Chapter 10

Rivals...?

Izuku emerged from an open window. He held his hand to Uraraka to assist her as well. They were assigned the role of the infiltrators for this task. It was their job to retrieve the object from the enemy which was a prop in the shape of a rocket. Maybe it was made to emulate some kind of a nuclear bomb? Well, that part wasn't too important. They just need to take if from Kacchan's team and Izuku will need to avoid battle as much as possible...

That part was the hardest.

Kacchan insisted they spar during this exercise. Izuku knew he couldn't back down from this since he promised his friend he would. 'Damn...I didn't think it would be this soon...' he thought to himself. 'Sparring' now would be bad, very very bad. He could possibly use a less damaging quirk than One for All, but the whole class is watching them through a monitor. Using something other than One for All would arouse suspicion. So what can he do?

Izuku lead his pair through the dark hallways of the building. The place was maddeningly quiet. Too quiet for a building with Bakugo inside. The kid has always been a loud little snot. It was both endearing and troublesome.

He's coming.

Izuku grabbed Uraraka suddenly and dove to the ground. As predicted by the nanomachines, Bakugo jumped out from the corner and used his explosions. It wasn't a big one, the boy probably aims to just take them by surprise. "Uraraka, are you alright?" Izuku immediately got up to check on the girl beneath him.

Uraraka was certainly taken by surprise. The attack was unexpected, but she knew she had to get used to it. This is hero battle training after all. She can't fall behind her classmates. The girl sat up and looked to her partner, gasping when she saw half of Izuku's mask was burnt off. Luckily, it didn't seem like Izuku suffered any injuries or burns. "I'm fine, but Deku, your costume."

"It's fine, just a scratch." Izuku reassured her as he got up and turned to his current foe. "Kacchan."

"Don't you dare dodge this next one. Fight me! Don't break your fucking promise!" Bakugo roared. "We can't injure each other too much so let's do this fist to fist, Deku! The old fashioned way!" He then ran over to Izuku with a huge grin on his face, Bakugo's fist was also crackling with mini explosions.

"It's not 'the old fashioned way' if your fists are crackling like fireworks!" Izuku yelled back. Before Bakugo could land a punch, however, he dodged the attack with a luckily timed backflip. "Uraraka, go on ahead, I'll take care of him." He turned to the girl with urgency in his tone.

Uraraka nodded her head in determination. She didn't want to get in the way of this fight. Judging from what she learned from Izuku earlier, they needed this fight. Whoever wins didn't matter, but whatever issue they had could be settled with a bit of physical exchange. She understood that.

—

"Kacchan is...we're friends but...I haven't opened up to him yet and it makes me feel guilty." Izuku looked to Uraraka. "He really wants to be my rival but, I don't think I'm worthy you know? He's so ready to accept me but I..."

"Maybe you two just need to let it all out." Uraraka suggested. "A fight between rivals. You can't always leave Bakugo hanging like that."

Izuku looked to Uraraka as if realizing something. "You're probably right. I can't really run away from this huh?"

"You can do it Deku! I'll also do my best to back you up as your teammate."

"Th-thanks Uraraka!"

—

"Good luck Deku!" She gave Izuku a smile before she ran to the other direction. "I'll update you when I get to Iida's floor." She pointed to the earpiece, it was provided to help them with the strategizing. Izuku came up with a plan. While Izuku is distracting Bakugo, Uraraka would go and find Iida.

Izuku nodded his head to his partner and turned his attention towards Kacchan. "I knew you'd come for me." Bakugo was already fast approaching. An explosive punch was aimed at him but Izuku dodged it. He then quickly grabbed Bakugo's arm and did a maneuver to slam the guy to the ground.

Bakugo coughed out as his back painfully collided with the ground. Instead of a pained expression, Bakugo wore an excited grin instead. He got up quickly and aimed another attack at Izuku. "That's it! Fight me!"

Izuku continued to dodge the attacks with relative ease. He has had a bit of practice being on the defensive side and it was easy to predict Bakugo's movement. The boy had skill, though he needed more polish. Bakugo wasn't a muscle-head. Izuku knew Bakugo was smart and good at strategizing. He wasn't just blindly throwing punches at him. Though Kacchan would let rage get the better of him sometimes, but at crucial moments like these, the temperamental Bakugo had a calm mind of a fighter.

"Attack me back, you fucker! That's not how you spar!"

Izuku sighed. Calm mind, but loud mouth.

All Might along with the rest of the class watched the exchange. Izuku has informed his mentor about Bakugo. While it troubled Midoriya, All Might was glad that his meek student has made Bakugo his first comrade. The boy had a good fighting spirit and was determined to be Midoriya boy's rival. A perfect ally for Izuku.

