Iida's match against Hatsume Mei didn't seem as amusing as he remembered, even though nothing had changed and she was still using his talents and Engine Quirk to show off her inventions to the Pro Support Heroes. A cold stone of guilt had settled in Izuku's stomach as he recalled what would happen shortly after.

He knew Ingenium would be attacked by Stain, the Hero Killer, in Hosu city, but he couldn't interfere without causing a massive ripple through time. In the future, the young hero had come to terms with his waist-down paralysis, and usually seemed content to watch his younger brother rise up through the ranks and prove himself truly worthy of inheriting the name.

But... Izuku remembered a time when Tensei had admitted that he hated feeling so useless. He should've had a whole career ahead of him, but it was cut short by Stain's selfish attack. It should've been him and his brother, following in their parents' footsteps together.

As the matches continued, he scribbled away in his Hero Analysis notebook, only marginally frustrated that all his work in the previous timeline had been undone and he had to rewrite everything he remembered about the Quirks of his fellow students. He kept muttering to himself, keeping up the guise of a student excited for a fun event, while internally he was a Pro Hero stressing out over an inevitable attack. Izuku glanced sideways, noticing a drink abandoned on Uraraka's chair, and immediately getting to his feet to check on her in the waiting rooms.

The noise of the crowd faded as he navigated the empty corridors, deep in thought. Even if he hated to do so, he had to let Tensei get attacked. Although...

He slipped his phone from his pocket, scrolling to a certain contact and calling. "All Might-san?"

"Is there something you needed, my boy?" Toshinori responded, and the background noise died down, indicating he'd moved elsewhere.

"Ah, yes, um... Would it be possible to, uh... get some extra Pro Heroes patrolling in Hosu today?" Izuku asked softly, coming to a halt and leaning a shoulder against the wall.

There was a long pause. "I'll ask some friends, see if they're free. Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?"

The boy squeezed his eyes shut, his hand tensing around his phone. "Yeah." His voice broke. "I- I really want to stop it, but..." He let out a shaky whimper, trying to hold back the tears. "It's too important to prevent, and I hate that. I should do something – I want to do something, but I can't."

"Breathe, Izuku," Toshinori said gently, his tone low and soothing. "I'm glad you came to me with this, my boy. I can't hope to ever understand what you're going through, but my old sidekick, Nighteye... There were times when he caught glimpses of the future and he couldn't do anything to change it, no matter what he did. Sometimes, no action is the wisest action, regardless of how helpless you feel. If you believe that it's for the best, then I believe so too, and I'll always be here if you need me."

"Thank you," he choked out, sniffling and wiping away the traitorous tears that spilled down his cheeks. "I'm- I'm really glad you're here, All Might-san."

Another lull in the conversation arose as Izuku tried to get the waterworks under control. A brief, delirious thought about how powerful he'd be if he had a water-manipulating Quirk made him let out a harsh huff of ragged laughter, a wobbly smile on his face.

"...you called me Izuku." He realised suddenly, pressing a hand to his mouth to try and prevent him from chuckling at the flustered noises on the other end of the line.

"S-sorry, Young Midoriya!" Toshinori bumbled. "I apologise, that was-"

"It's fine," he dismissed with a stifled giggle. "You can call me Izuku if you want."

"Oh. Then, I suppose it would be fair for you to call me Toshinori," the man muttered, sounding so far beyond the realms of common awkwardness that there wasn't even a word to describe it.

It would've been polite to change the subject to save him some humiliation, but Izuku could count on one hand how many times he'd heard the All Might sound immensely embarrassed, and he wasn't about to end his suffering just yet. He took a deep breath, using a decade of hero experience just to blank his expression and force his voice to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, yeah, I just remembered..." Izuku hummed thoughtfully, biting his lip to stop himself from grinning like a maniac. "Todoroki-kun thinks I'm your illegitimate son."

There was a sudden, hacking cough on the other side as the man spluttered out some blood between incoherent words. "He- I'm- you- what?!"

The boy burst out laughing, fumbling with his phone to hastily end the call as he snorted and wheezed, already feeling the tight knot of guilt loosen after the chat. He pocketed the device and straightened up, snickering to himself as he walked the rest of the way to the waiting rooms. Iida glanced at him when he entered, an indecipherable expression on his face before he turned back to the girl as the three of them conversed.

"You've helped me so much, Och- Uraraka-san. That's why I thought I could maybe help you a little." He raised his Hero Analysis notebook forwards. "I've made a plan on how to use your Quirk against Kacchan's, if you want it."

"Oh, isn't that great, Uraraka-kun?" Iida was clearly feeling the tension the most, over-exaggerating his already robotic movements as he offered a thumbs up and a smile.

"Thanks, Deku-kun," Uraraka turned to face them, pressing her pointer fingers together. "But, it's fine."

