Alright, we've established Luffy into the story. I suppose it's about time our other protagonist arrives on the scene, I fear he might be a bit shy but perhaps that's why it took three chapters to introduce him into the plot. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but hopefully still good. It's also a bit slower than the others in terms of plot development but I felt it was necessary to establish where we are in the BNHA story. I don't know, this might be the last chapter I upload today but I might post another depending. I am also bumping up the rating to M due to some harsher language and violence in upcoming chapters, its nothing too extreme but I'm playing it safe.
Chapter 3: The Criminal
Izuku was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Everything had been happening so fast it was hard to process it all. Just last year he had been a scrawny little nobody, a quirk-less idiot with a dream that would impossible to follow through on. This morning he had been just short of a celebrity as he rode the train to class. Nearly everybody there had recognized him as one of the kids who had almost won the tournament. Many had complimented him on getting as far as he had while others described how they had been rooting for him to win. It was honestly mind blowing. He hadn't expected the rise to stardom to be so sudden. He figured that it would all blow over within a few weeks, he couldn't imagine this to last for very long. He didn't know if he could handle it lasting much longer, or maybe he would just get used to it. If he wanted to become the world's number one hero like All Might he supposed he would have to.
However it wasn't just his sudden claim to fame that was making his head spin. There were other things troubling him as well. His good friend Iida for instance. In the middle of the sports festival he had been informed that his brother, the hero known as Ingenium, had been gravely injured by the Hero Killer Stain. It had been shocking news and Izuku hadn't seen his friend at all over the two day break following the tournament. When he had seen him again this morning he had seemed fine, but his older brother, a man he must truly love and idolize, had been hospitalized and may have to give up his duties as a hero permanently. He was also too quick to dismiss Izuku's concerns. Iida was definitely not all right.
With these thoughts whirling around in his mind he entered the classroom. It seemed most of the other students in class 1-A had arrived. The room was loud with chatter, it appeared that he wasn't the only one who had received a sudden increase in attention after the tournament. Everyone was discussing with one another all the times they had been approached on their way to school or out on the streets over the break. Even those who really hadn't had a time to shine like Mineta had gotten attention from strangers all over town. Everyone seemed to be extremely pleased with themselves, letting the sudden attention get to their head. He couldn't blame them, it was really flattering to have everybody recognize your face.
"All it took was one sports festival and suddenly we're like celebrities!" Kaminari was saying as Izuku moved to take his seat. His clothes were a little damp still from the rain but the umbrella had done its job for the most part. He sat down at his desk and noticed that the seat in front of him was surprisingly empty. That was Bakugo's seat…
"Morning," came a gruff voice from the front of the room. Izuku glanced up to see that their teacher, Aizawa or the hero otherwise known (well to some) as Eraserhead, was standing in the doorway.
"Good morning Mr. Aizawa," the class said together in greeting. Aizawa made his way to the front of the classroom, looking just as enthusiastic as ever. Izuku was just surprised he hadn't shown up in a sleeping bag as he had on their first day of class and many days following it.
"Mr. Aizawa, you don't have bandages anymore, that's good news," Tsu observed, putting her finger to her chin. Izuku looked back at their teacher. She was right, the bandages he had been wearing ever since the attack on the USJ were gone. With the wrappings gone he was back to his normal scruffy unkempt appearance rather than sporting the cantankerous mummy look he had had for the past several days.
"The old lady went a little overboard in her treatment," he answered scratching at his face. It must still feel a bit weird. He had taken a real beating trying to protect the rest of them. Izuku still felt guilty about not being able to do more to help. "Anyway, we have a big class today on hero informatics," the entire room groaned all at once. Nobody was ready for this. The tension in the room grew to an unbearable degree as they waited for Aizawa to continue.
"You need code names," he said flatly, "Time to pick your hero identity," Just like that the tension was gone. Everyone practically jumped out of their seats with excitement.
