Magnus: Here goes the next chapter! I intended to cram the next four fights in here, but it just wasn't possible. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!

Disclaimer: Kudos if you can understand what happens to Izuku this chapter before it's explained in the next one.

The 0bservanc3: Also, a special thank you to our supporters! Thank you to those currently named Lyruil, Alexander Fortin, Kyle Rice, jonathon royal, AllAboutNothin, Hades, Henry Baumeister, Nathan Hurley, J Robinson, LeafBladeFox, Carrotglace, Holo1916, Kyuubi, Lord Sunshine, Mysticexarch, Naes003, and TheGreatBubbaJ.

Cursed Blood

Chapter 30

A sinister understanding.

Shoto Todoroki, the Son of Endeavor, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was in trouble. While the rest of the remaining competitors that were advancing to the next round of the festival's tournament had been guided to their own personal waiting rooms, he'd been singled out and taken to a different part of the stadium's labyrinthine subarea. Now… now here he was, facing the Principal of UA himself sitting in a large, imposing chair… flanked by members of the Board at their own seated positions.

For once, Todoroki understood exactly why the Bastard ALWAYS had his lawyers ready and on-call.

"Todoroki-san…" Nezu began, the Quirked animal's voice, normally so amicable toward a student, now held an uncharacteristic seriousness to it. The tone alone caused the addressed student to shiver. "I trust you realize the magnitude of your actions?"

Right off the bat, Todoroki realized he'd been asked a trap question.

Years of watching the Bastard's interviews came flooding back to the front of the heterochromatic's thoughts all at once. In all that time, that man had NEVER once acknowledged the true gravity of his actions, most likely because doing so would've obviously placed his career at risk no matter how he'd respond. Answering affirmatively would've indicated malicious forethought while denial assured a one-way ticket to a mental institution for a slew of evaluations and 'worse,' a hold placed on his license.

But, for all his bullshit, the Bastard had at the very least conceded that his actions had consequences…

"I'm… I'm sorry," Todoroki replied, keeping his gaze firmly planted on his shoes while at the same time holding his voice firm and low. He would acknowledge the situation his actions had caused. "I… overreacted. I went too far when striking back and… I—I apologize—"

The words hurt too much to continue, his tongue in searing agony as if doused in alcohol after being cut by razor blades. He had just… goddammit… he'd just said the exact same words the Bastard… his father… used whenever he found himself cornered by his actions. Verbatim. He swallowed hard, and the acid in his mouth sunk to bubble and roil in his stomach.

"This is a far more delicate situation than a simple apology can hope to cover young man," A Board member rumbled out with a heavy voice, the placard declaring 'Public Relations' the elderly man's only descriptive factor. "Your actions nearly cost another student her life. And that's not even taking into account that your tantrum even struck two of our teaching staff as well."

Todoroki had the decency to wince at that.

When the security bots had grabbed him, their Quirk suppressant clamps snapping into place around his biceps, he'd briefly been able to look around before they'd hauled him away and had seen for himself the unintended effects of his mistake. Cementoss-sensei and Midnight-sensei, the two pro heroes in charge of keeping students from going too far… they'd both been partially frozen.

And it had been all his fault.

"While we are thankful that Midnight and Cementoss suffered no lasting wounds or otherwise hazardous effects to their health, the same cannot be said for your opponent, Kyouka Jiro," A horned woman, whose placard read 'Finances,' continued. "Had Izuku Midoriya and Fumikage Tokoyami not been there to act, it is doubtful even our illustrious Recovery Girl would've been able to prevent, at the very least, a loss of some degree to the girl's extremities. It might've been merely a few of her fingers, or as bad as an entire limb, but regardless the fact remains you attacked with your full force."

Todoroki hunched forward, growing even further ashamed of himself as his mistake was read out plainly.

The Bastard had been in situations like this countless times before, each and every time escaping punishment by citing some contrived law or calling on his lawyers when that wasn't an option. At his worse, he'd even leaned into the supposed stupidity of any 'fool' who dared oppose him while expecting not to get hurt for the insult.

The heterochromatic boy knew he could've done the same here. He could've stood there and thrown all the blame on his classmate for being unprepared for his counterattack when she should've known of his power by now. He could've sited his earlier efforts in the battle trials and the USJ, how he'd shown how outmatched she'd been were long before they'd ended up in the arena together.

But…

He just… couldn't.

He wasn't HIM. He refused to act like HIM.

"I'm… sorry…" Todoroki repeated, unable to think of anything different to say. What else could he say?

Once again, Midoriya had saved the day. Once again, he'd been left to play the fool.

His pride was in tatters.

He, the Son of Endeavor, the Pride of the Number Two Hero… titles he'd always loathed. What had he done since entering UA?

He might've helped All Might himself get out of a tough spot during the USJ attack, but it'd been Midoriya, a nobody with a dark Quirk befitting a villain, who'd taken down the monster engineered to kill the Number One Hero. The very same monster the best of the best had struggled with.

And after that? He, the strongest of Class 1-A, had been sent to therapy while a renowned detective had selected Midoriya for special training. The necromancer had even interviewed with an agent of INTERPOL! When the Bastard had gotten wind of that, he'd gone on and on about it.

And now…

Now, he, the child born and bred for glory, had stood there like a villain while the nobody, the mutant, the monster had taken another bite of the glory of true heroism. Two actually, if he'd overheard the Board members correctly before he'd entered the room. Regardless of how sinister Midoriya's Quirk was, the necromancer had once again used his blood, this time to heal their classmate of her injuries.

"Todoroki-san, as you've already been told, this situation isn't one you can apologize your way out of," Nezu spoke up again, two other Board members sitting across from those who'd already spoken flinching as the Quirked animal scowled. "Under normal circumstances, this incident would've been sufficient to end your participation in the festival entirely. However, we find ourselves in abnormal circumstances…"

As he trailed off, Nezu full on glared at various members of the Board, even at the empty chair with the placard labeled 'Security' sitting forlornly in front of it. There was a moment of protracted silence as each victim of the principal's vicious stare cringed back as they were subjected to it.

While Haruno's meddling had been disastrous in a nearly catastrophic way, others of the Board hadn't had the presence of mind to not add fuel to the pyre when they'd discovered what she'd done. Indeed, Agent Smith, along with his own investigations, had uncovered that Endeavor had paid quite a hefty sum to various Board members behind his back as well. The unscrupulous hero hadn't made any petitions too outrageous—on the surface—but the fact they'd been accepted at all made the Quirked animal's blood boil.

At least the discovery had uncovered the origin of the handicap placed on students who'd otherwise have been able to freely use their previously cleared support gear. Not to mention the source of their current conundrum as well. Fortunately, the principal of UA knew he still maintained the power of having the last word when it came to who attended his school.

"You are hereby presented with two options…" Nezu declared, delivering the sentence with none of his usual amicability. The seriousness caused the heterochromatic teen before him to tense. "You may choose to drop out of the tournament right now of your own volition while offering a public apology for your actions. It wouldn't free you of any of the legal repercussions of your… accidental… outburst, however. The Jiro's would still be perfectly within their own rights to press charges of course. Your actions far exceeded the limits of the waivers parents of our incoming students sign after all."

The hairs on the back of Todoroki's neck stood on end. It would be a wise choice to take, even without hearing any other option. He'd be showing goodwill to the public, his humanity, not to mention solidifying to himself his intention of walking a path different from the Bastard's. It might even lessen the backlash amongst his classmates…

But his pride demanded he face Midoriya. He would show the necromancer, and the world, that the power gifted to him by his mother was greater than that which the Bastard had cursed him with.

"Your only other option is to continue after taking a verbal and written oath that no further… mishaps… will occur," Nezu continued, easily catching the hopeful glint in his troubled student's eye before the teen managed to control himself. The Quirked animal was more than ready to brutally stab at that hope before it caught into something dangerous. "However, know this Todoroki-san. Should you fail to show restraint, should you grievously harm another student in a failure to exercise self-control… you will be expelled immediately. I trust there's no need to explain what that course of action would entail, do I?"

Of course there wasn't. In the recorded history of Japan since the establishment of UA, and later other hero schools, had not an expelled student from the country's first institution for producing heroes for violent actions or injuring fellow students ever been accepted by the Hero Association as a pro hero. It was just as bad, and permanent, as being officially blacklisted.

