightily and caught the wind, causing the duo to streak into the sky.

"Who could've seen that one coming?" Present Mic sounded a little bored.

Midnight was much more excited. "It's up to the rest of our students to try and find a way to bring that dragon back down to earth if they want a shot at those tantalizing ten million points!"

Izuku had no intention of landing anytime in the next ten minutes. He had trained his endurance for years, partially under Hadou's brutal regime. He could stay in the air with a passenger for thirty minutes easily, ten minutes would be a piece of cake.

He settled into a comfortable rhythm again, flying much like a raptor did: beating his wings only a few times to gain altitude before holding them out to glide lazily in circles around the inside of the stadium. He pushed his wings larger than he normally did to account for his passenger's weight, but otherwise he was practically relaxed.

Unlike the rampant greed of Terrorflame, Izuku was content to sit on his wealth. He had over ten million points, he didn't need to risk anything for the paltry sums down below. Sure, he wanted them, but the risk far outweighed the reward.

Izuku watched carefully, eager to study his opponents more and to size up the competition for the next round. He identified two main contenders quickly.

Ochako and Mina had teamed up with Eiko and that Hatsume woman, which intrigued him. Several of them were equipped with her gadgets and gizmos, which made them unpredictable. He would have to keep an eye on her. Mina's quirk was keeping the threats to their right at bay, while Ochako's reach was floating away anyone who got too close to their left. You could hardly ask for a better frontline defender than Eiko; their team was solid.

The other major threat he saw was Todoroki's team. Iida was the towering front of their group, while Kaminari and Yaoyorozu provided ample defense and utility. The black-haired woman's versatile quirk could enhance their strengths and limit their weaknesses, which is what she was already doing. Yaoyorozu and Kaminari both had roller blades on, allowing Iida to easily move the group at his rapid pace.

Over the next several minutes, all hell broke loose down below. A few of the teams were outright eliminated when their rider hit the ground, others were left pointless as the headbands were consolidated in the possession of other teams.

"Two minutes remaining!" All Might's voice boomed loudly, even to the men flying high above the action.

"Damn, I'm about to take a nap up here," Katsuki huffed, keeping his eyes squinted to keep them from drying out.

"Don't get complacent, we're almost through," Izuku warned.

Katsuki lightly hit his back twice. "I know, I know. Let's hope the third round has some more action, that's all."

"Yeah, I supp-" Something caught Izuku's ear.

"Alright girls, time to go for the win."

That was Mina's voice.

Izuku's vision whipped down to the four women. "Head's up, Kacchan, I think they have something planned."

"Fucking finally."

The rider of their team, Hatsume, pulled out what looked like a rifle of sorts. She aimed it up, right at Izuku.

Katsuki noticed it too. "She's trying to hit us at this distance? Good lu-"

Izuku had to jerk harshly to the right to avoid whatever it was that went shooting past them.

"Damn!" Katsuki yelled, grabbing onto Izuku's back tighter instinctually, due to their years of training together.

"She's got quite the eye on her, huh?" He began flying faster and more erratically to avoid her shots. "Hold on, Kacchan!"

"What do you think I'm doing, dumbass?!"

The shots were zipping by them, each barely missing. He didn't know what that rifle of hers was firing, but it sounded like darts or… something . Izuku wasn't particularly concerned with what they were, he just wanted to avoid them.

He wasn't so distracted that he didn't notice that the shots were very intentionally corralling him lower and closer to the team of women. He saw Ochako reaching over and pulling the weight from everyone in the team, preparing to make the leap at them.

Let them come.

He couldn't agree more. All this excitement was getting his quirk pumping.

As Izuku let his tail grow, he heard Katsuki pop a few small explosions off on his back, both of them preparing for the clash they knew was coming.

Using some boots to propel them, the four women launched into the air, coming straight at the two men at rapid speeds.

Let it be known that Izuku had more experience in aerial combat than most. His father, cousin and Hadou gave him too many scrapes and bruises for him to be taken down by a group of sky-bound amateurs.

"Kacchan: Rifle and two boots."

Katsuki tapped his back three times. "Ready."

Instead of trying to avoid the incoming team, he turned into it, diving straight at them. He saw Eiko react with a second of surprise before smiling wide and embracing the challenge.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't looking for a direct fight.

As the distance closed, Katsuki brought his two hands together.

"Stun Grenade!"

