The match was over; despite Uraraka’s best efforts, she had lost.
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Izuku: “Uraraka… ”
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Kiri: “Good fight though.”
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Denki: “Still brutal.”
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Jiro: “Is it over?”
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Momo: “Yes, you can uncover your eyes now.”
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Izuku: “I-I’ll go check on her. Tell me what happens with the next match if I don’t make it in time.”
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Kiri: “… Nh.”
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Izuku excused himself and made his way to where Uraraka might be. Along the way, he actually ran into Bakugo.
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Izuku: “Kacchan.”
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Uncharacteristically, Bakugo said nothing and studied the boy before asking his question.
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Bakugo: “… Oi, were you the one who put that plan in her head? The plan that had her fling herself so dangerously!”
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Izuku: “… No. The plan, all of it, was what Uraraka herself came up with to beat you. It… was pretty cool, right?”
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Bakugo: “… Hmph.”
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Bakugo gave Izuku one last glare before storming back to the rest of the class. With that confrontation down, Izuku made his way to Uraraka.
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Sero: “Yo, hey, that was nearly as tough as your face is villain-y!”
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Tsuyu: “It was a weird match up, but you played an amazing little heel nonetheless, Bakugou.”
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Bakugo: “Shut up, just shut your goddamn mouths!”
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Denki: “But damn, man, you’re able to blast a fragile little girl with abandon. Knowing me, I couldn’t go through with it.”
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Tsuyu: “But you got beat pretty easily, Kaminari.”
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Denki: “… Hey now, c’mon, Tsuyu…”
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Bakugo sat down with a huff and thought back to the match.
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Bakugo: ‘Where do you see ‘Fragile’?’
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Kiri: “Pay attention.”
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Kiri’s words caught everyone’s attention; her face was especially focusedon this match. Makes sense; it involves one of the psychics.
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Present Mic: “And we’re back with three straight rounds of psychic fury! Will they live up to the standards set before!? First up, the girl with a glare that rivals Bakugo’s, Sabrina Kanto from class 1-B!”
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Bakugo: “Tch.”
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The explosion boy narrowed his eyes at the girl. Out of everyone in the tournament, he knows that the quirks similar to Deku’s will be among the most difficult to face. So he needs to use this time to study all he can about his opponent.
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Present Mic: “In the other corner, we have another one from class 1-B, Juuzou Honenuki.”
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The two classmates stand opposed to one another, ready for action. Well… not really.
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Sabrina: “I’m sorry, Honenuki. You did well to get this far.”
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Honenuki: “Thanks.”
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Present Mic: “Start!!”
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Before Honenuki could attempt to soften the ground, he was flung out of the ring. But thanks to Sabrina’s tight control, he didn’t slam into the wall. Instead, she placed him softly on the grass.
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Midnight: “R-Ring out! Sabrina Kanto advances to the next round.”
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Present Mic: “I-It’s over! A new record for this year’s tournament! We haven’t seen a ring out that quick since Tornado!”
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Sabrina said nothing as she left the ring. As for class-1…
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Jiro: “That was… too fast.”
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Denki: “You know, I’m glad I’m out. I won’t have to face that.”
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Kiri and Bakugo both narrow their eyes after seeing how quick that battle went. Several strategies flew through their head, ways to prevent such a quick defeat.
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But the one panicking the most was Momo.
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Momo: ‘How do I fight against that?! I barely held my own against Midoriya, and that was in an enclosed room. Even if I beat Sannomiya… ’
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Jiro: “Momo, are you okay?”
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Momo: “Y-Yes. Just thinking about my upcoming match.”
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Jiro: “I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’re so smart; I know you’ll come up with a plan to win.”
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Momo: “T-Thank you, Kyoka.”
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Momo: ‘But you think too highly of me.’
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Izuku walks out of the waiting room where he found Uraraka. As he leaves, he can hear faint crying.
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Izuku: ‘Of course she’s hurting!! There’s no way she couldn’t be. Even if I told her, ‘I’ll do whatever I can to help’, I know I couldn’t deliver on that claim. I wish I could do more to-”
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Just then, Endeavor of all people appeared from the side hallway.
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Izuku: “E-Endeavor!?”
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Endeavor: “Oho, so you are here.”
