33

Chapter Text

Kyouka stared intently at the arena; after the intimidating exit Midoriya made, it was hard not to be on the edge of your seat. She twirled one of her jacks in her hand- a nervous tick she had picked up years ago- while the other was pointed subtly towards the battleground Cementoss had constructed in the center of the stadium.

"My money's still on it being lightning," Kaminari said. "Think about it: his dad, his granddad. It's gotta be that."

"Hmm, I dunno," Mina muttered. "He's a different color than them."

"Fulgurite used lightning," Iida added, finally getting into the debate himself, "and she was blue. Color might not mean anything."

Tsuyu put a finger on her chin. "Hey, think about the USJ for a moment. Surely he would've used his breath there, right? Unless…"

Kyouka caught on. "Unless he breathes fire because that wouldn't affect Terrorflame." She remembered watching videos from Terrorflame's rampage through Japan; if anything, he seemed to enjoy being around fire.

"Ooh!" Tooru bubbled. "That's the best theory we have so far!"

"I mean, Bakugou could just tell us…" Satou looked at the man with a hopeful smirk.

Bakugou didn't take his eyes off the arena. "No."

Kaminari threw his hands up. "Aw, come on, man! Just a hint?"

"Drama is an art, mon ami. You should appreciate the suspense!" Aoyama remarked with a sparkle.

Kyouka narrowed her eyes. 'How does he do that?'

"It's time to get this show on the road!" Present Mic shouted, eliciting cheers throughout the arena. "Let's start with our contestants!"

Midoriya and Monoma were walking up to the arena, the latter's walk was casual, almost flippant, while the former's was… cold.

"You've seen him take first place in both events so far, but what else can you expect from the son of Stormclaw?! From 1-A, Izuku Midoriya!"

Kyouka and the rest of her class cheered loudly. Next to her, Pony yelled something in English; Kyouka didn't catch it, but it sounded encouraging.

"He led his team to a comeback victory in the previous round with some really clever moves! From 1-B, Neito Monoma!"

Kyouka saw Pony's mood visibly drop. She was on Pony's team for the cavalry battle, so she understood why. Kyouka reached out and put a hand on Pony's leg, hoping to comfort her.

Pony smiled softly. "Don't worry, Kyouka. Izzy gonna win."

Kyouka smiled back and handed Pony her other jack. "You wanna listen in?"

Pony nodded eagerly and took the jack tenderly, putting it up to her ear.. Kyouka couldn't help but smirk at the stark contrast between Pony's normal personality and just how badass and determined she got in battle.

It was kinda hot.

'Where the fuck did that come from?' Kyouka wondered, her eyes widening slightly as she turned back to the arena. She put the thought out of her brain as All Might prepared to speak.

"The match will end when one of three things happens: a contestant goes out of bounds, a contestant is immobilized or a contestant gives up. Do you understand?"

Monoma nodded smugly. How do you even nod smugly?

Midoriya was quiet for a second. "I understand."

Kyouka and Pony exchanged looks. On the far side of Pony, she saw Momo holding her hand to her mouth in worry.

"Then let's get started!" All Might declared. "Go!"

"Monoma." Midoriya was staring daggers at the man. "You will apologize for upsetting Pony."

Kyouka and Pony stole looks at each other again. Nobody else in their class could hear this but them and maybe Shouji if he really wanted.

"Who?" Monoma said with a sardonic smile. He wasn't moving, apparently content to banter for the time being.

"You know damn well who she is."

"Maybe I do," he said offhandedly. "But why are you getting so worked up about it? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Midoriya's voice was deeply unsettling even without the rage dripping from it. Right now, it was terrifying; it was a little impressive that Monoma was keeping his composure. "No. We would not be having this conversation if you had insulted them . This is your last chance."

'Them?'

Kyouka blinked.

'THEM?!'

She and Pony shot a third glance at each other, this one full of questions. 'I noticed Mina has been all over him, but she's all over a lot of us; she's just a touchy person. Could they be dating ? And who else?!' Kyouka shook her head slightly. 'Questions for later.'

"It isn't wise to lose your head, don't you know? It would be a shame to have such weak composure that a simple word like 'cow' would cause you to get so upset." Monoma began to run forward.

Kyouka didn't need her quirk to hear Midoriya's snarl. God, it was like being badass was just natural for him.

She saw his eyes burst with light as he took a deep breath, much deeper than she would have thought possible.

