Chapter 27: Number One
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! This is the penultimate chapter of the events that take in Season 2 of the show. I had a lot of fun writing this one! It also allowed me to showcase more of Katsuki and Typhlosion and that's always fun. Not much else to say here other than thank you so much for 5k reads! It seriously means so much to me.
Just so you guys know also, next chapter is going to be pretty short. Because of the way the show is told at this point, I essentially make one chapter = one episode. Since the beginning of the last episode leaked into this chapter, plus the episode itself isn't the most eventful, it might be pretty short. Still, it'll be a nice epilogue to what happened this season.
One more thing though. I've finally settled on where I'm going to put the first entirely original arc in this series. Note that this isn't just going to be one chapter things like the Eevee or Torchic chapter. Instead, this will span several chapters long and will have even more ties to the Pokemon world while still building up the characters from MHA. I've decided to write it into right after where Season 4 ends. This was because I wanted Deku to have five of his Pokemon by that time, and the ending of Season 4 is where I have planned for him to get his fifth Pokemon. So that's just something to be excited for.
Anyway, leave a review if you can. Enjoy!
The final practical exam of class 1-A… arguably, the hardest one. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo, two students notorious for their rivalry, versus All Might, the Number One Hero in all of Japan. While he and his Pokemon would be handicapped, the idea of fighting All Might was enough to terrify the students.
"Team Midoriya and Bakugo. Begin!"
The two stepped into their entrance, seeing the battlefield ahead of them. It was fairly narrow. A straight path surrounded by buildings and alleyways. It was simple enough, though the gate seemed to be a bit further away than they had hoped.
They simply started walking toward the exit. It seemed… a bit too easy right now. Still, something wasn't sitting right with Izuku. He knew he needed to talk to Katsuki and come up with a plan. He and Riolu ran up to their partners and tried saying something. "Kacchan, in this test the students are supposed to be the Heroes and the teachers are the Villains. Normally, they'd want us to evaluate our teacher's powers and determine if we should fight or run away. But in our case, we're fighting All Might. No matter what we do, we can't take him. We need to…"
Before Izuku could even finish, Katsuki walked faster, with Typhlosion right behind him. "W-Wait, Kacchan!"
"Stop following me!" Katsuki shouted.
"B-But if we keep walking this way, All Might'll find us! We should pass through one of the buildings instead."
"Why the hell are we gonna run? We'll get a higher grade if we fight him, right?"
"I said we should avoid-!"
"We'll tire him out, then when he's open, Typhlosion and I'll beat him down!"
Izuku felt uneasy. Katsuki was incredibly hard to work with, but he seemed more stubborn now than before. Riolu looked up to his frustrated trainer and let out a sigh. "We'll figure something, Riolu." The boy said. Riolu nodded and the two continued walking behind Katsuki and Typhlosion.
"Who do you think All Might is?!" Izuku shouted. "Even with the handicap, he'll still-" Katsuki cut Izuku off by punching him in the face right as he approached. Riolu was incredibly upset by this and tried attacking Katsuki, but Typhlosion scared him off with a loud roar. "Stop talking to me." The blonde boy said. "Stop talking to me just because you're feelin' good. You make me fo fucking mad."
Recovery Girl let out a sigh. "This isn't good at all. Doesn't that boy know who he's up against?"
All Might smiled and turned to Lucario. "Well, let's get going." Lucario nodded and began charging up his aura.
"Wait, Kacchan! I'm saying we can pass this exam! Listen to me!"
"I don't fucking need you to pass!"
"Stop yelling at me! This is why we can never just talk!"
While they were arguing, they felt something coming. They quickly turned in the direction of the gate and saw something terrifying. A giant Aura Sphere was heading right for them.
"Flamethrower!"
"Vacuum Wave!"
The combined power of their Pokemon's attacks managed to stop the Aura Sphere, but the subsequent explosion created a huge shockwave that destroyed several surrounding buildings, cars, and even overpasses. It ended up pushing the four students a long way back.
