Yes! I made it! One last chapter before 2019 comes to a close! Man, what a year. I graduated high school, broke my arm, had to go to the hospital, and, most importantly, I started One Punch Deku back in April. Man, it feels like a lifetime ago. I never imagined this would be such a popular story. But that's enough jabbering, let's get to guest reviews
Reakefit
Again, thank you for the compliment. I hope you'll enjoy the last chapter of the DECADE!
Guest
Your review confused me. Where was Mirko, and how did she get wrecked? And who is Mido, and please keep your love for Shoto to yourself.
Guest
Well, I recommend you watch One Punch Man, it is pretty great. And, I guess thank you for telling people where Izuku's powers came from?
X
Well, I don't know how far I'm gonna drag Ope Punch Deku, but after it's done, I'm not sure I'd be down with doing the same thing except he's a villain. But I do like it, and I might pitch it in the server. And for the hypocrite thing, Izuku would love to give it his all in the festival, and he does put in the "effort" where he can (race, cavalry battle) but I physical combat he can't do that, the last thing he needs ins to kill a fellow student. He feels bad when he's saying: Put all your power into it, while he's not doing the same.
That does it for guest reviews. I love to hear your thoughts and hope to hear many more. Also.
I OWN NOTHING! I'M BUT A HOBO THAT SNEAKS INTO THE LIBRARY AND WAISTS TIME WRITING THIS INSTEAD OF WATCHING PORN!
"Hey there!" -regular dialogue
"Who is this guy again?" -inner thoughts
"I AM HERE!" -All Might muscle form
"Time limit is nearing!" -All Might muscle form inner thoughts
This chapter was Beta read by
Momo was nervous, that was an understatement. She was straight-up shaking in her boots. Her defeat over Tokoyami was easy because she had spotted an easily exploited weakness. Bakugo... he had no such weakness. Unless you count the berserker like rage, which would be very difficult to exploit. She took a sip of her water and thought of a way to stop someone from sweating.
There were ways, but which one was the fastest? Could she create magnesium powder? No wait, magnesium is flammable, it would do more harm than good? Maybe a water dispenser? No, that's silly. Attacking one of their top tier fighters with a water gun, what was she? A clown? Maybe he's scared of clowns? Could she make a colorful wig? A ball? Funny nose? Would he even laugh? Maybe laughing gas... But that could easily get out of hand...
"Momo Yaoyorozu, please enter the arena."
The announcer's voice startled her into spilling her water. But, she stood up, and walked outside.
"THERE SHE IS! OUR FIRST COMBATANT, CREATING BOTH GADGETS AND STRATEGIES, CLASS PRESIDENT OF 1.A, MOMO YAOYOROZU!
"Give up on the puns!"
Present Mic then announced the second combatant. And unlike before, Bakugo did not argue back, he just walked into the ring staring her down. She was preparing to say something, but before she could open her mouth, he spoke first.
"I don't have time for you, Spiky Ponytail. So I'll prove that I'm the best by beating you."
"What about Midoriya?" Katsuki stayed quiet for a moment, before replying.
"He may be ahead now, but he's an idiot if he thinks I won't catch up!"
"Are the combatants ready? 3... 2... 1... FIGHT!"
Momo created a riot shield and blocked the incoming explosions. She then tried to create a long-range weapon, but Bakugo didn't pull any punches, almost blasting the shield out of her hand. She backed away, carefully following his movements through the little window, always keeping the shield in between them, while thinking of something to create.
"Enough stalling, Spiky Ponytail!" Bakugo decided that the best defense was offense, and charged full force, using his explosions to propel himself forward.
"Shit, what should I make, I need to make SOMETHING."
Momo managed to dodge Bakugo's incoming charge, but in the process, his explosion caused the shield to be knocked out of her hand. She aimed her palm at the ground, rapidly creating a simple metal staff that launched her away from her opponent. But Bakugo wasn't one to wait for the enemy to finish making their move.
