35

Summary:

"He did it again!" Ryuko cried, looking at the wingless, reptilian form of her cousin. "I thought you said he didn't know how to use the drake transformation?"

Hisashi blinked slowly. "That's what he told me. I don't think he was lying, but that means…"

The two pro heroes looked at each other with wide eyes and dashed out of their booth, leaving the rest of their family behind, looking confused. They both ran to a railing, giving them a clear line of sight to the arena; they pushed their quirks to their ears, heightening their perception to listen in to what was happening down below.

Hitoshi was frozen. "W-what?"

The beast slowly lumbered towards him, its glowing, slitted eyes looking him up and down. "Are things not working out the way you hoped, Shinsou?"

"Stop!" he yelled again, futilely trying to force his quirk to work. "Why won't you stop?!"

"Because I don't want to," he said simply, laughing slightly as a puff of green gas vented from his nostrils.

The chuckle was a deep, unsettling rumble that caused Hitoshi to want to flee, but his legs wouldn't move. "W-what are you? Who are y-you?"

"I don't have a name, not yet," he explained, "I'm Izuku, but I'm not. I'm something else, but I'm not. I'm both, but I'm neither. Isn't it poetic?"

"I-is that some sort of riddle?" The beast was nearly upon him, why wouldn't his legs move?!

He laughed again. "A riddle? Hmm, I suppose it could be. I don't believe you'll find the answer. Even Izuku doesn't know yet, but he will soon, most likely."

His voice was so deeply unsettling that he could barely think. The nameless monster reached him, but kept a small distance, pacing around him slowly in a circle with his tail flitting behind him. The feeling of imprisonment redoubled.

He was trapped.

Hitoshi took a moment to breathe, to try and pull his mind back from the frantic edge. He reached out and felt his connection to Midoriya's mind, ensuring that it was still there.

It was, but something was off. The way he could best explain it was that his quirk acted like a sort of dam in the mind, blocking the flow of control and allowing him to take over. However, in Midoriya's mind, something was very wrong. The dam was there, blocking his mind, or rather, it should have been blocking, but there was something else in another part of his mind that was flowing past his quirk.

The...whatever it was flowed around the side of the dam and somehow it was pulling Midoriya's consciousness around the other side of it. The two flows were pooling in front of the dam, completely bypassing his quirk. So was this Midoriya or not? His consciousness was there, but it seemed so wrong.

'I wonder…' Hitoshi strained his control, willing the 'dam' to widen in Midoriya's mind. He felt it grow slightly, slowing the flows for a moment.

Midoriya froze, his eyes widening slightly before his smile grew larger. "You're fighting, pushing... Good! Keep trying!"

The strain was too much. If he kept trying to force his quirk to cut off the flows, he felt like his head might explode. Hitoshi put his hands on his knees to hold himself up as he gasped and panted.

"Hmm… a shame. Perhaps with time." He saw a giant, deadly claw reach forward and touch his chin, lifting his vision up to meet the monster's. "You intrigue me, Shinsou. You have a fire within you that I may wish to cultivate."

Hitoshi didn't dare move, he didn't dare speak. A small, simple flick of that claw and his throat would be slit.

Thankfully, the claw pulled back and Midoriya resumed his circular path around Hitoshi. "You called your quirk 'villainous', why is that? Tell me." The command was forceful, he couldn't bring himself to resist.

"It's… it's what its always been called." He felt the ground shake slightly with every step the monster took. "When I was growing up, all the kids thought my quirk was amazing, but for terrible reasons." He paused, hoping that he could satisfy the beast.

"Hmm, I see. Tell me more." The beast moved his head in close; Hitoshi could feel his hot breath as he spoke softly in his ear. "Keep talking. It might be the only thing keeping you alive."

He was bluffing. There was no way he could kill him, not with All Might nearby.

But was he willing to take that chance?

"M-my quirk, it can control people's-" He looked at the smirking beast- "most people's minds. All the others saw was all the harm I can do with it. When they found out what my quirk was, the other kids would gasp and talk about how I could rob banks and steal cars, how I could hurt people." He hung his head. "They talked about what a great villain I could be. I could get away with anything, do almost anything."

