"Maybe, but I don't really know how strong that bumping was. I came to my senses afterwards. Like, maybe it was just barely touching, or maybe we slammed into them, I don't know. Either way, in a one on one match, you guys will be alone, you won't have any outside help."
" Still… Thanks for telling me Ojiro."
...
The tailed boy got a sad smile on his face.
"It's all I can do for you really."
He stepped a bit away from Izuku before continuing.
"Anyway… This might be a bit out of line of me, but… Win this one for me."
Then, giving him a wave as he did so, he turned and walked away.
Izuku stared after him.
He thought back on how he had felt when Mina carried him. The shame, the humiliation, knowing that he hadn't really deserved the 4th place.
That kind of feeling was what Ojiro was feeling. Just much, much worse. He hadn't felt like what had happened had been earned, and so, rather than accept what he felt was an empty honor, he'd thrown it all away.
He gave it his all, then suddenly he didn't get the chance to even do that.
He clenched his fists. Everyone, there was giving it their all. Him included.
He looked over at Shinsou's back as he was walking towards the exit of the arena, then to Todoroki, and finally his gaze turned to Mei, who was tinkering away at her own gloves.
All of them were here to win. Him, his rivals, his friends. All of them were here to win or to lose after giving it their all.
---
Izuku found Uraraka having seated herself at the 1-A spectator seats, looking down over the arena as the recreational activities had begun.
She was completely alone, the rest either being down below or psyching themselves up elsewhere.
"Oh, Izuku, you're not partaking either?"
He couldn't help but notice she was still wearing her cheerleader outfit.
"No, I'm… I'm not really in the mood."
She turned back to look down again.
"Yeah… Me neither."
He noticed she was looking down at the rest of the girls, most of whom seemed to have decided to have some fun cheerleading anyway, despite not actually having to do it.
The only ones who weren't was Uraraka, Jirou(Who was observing the other girls from behind with a flustered look on her face, and Mina who he didn't see anywhere.
As he sat down in the seat beside her, Venom decided to pop out to talk.
"You know, if you'd asked us who amongst you girls wouldn't fall for that ridiculous scheme, Mina would not have been at the top of our list."
Uraraka looked confused for a second before she realized what Venom was talking about.
"Oh that. Well, Mina spent the break talking with her mom, and those two idiots probably didn't have the courage to try and trick her like that in front of Black Cat. Which given what I've seen of her, was probably for the best."
A bit of silence followed before Uraraka spoke again.
" Hey… Izuku?"
" Yeah?"
"Are you… Worried about your first match?"
"A bit." He admitted.
"You?"
"Sorta? Like… I'm not that worried about fighting Bakugou. Not here in an enclosed rectangle where he can't really maneuver fully, but… That's not really what I'm thinking about right now."
"It's… Not?"
"No. I… I had a chat with Todoroki earlier. It was… A very depressing chat really. And during it I… Said some things that feels really, really awkward now, since I'm not gonna be fighting him in this tournament."
He just stared at her.
"You don't think he'll make it to the finale?"
"Of course he won't. You're his second match after all."
Her voice was perfectly steady and casual, without a hint of flattery or unsureness. She really believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would beat Todoroki. God, he wished he had her faith in him.
Her next question caught him completely by surprise.
"Izuku… Do you wanna be ranked number one?"
He blinked.
"What?"
"The number one hero of Japan, or the world. Do you… Want to be that?"
Izuku thought about it.
It was the first time after bonding with Venom, where Izuku had actually considered the idea. Becoming the number one hero. It was something he had dreamed of when he was younger. Before he learned he was quirkless.
After that… He had become far, far too obsessed with trying to unlock a quirk to actually think of what to do afterwards, beyond using it to become a hero.
Did he… Actually care about reaching the top spot.
The answer surprised him, but he knew it was the truth.
"Not really."
Uraraka seemed honestly surprised.
"Really? You don't want it at all?"
Izuku then remembered that, oh yeah, he was talking to All Might's daughter. She probably had some rather personal thoughts about the number one ranking.
Also, what he was about to say would be about her dad, so this could become very awkward.
"I… I've wanted to become a hero since I was a kid. Like… I can remember the moment that really made me want to be a hero was watching All Might's debut video."
"Seeing him rescue a hundred people… I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And since then…"
He thought back to Stick-San helping him out in the night so long ago. He had taken the time out of his night to help just one person who needed it.
"Everything I've seen since then has just confirmed that to me. Helping people. That is what being a hero is about. That is why Heroes are so cool. Because they help people when they need it."
"That is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Helping people. Becoming number one… Doesn't really matter much for that."
Uraraka stared at him like he was the most amazing sight she had ever seen in her life.
"God, you're a pure guy…"
She turned back towards the arena, where the rest of the first graders was having a race with giant balls.
"You're right though… Becoming the number one hero takes more than just helping people when they need it. It means devoting everything you have to becoming the greatest hero there is."
A short, awkward silence followed before Izuku broke it.
"You… Want to become the number one then Uraraka?"
He knew the answer of course, but right now he felt it was… Important to hear what Uraraka felt about it.
"It's not really about what I want. I Have to do it. I agreed to do it, and now I have to walk this road to the end. No matter what it takes."
"I'll have to become the number one hero, simple as that."
Simple was not the word he would have used for that road, but he didn't say it. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and let Uraraka talk.
"As for what I want… Well... I have something I want to do too. And to do it, I'll need to reach the top."
Izuku was taken by surprise, and instinctually, he just asked her what was on his mind.
"What do you want to do then?"
Uraraka took a moment before she answered.
"Do you… Know how many charities All Might partakes in each year?"
"Well within Japan, last year he donated to 786 Charities, and the year before-" "The answer, is a lot." Uraraka cut him off.
"Like, A LOT! and the number you just gave… Well, that was just for last year, and only those within Japan."
Uraraka's expression changed as she talked, Izuku couldn't help but think she suddenly seemed so much more determined.
"The fact is, All Might is one of the richest singular people in the world. Like, he's actually earned billions during his life. And unlike so many other heroes, he actually pumps that cash into helping people."
" Poor students, families wrecked by natural disasters, starving people all around the world. People always talk about All Might in regards to how many people he's saved directly, or the countless Villains he's beaten over the years. But he's helped just as many, if not even more, just by throwing cash around."
"That almost never gets the spotlight, unless he personally partakes in something about it. But the fact is that his hero agency saves and helps thousands and thousands of people each day, just by writing checks and giving them to people."
It wasn't as if Izuku didn't know about what Uraraka was talking about here, or that he didn't agree. It just seemed… Strange that this was something Uraraka of all people seemed to be really, truly invested in.
Or maybe that was wrong? After all, as All Might's daughter, wouldn't she have a much more detailed understanding of this than most people.
...
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