Juzo stared at the building in front of him. The abandoned structure towered over him, blocking out the sunlight and casting a shadow over him and his partner. He flexed his gloved hands, a bead of sweat running down his face even though he didn't do any strenuous activity yet.

He looked down at his costume that he had painstakingly designed after many hours of blood, sweat, and tears. He wore a black skintight suit similar to Kuroiro with various pieces of orange armor strapped to his body. His helmet, which he was currently wearing, was round and elliptical with a black tint to hide his face. It was supported with orange lines on the side. The helmet also let out a bit of his long hair on his neck so that it wouldn't bunch up in the back. Two white metallic straps that were over his shoulder held his orange chest piece while another connected more orange plates over his thighs. He wore green and orange boots to complete the look.

"Nervous?" Kaibara asked. Juzo analyzed his costume. He had a windbreaker coat with rings. Over it, he wore another trench coat, topped with gloves with spiral edges on the fingers. For extra damage, Juzo deduced.

"A little bit," Juzo said. He looked at his calm face. "You seem to be fine."

"I'm nervous too. But there's no need to get worked up over it," Kaibara said. He put his hands in his pockets and turned away. "Letting our nervousness take over our actions will only lead to mistakes. And making mistakes as heroes cost lives. We can't let that happen."

"That's...one intense way of looking at it," Juzo said. "But this is just an exercise. I don't think you need to be this into it."

"We are in the top school for heroics in the country. This lesson is supposed to prepare us for that. If we fail this, then can we still say we deserve to be here?"

"Yes." Kaibara looked over at him, his eyebrows quirked. Juzo tried to explain more. "As you said, this is a simulation. We are allowed to fail. It helps us learn. And being in the top hero school gives us more opportunities because of how hard we worked to get here. We can get more experimental for how we want to do things in the future. That's how I see it, at least."

Kaibara looked down, deep in thought. "...maybe so, but I still would like to take this seriously. Let's think about our plan for now."

"Sure. We can talk more about this later."

"...alright. I can agree with that. You got any ideas for what we can do now?"

"I've got a few things I think the enemy will do. I think we should watch out for…"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

"...Kaibara-san, since his Quirk is good for close combat. He can take us out instantly if he gets the chance," Yui said. Her hero costume consisted of a red bodysuit with a white V on her chest. She wore a short white skirt with an inverse red design on the front with a belt that held a small pouch of items for her Quirk. She also wore a partially open baseball style hat with a metallic fin on the back. "I don't think Honenuki-san will be a problem since- are you even listening?"

Bondo had been pacing around the room. His hero costume consisted of a pale baggy suit with accessories that looked like glue caps around his wrists and waist. He had a bigger accessory around his neck. He had raised his hands and looked at his chapped nails before shaking his head and continuing his frantic movements. He jumped when he heard Yui's voice.

"Y-Yeah I am!" Bondo said quickly. "L-Look out for Kaibara-san and his Quirk. Got it!"

"Then why are you so nervous?" Yui asked. The amount of fidgeting and stuttering coming from him was irrational. "You're falling apart before anything happened."

"W-Well…" He fidgeted around some more. "I-I don't want to fight anyone."

Yui nodded. "I remember you saying that back in the classroom."

"Y-Yeah. I-It's just...what if I seriously hurt someone? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happens." He held his bell-shaped head in his large hands. "Dang it, I just wanted to be a rescue hero! Nobody told me that we would be fighting right off the bat!"

"UA's high ranking comes from how good it teaches combat to all sorts of students with different Quirks," Yui told him. "Shiketsu is the one with the better track record for rescues. You should've done your research before choosing."

Bondo dug his head in deeper. Yui stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Some consoling might help, she supposed. It seemed like what one would do in a situation like this.

"You'll have to get used to fighting. With your Quirk, you have a lot of potential so I don't think you will have any trouble there," Yui said. "And I don't think you will have to worry about hurting anyone seriously here. Recovery Girl is a famous hero for a reason and I'm pretty sure All Might would stop a fight if it goes too far."

Bondo peeked through his fingers. "Y-You think so? About me being able to fight?"

Good. It seemed to be working. "Positive."

Bondo stood up straight, wiping his eyes. "O-Okay. I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it."

And she was successful. Now back to the objective. "On to our match again. I think Honenuki-san will have to be careful with his Quirk since if he uses it on the ground, it could damage the building. He will be easy to target."

"W-What do you need me to do?"

She looked at the bomb. They chose a mid-level floor instead of a high-level like the other villain teams to subvert expectations. It probably would also make them encounter each other faster. "Your glue can work as an excellent trapping method. I want you to trap Kaibara-san and Honenuki-san if you can. Kaibara-san is the priority here. I'll use my Quirk to create obstacles for them."

"Y-Your Quirk can make you change the size of objects, right? What sort of objects do you have?" Bondo asked. Yui blinked before reluctantly reaching into her pouch. Her stomach churned and her face started to burn. Embarrassment, she noted.

"...I have these." She pulled out a myriad of toys from her small pouch. From a certain small blue train to other bite-sized models. When submitting a costume design, she forgot to add a section for the consumables section for her Quirk. Luckily, or unluckily, her older brother said she 'got her covered'. She didn't think much of it until she found out what her brother exactly did when she put on her costume.

Bondo stared at the toys in her hand. Yui shuffled around, finding his stare unnerving. She was about to say something when he suddenly rushed at her, grabbing her hands, sparkles in his eyes. "Is that a 2098 stickman model?! How did you get that?! I've been searching for it forever!"

Yui blinked. What?

Bondo continued to gush. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm actually holding this in my hands! I seriously didn't think you were the type to collect this sort of stuff, Kodai-san!"

"I'm not. My brother is, judging by your reaction and how old it is." Just as she finished saying that, a lightbulb moment occurred to Yui. "Hey, you could have this after the battle."

Bondo stepped back, his eyes wide. "W-What?! But why? Wouldn't your brother want it back?"

"No. He gave them to me because he didn't want them anymore. At least you would have some use for it."

"But why wouldn't he want it? You could sell that for a lot of money if you find the right person!"

All the better. She owed her brother payback anyway and not just for her costume. "Beats me."

Bondo stared at her for a moment. He then bowed deeply. "Thank you so much! But I'll feel bad just receiving this for free. I'll find some way to make it up to you. For now, I won't hold you back in this exercise!"

Giving a material reward to incite motivation. An unexpected opportunity, but one she took immediately.

"The five minutes are over! Prepare to start the exercise!"

Yui took a deep breath and prepped the toys in her hands. "You remember the plan with Honenuki, right?" Yui asked. Bondo nodded quickly. "Good. Let's guard this bomb then."

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

The class watched the monitors, which was currently showing the hero team searching the lower floor halls. All Might cleared his throat. "Since we've established this at this point, would anyone else, who has not gone before, like to take a guess what might happen in this battle? I would like everyone to participate at least once! How about you, Kamakiri-san?"

