Chapter 1
When spring arrives, it is a season of change. Everyone his age is in high spirits for the first day of school – a new start, a place of a new beginning for most. To many who were heading towards the large school building he was entering; it meant a step closer to every kid's dreams of becoming a hero. A hero, how justice did that word hold. An occupation, a goal, a dream he too once held close to his heart with all his power. Five years ago, that dream was his only goal in life. Now, the word hero holds a different meaning.
The boy slides the large door open, revealing faces of multiple people he did not recognize in a classroom made for battle purposes. Bakugo Katsuki, now fifteen, is a first year at the famed U.A high school for heroes. He walks with his hands in his pockets, not sparing a glance at either of the students who gave him cold glares. Others always glare at him, ever since that day. "Isn't that the person who got first place in the entrance exam?" A girl with pink curly hair asks. "He's super manly. I saw his quirk, it's no doubt he's worthy of number one." A boy with red spiky hair says.
"Just some damn show off. This day onwards it's going to be me to take his place and all the ladies!" A too short boy with purple blobs of hair on his scalp says. Bakugo glares directly at his face, scowling and the boy immediately flinches, retreating under a table. Under normal circumstances, Bakugo would have ripped that boy into two with his bare fists. However, things were different for Bakugo now. His only purpose here is to be Top Hero, to graduate U.A as number one… only then can he reach his goal. The extras in his class are just obstacles, he does not need friends and there is no enemy worthy of his abilities in this class. He will only focus on that one goal.
"Get changed everyone. It's time for your first day as U.A. students – your quirk assessment test." A worn out looking man with stubble on his chin said.
"Everyone sure has flashy and creative quirks huh?" A boy with black hair says, long pieces of tape attached to his arms. "The flashiest though has to be Bakugo's…. perfect to match his fiery personality huh." A boy with yellow hair says. Bakugo raises an eyebrow and glares daggers at the both of them. "Out of the way, extras." Bakugo growls, fully changed into his new hero costume. These people were extras, he did not find any motivation nor incentive to even remember their names nor quirks. They were obstacles in his path, a pebble to a stone. Friends didn't matter anymore. Friendship was fragile, manipulative and useless – just like the ones he had when he was ten years old and they all turned on him after that fateful day.
The two make way for him before furrowing their eyebrows. "What's his problem?" Kaminari asked. "I heard he's aiming for top hero and to graduate first in the class. As expected of number one in the entrance exams." Kirishima replies. "Though… he got zero rescue points in the entrance exam." Sero replied. "He still got first in the quirk assessment test." Minoru said, leaning against the lockers. "From what I heard, he's a prodigy with a lot of baggage." Minoru said, narrowing his eyes at the back figure of Bakugo.
"What do you mean, Minoru?" Kaminari asked. "I heard that he was famous for being number one in his old middle school as well, but for other reasons too." Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about him before getting to even know him guys." Kirishima replied, changing into his costume as well. "Well, it's up to you guys to believe it for yourself; but his violent attitude proves that he is not suited for the number one spot in the hero course already."
All twenty students are gathered in front of Ground Beta, fully dressed in costumes suited for their real first battle simulation. Unlike the entrance exam when Bakugo mostly just hit robots, he would finally be getting a taste of real action. A place to really test his quirk and of course, to finally use it in real battle. Surely, this is his first real step to reaching his goal. "Do not worry, for I am here!" The voice is loud and confident, belonging to a muscular man with yellow blonde hair.
The rest of the students gape in awe and cheer, for the symbol of peace is standing before them. The number one top hero who saved countless lives and fought countless battles; he is… "It's All Might!" Mina yells, cheering. Kirishima claps and Kaminari shakes Ojiro's tail in excitement. Bakugo stares, looking at his idol for the very first time in flesh and blood. Blood boils in him and sweat accumulates in his palms, itching to release his quirk. This man was his goal and his epitome of existence; to be the number one hero in all the world.
All Might was Bakugo's idol, even before his quirk manifested Bakugo had always looked up to him. A hero, powerful, confident, undefeatable. Even now, his hands shake with excitement. The idol he dreamt of is right before his eyes and will teach him everything there is to be top hero. Looking at his idol stirs something in Bakugo as he is reminded that there was an even bigger nerd who looked up to him even more than himself.
"Kacchan! All Might is so cool! With your quirk, you could become just like him too!"
The words ring in his head like a broken recorder, a voice so familiar he cannot seem to forget. He clenches his fists and bites his lower lip. Now, he is closer with every step to finding him.
"All right everyone! All of you performed greatly at Aizawa-kun's test! Now it's time for you to put your skills and knowledge to the test in a real setting, a real simulation. We'll be doing a Hero VS Villain simulation by splitting all of you into groups of two." All might says, a smile on his face. "Eh… fighting against each other. This seems bad." Mina replied. "I wonder how the pairings will be decided." Yaomomo says. Bakugo scowls, furious at the idea of forming into a group. He does not have the time to babysit some weakling in a real fight.