His explosion ripped through the air, but instead of power, the energy was mostly concentrated in the flash of light that erupted from his hands.

The four women flying up at them were all blinded and completely caught off guard. Izuku immediately pitched to the right and curved around the defenseless women. His tail swung to his left, smacking the gun out of the rider's hands as he dug a claw into the boot on Ochako's left foot. With a beat of his wings, he flew around behind the women as Katsuki blew the other boot off Mina's right leg. As he soared upward, Katsuki caught the gun that was flying through the air with both hands, blowing it to bits with a pair of explosions.

Down two boots and without their rifle, they weren't a threat anymore. If they had taken all four boots, they might have crash landed, even with Ochako. He was here to win, not to hurt people.

Izuku reached a fist over his shoulder, which Katsuki immediately met with his own. Feeling good about himself, he began to beat his wings in earnest, aiming to regain his height above the playing field. He had gotten much too low for his liking.

Then he heard something behind him. It sounded like a rocket going off.

"Hard left!" Katsuki yelled, causing Izuku to react without a second thought.

He spun just in time for a large net to fly past him, the corners each attached to a small rocket booster.

"Say hello to Baby #41!" he heard the strange woman call from behind him as she pressed a button on a remote.

Faster than he could react, the engines on the rockets cut out and new thrusters kicked to life at a 90-degree angle.

The net shot forward, pinning one of Izuku's wings to the rest of his body.

They began to fall.

With only one wing working, they quickly spun into a death spiral, hurtling to the ground in an ever-tightening twister.

His quirk raged and bucked; it hated being trapped. Izuku didn't exactly like it much either.

The ground was growing closer and closer as he desperately tried to beat his wings and prevent himself and Katsuki from smashing into the ground. He reached up and clawed at the net, but he didn't have the leverage to properly tear at it.

"I can't blow it up without hurting you!" Katsuki pounded on his back. "Izuku, pull your wing in!"

A moment of clarity in the panic.

His wings shrunk and snapped away. Without his left wing to hold them aloft a little, their descent quickened, but the net lost much of its hold. Katsuki reached down and yanked it off, pitching it behind them as hard as he could.

Izuku shoved his quirk into his back as hard as he could, willing his wings to reform as fast as possible. They caught air at the last possible second, allowing him to slow their fall but he was unable to prevent them from landing.

He put more quirk into his legs, strengthening them like he had when he gave Jirou a ride. His shoes exploded as his clawed feet grew, but thankfully he wasn't wearing normal pants.

"LESS THAN SIXTY SECONDS REMAIN!!!"

Other teams had been greedily watching their descent and as Izuku slammed down and absorbed the impact, they were quickly on them. Fortunately, Izuku wasn't alone. Several massive explosions burst from his friend, keeping Ochako's team and several others at bay while Izuku prepared to take flight again.

Then he heard something in the distance.

"TORQUE… OVER!"

The roar of a furious engine grew louder behind them.

A giant ring of ice flew up around the two men.

A rush of wind blew past Izuku's back.

The snap of a headband.

"RECIPRO BURST!"

"Oh, no," Hisashi muttered, his hand over his mouth as he looked down from his luxury box in the stadium.

Next to him, Ryuko nodded. "This isn't going to be pretty."

"Do… do you think…" Inko whispered through her teary eyes. She had been crying ever since that net snagged their son. "His instincts… the points?"

"For sure," Saori muttered as she sat down next to her husband Seizou and handed him a glass of water. "Even my instincts would've been going nuts over something like that. There's barely 4,000 other points out there and little Izuku has ten million? Even if it's just a game, it's real to Izuku."

Hisashi nodded at his sister's assessment. She wasn't blessed- or cursed, depending on your point of view- with the full version of the family quirk like he and Hatsuo were. She only had a single straight, black horn sticking out of the right side of her hair and she could only produce enough frost breath to chill food and drinks, but she still had instincts, albeit much weaker than Hisashi's, Izuku's or anyone else with the full quirk.

Down below, Izuku was confirming their suspicions.

He had hunched over and was breathing so heavily it was visible despite their great distance. Both Hisashi and Ryuko were pushing their quirks to enhance their vision, their slitted eyes glowing green and turquoise respectively. Scales rippled across his son's skin as his arms and legs bulged larger. His face grew long and draconic and his tail thickened. His wings shrunk and pulled back into his body as he lowered himself onto all fours.