The tall boy was visibly taken aback by the blunt refusal, raising a hand to shift his rectangular glasses as if that would reveal what she really meant. Izuku merely tilted his head, expression wholly amicable as he stared at his friend. Uraraka looked down at the metal table, folding her hands together.

"You're amazing Deku-kun. I keep seeing more and more amazing sides to you." She pressed her palms against the desk, pushing herself to her feet. "When Iida-kun said he'd challenge you, it actually made me feel a little embarrassed." She strode by them, heading for the door, pausing just in front of it. "That's why it's fine. Everyone's facing the future and trying their hardest. That means we're all rivals, right? That's why..." Uraraka turned to the side, offering them a trembling thumbs-up with a wobbly, but determined, smile. "Let's meet in the finals!"

Izuku grinned back at her, tucking his notebook under one arm and reaching out to clasp her outstretched hand within both of his, stilling the shaking. "You'll do great, Uraraka-san! I'm sure of it."

As expected, she did indeed do wonderfully, surprising the viewers with her tenacity and unrelenting attacks, even if she did lose in the end. He went to go and check on her after the match, remembering her reaction last time so easily because sadness should never be present in her expression. She was still putting on a brave face, downplaying how gutted she felt and claiming that it was no big deal.

"Are you... alright?" Izuku asked nervously.

"I'm fine!" She insisted brightly, one hand still clenched in a fist. "Better than expected!"

Her phone buzzed and she brought it to her chest, looking down with a more genuine smile. "I mean, you immediately started looking ahead, Deku-kun, and just because I lost doesn't mean I can lose."

"That's..." He was cut off from a loud shriek of excitement from Present Mic. "Ah... Uraraka-san... Do you, um... want a hug?"

She stared up at him, surprise flickering across her features. Izuku opened his arms questioningly, and she beamed, leaping up from her seat and pressing herself against his chest. He lightly rested his hands on her back, tracing soothing patterns with his fingers as she trembled faintly, a choked sob muffled in the fabric of his gym uniform. Kirishima was announced as the winner of the tie-breaker, and the sound of the teacher's voice was enough to make the girl jolt away suddenly, meeting Izuku's eyes with a guilty look as she stepped away.

"Oh, sorry, Deku-kun!" She exclaimed, desperation in her tone. "You weren't able to prepare at all since I was here..."

He paused at the door, fingers clasped around the handle as he glanced over his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "No, I'm fine."

She loosened up a little, tilting her head and raising a hand in a jaunty wave of farewell that displayed the round pads on her fingertips used for her Quirk. "I'll be watching, 'kay? Good luck!"

He nodded his thanks at her, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Tears sprung to his eyes as he was reminded, yet again, that she was a wonderful person, but he raised an arm to wipe them away.

A large, hulking figure stepped around a corner, right in front of him. He squeaked in surprise, jumping back before recovering himself and smoothing his features into something vaguely neutral, realising that it was Endeavour stood before him in his hero costume, flames wreathing around his torso and casting across his face like a glowing beard. The man looked down with an expression of unimpressed disgust, flaming eyebrows furrowed and a scowl carved into his face.

"Oh, there you are," he said with blatant distaste.

"Endeavour..." Izuku struggled to keep his tone to one of surprise. "What are you doing here...?"

He stepped forward, fire blazing over his face and torso as he pointed accusingly. "I watched your fight. You have a wonderful Quirk. You created so much wind pressure just by flicking your fingers. If we're talking about power alone, yours is comparable to All Might's."

The boy tried to fight a smile at the memory of Toshinori's embarrassment, but it was easily countered by remembering what the hero before him had done. "Wh-what are you... What are you trying to say? I must go."

Oh, how he wanted to roast that man into charcoal, tearing him a new one that he most certainly deserved – but he didn't. He clenched his fists at his sides and strode away, keeping his head lowered as if in submission.

"It is my Shouto's duty to surpass All Might," Endeavour stated; Izuku stilled, face twisting into something bitter. "His match with you will be a very instructive test bed. Please don't disgrace yourself in it. That was all I wanted to say. I apologise for bothering you right before the match."

By the footsteps, he presumed the man was walking away. Izuku's shoulders squared as his teeth gritted into an echo of an aggressive smile. He could remember exactly what he said last time, and for once, he had no desire to change a thing.

"I..." He paused for effect, taking a breath before straightening up to give the illusion of confidence. "...am not All Might-san."

Endeavour stopped, glancing at the boy with a suspicious glare. "That's o-"

"That's obvious, right?" He cut the hero off, finding himself grinning unsettlingly at the opposite wall before he dropped it in favour of a glower, staring over his shoulder. "Todoroki-kun isn't you, either."