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Izuku: “W-What? Were you looking for me?”
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Endeavor: “Yes, not only did you make an impression, but you seem close to that Kiri Tae girl.”
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Any nervousness Izuku had went out the door, and in came a much colder glare. One that made Endeavor smile.
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Izuku: “What do you want with her?”
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Endeavor: “Her quirk, it’s very much like All Might’s. Such wind pressure and strength. Then your quirk, so much like Tornado’s, if not more impressive.”
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Izuku: “So what?”
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Endeavor: “My Shouto has a duty to surpass both Tornado and All Might. His match against you and Kiri Tae will no doubt prove an excellent test. So you two best not give him a disgraceful match.”
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Instinctively, Izuku smirked and whispered-
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Izuku: “We’re not the challengers here.”
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Endeavor: “What was that?”
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Catching himself, Izuku covered his mouth.
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Izuku: ‘What was that?! Why did I say that?!’
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Quickly recovering, Izuku changed his tune and thought back to what Todoroki said to him.
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Izuku: “I-I-I said that Kiri is not All Might, and I’m not my sister.”
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Endeavor: “Obviously.”
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Izuku: “Right? Then Todoroki, is not you either.”
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Endeavor narrowed his eyes at Izuku, but it didn’t intimidate him. In fact, Izuku coolly walked past the walking torch stick.
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Recollecting himself, he eventually made it in time to see the end of the next match.
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Present Mic: “Ring out!! And that’s the end of the match!”
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Midnight: “Kaoru Akashi makes it to the next round!”
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Kaoru: “Aw man, I didn’t finish it as fast as Sabrina. You did well, Tokoyami.”
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Kaoru, glowing like a miniature sun, holds out her hand to the downed Tokoyami.
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Tokoyami: “Turn off the light… ”
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Kaoru: “Oh! Sorry.”
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The light shrinks, and Dark Shadow regains some of his size. Not wanting to disrespect his opponent, the boy gets up and shakes the girl’s hand.
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Back with the rest of the class, they were once again in awe. Tokoyami was one of their best 1v1 fighters, and he was taken out with relative ease.
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Thanks to Dark Shadow, he was able to prevent an instant ring out by hanging onto the stage. But as soon as Kaoru learned that Dark Shadow was weak to light, it was over.
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Denki: “Man, at this rate, the only hope for our class coming in on top is the Midoriyas, Todoroki, and Bakugo.”
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For that insensitive comment, he got a slap over the head by Jiro’s ear jacks.
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Jiro: “Oi.”
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Denki: “Ah… sorry.”
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The two look at Momo, who is increasingly worried about her match. The only saving grace? Shiho Sannomiya wasn’t like the others. She couldn’t instantly K.O you. But considering how crazy Nogami’s match was, you can never be certain.
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Momo: “I better get ready.”
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Momo got up and headed towards the waiting room. But before she could exit the stand, she ran into Izuku.
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Momo: “Midoriya.”
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He said nothing, just put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.
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Izuku: “Give it everything you’ve got, Yaoyorozu.”
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She gave him a soft smile and nodded.
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Momo: “I will, thank you.”
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She moves past him and prepares for her match.
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Five minutes later.
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Present Mic: “At last, we come to the final match of round 1! On one side, we have the president of Class 1-A, Momo Yaoyorozu!”
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She comes up to the platform with a weapon already in hand, a bo staff.
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Present Mic: “Her opponent, the mysterious psychic girl that managed to talk her way into having a sword. Class 1-B’s Shiho Sannomiya.”
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The girl smiles as she brings the sword Momo made for her to bear.
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The two girls get into their martial stances. Momo wears a tense grimace, while Shiho is the picture of calm waters. That alone told everyone how this match was going to go.
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Present Mic: “Start!”
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Shiho blasted off into action with perfect grace and posture. As if she were a master swordsman. Momo hurried into a defensive stance, but it quickly became hopeless.
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Shiho’s attacks were relentless and insane considering her age. Every attack was perfectly done and used at the most optimal time. Momo was an adept staff fighter and had gotten even better over the training period.
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But the person in front of her was a goddess with the blade. There was no contest.
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In a panic, she created a flash grenade from her bo staff in an attempt to stun Shiho. But with lightning quick reflexes, she caught the bomb, spin-kicked Momo away, and threw the bomb at her.
