Pokémon Trainer Hero
Chapter 42: The Sports Festival part. 14-Double Confrontations and One Misunderstanding.
Gar eventually returned Jynx back to its pokeball after entering the stadium and finishing off the Takoyaki. Making his way through the winding hallways to the center to start off the recreational games for the students to participate in. As he came to the entry point of the stadium clearing he heard hushed chatter coming from not too far away.
Normally he would ignore it and move on, but nowadays everything isn't normal. For all he knew it could be a spy of Team Freak relaying information to Bayo. So he quietly and stealthily approached the hushed chattering and silently eavesdropped on their conversation from the shadows.
When he did, he quickly realized that the chattering was coming from Izuku and Todoroki. Quickly breathing a quiet sigh of relief he thanked Arceus that his hunch was proven wrong. He was about to leave for the stadium when his curiosity peaked in their conversation. So deciding to let intuition overtake his common sense, he stayed in the darkness and listened in on what they were saying to one another. Whatever it was, it was sure intense.
He peaked his ear out and just caught the tail end of the conversation as Todoroki said, "I've been thinking about this for a while now. Your fighting style, your moves, your costume, and especially your quirk. It's power, back at the USJ, was just like that of All Mights. So tell me."
At hearing his specific words, Gar felt his heart drop into his leg. A cold sweat broke out over his body and his breath caught in his throat. If he was feeling riled up about this revelation, then it was nothing compared to how Izuku must be freaking out internally. He only hopes the green teen is able to keep his composure for long enough.
"Are you All Might's secret love child or something.", Todoroki asked with a serious voice.
Immediately everything was cast into an unholy silence that blanketed everything in a fine silhouette. Izuku was still and silent, Gar was silent, and so was Todoroki. The only noise coming from the inside of the arena. Then everything broke loose when Izuku went completely into panic mode and Gar began to lose it!
"W-W-WHAT!? No no no no no! Y-Y-Y-You got it all wrong! It's not like that or a-a-anything! We just have similar quirks and I idolize him! T-T-That's all I swear!", Izuku denied, much to Todoroki's internal disappointment.
While Gar had to shove a whole wad of his sweatshirt into his mouth and bite down! He held his back against a wall and stepped down on one foot to prevent himself from making noise! After nearly three minutes of Gar having a hysterical breakdown and Izuku denying Todoroki's claim, the topic shifted back to something more serious from Izuku.
"Though speaking of quirks, what about yours?", Izuku asked the teen in front of him, who raised an eyebrow. "W-What I mean is….you basically have two and you only use one half of it. Why?"
"You wouldn't understand.", Todoroki replied.
'Try him bitch.', Gar mentally rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I won't, but maybe you can tell me so I can try to?", Izuku offered.
There was silence once again between the two. Then Todoroki spoke up and said, "Fine. When I was young, ever since I could remember, I was groomed by my….father Endeavor to surpass All Might and achieve his dream. It was...for lack of better words, intense. He did things with me I'm sure aren't allowed. But this all culminated into my mother who had to witness this with my other siblings time and time again. She connected my fire with his and had a breakdown that led her to disfigure my face. That's why I don't use my left side. Not only to go against my old man, but to never carry on the curse his flames carry."
Everything was silent. Dead silent. Not the calm before the storm silent, but the everyone in the village is dead silent. Todoroki looked dead into Izuku's eyes and Izuku into his. The intensity in the air was padible.
No matter what Gar had said or reacted to Todoroki's story, hearing it a second time filled his stomach with rocks and sent a violent shivering up his back that rattled his head! He thought Silver, N, and Gladion had a bad life but he…..well actually scratch that. Gladion definitely did have a worse life than Todoroki. But you know where it's going.
"That's crazy talk.", Izuku suddenly sprouted out, breaking the tension. Todoroki looked at him strangely and the green teen retorted saying, "Oh, uh! I mean the last thing. Not everything before, that was definitely not crazy talk! What I mean is, well….you shouldn't view your quirk like that.", Todoroki only blinked in response as Izuku continued.
"Some people can only dream to have what you do. Why end up wasting such a precious gift?", He asked Todoroki who stayed silent. "Heroes are always giving it their all with their quirk no matter what. Think about how much of a greater hero you'd be if you used both sides?!", Izuku exclaimed as Todoroki looked at the ground in self contemplation.
"But...it's his-.", Todoroki tried to argue back before Izuku cut him off.
"It doesn't matter. In fact, that's the crazy talk I was saying before! Sure the fact you have fire comes from your dad, but that doesn't make it his. You're quirk isn't Hellfire, it's Half-Hot and Half-Cold.", He told him with a contagious aura of joy and hope.
Before their conversation could continue, a female voice called outside the hall, "Deku-kun!"
"Coming!", Izuku shouted back. Turning back to Todoroki he told him, "I have to go. Think about it Todoroki-kun. I'll see you in the final event!"
Todoroki watched as Izuku waved him off while running through the open hallway and into the arena to meet up with the others. The teen looked back down at his right hand and said to himself in a shocked and disbelieving tone, "Not….his quirk…..that's two people now. Is this all just a coincidence?"
As Todoroki left the hallway and into the open arena, Gar came out from his own hiding spot with tears in his eyes. He was hugging himself while standing on one foot, and shaking back and forth with an unearthly feeling of pride and joy swell up inside him. He let out a strange noise that sounded like a gasp and squeal of excitement, and said to himself, 'I'm so proud of you Izuku. And no Shoto, it's not a coincidence.'