Ryuko gasped. "Hisashi, did you teach him-"

"No, I wasn't going to until the internships," he responded, his eyes wide. "That damn boy is too smart for his own good sometimes."

Ryuko turned back to the action and held her face in worry. "I don't know if this is him… "

"Whoa! What just happened?! That was all one big blur! Holy smokes, folks, why didn't he show off that super speed in the preliminaries?!"

Iida had done it. That burst of speed was just what Shouto needed to grab that headband from Bakugou. He fastened the 10,000,205 points around his neck and began to scramble their order as his team turned to face Midoriya's team. With time ticking down, all he and his team had to do was protect their points and they were assured victory… while Midoriya was assured defeat.

If he couldn't back up his words, he had no right continuing in the festival.

"Uh, guys?" Kaminari sounded worried. "Does Midoriya look a little… upset?"

Shouto turned his gaze back to their opponents.

Midoriya was… different. He was down on all fours and he was massive. Although not nearly as massive as he was at the USJ, he was still larger than any normal man. Every inch was covered in green scales and his long, fanged head was low to the ground. His tail swayed angrily behind him as Bakugou sat on his back. He was the size of a horse, but looked like a bizarre blend of dog and dragon as his digitigrade legs dug into the dirt.

"It looks like Midoriya is taking the whole 'cavalry' thing literally! It's all coming down to the wire!"

He lifted his head up and let loose a deafening roar that shook the very earth. He could feel Midoriya's rage.

"We need to move!" Yaoyorozu yelled, her voice full of panic.

"I- I can't!" Iida responded. "My engines are shot!"

Midoriya's head lowered, his bright, glowing eyes locking onto Shouto's. They were filled with fury and indignation.

Bakugou sneered as he gripped Midoriya's sides with his thighs tightly. "Ya shouldn'ta did that."

The beast kicked off the ground, charging at them at incredible speeds.

Without Iida's speed, he couldn't help but feel exposed.

Midoriya kicked up dirt as he tore towards them, his mouth turned up into a snarl to reveal his long, deadly fangs.

Todoroki flung his right arm around, throwing up another huge ice wall between the two of them.

It only granted them a moment of respite.

He heard Bakugou's battle cry from the other side as a huge explosion went off.

The ice shattered, Bakugou having unleashed a blast at the same moment Midoriya's massive right fist had impacted the wall.

As the frozen crystals glinted in the sunlight, Midoriya and Bakugou came bursting through the new opening. In that brief moment, Midoriya looked like a true hellish beast of war and Bakugou his infernal, apocalyptic rider.

The beast's eyes were locked onto him. They were shining bright, but there was no mistaking that look. They were the eyes of an enraged predator.

Even with years of training, Shoto's mind froze. He was only able to see the upcoming attack as one single thing.

Death.

"The middle one!" Midoriya shouted in his unnatural voice.

'How does he know?!'

The beast leapt towards Shouto, his claws extended before him and his jaws open wide.

His body moved on instinct; that same primitive, primal instinct that kept his ancestors alive in the face of wild beasts.

"Take this, Icy-Hot! Stun Grenade!" Bakugou raised his hands up and a blinding light erupted forth, forcing Shouto to close his eyes.

He felt a tug on his neck and one of the headbands snapped away.

With a massive crash, the beast that was Midoriya landed behind him, but Shouto opened his eyes, neither that nor the loss of the headband was what horrified him.

Flicking from his left arm were flames.

'My left side? What am I doing?!'

"Todoroki, we need to-"

"Times up!"

And like that, it was over.

Shouto stared at his left hand as he stepped down onto the ground.

"Those last two minutes were nothing but pulse-pounding action! But now let's take a look at our top teams! In first place, Team Midoriya!"

Shouto turned around to glance at the men behind him. Bakugou had dismounted and was stretching his legs while holding the headband in front of Midoriya, showing him the point value on it.

Midoriya sniffed it cautiously before snatching it away roughly and slowly shrinking back down to his normal size. The whole time he didn't take his eyes off the headband.

"In second place, Team Uraraka! In third place, Team Monoma! In fourth place, Team Todoroki!"

The other headbands they had taken ensured their continuation into the next round, but it was too close for comfort. What if Bakugou had taken more of the headbands?

"Since Team Midoriya is only two people, we'll need another team! In fifth place, Team- Woah, when did this happen?! In fifth place, Team Shinsou came out of nowhere!"