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Thanks to Shiho’s quirk, she knew exactly when the bomb would go off as soon as he touched it. So, when Momo opened her eyes, what was in front of her was a great flash of light.
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Shiho dashed forward with her own eyes closed and hit the disoriented Momo with the butt of her sword. The next second, it was over.
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Midnight: “Ring out! Shiho Sannomiya proceeds to the next round!”
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Present Mic: “You heard it, folks! The first round is over! We’ll get back to it after a short break!”
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When the world stopped spinning, Momo realized where she was and what happened.
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She looked up to see her classmates looking down at her with surprise and worry. She quickly turned away.
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Shiho: “I’m sorry it had to end that way. But you were better than I thought. It was just a bad match up. One of the abilities of my quirk, Psychometry, allows me to master nearly any weapon or vehicle I touch.”
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Momo: “So… I never stood a chance.”
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Shiho: “Not unless you were a master too or had some trick that could catch a master off-guard.”
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Momo: “I see… thank you… for informing me.”
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The two shake hands, and Momo fails to see Shiho’s eyes flash light blue again.
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Shiho: “Ah… I really am sorry. You deserved to win more than me.”
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But Momo doesn’t hear her; instead she walks back to the waiting room in a daze.
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As for the rest of class 1-A.
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Jiro: “Poor Momo.”
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Tsuyu: “Kero.”
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Izuku looked at Momo and saw… a face he used to see in the mirror. The self-doubt, the feeling of powerlessness, the… disappointment. Old parasites he knew all too well.
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He balled his fists and made his choice. What kind of friend would he be if he didn’t help? Shinso’s situation is… complex. He couldn’t really comfort Uraraka. But Momo, he won’t fail her.
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He won’t let her suffer what he suffered for so long until he got his quirk. So before Jiro could get up and comfort her friend, Izuku teleported away first.
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Jiro: “Whoa, what the-”
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Kiri: “Onii?”
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In a flash of light, Izuku appeared in the waiting room and looked around for her. But she was nowhere in sight. So he ran out of the room and started looking. Eventually, he found her sitting against the wall of a deserted hallway, a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs.
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Izuku steeled his heart and approached her. His footsteps caught her attention; seeing who came to see her, she quickly wiped away her tears.
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Momo: “M-Midoriya…”
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Izuku: “M-Mind if I sit down?”
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She shakes her head, and so Izuku sits down next to her. For a solid minute, they said nothing. The silence was peaceful, uncomplicated. But it won’t solve the problem, so Izuku decided to break it.
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Izuku: “I… understand how you’re feeling right now.”
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Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Momo shrinks as she tightens her fists.
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Momo: “How would you know? With a quirk like yours? You’re most likely going to win this tournament, and it won’t even be that difficult for you.”
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She tried really hard not to scream those words at him. How could he, of all people, understand what it’s like to fail to meet expectations?
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Izuku: “… I didn’t always have a quirk.”
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Momo: “… What?”
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Her body stills, and her fist loosens.
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Izuku: “That’s right. Brother to Blizzard and Tornado, quirkless. So yes, I know how you feel because I felt that way nearly my whole life.”
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Momo’s mouth opens as Izuku continues to lay a part of his soul out to her.
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Izuku: “I never believed in myself. That feeling, it’s suffocating. Like it’s trying to drown the rest of you out to the point where all you feel is just-”
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Momo: “Disappointment.”
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Izuku: “… Exactly. And not just in yourself, but you start to feel others’ disappointment in you. It wears you down and breaks you until you’re a mess of emotions.”
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Momo: “How did… you deal with that?”
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The boy thinks back to Kiri, how she ate some of the negative emotions he had. If not for her, who knows what may have happened. He may have even…
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Izuku: “I had help from Kiri. But… I also gained my quirk.”
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Momo: “I see… as I thought.”
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Once again, Momo shrinks in on herself.
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Izuku: “B-But my quirk is not perfect! Yes, it’s powerful. Yes, it’s helped me become more confident. But it’s also brought me problems.”
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Momo: “What… problems?”
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Should he tell her? What would she think of him? Would she see him as some monster?
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Izuku: ‘No! If I want to help her, I need to be honest. At least a little. Just enough that she understands.’