He was still, however, reluctant in letting Izuku participate during this exercise. The boy's devastating powers could kill a student and as a pro hero and their teacher, he couldn't let that happen. However, he had a duty to this boy too. To raise him right and train him as a hero. This exercise was a good opportunity. Izuku isn't as dangerous as he believed himself to be because All Might had seen it. He has seen this boy act around danger, especially when it comes to people in need of help. He'd forget his own fears and face the danger with a calm and calculating mind. With more exposure and training with other people, perhaps they can get rid of the boy's fears.

Izuku jumped back from another explosion directed his way. The hallway they have been fighting in didn't look like a hallway anymore. Bakugo lunged at him while using his hand explosions to propel himself faster over to his opponent. Izuku grabbed small pieces of fallen concrete and flicked them at Bakugo with his incredible strength. Bakugo tried to dodge the small concrete thrown at him with bullet-like speed but staggered back when one hit his leg. It didn't bleed, but it hurt enough to cause him to fall.

Izuku didn't give Kacchan a look of pity, even if he was worried for the boy. No. This is a match between them, they are on equal footing. He didn't want to disrespect Bakugo by looking down on him with pity or worry. While he still cannot use a hundred percent of his punches and kicks on Bakugo, he can at least give the other teen a proper fight. So he attacked back, each blow more painful than the last. He didn't aim to damage, just to knock back and bruise. Each time, Bakugo would get up, spit out a bit of blood, and come at Izuku again.

One particular kick to the gut caused Bakugo to slam against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. "I-I've underestimated you for too long...and I thought you were just a fucking pebble, not even a stone to step on as I rise up!" Bakugo got back up, panting. He was struggling and fighting to keep himself on his feet. He can't pass out now. No, this isn't even enough. Deku suffered more by his hands. 'Don't you fuckin dare pass out.' He thought to himself. Bakugo knew he owed it to Deku to keep standing until this was over. Not until he gave everything he's got.

"Deku, you're not any of that shit. You're my rival. The one I must defeat, and I will! Just you fucking wait! But for now..." Bakugo then ran to Izuku, a particularly powerful explosion ready to ignite from his fist. Bakugo poured his last remaining strength in this one blast and he will make sure it hits Izuku hard.

Izuku gave Bakugo a determined look but a smile formed on his lips. He now understood what Bakugo meant and he wanted to accept it too. Bakugo's resolve. Bakugo was determined to show Izuku he wanted to stand beside him, to be his equal, his rival, and his comrade.

We're in this together, loser.

"I know, Kacchan. I know." Izuku then prepared himself to sprint. He swung his arm back, sparks coming out indicating he was going to use one for all.

"DEEEKUUUUU!"

"Detroit..."

"Kid!" All Might clenched his fist. Sweat ran down from his temple. His heart had been beating so fast, scared for the two boys. He knew how it felt like to have nearly every bone in his body crack from being blasted by a Detroit smash. Bakugo, a mere kid, won't be able to withstand it. He had trusted Izuku won't use One for All at all during this exercise, but he grew nervous as he saw Izuku use it throughout the fight. And now, he was going for a Detroit Smash!? He has to stop this now...NOW. But why isn't he?

"This is going too far...they're going to hurt themselves!"

One of the students, Kirishima, said but All Might didn't budge. He clenched his fist, nearly destroying the mic he held. All Might had faith in Izuku, he knew this boy understood what he was doing. He didn't need to stop this. He didn't. Right?

"...SMASH!" Izuku yelled as he released the power of one for all. "URARAKA NOW!" Izuku directed his fist upwards, blowing off several floors above. It reached the room where the fake rocket and Iida was. Izuku had planned this with Uraraka and it was up to her to retrieve the rocket.

Uraraka took this moment to latch onto the Rocket. The blow itself was enough to distract Iida. "I got it, Deku!" She said through the ear piece.

Izuku took Kacchan's full blow. The blast was enough to have Izuku stumbling back. He had also grabbed Bakugo in the last minute and fell with the nearly unconscious teen in his arms. Izuku winced when his back hit the ground. That last hit hurt even if it didn't even scratch Izuku. "Man, that hurt like a bitch."

"I told you not to fucking swear." Bakugo hissed out. He didn't move away from Izuku and just laid there. "So you planned this from the start?" He looked up to the ceiling, there was a huge hole now and he could hear the round-faced girl puking while Iida tried to soothe her. Somehow, Izuku managed to direct their fight to the room a few levels below the room where Iida and the rocket was. "You clever bastard...you got me."

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't. Stupid Deku. This was fucking amazing, don't ruin the moment by telling me you couldn't give it your all." Bakugo coughed a bit, attempting a little chuckle. Shit, it hurts to even laugh right now.

"It was a good fight, Kacchan. Thankyou..."

