Your iron fists glinted under the fluorescent lights.
Somehow, Shinsou's grin tugged even harder at his face.
You were willing to fight.
There was the sound of rustling fabric as Shinsou tugged at his scarf.
His gaze narrowing, he rasped, "I hope you show me something interesting, cyborg."
"Wait."
You and Shinsou glanced to the right.
Aizawa didn't look happy in the slightest.
He pointed two fingers at Shinsou, and then you. "Stand down."
Shinsou released his scarf and you lowered your fists.
Aizawa shot Shinsou a look. "What do you think you're doing?"
At this, Shinsou faltered a little.
He was well aware that he fucked up the moment he decided to act out in front of his own mentor.
Shinsou grimaced. "...I know what I'm doing is irrational."
"Thanks for saving me the breath," Aizawa said dryly. "Is that all?"
"And I'm sorry for stepping out of line. Right now, I'm under your jurisdiction, and I don't have the authority to initiate a spar."
"Right." Keeping his eyes on Shinsou, Aizawa gestured to you. "Tell me. What did you just do, Shinsou?"
Shinsou sheepishly broke eye contact. "...Initiate a spar without permission."
"Eyes on me."
Shinsou immediately jumped back to attention.
Aizawa's hair was on the cusp of floating upward.
Shinsou internally cursed himself. He was really trying his luck today.
Normally, he wasn't this rebellious with Aizawa.
But he really wanted to know what made you such a big deal.
It was Aizawa's turn to sigh. "I told you not to worry about what other people are doing. Is this truly something you feel strongly about?"
"Yes, sir." Shinsou's answer was instantaneous. "This guy..."
Shinsou threw you a glance.
You were idly staring at Kirishima.
The redhead was cupping his hands around his mouth and whisper-screaming, "Don't do it!"
At regular speaking volume, you replied, "Do what?"
Kirishima lowered his hands. Then, pressing them together, he began to pray. "Oh, God! Please let my friend leave this place alive!"
"Who is God?"
Shinsou tried not to laugh and Aizawa face-palmed.
Forcing his mouth to stop twitching, Shinsou returned his attention to Aizawa. "...I want to know the difference between him and I."
"Well, one of you knows who God is."
Shinsou clenched his jaw. He wasn't supposed to laugh. Not right now. "Yep."
Aizawa beckoned you. "Oi."
You turned away from Kirishima's shark impression. "Yes, Mr. Aizawa?"
Aizawa flicked a brow at Kirishima and he froze.
"Nothing to see here, sir!" With a totally-not-conspicuous smile, Kirishima gave Aizawa a thumbs up.
"...Right." Aizawa chose not to question it. His kids were strange creatures.
Dark eyes flitted back to you. "Never agree to a fight without knowing its conditions. Just because this is a spar between students doesn't mean you can act reckless."
"I see. Okay."
To Shinsou, Aizawa said, "And you– don't do this again. You should know better than to start a fight you can't win. With where you are now, you don't stand a chance."
"...I know."
You watched Shinsou attentively.
He was staring down at his closed fist. "I know that... What I don't know is just how much distance I have to cover before I can stand on equal ground with everyone else."
"Okay."
Shinsou looked up.
You were gazing at him without any sort of hostility at all. "Do you remember my offer, Shinsou?"
Wryly, Shinsou huffed through his nose. "Yeah. That you'd help me. And I shot you down over, and over, and over, remember?"
"Oi." In a rare show of anger, Kirishima glared. "Is that really how you should be talking to someone who wants to help you?"
Aizawa gestured for Kirishima to stay put. Kirishima frowned, but obediently held his tongue.
You replied to Shinsou, "Yes. I remember. However..."
In one smooth motion, you held out your hand towards Shinsou. "I would like to extend my offer once more. I am aware that my performance during the sports festival does not give my offer much weight. That is why I will show you the proof of my experience. I will prove to you that I have changed."
The gym fell completely silent.