"I'll pass," Kamakiri said in his corner. After an awkward moment of silence, Rin raised his hand. At All Might's grateful nod, he spoke.

"Bondo-san's Quirk allows him to create glue, right? I think he might seal the door as Awase-san did. But then Kaibara-san could just drill through the door with his Quirk…"

"Or Honenuki-san could soften it enough to break through," Shishida said. "I think they would benefit more by immobilizing Kaibara-san first since he has the most combat-oriented Quirk in this matchup. But I'm still not sure how an encounter will play out with their types of Quirks."

"Anything else? Again, you don't need my permission to speak up!"

"I'll give it a try," Kendo said. She peered up at the monitor. "Well, if we're going to talk about Quirk synergy like the last matchups, I think the two teams are equally as strong as the other. Kodai-san and Bondo-san can work together by making any objects she might have with her bigger, and Bondo-san gluing those objects in place to make barriers or obstacles. But Kaibara-san and Honenuki-san can counter that by softening those objects enough to drill through easy. But then again, Bondo-san can still trap the enemy team with his glue, which I think would end the match immediately."

"So you think that the teams are evenly matched! Is there anyone who disagrees?" All Might said. He turned to Izuku. "It looks like there is still something you still want to say. Would you like to finish us off, Young Midoriya?"

The class turned to him once again. This time, he was expecting it so he wasn't as nervous like last time. "W-Well...I agree with both teams having equal Quirk synergy. But I still think the hero team has a slight advantage still."

"Why's that?" Kendo asked.

"Because of Honenuki-san's Quirk. It's true that Bondo-san's Quirk can trap them both, but that is only if the glue hardens. Honenuki-san's Quirk can soften things, so he can still escape if he softens the glue, which would make it lose its sticky properties. But I don't know how fast he can soften things or if there is a limit to it so it can still go either way."

"Oh, I didn't even realize Honenuki-san could use his Quirk like that. Good thinking, Midoriya-san," Kendo said. Midoriya smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"But Bondo's a pretty big dude. I mean, look at the size of his arms!" Awase said. "I'm pretty sure he can pack a punch before Honenuki can do that shit."

"That's true…" Izuku muttered.

"I think we got most of our analysis out of the way. Let's see how much of it will come true!" All Might said. They all turned back to the monitors.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Juzo and Kaibara had just finished inspecting the first floor and was making their way up the stairs. Their knees were slightly crouched and both looked behind them frequently. Kaibara rotated his fingers occasionally and Juzo flexed his fingers. Both were in tension.

"You know... I wonder how our class is analyzing us," Juzo said. "There was a lot of insightful information floating around before the previous matches."

"Our classmates seem unusually intelligent. I'm sure they must have figured out some parts of our plan already," Kaibara said. He wasn't wrong. Though it was just the second day, Juzo could already see the differences in the mentality of his classmates. While his previous classmates in middle school weren't what he would call stupid, he could see how much more perceptive this class was in comparison to what he experienced before. Then again, U.A. was the top school for heroics. An ordinary person couldn't just waltz in after the strict entrance exams and requirements. It made sense that his classmates would be smarter and more powerful.

"Well, maybe we'll learn something new after this match is over," Juzo said.

"Maybe." Kaibara frowned suddenly. He stopped and pointed. "Hey...look at that door."

Juzo stopped and stared at what Kaibara was pointing at. The door looked like any other door save for the fact that there was a thin veil of glue surrounding the cracks, sealing it shut.

It looks like they used the same strategy as Awase-san...but there must be something different about it.

Kaibara started tiptoeing to the door, but Juzo held his shoulder, making him stop. He looked back. "What?"

"The door is the most obvious approach," Juzo whispered. He made a 'follow me' gesture and went to the corner leading into another corridor. He pointed at the wall. "Let's soften part of the wall instead. It's connected to the same room and I doubt they would be expecting it."

Kaibara nodded. "Alright, good plan."

They silently walked over to the spot they planned to breakthrough. Juzo placed his palm on the wall and it immediately started to lose its shape.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Yui thought her plan was perfect. They had all their bases covered. They retried Awase's strategy of sealing the door with Bondo's glue and placed a glue trap in front of the door. They also glued a large toy in front of the door to block it. Not only that, she was also ready to place even more obstacles in front of the door to stall. She saw how fast both Kaibara and Honenuki's Quirk worked during the obstacle course and was confident that the two of them could hold off the hero team long enough for the timer to run out.

Those thoughts immediately began to derail when she saw the wall to her right start to melt.

"Bondo-san!" She barely got her warning out before the wall blew up. Dust and softened chunks of metal pelted them. They weren't hard enough to hurt seriously, but they still flinched nonetheless.

The dust settled to reveal the two heroes, who were also buffeted by the dust. Once the particles cleared, the duo rushed towards the bomb.

"Oh no you don't...uh...hero trash!" Bondo rushed towards the two of them, spraying his glue everywhere.

"Watch where you're throwing that stuff!" Yui tried weaving through the splotches of adhesive. Some of it got on her, but she still made her way through until she couldn't lift on of her feet.

Kaibara drill-punched Bondo in the stomach. Bondo flew to the other side of the room and slammed into the wall. He tried to get back up, but his cry of pain and his hand flying to his chest told her that he was out of the fight.

Kaibara tried advancing but found he couldn't lift his foot. He looked down to see that he had stepped on Bondo's glue. "No! Damn it!"

Kodai sighed in relief and tried to lift her foot, but found, to her horror, that she was stuck in Bondo's glue as well. Only Honenuki was free and was quickly making his way to the bomb. Kodai could only watch helplessly.

No. Not completely helpless. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small blue train. I won't fail. I will achieve my objective!

She threw the toy and put her fingers together. All hell broke loose.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

"Whoa! What the hell?!"

"Damn, she seemed desperate back there."

What is up with this hero course!? Even I wasn't this destructive back when I was still a student in U.A!

All Might could only stare in disbelief alongside his students when a huge, googly-eyed blue train erupted through the side of the building. The train's derpy smile did not highlight the seriousness of the situation. He was tense, ready to leap into action if the two teams needed and rescuing.

Looking back to his students, he saw their various reactions and couldn't help but be disappointed. Tsuburaba was jumping up and down, squealing about some hero he never heard about. Most of the others looked on with interest and little concern, save for Kendo and Kinoko. Even his successor was rapidly writing down in that notebook of his, albeit he did look a bit worried when he did so. Or maybe that was just his shyness showing again.

Where was all the concern and worry that should be natural for heroes? They must've thought that U.A. wouldn't let anything happen to them during these exercises.

Maybe I should've started with a safety lecture. Ergh...teaching is hard.

The debris cleared and the monitor showed the results of Kodai's actions. Kodai, Honenuki, and Kaibara were all coughing hard from the dust. They were trapped under various amounts of debris. Bondo was still slumped against the wall, unconscious now.

This is just like yesterday with that team with Bakugo Katsuki. No one appears to be in critical condition, thank goodness. I'm going to end this now before anyone gets seriously hurt.