"THIS IS GONNA BE TOTALLY AWESOME!" They cried in unison. Aizawa's eyes flashed red as he activated his quirk, his hair swirling upwards in dark tendrils around his head. The class quieted down after that, they couldn't deny that he was a bit intimidating when he did that. Especially when he growled like a wild beast ready to murder them all if they didn't shut up. It was an effective tactic.
"This is related to the pro-hero draftings I mentioned the last time we were in class together," he continued bluntly as though nothing had happened, "Normally, students don't have to worry about the draft yet. Not until their second or third year actually, but your class is different. In fact, by offering positions to first years like you, pros are essentially investing in your potential. Any offers can be rescinded if their interest in you dies down before graduation, however," Aizawa explained to the class who were listening intently.
"Stupid, selfish, adults," Mineta said bringing his fist down on the desk as he spoke, he was trembling slightly but whether it was fear or excitement Izuku couldn't be sure.
"So what you're saying is we have to prove ourselves, even after getting recruited," Hagakure, the invisible girl, chimed in.
"Correct. Now, here are the totals for those of you who got offers," Aizawa answered pressing a button on a remote control. The board behind him lit up, showing the lists of offers for the students. To nobody's great surprise, Todoroki was at the top closely followed by Bakugo. Izuku frowned, suddenly remembering that he wasn't present. He might seem to be the rebellious type who would skip out on classes but Izuku knew that Ka-chan was an exceptionally good student. He wondered if he was sick or something.
"In past years, it's been more spread out but there's a pretty big gap this time," Aizawa stated, gesturing towards the list. There were several groans and complaints from students who hadn't received any offers like Kaminari while others discussed how Todoroki had beaten Bakugo in overall amount of offers. Ururaka was practically bouncing in her seat, shaking poor Iida back and forth in glee as she saw how many offers the two of them received. Izuku turned back to the board, scanning over the list for his name. To his dismay it wasn't there. He slumped back in his seat as Mineta began shaking him very similarly to Ururaka.
"Midoriya, you got none!" he unhelpfully pointed out, "I bet everyone was really grossed out by the crazy way you were fighting," Izuku frowned, he really needed to get in better control of One for All or else he wasn't going to get anywhere.
"Despite these results," Aizawa began, hushing the students, "You'll all be interning with pros, got it? Even those of you who didn't get any offers," Izuku felt a wave of relief at those words.
"Oh, so we're all interning?" he asked a bit confused by this turn of events.
"Yes, you all got to experience real combat during the attack on the USJ facility, but it will still be helpful to see pros at work. Up close and personal. In the field. Firsthand." Aizawa answered.
"And for that we need hero names!" Sato chimed in.
"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Ururaka cried, her voice as energetic and optimistic as ever. Izuku smiled at her enthusiasm, he sometimes wished he could be as confident as her.
"These hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously or-" Aizawa began but he was cut off as the door to the classroom was thrown open.
"Or there will be hell to pay later!" Midnight finished for him. Kaminari, Sero and Mineta all jumped up in excitement at the sudden appearance of the R rated hero. "What you pick today could be your code name for life. You'd better be careful or you might get stuck with something utterly indecent," she explained dramatically as she strutted across the front of the classroom to meet Aizawa, unashamedly showing off her more feminine components.
"It's Midnight!" Everyone cried in surprise (and some in longing).
"Yeah she's got a point," Aizawa conceded as he allowed the woman to take her spot next to him, "Midnight is going to have final approval over your names, it's not my forte," he continued as he rummaged under the podium, pulling out the yellow sleeping bag. Ah, there it is, Izuku thought to himself. "The name you give yourself is important, it helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you are going to be in the future. A code name tells people exactly what you represent, take All Might for example," Izuku listened closely as Aizawa spoke. My hero name… he thought as he passed back the boards that had been handed to him to the people behind him, I need something that embodies the kind of hero I want to be one day…
Most of the class period was spent in discussion. Many of the students turned to one another as they voiced their thoughts and gave each other feedback. All Izuku could do was stare at the board in front of him. How could he possible pick a single name or word that could represent him. Thousands of ideas whirled around his mind for everyone else except himself. He hadn't even realized he had begun to mutter furiously under his breath until Mineta tapped him on the shoulder in an attempt to snap him out of it. Think, Izuku, think he told himself furiously. But nothing came to mind and he stared hopelessly at the blank board in front of him.