"Here it comes!" Eiko cheered from behind her.

Kyouka secretly hoped it was fire; it was classic, if maybe a little cliche, but fire-breathing dragons were badass. Ice would also be cool. She rolled her eyes a little at herself.

Midoriya opened his mouth, baring his fangs as he exhaled.

A massive green cloud poured forth, enveloping his opponent and the rest of the arena with a thick haze in an instant.

There was a beat of silence in the stands.

"What?!" Eiko shouted before anyone else. "What is that?!"

Bakugou huffed. "That's Izuku's breath."

"Hold your breaths, folks! Midoriya unleashed some sort of gas attack on Monoma!"

Midoriya wasn't moving. He had unleashed his attack and then was just standing there at the edge of the arena, the look of cold fury on his face contrasting his burning bright eyes. She couldn't see Monoma in the green fog that hung over the ring… but she could hear him coughing.

"...What is it?" Sero asked nervously.

"Poison gas," Bakugou declared flatly.

"P-p-poison?!" Mineta stuttered. "Is he gonna kill that guy?!"

"What?" Bakugou responded, like the question was ridiculous. "Don't be stupid."

Midoriya was still standing there, staring into the gas.

"Lots of quirks are dangerous," Hadou said softly, her voice filled with more wisdom than Kyouka was used to hearing. "Each of you could kill very easily if you wanted to or just by accident. Greenhorn has gone through a lot of training to control his breath and he's gonna get more here at UA." She turned and looked at them seriously, but still with a small smile. "You're all gonna get a taste of it sooner or later."

The class recoiled.

"Ah, don't be a buncha babies," Bakugou sneered. "Yeah, getting hit by it sucks but so does getting hit with any quirk. I don't know about you, but I don't want Pikachu to shock me either."

"That's… fair," Satou admitted.

"He's winning the best way he can without letting Monoma touch him." Ochako clenched her fist. "I trust Deku."

"Me, too!" Mina declared. Kyouka noticed the two of them exchange knowing glances.

Kyouka turned back to the arena as the gas cleared away, dispersing into the air and fading from sight.

Laying in the middle of the arena, unmoving, was Monoma.

"Move over, Midnight! It looks like Midoriya's gas attack knocked Monoma out cold!"

Midnight huffed over the speakers.

Midoriya still hadn't moved an inch, simply staring his opponent down. A shudder ran down Kyouka's spine. 'How is he such a stone-cold badass one moment and such a cute, lovab-' She stopped herself before that thought continued.

All Might dashed into the arena in the blink of an eye, reaching down to check on the student.

"Don't worry, Izuku just knocked him out," Bakugou huffed, almost sounding bored.

"Are you sure?" Tooru asked.

He clicked his tongue. "He's used it against me enough times. He'll be fine."

"Young Monoma is unconscious! Young Midoriya wins!"

"See?"

Midoriya bowed towards All Might and his opponent before turning and walking down the stairs and out of the arena.

"M-Midoriya is scary," Tooru muttered.

"Yeah," Tsuyu agreed cheerfully. "It's kinda hot."

"I know, right?" Mina was grinning wide.

Kyouka began to blush slightly.

She didn't necessarily disagree with them...

Izuku was still fuming slightly as he made his way back up. Monoma had paid, but he hadn't done any permanent damage to him. He had practiced enough to make it work like a knockout gas, albeit a little more… painful. His gas was poison, there was no way around it, but he didn't put any real kick behind it. Monoma would be fine after some rest, especially with Recovery Girl's help.

He was also nervous. The class- not to mention everyone else- had finally seen his breath. Would their opinions change now? Would they see him for the monster he really was? Would his girlfri-

Izuku's mouth dropped open.

'Oh crap, my girlfriends! What am I going to tell them?' Izuku shook his head. 'No. They trust me. They know I'm not… I don't want to be… They love me. They told me that.'

'...But that was before the ga-' He shook his head; there was no use worrying about that now.

He approached the top of the stairs and took a deep breath. It was now or never. Why was he more scared of this than the matches ahead of himself?

Izuku stepped out into the light and began to walk to-

"Deku!" Ochako was waiting for him at the top of the stairs and crushed him into a big hug. "You did great out there!"

As her arms wrapped around him, his quirk calmed immediately, as if it was falling asleep on a pile of treasure. All of his doubts and fears flowed out of him as they were replaced by her warmth. "Thanks, Ochako," he muttered as he wrapped his arms around her in return. They stayed like that for a few seconds as he took in her scent and her affection.