A few more moments of silence passed as the two held eye contact. Izuku turned his head and continued walking, getting a twisted sort of glee from speaking out in such a subtly threatening manner.

It wasn't long before he was standing opposite Todoroki, the victory against his terrible father still burning in his chest and solidifying his resolve to mimic the previous timeline and help out a friend, even at the cost of himself. Izuku readied his hand as his competitor stepped forward. The moment the match started, a rush of spiked ice surged towards him. He waited until the last second before flicking a finger, shattering the attack into glittering shards and sending a tornado of chilled wind through the entire arena. His finger was bruised and ached unpleasantly, looking a pretty picture of inky hues, but it was still movable.

"Todoroki-kun," he called out beneath Present Mic's announcements. "Let's make this a good fight!"

The boy merely sent another frozen wave across the cement, which Izuku countered once more, followed by a brief pause that was chased by a third cold attack which was once again stopped. He bruised all the fingers on his right hand and Todoroki sent a pathway of ice stretching above, which he was quick to sprint up to attack from above, but another explosive blast of air pressure broke the ice between them. Todoroki dropped down with a clenched fist, ice shooting up from the ground where Izuku stood after he had leapt backwards to dodge, only to get one foot frozen from a successive attack.

He drew back his left arm arm, calling on One for All as he threw a punch forwards, strong enough to both obliterate the ice and fling Todoroki to the other side of the pitch. The sleeve of Izuku's uniform had torn off from the sheer power of the attack, and he glanced at the mottled skin for a moment before staring over at the other boy as he picked himself back up.

"That's a lot more powerful than before," he said coolly, standing still. "Are you trying to tell me... to stay away...?"

Izuku could see frost clinging to the cold side of his form. The boy let out a huff of breath that twinkled with tiny ice crystals as his body tried to deal with the low temperatures without igniting his hot half.

"Sorry..." He muttered, tilting a head to glance up at the stands with another chilled exhale. "Thanks, Midoriya. That guy's face is clouded over thanks to you."

"That's great, but..." Izuku easily ignored the faint pain in his limbs, used to far worse. "This isn't the best way to get back at him, you know?"

Todoroki merely blinked languidly. "With your arms like that, you shouldn't be fighting anymore, should you? Let's finish this."

A wave of powerful, jagged ice darted across the pitch, clearly intended as a final blow. Izuku watched it approach, head lowered to conceal his expression with his messy green curls, only to raise an arm and flick an injured finger to destroy the attempt, much to everyone's surprise. Todoroki barely caught himself at the boundary, standing unsteadily in front of glimmering spikes.

Izuku wiggled his blotchy fingers experimentally before shrugging, a grin tugging at his lips. "I've had much worse."

"Why..." The boy whispered.

"You're trembling, Todoroki-kun." He hissed back. "Quirks are physical abilities, too. There's a limit to how much cold your body can take... and isn't that something you can solve by using the heat from your left side? Everyone's fighting with all they've got... you want to win with just half your strength?" Izuku grinned, clenching a hand into a fist despite the broken finger – that was an insignificant injury. "You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know! Come at me with everything you've got!"

"Did my damn old man buy you off or something?" Todoroki leaned forwards and broke into a sprint; it was slower than usual as the frost inhibited his movements. "Now I'm angry!"

"You think I'd side with him after everything you told me?!" Izuku snapped right back, staying in place and preparing to counter. "I know you're smarter than that, Todoroki-kun!"

He shoved a fist into his competitor's gut, flinging him across the field. Ice crept over his bruised arm. Since he was trying to avoid revealing his full power, One for All had been focused mainly in his hand, causing his already-bruised fingers to break with a familiar explosion of agony. He bit back a cry of pain, struggling a little with the extra weight of his frozen arm that hung limply at his side. The ice attacks came more slowly, making them easy to avoid even with his injuries, retaliating with more powerful flicks and consequently breaking more fingers. Todoroki would only wholly pay attention and listen if Izuku made a big statement, so he had to go all out, just like last time.

Their fight degraded into exhausted swipes and clumsy dodges, keeping in close contact in the centre of the ring. Neither was backing down despite both of them clearly needing a break.

"When I look at you, as you use your ice, I don't see your mother," Izuku ground out, sidestepping another hit and swinging an arm to counter.

"Why would you? You don't even know her," Todoroki hissed back, smoothly ducking and throwing out a frozen wave.

"I do know Endeavour, though." He blasted the ice away, choking in a breath. "And you're not like him at all. You're so much better."

There was a brief lull in the attacks as the boy paused, clearly taken aback by the unexpectedly bold statement. He shook his head, shooting another wall of glinting spikes. Izuku shoved a thumb in his cheek and flicked, successfully stopping the impact but wincing as the shock of his own power rattled in his skull.

Todoroki stayed hunched over for a few moments, shoulders heaving as he wheezed. "Why are you going so far?"