"Everyone is incapacitated! This match ends in a draw!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

After some time, the two teams were situated in the observation room. All Might himself had personally gone to the ruined building and checked each student for any injuries. The worst injury of the lot was Honenuki's sprained ankle, but he insisted on staying for the after-match analysis. Bondo also quickly woke up and insisted on staying as well. Yui made sure to shrink the toy when everyone was out, which caused the building to collapse even more, making it unusable for the next match.

Yui could only look at the floor when All Might had looked over them. Her face was scrunched up and her fists clenched by her side. Her stomach gurgled and she held it in pain. An unfortunate aftereffect of overusing her Quirk. She ignored the stares her other classmates gave her. She vaguely heard the after battle analysis, but barely paid attention to it.

Why did I do something that irrational…? Her fists curled around themselves even tighter. She looked over at Bondo. Their gazes met and he quickly looked away.

"...anything from you, Young Kodai?" Yui blinked and looked up at All Might. She turned around and saw everyone else looking at her expectantly.

"... I shouldn't have enlarged that toy," she said softly. "I put everyone around me in danger. I didn't think of anything else and used it as a last resort."

"Not to worry, Young Kodai!" All Might said with his reassuring grin. "Like I said last match, everyone makes mistakes. As long as you realize that fact then you can learn from it. What you did is what a typical villain might do in these situations! When cornered, they might attempt to take both parties down with no care for their health. Be mindful of that! Though I will have to ask you to refrain from any big destructive actions from now on. I won't be able to guarantee your safety if something like this happens again."

The class nodded. All Might continued. "Now, the two teams have to go to the infirmary! No buts or excuses!"

Kaibara slung Honenuki over his shoulder limp-walked towards Recovery Girl's clinic. Yui quickly walked over to Bondo, who tried to avoid her gaze, but failed. She reached in her pouch and pulled out the small model Bondo was gushing over. He immediately turned his head when he noticed, wide-eyed.

"W-Wait, you're still giving this to me?" he stuttered. "W-Why?"

"I promised you, didn't I?"

"But I didn't even do well! I trapped you in my glue. So why?"

That was true. Why was she insistent on this? She initially offered it to him to boost his performance, but he ended up doing the opposite. She pressed on nonetheless. "Because...I just...feel like it?"

Those words felt weird coming out of her mouth. She didn't know why, but seeing his sad expression made her want to give it to him more.

He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I still can't accept this."

For the second time, Yui was taken aback. What?

"I didn't earn it." Bondo looked at her directly this time. Well, as directly as one with empty eyeholes can get. "I said I would try my best for it, but I ended up making things worse. And I was knocked out of the fight early by Kaibara." He held his stomach and winced. "If I knew how to fight, then maybe I could have avoided this."

"I made things worse as well," Yui reminded him.

"But I pushed you to that situation," Bondo said. "I'm going to earn it next time, fair and square. Well, next time we partner up I guess."

None of what he said made any sense. Even so, she would respect his wishes all the same. "Alright then."

The two walked to the infirmary together, this time in much more comfortable silence.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

The class chattered softly while All Might tried to rework the monitors to another building. Izuku was shaking nervously. His turn was almost up and he couldn't help but think of how he will use his Quirk this time.

I can't incapacitate myself. This is my chance to get rid of this probation sash. He clutched the item in question. I managed to avoid it last time. But what about here?

He shook his head and slapped his cheeks. Overworking himself wouldn't help him here. He looked at Kendo and noticed she had a sort of faraway look in her eyes. He followed her gaze and saw her staring intently at Kamakiri. Her eyes were narrowed and she seemed deep in thought.

"Is everything alright, Kendo-san?" Kendo blinked and looked towards him.

"O-Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Are you already thinking up a plan, Midoriya-san?"

"W-Well sort of," Izuku said. He looked down at his hands. "I-I was thinking about how I can use my Quirk without hurting myself again."

"Oh yeah. That would be a problem." Kendo looked up in thought. "Is there no way for you to hold back your power so that it won't hurt you?"

"I'm sure there is a way. B-But I haven't figured it out yet. It's really hard to control it…"

"I'm sure," Kendo said, nodding. "I can't even imagine trying to practice with a Quirk that breaks you every time. My Quirk kind of just clicked with me, you know?"

"Yeah…" Izuku slumped down. "That's what everyone seems to be saying to me lately…"

Kendo winced. "Sorry."

"Yo." Their conversation was interrupted by Monoma, who was walking towards them with his hands in pockets. His face looked noticeably better, lacking any of the bruises he had before. He did look a bit tired. Probably from Recovery Girl's Quirk. "What did I miss? I passed by the others on the way back and they don't look so good."

"You missed a lot." Kendo looked back at the monitors. All Might was tangled in the wires and Tsuburaba and Rin were trying to help him out with little effect. "We're just waiting to go right now. How is Tokage-san doing?"

Monoma whistled when he saw the destroyed building in the monitors. "Damn, I wish I was there to see that. Tokage-san is doing fine. Recovery Girl used her Quirk on her for the minor scratches so she was acting even more high and loopy than before, which was pretty funny to watch. Then she fell asleep and I got bored so I figured I'd come back here. Looks like I came just in time."

"And Recovery Girl just let you go like that?" Izuku asked, his eyes narrowed.

"She just used her Quirk on me. It didn't even use much of my energy since I didn't have any serious injuries." Monoma started sweating a bit at Izuku's scrutinizing look. "Seriously, I'm fine. Don't look at me like that."

"Ahem!" All Might cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. The monitors showed a different building with the same structural format as the last one. The wires were back in place and neatly organized. How did that happen so quickly? "We're finally ready! Will the hero and villain team please make their way for the final match of the day!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Togaru looked at the fake bomb with open disinterest. There wasn't any point to it in his opinion. It was just an easier way for someone to win. A more cowardly way. So what if you touched the bomb. What then? The villain would still be there. Where there is a villain, there always needs to be a battle to win before anything can get done in the real world. This simulation was almost insulting to him. All the previous matches were a joke. Just people playing pretend instead of actually being heroes.

His hero costume consisted of a small black cloak with equally dark trousers and boots. The cloak, when opened, exposed his upper body in case he needed to use his chest to sprout some blades in case of an emergency.

His 'partner' had a very Chinese-styled hero costume. It consisted of a pair of light-colored knee-high boots with a dark vest with a cloud design across it. He wore a belt with pouches on the side with a visor that had a talisman attached to the front.

Tch. That talisman covers up almost half of his face and his eyes. How will that help him in battle? These people aren't taking this seriously at all...

"So, what I think we should do is-" Rin started to say before he noticed Togaru walking through the door. "H-Hey?! What are you doing?!"

"Preparing for my fight," Togaru responded, making his way through the door again.

"But we should come up with a plan first!" Togaru stopped again and breathed through his nose deeply. Why he felt the need to explain himself, he didn't know. Maybe giving him a simple explanation would get his 'partner' to shut up.