Finally the time came to present their ideas to the class. Some had come up with pretty neat ideas, ideas that hadn't even crossed his mind until they shared them and only now did he realize that they were perfect. Others were a bit less perfect and required a significant amount of tampering on the part of Midnight. He sank lower into his seat, dreading the moment he would hear his own name called. The number of students left was slowly dwindling and he knew his name would be called any minute now. And then it suddenly hit him. The only code name that could work. It was perfect.
"Well, Midoriya, are you ready?" Midnight asked when it was finally his turn to present.
"Oh! Yes!" he replied, stammering slightly. He stood up and made his way to the podium at the front of the classroom. This is it, it has to be, he thought as in the last few seconds he jotted down his idea on the board. Finally he turned the board around and presented his idea to the class, they all gasped in surprise.
"Are you sure about that Midoriya?" Kaminari asked.
"Yeah man, you could have that name forever," Kirishima chimed in.
"Right," Izuku began, a bit awkwardly, "I used to hate it, but then something changed, I guess…" he paused for a brief moment as he remembered the first few days of class, "Someone taught me that it could have a different meaning. And that had a huge impact on how I felt. So now I really like it." He said, smiling at Ururaka who was smiling just as widely back. He thought back to his fight with Bakugo during training several days ago and the promise he had made to surpass him, "Deku! That has to be my code name!"
The school bell rang as the class began passing around the papers. Izuku had to admit he felt a little nervous now that he was looking at the list of choices in front of him. What if he made a bad decision and what if the hero didn't like him or what if he messed everything up and he blew his chances!? He heard other students around him discussing similar concerns and wondering where they might end up interning.
"Turn in your choices before the weekend," Aizawa droned as he began exiting the classroom.
"We've only got two days!?" Sero cried, his voice full of dismay.
"Yeah so you should start now," he said heading out the door, Midnight was already out in the hall, "You're dismissed," he said turning to face them before he left, closing the door behind him. Everyone sighed as they looked down at the lists in front of them.
By lunchtime everyone was feeling the weight of their choice more than ever. Half the class didn't even bother to exit the classroom, they weren't feeling very hungry and the overcrowded dining hall wouldn't do much to put them at ease. Izuku was no exception, he was staring so intensely at his list that if he had had some sort of heat vision quirk he would have burnt a hole right through it by now. He heard his classmates announcing who their top choices would be and wondering why didn't more people want to enlist them after they had done so well in the tournament. He didn't pay them any mind though, he was too lost in thought to pay attention to what they were saying. He didn't even realize that he had begun muttering to himself again as he often did when he was focused.
"...there are only forty heroes who'll take us, so after looking at their specialties and splitting them into groups I can start narrowing down…" he mumbled under his breath and he heard the entire class groan in exasperation which effectively startled him out of his thoughts. He jumped slightly and felt his cheeks go pink as he realized what he had been doing, it was a habit he was trying to break out of. "Huh!? Oh, sorry! What'd you guys say!?" he asked when he realized that Ururaka had been attempting to speak to him.
"You're really thinking hard about this aren't you?" Tsu asked. That was a bit of an understatement to be honest.
"It'll all work out!" Ururaka said in her usual cheery demeanor, he was beginning to wonder if anything phased her, "I've settled on my pick!"
"Already!?"
"What agency?"
"The one that Battle Hero, Gunhead, runs!" she answered, her smile not wavering. Izuku raised an eyebrow in confusion. That was not the kind of hero he could picture Ururaka working with.