"I said enough stalling! Stunt Granade!"A blinding light spread throughout the area, blinding Momo, and giving Bakugo a chance to close in.
"BAKUGO LANDS THE FIRST PUNCH WITH A BIG RIGHT!"
"It almost knocked Yaoyorozu out of the ring. She can't risk taking another punch like that."
The world was ringing. Momo was trying to stand up, but her legs refused to obey. She looked at Bakugo who was standing a few feet away, trying to shake the numbness out of his hand. Next to him laid a half created shield with a sizable dent and some blood where the edge smacked into her temple.
She managed to scramble on her feet, and slowly the world stopped ringing. But, Bakugo was already there.
"Sorry, Spiky Ponytail. It's my win." He unleashed a point-blank explosion, launching her out of the arena.
"WITH AN EXPLOSIVE FINISH, THE WINNER IS BAKUGO, WHICH MEANS HE WILL BE FACING MIDORIYA IN THE FINAL ROUND!"
"Rabid dog vs neutered dragon."
Bakugo walked out of the arena, with a firm step. But as soon as he was out of sight of the crowd, he leaned on the wall and grasped his chest. Looking down his shirt, he could already see the bruise forming where Spiky Ponytail slammed the edge of the shield. Maybe even cracked a rib. No matter. His next fight will be on soon, and he'll be there. No matter what.
Izuku was still reflecting on his resolve and previous fights when he entered the arena, wearing a new gym top, to the disappointment of some of the audience. He could see Bakugo waiting there, impatient, almost skittish. So he pushed the distracting thoughts aside and stepped into the ring, head held high. Bakugo deserved his full attention.
"Get ready, Deku. Today, everything is on the line."
"If you say so."
They both took a stance, well, Bakugo did, at least. Izuku just stood there. Something was bothering him. No matter how hard he tried not to think about it, his resolve, the strive to be strong-
"...FIGHT!"
Bakugo charged ahead and prepared a big right. Izuku almost wanted to roll his eyes. But, as he prepared to intercept, Bakugo switched direction mid-air and slammed his boot into his chin... and coming to a complete halt. Izuku not budging an inch.
"Well, at least you tried." Izuku then grabbed his leg and tossed him into the air. This gave the explosion user a chance to maneuver away and try to launch some explosions his way. Other than singing the clothes he was wearing, and marking his hands with some sooth, it didn't do much. But Izuku was again thinking about something else. Striving to be the strongest, refusing to fail,-
"OI! Pay attention to me, you fucking nerd!" Bakugo was upon him like a bird of prey, executing an ax kick that he intercepted with his forearm, and then defending against an onslaught of jabs, punches, and kicks, with occasional explosions mixed in-between. It didn't affect Izuku. He decided it was enough, and gave Bakugo a shove, that took him halfway across the arena. He started coughing.
"Hey, you ok? Did you see Recovery Girl before the fight?"
"Fuck you."
"Oh, cool, you're fine."
"BAKUGO HAS BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THE OFFENSIVE, BUT IT APPEARS TO NOT DO MUCH AGAINST MIDORIYA! WHAT DID THAT BOY EAT GROWING UP?"
"Granite, with a touch of titanium."
Bakugo charged again, and Izuku really did not want to go through another set of gym clothes, so he resorted to dodging. And that went on for about three minutes. Then Bakugo started getting angry. More and more explosions were launched at his opponent until one hit him point-blank, and he had to rub his eyes. Bakugo used the time to launch into the air and attack with another ax kick, this one aimed at his back. It felt like kicking a cement floor. He then dropped on the ground, using his explosions to spin fast and try to knock Izuku down with a sweep kick. It felt like kicking a steel beam. He finally stopped and backpedaled, until there were several feet between them. He was panting, and there was a slight shake in his arms.
