If you were to tell Bakugou a few months ago that he would not only fight the one guy who he himself could not stand once again but also at the very least now have a better understanding of that said person. He most likely would had laughed at you while trying to blow you up to bits. But that how Bakugou was currently feeling while him and Deku was on cleaning duty . It feels odd. It felt like it was only yesterday he couldn't stand being in the same room with the guy but now, he feels rather calm being near him or as calm as can be. It was no surprise to anyone how their relationship were, its been like this since god knows when and Bakugou was fine with how it was. At the time he didn't felt like he needed to change or reach out to the shithead. Honestly during the Hero License Exams was the first he ever spoken with him directly in a long while.
But since last night, since that fight with Deku again, something did in fact changed. Ever since All Might's end Bakugou did nothing but blamed himself and blame his weakness for being captured in the first place. It was the first time in his life that he remotely felt doubt in his own strength, it was the first time he felt he was not able to be the hero he wanted to be. A hero was someone who never gives up and always keep fighting, to be on top and always win. That to him it what a hero meant and yet he couldn't help but wonder if that was enough.
So when it came to Deku, he felt he was the only one who could answer his question. Was his way of doing things wrong ? Was his way of believing how a hero is wrong ? Was wanting it more then anyone else wrong ? Was it all wrong ? That what he wanted to know and the only person who could answer that was in fact Deku.
He understood what Deku was aiming for and he understood where he stood on what it means to be a hero to him, to rescue. That was his way of viewing a hero and he wanted to know if that was the path that was right. They fought once before and no matter how you slice it, he lost to him. The thing was even then there was something bout him that made him mad at the shithead, that sense of someone trying to one up him, to surpass him, to hold reign over him. He hated it and he hated it more that it was Deku of all people. Someone who didn't have a damn thing, someone who didn't even had a quirk and yet he manage to do so much. He was always following behind him, he always beat him and he always gave him shit but no matter what, Deku would always stay around him. Since they were kids and even when they grew up, Deku stayed the same towards him, always wanting to help him despite how he treated him and last night's fight was no different when he was trying to help him up. He never understood why that was, why does he care, why did he always follow behind him, why someone who had nothing gain so much. More so had the best hero who they both admire look to him in giving him such a power. But the more Bakugou thought it over the more it became clear that Deku got this far because he indeed trying to make that power his own or at the very least using it in his own way.
Even if the power was borrowed in the past, that fight last night showed that he has indeed got far with it and he could only get stronger. But that didn't bother him as much as before. If he had the Strongest hero, he should be as strong as can be, the truth was that much like himself, Deku is trying to grow on his own. All Might might be supporting him but its not like he giving him shortcuts. Oddly enough, despite him winning this time, that wasn't what gave Bakugou his needed answer, it was knowing that he can still improve, he can go even higher then what he is now and he could still be number one. Despite what Deku has, despite that very power being All Might's, he knew that he can still be better and one day not only surpass All Might but surpass Deku as well.
That thought alone surprised him more then anything. In the past he felt nothing towards Deku but anger and never wanted to be involve with the guy. Aside from the moments they were kids and going further it was clear that their relationship was strain, somewhere down the line he knew that was the case, but now, he can honestly say he does at least respect him and understand how he feels, more so then how Deku knew how he was feeling last night. Hearing his words during their fight though did made him feel weird bout the whole thing. They were friends when they were kids, they always was together in some way but after a while they grew apart and at the time Bakugou didn't care much about it, but to know that even then and up till now, Deku still admire him in some way. "To me, you were an amazing, inspiring person..Who was even closer to me then All Might!"
Those were Deku words and they still rung in his head over and over. They both looked up to the same hero and for the longest he always thought Deku was simply trying to aim higher then him cause he knew he could and was clinging on just so he could. But Deku wasn't doing it just cause he thought he was better then Bakugou but because he wanted to prove something to him, to the one guy who he felt was just as important to show his growth then All Might, to the one guy who gave him shit throughout most of their childhood, to the one guy who for the longest he still tried to help.
Looking back, it made more sense to him why Deku was the way he was. The hero name, him copying some of his moves and some of his idea's, him being pissed at him when he would rather lose then to ask Deku for help. It wasn't cause he was simply show he could surpass him cause he had All Might backing him. It was because Deku wanted to show that All Might wans't the only one pushing him forward to be the best.