"Do you think you can face against the runt?" Rin gave him a confused look.

"Midoriya-san? I don't know. That guy's Quirk is weird. Why are you asking? What happens if Kendo-san comes up with him?"

"No, he'll face you alone." The tone of his voice was certain. Togaru grew a pair of blades out his arms and sharpened them together. "Cuz I'll be the one who will face against Kendo."

"But-"

"I'll face her," he said. "There's a reason why I placed the bomb on the top floor. Midoriya will waste his time searching the other floors like a dipshit, which will give me more time to fight. And she will face me, one way or the other. If you manage to take out Midoriya, then it's all the better. If not, then I'll deal with him myself."

"...There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Glad you understand." Togaru walked out of the room. He had a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

I will get my rematch, Kendo. And we'll see who's fighting spirit burns more brightly this time.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Izuku didn't know how to describe what he was feeling right now. He was nervous but excited as well. He was getting another chance to redeem himself. To prove that he was still worthy of being at U.A.

Kendo looked equally as nervous, which was strange for her in the short time he knew her.

"Midoriya-san, I know you want to win this. You're really smart, so you must already have a plan," Kendo stated. "But even so, I have a huge favor to ask."

"W-What do you need?" Izuku asked. Her tone held a sense of trepidation in it. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well...I was wondering if I could face Kamakiri-kun alone," she said. Izuku stared at her.

"B-But wouldn't it be better to face him together?" Izuku said. Judging from Kamakiri's performance in the obstacle course and his confidence, Izuku can tell that he was a proficient fighter as well. "A-And how do you know he will come alone?"

"Because I'm in this match up. He'll definitely come after me." She enlarged her hands and smacked them together, startling him. "And...I want to test myself against him too."

"...You know him from before, right?" Izuku asked. He probably shouldn't pry, but after seeing Kendo's interactions with Kamakiri and now hearing her say that statement made his curiosity too much for him this time.

Kendo nodded. "Yeah. We know each other from long back in elementary school. Our families both own separate training centers: The Kendo Dojo and the Razor Gym."

Izuku gawked. "Did you just say theRazor Gym!? The exclusive training center that many top heroes frequent!? The one equipped with so many facilities on par with U.A and Shiketsu!? That Razor Gym?!"

The Razor Gym was a famous training center for top heroes. Just because heroes graduate from school and get their official license didn't mean that they stopped developing their Quirks or practice for any new threats.

Kendo laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I figured you might recognize the name. Though, I'll have you know that my dojo is just as good!"

"It is?" He hadn't ever heard of Kendo's dojo before. It made sense though. Kendo had to have learned her skills from somewhere and she did say she liked martial arts. at she owned one though He saw her skillful display in the obstacle course. Those techniques had to have come from somewhere. "What facilities do you have there?"

Kendo started sweating. "A-All sorts of stuff! B-But we're getting off-topic!" She cleared her throat, composed once more. "Our families quickly found each other and made a partnership of sorts. We sparred with each other all the time, but..." her hands were clenched at this point. "...I lost almost every single battle."

Midoriya took a step back. Kendo was getting a little emotional and he didn't know what to do. Wait, she lost!? It would make sense if it was 50-50 since they both owned dojos. Just how strong is Kamakiri-san?

"It's frustrating, losing most of the battles I had with him," at this point, Kendo's hands were clenched tightly at her sides. "He's just so much stronger than me and it only seems like he's getting farther away."

Izuku suddenly felt a wave of familiarity wash over him. His eyes were getting wider. Kendo continued.

"But despite all that, I still want to surpass him!" Kendo clenched her fist to her chest. "It's been a long time since we fought each other seriously and I want to show him how much stronger I've got. I will beat him this time!"

She looked down and saw Izuku's wide-eyed look. She blushed. "S-Sorry. I got a little too excited there. I don't know what came over me." She gave him a wobbly smile. "I'm probably being weird, huh?"

Izuku stared at her. Her fists were still trembling, though she was calming down. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips thin. Her teal eyes had a burning bonfire within them. All of this was something he was intimately familiar with himself. With another hot-headed person.

Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He suddenly gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. "Alright, Kendo-san. I'll help you out!"

Kendo's face lit up. "Really? Midoriya-san, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much!"

Izuku just continued smiling. "Don't worry about it. I'll find a way to deal with Rin-san."

"The five minutes are over! Prepare to start the exercise!"

"I'll leave Kamakiri-san to you, but I-I'm still going to try to get the bomb," Izuku said.

Kendo nodded understandingly. "Okay then. I guess I'll just have to beat him as soon as possible, I guess."

With that, the duo walked into the building.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

All Might stared at the monitor intensely. He was focused exclusively on his successor. There was a sense of anticipation building up in his body and he couldn't help but get worried if Midoriya will get hurt using his Quirk again.

"Um...All Might-sensei?" Shiozaki spoke up behind him. "Shouldn't we start the analysis now?"

"T-That's right! Thank you, Young Shiozaki! Is there anyone who wants to start?" All Might said, tearing himself away from the monitor.

I told myself I wouldn't neglect my other students because of Midoriya, but I'm doing it right now! I need to watch out for that!

"I think the villain team has the advantage here," Shoda said. "Rin-san and Kamakiri-san have good offensive and defensive Quirks. They're more well rounded for any situation."

"No way." Awase shook his head. "They have good Quirks, but Midoriya just needs to blast them with one punch and they're fucking done, period. Kendo also has a good Quirk for fighting too. They totally have the advantage."

"But did you see how injured Midoriya-san was after he used his Quirk?" Shiozaki said. "If they dodge his attack, then he'll be out of the battle."

"Not to mention Kamakiri is unbelievably skilled. Did you see his performance in the obstacle course!?" Tsuburaba said. "With moves like those, he has to be a good fighter."

"Well, we're about to find out," Monoma said, pointing at the monitor. "Cuz Midoriya-san and Kendo-san just found him."

The entire class whipped their heads around to the monitor. Sure enough, Midoriya and Kendo were facing against a calm Kamakiri. They were just standing there. It seemed some words were being exchanged, though they couldn't hear it. Then, Midoriya ran past Kamakiri. Kamakiri tried to swipe at him, but Midoriya ducked and rolled and continued running. Kamakiri didn't run after him and turned back to Kendo. They both started walking towards one of the open doors.

"W-What?!"

"They had the perfect advantage against him! Why would they waste it?!"

"Why did Kamakiri just stand there and let Midoriya pass?"

Even All Might was shocked at the turn of events. Just what are you planning, Young Midoriya?

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Itsuka's heart was pounding against her chest. Anticipation, fear, excitement, and confidence were just a part of what was whirling around in her mind right now. Her fists were sweaty and clenched.

On the opposite end of her was Kamakiri. The two of them were alone in a nearby open room so that they would have more space to fight. Kamakiri himself was also standing there, his expression blank. His hands were at his side, limp. The two of them stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, both scrutinizing and sizing the other up.