Instead of waiting for him to make his choice, Todoroki was waved away by Nezu. As the heterochromatic teen left the room, presumably to be guided to his own waiting room, the unspoken had been made perfectly clear.

He had until his next match to make his decision.

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena…

Nearly an hour had passed since the final battle of the first round of the third event and the remaining competitors had been led away. Thankfully for UA, the public had mistaken the extended time required to settle its issues in private as the time required to repair the arena after all the damage it'd suffered. That ignorance was a leading reason most every member of the audience in the stands were still in high spirits, why they were still so fired up for the next battles coming up.

The battles that were going to have to start any minute now.

For one Izuku Midoriya, this was just the next step in his day. The match he was about to begin would be much more difficult than need be thanks to the lack of ranged options on his side, but he'd deal with it as best he could.

"Don't worry Boss," Saki reassured as she flexed, pulling on the fabric of her red tracksuit with white highlights so her noticeable arm musculature could be… noticed. The blonde was more than ready for a fight. "This cunt doesn't stand a chance against the two of us."

Dealing with the prospect of controlling Saki's lust for battle as well as an opponent coming for his head? That actually worried the verdanette a little bit…

For one Ibara Shiozaki, the pious teen with vines for hair was grateful to the Lord for finally giving her the opportunity she'd long been waiting for. She was finally being allowed to confront the Monster of UA face to face.

"The time has finally come," Shiozaki murmured as she finished one last prayer, standing just out of sight within the exit tunnel to the arena. "Now we will meet in sanctioned combat and I'll finally be able to set you straight."

The vine-haired teen had, since her last confrontation with the verdanette, come to terms with a hard-to-swallow truth she'd struggled to accept. Izuku Midoriya was not, in fact, the Devil. The Prince of Darkness would've never come to the aid of All Might, even if it had been to maintain his cover in the mortal world. He wouldn't have thrown himself in front of that judge either, especially when his survival wasn't assured beforehand. Such a wicked being would've been unable to risk itself to help anyone period.

Midoriya had shown himself more than willing to do so on far too many occasions to be ignored.

Even so, Shiozaki found herself still unable to see the verdanette as an agent of good.

Therefore, after lengthy reflection and prayer, the answer had come to her as to the true nature of the being who'd taken the name Midoriya. He was no demon born evil, but instead, surely one of the Fallen, an angel who'd been led into temptation and now, through a twist of fate, sought redemption. To be accepted back into Heaven, to seek to return to the loving embrace of the Holy Father… it was a vision the pious teen would love to help realize.

The problem was that Midoriya's nature as a fallen angel kept raising its ugly head. The foul art of necromancy, a perversion of nature itself, probably felt like second nature to a member of the Fallen. No wonder the verdanette didn't see his sins as the truly evil acts they were.

But she was going to help him. She was going to make him understand that he needed to cease his current path if he ever hoped to reach salvation.

That's why, before she'd left her waiting room, she'd doused her hair, every vine, in holy water.

A subtle green light blinked on in both exit tunnels, and with calming breaths, both Izuku and Shiozaki began to walk toward the arena.

Those sitting in the stands of the stadium grew quiet, the jumbotron screens having flickered from their running ads to images of UA's emblem.

"IT'S THAT TIME FOLKS! THE SECOND ROUND OF THE FIRST YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL TOURNAMENT IS HERE! YEAH!"

It was time.

"FROM THE SOUTHWEST GATE, AFTER MAKING SHORT WORK OF HER LAST OPPONENT, THE PRIESTESS OF CLASS 1-B HERSELF RETURNS TO PROVE THE STRENGTH OF HER FAITH! IT'S IBARA SHIOZAKI!"

The pious teen stepped into the light of the field and walked to the raised arena without so much as a single wave to the surrounding audience. Honestly, Shiozaki was of the opinion that this battle shouldn't have been made a public spectacle. The act of bringing one to salvation was not meant to be a means of entertainment. In fact, the vine-haired heroine-in-training decided then and there that she'd abandon this foolish competition once she'd completed her mission.

"AND FROM THE NORTHEAST GATE, AFTER UTTERLY CRUSHING THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF HIS OPPONENT, IT'S HE WHO ROARS IN THE FACE OF IMPOSSIBLE ODDS! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

The stands grew quiet. Many watching were attempting to figure out how things would go crazy this time. In the first match of the day, they'd witnessed one of the Monster of UA's abominations, the brain dead one, in action. This time, the mutant had chosen to bring a different creation. And it was clear to all who watched that this one could think and act on its own.

Izuku stepped up into the arena to a nearly silent stadium. Murmurs abound, but the emerald necromancer paid them no mind. His desire to receive a warm welcome and cheering had long since died. Instead, he'd take his glory from doing his job and saving people, damn the opinion of the uneducated and bigoted to hell.

"AND BY HIS SIDE, IT'S THE SPITFIRE OF KYUSHUU! SHE'S THE UNDEAD LEADER OF HER VERY OWN BIKER GANG AND A WILD BEAUTY THAT WILL LITERALLY BITE OFF YOUR—"

"Don't. You. Dare…"

"IT'S SAKI NIKAIDO!"

The stadium might've been as silent as a grave at her introduction, but Saki could've sworn she heard her entire gang cheering her on from their beach, Reiko especially. That didn't stop the blonde from flipping the loudmouth pro screaming his head off the bird.

"Fuck off you pervy loudmouth fuck!" Saki screamed, raising her middle finger toward the announcer's booth. "Don't think that shitty glass box will keep you safe!"

Shiozaki sent a reprimanding glare at Izuku, but the unrepentant necromancer refused to even act apologetic. As a longtime viewer of UA's Sports Festivals, the verdanette knew for a fact that Present Mic had been rather aggressive this year. He deserved the flak.

Midnight sighed from her position beside the arena. Of course she'd read the reports of the past interactions between these two students, and she had to say, she was rather wary of letting this match go. Had it been up to her, she'd have been hard-pressed not to just call off the entire thing right then…

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we're ready to begin the second round!" Midnight declared, pushing as much false enthusiasm as she could into her words. She was still annoyed that she could imagine that most of the cheering she could hear was being given by those who wished to see a certain verdanette fall. "Now remember the rules you two… and that you're both heroes-in-training. BEGIN!"

As Izuku had predicted, Shiozaki wasted no time in making the first move. It just wasn't… exactly what he'd thought it'd be.

"Izuku Midoriya!" The vine-haired teen shouted at the top of her lungs, stepping forward, "I apologize for calling you the Devil, for decrying your actions as pure evil out of turn!"

While admittedly stunned that one of his more vocal, and pious, detractors was actually apologizing to him, Izuku had enough presence of mind to keep his attention focused on said opponent even as she loudly declared her regret with what sounded like heartfelt honesty. Fortunately for him, that meant he was able to catch the advancing vines that were even now extending out from the approaching girl and writhing their way toward him.

Looks like guilty conscience or not, Shiozaki intended to fight with her all.

"Saki," Izuku murmured discreetly, easily tapping the bond he shared with the blonde.

"I gotcha Boss," Saki replied without looking away from her target, a savage grin spreading across her face.

Shiozaki placed her hands together in typical prayer position, interlocking her fingers as she halved the distance that had originally separated her from her opponent.

"But even so, there is still evil in you…" the pious heroine-in-training continued, not breaking stride, "Today I will help you to start anew! Together we will purify first your body and then the bodies of those you've wronged and—"

Before UA's resident Christian could continue the declaration of her personal crusade, before she could switch to charging at the necromancer while her vines slithered behind him to box him in, she herself suffered the first attack of the match.

"So what?! You offering your withered fucking rosebush to the Boss?!"

The shout, roared far louder from Saki's lips than Shiozaki could've ever hoped to match, easily overpowered the pious girl's words.

"Shit, even from here I can tell you're just a lost little virgin looking for the strongest dick to sit on!" Saki continued, feral grin plain to see. "What a fucking hypocrite! You know, I bet you're keeping your hands together like that cause you're afraid you'll start stripping right here in the open you're so desperate for the Boss's fuck stick! Am I right?"

Shiozaki tripped, her feet nearly stumbling over themselves and her tongue-tied itself into knots at the unexpected assault. She sputtered loudly, her mind blanking at the sheer vulgarity thrown at it. Pure shock had frozen her stiff.