Somewhere deep down, he felt a bit happy about that, that even after all these years, that nerd who hung around him and always praising him for how he was, that fool was still there. And that what was one of the things that was driving Deku. It wasn't just All Might pushing him but it would seem he was pushing the bastard as well and honestly Bakugou was fine with that. He finally knew where they stood and finally understood that out of everybody else, Deku was the guy he needed to beat more so then anyone. Much like Deku, Bakugou had something to prove to him as well.
Was he indeed jealous of Deku's growth ? It would be better to say he didn't want to accept it, to accept Deku as being someone he had to worry over in terms of surpassing him or in terms of being stronger then he was. But after that fight, he came to a better understanding bout Deku, he didn't had it easy, his arms being the way their were in the past showed that and even with the Strongest hero supporting him, he still had a ways to go before he got to the level where he can fully control it. He got strong because he put himself through hell to get there, broken body or not. Hell, who to say he would had broken his arm last night in their fight. Deku made it clear that when it came to them, he didn't want to win. He Needed to win against Bakugou. That was one of his goals and now, it seems that it was a goal that Bakugou has towards Deku as well. He needs to beat him, he needs to surpass the "chosen one"
As they were cleaning there was a thought that was also running through his mind. It was what All Might told them both. "If the two of you can recognize each other and honestly raise each other up, you can become the best heroes, who both win and rescue"
In the past Bakugou would had hated the thought of ever feeling like he need to work together with Deku, when they first did it was clear nether could get along and nether wanted to (Well at least Bakugou didn't.) If it wasn't for Deku knocking him to his senses they might had lost against All Might that time, well lost more then the fight that was clearly one sided. But now the thought of working together felt different, much like everything else. His goal hasn't changed and nor is his view of being a hero but theres one thing that did change from their fight. He always wanted to be the only one to make it to the top and honestly that hasn't changed much but knowing what he knew of Deku, there were still room to grow and get the shithead stronger then he is. If they ever do have to work together, he don't want him falling behind or lagging. If anything, he want him to be on equal grounds with him. If the shithead could anyway. Deku was the hero who rescue and Bakugou was the hero who wins. In the end, their view weren't that different, you need to win in order to rescue someone and to be able to rescue someone in need was a win to a hero. If they were ever gonna fight side by side again, they had to be strong together and not fall apart, otherwise they can never rescue nor win and for the both of them. More then anything else it was important
One had something the other lack and in order to get better it was important to at least learn something from the other right ? If anything their fight last night proved to both of them one thing really. Though they may be different on their way of doing things, if they follow some of what the other did, they could reach greater hights.
"You know..about your shoot style." He started off saying. Somewhere in Bakugou mind he wasn't even sure what he wanted to say to him. "What about it..?" Deku replied back. Bakugou still had his back turn to him, he was fighting with himself on what he needed to say. "Your wind up motions are too big. Even with your speed up, i was able to just barely react in time. Its not well suited for a slug-fest" Bakugou understood what Shoot Style was used for and the purpose and he honestly can say its a style that could help in some fights, had he used something like that when he was fighting that Half and Half bastard, who knows that fight would had a different outcome. His speed indeed made him faster and given that he copy a bit of Bakugou when it came to his movements, its fair to say that avoiding attacks as well as being able to get to still attack while doing so, It was a useful move. However when using it in a full on fight is rather risky. Sure a kick hurts but if speed and kicks is your only means when someone can react to them and able to counter then its a problem. "Is that so ?" Deku sounded surprise but then again much like Deku, Bakugou too pay close attention who hes fighting, Deku just happen to be the one he pays attention to more so then others. "It doesn't mix well with punches..it pisses me off." He was referring when Deku decided to punch him in the middle of him coming down at him. It was out of no where and he didn't assume the bastard would go using his hands in the last minute. But then again, you really can't tell what he gonna do till he does it.
"I see" He didn't need to face him to tell he was smiling upon that reply and honestly so was Bakugou oddly. This felt different and something to get use to but for some odd reason, this feels like when they were kids. When they were friends. Friends, thats something else Bakugou need to work with this idiot on. Despite their differences from before, somewhere they were friends and it was something he honestly couldn't let disappear cause despite everything, to him back thing, he was the only friend who put up with his shit and still stayed by him. He might had made a couple of friends here in U-A but there was still one friend among them that he will always has ties with. In the past it might had been something to erase but now, he needed to fix it, to fix what was broken all those years ago.
This was a friendly rivalry now right ?
My first time writing story of My Hero Academia