"Who cares about damage to a city…" All Might slowly approached them from the smoke followed by his Lucario. An overwhelming sense of fear overtook them as they watched as their teacher menacingly approached them. "You'll fail if you treat this as an exam." He said. "I'm a Villain, Heroes. Come at me with everything you've got."
Izuku took a step back and Riolu jumped in front to protect him. "We can't fight him directly. We need to fall back!" He said. "I told you to shut up! Flamethrower!" Right as Lucario dashed at them, Typhlosion released a powerful stream of flames that stopped the Aura Pokemon's momentum.
"You want us to come at you, All Might?! Then take this! Flame Wheel!" Typhlosion curled up and dashed at Lucario, but the Pokemon simply punched Typhlosion right as he approached and held him up in the air. "N-No! Typhlosion!"
Without command, Typhlosion used Flamethrower on Lucario in an attempt to escape. That Pokemon had the same rash and brute force type attitude as his trainer. It seemed like he also shared his trainer's intent to beat All Might.
"Lucario, finish him." Lucario lifted Typhlosion higher and slammed him into the ground. "What a weak move. Disappointing." He said. Lucario stood back up and stretched his arms. "Now, maybe we're forgetting someone."
Lucario instantly disappeared and reappeared behind Izuku and Riolu. "Are you just gonna stand there and leave your partner behind?" All Might asked. For some reason, he couldn't help but remember the Hero Killer.
"Riolu, jump back!" Riolu did as instructed and moved back to get away from Lucario. "Uh oh. That's no good!" All Might shouted.
"Out of the way!"
"K-Kacchan?!"
Riolu and Izuku looked back and saw Typhlosion making his way toward them with Flame Wheel. He and Riolu ended up crashing into each other, truly showcasing just how little chemistry and teamwork the two trainers and their Pokemon had.
"One wants to beat All Might and the other wants to be him. Izuku Midoriya admires that Hero like a God. But Katsuki Bakugo… he's a talented kid. So why's he so impatient?" Recovery Girl said, squinting her eyes.
"Typhlosion, get back up," Katsuki said, running up to his partner and helping him get back on his feet. Izuku ran up to them and clenched his fist. "Kacchan, please just listen to me. We aren't gonna win if we keep throwing ourselves-"
"I said shut up! I'm gonna win." Katsuki said, he and Typhlosion slowly walking toward Lucario. "That's what a Hero would do." They could all hear Typhlosion softly growl, showing the same ferocity as his trainer.
Izuku let out a sigh and Riolu jumped in front of the two to stop them from moving forward. "That's why we need-"
"I said shut up!"
"Anyway! For the one who wants to run away, here's my gift!" The four quickly looked up and saw Lucario running at them with a long bone staff that seemed to be formed into an I shape. He slammed it down right on top of Riolu and Izuku, trapping them under.
"As for you!" Lucario dashed toward Typhlosion. The Fire-type tried using Flamethrower, but Lucario punched him in the throat, allowing him to take advantage of Typhlosion's vulnerable state and throw him against the wall. The Aura Pokemon then looked right at Katsuki and punched him right in the stomach, making him vomit and sending him flying right into Typhlosion.
"K-Kacchan!" Izuku cried out, he and Riolu desperately trying to escape from the bone trap.
Katsuki tried getting up, but he could barely move. Seeing him like that… it made Izuku remember their past for some reason. As kids… Katsuki looked up to All Might just as much as he did.
Now, Katsuki had finally mustered the strength to slowly get up, with the help of Typhlosion of course. Seeing him keep going did make Izuku remember. Katsuki was mean, a bully, and cruel. But no matter what, he never gave up. That's why Izuku admired him. He grabbed onto the bone staff and began pushing. "Come on, Riolu! We can do this!" Riolu looked at his trainer and nodded, letting out a small bark before continuing to push.
"I know why you're angry, Bakugo." All Might said, slowly walking toward the young boy. "It's because of Young Midoriya and his Pokemon's improvement, right?" Katsuki was caught off-guard. How did he know?