The beast stopped moving and looked at him for a few moments. "Those people are fools."

Hitoshi's eyes went wide.

"You have no desire to be a villain. You're going to be a hero."

He blinked. "But t-they're not wrong. My quirk would be excellent as a villain-"

"So would most heroes'." He cut him off and stared deep into his soul. "Think about Endeavor or Miruko. Think about All Might." His tail flicked in the direction of the number one hero standing at the sidelines. "Any of them could be incredibly dangerous villains if they wanted to. Could anyone stop All Might if he wanted to do villainy?"

"I… I don't… no."

"Hmm." The beast began to circle around him again. "You could," he suggested.

"M-me?" Hitoshi was so confused.

"You could be an unparalleled tool against villains. Despite all of my father's power, his favorite outcome is when he doesn't have to fight." He looked directly into Shinsou's stunned face. "To paraphrase the great Sun Tzu, 'The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities. It is best to win without fighting.' That is what you are capable of, Shinsou."

"You... I… what?"

"Hostage situations, police standoffs, chases, and more. You could succeed with absolutely no collateral damage."

Hitoshi blinked a few times, taking in his words. "Yeah… yeah, I could."

"But not yet. You're not ready." The monster stood back up on its hind legs as it transformed into a more humanoid shape. Midoriya still towered over him, eight feet of draconic man staring down his fanged maw at Hitoshi as his words sunk in. He reached forward with his right arm, which bulged larger until he grabbed him by the torso with a single hand, his claws wrapped around his shoulders and waist.

Hitoshi was lifted into the air by the man like he was nothing, brought closer until his face was only a few inches from Midoriya. "Your peers poisoned your mind and your spirit. Fortunately, your heart remains intent on becoming a hero, or else you would not have declared war on my class. You have intrigued me, Shinsou, impressed me. You will begin training in earnest. You will train your body and you will hone your skills. Take heart, I will assist you, if you should desire."

"Why- why are you doing this?" Hitoshi struggled against the giant claw, but it was no use. He was helpless.

"Because I see potential in you. You will cultivate that potential and you will become a great hero, or you will flounder and fail. You can see this as a defeat, or the beginning of your heroic career. The choice is yours. Make it now."

With that, Midoriya took a few, giant steps over to the side of the arena and opening his hand, letting him drop a couple feet to the ground. His legs shook, but he avoided falling over.

Even All Might was stunned for a few seconds. "...Young Shinsou is out of bounds. Young Midoriya… wins." The crowd technically cheered, but it was quiet and muted.

Hitoshi shook his head as he tried to comprehend what the hell just happened. He realized he still had his quirk running on Midoriya- he had basically forgotten.

He released his quirk and the man in front of him stumbled, nearly falling over.

The scales across his body faded and he shrunk back down to his normal size. Shinsou looked at him as he clutched his head in what seemed like pain.

Midoriya panted for a few seconds before looking up at him with… horror in his eyes. "S-Shinsou, I am so, so sorry. I didn't- I wasn't-" He stared silently at him for a few seconds before sprouting wings and shooting into the air, rocketing several hundred feet high before dashing for a section of box seats near the top of the stadium.

He wasn't upset, however. For the first time in a long time, Hitoshi didn't feel like his quirk was a curse. Maybe he would become a hero because of his quirk, not despite of it. He turned to walk out of the arena, his head held high despite his bizarre loss.

"I've made my choice, Midoriya. Thank you…" He turned back to look where the man had flown. "I'll see you at the top."

Pony blinked a few times as she held Kyouka's jack in her shaking hand. Izzy had just… she didn't even know- encouraged his opponent? It was truly strange.

He had seemed like a predatory animal, stalking around him, playing with his food. It was unsettling before she had heard him speak, but thanks to Kyouka, she had heard every word.

Next to her, the purple-haired woman was just as stunned. "I guess… that's what Tsu meant when she told us about him talking to that villain guy at the USJ. I can't tell if its badass or terrifying. Maybe both?"