'I swore to never use it to attack… but as soon as Midoriya came at me like that, I broke my own promise.' He threw his fist down to his side. 'Weak! At this rate… he'll win and I'll end up exactly who he wants me to be.'

"Now, let's take an hour lunch break before we start the afternoon's festivities!"

The rest of the contestants turned to head out of the arena, eager to get food in their bellies, but Shouto had another plan.

He walked over to the green-haired man who was busy fastening the headband around his neck for some reason.

"Midoriya, I need to talk to you."

While everyone else headed to lunch, Midoriya and Todoroki wandered off to an abandoned tunnel. The two men stared at each other for what felt like an hour, Midoriya still with the ten million band dangling from his neck.

Neither of them noticed that Bakugou had snuck up to listen in on them as well.

"Midoriya," Todoroki began, "we're both the sons of heroes. My father is the number two, but before his injury, your father was in the top ten as well. You must know the pressure I am under to succeed. We are legacies and it is our duty to rise to the top."

"What are you getting at?" Midoriya responded, still a little indignant after what he had done in the cavalry battle.

"My old man is ambitious, he aims for the top," Todoroki continued. "He used his power to make a name for himself, but he was never able to best All Might. To him, the 'Symbol of Peace' is living proof of his failure. Did you father feel the same way?"

Midoriya shook his head. "All Might is a good friend of my father. He always aimed to do his best, but he never had a shot at the number one spot."

"I figured as much, but that's why he trains you, right? You're there to surpass him and everyone else. You are his pride, his progeny. He pushes you to succeed, to excel, to win."

"I… can't say that, Todoroki," Midoriya admitted. "My father has always supported me, but it's my desire that pushes me forward. I look up to him and All Might, but I'm not their… project."

Todoroki looked away slightly, visibly disappointed. "Tell me, Midoriya, have you ever heard of… quirk marriages?"

"What?" The green-haired boy's voice had gotten firm. "Explain yourself. Now." His eyes were glowing slightly.

"My father has a rich history of accomplishments, and is just rich in general." Todoroki looked down. "He… bought my mother's family off to get his hands on her quirk. My… right side is from her."

"He… did what?!" Midoriya sounded mad.

"He's raised me to usurp All Might. But I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag." Todoroki's voice cracked only the slightest amount. "In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying. I remember… she called my left side unbearable… before she poured boiling water on my face." Todoroki's hand slowly raised over his left eye.

Scales flashed up Midoriya's neck in a wave, but faded as quickly as they came. His fists were clenched in anger and his shoulders were shaking. Something was making Midoriya furious , but what?

Todoroki's vision snapped back to Midoriya. "I challenged you to show my father what I was capable of doing without having to use his damned quirk. I'm going to rise to the top without his power, I'm going to show him that I reject everything he's given me." He raised a finger at Midoriya. "You are the only other student in our class that is the child of a high-ranking pro. By defeating you, I prove not only to him but to myself that I will reach the top with only my right side."

"Todoroki." Midoriya's voice was dripping with emotion. "I can't allow that. I won't allow that."

"What?"

"I can't know what sort of life you've led. I can't know what you've gone through, but let me tell you this." His glowing eyes pierced Todoroki's. "Few people have as much experience in hating their quirk as I do."

Silence hung in the air. What did that mean? Why would Midoriya hate his quirk?

The green-haired man continued. "I have goals, too. Dreams. I also need to prove to myself and others that I can be a hero." Midoriya's eyes glowed slightly brighter. "If we fight, I'm coming at you with all my power. And I won't allow you to hold back against me."

Todoroki and the man stared at each other for a few seconds before he turned and walked away.

Midoriya waited in the hallway alone for couple minutes. Even Bakugou didn't dare move as Midoriya's eyes gradually grew brighter and brighter. He even clutched his head like he was having a headache. Suddenly, he flexed his right arm, growing his claw and slamming it into the concrete, shattering it like glass. He held his hand there for a few seconds as the glow in his eyes dimmed, the only sound coming from the debris falling to the floor.

He released his quirk and walked out of the hallway in the same direction as Todoroki, heading toward the cafeteria.

It was another minute before Bakugou turned to leave, trudging silently away into the depths of the stadium.

Only once he had vanished around the corner did Tooru dare stand up to go recover her clothes and head to lunch.