"But remember, when you two started at UA, Midoriya had nothing. You already had several years as a trainer while he received his Pokemon just a little over a year ago by this point. You'd be improving at different speeds. He's still trying to catch up. You're wasting this talent you have! You still have a lot to learn. But it's not just about-"
"Shut up, All Might," Katsuki said, still leaning on Typhlosion. "If I need that bastard's help… then I'd rather lose." None of them, even Typhlosion, could believe their ears. He'd rather lose than work with his childhood friend…
"Is that so?" All Might asked. "Then don't regret it." Lucario slowly reached out his hand toward the boy but just before he could release his attack, Izuku ran up to them and punched Katsuki right in the face. "Don't you dare say you'd rather lose!" He shouted.
Riolu jumped forward and dragged Katsuki to a nearby alleyway where Izuku and Typhlosion quickly followed. Still processing what had just happened, Lucario and All Might simply watched. "I wasn't expecting Midoriya to interrupt that." The trainer said. Lucario simply looked at All Might and sighed. "What? Was I too harsh?"
"Let go of me, you damn rat," Katsuki said. Riolu looked at him and shook his head. "I said let go!" The boy reached out his fist and hit Riolu in the head, albeit fairly lightly. Just enough to make the Pokemon let go of him. Izuku and Typhlosion eventually caught up and found both of them leaning against the wall.
"Kacchan…" Izuku's body gave in and he had to rest on the wall. "I can't think of any way we can beat or run away from All Might… but before you give up, at least try using me! Don't say you'd rather lose!" He said.
Izuku turned to Typhlosion. "Don't you see, Typhlosion isn't ready to give up yet, and neither should you. You never give up, no matter what. That's who you are." For once, the Pokemon that had given Izuku so much pain over the past years agreed with him. Typhlosion looked at his trainer and gave him a confident nod.
Katsuki clenched his fist and slammed it right beside Izuku's head. "Against Lucario's ridiculous speed, there's no way we're getting away from All Might." He said.
"B-But we can't fight-"
"Shut up for once in your life and listen! I've learned from my attacks that Lucario isn't fazed by our normal moves. So here's the plan…"
Lucario and All Might continued running through the ruined streets looking for the students. "Where did they go?" He asked. "They aren't here, so they must be heading for the exit-" Before he could finish, he heard someone jump from the alleyway behind him.
"Hey, All Might! Where are you looking!" Both he and Lucario turned to see Katsuki standing there, but something else was wrong. Riolu was with him? "Now! Attack, rat!" Riolu shot out a Vacuum Wave that Lucario easily evaded simply by moving his head to the side. "You expect us to fall for that?" All Might shouted. "Now!"
Izuku appeared now from behind All Might with Typhlosion. Their plan, use their strongest attack at point-blank range! This was the only way for them to get away! Katsuki and Riolu moved out to make way for their next attack.
All Might saw the yellow energy pouring out of Izuku's bracelet and into Typhlosion. "I'm sorry, All Might!" Izuku and Typhlosion struck a pose, the energy surrounding them growing even brighter. "Z-Power! Inferno Overdrive!"
From his mouth, Typhlosion shot out an incredibly large and powerful stream of flames that created an explosion, pushing Lucario and All Might back. It wasn't as powerful since Typhlosion and Izuku didn't share a powerful bond, but this was the only way to catch All Might off-guard. It pushed Lucario back, but it also seemed to hurt Izuku. He had never used a Z-Move before and the sheer power sent a strange pain surging through his body. Still, it wasn't as bad as some of the things he'd gone through up to that point so he was still good.
"Let's go! Run!" Katsuki ran past Izuku and got on top of Typhlosion. The Fire-type began running, with Riolu and Izuku following closely behind them.
All Might ran up to Lucario who had been knocked to the ground and helped him up. "Well, they got us there." He said. "Not bad for an improvised idea." Lucario got back up and stretched his arms. They looked around the area and smiled. The boys had made sure to keep their damage to the city to a minimum by only unleashing powerful attacks in places that All Might had already destroyed. That was one of the first things he had taught them.