They broke apart slightly but kept their hands touching each other's sides for a little while longer as they both blushed slightly. "Sorry for keeping it a secret for so long. I was afraid you would think less of me because of it. Silly, I know."

"It was silly," she agreed, leaning down and bumping his nose with her own. "But I'm glad to see you're finally starting to grow out of thinking like that. Come on, the rest of them want to grill you."

Izuku nodded. "I figured as much."

The two of them walked over to the 1-A section of seats, but before they got there, they had to walk past the 1-B seats. Izuku hoped they weren't too mad at him for what he did to Monoma.

"Hey, Midoriya, you got a sec?" Kendou asked as she stepped out of their section with another girl. The other woman was about Mina's height- about six inches shorter than Izuku- with gray hair that came down to about her chin. It hung over most of her face, as he was only able to see one of her blue eyes and her mouth. She held her hands up strangely, holding them up, but limp, at elbow height. 'Kinda like Tsuyu now that I think about it…'

Izuku nodded as he studied the new student. "Of course, Kendou."

"Midoriya, this is Reiko Yanagi," Kendo explained, gesturing between the woman and Izuku. "She wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, hello, Yanagi." Izuku waved politely. "Can I help you?"

"I saw how apoplectic you were," she began, her voice nearly monotone, "and I was perplexed. What did Monoma do to earn your ire so?"

Izuku blinked for a second. "He insulted my classmate. I won't tolerate anybody hurting them."

She nodded once. "As I suspected; I was on his team, you see. His denigration was cruel, but he sees it as a way to secure an advantage. Please do not judge us all by the actions of one malcontent. For what it's worth, I apologize for him."

'Oh, Tokoyami would like her,' Izuku thought with a small smile. "I won't, Yanagi. I've already met Kendou and Tetsutetsu and they were very friendly to me. I appreciate your apology and will relay it to my classmate."

She nodded and returned to her seat. Kendou shook her head slightly. "You get all that? Yanagi has a… unique way of speaking."

Izuku nodded and laughed once. "I did."

"That makes one of us," Ochako mumbled.

Kendou rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I try to keep an eye on Monoma, but I can't always. He gets really... competitive ."

"I understand competition," Izuku said with a sigh, "but I won't tolerate any abuse of my classmates. I want to be friends with you all, but I will go to war for my class." He ended more severe than he intended.

Kendou looked at him for a second, seeming to size him up. "I hear you, man. I feel the same way about my class. Good luck in the rest of your matches, both of you."

"Oh, how rude of me." Izuku held his hand out towards Ochako. "This is Ochako Uraraka."

Kendou laughed. "I know. Killer speech, by the way."

"Thanks!" Ochako chirped. "I was really nervous."

"I could tell, but you handled it well." Kendou waved as she turned away. "Good luck again!"

Izuku and Ochako waved back. "She's nice," Ochako added.

Izuku nodded. "Shall we? I'm sure Mina is wondering where we are."

The two of them made their way over to their section in silence. Izuku reached over and grabbed her hand, which caused her to blush slightly as they walked around the upper level.

Izuku stepped down into their section, which was quickly noticed. "Hey man!" Eiko yelled. "Way to kick ass out there!"

"Yeah, but hold up!" Kaminari pointed a finger. "What's with that breath?! Nobody else in your family has that!"

Izuku shrugged. "Quirks are weird. I'm the only green dragon in the family, too. Or at least the first one in a long time." He took his headband back from Katsuki as he sat down.

Yaoyorozu looked up at him curiously. "Midoriya, I have to ask: what is it?"

"You mean like, chemically?" Izuku asked. She nodded. "It's unique in the natural world, as far as any doctors can tell. It's actually a combination of several different complex chemicals. I can adjust and control the concentrations of them according to my needs."

"That's… versatile," she responded, blinking a few times.

"Yeah, I guess. It's sort of like how Kacchan can adjust his explosive sweat." He pointed to his friend, who looked like he wasn't paying attention. "You were on the other end of one of his Stun Grenades; he can make minor adjustments that make the explosions more flash and less bang."

Tokoyami nodded. "It makes sense when you put it like that."

"What are 'your needs', though?" Jirou asked.

You.

'Really?'