Pony didn't know what to think. Izzy had literally manhandled Shinsou; it was humiliating for the poor man. He didn't stand a chance. All Shinsou could do was cower and answer the threatening, deadly interrogation that Izzy was subjecting him to- and that was before he just picked Shinsou up like he was nothing and just… dropped him out of bounds.

When she was watching it, she was horrified. That wasn't him, that wasn't the Izzy she knew. Izzy was heroic and kind, he was a good listener and would break himself to protect his friends.

That fight was on top of the brutal knockout against that Monoma guy. Sure, Monoma was a bully and she had no love in her heart for him, but…

Then she saw Izzy's face once Shinsou released his quirk. His face was twisted into regret and horror and filled with something she was all-too-familiar with: self-hatred. It comforted her in some small way to know that… that wasn't him. That wasn't Izzy.

Or was it?

She watched him shoot into the air, over her head, and dash towards one of the luxury boxes for some reason. At the same time, a commotion behind her caused her to turn around. Bakugou, Ochako and Mina had all scrambled out of their seats and dashed off, almost certainly to go find wherever Izzy had gone.

Ochako and Mina seemed particularly attached to him- Pony's eyes went wide. Are they his girlfriends that he mentioned in his fight with Monoma?

Pony shook her head. All this conjecture was useless. Izzy had taken the time to comfort her when she was having issues, she should return the favor. She would talk to him about it, surely he could explain what was going on.

He deserved that much at the very least.

Hisashi let his quirk flow through his arm, bulking himself up slightly as Ryuko did the same next to him. Izuku streaked towards them in a panic, slamming into both of them as they caught him.

Izuku's wings faded as Hisashi and Ryuko crushed him between them in a great hug- or at least as great of one that Hisashi could give with a single arm.

"D-Dad, Ryuko- I- I-"

"Shhh." Hisashi pressed his chin to the top of his son's head, hoping to calm him down.

Ryuko ran one of her hand over one of his horns."You did fine, Izuku. It's okay."

"B-but, but I-"

"It's okay ," Hisashi insisted. "Come on, let's get you inside, alright?"

Izuku nodded and Hisashi led Izuku into the luxury box while Ryuko held back for a moment. They only got a few steps inside before Izuku was crushed by another three hugs, none stronger than Inko's. Ryuko quickly rejoined them, wrapping around the group from the back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, letting the comfort of his family calm Izuku's racing heart and mind. Eventually, Izuku nodded a few times and they slowly let him go. Hisashi sat him down and he and Ryuko sat on either side of him.

"Alright, Izuku," Hisashi began calmly, "what happened?"

Izuku nodded a few times. "Shinsou got me with his quirk. He brainwashes people, takes over their minds and he can control their actions. That's how he got Iida out."

"It didn't work on you?" Saori asked.

"No, no, it did," Izuku explained. "But uh… my quirk took over."

"Nonsense," Ryuko dismissed. "Our quirks aren't sentient. We heard you talking down there, Izuku."

Izuku gulped. "Right, right." He looked away. "I don't know how to explain it."

"I think you do," Hisashi said seriously, shaking Izuku's shoulder slightly.

Izuku sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I just don't want to admit it." He began to tear up slightly. "I think… I think that was my 'Stormclaw'. My 'Ryukyu'."

"What's wrong with that, honey?" Inko asked. "I thought we taught you to not be ashamed of who you are."

"You didn't hear me!" Izuku cried. "I toyed with him! Manipulated him! Humiliated him! How can I be a hero when I do stuff like that?!"

"You really are blind when it comes to yourself, Izuku," Ryuko said with a small laugh in her voice. "You could use some of the advice you gave Shinsou."

He sniffled. "W-what?"

"You have a talent for wrapping people around your finger, wyrmling, you always have." She smiled down at him as he blinked a few times in confusion. "You can end fights before they start, just like him. You pegged Shinsou's greatest wish in an instant and told him exactly what he wanted to hear. It sounded like your 'Stormclaw' wanted to collect him for your hoard."

"I… I…" Izuku wiped his eyes. "Maybe? I do appreciate his desire to be a hero, despite having a… quirk like that. And I think he could be an amazing one, too. He could do so much with a quirk like that."