"Fuck. WHAT ARE YOU MADE OFF!" Taking a good look at Izuku, he truly wasn't in any worse condition than when he came onto the stage. Hell, even his gym wear was in worse condition after his fight with Todoroki than now. Barring a couple of scorch marks, and a small hole here and there, it was still in decent condition.
"Well, I can't answer for sure, but I do know that I'm about 70% water." Oh, Bakugo could just SMELL smug in that answer. And, he didn't find it funny.
"STOP FUCKING AROUND! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN! I THOUGHT OVER WHAT YOU TOLD ME. AND THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL A COUPLE OF EXERCISES COULD DO THAT! NOW WITH YOUR QUIRKLESS ASS!"
Bakugo's voice was carrying across the stadium. And after he was done, the whispers spread. Izuku almost dropped in a state of panic, but there was one thought that prevented it.
"No one is hardly going to believe him."
Reassured of himself, he again prepared to face Bakugo, but the blond wasn't done.
"YOU THINK I DON'T SEE IT? I KNEW YOU BEFORE YOU TURNED INTO AN EMOTIONLESS SACK OF BRICKS! THE WAY YOU DODGE, OR BLOCK WITHOUT ANY EFFORT! AND WHAT WERE THOSE HALF ASSED PUNCHES? ROUND CHEEKS PUT MORE EFFORT INTO HER ATTACKS." He had to take a breath. Izuku was worried he was gonna suffocate.
"I'm telling you here and now, Deku... STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME! THIS IS NOT YOU! WHERE IS THE ANNOYING LITTLE NERD THAT FOLLOWED ME AROUND, AND WISHED TO SAVE PEOPLE WITH A SMILE?"
Izuku stopped. The voices in his head fell quiet as well. What was Bakugo trying to do?
"LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE? ONLY WANTING TO WIN AGAINST THEM AT THEIR BEST? THAT IS NOT YOU! THAT'S ME!"
Something cracked. Izuku saw his life play in front of his eyes. What Bakugo was saying... It can't be right, right? No, no, he can't be like him. Izuku wasn't a good liar. So, he knew bullshit, even if it was him who said it.
"Holy shit. I almost turned into a Bakugo!" One could only stop and start muttering to himself in the face of such a revelation. Intentionally, or not, ignoring a walking talking barrel of nitroglycerin.
"You won't talk to me? Fine, just die then. And I'll be the winner!" He launched into the air and then propelled himself in a spiraling motion, creating a miniature tornado. Many of the audience recognized the maneuver, and Uraraka paled a little at seeing it.
"EAT THIS! HOWITZER IMPACT!" a spiral explosion launched towards Izuku who was still mumbling. Cementos tried to create a barrier between them, but it drilled right through, engulfing the mumbling teen in a spiral of fire and smoke. Many in the audience panicked, seemingly forgetting the guy flexed off a glacier in the previous round. But the experienced heroes knew better.
"The explosion kid wasn't even hurting him in the slightest, so this probably did little more than tore up his uniform." Of course, with Midoriya being only 15, Ryuukyuu didn't have any unclean thoughts about his ripped upper body. None at all.
Bakugo strained his eyes, trying to look through fire and smoke to spot his opponent. And once he did, he cursed himself. That last attack took about the last ounce of juice he had. And Izuku Midoriya was completely unhurt. But he was probably gonna need a new set of clothes. A full set. Out the inferno emerged the greenette, without an ounce of fabric covering his shredded body.
He walked towards Bakugo, who was fighting his exhaustion to remain to stand, despite all four of his limbs shaking. But when Bakugo looked him in the eyes, he couldn't help but grin. He could spot something in those pools of green. A tiny bit of old Izuku was back.
"I'm sorry." Apparently the part that apologized for no reason. Well, at least it was progress.
"Izuku, the one you want, he's gone. But... I'd like to get him back. Will you help me, rival?" Bakugo's grin turned into a smile. He extended his hand.
