I only own my OCs, everything else belongs to their respective creators. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.
Beware, context for this chapter lays in my prequel story "What He Left Behind'. To prevent any confusion, please read that before continuing on. I apologize for any inconveniences.
Bakugou took a deep breath as he walked down the path to UA's dormitories. It was very early in the morning, most of the students should still be asleep, so he wasn't worried about being spotted. Especially when he's carrying a bouquet of flowers. Normally he wouldn't be caught with something like that, but today was special.
He stopped walking and looked up, studying the well-maintained statue of the One True Hero. "Hey nerd, it's been a while."
Bakugou laid down the bouquet at the base of the statue and placed his hands together, a prayer escaping his lips. His mind began to collect all that has happened since the last time he visited the statue. But where should he start? The Bubble King Hostage Crisis? The SJ Bank break in? The appearance of Dastardly D? How he was swarmed the other day by obnoxious fans?
Too many stories, too little time. But the thoughts stopped when he heard light footsteps approach from behind. Being the number one Hero, Bakugou didn't take these sounds without suspicion. He slowly peered around his shoulder to check whatever the sound was… And spotted a short individual with grape like hair carrying his own bouquet of flowers.
"Hey Bakugou."
"Mineta. Didn't think you'd be here so early, I thought you'd be busy screwing around with Motsure." He said, turning back to the statue. But while he wasn't looking at the little imp, the Bane of Evil could tell that his old classmate now colleague was giving off a dopey grin.
"I may love Yui with everything this little body can offer, and believe me, I do… But right now, my heart has to go out to the person who made us who we are. Because I don't want to forget what everything Midoriya has done."
Mineta then laid down his flowers at foot of the statue and begun praying as well. Bakugou waited in silence, absorbing the ambient early morning air, as the shorter Hero finished his prayers. He then began wondering if anyone was up early, finishing up on some last-minute training for the Sports Festival. Or if there'll be anyone worth his interest. Maybe those little shrimps, Eri and Kouta, has grown into someone reliable.
"You already thinking who you want to recruit?" Mineta commented, proceeding to stand next to Bakugou. The Bane of Evil smirked to that, he definitely was and is not about to shy away from the truth.
"You're damn right I'm thinking about it. I'm going to hoover up the cream of the crop and they'll learn from me what it takes to be number one."
Mineta just snorted and that quickly earned him a glare from Bakugou. "What? You think I can't do it?"
"You're not exactly the best teacher there is Bakugou. Sure, you're smart, but that temper of yours still pops up whenever you tutor someone. And it'll be a while before you can out teach Midoriya... Even though he's not around anymore, he's still showing people a thing or three about being a Hero."
"Can't argue with that. Deku has set the new standard and people are trying their best to follow it. Hell, there are two institutes that were founded because of him, the Aspiring Heroes Association and… That fucking cult…" Bakugou said with a nod. Though as his thoughts turned to the Cult of the Unyielding, a feeling of 'eh?' took hold.
They weren't bad people per say, ignoring the occasional vigilante amidst their ranks. The Cult of the Unyielding was usually the first to call for Heroes and emergency services during a crisis. It's just that… They style themselves after Midoriya a bit too closely, mostly by dying their hair forest green and wearing red sneakers. Some of the more zealous members would even draw freckles on their faces and mimic his note taking habits. Then there was the fact that they worship the nerd as though he was a God or, at the very least, a Messiah.
Deku's a great Hero, Bakugou can freely admit that without hesitation. But turning him into a deity was just ridiculous. And that was a sentiment all of his old classmates shared.
"It makes me wonder what Midoriya would think. He'd probably just as confused as the rest of us." Mineta replied.
"And it makes me wonder what things would be like if Deku was still here."