"You've gotten stronger," Kamakiri suddenly said. Itsuka let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. It was a simple statement, but to her it was acknowledgment. Kamakiri never handed out praise easily. It was as rare as finding gold in your backyard.

"So have you," Itsuka said. It was the truth. Judging from the obstacle course alone, Itsuka could see just how comfortable Kamakiri was with his Quirk. He had no trouble with his Quirk before, but now he was able to make all sorts of maneuvers to give him an advantage in the obstacle course. Itsuka was sure that translated into his fighting skills as well. "It's been a long while since we last fought."

"Too long," Kamakiri said. He had a small smirk on his face. "You look like you want to say something. Why don't you just spit it out?"

"I'm not going to give up." It looked like Kamakiri didn't change much, personality-wise. Itsuka got into her fighting stance. Her fists were clenched tight, ready to grow at any moment's notice. "You better watch out. I'm about to dethrone you, Kamakiri-kun."

"Just saying that won't mean anything." Kamakiri grew a pair of blades out of his arms and assumed an offensive stance. Itsuka recognized it from all the spars they did, but somehow it seemed more firm this time. He suddenly rushed at her and she had to grow both of her hands to block a sudden strike.

What the-!? He's this fast now?!

"You'll have to show me with your actions instead!" Kamakiri yelled, raising both arms high. What followed was a flurry of slashes that came her way. She dodged and parried all of them with familiar grace and skill. She finally pushed her hands outward, making him jump backwards into a crouch.

Or that's what should've happened.

Instead, Kamakiri leaped on her outstretched palms and delivered an overhead strike on her head, followed by a kick to her gut. She flew and skidded across the floor, wheezing.

W-What…?

"You always use that move whenever you want to create distance between you and me. Don't think you were the only one who was watching closely. That move used to work, but not anymore," Kamakiri said. His knees were bent low, his blades crossed over his face.

Itsuka quickly got up. She bit her lip. "It's true that you've improved…"

Kamakiri crossed the distance between them quickly. He slashed with his blades but was stopped cold. His eyes went wide.

Itsuka stared at him fiercely, her hand clutching his blades tightly. Blood leaked from her hand and fell to the floor. "But I'm going to say it again. I'm not the same as I was before. And I'm not going to give up!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Izuku was sprinting up the stairs. He headed straight for the top floor. He had a good feeling the bomb was there.

If Kamakiri-san wanted time to fight Kendo-san, then it would make sense to put the bomb the farthest away possible.

Izuku knew that Kendo would have also wanted more time to fight Kamakiri, but he wasn't that nice enough to give this whole match to her. He also had something to prove, and a probation sash to get rid of.

Let's come up with a plan for now. Rin-san has a Quirk that allows him to cover his body in scales for defense and launch them for offense if I'm not mistaken. How am I going to counter that?

Izuku was drawing blanks. On one hand, he didn't want to use the full power of All Might's Quirk in fear that he would seriously injure his classmate. But on the other hand, he would get destroyed by Rin-san's quirk. He didn't know all of his classmate's skills to see if his meager combat experience could hold up.

He slowly walked down the hallway towards the door at the end. He felt the doorknob and twisted it as silently as he could.

Of course it's locked…how do I get in now? If I use One for All, my arm would get broken…

Izuku remembered the events of the obstacle course. His eyes widened.

...but if I only use my fingers, then it should probably be enough!

Izuku positioned himself in front of the doorway. He put his thumb over his index finger and pulled back. The familiar red veins of energy flowed through his fingers, causing a gentle shockwave of wind to flow around him.

Concentrate...egg in the microwave...don't let your thumb break!

Izuku released his finger.

KERWHOOSH!

BANG!

"AHHHH!"

"OH MY GOD!"

The door flew off its hinges, slamming into the other side of the room. Izuku screamed as his finger flopped to the side. His eyes widened and he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a volley of scales speeding out the door. He clutched his wrist, trying to bear with the pain.

Now, what do I do? Izuku risked a peek. He quickly jerked back when he was almost met with another face full of scales. Rin-san isn't coming out, which means he's playing defensively. I have to be aggressive. But how? He'll blast me with scales as soon as I come out and I have to go up close to attack!"

Izuku closed his eyes and remembered all the All Might videos he had ever seen. One, in particular, came to mind. All Might punched the air and the wind pressure alone made the projectiles that were heading towards him fly off course.

...or maybe I don't have to be up close…

Izuku readied his other hand. His finger started glowing. I only have one shot at this or otherwise I'll be seriously disadvantaged. Here goes nothing!

Izuku dived forward through the doorway. Just as he predicted, Rin launched his scales towards him. This time, Izuku was ready.

KERWHOOSH!

"Wha-?" Rin wasn't even allowed to finish as he and his scales were blasted by the concentrated wind pressure. He was sent to the opposite wall, kicking up dust and debris everywhere.

Izuku panted, his hands awkwardly on his knees. I-I can't believe that worked! And my thumb didn't break! I wonder what changed this time… He shook his head and looked around. His eyes went wide. W-wait...where's the bomb!?

"You're probably wondering where the bomb is... hero?" Rin said. Izuku snapped his head towards the slowly clearing dust cloud. Rin stepped through the dust, his entire body covered in scales. The wall behind was partially damaged. A few bits of sunlight leaked through the holes. It looked like he covered himself with his scales just before he impacted the wall. Rin coughed a bit before continuing. "I wondered what I could do to stall you since I knew you would come eventually. But even I didn't expect you to come this fast. All Might never said we couldn't move the bomb after the time was up. Nor do we have to stay with it."

No… Izuku took a step back, his eyes frantically looking left and right for a way to escape. I only took account of what Kamakiri might do to prolong the fight. I completely forgot that Rin might have his own plan!

"I took a risk that you might find the bomb first. But you didn't and that risk paid off." Rin got into a stance. "I've got you right where I want you!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

"Damn, this is really intense!"

"I don't know who to root for anymore! Everyone's so awesome right now!"

"It looks like the hero team is going to lose…"

All Might couldn't help but agree with that last statement. It wasn't looking good for the hero team. Midoriya was stuck in a corner with Rin and it looked like Kamakiri and Kendo were having a deathmatch now.

Seeing Midoriya's red fingers tremble made All Might want to call the match off immediately, but he refrained himself. I wonder… was this what Nana felt whenever she saw me getting hurt?

All Might shook his head and clenched his fists. I need to believe in Young Midoriya! Just like how my mentor believed in me! Go show your spirit, Young Midoriya!

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Itsuka enlarged her other fist and gave Kamakiri a full haymaker. Kamakiri's face caved in the force. When she pulled back, she saw that his nose was slightly deformed with blood leaking out of nostrils. She pulled her fist back, but Kamakiri did a low kick at her shins, which caused her to trip slightly and lose her grip on him. He followed up with slash towards her torse, but she parried it perfectly. Kamakiri quickly sidestepped and tried the same technique at her back, only to be met with her durable hands once more.