"Like you could do it without me, nerd." they shook hands, completely ignoring the fact that Izuku was naked, Midnight was passed out with a nose bleed, and that there were about a thousand different cell phones currently snapping pictures or filming.
"Now, let's finish this fight, Deku!"
"Damn right, Bakugo!"
Now, Bakugo saw how Izuku's previous fight ended. So, he, of course, expected for Izuku to let him lose with dignity. He was wrong, because at that moment the Universe sent a breeze across the stadium. And Izuku felt it. In places, he wasn't supposed to.
There were no words spoken. Only a blur rushing out of the arena, leaving Bakugo standing there, together with Midnight, who had no recollection of the last five minutes, except a feeling she just forgot something really important. But, she still performed her duties as a referee.
"Um, Izuku Midoriyahas left the area... the winner of the sports festival is Bakugo Katsuki!" the silence grew thick. Before it was unceremoniously broken.
"OI! GET THE FUCK BACK YOU FUCKING NEEEERD!"
In the end, Bakugo had to be chained to the podium and gagged so he would stop trying to get Izuku to knock him out, and the award ceremony could begin. Izuku, now dressed in ANOTHER new set of gym clothes, kept his blank expression, but, his gaze remained that of someone who lost his way, and was now wandering in the dark, not hearing the roaring crowd, as All Might made his entrance on the scene.
"Ha ha ha! I AM HERE! To pass the medals to our best! Now, in the third place, Miss Yaoyorozu, and Mr Todoroki!" The no.1 hero whispered a few words of encouragement to both before he proceeded to Izuku. But, he saw something had changed in the young man. The look in his eyes was something he recognized. He saw it in the mirror the day his mentor died.
"Young Midoriya. I can see you lost something. Will you let me give you some advice?" Izuku tried to glare at his ex-idol, but with the turmoil in his head, he couldn't muster enough wrath. So he gave a tiny nod.
"Go to Dagoba Beach tomorrow. You'll know what to do, and it might help you find what you lost." Izuku nodded again and accepted the silver medal, while All Might's smile became a little wider. Just like the teen psychology books said, baby steps.
All Might then tried to hang the first place medal on Bakugo, but the explosive teen refused. After removing the gag that kept him silent, he immediately turned towards Izuku.
"OI, DEKU! YOU HAVEN'T KNOCKED ME OUT, YOU BASTARD! THINK YOU'RE STILL BETTER THAN ME? I'LL SHOW YA! WHO CARES IF YOU'RE NAKED! NOT LIKE YOU GOT ANYTHING TO BE IMPRESSED ABOUT YOU FUCKING NERD!"
All Might laughed it off, and in the end stuck the medal in his mouth, after some words of advice of course. With that the UA. Sports festivals concluded, and the masses were leaving without regrets, while the observing pro heroes were already thinking about which students to send the offers to. Including a certain Dragon Heroine.
"Yes, send an offer to Izuku Midoriya." Some mumbles came from her phone in a reply.
"Yes, I know he'll probably receive one from everyone." More jumbles and mumbles.
"You forget we have an ace up our sleeves."
"They trained together before the festival and made a bet that she won." Some more jibbers from her device.
"Ok. I'll see you at the agency." she hung up and pocketed the device, before stopping to wait for someone. She did not have to wait long.
"Ryuukyuu!" a blue blur came crashing into the ground next to the dragon lady, who barely batted an eye. From the dust cloud emerged her favorite sidekick, Nejire Hado.
"I'm sorry I didn't watch your fight with Mirio." the hero apologized to her.
"Oh, no biggie. It wasn't a very exciting fight anyway."
"Yea, I gathered that. But tell me, how in the seven blazes did you beat him?"
"Oh, I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Speaking of which..." she rummaged through her duffel bag, before pulling out her phone, together with a 1st place medal.
"I need you to take a picture." she hung the medal around her neck and posed with a peace sign and a smile that could outshine the sun. Ryuukyuu chuckled to herself as she took the picture, before returning the device to its owner. Said owner hummed to herself a jolly tune, as she wrote a few lines of text, and send the picture to someone labeled Mean Green Cinnamon Roll.