"And you can do so much with your quirk, Izuku," Inko said, touching his hand kindly. "Listen to us, honey. Words are some of the most powerful things in the world. I know you and I know you are a sweet, kind, boy who doesn't want to hurt anyone you don't have to. You can use your talents for good, Izuku, I know it."

He began to cry again. "T-thanks, Mom… it was just so scary to be totally helpless like that. I was watching myself drive my own body, but I didn't have any control. It was surreal." He lifted his right arm up slowly. "It was like I told my body to raise my right arm and it did, but it wasn't me who created the thought. It was me, but missing something."

"You were missing your fear," Hisashi said quietly.

Izuku blinked. "My fear?"

Hisashi nodded. "Your hesitation, your apprehension, your fear of your quirk that's been holding you back forever. Think about it, Son, did it feel the same as the USJ?"

Izuku's eyes widened. "Y-yeah, kinda. But that time I chose to let go out of… necessity. This time it was wrenched from me."

"Don't feel bad. It took me years to let go of that fear, Izuku," Hisashi admitted.

"What?!" Izuku's jaw dropped. "But your instincts are so heroic!"

"It's still a big leap," he explained, "to let go like that, to let your quirk flood into your consciousness like that. It requires a lot of trust."

"Trust…" Izuku looked like he was rolling the word around in his mouth. He looked up at Ryuko, asking an unsaid question.

She nodded. "Yep. It took me a while to let go, too."

Hisashi shook Izuku's shoulder softly again. "You've been put in situations where you have had no choice but to trust twice already ."

"Hey wyrmling," Ryuko said, getting his attention. "Listen, that Shinsou kid said something before he left. Something only I heard, I bet." Izuku blinked, his eyes full of hesitant curiosity. Ryuko smiled wide. "He said 'thank you'. He took your words to heart, Izuku; he was so bitter, but you inspired him." She ruffled his hair. "Think about all the good you can do with talents like that."

Izuku was about to respond when the door flew open. The six of them whipped around to see Katsuki, Ashido and Uraraka standing in the doorway. "Finally," Katsuki huffed. "You think a luxury box would be easier to find."

"W-what are you doing here?" Izuku asked, surprised.

His three friends looked at him sternly. "What do you think?" Uraraka said, annoyed. "We came to check on you!" She walked up and crouched down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? No lying."

Before he could answer, Ashido stomped over to him and grabbed his chin, looking his face over. "You've been crying again," she stated. "What was it about this time?"

Ryuko was laughing too hard to speak so Hisashi had to explain. "Izuku was worried about the match, as you could guess. His…" He looked down at his son, who was staring star-struck into Ashido's face. "His hero side took over and inspired his opponent to embark on a new path."

"Dad…" Izuku whined. "I'm still not sure tha-"

Ashido tipped his chin up further and pressed her lips into his. Izuku's eyes went wide as Ryuko, Saori and Inko all started screaming in surprise and joy.

"M-MINA!" Izuku sputtered as he pulled back.

"Feel better?" she asked firmly.

Izuku had turned a vibrant green color as he covered his face with his arms. Even so, he still nodded slightly.

Hisashi and Seizou were both laughing uproariously at Izuku's fluster. He managed to peek over through his tears to look at the other two students in the room. Katsuki was rubbing his forehead in annoyance, but he saw the small smile on his face. Uraraka, on the other hand, was blushing nearly as hard as his son.

Curious.

He felt a disturbance in his wallet.

"My baby is growing up!" Inko cried, hugging Izuku as tears poured from her face. "And you found such a good girlfriend, too!"

Ashido blushed a little under the praise. "Oh, t-thank you."

"Izuku-" Ryuko choked out between her laughter, "how about- you introduce your friends to my- parents!"

Izuku gulped. "Aunt Saori, Uncle Seizou, t-this is Mina Ashido, my g-girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure," Saori said, dabbing away a few of her tears.

Izuku turned greener. "A-and this is Ochako Uraraka… my uh, girlfriend."

The screams renewed. The commotion was so loud that he barely noticed the gigantic glacier appear in the stadium behind him, signalling the anticlimactic end to the second match.