Izuku held in his sigh. "My breath doesn't cause very much permanent damage if I'm careful; I've developed a sort of knockout gas over years of training. It's a particular mix that causes a large amount of pain and some minor internal damage- ruptured capillaries and irritation to the lungs, throat and skin, for example- the combined trauma is usually enough to knock someone out without damaging them permanently, like I said."

"And other mixes?" Sero asked hesitantly.

Izuku flinched a tiny bit. "Yeah, if I'm not careful… well, let's just say I really hope I never have to use those. It took me years to get this one right; poison isn't nice."

The class murmured and exchanged glances.

Mina perked up. "Hey that reminds me, Ryukyu showed me that her fangs dripped acid and your dad has those lightning fangs. Do you…?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice and, judging by the breathless way she ended her question… exhilaration?

Izuku nodded as the class gave him their attention again. He opened his mouth and flexed his quirk a tiny amount, growing his fangs longer and then letting a single, green drop slowly fall from one of them and hit his tongue. He swallowed and then smiled.

"Poison…" Mineta said quietly.

"Technically, it's venom," Izuku explained, "but yeah. I can't control that one as easily. It's especially not nice."

Katsuki finally spoke. "Fucking right it isn't."

Mineta stared in horror. "Wait, have you been-?"

"Yep." Katsuki took a drink from his water bottle. "Sucks."

Yaoyorozu looked quite intrigued. "And that pois- venom you swallowed, it won't hurt you?"

Izuku shook his head. "You know how Stormclaw is immune to electricity? My quirk makes me basically immune to poisons of all types."

"Woah, really?!" Ochako asked, stunned but smiling.

He nodded slowly. "Yep. Doctors theorize that's why my blood is green; my quirk neutralizes any foreign bodies in my blood and body nearly instantly. I can't be poisoned, I probably can't get any diseases, I probably can't get drunk, but that also means most medicine doesn't work on me."

"Hold on," Yaoyorozu was wide-eyed and her mind looked like it was running a mile a minute. It was honestly attractive. "That's a lot to unpack. You can't get sick?"

He shook his head. "Never in my life. That's how I can eat raw meat; the microbes in it can't survive the poison that flows through my veins." He paused and scrunched his face. "...That came out weird."

Mina giggled softly. "And I thought Tokoyami was the edgy one."

Tokoyami huffed. "What a mad banquet of darkness…"

"See?" Mina gestured at the man with a wide grin.

Momo smiled along but was still looking down in contemplation. "You can't get drunk for the same reasons, yes that makes sense. And medicine doesn't work on you…" Yaoyorozu looked at him. "Since your body sees it as a foreign entity, it eliminates it before it can work. And some medicines work by inhibiting bodily functions such as swelling, so it makes even more sense that they wouldn't work."

Mine.

"Wow, uh, yeah." Izuku was nearly speechless. "You got it."

"It's time for our second match! I hope you're ready, folks!"

The class turned their attention back to the arena, ready to watch Iida's match.

" Turn around and walk out of the arena. "

Tenya couldn't stop his body from obeying. His legs turned him around and stepped forward. Slowly, robotically, but forward.

How did this happen? Tokoyami had even taken him aside before the match and warned him.

"Iida, I feel that I must tell you about your opponent." Tokoyami sounded grim, even more so than he normally did.

"Oh?" Tenya replied. "What seems to be the problem?"

"His quirk is… Iida-" His red eyes pierced into his blue. "He can control people's actions forcibly. I was on his team for the cavalry battle and… well, it is hard to explain. He tried to control all of us, but Dark Shadow freed me from his control. My other teammates were not so fortunate and fell under his sway. That is actually how we advanced to fifth place: through duplicity; he used his quirk to command other teams to give us their headbands."

Tenya was stunned. "What can I do against a quirk like that?"

"You must not speak," Tokoyami said simply and firmly. "I believe he can only take control of you if you respond to him. Stay silent and he is powerless."

Tenya nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Tokoyami."

He did understand. He understood completely, but he still spoke. He was determined to stay silent, but when he mocked Tensei… he was blinded. Again.

'First Midoriya and now him…'

His foot stepped down, sealing his fate.

'I'm sorry, brother…'

"Young Iida is out of bounds! Young Shinsou wins!"

He felt the mind control snap away. Tenya whipped around furiously, his face distraught. Shinsou had already turned away and was walking calmly out of the arena. He wasn't even a challenge for him. He was just a stepping stone.

Tenya turned back and slowly walked away as well, trying to deal with the swarm of emotions that were flooding him.