Her entire life, Shiozaki had grown up valuing her chastity, taught from childhood it was a gift only to be given to her husband on her wedding night. She'd been raised sheltered—she knew that—shielded from all of the lascivious and sinful knowledge readily accessible in certain books and openly on the Internet. And she knew that there would be those who didn't understand her morals and might even disagree with her stance on certain issues entirely.

But this?

In less than a minute, she'd basically been called a slut, a whore, and had had her purity not just questioned, but belittled. Worse, even now Shiozaki could feel the shameless words infecting her soul, corrupting that same purity. Sinful images of a large figure, silhouetted in deep shadow, standing over her imposingly fluttered through her mind's eye. Only the glare off a pair of glasses offered any insight as to the identity of the mysterious figure, revealing an orphaned collar as a beastly huff resounding in her head.

Shiozaki snapped out of the phantasm, but it was too late. Embarrassed and ashamed, the pious girl blushed hotly as she was forced to clench her thighs together as her hormones raged within her in sudden freedom.

"S-s-s-shut up! You… you evil l-little…" Shiozaki struggled to fight back, verbally or physically. Even thinking on what words would be adequate to hurl back at the blonde delinquent made her blush deepen. Finally, she settled on one. "PERVERT!"

"HA!" Saki instantly shot back, exacerbating the situation. She was smelling blood in the water, but really, the uptight bitch made it too easy. "Don't give me that shit! You know your mommy opened her fucking legs to get you in AND out right? Are you gonna call her a pervert too?!"

Unable to face the words being spewed at her, Shiozaki covered her ears and began to shake her head frantically. Had anyone been close enough to the panicking heroine-in-training, they'd have been able to hear her repeating some unintelligible mantra as if her life depended on it. Regardless, this gave Saki the opening she'd needed to cover the remaining distance between her and the vine bitch on her terms.

"Why don't we fucking check and see if that pretty body of yours is as pure as you say it is?!" The blonde's words instantly broke through Shiozaki's hysteria. "You know, I bet… YOU'RE ALREADY WET!"

Suddenly, thorny vines snapped up and wrapped around Saki's wrist, biting deep. The resulting struggle was ferocious enough that even those far away in the stands or watching from broadcasts were able to take notice. Undead muscle strained against the fortitude of nature. The epic battle was lessened only if one took notice of Shiozaki's face, the pious girl's face flushed red as she attempted to cover herself in obvious fright.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Shiozaki screamed, truly and honestly fearing for her maidenhood. She couldn't allow this… this abomination to defile her! "YOU FREAK, PERVERT, HARL—URGH!"

WHAM!

The vine-haired teen's frantic words were interrupted by a punch to the face, courtesy of Izuku.

The verdanette had used the distraction to maximum effect, keeping himself just outside of his opponent's range of vision and getting closer only when he was sure her attention had been entirely focused on Saki. Seeing Shiozaki ragdoll backward after his strike was a clear sign his plan had been a success.

"OH MAN! THAT CAN'T BE LEGAL, CAN IT?!"

Present Mic's sudden outburst resonated with the now wincing audience at large, many amongst the crowd seeing the match's development as having turned savage. The undead abomination's verbal assault on the heroine-in-training had been bad enough, but witnessing the Monster of UA outright deck the poor girl in the face? It was horrible to watch… never mind that only a match or two ago they'd been applauding such brutal tactics from other competitors.

Forcefully keeping herself at her post, Midnight internally seethed as she nearly reached her boiling point. She loathed when people would pull out some kind of outdated code of chivalry from ages past only when it suited their tastes. Why hadn't they reacted like this during Ashido's match? Why had Jiro getting frozen solid not resulted in them calling for Todoroki to receive some sort of punishment?

It was infuriating.

Hadn't countless generations of women given their blood, sweat, and tears, literally in many cases, to be considered true equals in all levels of society? In the age since Quirks began to manifest and villains had begun to appear, hadn't heroines risen up to fight for what was right just as heroes had?

Where these idiots going to just forget that all but the rarest of villains gave absolutely fuck all if their victims were women? Were they going to ignore the statistics of what happened to heroines caught unaware or defeated by said villains?

Midnight wouldn't let them, she refused to allow any backsliding to happen if she could help it. As much as she hated doing them, maybe she'd have to accept one of those talk show interviews again soon.

"Psychological warfare, misdirection, intimidation, outmaneuvering your opponent; these are all valid tactics accepted and approved by every variation of the Hero's Code the world over. Ibara Shiozaki's Quirk gives her the potential to physically defeat and restrain multiple targets at once with ease… in the face of that, Midoriya is using every tool at his disposal to even the odds. If his inability to fit into your ideal visions of the gallant hero offends you, feel free to reprimand him when returns from a hostage situation with your still breathing children in hand."

Eraserhead's stark delivery was like a slap in the face for many of the festival's watchers. Most of the civilians cringed as they realized they were being chastised for how easy it was for them to criticize heroes for how they looked or acted while ignoring their actual deeds. For the pros, the words were like a punch in the gut; far too many of them could recall failed missions where they'd insisted on being flashy or honorable instead of getting the job done.

Back in the arena, Izuku had accepted that Shiozaki wasn't going to forfeit, or pass out, from his punch or her hyperventilation. The vine-haired teen seemed stronger now than she had during the Class 1-B test, which meant he'd have to hit her harder, faster, before she decided to make proper use of her Quirk. The verdanette nodded silently to Saki to prepare for what came next.

In the time it took to do so, Shiozaki scrambled to her feet, just catching the exchange between necromancer and defiled corpse.

"ENOUGH!"

Shiozaki's scream was accompanied by her hair coming alive like a hydra, erupting from her scalp and splitting into uncountable strands of thorny vines. The writhing plant life lashed about wildly, seeming to both protect its mother-source as well as attack the approaching invaders. Despite their best efforts, Izuku and Saki were unable to avoid being caught.

"Hey!" Izuku shouted as he struggled against the vines constricting him, flinching as their thorns began to dig into his skin, "Moderation please! Didn't Vlad-sensei teach you moderation?!"

"GODDAMN FUCKING CUNT!" Saki screamed, utterly enraged as multiple vines manhandled her like a doll. The blonde might not have been able to feel pain, but she sure as hell noticed that the accompanying thorns were hurting her Boss. "I'M GOING TO SHOVE ALL THESE FUCKING WEEDS RIGHT UP YOUR—"

"SILENCE!"

The screaming contest between Shiozaki and her delinquent adversary ended with a particularly thorny vine gagging the rebellious walking corpse. The pious teen had had enough; her pride had been wounded, her mind had been corrupted, and even her body had been set upon now. This couldn't be allowed to stand.

"Oi!" Izuku shouted, seeing blood spill out from around the vine gagging Saki and realizing that Shiozaki had lost herself to her rage. "Why are you so angry? A win's a win, but don't—"

"NO! I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO YOU ANYMORE!" Shiozaki interrupted, still screaming furiously. "NOW YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO ME!"

That actually gave Izuku pause. Not enough to really stop struggling to get free, but it did make him freeze for a second.

Women could be scary.

And now the thorns were really digging into him and drawing blood…

Ouch.

"I know you desire redemption Midoriya-san!" Shiozaki growled, calming only slightly as she turned to face the trapped verdanette. "But you need to release this foul necromancy you've conjured. Regardless of your intentions, it's an act of perversion against nature, and I can see you're trying to be good!"

"OH MY FOLKS! IT'S ANOTHER TURN! HERE I THOUGHT UA'S RESIDENT NECROMANCER HAD PROVED HIMSELF NIGH UNSTOPPABLE!"

If he could've spared a moment, Izuku would've snorted derisively at Present Mic's comment. He'd never seen himself as unstoppable, in all honestly he'd always considered himself more on the frail side. If it wasn't for his regeneration, he knew he'd be a complete mess by now, if not straight-up dead.

He'd also never seen himself actually winning the Sports Festival. No matter how he'd looked at it, without his gear, he'd always thought most other students would've had a better chance than him, especially in combat.

"There's no such thing as an unstoppable hero, or villain. Strengths and weaknesses are what we all exploit in order to ensure victory in battle. Although it is true that sometimes the odds can be stacked against us too heavily to surmount, we're only human after all, that's why there are hero schools in the first place. We're here to teach our students how to scale those mountains."