"We'll decide the pairings by lottery. Everyone pick a card." All Might says, handing the box to Iida first. Bakugo scowls when he opens his card, realizing that his paired with the stick-up-his-ass rich kid hero boy. "Bakugo-Kun, I look forward to teaming up with you! Let's make sure to win!" Iida says and Bakugo clicks his tongue. "Just stay out of my way, four eyes." Bakugo yells. Kaminari shakes his head and Tsuyu sighs in disappointment. "Bakugo might be the strongest in our class but he lacks cooperativeness and communication skills." Tsuyu says. Bakugo growls, like an eagle ready to pounce on a frog he smirks scarily at the petite girl. "What'd you say-"
"Ah! I'm paired with… Monoma." Uraraka says, disappointment. Monoma smirks scarily, a head of blonde hair plastered to his face and an exquisite tuxedo made him look like he was attending a ball as Cinderella's prince charming instead of a hero in practice. "Uraraka, you're pretty weak in combat with your quirk isn't it?" Monoma mocks, a mixture of a smirk and devastation on his face. Uraraka frowns and sighs, of all the people in the class she was paired with the mentally unstable one. "Why do I have to fight the strongest in the class?! I ranked last in the Quirk assessment test!" Monoma whispers to himself, as if ready to bash himself in the head. He glared at Bakugo who was only confident and powerful, not a stray of doubt in his features.
"First up, Villain team: Bakugo and Iida VS Hero team: Uraraka and Monoma! Enter the grounds and get ready. The others gather in the monitor room!" All might calls out. Uraraka sweats as she finds Monoma curls into a ball on the floor whispering weird things to himself in a state of devastation.
"Uraraka, how well do you know Bakugo's powers?" Monomo asks from behind the doors of the building. They still had some time to think of a plan before the actual fight would start and Monoma despite his usual sarcastic, passive-aggressive demeanor is still an intelligent boy who got into 1-A. Though… he admits he got into the class through sheer luck – he barely managed to pass the entrance exams with the limited use of his quirk.
"I've only seen him use it in the Quirk assessment test. Obviously, Bakugo-kun is extremely skilled and strong when engaging in close combat. However, he is quite rash and loud and I feel he is closest to a Villain in the class. He can easily kill both of us without hesitation!" Uraraka says with a straight face. "Despite your looks, you're actually quite bashful yourself huh…" Monoma blinked as he sweated at the short brunette. "Uraraka, I know your zero-gravity quirk isn't going to be able to stand on equal footing with Bakugo nor Iida. Which is why…." Monoma says, clenching Uraraka's shoulders with a tense ferocity she flinched. "I'm sacrificing my life to allow you to get close to the nuclear weapon." Uraraka sweats.
"You mean…" Uraraka questions but the alarms ring and they both look up, swallowing a hard lump in their throat. This is their first battle on a path to becoming heroes, a real simulation against villains and there is no holding back if they want to win against their strong opponents. "Let's go, Monoma-kun!" Uraraka says as they both enter the building. The two heroes are tense, sweat running down their foreheads as they search their surroundings. Uraraka and Monoma both know that Bakugo and Iida are top of the class with exceptional quirks and if they wanted to win their first fight – they'd have to give it all.
"Die!" Bakugo yells, appearing from behind Uraraka as she turns her head, flinching in fear. Bakugo sends a rough explosion towards the girl, dust emerging everywhere. Uraraka barely dodges as she turns away and rolls on the floor. Monoma smiles, a mix of fear and excitement as he rushes towards Bakugo. Bakugo reacts quickly, sending another explosion towards the blonde boy. Monomo is blown towards a wall and Bakugo smirks. "You extras are going to have to fight harder for me to even break a sweat." Uraraka scowls, eyebrows furrowed.
She is strong-willed and does not plan on losing her first fight so easily. Without a flinch of hesitation; she sprints forward to Bakugo; releasing a battle cry as Bakugo smirks. "Charging head first, round face? You have guts, don't you?" Bakugo yells, another explosion sent towards the girl. Uraraka dodges again, hoping to get into close range enough to activate her quirk against him. Unfortunately, Bakugo knows her quirk and doesn't even allow her the slightest chance.
"Round face?!" Uraraka asks in surprise or devastation. She crouches down, blocking one of his explosions to her face as she reaches her hand out towards Bakugo's extended arm. "A little more…" Uraraka whispers, so close to touching his flesh but… "I can see through your plan!" Bakugo yells, another explosion – this time louder and harder as it sends Uraraka crashing towards the opposite wall. Dust and soot explode everywhere and Bakugo's vision clouds for just a few seconds before he feels something on his back.
He turns, noticing Monoma's hand on his back and immediately, Bakugo clenches a fist and sends an explosion towards pretty boy's face. Monoma smiles as he expertly dodges the attack and when Bakugo attacks again with expert timing; Monoma counter attacks with none other than an equal explosion from his palms. Bakugo is caught off-guard, sent crashing towards a pillar. "Uraraka!" Monoma yells, looking down at Bakugo's body on the floor. Uraraka nods and sprints towards the exit path and doesn't look back.
