After the Bakugo and Uraraka fight, Sam decided to head down, as it was just an arm-wrestling match between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu. Sam wasn't the least bit interested in that.
As he walked, he saw something interesting.
Endeavor and Deku.
"Your power is similar to All Might's, isn't it?" Endeavor said.
Izuku brushed it off and tried to walk away, but Endeavor doubled down.
"I expect you to fight Shoto as hard as you can, so you can prepare him to surpass All Might."
'This motherfucker.'
Sam decided to be a troll and greet his friend Endeavor.
"Well, well, well! It's my adoring friend Endeavor!"
Endeavor and Deku turned around to see Sam walking toward them.
"You!! Sam Suzuki!" Endeavor barked. "What's a villain like you doing here?"
Sam scoffed.
"'A villain like me?' High praise from father of the year. How are the knees? You should take it easy, old timer. Knees are the first thing to go as you age."
Sam smirked like an asshole.
Veins bulged on Endeavor's forehead as the hallway temperature spiked. Even Izuku looked shocked.
"Listen, boy!" Endeavor snapped. "I don't care how a quirkless brat like you tricked these fools, but you won't trick me! I know what you really are underneath that flesh! You're a killer. I see it! You were ready to kill me that day, weren't you?"
Sam's smirk vanished, replaced by a cold, empty stare.
"Yeah," Endeavor continued. "I see it all. You really are nothing but a villain." He gives a cruel smirk. "A villain who whines about how unfair the world is and acts like nothing but a whiny brat!"
Sam took a step forward.
"Sam!"
A hand gripped his shoulder.
"Don't bother with him," Izuku said, his eyes pleading. "You and I know it's all lies. Don't enable him."
Sam decided to take a few deep breaths and close his eyes for a few seconds.
Sam's rage cooled. He nodded.
"I owe you one. Good luck, kid."
Sam turned and walked away.
'I know what you really are underneath that flesh. You're a killer.'
The words echoed.
A tear slipped free.
"It's not like I need you to tell me that, you fucking asshole."
Sam wiped his face and returned to the viewing area, sitting beside Iida, Uraraka, and Tokoyami.
"Sam! You made it just in time!" Uraraka said brightly.
Sam gave a faint smirk at her bubbly energy.
"So it seems," he replied. "By the way—good job during your fight. You were very brave. You never wavered."
Uraraka blushed deeply.
"I—I wasn't that brave. I was honestly terrified."
"I know," Sam said quietly. "During every fight I've ever been in, I was afraid."
They all froze.
To them, Sam was fearless.
"Fear keeps you alive," he continued. "It means you're not stupid. The fact that you kept fighting despite that fear—that's real bravery."
They all sat with his words.
"…So wise," Iida said sincerely.
Finally, the next contestants stepped onto the stage.
Izuku Midoriya.
Shoto Todoroki.
Sam narrowed his eyes.
'This will be interesting. What have you got in mind, Izuku?'