As the vines grew tighter, Izuku accepted that he was probably going to lose this match, and honestly he didn't mind losing to the religious Class 1-B member. He hadn't capitalized properly on his advantages, and she had. Defeat in those circumstances was nothing to be ashamed of.

But…

The way she was talking…?

Foul necromancy?

Even after all this time, his girls were still not seen as people. It made his blood boil. Who were these assholes to deny them agency, to ignore the fact they could think for themselves and had their own feelings and goals? How could they act like that and still call him the monster?!

Izuku's heartbeat quickened, then… deadened.

What. Is. Thy. Desire?

"I understand, truly I do…" Shiozaki continued, calming the longer she spoke. Unfortunately, as the heroine-in-training's rage bled away it was replaced by the tinge of unhinged fervor. "You want so badly to be a hero, but temptation is everywhere. You want to do good, but your nature is fighting you every step of the way… That's why you need to release the dead you've enslaved! Let me help you!"

Suddenly, Saki's neck made a sickening popping sound as a vine wrapped around it and squeezed, the delinquent instantly going slack. The vines around the blonde tightened further, clearly intent on carrying out the pious teen's mission.

Izuku tensed. He needed to stop Shiozaki. Now! He had to!

Then. Do. So.

"I'll start by putting this soul to rest for you. You've obviously grown too attached!" Shiozaki shouted, turning her full attention to Saki's limp form. The heroine-in-training raised her hands, ready to utterly destroy the tainted corpse that shackled the vulgar blonde's poor soul to the mortal plane.

Too late, Midnight realized just how serious the vine-haired teen was in ending the 'crimes against nature' as she saw the zombie-girls.

"Shiozaki! If you go any furth…"

Then, they heard it.

Midnight's words died in her throat as she felt something she'd only felt once before, years ago after she'd tried to console Shouta-kun after what had happened to him and Emi-chan.

It wasn't a paralyzing aura of fear.

It wasn't even a crushing weight of killing intent.

If she'd had to name it, the pro heroine would've simply said…

It felt like Death.

"Stop."

A single word. That was all. A single word, not even screamed or spoken in a raised tone. That was all Midoriya said.

Some undeniable force caused Shiozaki to turn back to her opponent, to obey that command. The sight that greeted her froze her stiff, every instinct shrieking in a million different directions.

Midoriya… it wasn't the verdanette that stared back at her.

A blazing crimson stare met her head-on, held on a face that was, much to the pious teen's confusion, devoid of anger. Before her very eyes, Shoizaki watched as the vines she'd had restraining the necromancer suddenly withered and died. Now free, the verdanette then began to approach.

"S-Stay where you are!" Shiozaki stammered out, reflexively attempting to regain control of the situation. She sent more vines out to recapture her opponent, having belatedly realized he was the greater source of danger present. Unfortunately for her, the result was the same; every single vine withered and died as soon as it touched Midoriya.

The dark creature continued its advance unhindered.

"You will not harm her," Izuku stated, unstoppable. "I will not allow it."

Feeling her fervor cool in the face of this… thing… coming toward her, Shiozaki threw all of her remaining vines at it, even dropping the defiled corpse she'd been about to purify to do so. Their fate was the same as all the others, turning to dust the moment they came into contact with the approaching verdanette with glowing eyes.

"I-Impossible…" Shiozaki mumbled, stepping back as she failed to comprehend how this was happening. "I doused my hair in holy water! Nothing infernal should be able…"

That's when it hit her.

The Truth.

All this time, Shiozaki hadn't been facing a necromancer, or a demon, or even a fallen angel. Any one of those beings would've been held back by her prayers, affected by her holy water, or succumbed to the sanctity of her crusade. No spawn of hell, servant of darkness, or lost spirit would've been able to stand against her and her ironclad faith. For Midoriya to still be unaffected by all of that, nay even offended at having it used against him, could only mean one thing…

As these thoughts raced through the vine-haired teen's mind, Izuku had reached his opponent without further issue. Despite being fairly close in height, the pious teen felt as if she were in the presence of a titan looking down at her.

It was clear to Shiozaki now. Izuku Midoriya hadn't been affected by any of her divine interventions for one simple reason, and it had to be that reason because any other scenario was simply impossible or absurd at this point. How could she have missed it?

Izuku Midoriya was an angel, a member of the Heavenly Host itself!

That meant that she'd been toiling against an envoy of God Himself, impeding the work of His will. This was an even bigger failure on her part than her performance during the faux-villain test all those weeks ago.

"I'm so—"

Shiozaki tried to apologize for her sin, the revelation nearly frying her brain, but unfortunately for her Midoriya was in no mood to listen.

The verdant archangel, blood boiling and heart drumming a war hymn, reared back and punched the repentant girl before him straight in the gut.

"UGH!"

Shiozaki choked on her own breath as the force of the strike lifted her body off the ground and forced all the air out of her lungs. The world slowed, the pious girl feeling herself remain airborne much longer than possible, as another revelation was visited upon her and her mind clicked more pieces into place.

Those girls she'd seen as affronts to nature, they weren't mere undead, enslaved by the darkest magicks and bound to a master. Hark, they were vengeful spirits, souls wronged in life and unable to find the justice they deserved before their deaths. But such phantoms were dangerous and needed something extremely powerful to both guide and control them. No mere cherub or angel would've measured up to the task. Which meant Midoriya wasn't just any angel…

Even as pained as she was Shiozaki gasped against the knowledge she'd just discovered.

Midoriya was the angel of… of…

DEATH.

"Good night bitch!"

Turns out, a broken neck did nothing to stop a zombie-girl…

Still midflight, Saki captured Shiozaki in a tight embrace from behind. With her momentum already having guided her body upward, the blonde had little trouble transitioning the airborne grapple into a perfectly applied suplex as the two descended.

The vine-haired heroine-in-training was slammed back and headfirst into the hard concrete of the arena, cracking the floor tiles. She did not move afterward.

"And the winner is…" Midnight started forward, being careful to keep a side-eye on Midoriya as she passed the verdanette. Noticing glistening emerald orbs gazing back at her questioningly, the 18+ Only Heroine continued, "Midoriya by knockout!"

Not a soul in the stadium cheered, the audience too distraught by what they'd just witnessed.

"WHAT THE HEck just happened?"

Present Mic cutting off his usual screaming halfway through his own question was indicative of exactly how unsure those watching from the stands felt about what had just occurred. They'd just had front row seats to a clear win by the emitter-type Shiozaki fall apart in seconds as the mutant-type Midoriya had torn through her Quirk before striking her down when she'd been defenseless before him.

The blond pro himself was more confused because he'd looked away for a second to chug a can of tea when he'd been sure Shiozaki was going to win. What? He needed to soothe his vocal cords every once in a while due to his Quirk.

"I… I don't… I didn't look away but… but I'm still not… exactly… sure…"

Hearing his own stalwart homeroom teacher hesitate like that sent Izuku into a panic. Everything had moved too fast there at the end for him to understand what was going on… had something happened? Before her Boss could get himself in a tizzy, Saki came up and placed a supportive hand on the verdanette's shoulder in a clear sign of support.

Suddenly the jumbo-screens above the stadium flickered on and replayed the final moments of the match. Camera angles zoomed in on Izuku cut back to back to back and Izuku finally noticed what had gotten the public in such a state.

The larger-than-life display first played at normal speed, failing to catch how Izuku had sent Shiozaki flying. One frame he was staring her down with glowing crimson eyes, the next she was airborne and his eyes were green once more. Then, thankfully, a second play-through began, running in slow motion. This time the verdanette's movement was visible… as a blurred motion.

"Ah, there it is. He just punched her."

"He just—HOW THE HELL IS THAT 'JUST' A PUNCH?!"

Tuning out the now arguing pros up top, Izuku turned to Midnight for further instruction, just in case. The necromancer's concerns were for naught however, as the pro heroine merely motioned for him to return to his waiting room with a gentle look. With a thankful nod, he headed off to do just that.

Fist bumping as they left the arena, Izuku and Saki hurried away. If the two walked a bit faster than needed to escape the scrutinizing gaze and suspicious mutterings of the public, well that was no one's concern but theirs.