The two childhood friends engaged in a deadly dance, jumping and ducking over and around each other. Kamakiri sped around, making shallow cuts on her. Itsuka blocked most of them, but the blades made small, messy incisions on her skin. Her hands were completely stained red.

My fists are too bulky! There were a lot smaller and quick back then. There's only one way I can get a hit on him now… Itsuka stood still and stopped attacking. She made a faux defensive position. Kamakiri took advantage of this immediately and raced towards her. He slashed with his blades. Itsuka tried to step back but was too late.

"Ghk!" Itsuka felt the blade cut her deeply. She didn't let the pain bother and saw her opportunity. She clenched her fist and punched forward.

"GAH!" Spit flew out of Kamakiri's mouth. He flew across the room and started skidding across the floor. Kamakiri started coughing but managed to get up quickly. "You...really did get stronger. I don't remember your punches being that powerful before."

"Haven't you been listening?" Itsuka said. She was breathing deeply. Blood droplets dripped to the floor from her arms and torso. She shrunk her fist so she could save energy. "I...will beat you."

"Give it up...with that." Kamakiri coughed some more. He was panting, but not as much as her. Still, it looked like she did some real damage with that one attack. "Even I can see that you can't fight much longer."

"I can still...fight." She was saying that now, but in reality, she knew Kamakiri was right. The blood loss was making her head spin and her vision was getting blurry.

Kamakiri rushed at her again. She dodged his initial swipe but completely got blindsided by his leg. He made another low sweep and swept her off the ground. He tried to end her in one strike, but she enlarged them again in a shower of blood and swung at him blindly. He leaned out of the way and took a step back. Itsuka made her other fist even larger and sent the large punch his way, forcing him to retreat.

"Please stop this! You can't go any farther!" Kamakiri shouted. Itsuka blinked. Was that worry she heard in his voice? "You've already proved your strength! I don't want to hurt you anymore!"

"Are you doubting my resolve?" She smiled at him, despite the amount of pain she was in. "You were the one that went on about how a battle is meaningless without victory. Don't give me of all people that pity."

"...you've always had a strong spirit, but you've never taken it this far before. Why? What changed?"

Itsuka said nothing, getting into position. Kamakiri grunted in acceptance and felt his sides, wincing slightly. He also got into his position.

The next strike will most likely determine the victor… Itsuka shrunk her fists. She took a deep, labored breath. The two of them seemed to stay like that for what felt like an eternity.

Then Kamakiri rushed at her. Itsuka enlarged her hand the biggest she could go and blocked the blade. It cut her hand deeply, sticking there and effectively pinning him in place. She tried to enlarge her other hand, but Kamakiri broke his blade and ducked under the attack. With a feral scream and blood gushing out of his arm, he uppercutted Itsuka's chin, making her fly upwards. She impacted the ground with a loud smack! and groaned immediately. She started coughing loudly. She tried to get up but her limbs wouldn't move.

No… Tears came to her eyes. She forcibly shut them so they wouldn't fall. All my hard work...all that training...only for it to end like this…

"This sucks…" Itsuka breathed out. Though her vision was rapidly fading, she could make out Kamakiri's form standing right over her. "I'm sorry…Midoriya..."

Her vision turned to black.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru

"Kendo is out of the match!"

Togaru looked down at her prone form, his mind processing her last words. He opened his cloak and looked down, wincing when he saw a big, purple bruise take up the entirety of his side.

If she had hit harder...

He shook his head and made to tear chunks out of his cloak so that he can dress her wounds.

"That won't be necessary, Young Kamakiri!"

Togaru gave a slight jump, immediately hissing when his bruise acted up. He looked behind and saw All Might in all of his smiling glory. Kamakiri blinked at just how fast All Might appeared. He had just heard his voice over the intercom. And It seemed he knew already what Kamakiri was about to do.

"I was just about to take Young Kendo to the infirmary! She's too injured to be just lying here. You concentrate on your match! You still have one hero to take down!"

Togaru scoffed. "Midoriya won't be hard to beat. This won't take long at all."

Something within All Might's expression changed. But it only appeared for a split second, making Kamakiri think he was seeing things.

"We shall see! I will head out now so that I won't waste any more of your time!" And All Might sped away while carrying Kendo. Kamakiri was slightly off-balance from the wind pressure and quickly righted himself.

Just like everyone else, Kamakiri idolized All Might. But unlike everyone else he idolized him for one reason and one reason only: the amount of power All Might possessed all on his own without any support from anyone or anything whatsoever. Through every legendary battle, All Might won with only his own pure strength.

Kamakiri looked down at his cloak and his expression darkened. Like I would let any of those support bastards mess with my abilities anyway…

His thoughts were interrupted when the intercom system blared again.

"Holy shit, that's so metal! I-I mean, Rin has been captured by Midoriya!"

Kamakiri's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Rin winced when he stepped forward. That fact was not lost on Izuku.

Was I able to harm him a bit with my attack?

Rin charged at him slowly, leaving him no time to dwell on his thoughts. Rin aimed a punch straight for his face. Izuku ducked under and rolled away. He winced when his fingers flopped from side to side. He tried running out of the room.

"I won't let you escape that easily!" Rin's scales started sliding down towards his hands. They shot out akin to a shotgun spray, making Izuku jump away from the entrance.

How am I supposed to counterattack? He has a ranged attack and can turn into his defense form. I can't attack him directly with One For All... Immersed in his thoughts, He failed to recognize that Rin had thrown another volley. Izuku tried to duck again but was too late. A few scales pierced his skin, making him grunt in pain. He lifted his hand and pulled back a third finger. Rin saw this and immediately grew scales across his body. Izuku's eyes widened. Wait...could it be that…

Instead of charging One For All, Izuku lowered his arms and rushed to the exit once more. Rin just clicked his tongue.

"That won't work twice!" Izuku watched him closely as the scales gathered near his hand again and shot forward. Izuku rolled in the opposite direction abruptly, just barely missing them. Rin ran across the room, positioning himself in between the doorway and Izuku.

I get it now! Izuku stood up and looked at Rin. He was readying another volley of scales. His weakness...he's completely defenseless when he's firing his scales! And it takes time to switch to his much slower defense form! I have to attack him

"It'd be better if you surrender here, hero!" Rin said. "There's no way you can escape from this."

Izuku just gritted his teeth behind his lips. He only had a split second to act. Wait for it…

Just as he saw Rin release his scales, he snapped his arm up, fingers in position.

"Kendo is out of the match!"

What?! Izuku released his fingers prematurely. Rin's eyes widened when he realized what was happening, but it was too late. Both were too committed to their attacks to do anything else.

KERWHOOSH!

The scales were torn apart. Instead of sliding back last time, Rin flew through the wall. The room shook from the impact. Izuku breathed heavily, his hand numb from the force of the blast. He looked down at his hand. His four fingers were red with blisters everywhere.

