In the first match of the afternoon, Izuku faced the opponent he had been most wary of: Hitoshi Shinso.
Standing on the arena stage, Izuku stared across at Shinso with a serious expression.
"First match—begin!"
"Hey… I don't think I caught your name yet." Shinso stepped backward, clearly trying to avoid Izuku's approach.
"Deku."
Izuku's lips didn't move—but Shinso heard it clearly.
"What kind of ability is that?!"
"Ventriloquism," Izuku replied calmly. "Picked it up when I had too much free time."
He took another step forward.
"Your Quirk works through verbal response. You need someone to answer you. So… what if I just don't use my mouth?"
"That's a pretty broken trick!!"
Before Shinso could react further, Izuku closed the distance instantly, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him straight out of bounds.
"Midoriya Izuku advances to the second round!!!"
"Perfect timing," Izuku muttered, clapping his hands as he turned away. "Another second and I might've run out of air. Nice."
"Seriously strong…" Shinso said quietly as he left the field. "He's even stronger than I expected."
Back in the waiting room, Izuku popped a lollipop into his mouth and sat down.
"…Still nervous, huh?" he muttered to himself.
He leaned back, eyes half-closed, already thinking ahead.
Todoroki…
His power is overwhelming—but he's not using all of it.
Could I force him to use it?
No… if I push too hard, it might backfire. And One For All isn't stable enough yet.
But if I can get him to fight seriously…
"…Yeah. I want him to go all out."
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A message.
{Long time no see! I just saw you on TV—you looked amazing!}
Izuku paused when he saw the familiar number, then quickly replied.
{Weren't you living overseas? When did you come back?}
Their numbers differed by only one digit. It was strange—they'd met by accident through a wrong number years ago.
And both of them… had once been Quirkless.
{I haven't come back yet. I've settled on a southern island—it's incredible here! Sunshine, beaches, everything. Izuku, your idea worked perfectly! Want to visit sometime?}
{Maybe during summer break. Where exactly are you staying?}
{A resort island—warm all year round! You can wear swimwear every day! And there are tons of handsome guys… my fangirl heart is thriving!}
"Cough—!"
Izuku nearly choked on his lollipop.
This "big sister" of his… had always had a very unique personality.
{Are you sure your novels are okay being published over there?}
{You underestimate me. I'm a bestselling author, you know. I handled it just fine.}
{You're amazing.}
Neither of them brought up Quirks.
It was an unspoken understanding.
{By the way, I sent you a set of clothes. Make sure you wear them! Talk later~}
Izuku sighed, lowering his phone.
"…Why does everyone want to dress me up…"
He shook his head.
"Alright… next is Todoroki. I need a strategy."
His power is strong—but it has limits.
If I push him to that limit…
He looked down at his hands.
Todoroki… you're trapped.
Half in, half out.
All I have to do… is break that barrier.
"…Saving someone, huh? Don't get ahead of yourself," Izuku muttered, standing up. "Just fight."
As he walked through the corridor toward the arena, he suddenly ran into a towering figure.
Endeavor.
Izuku's expression immediately cooled.
"Oh… found you," Endeavor said, looking him over with interest.
"I saw your performance. Impressive. In terms of raw power… you're already comparable to All Might."
"Sorry," Izuku replied flatly, stepping past him. "I'm busy."
"My son has a duty to surpass All Might," Endeavor continued. "Your match with him will be… a useful test. Don't disappoint."
Izuku didn't even look back.
"…If you couldn't surpass him yourself, what makes you think your son will?" he said coldly. "I'm not All Might. And Todoroki isn't you."
He stepped into the arena.
"This fight… we'll both go all out."
"You're finally here."
Izuku narrowed his eyes as he faced Shoto Todoroki.
"…Still planning to use only half your power?"
His voice was so quiet only he could hear it.
"Next match! Midoriya Izuku versus Shoto Todoroki!!!"
"Begin!!!"
Too dangerous to let that power loose freely.
Should I activate everything from the start?
No—first, avoid the opening attack.
The moment the match began, Izuku moved.
Fast.
Constantly shifting position as he closed in.
"Don't let him get close!"
Todoroki stomped the ground—
Ice surged forward.
"That won't work!"
Izuku kicked through the incoming ice, shattering it—
—but immediately winced.
"Tch—my foot's numb… and freezing…"
He hopped back, shaking it off.
"…Okay. New plan."
He stopped advancing and raised his hand.
"Tsk… looking down on me?" Todoroki said, sending another wave of ice.
"Whoa—Todoroki, you're seriously strong!"
Izuku focused his power into a single finger.
"SMASH!!"
The ice exploded apart.
"Nine uses left…"
His eyes sharpened.
Another attack came.
"SMASH!!"
Eight.
"I'll end this quickly," Todoroki said, rushing forward.
Ice snapped around Izuku's foot.
"Too close!"
Izuku countered with a punch—
BOOM!!
The force knocked Todoroki back.
Left hand's gone. Three uses left on the right.
"Just defending is already pushing you this far," Todoroki said, exhaling.
"…Thanks, Midoriya. You've really ticked my old man off."
Izuku's eyes flicked toward the stands.
"…Then why are you still holding back?!"
He unleashed a full-powered strike—
BOOM!!!
Todoroki was nearly blasted out of bounds.
"Your Quirk is physical too! Your body has limits!"
Izuku's hands trembled, turning purple.
"So why not use your fire?!"
"Everyone here is fighting to win! To reach their goals! To become number one!"
"You think you can win with half your power?! You haven't even landed a hit on me!!!"
He charged.
"Then you might as well give up!!!"
"—Tch!!"
Todoroki rushed forward too.
They clashed head-on.
"Your body's slowing down, isn't it? Still refusing to use it?! Then I'll surpass you!!!"
Izuku's punch sent Todoroki skidding back.
Memories flashed—
A harsh father.
A broken home.
A burned face.
"Use it—"
"That power is yours, isn't it?"
Izuku's voice cut through everything.
Todoroki froze.
"All Quirks are inherited, sure… but what matters isn't where it came from."
"It's that your power… is yours."
"Do what you want to do."
His mother's voice echoed.
"BOOM—!!!"
Flames erupted.
Todoroki's left side ignited.
Izuku smiled.
There it is.
"Still smiling?" Todoroki said, flames roaring. "I want to win more than anything—and you're the one helping me?!"
"Now that you're serious…" Izuku wiped the blood from his face.
"…I won't hold back either."
Green lightning surged.
"Knight: Heavy Armor!"
Energy wrapped around him, forming a glowing suit of armor.
"Knight: Greatsword!"
A massive green blade formed in his hand.
"…This kid really doesn't hold anything back…" All Might muttered from the stands.
Izuku lifted the sword.
"Now… let's settle this properly."