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So that’s what he does. He bares a bit more of his soul to her. About the darker side of his quirk, about what he can actually do. How dangerous it can be and the fear that causes in himself and others.
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Pretty much the same thing he told Kiri.
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Izuku: “So you see, I’m still not fully alright.”
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Momo: “I… had no idea.”
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Izuku: “I-It comes with being a hero, I guess. That’s why I don’t want to see you breakdown or become like how I was. You have so much potential, Yaoyorozu! I already gushed about your quirk and intelligence enough; you know what I think about you.”
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Momo: “But why? I’ve lost nearly every battle since I came here. I… refused to come here on recommendation because I wanted to prove that I have what it takes to be a hero. And I’m… failing. I’m letting everyone down.”
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Izuku: “But you don’t need to win every battle! Do you really not see how amazing you are?”
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Momo looks at Izuku for the first time since this started and sees how much admiration he holds within those emerald orbs.
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Izuku: “During the battle trial, you led the heroes nearly to victory. If not for you, Jiro and Kaminari would have died during the villain attack. You almost beat me. You would have won the race if not for me causing Nogami to teleport. Then, outside of the ten million, you won the cavalry match.”
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Izuku: “Sure, you didn’t get first place or win everything. But that’s fine.”
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The boy’s mind wanders to Endeavor, who hurt his son all because he was obsessed with being the number one hero.
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Izuku: “Don’t be so obsessed with being number one or winning every fight. You’re perfect the way you are.”
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Momo’s mouth fell open once more as she gazed into Izuku’s eyes with wonder. So much so, Izuku was getting self-conscious. A very beautiful girl was staring at him after all.
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Izuku: “S-S-So, yeah, Sannomiya is strong, but you shouldn’t let this loss get you down. It was one fight, and we’re only going to get stronger from here. L-Let’s both go beyond and do our best. So that we can make sure we never let these negative emotions drag us down again!”
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Momo: “Midoriya… ”
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Izuku: “And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
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The reassuring smile and words filled with kindness. That combo did it.
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Moving with instinct alone, Momo closed the distance and captured the boy’s lips with her own. Izuku’s eyes flew open as he felt a sensation he never thought he would ever really experience.
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A kiss from a pretty girl.
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But because of that, he couldn’t kiss back. So, Momo regained her senses and blushed before pulling away.
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Momo: “I-I-I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me!”
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Izuku: “N-N-No, it’s fine! I was just… surprised, that’s all.”
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The two looked away, trying to hide the obvious blush painting their faces. Unable to speak right now, Momo spoke from the heart instead.
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Momo: “Thank you, I-Izuku. For everything.”
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Still stunned by the kiss, he didn’t even register that she used his first name. What he did notice was Momo getting up and speeding away.
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He watched her go, still too shocked to get up himself.
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Izuku: “W-Whoa. A-A-A g-g-girl r-r-really k-k-kissed me.”
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Izuku: ‘I want to help her more. I know she can become a great hero. Maybe… could she handle One For All?’
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He would have stayed and thought about it more if not for the announcement of the next match, his.
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Izuku: “Oh! I better go!”
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The boy got up and sprinted to the arena, where he will face Todoroki.
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Izuku: ‘I’ll help him too. I can do this!’
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Unbeknownst to the duo, they had another duo watching nearly the whole ordeal.
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Jiro: “Whoa, I never thought Momo could be so bold. What do you think, Tae? Do you think Midoriya likes-”
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Jiro turns but finds no Kiri.
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Jiro: “Huh?”
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No, Kiri could not bear to watch it. She left as soon as she saw what was coming. Right now, in another part of the building, she is holding onto a wall. A wall she is slowly cracking.
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Kiri: “Izu… why?”
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Kiri: ‘HE’S MINE! WHY IS UDDERS KISSING HIM!? IT SHOULD BE ME! WHY DID I WAIT!?’
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The girl tried her hardest to keep the raging emotions down, but it was no use. She needed to vent. So, not giving a damn about cameras, she transforms into her Valkyrie persona.
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She quickly moves through hallways, bypassing any who would recognize her and making her way outside.
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Kiri prays there are some quirk beasts out there, because right now, she needs to kill something.
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Fanfic Adapted: Thank You by MizuToriFFN [2019 – 2021]
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