I lost focus and accidentally used two fingers instead of one… Izuku's eyes widened and he ran towards where Rin fell at. He was lying on his back, unmoving. "Are you alright, Rin-san!?"

Rin groaned and tried to pick himself up. Izuku saw through the tears in his costume that he was successful in partially covering himself in scales to mitigate the impact, but was apparently not fast enough. He made it up one inch before falling back down with another groan. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. He then remembered that he was still in a match and got out the capture tape from his side pouches. He wrapped it around Rin's wrist.

"D-Damn it…" Rin said before coughing a bit. "Y-You got me good there."

"You fought well too," Izuku said. Rin shook his head.

"Not well enough. I guess I still have some work to do…" He looked upwards at Izuku's concerned face. "Don't worry about me. I'm...just gonna rest here a bit."

"Holy shit, that's so metal! I-I mean Rin has been captured by Midoriya!"

Why is Tetsutetsu-san on the intercom? Izuku ignored it for now and took a deep breath. Butterflies suddenly started floating around his stomach. Kendo had been defeated only a moment before, which meant that Kamakiri was coming after him now.

Kamakiri-san is like a colder Kacchan. I don't know if I can handle that right now. Kendo might have weakened him, but still... Izuku looked at his almost useless hand. I have to find the bomb before he finds me!

Izuku ran out of the room and his stomach formed a pit. It seemed fate did not want to make things easy today.

Kamakiri stood at the end of the hallway, his left arm already forming a blade. For just a moment, Kacchan replaced Kamakiri's visage. Primal fear filled Izuku and he did the only thing that came into his mind at that moment.

He ran.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

So, the runt had beaten him… Togaru stood at the end of the hallway. He created a blade from his left hand and stepped forward menacingly. He could see the fear fill up the weakling's eyes as he took a step back. Guess my 'partner' was weaker than I thought.

He winced when his right arm throbbed. He had wrapped his cloak around it to stop the blood loss. Though he was getting dizzy, he was confident enough to beat the weakling easily and end this farce of a match.

The weakling suddenly ran, not surprising him. Of course he would run. That's all he can do, after all.

Togaru gave chase. "Don't think running will help you, dipshit!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Izuku ran as fast as he could, minding his broken fingers. He risked a peek behind him. Kamakiri was gaining ground. He would catch up to him soon.

He ducked around a corner and into a random room. He hid behind a pillar, trying to catch his breath.

"Useless Deku! You can't do anything right!"

"You become a hero? That's the funniest joke ever!"

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

Izuku shook his head vehemently. He needed to get his brain in the game. This was no time to dwell on the past.

There's no way I can find the bomb with Kamakiri-san tailing me. I'm sure Kendo-san fought her hardest against him, but now I have to face him. Izuku peeked behind the pillar, his unbroken hand clutching his probation sash. I can't let it all be for nothing!

"Hiding won't help you," Izuku heard. Kamakiri had finally caught up to him. He entered the room, his blade trailing the ground and making a small screeching sound. "Stop delaying your loss. This battle is over."

If I can take him out the same way as Rin-san, then I might have a chance. I have to face him head on!

Izuku suddenly ran out of his hiding spot, startling Kamakiri. He pulled back his finger, intent on ending it once and for all. Kamakiri raced towards him, his left hand in front of his face in a slashing motion. Izuku was just about to charge One For All.

"AAAHHH!"

"SSMMAAAA-"

"Time is up! The bomb has exploded! The villain team wins!"

"Wha- oof!" He slammed right into Kamakiri, who had been equally as surprised at the news. They both fell to the ground, both rubbing their rapidly swelling heads. Izuku clenched his left hand, tears coming to his eyes.

No...I lost!

"Come back so we can give you your analysis!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Moments later, the three participants came back to the excited chatter. Izuku wasn't in the cheery mood all of them were in. He couldn't bring himself to meet All Might's eyes.

"Midoriya! The way you took down Rin-san was so cool! You just flicked your fingers and he went flying!" Tetsutetsu immediately got up in his face and mimicked his motions . Izuku took a step back, startled.

"I-It was n-nothing," Izuku said. He looked down. I only beat him by accident anyways...

"Your fight with Kendo was epic! The way you ripped your blade out just to win was so cool!" Tsuburaba gushed. Kamakiri looked at him with cold eyes.

"Can you say the same if you want to win a battle? If not, then shut up." Tsuburaba backed away slowly, his hands in the air. The atmosphere became tense.

"Settle down, everyone!" All Might said in his loud voice. "I'm pretty sure you all know the drill by now. Since Young Kendo is still resting at Recovery Girl's office, can you tell us what you think you should've done differently?"

Izuku finally looked at All Might. He still had his smiling face, but it was somehow softer than before. Almost as if All Might was telling him he had understood why the battle happened the way it did and that it was okay.

Izuku gulped then started. He could feel Kamakiri's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head. "We...should have double-teamed Kamakiri-san when we first had the chance to. Then we could've gone after Rin-san and maybe win the match."

That's what he would've done if Kendo hadn't told him her backstory. He didn't blame Kendo at all for wanting to fight Kamakiri, but the loss still stung.

"I see! And does the villain team have to say anything?"

Rin was about to open his mouth but was interrupted by Kamakiri.

"No. Can I go to the infirmary now?" All Might coughed a bit.

"Y-Yes. All of you, get patched up at Recovery Girl! We'll meet you all back in the classroom!"

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Togaru was currently walking alongside Midoriya, who seemed to be fidgeting awkwardly. His mind was filled with images from the match he had with Kendo. He was analyzing her fighting style and how she had exactly improved. Then her last words snuck into the forefront of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry...Midoriya…"

Why apologize to him?

He snuck a glance at the runt. Today's match only confused him even more. He had initially thought that the determination that the runt showed during the obstacle course was a fluke. Just a lucky, freak accident. And his eyes had always shown that scared light of a weakling. A person who couldn't do anything.

Now though…

It happened again… Togaru turned to Midoriya. Back at the obstacle course...that was no fluke...

The fighting spirit that burned within his eyes had appeared during their fight. The willingness to sacrifice anything to win.

But was it truly to win or was it something else?

Either way, it was gone now and he was back to his pathetic trembling form. That didn't make sense to Togaru. You either had the fighting spirit or you didn't. There was no in-between or both.

Could it be that he's just acting that way to lower everyone's guard?

That was unlikely. Or Midoriya was just too good at keeping up that persona.

"K-Kamakiri-san…" His head snapped to the runt next to him. Midoriya was fidgeting even more, but he was looking at him directly. The fearful light was there, but something else was flickering underneath. Kamakiri couldn't decipher it. "How...how did Kendo-san do against you?"

Togaru grunted. "She fought better than you."

Midoriya winced at that. "I know that…" he whispered. He turned back to him. "But how-"

"Shut up."

Midoriya shut his mouth for the rest of the trip.

The arrived at Recovery Girl's office. It seemed that most of their classmates had already left, but Kamakiri didn't care about that. He was here to only see one specific person.