"...Seems I'll be taking that offer." Shinsou shook your hand and the deal was sealed.
Now, you and Kirishima were inside the gym's equipment room.
"I'm seriously not feeling this Shinsou guy," huffed Kirishima. He handed you a vest. "Who does he think he is, talking to you like that?"
You slid the vest over your head. "I do not mind."
The veins on Kirishima's hands bulged angrily as he helped you with the straps. "Well, I think you should mind! The way this guy talks, it's– it's underhanded. It's not manly at all!"
"I think Shinsou is a man. I saw him in the men's restroom."
"Being manly's got nothing to do with your bits!" Kirishima bent down to attach a weight to your leg. "It's the attitude, you get me?"
You flexed your arms. "Am I manly?"
Kirishima flexed too. "Heck yeah!"
He grabbed a thick piece of rope and tied your hands behind your back. "You're one of the manliest people I know! You've gotta be manly to take on a fight in this condition."
"Thank you."
Kirishima stepped back to survey his work. "I trust Mr. Aizawa, but... is this really okay? You don't even have your helmet."
"It's okay."
"Are you sure...?"
"I am sure." Cracking your neck, you said calmly, "I won't need it."
Kirishima held open the door for you and you stepped into the light.
Shinsou couldn't believe his eyes.
When Aizawa told him that there would be some constraints placed on you, Shinsou didn't think Aizawa meant this.
Your arms were tied firmly behind you, you wore a weighted vest, and your dominant leg was strapped with a sleeve of weights.
You tilted your head. "What is wrong, Shinsou?"
"This– this isn't fair." Shinsou looked to Aizawa, who was quietly standing off to the side with Kirishima.
Aizawa sniffed. "You wanted a fight, didn't you?"
Shinsou's brows came together in confusion. "You're telling me that he's supposed to fight me while carrying–" Shinsou checked– "an extra forty-five kilos?"
You didn't seem bothered at all. If anything, you just stared blankly at the lights overhead.
"This is as fair as I can make it."
"Wh–?"
"Now listen up. Here are the general rules."
Shinsou stiffened and you leveled your head with Aizawa's.
What Aizawa said was still bouncing around Shinsou's mind.
This is as fair as he can make it?
There's no way--
Shinsou shook his head.
Focus.
Aizawa held up a finger. "One: the winning condition is to pin the other person for a total of 10 seconds."
He raised a second one. "Two: there are two ways you can fail. Either you get pinned, or the timer runs out."
Lastly, Aizawa lifted a third. "Three: the head is off limits. That's all for general rules."
Shinsou said sarcastically, "I know I'm not the most Heroic-looking guy, but I wouldn't go for a headshot on someone with a brain injury."
You blinked.
Shinsou remembers.
Aizawa evenly replied, "That rule isn't for you, Shinsou."
Shinsou went still.
That rule...
Slowly, he dragged his gaze toward your unreadable figure.
...isn't for me?
Shinsou swallowed.
Although Aizawa occasionally enjoyed spooking people, at the moment, he had no reason to.
This wasn't an intimidation tactic to make Shinsou back out of the fight.
This was Aizawa doing his best to facilitate it.
"Each of you have your own unique rules that you must abide by." Aizawa looked to his right. "Shinsou."
"Sir."
"Do what you must."
Shinsou nodded.
You straightened your back when Aizawa locked eyes with you.
"As for you, you may only use your non-dominant leg to land a hit."
"Okay."
Shinsou did a mental double-take. He was so confused.
How on Earth was this fair?
He'd run out of chances to ask Aizawa. The man was already at the end of his rope with Shinsou.
Shinsou was on his own for this one.
"Take your places."
You and Shinsou backed up till you were on opposite sides of the gym.
This was it.
Shinsou was going to find out exactly what your deal was and you finally got your chance to help Shinsou.
Win-win.
"On three."
You inhaled.
"One."
Shinsou exhaled.
"Two."
You exhaled.
"Three!"
Shinsou inhaled.