Izuku was still fuming when he made his way to the lunchroom. He let his quirk out slightly, letting it enhance his senses to dull the throbbing in the back of his mind slightly.

How dare he.

Izuku was of a mind to agree. Thankfully, he would never meet Endeavor or who knows what his quirk might want to do. All he could do was try and repair whatever damage he had done to his son, although it seemed deep-seated.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise on the edge of his perception.

It sounded like someone crying, but not just anyone. One of his someones.

His instincts, already incensed and raging, bucked harder, urging him to go and check on the distraught woman, as if he wasn't going to do that already.

He broke into a jog, running down the hallways of UA to find the source.

Izuku heard soft sniffles from inside one of the classroom doors as he turned the corner. He flung it open, a little harder than he wanted, only to cause Pony to nearly jump out of the chair she was sitting in.

"I-Izzy, w-what you" She sniffed and rubbed eyes to try and clear the tears slowly trickling from her eyes. "What you w-want?"

Comfort. Now. NOW.

'I know, shut up!'

"I heard you crying." Izuku said in English as he walked over and crouched down next to her. "What happened?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it."

Izuku nodded. "That's okay. Can I stay here with you?"

She hesitated, then nodded. Izuku smiled and pulled up another chair, sitting less than a foot away from her.

The two of them sat quietly for several minutes, the only sound was Pony sniffling every once in a while. Eventually, she spoke up as she stared down at the ground.

"I'm more u-upset with myself than anyone else."

Izuku slowly turned his head to face her. "Is it because you didn't advance to the finals?"

"No… Well, yeah, I'm upset about that, but that's not why I'm crying." She stomped her hoof into the ground, causing a much louder noise than Izuku expected. "I shouldn't be crying like this! That's why I'm mad! I can't believe I let him get to me!"

Who?

'Question for later. Comfort now.'

Izuku leaned in a little closer. "Pony, it's okay to cry, don't let anybody tell you otherwise."

"B-but-"

"I cry all the time."

She looked up at him, her big prussian-blue eyes staring into his green. "R-really?"

He laughed once softly. "Oh yeah, all the time. Just ask Kacchan or my parents. They sometimes joke that my tears are my real quirk and the horns are just a convenient cover story."

She giggled a little. Progress.

"And Pony, I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I watched you fight from above." He smiled a little wider as her mouth opened. "You were fierce. I wouldn't want to stand between you and anything you wanted."

"R-really?"

The sparkle in her eyes was coming back a little bit. "Yeah, absolutely. The way you kept your horns flying around as a sort of deterrent was brilliant, too."

"Yeah… things were going pretty well, I guess." She looked down again, prompting Izuku's quirk to pulse again. "Until that 1-B guy happened."

WHO?

'Question for now.'

"Who? If I might ask."

"Uh… I don't remember his name." Pony looked around a little nervously. "Short blonde hair, uh, he was the rider of the team that got third place."

Izuku felt his quirk swell with fury now that he had a name. "Monoma? What did he- No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask. My bad."

"It's… it's okay." She looked up to him and put on a brave face. "I'm a big girl, I can talk about my problems." She took a deep, steadying breath and began. "I was the rider for my team because I'm the smallest, right? His team was keeping his distance up until the time you started getting shot at, when there was about two minutes remaining."

That's why Izuku didn't notice anything. He nodded along.

"He came in while we were fighting Shouji and his team away and got a hit on me. He slapped my arm. Oh!" She turned fully, her body facing him. "His quirk! He touched me and then he grew two horns as big as mine! He copies quirks by touching you!"

Izuku's eyes went wide. The implications of that were…

Monoma must never touch me.

He agreed with his quirk, but probably for different reasons.

"So he copied my quirk and started harassing us with my- his horns." She made little horns with her fingers and mimicked them flying around. "He started saying some stuff, told me that he was better at using my quirk than I was, saying that 1-B was so much better than us."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Pony."

She shook her head. "No, no, that didn't bug me, Izzy. He can go fuck himself if he thinks that."

Izuku recoiled slightly at her… aggressive choice of words.

Pony looked down again. "No, what bugged me was what he called me next. I think he was just trying to get to me. He asked me what my name was, as if he couldn't remember. I think he knew I was American because he was using my first name, unlike everyone else." She looked up at him for a second. "Well, most people at least."