That didn't keep those watching from the stands, both pros and civilians alike from mulling over what they'd just seen for themselves. Around the world, viewers who'd tuned into the UA Sports Festival were discussing the upset. Nothing clicked with what they knew to be true, nothing fit. Nothing they'd see so far would've led them to ever imagine what had just happened to be possible. A general sense of confusion began to spread.

How did a mutant-type, and a dark one at that, manage to pull off a move that was more than worthy of an emitter-type?

How had a dark Quirk-user like that even manage to enter such a prestigious hero school like UA?

What was UA doing to keep such a concerning student in check?

And most importantly… was Izuku Midoriya really a mutant-type at all?

From his place in the stands, the Flame Hero Endeavor grinned like a madman. His suspicions had been correct, 'Cursed Blood' offered enhancements to the user's body far beyond what mere physical exercise and training could achieve. And under his direction, a tool wielding such a Quirk combined with that of his own creation would have infinite potential. Not even the most inhuman of legends would be able to stand against such a force!

It was time he took what he deserved.

His legacy would prevail.

Aichi Prefecture, the Asui Household…

"I-Inko… how did your son pull off that move?" Beru Asui asked her much younger looking friend, stumped at what they'd just seen on the television. "Enhanced speed and strength aren't part of his Quirk Profile, are they? Kero."

The Asui Matriarch was worried, and with good reason. This was going to cause the younger Midoriya problems on both sides of the spectrum. On one hand, she had no doubt that Quirkists would have a field day demonizing her soon-to-be son-in-law for the new abilities the world had just witnessed. Far too many of those bigots would see him as either a threat to their worldview, or themselves, or both. On the other hand, she could already hear the Quirk breeders coming out of the woodwork to get their hands on 'Cursed Blood' to enhance the Quirks of their own families.

"I… I don't know…" Inko murmured, holding her chin while in deep thought. It was incredible to see that the youthful-looking mother was already able to completely ignore the tadpoles climbing all over her gushing about how amazing and cool their sister's boyfriend, their new big brother, was. "I just hope he isn't starving right now."

Beru nearly face vaulted.

Unfortunately, she also knew that the concern was a legitimate one. Izuku, for all his amazing and seemingly otherworldly powers, was incredibly dependent on the nutrients stored within his own body. After witnessing his sudden increase in speed and strength, there was no doubt in the frog-woman's mind that there would surely be a high price to pay for it.

A little apart from the two women and children, one Ganma Asui was making the first of his own moves.

"I know, I know, but I want you to keep a closer eye on the kid. I haven't trusted that school's security since they switched to mainly robotic enforcement," Ganma whispered into his cellphone. A webbed hand came up and dragged down his face in exasperation. "Consider it a favor then. I'll pay for drinks after this… oh fine, and it can be an extra big bowl of ramen too… yes with extra fish!"

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Waiting Room #1…

The waiting rooms in the sports stadium were meant to be sanctuaries for competitors to hole up in prior to their matches so that they could focus on the fight ahead, but those same students could make use of them afterward as well if they needed to. For a certain young necromancer, this was a much appreciated blessing.

His last match had shown him something… something he'd only ever dared dream about before, knowing full well it was likely far beyond the realm of true possibility. But now, now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Did he have the power to actually fight for himself?

The mental tribulation the verdanette was currently experiencing seemed like it was more than enough justification for him to seclude himself for a short while. He needed to regain his focus, and quick, if he wanted a chance at understanding his new capabilities before his next match.

And, well… his classmates didn't need to see the depths of his voracious appetite…

Izuku was scarfing down anything and everything edible that was placed before him. His own personal little angel and saint, Lily and Tae, were waiting on him, their arms full of whatever they'd managed to raid from the nearest vending machines. If the duo had been allowed to leave the hallway, they'd have hit the food stands outside the stadium as well, but the verdanette knew they'd done their best. He was beyond grateful for their thoughtfulness.

"Izu-nii needs to eat, Izu-nii needs to grow," Lily sang happily as she passed more chocolate and bread to her big brother to messily devour. "Lily knows Izu-nii will be the champion yo!"

The littlest zombie's cheering was followed and accompanied by encouraging grunts from Tae. Saki was absent, but the rebellious blonde, somewhat skilled in skulking around unnoticed, had been sent to check in on Tsu-chan… and maybe bring back more snacks. Her mission helped Izuku's nerves in more ways than one, as the delinquent hadn't been able to shut up about how badass her 'Boss' had looked laying into Shiozaki.

Or how he'd soon be having a lot of… well, she hadn't said girls but Izuku understood her vulgar word choice easily enough… throwing themselves at him.

"Thanks Lily," Izuku said, chewing on the last snack he'd been given, a stick of dango, "I guess all we can do is wait now. I don't know who our next opponent will be yet, but between Tetsutetsu-san and Ashido-san, either one will be a difficult challenge."

The two zombie-girls present nodded solemnly in understanding. Whatever the future threw at them, they knew they'd face it all together as a family.

Ka-Click-click!

Ka-Click-click!

The door to the waiting room shook as its doorknob was throttled, but it stood fast and refused to open.

Izuku tensed, but not by much; he'd locked that door himself. He knew whoever it was wasn't Saki—he'd have been able to feel the blonde's arrive long before she'd reached the door—and it wasn't like the would-be intruder would be able to enter and bother him any…

HSSSSS!

The doorknob suddenly turned a glowing red. Seconds later, it melted clean off the door and dropped into a puddle on the ground.

Well that narrowed down who was trying to get in at least. But why would Todoroki go to such trouble…?

As the door swung open, the blazing form of Japan's second greatest pro hero, Endeavor, was revealed.

Okay, so it was the worst Todoroki…

Shit.

"Sir," Izuku said immediately, doing his best to remain calm while also heading off what was sure to be a stressful conversation one way or another, "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be here. Please leave before this causes both of us trouble."

It was an entirely justified response. All it would take was a single complaint from Izuku about this, and his dual-colored classmate would be penalized, if not outright disqualified. Interference of any sort against festival competitors, like say one's father speaking to a possible future opponent, could easily be taken as an act of sabotage.

Unfortunately for the verdanette, the Flame Hero didn't seem to care about this fact.

"Quit your yapping boy," Endeavor groused sternly, glaring as he entered the waiting room without waiting, or asking, for permission. The large man kicked out one of the chairs opposite his target and sat himself down, completely ignoring the warning growls from the two undead across from him. "I will have words with you."

Izuku found that he really didn't like the tone that the Number Two Hero used, much less what it implied…

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena…

"JUST LOOK AT HER GO FOLKS! UA'S PINK DAREDEVIL IS DARTING AROUND HER PREY LIKE A VICIOUS HUMMINGBIRD! CAN TETSUTETSU METTLE KEEP HIM GOING? CAN HIS METAL WIN THE DAY?!"

Mina was having a blast. Long gone was any anxiety she'd felt about her little wardrobe malfunction. Gone too was any lingering insecurities she'd had about herself and her best friend. Now, now she was filled with a sense of fulfillment.

And determination.

SPLASH!

Twisting into a corkscrew midair, Mina avoided another hammer strike from the boy who many said was identical to Eijiro Kirishima. As a parting gift, the pinkette slung a gout of acid as her hands curved around her, the liquid splashing against her opponent's metal forearm.

It was so freeing, finally getting rid of that ugly feeling of jealousy she'd been unable to shake off ever since Tsuyu had declared, and confirmed, she'd landed herself a boyfriend. Mina knew it was no small matter for the mutant girl, she would know, and even if the conditions surrounding said achievement weren't the best, it still put her far ahead of their peers.

BOOM!

Another failure by the metal man of Class 1-B, this time a stomp. The brutal move produced a lot of debris, but it hadn't even come close to landing on the horned girl, who'd already flipped out of the way with a cartwheel.

The crowd was going wild, cheering loudly as the match continued. Many were calling her name, shouting out how good she looked, but Mina's large smile had nothing to do with such gregarious support. In fact, it was her trophy, her badge of success, that was making her grin so widely.

With her shirt, and her sports bra, accidentally destroyed by her own acid, Mina had thought that she'd be out of luck, and had been steeling herself for having to withdraw from the tournament. Finding a replacement that would fit her… generous… assets would've been a hassle, and she couldn't ask any of the other girls to borrow their outfits in case she melted through them again.

That's when her newly minted boyfriend had come to her rescue!