And then he vanished.
The gym's terrain consisted of towering rock structures, tall slabs of concrete, and metal piping overhead.
It was the perfect maze for Shinsou. From just about any angle, he could get the drop on you.
You walked right in.
Heatseeking mode.
Your pupils, now bright orange, darted left to right.
You weren't picking up any heat signatures.
That could only mean one thing.
Your head tilted backward.
From above.
When Shinsou saw that you'd caught on, he smirked.
He'd looped part of his scarf onto the metal piping and used it to swing himself down from one of the rock towers.
His knee was aiming straight for your gut.
You ducked into a forward roll and Shinsou flew past.
He wasn't done.
Letting the fabric feed through his fingers, Shinsou landed on the ground.
He turned to make his next move.
But you were faster.
Still on the floor, you leaned into your dominant shoulder. That entire side of your body became a counterweight for you to sweep your opposite leg underneath Shinsou.
He leapt backwards in the nick of time.
Shinsou took note of the impressive control you had even in this state. "Not bad."
You weren't falling for that. You may have been forbidden from using your power, but Shinsou wasn't.
You laid on your back. Then, rocking your legs above you and swinging your hips, you jumped to your feet.
In the second you took to right yourself, Shinsou disappeared again.
You realized now that Shinsou wasn't aware of your heat vision.
You chose not to use it.
This would be too easy otherwise.
You peered upward. Shinsou's scarf was no longer attached to the ceiling.
So he wasn't going for an overhead kill this time around.
Instead, there was a loud rumbling from your right.
One of the rock towers was crashing down.
A huge chunk hurtled towards you, engulfing you in its shadow.
In a split second, you deduced,
Shinsou wants me to dodge to the left.
You stomped your foot. Striding into a powerful run-up, you met the boulder face to face.
With a clean roundhouse kick, you shattered the boulder into pieces.
You cushioned your landing with another roll.
There was a flash of white in your peripheral.
When you unfurled, you stopped just before a strip of white fabric stretched taut in front of you.
Shinsou had tried to lure you into his web.
You looked left. Then right.
Shinsou was crouching behind a rock. Sweat ran down his face.
Shinsou thought he could get you while you were off-kilter, but he knew now that it didn't matter.
You had the skill to control your movements with perfect precision.
You raised one leg high.
You brought it down on the fabric in a brutal axe kick and Shinsou got pulled to the ground.
"Shit!" he hissed.
You wasted no time.
You cleared the distance in two strides.
Lifting your foot, you aimed for Shinsou's knee.
He jerked to the side and you shattered the ground below.
Shinsou should've been terrified.
That was close.
His heart was beating, lungs pumping, vision tunneling.
Shinsou laughed.
This was exhilarating.
Currently, the two of you were steadily circling each other. Sizing each other up.
Shinsou's bait strategy had failed three times now. He hadn't managed to surprise you yet, not even once. On the other hand, you almost pinned him successfully.
The extra weight... While it made you difficult to pin, it also made you much slower. Despite that, you were still incredibly quick on your feet.
Just how fast were you without it?
You didn't blink once.
Every single thing Shinsou did was being processed at a mile a minute.
He was the kind of person who liked to manipulate the opponent. You already knew this based on Shinsou's performance at the sports festival.
You remembered what All Might said.
"Aizawa could be at Gym Gamma. He's been disappearing there for the past, say... two months or so."
Two months. For two months, Aizawa had been training Shinsou here.
Shinsou knew this place like the back of his hand.
Using that knowledge, Shinsou could manipulate you like a chess piece.
All of a sudden, Shinsou said, "You know..."
You listened silently.
"Don't you ever get tired of playing so defensively?" Shinsou seemingly had the balls to tuck his hands behind him. "I've noticed that you've never tried striking me first. I thought you were going to give me a fight?"
Out of sight, Shinsou was clutching his scarf.
You paused in place. Shinsou mirrored you, grinning as if he knew something you didn't.
Then you nodded.