"OH, MY BABY !" Inko squeezed Izuku harder.

"Mom, p-please!" Izuku was desperately trying to cover his face, but failing as his mother jostled him around. Uraraka was blushing harder, Ashido was smiling wide through her own slight purple blush, while Katsuki was even chuckling slightly at the chaos.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Uraraka blurted out as she stood up and hurried to the door. "But uh, I gotta go get ready for my match. I'm next!" The tall woman ducked out of the room and dashed away, still covering her red face.

"So, two girls, eh?" Ryuko asked, grinning wide as she ruffled Izuku's hair. "How'd you manage that?"

"It was their idea!" Izuku defended himself.

"Technically, it was yours," Ashido shot back with a grin.

"You know what I meant!"

"Izuku, Izuku," Hisashi said with a little force, hoping to calm the situation. "It's fine. We're just proud to see you finally getting some friends beyond Katsuki. You have to forgive your mother and I for being proud of you."

Izuku hung his head. "I know… thanks."

Katsuki moved over and softly punched Izuku in the shoulder. "Come on, man. Let's get back to our class."

Ashido nodded. "They're all worried about you. You shouldn't just fly off like that!"

"Sorry," Izuku muttered. "I was panicking. I'll explain the details later."

Katsuki huffed.

Izuku sighed again as he hugged his family goodbye and headed for the door. "You know, after the adrenaline has died down, being transformed that long really took a bit out of me. I wasn't planning on using that much energy against Shinsou."

"Just don't wear yourself out too much against Icy-Hot. I can't kick your ass if you're unconscious," Katsuki warned as they closed the door.

"Ashido and Uraraka, eh?" Ryuko muttered as she sat back down in her seat. "I would've bet on Ashido, but both of them? Good for him."

"They seem like they'll be good for him," Hisashi admitted. "He needs support like that."

"Speaking of bets…" Inko looked over to him with a smile. "Pay up."

Hisashi groaned, pulling out his wallet and handing over a thousand yen to his wife.

Ryuko laughed as her parents looked on in confusion. "What was that for?"

"I bet that Izuku would be polyamorous," Inko explained with a wide grin.

"Really?" the other man in the room asked with a raised eyebrow. "You suspected?"

"A mother knows, Seizou."

Ochako stretched her arms as she walked up the stairs to the arena. Eiko stared back with a wide smile from the other side. The poor woman still looked pretty beat up from her previous fight, but if Eiko was anything, it was tough.

And cute.

Something about her determination and that smile of hers really made Ochako want to smile too.

So she did.

The two women grinned wide, determined grins at each other from across the arena as All Might gave the signal for them to begin.

"I might not have much of a chance," Eiko yelled as she charged forward, "but I'm still gonna give it my all!"

"I'm not holding back, either!" Ochako responded as she kicked off.

"That's all I ask!"

Eiko hardened herself, keeping herself low to try and minimize her profile.

Unfortunately for her, unlike Mina, Eiko relied on brute force and durability, rather than agility. Ochako and her crashed into each other, swinging their arms, one open-palmed, one close-fisted.

Ochako sputtered and nearly hurled as the hardened fist smashed into her stomach but she held fast as all five of the digits on her right hand touched Eiko's shoulder.

She yanked hard with her quirk, wrenching the mass out of Eiko. Thanks to her forward momentum, the redhead rapidly picked up speed and flew out of the arena, crashing into the wall.

"Young Kirishima is out of bounds! Young Uraraka advances to the semi-finals!"

Ochako ran over to Eiko, letting her quirk go slowly to ease her to the ground. "Are you alright, Eiko?" she asked, more out of courtesy than any real worry.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine, but how are you?" Eiko looked up with a bit of genuine concern. "I felt like I got you pretty good."

Ochako touched her stomach, wincing slightly as she felt a bruise beginning to form already. "Yeah. Yeah, you did." She smiled through the pain. "Nobody will ever say you went quietly."

Eiko chuckled. "Thanks. Can I take you to Recovery Girl? I don't regret hitting you, but I'm sorry you had to get hit, you know?"