That was the entire point of this test, after all. On their own, even as first years, Izuku and Katsuki could be considered some of the most clever in the entire Hero course. When working together though, that's when things fall apart. They've got such a long and complicated past that they don't know how to deal with it anymore. Them working together here was a big step in the right direction.
All Might coughed up some blood there. Lucario walked up to him to see if he was okay, but he was only met with a determined look from his trainers. "We don't wanna disappoint them, now do we?" All Might asked. Lucario smiled and entered a fighting stance. "Let's give it our best!"
"There's the gate!" Izuku shouted. "If we can make it through, then we'll pass!" They all looked around the area and were astounded at the destroyed buildings. "That explosion reached all the way here?" Katsuki asked out loud.
"Lucario isn't following us either… do you think we actually got him?"
"Idiot! You were the one saying we couldn't beat him, right?! Let's just hurry and get through that gate! If he catches up, I'll hold him off!"
"Yes, yes. Then what?" They both looked ahead and saw All Might resting his back by the gate. Lucario quickly appeared in between Izuku and Katsuki, landing a powerful Power-up Punch on Typhlosion before he could react. He quickly whipped back and landed the same attack on Riolu as well as Izuku, launching both Pokemon and their trainers into opposite walls.
"Now, go to hell, Heroes!"
Lucario dashed toward Katsuki and slammed a bone staff right into his stomach. "Kacchan!" Izuku and Riolu began running toward them to try and intervene, but Lucario quickly grabbed Izuku's arm and slammed him into his Pokemon.
"Very well done, young men." All Might said as he slowly approached them. "You were able to overcome your differences and work together! But that is a prerequisite, not a win condition."
All four of them were down and felt defeated. They had done everything. Catch All Might off-guard, use a Z-Move, work together, even reach the gate… but it still wasn't enough. All Might… he was just too strong. Katsuki looked at All Might and slowly reached out. This was… the world's greatest Hero!
Izuku desperately tried crawling toward the gate, but it was useless. "What's with that face, Midoriya?" He asked. Lucario picked up the boy and threw him to the ground. Riolu tried getting up and tried to protect his trainer, but Lucario simply kicked him away.
"So you planned to blow me away with a powerful Z-Move and try to get away. Now that Typhlosion's Z-Power is all used up though, it looks like you don't have any more options. What a shame." All Might said.
"Shut up!" All Might had taken his eyes off of Katsuki for just a second, and before he knew it, the boy had run up to him and tackled the Hero to the ground. He struck a pose, shocking All Might. "Inferno Overdrive!"
Using what little energy Typhlosion had left, he released one last Z-Move on Lucario, pushing him away. "O-Ow…" Katsuki said, gripping onto his wrist. He was completely exhausted and using a Z-Move was too much for his body to handle.
Still, they weren't done. Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the shirt and threw him toward Typhlosion. "Just a little more. We're gonna send you flying." Typhlosion picked up Riolu and Izuku by the shirt in his mouth and started charging up his flames. "I don't like it, but we don't have any other choice. You're gonna have to be the one! Eruption!"
Typhlosion released a giant explosion, sending Izuku and Riolu flying. "Now, Lucario!" All Might shouted. Lucario let out a punch backward, reversing his momentum, colliding into Izuku's back. They could hear a soft cracking sound as Izuku screamed in pain. They ended up crashing into Riolu and were sent flying into a nearby bus, creating a large dent in the metal vehicle.
"Not yet!" Typhlosion jumped up to them using his Flame Wheel for momentum and used a Thunder Punch. "That was stupid of me. Now, the Firium Z's got no more power, but I should have known I'd have to take these risks! We've got a little more in us, All might!" Katsuki held up an Electrium Z and placed it in his Z-Ring. Typhlosion released a Gigavolt Havoc. However, that was it. Despite the Electrium Z still having a little power, Typhlosion and Katsuki didn't. There was a good risk their bodies would suffer permanent injuries if they kept pushing themselves like this.
"Go, Deku! Keep moving!" Katsuki and Typhlosion got up, releasing a powerful Eruption on Lucario. Izuku tried getting up, but his back hurt too much from Lucario's attack. Still, with the help of Riolu, the two slowly made their way toward the gate.