Searing pain bloomed through Shinsou's stomach.
As he folded, spit flew out his mouth and his eyes went white.
It had been instantaneous.
You'd dashed forward and kicked Shinsou right in the gut.
Shinsou's head was ringing. It was as if time had slowed.
When...?
He flung his arms outward in a desperate attempt to catch himself.
He grunted as he hit the floor.
You stood over Shinsou. Your face hadn't shifted from its usual neutral countenance this whole time.
Shinsou was curling into himself. He coughed and blood came out.
At this, you blinked. Did you really hit him that hard?
"I'm sorry."
Shinsou's reply was another cough.
He grit his teeth, and snatching up his scarf, he hooked it around your knee.
You didn't even budge.
You merely slammed your heel into Shinsou's solar plexus.
His jaw flew open in a silent scream.
"Ten."
Shinsou laid there, his blood hot and freezing cold at the same time.
Aizawa had begun the countdown.
"Nine."
You kept your foot on Shinsou.
"Eight."
Shinsou was gulping in frantic, shallow breaths. His arms were numb. He couldn't feel his legs.
"Seven."
He'd been foolish.
Aizawa had taught him to guard his vital points. Instead, he left himself open in favor of baiting you.
"Six."
You did technically take the bait.
But Shinsou hadn't been prepared for your response. Not at all.
Somehow, you'd moved even faster than before.
"Five."
In a delirious last ditch effort, Shinsou shakily clawed at your ankle. "Get... off me!"
"Four."
You just stared. Your gaze was empty and unreadable.
"Three."
"Let go!" Shinsou roared.
With his free hand, he threw a loop behind your neck.
Then, grabbing both ends of his scarf, Shinsou tugged. Hard.
You stumbled, taking your foot off Shinsou's chest.
Now that Shinsou was free, he utilized your heavier weight to pull himself up.
A chant echoed in his mind.
I just have to knock him over.
If you were to hit the ground, that meant an instant win for Shinsou. There was no way you could get up from the floor in time, given you were carrying the weight of another person.
Shinsou shoved you against a nearby wall and pinned his hands on either side of you. One leg went in between your knees to lock you in place.
Shinsou leaned into you. His voice dipping low, he said, "Tell me. What's your next move?"
You kept your mouth shut. By angling your chin upward, you unintentionally bore your throat to Shinsou.
You could feel Shinsou's breath on your jugular. Your chest heaved up and down.
Shinsou grinned.
Just how much can you handle?
Your knee buckled.
Shinsou was an extra seventy kilos. You were starting to feel the effects of being under so much extra weight.
You couldn't kick Shinsou off of you. He was way too close for you to do anything, and the sudden imbalance would send you crashing down.
Looks like you'd been too gentle. That dig to the chest was supposed to take Shinsou down for the count.
This time...
You breathed in.
...I will use more force.
You let yourself drop.
Because Shinsou wasn't one to go for the family jewels, he retracted his leg and paced backward.
It was like a spark went off in your head.
There was now space for you to move.
The artificial muscles in your legs bunched as you put all your strength into springing forward.
Shinsou couldn't react fast enough.
You jabbed your knee into his liver.
His eyes unfocused. His mouth hung open. His hands twitched uselessly.
Shinsou was done.
That didn't mean you were.
As soon as Shinsou collapsed to his knees, you forced him onto his back.
You dug your heel into his throat.
He gagged.
"Ten."
The count was starting again.
"Nine."
Shinsou frantically scratched at his neck.
"Eight."
You pressed harder.
"Seven."
Shinsou's legs thrashed wildly.
"Six."
Your black pupils, perfectly calm, met Shinsou's. His had shrunken to pinpricks.
"Five."
Shinsou stabbed an arm out to the side.
He tapped his fingers over, and over, and over.
"Out!"
You took a step back.
"Do you understand now?" you asked Shinsou.
Shinsou was hyperventilating, eyes blown wide.
"This is the difference between you and I."