"I want to live up to everyone's expectations; to make them proud. I want to be a cool hero... That's why-" He launched himself forwards, headbutting the other boy. "Everyone's giving it their all!"

They both stayed still, standing, slumped over, a few feet from one another. It was impossible to tell whether the crowd was silent or whether Izuku had messed up his hearing at some point, but it didn't matter because all of his intense focus was on the other boy, determined to make him understand once more.

"For you to become number one without giving it your all... to completely reject your father... Right now, I think you should stop screwing around!" Izuku slammed a fist into the other student, simultaneously disintegrating the frost and shattering the ice on his own arm.

Todoroki flew backwards, hitting the concrete roughly. He shifted onto one knee, palm pressed onto the ground as he trembled, head lowered and bi-coloured hair knotted with dust and damp with sweat.

"I will reject..." He forced out, pain lacing his tone. "...my old man's power..."

"I don't give a fuck about Endeavour!" Izuku furiously screamed back at him, face contorted with a frustrated rage, teeth bared in a feral snarl and eyebrows gnarled together in the centre of his forehead. "It's your power, isn't it?!"

Todoroki exhaled heavily, steam rising from his left side as he stared astoundedly at the other boy. His breathing became ragged and rough, bordering on a growl, eyes wide and mouth ajar in shock.

Then... there was an inferno.

Izuku was to dazed to do anything but stand there and grin maniacally, feeling the heat scorch his skin and make his eyes water. The flames whipped around wildly, swirling outwards from the source, blindingly bright and painfully hot. He let out an excited whoop that was drowned out by the roar of the blaze, mad gaze glimmering with firelight as he witnessed the incredible spectacle.

"Even though you want to win... Damn it..." The fire eased up enough to reveal Todoroki once more, the ice melting off his right hand as his left side burned with dancing amber hues, charring half his uniform. "To help your enemy... Which one of us is screwing around now?" His eyes were practically glowing with life. "I want... to be a hero, too..!"

Izuku dipped his head, lowering his stance as a shaky grin pulled at his lips once more, the crease between his eyebrows smoothing into one of determination rather than fury – and it was one that Todoroki mirrored, smiling genuinely for the first time in too long, tears pooling in his left eye and spilling over his scar before evaporating in the searing heat.

It was just as awe-inspiring as the first time, if not more so.

"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki muttered, wiping a hand over his face to subtly rub away any stubborn tears. "With those injuries... in this situation... You're crazy. Don't blame me for what happens next."

Fire and ice swirled in harmony around the boy. Izuku shifted a foot, charging up One for All in his leg and tearing away the fabric of his uniform with the sheer power. He could see a massive wall of solid ice, and he leapt over it, shooting towards his target as frozen shards rained down. There was a glowing blast, wreathed in thick steam as Todoroki ignited his flames, reaching forward against the air pressure that tore at his hair. Izuku called upon his Quirk, feeling it rush through his arm as he reeled it back for a punch-

The walls Cementoss threw up at the last second stood no chance against such incredible strength. Chunks of concrete sprayed throughout the arena, whipped around by the crushing winds that tore dust from the ground and flung it skyward in a great, grey plume. The mist gradually dissipated, and the crowd was stunned silent.

Izuku had his back against the wall, far out of bounds. Steam whispered from his scorched skin as he slowly slid down, slumping sideways, only to break out of his stupor at the last second and put a foot forward to catch himself. He spluttered out some dust and wheezed in a deep breath, steeling himself against the pain he couldn't quite feel yet and straightening up, pushing back his shoulders and raising his chin in a way that should be associated with victory, not a crushing defeat.

"M-Midoriya is out of bounds..." Midnight announced after a moment, sounding faintly spooked.

Although his legs were burnt and bruised, he started forwards, moving haltingly without dropping his gaze from his classmate. He ignored the calls for him to stay still, swaying his way up the stairs to the destroyed field and only stopping when he was face-to-face with the boy once more. Todoroki looked shell-shocked, staring ahead vacantly and barely reacting when Izuku held out a maimed hand between them.

"That was an amazing match," he said softly, smile morphing into something gentle and genuine. "You're so cool, Todoroki-kun."

The boy seemed to only move on instinct, automatically raising his own hand to cautiously clasp them together, keeping them still. His lips quirked up at the edges as he finally regained his composure, nodding his thanks at his friend.

"Good luck in your next match," Izuku added, the usual spark of tenacity returning to his gaze even if his voice was hoarse and tired. "I'll be cheering you on – but don't tell anyone I said that, they'll think I'm playing favourites."

Todoroki let out a faint huff of laughter, letting his hand fall back to his side, brushing against loose threads from his ruined gym uniform. "Thank you, Midoriya. I'll... I'll do my best."