Ground Zero

Prologue-

Bell Cranel had everything planned out.

He'd become an adventurer and meet a beautiful girl in the dungeon. He'd protect her from all manner of monsters and beasts. And in the end, she would look up at him with a light blush on her cheeks, as he stood victorious in the aftermath of a vicious battle. It would be just like the stories his grandfather would tell him.

Bell Cranel had never been more wrong about anything in his entire life.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Rather than a damsel-in-distress screaming for help, the only one screaming was him.

Bell made a sharp turn and continued to run as fast as his legs could take him. The Dungeon was an endless labyrinth filled with nothing but bloodthirsty monsters, and he wasn't sure if it was because he was in such a panic right now, or if he was simply an idiot, but he couldn't for the life of him remember which direction led to the surface.

"URRROOAAAARRR!"

On second thought, it was definitely because he was scared out of his mind.

Bell could see the path ahead of him diverge into two different directions. He wasn't sure which one led to the surface, and he didn't have the time to think about it, so he simply ran towards the right side as quickly as he could. As he continued to run, he could still hear the Minotaur behind him rampaging all the while in hot pursuit.

He was going to die.

It was his first day as an adventurer and he was going to die.

What was he thinking, going into the Dungeon to pick up girls? In a Dungeon where adventurers died every day. He was a fool, that's what he was. And now, he was going to die on his very first day as an adventurer. All the cute girls in the world were probably laughing at him right now.

Bell could hear the Minotaur behind him getting closer and closer. Turning his head, just for a quick peek, he could see the Minotaur raise its massive forearm into the air. Only for it to come straight down, like a sledgehammer about to crush whatever poor fool that was in its way.

With a quick roll, he barely dodged out of the way in time.

The Minotaur's fist smashed into the ground, leaving a small dent in the floor. The monster let out a rough grunt as it stared him down. Bell couldn't help but crawl backwards out of fear, at the very least until his back hit the wall, signaling that it was the end of the line. He had taken a wrong turn and reached a dead end, only this time it was more literal rather than figurative.

He couldn't stop the tears that were threatening to come out.

The Minotaur raised one large hoof into the air, and Bell felt his body stiffen in fright.

"What the hell are you doing dumbass!?"

A loud explosion ripped through the tunnel. The shock-wave shook the entire floor, and Bell had to cover his eyes with his arms just to stop the debris from flying into them. The Minotaur that was about to crush him underneath its hooves was now nothing more than a splatter of blood against the wall. The one responsible, his savior, stood in front of him with an angry scowl on his face.

His outfit was flashier than anything Bell had ever seen before. Massive green gauntlets hung from both his arms and dark steel-toed boots clung to his feet. A black tank-top with an orange X slashed across it exposed his chiseled frame. Although what stood out the most was the dark mask that covered half of his face and the large flare-shaped cloth that popped out from behind his head.

"A-ah…" Bell stammered, before he managed to get up and bow his head. "T-thank you very much for saving me!"

"Shut the hell up brat," His savior grumbled, "What the hell were you—"

"Oi! Anyone seen a Minotaur run by here?" Another gruff voice called out from the other side of the tunnel. The voice belonged to a werewolf with grey hair, another figure that trailed behind the man Bell could easily recognize as the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein. "There should've been… Hey, what the hell are you doing here, Firecracker?"

Bell's savior scowled.

"Who the hell are you calling Firecracker, Loga?! I never accepted that shitty title, its King Explosion Murder damn it!"

"And I'm saying no one's going to use that long ass name, Bakugou!" The werewolf growled back, "Now have you seen a Minotaur pass by here or not!?"

Bakugou jutted his thumb towards the blood splatter on the wall.

"Should've figured it was your dumbass that let a Minotaur escape towards the rookie floors," Bakugou sneered, "You can't even keep track of your own prey anymore, you shitty wolf?"

"Huh!? You want me to kick your face in, idiot?!" Loga snarled back, "I'll send you—"

"Thank you for your assistance, Bakugou-san." Ais Wallenstein interrupted as she bowed her head, "We need to return to our Familia, so we will be taking our leave now."

Bakugou simply stuffed his hands into his pockets and locked away.

"Tch, whatever."

Bell watched as the Sword Princess and her werewolf companion walked away. He turned his attention back towards his savior, who was staring at them with a scowl on his face. After a brief moment, Bakugou scoffed and began to walk away as well.

"A-ah wait!" Bell called out, "Bakugou-san, right? It's nice to meet you! I'm Bell Cranel."

Bakugou stopped walking and simply glared back. Bell couldn't help but falter a bit at the intensity of his stare.

"Katsuki Bakugou." He eventually grumbled before walking away once more.

This time, Bell simply watched as his savior stalked off deeper into the Dungeon.

Bell had always believed in heroes, but he never expected them to have been quite like how Katsuki Bakugou was…

Author's Notes-

I had a thought that wouldn't go away. This was the result. I think that I may have a problem.