"And now we wait." she counted down with her fingers. Three, two, one.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Citizens of Mustafu never heard a scream more filled with a sense of dread, loss, and regret. Ryuukyuu looked pretty shaken. But all Nejire had so say was:
"Yes."
SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S OF THE FUCKING A!
Hisashi had a long day at work, so he was happy to be able to sit down in his favorite recliner, open a can of beer and watch some good ol Japanese TV. American programming always had too much drama for his taste. He saw a re-run of the U.A Sports Festival, first-year division, and decided that should be good enough until his daughter came home and started on dinner. He could cook, but his quirk demanded a level of spice that most people just weren't comfortable with, so he usually just poured over what Tatsumaki made, with half a bottle of the famous Ghost Sauce; Brings the heat to even the most fire-resistant mouth!
They were just about to announce the top scorer of the entrance exam, who was to give an athlete oath. He hoped they'd keep it short and to the point. He afforded himself a wolf whistle at the sight of the R-rated Heroine, before taking another sip of his beverage.
"-ow, your student representative... Izuku Midoriya!"
PFFFFFFFFFT!
"NANI?" Hisashi flinched at the second voice and slowly turned around. At the entrance to the living room stood his daughter otherwise knows and USA's top Hero Tornado of Terror, bags of groceries floating behind her. She slowly turned towards him, with the sweetest smile.
"Daddy dearest." Hisashi did not like that smile.
"Would you please explain why my brother, who supposedly died in childbirth, is swearing an athlete's oath, as a top scorer at Japan's best hero School?" Hisashi swallowed. He had a lot of explaining to do. And, if he survives that, a phone call to make.
"Why did he tell me to come to the beach?"
It was the day after the festival, and Izuku begrudgingly decided to take All Might's advice. His mom was home late after he went to bed, and he was out of the house early before she got up, to see the beach. His expectations were low. Universe proved they should have been lower. This place was a dump. He remembered the sea like to carry trash up there, but one would expect someone to clean that. But if no one did, people probably just started dumping things here. Shame. He remembered coming there with his mother once. She would show towards the horizon and said:
"Look Izuku! That's where your father and sister live. Once you get a quirk we'll go live there as well!"
Man, what a mood. He did not like to think back to those times. When the illusion of the family still existed. Made him regret what he did even more. Time to distract himself.
"Why would the Top Hero in Japan send me to a junkyard?"
"If I were to guess it's to clean it up, nerd." He jumped at that, before turning around, and eyeing the ash blond, who was sitting on the rail. He thought about something, and then finally decided to ask.
"Bakugo... why do you want to be a hero?"
"Easy. To beat every villain, save everyone and surpass All Might." Izuku was silent for a moment.
"I guess even with a resolve like that, you're better than me." Katsuki had to wonder what did he mean by that.
"Do you know why I want to be a hero? Not just that, but a no.1 hero? Because of revenge. Small, petty revenge. I want to be on the top, not to be a Symbol of Peace, or Hope, or to save everyone. I want to be on top to look down on everyone who berated me, ridiculed me, and stomp on my dreams. You, our old classmates, heroes who said I couldn't. My reason to be on top was to look them down and say: I'm better than you. Always have been, and always will be." He waited quietly for Bakugo's judgment.
"So what?" Izuku looked at his childhood friend.
"So your reasons are selfish. So what? It's human to be selfish. It's human to want things for yourself or to show off to others. Do you think other heroes aren't selfish? They are also humans, like you and me. Even All Might, I know, must have been selfish sometimes. What matters at the end of the day is that you act like a hero. I have selfish desires, but I still would not hesitate to save a person. So stop feeling sorry for yourself let's start hauling trash. I'm not letting you get further ahead than you already are."