Please hold on, Monoma-kun. I hope you don't die.
"Oi… Oi…." Bakugo growls, slowly getting up from the floor. He twitches and smirks, fury in his body. Bakugo surely did not miss that the power Monoma just used was indeed his own quirk. "Copycats lack originality as a hero, pretty boy." Bakugo replies, crackling his palms with fiery explosions. Monoma smirks in return despite the panic in his heart. As expected from the top of the entrance exams, Bakugo figured out his quirk in just one go.
Bakugo doesn't give Monoma time to think nor counter-attack, sprinting towards the boy with a fiery explosion with even more force. Monoma may be smart, but he lacks the skill and the practice to use a quirk as strong as Bakugo's. Monoma flinches, sprinting and blocking as he is forced to be on the defense. Bakugo laughs, "Oi, oi… you need to move faster or else I'll really blow your pretty face to bits!" Monoma internally screams, clenching his own face in panic. Bakugo was definitely going to break his face into pieces if Monoma didn't block his attacks in time. He scowls, glancing at the small watch on his belt.
2 minutes have passed. I have to hold out until Uraraka clears the stage.
This time, Monoma sends a wave of explosions towards Bakugo again, desperate for a hit. Bakugo grabs his arm without blinking, bending it towards his back and pinning him to the ground. "Your quirk… it has a time limit, doesn't it?" Bakugo asks, smirking as he sits on top of the boy. Monoma sweats, panic in his eyes as she smirks. "HAHAHA! You sure are smart aren't you?!" He replies with devastating eyes. Bakugo can't tell if the boy is trying to compliment him or has lost in mind in the battle. Bakugo shakes his head and grabs Monoma's collared tuxedo – now a mixture of dirt and soot.
"Fakes will never beat the originals!" Bakugo yells, throwing the boy with an explosive hit towards the ceiling. Monoma screams, directly hitting the concrete as his body collides and he can feel black and blue bruises all over. Monoma sweats, panic, fear running through his body. He knew the boy in front of him with the devilish smile was indeed going to kill him with no hesitation.
Bakugo smirks, looking down at his prey with clenched fists. There were no worthy opponents to his power, only pebbles in his path. Bakugo was going to be the top hero and make sure he accomplished his goal; even if it means using force to get to the top.
Monoma screams in panic as he scooted in a corner, trying to get away from Bakugo desperately like a murderer in a movie. Bakugo smirks, stepping in front of the screaming boy and lands a hand on the boy's shoulder, eyes shining like a monster with a hunger for blood. Monoma screams louder and Bakugo clenches his fists as he pulls….
…. A white piece of tape from his pocket and securely wraps it around Monoma. The alarms ring almost instantaneously and Monoma breathes a sigh of relief.
"Villian Team wins! Bakugo and Iida wins while it's a menacing lost for Monoma and Uraraka!" All might yells from the speakers.
"What can you tell us about All Might?" A herd of reporters flocks to the entrance of U.A.; bombarding all the students who just got out of class. Kirishima furrows his eyebrows and Mina sighs. Eraser Head and Mic try to calm the reporters down, the two pro-heroes forming an invisible line of defense to prevent the reporters from getting closer. Mic looks especially irritated and has half a mind to activate his quirk and scream at the mass media but Eraser, his longtime friend since their days in U.A. raises an eyebrow at him instead.
"Please calm down. We will have a PR representative to answer your questions soon." Eraser replies.
"Is it true that All Might is teaching at U.A. this year? What are his intentions? Does he plan on staying in Tokyo?" Another reporter asks.
Iida jumps to the front, a face stern and calm. "Everyone! Please refrain from acting so recklessly! U.A. is a wonderful education system to train future heroes and students must learn from the best; we should all set good examples to incite good behave-" The reporters scowl at him.
"Oh… So it is true." A voice says from behind the crowd. His stature is short and lean beneath an attire of black vest and slacks. "The symbol of peace has arrived." The figure says, gloved hands combing through strands of black and green hair. "After his last fight, I thought he'd be out of the fighting scene for a while. Looks like he really is worthy of the title… always on the front lines, even if it means teaching the future generation of heroes." He smiles, eyes flashing amidst the crowd.
"All Might…. I can't wait to end you!" Red eyes flash as a smirk plasters itself on a face of freckles and a jagged scar running down his forehead.
Debut Chapter 1! Hope you guys liked the addition of Monoma to Class 1-A since I wanted to see someone who could threaten Bakugo both physically and emotionally (since that role was Deku's canonically and Bakugo always felt he was looked down by Deku) plus Monoma deserves more screen time. I know the pacing is kind of slow but I wanted to make sure I could build the foundation before I get into the important scenes! Make sure to leave a review because it keeps me motivated!