"I know I'd get kicked out of UA for crossing the line, go full Hikikomori, creep around Akihabara all day, and stalk the girls. And you'd probably still be an angry little shit with so much ego, no one could tell the difference between you and a hot air balloon." Mineta said with a laugh. Bakugou gave a small chuckle as well, easily imaging how his younger self would react to those words. Still, after the slight air of levity, things became tense and heavy. The shorter man casted his eyes to the ground, smile faltering.
"It's hard to believe that eleven years has passed since Midoriya sacrificed himself for us. Even with all that's happened, I sometimes still find myself crying whenever I think about that night. Like there's still a small hole in my heart."
"You're not alone in that. No matter how far we move forward, doing our best to live for Deku, there's still some weight on us. And it's the kind that'll stay with you until death." Bakugou then sighed, wiping his eyes of the tears that were slowly building. Calm down… Deep breaths…
This was still a sore subject for him and his old classmates. Despite how well they moved on, that scar would start aching during times of stillness. It was a personal demon that they all shared, a whisper that would weaken their resolve. But like before, 1A just needed a reminder to banish those doubts. A slight push forward from the past.
"It hurts… But I'm still going to move forward, carrying the standard Deku left behind. I'll keep reaching out for those who need our help. Because that's what a Hero does."
"I know Bakugou, I know. I'm still going to be the Hero that Midoriya believed I could be. But sometimes… Don't you wish he was here with? All those stories we have are going to waste away in our heads. And it just doesn't feel the same telling it to his grave or monument." Mineta replied, attention turning to the statue. The Bane of Evil followed and studied the thing, formulating his thoughts.
Despite it being stone, there was something alive about the statue. The way it smiled and held its fist in the air gave it a presence you can feel. In fact, the thing's aura mimicked that same energy that surrounded Midoriya. And the more Bakugou looked at it, the more his motivation returned to him. It's no wonder Principal Nezu decided to put the statue near the dorms, the students will constantly experience Deku's 'never giving up' vibes. Pushing them all to Go Beyond…
But at the end of the day, UA's Monument of the One True Hero was still just a statue. It was no replacement to the real person…
"You know, you're being real sour right now grapist. What's going on?" Bakugou asked, temper flaring to beat back the sadness. Mineta didn't flinch, though he was surprised that his colleague used one of the many derogatory nicknames he had in the past. Though why Bakugou used it was understandable, he was frustrated at his pessimism.
"I don't know… I've been fine since the Memorial years back… But since I woke up today, I've got this bad feeling in my gut. Like something big is going to happen today and we're not going to be strong enough to deal with it."
Bakugou dropped his anger and began pondering. Was there Villain organization, since acting alone was suicidal, stupid enough to invade UA during their most anticipated event? Where a bunch of pro Heroes would instantaneously respond? The League of Villains still existed, but they're laughable since most of their veterans and leadership was behind bars. The Eight Precepts were regaining strength but not enough to topple the aforementioned wall of Heroes that were present.
…
The Doctored Dynasty? They would certainly have the resources, being a world class black market dealer and all… But since the attack at USJ, they've gone silent. Not a single trace of Dastardly D and his band of Villains has been found since then. And the Chimera that's been captured has been no help since it can't, or rather won't, talk. And that's the worst thing a Hero can face, an enemy that doesn't let any information slip.
The Bane of Evil, however, refuses to let this consume his colleague. "Listen Mineta, even if something does go wrong. Are going to cry and run?"
The shorter Hero took a glance at the statue and shook his head, doubt fading. "No, I'm not going to run. Heroes stay to fight and protect."
"Exactly. Whatever happens today, we'll deal with it the same we dealt with every other incident these past eleven years. So don't let the anxiety and sadness keep you from being your best. Stand tall or stand back." Bakugou said. He then saw the slight slouch in Mineta's posture straighten, his face showing a renewed resolve.
"Yeah… You're right Bakugou. No matter what happens today, that shouldn't change who I am or what I do in the face of danger. I'm Grape Shot, a Hero who fought alongside Deku and held rank 19 for the last four years, and I don't run from the fire. Not anymore."