Failure. That was the big one. He had failed himself, he had failed his class, he had failed Tokoyami, he had failed Tensei.

All he could do now was accept his defeat with some semblance of dignity. How could he go back to his classmates after he didn't even put up a fight?

The sound of pounding feet caught his attention. 'Oh no, someone is coming.' He wiped his eyes and straightened his glasses, trying to at least attempt to have some damn composure.

Midoriya whipped around the corner, panting like he had sprinted the whole way down. His glowing eyes locked onto Tenya and he ran towards him, stopping only a foot or two away as he took a few deep breaths.

"I-Iida!" he panted out.

"Midoriya, can I help you?" Tenya tried to keep his voice level, but there were cracks.

Midoriya looked up at him, his glowing eyes staring into Tenya's soul. "You don't have to put on that facade for me."

Tenya felt something give in the dam that was holding back his emotions.

"I- I am fine, Midoriya," he lied. "Your concern is appreciated, but you don't need to-"

"You did not fail your brother."

That stopped Tenya in his tracks. "But-"

" You did not fail your brother ." There was no room for argument in his voice. He tapped the side of his head as he looked up at Tenya. "I heard what he said."

He hung his shoulders and looked down to the ground. There was no use trying to hide it, then. "Both you and him exploited the fact that I idolize Tensei. Midoriya, I…" Tenya looked up slightly, into Midoriya's eyes, begging for an answer. "Is my brother a weakness?"

"No." His response was instantaneous and firm. "Your brother, your family- they are what you choose to let them be. Shinsou and I were able to use your brother against you because of what you let him be."

"I… don't follow."

"Don't let your brother be a burden, let him be strength." Midoriya put a hand on his shoulder. "Instead of living underneath the shadow of Ingenium, stand proud in his light. You are his brother and you will be a great hero like him."

Tenya blinked a few times. "Did… did you see me out there? I didn't even put up a fight- how can you say that?"

"Iida, listen." Midoriya held his shoulder firmer. "Are you a pro hero?"

"What?"

"Are you a pro hero?" he repeated.

"No, bu-"

"Exactly. We're not here to be perfect , we're here to learn. Losing isn't wrong, failing isn't wrong, as long as we keep learning." He smiled. "My dad said that to me once. I bet if you talked to your brother, he would have tons of stories of times he failed and struggled here at UA."

Tenya gasped; Midoriya was right. Tensei had told him some of those stories when he was younger, but he hadn't appreciated them at the time. "T-thank you, Midoriya. You are right."

"Iida, lean on your family for strength, because some day, they may rely on you for your strength. My grandfather told my dad that, he… my dad remembers the day Thunderwing fell every year." Midoriya stepped back and held his arms wide. "But you don't have to be strong right now. Let me give you some of my strength."

Tenya hesitated, but then moved forward, accepting the embrace as he hugged Midoriya back.

"T-thank you, Midoriya."

"...Call me Izuku."

Momo breathed deeply as she walked up the stairs to the battlefield. Todoroki stared at her across the arena, his eyes narrowed and not nearly as emotionless as normal. She couldn't tell exactly what they were filled with; sometimes anger, sometimes fear, sometimes frustration… but she wasn't here to play therapist to Todoroki.

She was there to win.

Or at least try.

She could hardly think of a worse matchup for her, but that just meant she had put even more thought into how to beat him. Ever since the first day of class, she had studied Todoroki intensely, as she thought he was the most powerful student. Midoriya was giving him a run for his money, but that didn't matter right now.

She had come up with multiple plans, of course- a flamethrower, a cannon, small explosives, etc.- but they all had the same issue: Todoroki was too fast. Momo felt like only one of her ideas was viable, but she only had one shot at it.

Literally.

"Are you ready?" All Might asked.

They both nodded. Momo flexed her right hand, preparing herself as a few tell-tale sparkles of her quirk shone from her palm. She had noticed a few other things about the man in front of her- namely that he never used his left side. That gave her an opening.

"Go!"

She had spent weeks practicing this creation; complicated electrical systems, a chemical propellant and a sturdy frame all came together nearly instantly as her taser formed in her right hand. She lifted it up as she made it; the entire device forming in the window when Todoroki was raising his right leg.

His eyes went wide as she leveled the weapon at him. Todoroki slammed his right foot down.

The wall of ice he had planned on shooting at her instead shot towards his left to create a shield. There was no disputing it: Todoroki was fast.