"Kamakiri-kun! Midoriya-san! You're here! That must mean the match has ended!" Kendo sat up from her bedside, wincing. "Who won?"

"More students!? Just what are you all doing to yourselves!?" Recovery Girl came out of the opposite door. She turned to Kendo. "And you. Lay down! Who said you could get up!?"

Kendo laid down obediently. Recovery Girl scanned the two of them for injuries, though it was pretty obvious in the first place. She looked at Togaru. "You're the one who's injured the most here. You did well stopping the blood flow with your cloak. Come with me, I'll fix you up in a jiffy. And then I'll deal with you, Midoriya-san."

Midoriya winced. Togaru looked at Kendo.

"I'll be fine. I'll talk to you once Recovery Girl is done with you," Kendo said, recognizing the look on his face. "Now, go on."

Togaru nodded and followed Recovery Girl into the room.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

"Kamakiri-kun won, right?" Kendo said. "I can kinda tell with your sad face."

"W-Was it that obvious?" Izuku knew he was sulking a bit, but he thought he had schooled it pretty well.

"Yeah. You're very expressive, you know." Izuku blushed a little from that. Kendo looked down. "I'm sorry I couldn't beat him…"

"Kendo-san?"

"I cost you the whole match. We could've won if I hadn't been selfish…" She bowed down to him. "Please accept my apology!"

"N-No need t-to apologize, Kendo-san!" Izuku said, waving his arms around robotically. "W-We wouldn't have n-necessarily w-won, but…"

"Breathe," Kendo reminded him. Izuku stopped and nodded, breathing in nature's life-giving air. She giggled some more, making him go red again.

"Thanks. I think I needed that," Kendo said.

"A-Anytime," Izuku mumbled. The two sat there in relatively comfortable silence. Until Kendo suddenly slammed her fist against the wall, making Izuku squeak.

"It's just so frustrating." Her fist was shaking. Izuku took a cautious step towards her. "I thought I could finally beat him, but he always finds a way to get farther away from me. Does that make any sense?"

Izuku smiled at her sadly. More than you know…

"In any case, this just means we have to work harder." Kendo put her fist towards him. "So, let's grow from this and become stronger than ever before, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Izuku bumped her fist with his unbroken one enthusiastically. That's one thing that won't change. I still have a long way to go before I can control All Might's Quirk.

"Rest on the bed over there, Kamakiri-san. Midoriya-san, you're up." Recovery Girl came from the door with a mostly fixed up Kamakiri in tow. Though, it looked like the bump on his head grew even bigger. "Let's hope you have a better excuse than this boor." She slammed her cane against the ground, making Izuku sweat a bit before he entered her office.

~Class~1-B's~Dekiru~

Togaru stood by Kendo's bed. Kendo smiled up at him weakly.

"Recovery Girl told you to lie down for a bit."

"Don't need it. She already patched me up. That's good enough for me." Kendo giggled at that.

"Always putting up the tough-guy routine. You don't have to do that."

"You've gotten stronger," Togaru said. Kendo tilted her head at the abrupt change in topics.

"You already said that many times during our fight."

"Yeah, but…" Togaru rubbed the back of his head. "I wanted to tell you after the battle. When our thoughts were more clear."

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "You haven't changed a bit. You're still as strong as ever."

"Maybe." Not strong enough in his opinion. But he would get there. "You've changed a lot though. You're a lot less…"

"Tomboyish?"

"Yes."

"Hmm… maybe." Kendo grinned up at him. "We would've won if Izuku and I tag-teamed you. I purposefully asked him to leave me so we could have our match, you know."

At that moment, Kendo's last words came to his mind again.

"I'm sorry...Midoriya…"

"It would've ended the same way," Togaru said. Kendo shook her head.

"Midoriya-san is a lot stronger than you think he is. I think he'll surprise you." Togaru grunted. He turned around and started walking away. "Where are you going?"

"Back to class. Recovery Girl isn't going to keep me here. You just stay here and rest up." Before he could take another step, he felt his arm get grabbed. He turned around and saw Kendo with her hair shadowing her face. "What is it?"

"Please answer me honestly here. It's been bothering me ever since I woke up." She looked up at him. At that moment, Togaru saw her fighting spirit burn in her eyes. "You...you weren't holding back during our fight...were you?"

Togaru's eyes widened before he looked away. A myriad of emotions went through him, but he pushed them all away. He pulled his hand free from her grip and went to the exit.

"No," he lied. "I wasn't holding back at all."

I'm back again with another update and this one was a doozy. Over a 11k words! This is the biggest chapter yet! Though with big chapters comes the danger of having even more mistakes in one place so if you see some then let me know. Me and RD1042 will be looking over it but that tiny extra help would still be appreciated. There's also a lot to talk about so I'm just going to dive right into it.

What did you think about the fight between Kendo and Kamakiri. I know there isn't much backstory to them yet and it will be revealed later but I still tried to go for the epic/emotional route since I thought it fit for them. I wanted to know if it was at least satisfying to read. I don't know if I made the fight too epic (apparently that's a thing) that it wouldn't fit here. Let me know on the Izuku v. Rin fight too. And speaking of backstory...

As you can see, I'm changing up the lore a bit by adding new locations: the Kendo Dojo and the Razor Gym. These will become semi-important locations later on so I hope you'll be excited for them. Now on to other things.

I'm seeing a fair amount of reviews saying that Manga was a throwaway character. That's half true and half not true. I did switch him up because he was admittedly going to be a minor character in Class 1-B. Everyone in Class 1-B is going to have their touching scene, don't get me wrong, but I didn't want there to be 21 students in one class. It just wouldn't fit with the story so one person had to get shafted. But I promised that this is a story about class 1-B so we will get Manga later. Even if he is a member of class 1-A here, he is still 1-B spiritually and will have interactions with Izuku later on. Now on to what I want to address the most.

My first bad review from Major Session, even though they're probably gone now and will never come back. I'll admit, even though I did encourage bad reviews, this came as a shock to me. But I was ultimately happy that someone was going to tell it to me how it is and I wanted to address it for future people looking through the reviews and to encourage people to speak out more so I can learn more from other's thoughts and maybe even get some new ideas. I also wanted to explain my reasoning for why I started the story the way it did so let's get into it. This review had a ton of good ideas on how to start off the story with different story beats, but I ultimately wanted to start it off the same way because I wanted there to be a clear point when the story starts to divert from the original storyline and become its own thing. Kind of like it starts the same with one difference, but that one difference snowballs into so many different branches that you get a completely different situation at the same timeline from the original storyline. I hope I made a bit of sense with that. As for the characters, their backstories haven't been revealed yet, but I promise they will be different from the Izuku/Ochako/Tenya trio. They will teach different things to Izuku and he'll turn out different because of that. How different? Well, you'll just have to read to find out.

Thank you all again so much for the support. I say this again and again, but it has been crazy still and I can't believe I made it to this point in just six chapters. I'll see you again, whenever that is.