"Well said you little shit. If that nerd was around, he'd be proud of you."
"Hey!" A new voice called. The two looked over at its source and saw the rest of their old classmates approaching. All of them were carrying flowers to be offered. With a nod to each other, they approached with a cheerful greeting. And for the rest of the morning, nothing but small talk and laughter filled that space. Everything felt right in the world.
Bakugou took a moment to take in the atmosphere and a confident smirk spread across his face. Today was going to be a good day.
And that has been chapter 2 of this unique section.
The real difficult thing about this was consolidating enough feels while making sure what was being said wasn't on loop. But in the end, I don't think I did either of those right. So I'll leave it the judgement to you, the readers. Was this emotional? Or was it redundant?
"Truly a question for the ages."
Currently, I'm trying to find a job to satisfy my parents and because writing fan fiction, no matter how decent it maybe, doesn't pay. Problem, it would cut into my writing time even though I update every two weeks. So if there's a change in quality, you'll all know why. But all in all, I've been able to build up my writing habits quite well. I'm starting to resist the urge to boot up Skyrim and fuck around with unlimited power.
"No one man should have all that power..."
And despite feeling some motivational hurdles due to difficulties, I'm brute forcing through them. It's a great learning experience and I only hope that I've done it well enough for your tastes. So please, do leave behind a review whenever a new chapter pops up.
"You stop bad writers and things like that."
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.
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Warning, extra content ahead.
The Top 19, Hosted by Mineta Minoru
"Hey... Now before you all chase me with pitchforks and torches for my sins, I want to talk about what happened after Class 1A lost... Midoriya..."
*sniff*
"Sorry, it still gets to me... After the memorial service UA held for him, we all dedicated ourselves to improving everything we possibly could. Our fighting techniques, our teamwork, our people skills... We wanted to soar above everyone else for the one person who made it all possible. And after graduating UA as the top 19 students, we all took to our duties as sidekicks with real passion in hopes to leave our mark the same way Midoriya did."
"Now some of us had better luck than others, like Bakugou. But in the end, we're all together in the rankings and it has stayed that way for the last four years. Not only that, we've all got a public title to commemorate our most memorable mission. However, I'm not really going to explain what each of the missions are since those are stories in on themselves. So for your viewing pleasure here are the the titles and ranks we all hold."
(1) The Bane of Evil, Catachan, Bakugou Katsuki.
(2) The People's Champion, Shouto, Todoroki Shouto.
(3) The Smiling Shooting Star, Uravity, Uraraka Ochako.
(4) The Mach One Role Model, Ingenium, Iida Tenya.
(5) The Lady of the Lake, Froppy, Asui Tsuyu.
(6) The Unyielding Guardian, Red Riot, Kirishima Eijiro.
(7) The Ear of God, Pulse Jack, Kyouka Jirou.
(8) The Judgement of Zeus, Chargebolt, Kaminari Denki.
(9) The Enigma Breaker, Creati, Yaoyorozu Momo.
(10) The Energetic Equalizer, Queen pH, Ashido Mina.
(11) The Silent Night, Tsukuyomi, Tokoyami Fumikage.
(12) The Dazzling Beacon, Orion, Aoyama Yuga.
(13) The Ceaseless Hunter, Tentacole, Shouji Mezo.
(14) The Great Sage, Tailman, Ojiro Mashirao.
(15) The Web Weaver, Cellophane, Sero Hanta.
(16) The Oni Slayer, Anima, Kouda Kouji.
(17) The Dancing Breeze, Spectrum, Hagakure Tooru.
(18) The Cure to Famine, Sugarman, Satou Rikido.
(19) The Vineyard Gargoyle, Grape Shot, Mineta Minoru.
"And before I run off, I'll include one last thing. While he isn't officially in the Hero Rankings, this person will always be number one in everyone's hearts. And it has been this way for the past eleven years, not that I disagree. So with that said... See you next time."
(*) The One True Hero, Deku, Midoriya Izuku.