"But Gunhead's a big brawler though," he pointed out, making sure that she hadn't gotten confused or something, "Are you sure that's where you wanna intern, Ururaka?"
"Yeah! He sent me an offer!" she said punching the air with her fist and looking mighty pleased with herself.
"Whoa really?" Izuku asked in amazement, he had to admit he was impressed, "But I thought you were trying to be a hero kinda like 13 more into rescuing than fighting."
"Ultimately, that's the plan," she explained, "But I've been thinking ever since the festival, well at least since I faced off against Bakugo," she paused for a moment and took a heroic pose, her fist outstretched and her eyes twinkling, "The stronger I am, the more possibilities I'll have! Plus learning from a Battle Hero will give me a different perspective, right?" Izuku blinked, he hadn't thought of it like that before. Now that she had pointed that out, he couldn't argue with her.
"Yeah totally," he paused for a moment, at the mention of Bakugo he glanced at the empty seat in front of him, "Speaking of Bakugo, does anyone know where he is?" he asked. The other students looked at each other shrugging and shaking their heads.
"I haven't seen him all day," Ojiro voiced, looking at the others as if they had some clue.
"Maybe you should ask Kirishima," Tsu pointed out, "He is like the closest you can get to being friends with someone as hot headed as he is." The other students nodded in agreement and a few of them chuckled slightly. As though the sound of his name had summoned him, the students all turned as they heard a strange commotion out in the hallway. They could clearly hear Kirishima's loud voice through the classroom door and someone angrily growling back at him.
"Dude come on, I saw it on the news and you've been gone like all day! You gotta tell me what the hell happened!?" The door slammed open and there stood the sulking form of Bakugo Katsuki. Izuku could see that he was absolutely livid, his eyes screamed of murder even more so than usual. He strode into the classroom and pushed past those who were standing in his way, not even acknowledging their presence. He sat down heavily in his seat, his arms folded and his eyes low. His angered aura radiated out into the air making everyone fall silent, everyone except Kirishima that is.
"You can't expect me to not be curious, the media jumped right on it, they were all like 'Hero in Training Turned Rogue'" he outstretched his arm as though he were describing the words written on a neon sign, "What the hell happened, they said you and two armed men attacked a barista and maybe killed some kid-"
"FOR THE LAST TIME I DIDN'T DO IT!" Bakugo screamed slamming his fist down on the desk and silencing his sort-of friend, "I was cleared by the cops in like an hour ok!? It was all a misunderstanding, the tapes prove I wasn't even there!" Izuku looked over at his classmates in astonishment. They were all just staring at Bakugo with wide eyes, an equal look of stunned puzzlement on their faces. They were all clearly wondering the same thing, what the hell were they talking about? Had Kirishima mentioned murdering someone. Izuku knew that Ka-chan had a hot temper but he always knew that deep down he wasn't that bad a guy. He certainly couldn't imagine him actually taking a life in cold blood, even if his catchphrase was usually just to scream at his opponent to die. Bakugo seemed to notice that all eyes were currently on him and he turned to glare at them.
"THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" he screamed and they all looked away awkwardly, some turned back and sat down at their desks, not wanting to get involved in whatever the hell was going on. There was an awkward silence and Kirishima sat down in the seat next to him, concern clearly displayed on his face.
"Look, I believe you man," he said calmly and Bakugo looked away, returning to his sulking, "But you have to tell me what happened." Bakugo rolled his eyes, but he seemed to calm down a bit.
"I don't have to tell you anything," he muttered but after a moment he seemed to relent, "Look I was on my way to class when some asshole ran into me outta nowhere, I was gonna tell him to go to hell when I realized he was covered in blood, he ran off before I could even tell what was happening," Kirishima nodded, eyebrows raised as he listened to the story, "I noticed that he had come from the coffee shop next to me and I looked inside and saw it was covered with blood and everyone was unconscious, it was a total mess. I was gonna chase after the guy and demand he tell me what the hell just happened when all the sudden the damn cops show up and tackle me like I did something wrong!"