"Yeah," Ochako said with a smile, "I get it. Sure, you can walk with me. I'd appreciate the company."

Katsuki made sure that Izuku was doing alright before he had left to go get ready for his second fight. Raccoon-Eyes was- you know what? No, that was a shit nickname.

…

Fuck it, she's earned it.

Ashido was taking good care of him, so he wasn't worried.

He also wasn't worried about the upcoming match. That's not to say Katsuki was arrogant, he just knew he had a solid advantage. As long as he didn't get cocky and fuck up, he would be fine.

"Here comes our last two contestants of the round! They're both powerhouses, so this could be anyone's game!"

Katsuki huffed. Unlikely.

As soon as All Might gave the signal, Katsuki started running forward. Predictably, Nevermore didn't move, he just let his quirk out to fight.

He had paid attention during training, he had listened when Izuku went over his notes on the students. He knew what to do.

Katsuki raised his arms up and began to pop off small, bright explosions.

Just as he predicted, Nevermore's annoying quirk recoiled and hissed. He upped the power, turning his hands into a veritable light show as he closed the gap. Once he got within striking range, he put his hands together and paused his explosions for a moment.

"Stun Grenade!" he shouted, as he was required to by hero law or something. He closed his own eyes as the great, blinding blast went off.

He kept his momentum, bracing his arm in front of him to tackle his opponent to the ground. With his other hand, he kept popping off his small flashes, keeping the shadow-bird-thing at bay. "This was a bad matchup for you. Give up," he ordered.

Nevermore glared at him for a few seconds before raising his arms. "I surrender."

All Might declared his victory as he stood back up. "You know, you were kinda fucked from the start."

"So it appears," Nevermore grumbled as he began to pull himself up.

"Sometimes we're all fucked before we start," Katsuki mused as he turned around and offered his hand. "But that's why we have allies, right?"

Nevermore's eyes went wide for a second before he accepted the help.

Katsuki pulled him up and began to trudge off. "Just make sure you kick the ass of any villain that's immune to explosions for me, alright?"

"Alright folks, after 12 pulse-pounding matches, we're down to our final four contestants and they're all from 1-A! I bet Eraserhead is proud!"

"Assuming he isn't napping, I bet he is. On some level."

"...right. Anyway, our first match is a clash of two powerhouses. The Son of Stormclaw versus the Son of Endeavor! Izuku Midoriya versus Shouto Todoroki!"

Izuku walked through the hallways towards his waiting room. It was him against Todoroki. This was going to be the hardest fight so far.

Todoroki was powerful, there was no way around that. He was powerful and he was only using half of his quirk.

That was what really had him distracted. This was a perfect opportunity- perhaps the only opportunity- to get Todoroki to use his fire. He almost used his left side during the cavalry battle when he was pressed.

That could be a way to get him to use his fire. If he didn't have a choice, he would use his flames out of habit or instinct or even desperation.

Short term solution. More harm than good.

Izuku nodded to himself. No, he would have to make Todoroki choose to use his fire.

How would he do that? That was the question. He had a couple ideas, but to make any of them work, he had to survive in the ring against him. That meant he had to match Todoroki in terms of strength.

And he couldn't do that alone.

He looked down at his hand as he quickly formed a claw. He turned over his hand, admiring the green scales. He needed help.

Which meant he needed to trust .

Just the thought made his heart rate pick up. He breathed a few times, trying to calm himself. 'I can do this. They didn't hurt Shinsou. Todoroki is part of my hoard, I won't hurt him either… I can trust my instincts.'

Time seemed to slow down as a man nearly five inches taller than him turned the corner. Izuku's eyes went wide as he stared at the blue-and-orange clad suit that was dancing with flames. He moved his vision up slowly as he saw the ironically cool gaze of-

ENDEAVOR?!

"Ah, there you are, boy," the pro said calmly. "I've been looking for you."

I love it when my prey comes to me.

"R-really?" Izuku responded, holding his head slightly.

Endeavor nodded. "Yes. It's my Shouto's duty to surpass All Might as the number one hero and while you are no replacement for All Might, you will be an adequate test. Your father was a sufficiently powerful hero before he was crippled."