She took another breath. Izuku could tell the hit was coming. "He said something like 'Oh, what was your name again? Goat? Horse? C-Cow?' He saw me react to that last one, so he repeated it in English." She started to cry again, a single tear escaping her eye. "And I froze up! And while I froze up, that girl with the vine-hair took our headbands! I cost our team everything! All because of a stupid insult from high school!" She swung her arms violently out to the side, one of her fists accidentally hitting Izuku in the chest.

And sending him tumbling out of his seat and over another desk.

He crashed into the floor hard, the wind knocked out of him by the accidental backhand from Pony.

"Oh my God! Izzy!" She scrambled out of her chair and dashed over to him, kneeling down next to him. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?!"

He took several, gasping breaths. The worst part of getting the wind knocked out of you was when you tried to automatically breathe out, only to find it quite impossible. However, Katsuki had winded him enough times in the past that he was well-versed in how to handle the situation. No, what he was more concerned with as he got his air back was how the hell she sent him flying.

"P-Pony, what was that? I'm fine but, do you have super strength or something?"

She sighed when he told her that he was okay. "Um, kinda? Have you ever heard the phrase 'strong as a horse?' I don't know if it's a saying here, but my dad always joked because it's kinda true for me. I think it's some sort of quirk adaptation, cause it lets me give people rides on my back without slowing down too much."

Izuku's eyes filled with awe and curiosity. "Really?!" He stood up and dusted himself off. "Can you pick me up?"

She nodded. "Yeah, for sure." Pony stood up as well and wrapped her arms around his waist. With very little effort, she leaned back and lifted him off the ground.

"That's amazing, Pony!" Izuku was beaming as she put him back down. "Now I see how you knocked me down so easily when I got back to the dorms."

"T-thanks, Izzy. I'm not strong enough to be a hero on that alone, but it helps." She smiled up at him. "And… thanks for checking up on me. I feel a lot better now that I've talked about it."

She clearly didn't want to talk about the incident anymore, even if he hadn't gotten to the root of the problem. 'Baby steps,' he reminded himself.

He recognized her body language and his quirk was too incensed for him to resist it. He dropped down onto one knee and opened his arms up. "I'm just happy to help."

Pony wasted no time stepping into his hug, her own arms wrapping around him tightly. "I'm really glad I met you, Izzy."

Mine.

'I know.'

"I'm glad I met you too." He motioned to the door as he stood up, both releasing each other. "Want to go get some lunch?"

She nodded and followed him at his side.

Monoma will pay.

'...'

'I know.'

Izuku and Pony entered the cafeteria, talking cheerfully; her worries seeming to be behind her, at least for the time being. They walked over to where the rest of their class was sitting, but he quickly noticed something was amiss.

"Oh good, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu looked over at him with exasperation. "Mineta and Kaminari were just telling us the most interesting thing."

Mineta whipped around, looking terrified. "O-oh, it's- it's nothing!"

Jirou cocked her hip. "No, no, don't be shy. They were just telling us that all the girls in our class had to go put on cheerleading uniforms before the next event."

Izuku's eyes flashed.

Hagakure waved her arm. "You wouldn't have happened to hear anything about that, would you, class rep?"

"No…" Izuku looked down on Mineta and Kaminari with stoic anger. "No, I hadn't."

"Oh, w-well I must have misheard then," Kaminari offered meekly. "S-sorry, Yaoyorozu!"

"Y-yeah, sorry!" Mineta and Kaminari both turned and walked away very stiffly.

Yaoyorozu sighed. "Thank you, Midoriya. For a second, I almost believed them. God, could you imagine?" She and the other two women turned to walk to a table and eat.

Yes, I could.

'But I won't . Shut up.' He sighed audibly and looked over at the retreating boys. 'What is it with people trying to mess with what's mine today?'

"Izuku!"

A smile broke across his face as he turned around to a very familiar voice. "Dad!"

His father and him embraced warmly in the middle of the cafeteria for a few moments. "I'm really proud of you, Son. First in both events so far! Way to go!"

"Thanks, Dad." Izuku smiled warmly up at him as he stepped back. "Things got a little, uh, hairy at the end there."

Hisashi scratched his chin. "Yes, they did. Izuku when did you...?"

"I didn't. I… I don't."

"Then it was…?"

"Yes."

"But you…?"

"Yes."

His eyes looked down at the 10,000,205 point headband still around Izuku's neck. "Am I right to assume…?"