Izuku then placed a hand over Bakugo's forehead. It began to glow. Bakugo felt his strength slowly return to him and the pain slowly disappear. "Are you sure you should be doing that right now?" He looked up to Midoriya who nodded his head. He doubt people could see his glowing hand from the monitor. By now, All Might would be calling the medics and everyone would be heading here.

"You're not Midoriya. You're someone else aren't you?"

"Kacchan.-"

"I've known for a while. It's...you're just so different, not just because of you suddenly having quirks. You mutter too. Not as much as Deku though..."

Izuku gave a resigned chuckle but shook his head, making Bakugo raise a brow. "I'm still little Deku, Kacchan. But with...added memories from another life." He finally admitted, making his companion's eyes widen. "I'll tell you later. Everything. I promise, Kacchan. You deserve to know the truth." Izuku then pulled his hand away from Bakugo's forehead. He couldn't heal Bakugo completely, the medics would be confused if they arrived with Bakugo fully recovered.

"If you're still Deku. I want to apologize...for treating you like a weakling and...the bullying." Bakugo looked up to Izuku, determined to meet the other teen's eyes as he finally apologizes. "I treated you like shit and..." he bit his lip and clenched his fist.

Izuku shook his head. "You are forgiven, Kacchan. That's all in the past so no more of that okay? We're friends now. And rivals. That's what's important." He raised his fist and Bakugo stared at it for a moment before he smiled and lifted his fist, giving Izuku a fist bump. "Oww..." Bakugo hissed when he forgot he had sprained that wrist.

As if on cue, the medic team arrived along with All Might and the rest of the class. Bakugo was taken to the clinic along with Uraraka who was still feeling sick after using her quirk too much during this exercise.

"You did well my boy." All Might came up behind Izuku and placed a hand on his shoulder. Izuku had been watching the medics take Bakugo away. He was trying to hold it back, but he felt incredibly guilty for hurting his friend like that.

Izuku turned to his mentor. "I'm not going to tell him your secret, but I will tell mine." He suddenly said, giving All Might a determined look. "He deserves to know."

All Might smiled wider which surprised Izuku, he didn't think it was possible with that seemingly permanent grin. "I told you, didn't I? You're not alone. I can tell that boy will be a valuable comrade to you in the future." He said before turning back. "Now let's go. It is time we review the results of the exercise."

"Right. We're still in class." Izuku chuckled then followed All Might.

All Might's battle training continued on. Izuku watched the rest of the matches. He diligently watched his classmates and their impressive strategies. They weren't just showing off their quirks anymore unlike the physical exams, they're really thinking and pulling all the stops to take their opponents by surprise. He had pulled out his notebook at one point and started writing down everything he could see. He made it a personal goal to document all the quirks and fighting styles of his classmates. Too bad he wasn't good at drawing to match the illustrations Kacchan had done. Maybe he'll ask Kacchan to teach him some time.

The most impressive but quick match was the one with the boy named Todoroki Shoto. He froze the entire building and took the rocket with ease. He almost didn't even need his partner. Afterwards, Todoroki melted all the ice with heat. Just heat, no fire. Izuku was amazed and excitedly attempted to draw Todoroki using his ice powers.

The afternoon class finally ended. All Might left in a hurry, probably because his three hours was almost up. As Izuku returned to the classroom, he was cornered by some of his classmates.

"Hey Midoriya right? Damn, you were amazing there!" The boy whom he recognized as Kirishima Eijiro spoke up. "I didn't really hear any of the things you were saying but you and Bakugo were fired up! Such a manly battle, mad respect to the both of you!"

Eijiro then pointed to himself. "My name is Kirishima Eijiro. Nice to meet you!" the other kids started introducing themselves one by one as well. Izuku had already known their names from the battle training, but he was delighted by the personal introduction. This is the first time he has talked to this many people at once since coming to this world. Izuku was used to this in his old life, being crowded by classmates. This, however, was different. They were genuinely friendly and didn't want anything from him. They wouldn't gain anything from knowing Izuku, it was refreshing.

"Oh hey, Bakugo's here!" The boy named Kaminari spoke up.

Izuku looked up to see Bakugo, who had a sling over his arm, walking limply into the room. Izuku perked up and walked over to his friend. "How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to keep himself from looking too worried.

Bakugo grabbed his bag from his desk then turned to Izuku. "The little old lady wanted to keep me in there for the rest of the day. It was fucking annoying and boring." He said. "But I'm fine, now stop looking at me like that. It's fucking creepy." He then grabbed Izuku's head and ruffled his messy curly green hair. Izuku whined but laughed.

"C'mon. You owe me a burger for fucking up my leg...and arm." Without looking back, Bakugo started for the door. Izuku hurriedly grabbed his bag. He said goodbye to the new classmates he met as well as Uraraka and scurried to the door.