Kiri had almost flown out of his gym shirt he'd been wearing he'd wanted to give it to her so fast. She'd been struck by a giggle fit at the sight, which had turned into honest laughter when she'd pointed out the garment was almost as much of a mess as her own had been at that point. The loveable doof had blushed as red as his hair, and then given her the real treasure…

How'd he'd gotten it so quickly was still a mystery to her, but Kiri had given her one of his 'casual' shirts, actually the one she knew he'd been wearing before changing into his gym uniform for the festival.

The garment had smelled like him, of course. No doubt he'd spent hours working out in it, every fiber becoming infused with his potent sweat. Oh, the aroma of moss and sawdust… Mina would never tell a soul that she'd secreted something else besides her acid when she'd first put it on and taken a deep whiff.

She'd basked in happiness until the very moment her name had been called for her next match.

"Don't mistake this match as being a carbon copy of Ashido's last. It's obvious she's learned from her previous mistakes. She's keeping her normally highly erratic style more measured this time, making sure to prevent a repeat of what happened before. If she can keep these more controlled, energetic moves going… well, that's a question we'll just have to wait and see the answer to."

Why did Aizawa-sensei have to be so right all the time? Mina could tell she was flagging, her moves slowing bit by bit. The sharp smell of her own sweat, mixed with that earthiness of Kiri's, was giving her spurts of vigor whenever she could catch a sniff. Even so, the pinkette wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep this kind of energy going into another match.

But she did know that as long as she kept moving right now, she'd sure as hell have a good chance of winning here!

"GHAA!"

Dropping into a short flare to avoid a punch had Tetsutetsu stumble back to avoid her swinging legs in turn, allowing Mina to pop up in a spin and sling another glob of acid directly on the metal teen's chest. To no one's surprise this time, the horned girl's Quirk ate through the last threads keeping his shirt on, and the garment fell apart immediately.

For a single second, Mina found herself distracted.

Now, the pinkette would openly admit that, prior to an hour ago, she'd been a huge believer in the idea that people should be able to appreciate the bodies of others. But now, seeing another boy's bare torso after feeling up Kiri's… it just wasn't the same.

Almost subconsciously, she began to compare her opponent to her boyfriend, and she found Tetsutetsu to be much less interesting. Kiri's angular musculature looked much more delicious than the chromed copy's more rounded edges. Not to mention—

Such wayward thinking cost the pinkette dearly.

"Whoa!"

All it took was stepping back on a loose bit of debris that her opponent had created earlier when he'd missed an overpowered strike. The half-second it took for Mina to regain her footing was more than enough for Tetsutetsu to launch a long over-due counter.

"GGGRRAAAAAH!"

The steely teen's roar caught Mina by surprise. Refocusing on the fight, she was just in time to see a massive piece of concrete being tossed her way.

"KYA!"

Mina couldn't contain her yelp as she stumbled away as quickly as she could, no fancy dance moves coming to mind in her panic.

Watching the projectile sail by her, the pinkette counted her lucky stars she was so nimble. Getting hit by that would've been the end of her!

It was time to get serious. Turning back to glare at her opponent—seriously, who threw rocks in a fight?—Mina came face to face with an angry cannonball.

WHAM!

The collision caused a worldwide flinch. The metal man of Class 1-B had successfully landed a tackle on the pink-haired daredevil of Class 1-A after being picked apart for the better part of fifteen minutes.

Too bad that wasn't the end of it.

CRUNCH!

"GGGHHAAAAAA!"

Mina screamed in complete and utter agony, the public at large cringing in sympathetic pain.

Tetsutetsu had gone full out, using all of his metal-backed strength, and the pinkette hadn't been able to position herself in time before their collision so that the resulting fall wouldn't hurt her. As a result, when the steel teen had put his full weight into the tackle and she'd fallen under him…

Mina's shoulder had dislocated.

As if in a frenzy, Tetsutetsu hadn't stopped there. Remembering his lesson from Class 1-B's villain test, to never give the enemy a chance, the steel teen proceeded to put his opponent into a submission hold. The move further twisted the horned girl's injured arm—

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The tortured shriek that ripped from Mina's lips… Tetsutetsu was instantly sent back to that nightmarish moment when his stupidity had seriously hurt someone he hadn't even realized was precious to him.

Snapping out of his war trance, Tetsutetsu frantically scrambled back from the screaming pinkette under him. Jumping to his feet, the manly-man of Class 1-B worriedly looked up to the stands where he knew his classmates were seated. There, cheering along with the rest of their friends while pumping her fist in the air in a clear sign of support, was the one person he wanted to see right at that moment. Just seeing her okay made him feel better.

Pony stared back, seeming to catch his eye. The blonde exchange student began waving her hands enthusiastically, clearly supporting a drive for victory.

Tetsutetsu nodded and turned back to his opponent.

To see Midnight had come onto the arena and was checking the downed pinkette.

"Competitor Tetsutetsu," Midnight said, holding up a hand, "Please remain where you are for a moment."

The R-Rated Heroine had given the order because she needed a second. Even as a combat simulation, where injuries were expected, seeing a student wail in such pain was still a harrowing sight to see. To make matters worse, she'd experienced this type of injury before, so the ravenette knew that what happened next could go either way.

Checking over her downed student as gently as she could, the pro heroine nodded to herself. Thankfully there weren't any broken bones. UA preached going beyond, but fighting with broken bones on top of dislocated joints was a quick way to retirement, or lost dreams.

Now, to test the resolve of this girl.

"Competitor Ashido," Midnight called out, keeping up an indifferent and impartial mask to cover her actual worry for the pinkette, "Can you continue?"

Mina didn't…couldn't… immediately reply, the pain was too great. Instead, the horned teen curled into a ball while taking hold of her limp arm.

She didn't want to give up.

She wanted to show everyone that she was a winner, someone capable of being a heroine. Even if Midoriya just pushed her right out of bounds at the start of their match…

SHE WANTED TO WIN!

"I… I can…" Mina grit out weakly, pushing herself up into a kneeling position. Her grip on her limp arm tightened fiercely.

She knew what she had to do. She'd even seen Midoriya do it a couple of times now. There'd been a heroics session once, earlier in the year, where the verdanette had dislocated his shoulder after a spar had gone a little too far. He'd done the same in the middle of a battle trial soon after. Each time the freckled teen had made it look so easy to fix; simply yank the limb back into place, give a cute little 'ouch,' and carry on as if nothing had happened.

"I can do it!" Mina roared as she did exactly as she'd seen, and yanked on her limp arm as hard as she could.

CRUNCH!

"GGHHAAAAAAAA!"

This time, when the pinkette shrieked in pain, there were tears.

There were also winces from the audience, and gasps of horror at the sight. It was easy for the civilians to forget in their Quirked society just how fragile the human body actually was, and how painful injuries still were. The pros watching, however, merely gave commiserating nods, well acquainted with such pain and injuries. It was a daily hazard of their careers, and they'd just inducted a new member into the club.

"WELL, WELL, WELL FOLKS! HAS THE DAREDEVILISH HUMMINGBIRD LOST A WING? WHAT WILL THAT MEAN FOR HER?! CAN SHE STAND, OR IS THIS THE END OF HER FLIGHT?

"Can you do it Ashido-san?" Midnight asked, this time forgoing her mic. The ravenette forced her voice to keep itself cold, students needed to realize that in school combat, just like in the real world, there was no room for emotional distractions. "Can you stand?"

"Injuries, pain, fatigue. These are the conditions that we, as pro heroes, will always need to overcome out in the field. One of the most important skills we hone at UA is a student's sense of their own limitations. Heroes must know their limits; realize how much pain they can tolerate when carrying out a mission, understand which injuries can be ignored for the sake of saving lives. A dead hero… A handicapped hero… both are ultimately useless. Ashido needs to evaluate herself right now, and if she finds she can't handle her injury, accept that she must leave the battlefield."

"Ashido-san…" Midnight tried again, easily noticing the pinkette struggling to overcome her pain. "If you can't—"

"I… I can… I can do it…" Mina interrupted shakily, forcing her body to obey her commands. Using what remaining strength she had, the pinkette pushed every bit of her will into getting her legs to straighten, to support her weight.

She stood up.

"Competitor Ashido has decided to continue!"

Midnight's redundant declaration was met with loud cheers and raucous applause. Against the odds, the pinkette had garnered quite a number of fans in a short amount of time.