"Please, just a little more… Typhlosion, hang in there…" Katsuki placed his hand on his partner Pokemon's back as he released attack after attack to keep Lucario busy. Izuku and Riolu slowly walked toward the gate, constantly pushing themselves even if they were in a lot of pain. Izuku knew if he got near the gate, Lucario and All Might would try to stop them.
Just as expected, as soon as Izuku got close, Lucario tried going for them. But also as expected, Katsuki and Typhlosion jumped in to stop him. He released Thunder Punch after Eruption after Flame Wheel after Flamethrower, constantly throwing everything they had at Lucario to buy enough time.
Eventually, Lucario managed to overpower Typhlosion with an Aura Sphere, allowing him to grab onto both Typhlosion and Katsuki and slam them into the road. Izuku hesitated, just for one second, and looked back. "Go to sleep, you two." All Might said. "The way you two are hurting yourselves… I know it all too well."
"Go… you damn nerd…" Katsuki said, raising his arm and hitting Lucario with a very weak punch. "We break… and break… and twist ourselves this way… because this is how we choose to win… Typhlosion… isn't going to give up yet… I know he won't…" Typhlosion bit onto Lucario's arm and weakly let out some embers. By now, the flames on his back were barely visible.
"But… it still isn't enough…" Katsuki gave another weak punch, one that didn't even affect Lucario.
"Kacchan…"
All Might was too distracted with Katsuki's efforts that he had completely forgotten Izuku for a second. "I won't let you…!" He looked back and saw Izuku and Riolu running toward them, One for All surging within their bodies.
Above all else though, they were smiling. That signature smile All Might gave when saving others… the power to give people hope… "Please move." Izuku said.
Riolu let out a powerful Force Palm in Lucario's face, with Izuku landing a punch right in All Might's stomach. Though the Pokemon couldn't speak, you could hear his soul as he screamed in unison with his trainer. "Smash!" They shouted, their hits managing to push away Lucario and All Might ever so slightly. Just enough for them to grab onto Katsuki and Typhlosion and drag them toward the gate.
Had Izuku just gone through the gate before, he would have passed. He risked attacking All Might and getting caught just to save Katsuki. Everything they had worked for led up to this. Izuku wasn't just going to leave his partner like that. He wasn't going to run…
"They got us good, Lucario." All Might said, coughing up blood. Lucario smiled and nodded, collapsing to his knees as he felt their time limit reaching its end. "That's right… he's been like this from the very start. That boy… he can't help but save people in need…"
Izuku and Riolu stepped out of the gates, making sure that the unconscious Katsuki and Typhlosion were with them. "That's right… that's the kind of person you are… a Hero!"
"Team Midoriya and Bakugo pass! All the final examinations for Class 1-A have concluded."
Later that day, it was actually Izuku and Katsuki who had suffered the most injuries. Once their partner Pokemon were healed, they insisted on waiting for their trainers outside of their Pokeballs.
Chansey placed her hands over Izuku and used Heal Pulse, relieving some of the pain. "Th-Thank you, Chansey…" The boy said. Riolu sat at the edge of the boy's bed, patting his leg to try and comfort his trainer.
"All Might, have you forgotten that these are just students! You need to learn to hold back! Had they been hit any harder, their injuries could have been permanent! Midoriya's back was the worst of it. Your lucky Chansey was even able to heal it. Not to mention that Bakugo won't wake up for a while either."
Recovery Girl turned away from the teacher and back to the two students. "You two should rest here a while longer. I wouldn't want you going home with those injuries." She said.
"Y-Yes… thank you, Recovery Girl," Izuku said. Typhlosion and Riolu also nodded in agreement, seeing that their trainers were in terrible condition.
Still, All Might couldn't help but smile at the events that took place that day. Izuku had gotten stronger, but the same could be said for Katsuki. Ever since he'd gotten in, he laughed in the face of danger, and that didn't change now. The two of them had grown stronger together.