"Man, those two are kinda cute." Kirishima pointed out, watching Izuku run after Bakugo. The others, who were watching the two the whole time, nodded their heads in agreement.

Izuku and Bakugo stopped by a fast food restaurant on their way home. Izuku bought them burgers; one cheeseburger for him and an extra spicy chicken burger with extra hot sauce for Bakugo. They sat down at a more secluded part of the restaurant. From there, Izuku began to tell Bakugo everything. From a brief summary of his previous life, how he died, and how he ended up in this world. He also informed him about the true nature of his powers, how he can command the nanomachines, and his little misunderstanding with God. It was a lot to take in, which is why he ordered a second burger meal for Kacchan.

By the end of Izuku's explanation, Bakugo's mouth fell open and he stared at his friend like he grew three heads and a unibrow. This was of course hard to take in. Bakugo had a lot of theories for Izuku's sudden change, but he wasn't expecting something as crazy as this.

"So you're...like a half-god?"

"...I'm not a god but my power level is exactly half of his." Midoriya explained before he took a sip of his milkshake. "He didn't exactly understand when I said I want to be 'in the middle'..."

"Holy fuck." Bakugo hung his head low, he was still trying to process everything.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in and you probably don't believe me. But this is the truth and..."

"I believe you. This shit is still crazy but...I believe you." Kacchan then took a huge bite from his second burger. He felt hungry again after processing all that information.

"So...are you...still willing to be my friend and...rival?" Izuku asked, furrowing his brow and gulping. He felt nervous, is Kacchan going to give up being his rival? It would be difficult to be rivals with basically a Demi-God.

Kacchan finished his chewing before he spoke. "Of course, you dumbass! Why wouldn't I be your rival? Just because you're stronger doesn't mean I can't stand beside you in the battlefield?! Don't get too cocky, Deku." He huffed. "Besides, who would look after you?"

"Excuse me?" Izuku blinked.

"Well you suck at acting like a normal fucking human. So you need someone to look after you. You're intelligent but a complete dumbass. Rivals have to look after each other, to make sure they're always at their best so it would be satisfying when they butt heads again." Bakugo huffed, pointing at himself proudly with his uninsured hand. "Looks like I'm stuck with making sure you stay out of trouble, Deku. You and your nanomachine things." He said, looking around as if to acknowledge their existence.

We like him. Let's keep him, Izuku.

"He's not a pet." Izuku whispered back.

"Say what now?" Bakugo asked.

"Nothing!" Izuku laughed nervous.

Bakugo cleared his throat. "Well, thankyou for telling me this. Now I know what the fuck is going on with you. I can help." He said, looking away with his cheeks a little red. Bakugo had been worried for Izuku. Ever since he saw him looking so depressed after the entrance exam.

Izuku wanted to cry again, he felt so relieved. It was the same feeling with All Might, like a huge weight was lifted from his chest. He didn't feel so alone now that someone else knew his secret. Bakugo knew everything now. Including his past life.

"So... a world without quirks huh? How the fuck does that work? No all Might?"

"We have comic books heroes? Like, captain America and Superman?"

"Captain who now?"

The two continued to converse. Bakugo was surprisingly leading the conversation, asking Izuku more questions about his old world, his new powers, and all that stuff. It was a welcomed change. Bakugo started asking more about Izuku and his abilities, how he can basically use any quirk. The nanomachines also have vast knowledge of these quirks, how to strengthen them and what not. They spent more than an hour in that restaurant and by the end of it, Izuku and Bakugo came up with an idea.

"Let me train you"

"I want you to train me."

As they said that in unison, the two grinned, excitement and newfound determination filled their eyes. Rivalry wouldn't work anymore. No, scratch that. A team was born that afternoon.

WHEW longest chapter I think. I would like to emphasize that I AM NOT GOOD WITH ACTION SCENES. So there. I really hope you guys like this ; u ; I had a lot of fun writing this, even if I am a little reluctant to post this chapter haha. As this fic goes on, I realized I really was a little too ambitious to try to write something like this. Like an action adventure shonen series type of thing. I really meant this to be casual and slice-of-life-ish fic where i just wanna focus on Izuku and his misadventures, how he sucks at being normal, and how Bakugo Just face palms and plucks him out of trouble every time ; u ; it might still be like that haha! Ah, I am not a good writer (not even a writer, I'm an artist/doodler haha?) But anyway, you guys motivate me to continue! I will try my best to keep writing as long as I can for this fic. Hopefully, this first fic would motivate me to start other fics!

ANYWAYS, Thankyou always for the reviews/comments, and likes/kudos. It really helps!

And AO3 peeps, I might post a doodle of a scene or a bakudeku drawing some time in the future in one of the chapters :) keep an eye out for that one.