Enlightenment

*General POV*

Bakugo narrows his eyes as Shiro collapses onto the floor, 'That old man is afraid of blood… That is the only thing that makes sense right now. Momo cutting herself was suspicious enough, but that gas or whatever she released reeked of blood.'

He grinds teeth in annoyance, 'Shit! I lost to that mother fucker and he's scared of blood!?'

Izuku had also arrived at the same conclusion but was more curious as to why, 'From the way he acts, I don't think it's just that he is naturally scared of blood. There has to be a reason…'

Aizawa raises his eyebrows while he recalls a conversation he had with All Might and Nezu the other day.

*A few days ago*

*Aizawa POV*

"Excuse me," I open the door into the office and see both Nezu and All Might sitting there, "What did you need me for?"

The white rodent gestures to the couch in front of him, "I have some questions regarding Shiro. Seeing as how you are his homeroom teacher, you are the most suitable. Toshinori also may have some insight."

I let out a sigh, as I moved forwards to take a seat, "Shiro, huh? This might be interesting. What did you need?"

All Might looks over at Nezu and the latter nods, while the former sighs, "I guess I better explain first. To put it simply, he found out about my transformations."

My eyes widened slightly, but strangely enough, a student figuring out a national-level secret didn't surprise me, especially when you take into consideration who the student is.

Nezu smirks, "You don't seem particularly surprised."

I shrug my shoulders in response, "Well, look who we are talking about here. Shiro Hirota, number one scorer in the recommendation exams, class representative, honestly I'm more interested in how he found out."

All Might rubs the back of his neck nervously, "Apparently he picked up little bits here and there from Izuku and at USJ."

I scowl slightly, "No wonder, of course, the troublesome kid would let it slip. I still can't believe that you were caught in your skinny form by that kid of all people. "

AN: It's never really explained if the majority of the teachers were aware that Izuku knew about All Might's skinny form. In the USJ fight, Cementoss protects All Might from being revealed while leaving Izuku on the side but doesn't make any comment after that. So I assume they told most of the teachers that Izuku found out by accident and he walked in or something, if not that's still what I'll go with.

All Might chuckle nervously, "It was an unlucky event, but it was bound to happen in a school full of children."

I shake my head and move onto the next topic, "So, why do you want to talk about Shiro? If this is about what he did at USJ-"

But Nezu cuts me off, "No, it's... actually it might be somewhat related."

He begins to tell me about Shiro's background, the details of his parents, the murder of his mother, and his reason for being a hero. After he's done, I sit back in my chair, thinking to myself.

After a minute, I let out a sigh, "I always wondered why he wanted to become a hero. He never seemed like the saving type, yet he was trying very hard. To think that his reason was revenge…"

I hunch over and stare at my boss, "So you want me to keep my eye on him?"

Nezu nods, "Exactly. I have a brief profile on his character but I would like to hear your opinion of him as well."

I open my mouth to speak but slowly close it. Staying quiet for another minute, I gather my thoughts before finally responding.

"He's… unlike any other student, I have ever taught. His physical levels are pretty high for someone without a strength-enhancing quirk, and his combat and work style is… interesting to say the least. He does not limit himself to just the strengths of his quirk, instead, he uses poisons, an array of support gear, and martial arts in order to make his position more favorable."

I smirk and continue talking, "And that's not even his strongest trait. His mind… his mind is more troublesome than any poison or trick he may use. He analyzes the situation and acts accordingly, finding the most optimal solution… but sometimes… sometimes he seems different."

Nezu nods, "He seems wilder and his attitude is completely different, right?"

I nod slowly, "Yes… how did you know?"

Nezu explains, "I noticed the difference when we were watching the playback of his race. After meeting him personally, the difference was obvious, I just never knew why."

I shrug my shoulders, "As long as it doesn't affect his classwork and hero work, I think it should be fine. So, anyway, you want me to watch out for him, yeah?"

Nezu nods, "If you could."

"Understood."

*Present Day*

My eyes narrow, 'He must've developed a fear of blood from the murder of his mother… And it looks like "that" side of him didn't come out either.'

I look at the sheet of paper next to me, 'The next fight is… Izuku and Tokoyami, huh? This might end badly. That kid still isn't controlling his quirk.'

Letting out a sigh, I look at the now empty arena while the next participants get ready, 'Well, better get ready then…'

*Izuku POV*

I take a deep breath in to calm myself but still, my body is trembling, 'Tokoyami will be a hard opponent. I don't know the limits of Dark Shadow but it is undoubtedly strong. It's fast, strong, and agile, I may have my work cut out for me, and even if I win…'

An image of a white-haired boy looming over me appears in my head, 'The guy who beat Todoroki, Kacchan, and me during the race. Then he knocked out all of Class B and dominated the cavalry battle.'

An immovable wall. One that was too tall to climb over, and too strong to break.

I clench my fist and shake my head, "I can't worry about that now, first I have to focus on winning this match."

A voice speaks out from outside, "Midoriya Izuku, it's your turn."

Rolling my fingers, I take another deep breath and stand up, "I need to show people what I am made of."

Exiting the waiting room, I make my way to the arena floor, where I can hear Present Mic starting up the introductions, "It's the last round of the semi-finals! Are you ready!?!?"

The crowd cheers in response, "On the left side, shrouded by his guardian angel of darkness, is Fumikage Tokoyami!!! As for his opponent on the right, guided by the strength of his quirk, it's Izuku Midoriya!!!"

I walk up to the stand with a confident smile on my face. Across from me, is my bird-headed classmate, with Dark Shadow floating menacingly behind him.

Tokoyami smirks, "You know, a lot of people don't understand how beautiful the darkness is."

I stand there quietly, my fist clenched as I prepare to move.

Present Mic shouts out, "Ready!?!?! START!!!"

"SMASH!!!"

AN: Bit of a boring chapter. Also Sorry about the delay between chapters, annoyingly, I'm busier now than I was during the school year.

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