Later that day, Izuku found himself and his Pokemon training at the beach once again. Combusken went for a Double Kick on Eevee, but she managed to quickly dodge and fire back with a Veevee Volley.
Later on, Izuku called back his three Pokemon and kneeled to talk to them. "We've still got a long way to go, guys. But I know we can do anything together." He said. His three Pokemon smiled and nodded. Despite all the dangers and challenges, this team was growing stronger together, and that wasn't stopping soon.
But little did they know, something was stirring within the shadows. It seemed like Stain left a major impact on Japan…
Tomura sat down at the bar, looking at the picture of Izuku taken when he won the first challenge of the Sports Festival. As he and Kurogiri were speaking, someone entered. Giran, an associate of the League and a friend of Kurogiri, stepped inside.
"Shigaraki!" He said. "Looks like you've been the talk of the town recently. I've got-"
"Who else is there?" Tomura slammed the picture onto the table and stabbed a knife into it. Giran simply stepped out and allowed the two people who accompanied him into the room.
One of them was a blonde young girl in a school uniform. She had dark eye bags with a strangely happy yet sadistic expression. The other was a boy who only looked to be slightly older than her. He had black hair, wore dark clothing, but the most interesting part of his appearance was the presence of several burn marks across his arms and face.
"I saw you in pictures, but you're pretty unsettling in real life too." The boy said.
The girl began moving her hands up and down excitedly. "You're the Cofagrigus guy! You're friends with Stain, right? Right?" She asked with a creepily happy tone. "Let me join the League of Villains!"
Tomura let out a sigh. "Kurogiri, send these people away. My least favorite things… a kid and rude people." He said. "I think we should at least hear them out," Kurogiri said. "Besides, they were brought here by Giran. They'll most definitely be useful to us."
Giran smiled. "Just make sure to pay the commission, Kurogiri." He said. "At least listen to what they have to say. Starting with this high school girl. Her name and face have yet to be publicized by the media, but she is a suspect for several murders involving blood loss."
"I'm Toga! Toga Himiko!" The girl, now known as Toga, said. "The world is so hard to live in, so I wanna make it easy! I wanna be just like Stain! I wanna KILL Stain! Let me join the League, Tomura!"
"I don't get it. Is she a psycho or something?" Tomura asked. Giran shrugged his shoulder and smiled once again. "Eh, she's able to hold a conversation. I'm sure you could make use of her." He said.
"Next is this guy. He hasn't committed any crimes, but he lives by the Hero Killer's ideology."
The boy looked around and let out a sigh. "Gotta admit, this place's got me worried. You seriously aren't gonna let this crazy chick join, right?"
"Hey, hey," Tomura said. "You haven't even done half of what the 'crazy chick' has already done. Tell me your name first. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"
"Just call me Dabi."
"I want your real name."
"I'll say it when I need to. Anyway, I don't care about you. I just wanna make the Hero Killer's dream a reality." Dabi said.
Tomura let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "You don't need to tell me anything I didn't ask for. Seriously, all this talk about Stain…"
Kurogiri noticed Tomura reaching for his Pokeball and tried to stop him. "Shigaraki-"
"It's getting on my nerves!" He sent out his Cofagrigus and the Pokemon instantly attacked. Luckily, Dabi and Toga were quick and sent out their Chandelure and Zoroark quickly to defend themselves.
Just as they were about to let out their attacks though, Kurogiri sent out his Alakazam and redirected all of their attacks to prevent any injuries. "Please calm down, Tomura Shigaraki," Kurogiri said. "If you want things to go according to plan, we need to enlarge our organization. We're in the spotlight now. We can't waste this opportunity." He walked up to the young master and whispered something in his ear.
"Take advantage of what Stain left behind."
Tomura quickly returned Cofagrigus to his Pokeball and toward the door. "Shut up." He said. "Where are you going?" Giran asked. "I said shut up!" He walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Kurogiri let out a sigh. "Can we give our answer on another date? I'm sure the young master knows what he has to do. That's why he left without a word. He knows, trust me."