"That's wild, man," Kirishma said and Bakugo scowled, "They thought you did it?"
"Yeah, they accused me of being an accomplice! They held me at the crime scene for like an hour, it wasn't until the lady woke up and told them what happened that they realized that I wasn't involved at all, and then they insisted I stay behind and tell them everything I know!" he growled, "They finally got the camera working and when they watched the tapes they realized that it had been the damn kid who ran into me who used his quirk to knock them out after they shot him or some vigilante or something, and now there's a big search for him but they think he's probably dead by now," The entire classroom was completely silent. They had all been listening in and none of them could do anything besides give each other wide eyed looks. To be honest, most of them would probably believe that Bakugo had been involved in some way if they didn't know him so well. It wasn't hard to imagine that the police running into a livid Bakugo covered in blood chasing after one of the victims wouldn't mistake him for one of the culprits. Based on what Kirishima had said, the media had already taken off with the idea.
"Are you ok Ka-chan?" Izuku asked, he hadn't seen Bakugo this genuinely upset in a while, it was beyond just anger. This incident might seriously ruin his chances at being number one hero or even a hero at all. His reputation might have just been ruined if this story didn't blow over. Just two days after having been announced as the winner of the Sports Festival he was now being presented as a criminal. Any story clearing his name wouldn't completely remove this stain on his reputation. His simple involvement had blown a relatively small story way out of proportion and he probably felt like everyone's eyes were on him. Ka-chan could be a major jerk at times, especially to him, but Izuku couldn't help but feel sorry for his circumstance.
"Shut up trash! I wasn't talking to you!" Bakugo snapped at him and Izuku shrank back. Why was he always so angry? Kirishima glanced over at him and gave him an apologetic look before turning back to Bakugo.
"He's got a point dude," he said, "for real, are you ok?" Bakugo snarled and leapt out of his seat.
"I'M FINE! NOW WILL OF YOU JUST FUCK OFF!?" he shouted before storming out of the classroom and slamming the door behind him. There was total silence in the classroom for a brief minute as they waited for the tension to resolve itself. Kirishima sighed and shook his head.
"I've never seen him so angry," he said, "Even after winning the tournament, that was just his usual hot temper," he leaned back in his seat.
"You should probably just leave him alone then for a while," Tsu offered, cool headed as ever. Izuku nodded, it would probably be best to avoid him for awhile and let him cool off. He might be a bit touchy for a couple days, or more touchy than he usually was at least.
"He was acting pretty strange, he didn't even tell us to die once," Ururaka added, "That's like, his thing!"
"Tis nobler to die with dignity than to live without shame," Fumikage said sagely from the back of the classroom. Unsurprisingly he had remained mostly silent and only spoke now to impart his words of wisdom unto the world.
"Is it just me or is the world going crazy?" Ashido asked, "First we get attacked by super villains and then the Hero Killer shows up and now Bakugo's been accused of murder, even if he's been cleared, it's just been an insane few days." She could say that again. It was like ever since they had joined U.A they had signed up to let their lives be turned upside down. Izuku glanced over at Iida who had been strangely silent during lunch period. He had been strangely silent all day to be fair. He just hoped that everything would go back to normal soon.
Bakugo might not be my favorite character, but I am definitely interested in where his story might go. I think he has a lot of potential for growth in the story and if handled right he might grow to be in my top five. I just need him to get over his massive ego and inferiority complex, sometimes I just want to slap him (though these traits could become more likable with character growth). As it is I think my fav. characters from this series are:
1) Fumikage (he's just cool to me, a good edgy birb)
2) Aoyama (he's just so weird and shiny)
3) Izuku (he's a bean)
4) Aizawa (he's literally me)
5) All Might (he's such a dad to Izuku and such a dork)
Anyway, thanks for reading!