The 18+ Only Heroine stepped back, sharp eyes picking up just how wobbly the pinkette was now. The ravenette shook her head, she knew exactly how this was going to play out. But as a teacher, the least she could do was accept the choice of the incredibly brave and foolish girl before her.

Tetsutetsu kept his eyes on Midnight until he was given a nod of affirmation… and the fight began again.

"HHAAAAAA!"

The steely teen roared as he charged forward. He'd decided while he'd been waiting that he would answer the manly feelings of his opponent, he'd show her just how seriously he considered her resolve to win. If she wanted to go out with a bang, he'd gladly provide her that final push toward glory!

Then he skidded to a stop.

Only a few steps away from his opponent, Tetsutetsu saw that her eyes… were devoid of consciousness. Before he could ask Midnight what he was supposed to do, Mina simply fell face-first to the ground.

THUD!

"And Tetsutetsu wins the match," Midnight declared, face remaining impassive, "By knockout!"

The metal man of Class 1-B felt conflicted. A victory like this left a foul taste in his mouth, it was just so unmanly. Then again, it was a victory, and he knew he needed to learn to accept that not all victories were going to feel good. Seeing his redheaded copycat from Class 1-A, Kirishima, rush out from an exit tunnel and immediately run over to gather the pinkette into his arms helped Tetsutetsu feel a little bit better too.

Even better, instead of berating him for how the match turned out, the 'Hardening'-user focused entirely on the girl he now held, spilling out a litany of encouraging words to her as he carried her away.

Tetsutetsu stood there for a moment longer. It was a surreal experience. There was clapping and cheers all around him… and he didn't really care. He'd won, and in the field, that was all that mattered. Glory and fame meant nothing to him now if they got his precious people hurt. Or killed.

"WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH FOLKS! LET'S GET READY FOR THE SECOND HALF! LET'S SEE SOME ENERGY, YEAH!"

"I just want a match where the competitors don't go… overboard."

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Waiting Room #1…

Izuku stared at the… thing… sitting across from him, an incredulous look on his face. What this thing posing as a man had just proposed… demanded even… it was…

"Are you insane?" The verdanette asked, tilting his head in honest shock and confusion.

Tae hadn't stopped growling the entire time, ready at a moment's notice to attack. Even Lily was glaring at the fiery intruder… from where she hid behind her big brother, but still.

"Oh?" Endeavor replied, a flaming eyebrow rising in contemptuous question. The temperature of the room rose ever so slightly with the Number Two Hero's irritation. He'd heard this drivel all before. They always called him crazy, or insane, or a monster before bowing to his might. Or his money. Same difference. "And what's so insane about my proposal?"

"How about we start with, everything," Izuku shot back just as faux-calmly, using 'Cursed Blood' heavily to keep his heart rate level and his tongue still. "In case you didn't know, I already have a beautiful girlfriend who I love with all my heart. And I'm lucky enough that she loves me back. So right there is reason enough for me to not marry your daughter, who've I've never met."

Endeavor growled, his frustrations confirmed. That ugly mutant bitch had already gotten to his target and had poisoned his mind. If he wasn't furious with the freak at that moment, he'd applaud Beru Asui for such a skillful move. Really, using her daughter to ensnare the naivety of youth with such an archaic notion as… love?

What a ridiculous farce.

"Whatever the Asui have promised you, you know that I can easily double… no, triple it, correct?" Endeavor asked, trying again. The man knew from experience that 'love' was only as deep as the wallet of the individual in question. "If you're concerned about the repercussions from their firm—"

"No," Izuku cut in, tightening a fist under the table out of sight from the pro hero. It was strange, he was beginning to feel angry, but the volatile emotion wasn't singing through his veins this time. "I don't care about your money, and I don't care about your status or 'what you can do for me.' I care about Tsu-chan, and I'm not betraying her."

"Yeah! Tsu-nee is the best for Izu-nii!" Lily added, doing her best to sound brave even when the fiery man really scared her. "And… and… Lily thinks that the fire man's family is bad in the head anyway!"

The glare that Endeavor turned toward the littlest zombie was dark enough that Lily had to bury her face in her big brother's back before she broke down and cried. There was murder in those eyes.

She'd know.

"Go ahead, Number Two, just try it."

The unexpected addition of an unknown player into the standoff only seemed to make it worse.

"Touch even a single hair on anyone inside this room, and you won't like the consequences," the intruder continued, voice turning condescending, like a teacher reprimanding a student too stupid to understand what they'd done wrong multiple times. "You do remember what those are I hope? How does being removed from the Hero Rankings sound? Or having your little science project blacklisted from every hero school in Japan? Nya!"

Both Izuku and Endeavor turned to the door of the waiting room, still hanging ajar after the Number Two Hero's abrupt and unwanted entrance. The sight that greeted them was that of an adorable looking cat-boy, face scrunched as he tried his best to look serious and intimidating.

He was also holding up some sort of official-looking card.

"Who do you think you are?!" Endeavor spat, flames billowing upward as he barely contained his fury.

Izuku made to stand, ready to protect this child who'd so unwisely pissed off the flaming bastard he'd been stuck speaking to. Before he could fully get to his feet, he noticed Endeavor flinch back as the kid stepped close enough to shove his card in the man's face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Endeavor barked, oddly enough seeming to be working on keeping his words and tone measured. "What business is this of some meddlesome QRA dog?"

"I'm a cat, actually," the cat-boy grinned back, boldly stepped around the Flame Hero and climbing up to stand on a chair so both living occupants in the room could see him clearly. "And I'm doing my job. The kiddo here has caught the eye of quite a few people you know, the UN included. We're keeping a close eye on him too of course. So go ahead, push your luck. See where it gets you. You're already going to get it for being here in the first place; you know this room's off limits!"

Endeavor seemed ready to erupt like a volcano, his skin reddening and his flames growing out of control. Snarling, the pro hero turned back to Izuku, slapping down a plastic container on the table along with a fat roll of yen notes. The roll was thicker than a soda can…

"Fine then," Endeavor grit out through clenched teeth. "Wallow in the much with animals then boy, I don't care. Fill that up and I'll be on my way."

Izuku stared at the man in absolute incredulity while the cat-boy looked like he'd just choked on a hairball. Did the Number Two Hero really just…

"Fuck. No."

The impudent denial was the last straw. Endeavor had never known defeat save against the infuriating idiot known as All Might, and he was going to get what he came for damn it. If he had to get a little rough with the brat, so be it. And if the QRA agent had to suffer a little accident and disappear… well, it wouldn't be the first time.

The roiling fire that covered the Flame Hero began to grow, roaring hungrily as it consumed more fuel. It was ready to burn—

FFFSSSSHHHHHHHH!

Until the frothy cloud of a fire extinguisher's foam doused Endeavor like a wet candle.

"Holy shit!" Saki's voice filled the room, the blonde's brutal grin audible as she stepped into sight with the extinguisher in hand. "You really know how to heat things up, eh Boss?"

Endeavor wiped off his face, his flames already rising once more. Before, it was business, but now he was going to enjoy—

A massive hand clapped down on the Number Two Hero's shoulder, the air pressure from the action alone strong enough to put out his flames instantly.

"ENDEAVOR! MY OLD FRIEND AND 'RIVAL'!" All Might cheerfully greeted, the Number One Hero grinning as always. However, there was an unmistakable edge to his boisterous voice. "Why don't we take a walk? You look lost!"

With that, Japan's greatest hero dragged its second-best away, ignoring the man's growls the entire time.

From his spot atop the chair, Nyanta quickly slid down and crumbled bonelessly to the floor, trembling. His eyes were glassy and tears were threatening to fall down his lightly furred cheeks.

"I wasn't made for this kinda shit…" The diminutive supervising agent whined, "I think I just lost three from that…"

"Saki-chan…" Izuku said, discreetly calling for his most rebellious partner. "I wouldn't mind if, next time, you hit him with that thing."

The undead delinquent dutifully saluted with a vicious grin. That was an order she would be happy to obey.

"Maybe we should leave?" Lily suggested, looking at the now wide open door with worry. "Lily thinks that the fiery man will return if we stay too long."

Izuku nodded. Once the security of a place was breached, any feelings of safety it once had were gone. And besides, at that moment, all he wanted was to cuddle up with Tsu-chan.

He really needed it right about now.