Let's see how 'sufficient' you are once I tear off your arm!

"W-what does-" Izuku's head pounded as he put all of his will into holding back his quirk.

"His match with you will be a good testing ground for how much training he has left," Endeavor explained as he pointed at Izuku. "So hit him hard; don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back."

He is not some pet project for you, bastard!

"R-right," Izuku managed to force out of his throat as he fought to push the claw that was forming on his hand back down.

"Are… are you well?" he asked with a touch of confusion.

Have you ever asked your son that?

"I ju-just sometimes get bad he-headaches." Izuku was breathing heavy, keeping his face down so Endeavor couldn't see his glowing eyes.

"Hmm. Don't let it hinder you against my Shouto. I need you to do your best so I can properly assess him." He turned to walk away. "That's all."

He has hurt what is mine. He must pay. HE MUST PAY!

Izuku wanted to open his mouth. He wanted to tell Endeavor that Todoroki was his son, but he wasn't him. He wanted to tear into him verbally, but he was afraid his quirk might tear into him physically.

'Stupid quirk! You were so damn eager to twist Shinsou, why can't I just talk to him?'

Shinsou has value. Endeavor is trash. Words would not work. Actions will.

Izuku willed his legs to move with a herculean effort, turning away from the pro hero and stumbling down a side hallway. His claws dug into the wall as he failed to contain them, the sleeves of his replacement shirt shredded as his arms rippled larger and smaller.

This reaction wasn't good; he had to calm down. This was like his reaction at the battle trial, when he almost hurt Mineta. Using Recovery Girl's analogy, he felt like he was holding back an entire raging river of power; his head was pounding, like it was about to explode. Was it because he was better in-tune with his quirk? Was it because it was powering more of his brain?

Izuku slammed into another wall, his claws carving giant holes in the concrete. He needed help… but there was no Mina or Ochako to save him now.

Momo wandered through the dark hallways underneath the stadium, desperate to get away from her thoughts and her peers. She couldn't bear to sit still any longer, but she knew that once she was alone, Midoriya would no doubt try to talk to her. Him or someone else, anyway. He saw the way Mina and Ochako were both looking at her sometimes. Even Kyouka and Pony were being extra gentle with her, like she was some sort of weakling.

Momo hated it. She wasn't a weakling! She didn't need their pity!

She sniffed. Maybe she was a weakling. Maybe she was pathetic and pitiable. She knew that she was in a spiral, her own dark thoughts piling on top of themselves to push her further down, but she couldn't pull herself out.

This was a terrible decision. At least when she was up in the stands she had something to distract herself with; being down here just gave her mind time to wander and hate itself more. She was about to turn around and head back up when she saw something strange.

The wall in one of the small side hallways was torn up, like a monster had scratched clear through the gray wall. It was like something out of an old horror movie.

Then she heard a roar.

A deep, anguished roar echoing up from down the hallway.

She gulped. This really was like a horror movie.

A part of Momo wanted to turn around and run, but there was one problem: she recognized that roar.

"M-Midoriya?" she asked aloud as she crept forward slowly. A chilling silence met her question, deepening her worry. Her heart pounded as she remembered her time at the hospital.

She needed to go get one of the others. Bakugou, Mina or Ochako- they would know what to do.

Another roar made her flinch. 'There's no time, Momo!' she thought to herself. 'He needs someone now and there's nobody else here! He trusted you with his secret, pull your head out of your ass and help him, dammit!'

She clenched her fists and her teeth as she began to run down the hallway, following the sound and the claw marks.

It wasn't hard to find him; it turns out rampaging dragon-men aren't exactly stealthy. She turned a corner and stepped into a doorway of a small storage room. Midoriya was on the far side, clutching his head with both hands as his scales flashed up and down his arm. His head was stretching out and shrinking as his eyes flashed erratically, but what caught her attention the most was the way his face was contorted in what looked like excruciating pain.

She wanted to help, she needed to help, but she didn't know how. The way he was thrashing about kept her from approaching, perhaps she could get his attention somehow. Maybe she could talk him down.