Izuku sighed as he ran the headband through his fingers. "Yes…"

Hisashi nodded. "Good talk, son. I have to get back to the family now, you keep it up, alright? We're all cheering for you."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Well, that was weird."

Izuku jumped and whipped around. "Mina!"

She smiled up at him. "Hey, Midori." She lost her smile and looked around a little nervously. "Can… can we talk? In private?"

Izuku was immediately worried. "Oh, of course." He turned to the short girl next to him. "Pony, are you gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks again. I'll go sit with Yaomomo." She trotted off to go get food.

Mina led him out of the cafeteria, the smell of food taunting his empty stomach. She took him around a couple corners before pulling him into a small side hallway.

She peeked down both ways before she turned back to him. Izuku was getting anxious; what could possibly be bothering his girlfriend so much?

Mina reached up and gripped his head firmly with both hands before pulling his face down to hers. She smashed her lips into his and pushed her tongue deep into his mouth.

For a second, Izuku was stunned.

Then his quirk burst to life and he took control.

His arms stretched around Mina's back and waist as he lifted her up and pushed her into the wall behind her. Her legs wrapped around him as she pulled even harder on his head. Their tongues intertwined, her own giving ground as fast as he wanted to take. She was utterly at his mercy and hanging on for dear life, begging him to do whatever he wanted by how desperately she was pushing her face into his.

After nearly thirty seconds of kissing, they broke apart, panting to get their breath back.

"What… what was that about?" he asked. "Not that I'm compl- complaining."

"Midori…" Her voice was full of desire. "I saw you go after Todoroki's team after he took your headband. I melted through his ice wall because we wanted to get your headband, but we weren't fast enough for that. What we were fast enough for-" She leaned up and bit his lip before slowly pulling back. "-Was to see you go all feral on him. It was so damn hot."

Izuku leaned down, pressing their foreheads together. "You… liked that? I just… I lost control of my instincts."

"Seeing all that power you have…" She breathed heavily, her hot breath brushing against his face. "Knowing that it's hiding just below your skin…" She ran her fingers along his chest, tracing his muscles. "I love it." She reached up and kissed him again. "I love you ."

Her words made his quirk pulse in approval. He couldn't deny how his heart rate increased even further and how good her body felt on his.

Then he noticed something else.

"Mina…" He leaned back slightly. "I… what's that smell?"

"What?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Y-yeah, I smelled it earlier...um, yesterday morning." He looked away slightly, trying to think. "It smelled… both of you had a scent."

"Like, my shampoo?"

He shook his head. "No, it smells more… adult?"

Her eyes went wide. "Yesterday morning? Adul- Oh my God."

"What?"

"Midori…" She leaned back up and kissed him again as her face grew a seductive look. "I'm horny . You're smelling… that. You're smelling me through two layers of clothing, how are you even doing that?"

His eyes went wide as his face started turning greener and greener. "I have a good sense of smell, especially when my quirk is going like it is… You're telling me that scent is…?"

She kissed him again. "I told you that it was hot, Midori. What did you expect?"

It was at times like this that he was glad his armored pants kept his 'friend' hidden and out of the way. "Wait, so, what are you saying?"

Mina giggled. "I didn't even try to make you broccoli there but I guess things just work out sometimes…" She sighed and released her grip on him, letting him help her to the ground. "And while a small part of me wants to, we got a bunch of festival left ahead of us, right? I just wanted to let you know that I… appreciate you. But don't think that means I'm not going to beat your ass if we face each other next round!"

"Right." He took a fortifying breath as the two of them began to walk back to the cafeteria together. "The same goes for you, Mina. I won't lose."

"That's the Midori I know." She looked up at him and winked. "Besides, we can wait until we get back to the dorms to continue where we left off."

Izuku gulped. "Y-yeah, okay."

"Alright, alright, no more teasing," she laughed. "Focus time! Let's do this!" She held up her hand to him for a high-five. Izuku slapped her hand confidently, both of them flashing competitive smirks at each other.

Izuku was the last to make it to the stands where the rest of his class was. He had stayed behind a little to ask Lunch Rush to make him a big, hearty bowl of food as fast as he could. The pro was a master, of course, and obliged faster than Izuku could have hoped.

He had grabbed the bowl eagerly and ducked around a corner, before transforming his head and pouring the entire bowl into his enlarged maw in a single go. As soon as he swallowed and the food hit his stomach, he let his transformation end with a grimace and a shudder. It always made him feel weird for a little bit when he did that, but he needed to eat. How stupid would you have to be to not eat lunch on a day like today?