Magnus: Next chapter will include the rest of this round of matches, and the way it will end will be... special.

Omake – What's in a Name? – For Henry Baumeister

Once again, Izuku found himself overseeing the restoration of the beach he had, by some fucked up turn of luck, come to own. Although honestly, he shouldn't be letting himself get too bent out of shape about it still if he were being truthful. Everything was actually going pretty well all things considered; the girls had finished cleaning up in record time, they'd built sturdy shacks that were firm enough to be counted as official housing, and the fence being erected around the perimeter was close to being finished.

He'd have to look into getting the girls actual homes though, or get them the materials to build their own, but for now the beach was almost ready for inspection by the police chief. If it got a green light from him, it was ready to be opened to the public again.

One of his only gripes about the day though, was that Saki still hadn't moved from where she'd stopped to glare at the large sign placed atop the main shack yet. The blonde was glaring at it so hard that Izuku was pretty sure the whole thing would go up in flames any minute now.

"How in the fucking hell…?" The delinquent growled, "Did that cutesy ass name survive?!"

The innocent sign? It read 'DOREMI.'

In English.

Izuku personally didn't find anything wrong with it.

"Lily thinks it's a good name…" Lily announced, prepared to dart behind her big brother for protection if needed. Strangely, her mean older sister never responded to her bait.

"REIKO!" Saki suddenly bellowed, freezing all of the girls in place, "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU CHANGE THE FUCKING NAME?!"

Before the aforementioned girl could respond, the blonde had shot off like a rocket, chasing the violette all over the beach. From where he stood, Izuku watched the scene unfold, still confused. The name wasn't that bad. In fact, it actually sounded perfect for the club. It made the girls sound friendly regardless of how… passionate… they could be.

"What's so wrong with that name?" Izuku asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.

"Perhaps this Kuroko could explain?"

Jumping slightly, Izuku whipped around to see a small girl, sporting a frame so thin he worried she was sick, had snuck up on him from seemingly out of nowhere. The brunette had her hair in a set of twintails, and had an incredibly serious look on her face. "Tis a forbidden topic to be sure, but as you are the Overboss, it's your right to know."

Izuku sighed. It was bad enough when Saki called him Boss, but now these girls had taken it to the extreme. He doubted he'd ever get used to the over-the-top moniker…

"Ah, this Kuroko remembers it clearly…" Kuroko said, looking into the distance as she began to recount the tale. "It all began when…"

=Flashback=

It had taken a great deal of effort, of pain and blood and tears, but the gang was finally growing, both in numbers and territory. To commemorate such momentous achievements, Saki had had a fantastic idea. The girls were going to get together and paint the town red… well, paint the town with their gang's name anyway. It'd be all over the place; if they'd conquered it, it would be there.

In English!

"This is going to be awesome!" Reiko had shouted to the four winds, "Saki will be so proud of us!"

At the last minute, their Boss, the young woman who'd gathered them together when they'd been nothing but broken pussies, the one who'd turned them into a force of nature no one would mess with, had been called away. Saki Nikaido hadn't been able to be there for their graffiti spree after all.

But none of the girls had complained though. Their Boss's old man was surprisingly alright, and he'd needed her help in restoring an ancient 2000 Mustang of all things. Honestly, there wasn't a member of the gang who wouldn't have gladly killed to be allowed to even touch such an antique.

"Certainly," Makoto, one of the high-ranking members, had seconded. The tall, short-haired brunette had looked so proud of their handiwork. "The name of our gang will be immortalized as of today. There's not going to be a single person who won't know of us!"

Cheers and boisterous laughter had filled the alley of their last tagging, the last bit of territory that had needed their name stamped on it. In the background, standing apart from the joyful chattering, a newer blood member had only sighed in exasperation. These girls had meant well, but the Boss was an actual badass that, while similar to the onee-sama that had broken her heart, had guided them all to a better fate than they would've had alone.

But there had been some… dysfunctional misunderstanding somewhere along the line.

"The Boss is going to be really upset…" The short girl had muttered to herself, "This Kuroko just knows it…"

When Saki had first named the gang, she'd taken the kanji involved and used their sounds in the English language to shorten it to an easier to remember logo. They were the Beautiful Raging Demons. Thus, shortened they were…

DoRaMi.

Kuroko had mustered the courage to look up at the gigantic tag written in English letters once again. It had been one of an identical set of ten spread out all across the city.

DoReMi.

The Boss was going to—

"Oi!" Saki's voice had filled the alley, silencing the girls in a heartbeat as they instantly gave her their full attention. "What's the fucking meaning of that?!"

"Isn't it the greatest fucking thing?" Reiko had replied with a huge grin, obviously proud of herself. She'd put up the tags with the other girls all by themselves. Saki had to be proud of them too!

"Just as you'd wanted Boss," Makoto had added, her seriousness doing wonders at adding fuel to the enraged blonde's already violent mood. "Now the name of our gang will be known everywhere!"

Kuroko had made herself as small as possible, inching closer to a nearby container. She'd known what was about to happen.

"YOU FUCKING MORONS!"

With that war cry, Saki had begun to… passionately… explain to her girls how exactly they had fucked up…

=End of Flashback=

"And on that day…" Kuroko said, reaching the end of her story, "This Kuroko learned that the Boss can accurately strike a target at two hundred meters… with a wrench."

Izuku looked at the thin girl with a deadpan stare.

On one hand, he wanted to berate the girls for their lack of common sense. On the other, he'd rather they keep the cutesy name. It was better for the beach in his opinion.

"I… you know what? Whatever…" Izuku decided not to interfere further, he had more pressing matters to attend to. "Saki! Gather up the girls!"

It was time to give DoReMi a long-term project. The beach needed to be reopened to the public, and the girls needed money to make a living. In a different timeline, Izuku might've told the girls to just finish their work and open the beach to the public as it was, only keeping an eye on it to keep it clean. However, after dealing with how their society worked for so long, this Izuku had decided that if the pubic wanted a beautiful place to visit and stroll through, then they needed to pay for it.

It was only fair.

Omake – Dream Come True – For AllAboutNothin

Cloistered away inside the Asui Household, two mothers and two children had been watching the yearly UA Sports Festival together with bated breath. The pair of mothers had been on the edge of their seats the whole time, their hearts nearly failing multiple times as they watched their children. Just recently they'd barely survived a powerful attack from one of their competitors.

At the same time, the tadpoles with them continued to cheer for their big sister and her boyfriend. To them, it was beyond cool how the two looked as they earned victory after victory.

Then, it happened.

For one reason or another, Tsuyu had taken hold of Izuku's head and pulled the verdanette down to eye level. Then she'd given him an incredibly passionate kiss.

On live television.

That was being broadcast to the entire world…

Samidare and Satsuki didn't understand what was happening of course, but their mothers were sporting large grins and were actually about to jump out of their seats. Then their big sister and her boyfriend finally separated and…

"… Marry me…"

CRASH!

Inko had dropped the mug she'd been holding. The young-looking woman held back a waterfall of tears, her eyes now unfocused as she fanned herself. Beru, always so unflappable, seemed frozen in place.

"My little baby boy…" Inko whispered, slowly rising to her feet, "Is becoming a man!"

Remaining at her spot on the couch, Beru pulled out a binder from who knows where, and opened it. Taking out a pen that had been kept in the binder, the frog-woman began to write down dates. This event had just moved everything up.

But she surely wasn't going to complain.

"Oh my son is so manly!" Inko shouted, unable to control herself any longer. Beru nearly croaked when the younger-looking mother ran to her and snagged her hands eagerly. Luckily she'd finished her quick scribbling just in time.

Samidare and Satsuki still didn't understand, but this time it was about why their mother was doing a silly dance with Ms. Inko around the living room. The two adults were singing too, about weddings, dresses, paperwork, and grandchildren. It was all so weird. Deciding that it was just grown-ups being silly, the two returned their attention to the screen.

In the doorway hallway between the kitchen and the living room, hands full of snacks and more beverages, Ganma sighed to himself.

He'd heard everything too, and he was happy about it of course, but…

"What are they going to do when they remember Tsu-chan actually has to say yes first?"

The father of three certainly hoped this moment of brightness wasn't a prelude to further problems with the festival. That Todoroki boy seemed like a bomb with a short fuse, and Izuku had made it clear he wasn't going to avoid striking matches…