Izuku smiled at Katsuki's words. Maybe they can both change. Maybe there was still hope for him yet.
"You're right... Kacchan." Bakugo grinned at the old nickname.
"No problem… Izuku."
Izuku looked towards his childhood friend. Bakugo looked at him too. Then he spoke.
"I don't like this."
"Yea it sounds weird." Izuku agreed.
"I'll just stick with Deku."
"Much better."
"Now shut up and start hauling." For the rest of the day, Izuku had to listen to Kacchan curse under his breath, as they together dragged big pieces of trash towards the pickup truck that All Might had sent. And he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Izuku returned home later that day, with a small smile danced on his face. Sadly it was not meant to last. As soon as he closed the door and took off his shoes, he was greeted with the sight of his mother, reading a magazine, and trying to ignore the ringing phone, although she kept stealing glances at it. She then looked and her eyes met her son's. There was tension in the air, before they both looked away, guilt racking them.
Izuku tried to hurry into his room, but before he could, his mother decided to speak.
"I was watching the festival at work. You came second."
"Yeah." He continued down the hallway. But before he could disappear into his room, his mother spoke again.
"Izuku... I'm proud of you."
He did not have a retort for that. He just stood in the hallway a minute longer, his back turned towards her, before nodding once, and entering his room, the door closing behind him. It seems things weren't perfect in the Midoriya household.
Man. The last chapter of 2019, the last chapter of the decade! I never really knew how far I was gonna take this story, I had about 9 chapters already written back in April, so I kinda hoped I'd get to at least 16 before I ran out. And then life was like NOPE! But, here we are, chapter 17! man, It feels like that April 1st chapter was somewhere far away. But I like to think it helped to build up the hype. Now, there is a little bonus, because it's New Year. A challenge for you writers searching for ideas! Some might remember the "Izuku Bender challenge". Well, I was basically told to delete it, or shit will go down. So, I'm reposting it here, where more people will see it, and maybe decide to write something!
BENDER IZUKU
Izuku with the power to bend elements like in Avatar The Last Air Bender. The show, not the movie.
FIRE
There are a ton of things you can do with this, is izuku related to Endeavour, is he not, is he strong with fire, is he not, etc. What you do need to keep in mind though, is that Firebenders aren't fire-proof. Oh, and Izuku bending lightning is a must! Seriously, how awesome would that be?
WATER
Izuku can manipulate water, but he can also heal with it. His mom hopes he would become a doctor, so he can live comfortably, but his dreams are to become A HERO! Maybe related to Koda and Mandalay?
EARTH
Izuku does not have a lot of friends. Even though he's blind, he always wins every hide&seek. But that is just an effect of his quirk. He can bend earth and wants to become a rescue hero. Metal bending would be a part of it, but only later,
AIR
Izuku and Inasa Yoarashi are cousins. Hilarity and PASSION are unavoidable. Seriously, do you need more? You can go a different route, of course, but Izuku and Inasa sharing more time together would be pretty neat!
AVATAR (Chosen by NeoGamer93,)
Izuku can bend 4 elements, maybe quirk marriage? Gene splicing? Izuku has been trained for greatness ever since his quirk awakened at the age of 4, so a decade later, he is prepared to take the recommendation exams. This is more along the lines of OP! Izuku. Or whatever your take on it will be, I'm not judging.
PAIRING:
I would prefer Izuku/Nejire or Izuku/Momo, but you have free hands here. I kindly ask you to avoid gender-swapping and yaoi though. Or council with me if you're hell-bent on genderswap.
RATING
M. Don't give me any of that weak K or T shit.
PM if you're up to the challenge, using the subject: Bender Izuku (element you choose).
All I have to say to you now is... I wish you all a Happy, Productive, and Fun New Year. Let's make it better than this one. I thank you all for reading, and tell me in the reviews, are you reading this in 2019, or in 2020.
Thank you all so much, and we'll read each other next time. NPGamer out.
PEACE!