"Deku, down here!" Ochako called, waving at him as he entered their small section of the stadium. They were fairly high up, but they had a good enough view. He saw Hadou sitting near the front, eagerly looking over the railing like an excited schoolgirl, which was actually accurate in many ways.

He walked down at sat between her and Katsuki, casually waving to the rest of the class.

"Hey man, congrats on first place," Sero said happily. "You were a beast out there."

Izuku smiled. "Thanks. Sorry you didn't make it through."

"Eh, it happens," Sero admitted with a shrug. "There's always next year, right? I'll just have to try harder." Izuku smiled and nodded.

Yaoyorozu tapped her chin in thought. "You know, I've always found it a little weird that the festival is so early in the year. We've barely had time to learn anything."

Izuku nodded. "I've wondered the same thing. My guess is that it's more of an aptitude demonstration for us freshmen than anything else."

Several other students murmured in agreement.

Then Kaminari screamed.

Izuku was up in an instant, his right arm transformed into a claw at his side. He whipped his vision over to his left, to where the scream came from. Poking out of the wall that separated 1-A from 1-B was a man's smiling face.

His face was… simple. Simple, but kind and friendly. "Heya!" was all that he said once Kaminari calmed down.

"Mirio!" Hadou shouted, running out of her seat and over to the man's face. She reached forward and poked him on the nose softly with her finger. "My class is gonna kick your class' butts!"

He laughed. "We'll just see about that! They've got some real fire in them!"

Hadou turned back to 1-A. "Guys, this is Mirio Togata, the top student at UA and 1-B's TA!"

Izuku tilted his head slightly. "Woah… what's your quirk?"

Togata laughed once. "Hey now, no spoilers! I just dropped in to say hi, and good luck! Later!"

"Bye!" Hadou said cheerfully, waving as his head sunk back into the wall. She walked cheerfully back to her seat and plopped down at the same time that All Might's voice began to boom around the stadium.

"Welcome back!" Just the sound of his voice caused the stadium to erupt in cheers. "It's time for our final competition for the day and I have to say, you're all in for a treat! Some years, we get fancy with our 1v1 event, but then we thought it would be a shame for us not to show you just what our freshmen are capable of!" The screen behind him lit up with a 16 person bracket. "It's time for a tournament!"

"Alright!" Eiko cheered. "I can't believe I'm actually in these finals!"

"Due to the smaller nature of our first-place team, we had to bring in students from the fifth-place team. While we tried to figure out who would advance, two students came forward and expressed their desire to drop out due to personal reasons. I would like to personally congratulate Young Ojirou and Young Shouda for their remarkable sense of integrity!"

Polite applause filled the arena.

"Now, for our bracket! Bear in mind that these seedings were completely random! Keep your eyes on the screen, folks, this is sure to be a wild time!"

Every eye was on the bracket as names appeared.

Izuku Midoriya vs. Neito Monoma

Hitoshi Shinsou vs. Tenya Iida

Shouto Todoroki vs. Momo Yaoyorozu

Ibara Shiozaki vs. Denki Kaminari

Ochako Uraraka vs. Mina Ashido

Eiko Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Katsuki Bakugou vs. Mei Hatsume

Reiko Yanagi vs. Fumikage Tokoyami

Izuku's eyes went wide. His quirk pulsed harder with every beat of his heart.

He felt his rage building.

Izuku turned down to look at Pony, who was staring back at him with a half-uncertain, half-determined expression.

"Our first match is Young Midoriya versus Young Monoma! Both of you, please report to your respective waiting room; we'll be underway in ten minutes!"

Izuku stood up slowly as the cheers rang out from around the stadium once more. His eyes were glowly softly as he carefully undid his headband from the second round and handed it to Katsuki for safe keeping.

He couldn't allow Monoma to touch him, but he had to make him pay for hurting his hoard.

Which meant there was only one real choice.

Hadou and every one of his classmates were looking at him, each of them silent in the face of the intimidating energy he was exuding.

"You all were curious about what my breath is?" he asked as he began to walk up the steps.

His quirk bucked a little harder and he let it out a little to relieve the pressure, allowing scales to cover his neck and torso.

"Just watch."

Notes:

See you guys next time for the big breath! :)