But he wasn't that fast.

The self-contained prongs shot past the ice before he could block them. They hit him square in the left leg, causing him to spasm and collapse.

"A quickdraw from Yaoyorozu has downed Todoroki! Who could've seen that coming?!"

"It looks like Snipe might have been giving lessons on the side~"

Momo dashed forward, dropping the taser as she formed the next part of her plan in her left hand. She hadn't made the taser bolt with much punch; she was more focused on making it fast enough to get past his defenses. Todoroki was already struggling back to his feet by the time she hurled the grenade over his ice wall.

She averted her gaze as the flashbang went off in Todoroki's face, causing him to scream in pain and confusion as he tried to clutch his eyes and ears at the same time. Momo felt a little bad, but she knew that if she relented, it was all over.

"Ouch! I think I felt that one up here!"

The creation she had been preparing since the beginning was finally ready. She pulled her shirt open as a massive metal net and a remote grew from her stomach. She hurled the net at Todoroki, trapping him on the ground as she pressed the button.

Electricity started running along the metal wires as she activated the batteries she designed into the weights on ends of the wires.

"Oh my~ She really knows how to make it hurt , doesn't she?"

His screams renewed with greater intensity as she held the button down. Despite the pain wracking his body, he lifted his hand slowly and shakily, fighting for every inch. Momo's eyes went wide as she quickly moved to make something else to disable him.

But Todoroki was fast.

And Momo wasn't fast enough.

With a roar full of pain and fury, Todoroki slammed his right hand down and a wave of ice exploded from his body. The net was flung from his body as Momo was immediately covered in ice. The wave continued in all directions, covering the stands behind him and the arena in front of him. It didn't stop until the tip of the glacier was sticking a good ways above the roof of the stadium.

"Oh." That was all Present Mic could say.

Momo was panicking. In his anger, he had lost control. He had covered her completely; all she could do was stare out of the shimmering ice as she slowly suffocated and froze underneath the ice. She desperately tried to create something, but nothing came to mind. Without focus, her quirk wouldn't work.

"Young Yaoyorozu has been immobilized! Young Todoroki advances!" All Might's voice was muffled to her.

Todoroki stumbled to his feet, still shaking slightly from the electrical shocks she had given him- or was he shivering? He slowly looked up, his face sweating and flush, full of anger and rage.

All Might dashed into the arena, cleaving through the ice as easily as air to free her. Momo took a gasping breath and coughed a few times as oxygen refilled her lungs. She stumbled once, but All Might held her steady.

As Todoroki shifted his eyes to her, his expression swiftly changed to one of horror. He stumbled forward, tripping once on his own ice thanks to his unsteady legs. "Yaoyorozu, I- I'm so sorry, I…" Todoroki looked down as he began to melt some of the ice around him with his left side. "I lost control. I apologize."

She didn't say anything as she closed her shirt back up and slowly moved out of the arena, still shivering.

'Even after all that time I spent on planning for him… even when that plan went off without a hitch…'

Momo felt a hitch in her throat. The adrenaline from her near-death experience was finally fading as she slowly walked down the hallway.

'He beat me with a single attack. Todoroki is so strong that he nearly, accidentally killed me and that was still only half his strength.' She held in a sob as she threw her head back. 'He's holding back and I looked like a child out there compared to him.'

'I felt so powerless…' Her head slumped as she wiped a tear away. 'I guess… no matter how hard I try, I can't do it.'

She shook herself a little and held her head up. 'This moping does not befit me. I gave it my best; I won't show this weakness in front of my classmates.' Her bravado was hollow, but they didn't need to know that.

Momo made her way back to her classmates with her well-practiced neutral expression on her face, the one she cultivated over the years of attending fancy dinner after expensive ball with her parents. It was near-flawless.

Nobody could see through it.

It was perfect for hiding her heart that was slowly breaking more and more every minute.

Every smile on her classmate's face.

'Failure.'

Every cheer from the crowd.

'Weakling.'

Every passing moment.

'Unworthy.'

Momo kept her face forward and her back straight as she showed no outward signs of her inner turmoil. She waited patiently for the next round, not saying a word to anyone, she would keep her emotions to herself like she was taught. Nobody would or could know just how distraught she was.

In a moment of weakness, her eyes caught Z- Midoriya's.

Her breath hitched.

She knew that look.

Momo averted her gaze, turning back to the front and refusing to look at him or anyone else.