"Midoriya?" she called quietly.

No response. His tail grew and shrunk back.

" Midoriya!" Louder this time.

Still nothing. The ridge on his neck stretched down his back, shredding the tattered remains of his shirt as the sail burst through.

Momo bit her lip. What could she do?

She shook her head. 'Think, Momo, think ! What would Mina or Ochako do here?'

She racked her brain for something, some idea of what to do. 'When have I seen him like this before?' Her eyes went wide. 'The USJ! Before we got warped. What was Ochako doing?' Momo tried to recall. 'She was patting his back and talking to him. What did she say? She was calling him that nickname of hers.'

A pause.

'Wait. Both Ochako and Mina call him a nickname- almost exclusively. I don't know if I've ever heard them call him something else. Is that it?' She gulped. It was worth a shot.

"D-Deku?"

No change.

"Midori?"

Nothing.

"Dammit." That wasn't it. She thought harder, trying to remember something to get his attention. 'Maybe I can hit him?' Momo looked over at the struggling, angry Midoriya. 'Probably a bad idea.'

She thought back to the hospital; maybe there was a clue when he talked to her in private. 'He told me about his instincts, but I had already heard that when I was eavesdropping. We didn't get very far before I messed up and called him Z-'

Her eyes went wide.

She looked over at the man again. 'Maybe…'

"Z-Zu?"

He froze.

'No way.'

She cleared her throat. "Zu."

He slowly turned to look at her, the light in his eyes fading slightly. "M-Mo?"

Her heart clenched. That was a name she hadn't heard in a long time.

"Zu, are you alright?" She dared to take a step towards him.

"Mo?" he repeated. He still looked like he was in pain and more than a little confused.

"I'm here, Zu." She stepped closer and reached her hand out to touch his face.

As soon as she touched him, his eyes went wide, but his body began to calm. He stood there, panting for a couple minutes in silence, closing his eyes and leaning into her hand like his life depended on it. His own hand reached up and touched hers; it was so gentle and soft compared to the force of nature that had rent the concrete walls around them.

Momo didn't know what to think- she didn't dare take her hand away, not when he so clearly… needed it.

After he caught his breath, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with fear and gratitude as their hands broke apart. "T-thank you. You saved me." No longer did he look like he was in pain; was that all it took to calm his quirk? It seemed almost too easy; just what kind of power did she have over him?

"S-saved?" She almost laughed. "I just said a-an old nickname, I didn't do anything."

"That's not true." He stood up straight, still looking up a little into her eyes. "If it wasn't for you… I don't know what would have happened. You saw me, I was out of control." He stepped closer; something about his proximity caused her heart to start beating harder. "So… thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

Zu was right: she had stopped him. She had… saved him. Her heart swelled, even as it continued to beat faster. The darkness in her mind and spirit were still there, but it wasn't quite as suffocating as before.

Suddenly, she felt a little… needy. She looked down at the look of genuine, desperate gratitude on Zu's face and wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him close. She wanted to make him feel safe and she wanted to feel safe with him.

Momo shook her head slightly, hoping that she wasn't beginning to blush. "Y-you should get going, your match is going to start."

He hesitated, then stepped back slightly. "You're right. Thanks, Mo. I owe you… more than you know. You're my hero."

'God, it's like he knows just what to say.' Momo blinked back a tear as she stepped out of his way, letting him leave the wreckage of a room behind. She leaned out, watching him walk down the hallway. Right before he turned the corner, he looked back and smiled again.

Then, just like that, he was gone.

She smiled for the first time in a while. There was something thrilling about having that sort of control over him, but she was more focused on how good he had made her feel. With him gone and his footsteps fading in the distance, she could feel the loneliness and darkness starting to creep back in at the edges of her heart, but it wasn't like it was before.

Momo smiled a little wider.

"Good luck, Zu. I'll be cheering for you."

Notes:

No cliffhangers this time! See you next time for Izuku vs. Shouto and Ochako vs. Katsuki!

I got over 60 comments on the previous chapter, my most ever. I can't thank you guys enough. I had a blast reading every comment, you really made my week. :)