"Oi. Purple Fucker!", A loud and very familiar voice called out to him from behind.
Immediately feeling his previous feeling suddenly flush out of him, he leaned forward with both arms hanging limp and said in his head, 'Aaaaaaaand there goes my good mood."
Taking a deep breath and straightening himself out, Gar turned to the teen behind him and told him, "Not now Katsuki. Can it just wait till later? I'm busy with-."
"I know you know.", Bakugou suddenly cut him off.
Gar stood still as a statue, looked around , then asked back, "What?"
"I KNOW! YOU KNOW!", Bakugou barked louder while getting into his face!
While Gar reales himself back in defense of the fuming teens face, he immediately puts on his normal expression and says with Hey mischievous jingle in his tone, "Weeeeeell, I know lots of things. For instance, did you know the way to tell the difference between a male and female Jynx is by looking-."
"Not that shit!", Bakugou cut him off before exclaiming, "I'm talking about Deku!"
Gar's kind and bubbly persona immediately washed away to reveal a ticked off expression that said forcefully with knit eyebrows, "Okay, first off. Don't you dare call him Deku-."
Before he could continue, Bakugou cut him off, catching him off guard, as he yelled, "Listen here mother fucker! I know for a fact that your fucking terrible at lying or keeping secrets."
"You're definitely not wrong on that statement.", Gar admitted with a shrug.
"Then you know something about Deku and his quirk. It didn't just appear out of nowhere, it came from somewhere or someone. He told me as much!", He shouted at him.
Gar narrows his eyes while leveling himself to the teens and asks skeptically, "So what are you saying?"
"I want to know, now!", He demands.
Gar's face darkens as he stands back up and looms over the teen while asking in a dangerous tone, "Why?"
At that question, Bakugou had definitely bursted a few dozen veins in his head, as more anger marks appeared than ever before, and with a red face he yelled in demand, "Why!? I deserve to know! I'm entitled to know! I demand it! I'm sick and tired of this shit! Deku looks down on me even more since he got it, and I hate it! So I want to know what you know, NOW!"
Before Bakugou could even inhale to breath from his shouting demands, a very quick and very painful force hit him against his cheek and found himself looking at the opposite wall. He raised his hand and tenderly touched his cheek, but still received a kickback of pain. It was then he realized he was smacked across the face.
He wasn't shocked by the smack alone, he was used to that. But it was the intent, feeling, and message behind it. And just the smack alone shook all the way to his soul, and it frightened him. This wasn't like his mother's, who only smack him when she was in a bitchy mood, or because Bakugou was causing something…..no.
This was some else.
Something he hadn't felt before. This was anger: pure, unadulterated, unfiltered, unperverted anger. This wasn't like one of his mother's little anger spikes she uses in some vain attempt to get him to calm down or listen to authority.
This was something that wanted to cause him pain, that didn't want to control him. This wanted to put him down and make sure it stung. And it did.
Bakugou had never felt a slap like this before, especially one that left him trying to reach his own senses and breath. It's like his brain was knocked out and he was sent into immediate reboot. He couldn't react or act or think of anything.
Even after the smack was done, it still echoed throughout his whole body and sent a wave of uncertainty and fear within. The only thing he could do was look up, and when he did, his breath caught in his throat at what he saw. With an aura so intense that it not only loomed over him like dark shadows, but pressed down on him until he felt like he was being crushed.
In front of him was Gar, but not the Gar he knew. No. This was someone else entirely different, and this person frightened him.
He loomed high over him, his body tense, and his arms stagnant where they were. An aura of pure anger filled intensity washed over the area. The hologram not part of him that wasn't so intense was his face. Though his eyes were illuminated by a darkness that filled the upper portion of his face making them pop out, the lower portion was in a neutral state. There was no frown or smile or any curvature on his lips. Just flat plain nothing, almost as if he didn't know what expression to make or simply chose not to to exercise his feelings across more.
Not a word was exchanged between the two of them as they both stared at one another in a horrifying silence that seemed to take time away. Bakugou felt like he was being pushed down as Gar seemed to grow in height and energy. All he wanted right now was for the silence to end, and it did, with one statement from Gar.
"how...dare you.", Gar finally spoke in a small voice, barely above a whisper. "HOW DARE YOU!", Gar suddenly exploded into the teens face without warning, making him almost back away and crumpled down in fright. "You think you can just march up to me, not even look me in the eye, and demand anything from me?! NO! HELOSLIC, NO! You think you can just go around and stick your nose in other people's business if you think it hinders you in some way? Are you out of your Frillish frying mind!", He yelled at the teen who only seemed to get smaller and smaller while shrinking back in fear.
"You may think that you're entitled to the world for not writing out the origin story you wanted, but let me make one thing very clear! I don't owe you ANYTHING! No one does! And especially not Izuku! Especially after all you've done.", Gar ranted onto the blonde teen while poking his shoulder roughly.
"What are you talking about?", Bakugou asked dumbfounded.
Without a warning, Gar's expression darkened further, and with flash fast reflexes he gave another sharp slap across Bakugou's face. Yet again he was shocked beyond comprehension or words. Simply staring back up at the fuming teen who looked ready to bite his head off, in perpetuating silence.
"You self absorbed, ignant, self-esteemed little BRAT! Don't you play dumb with me! I know what you've done, and said! Hearing you ask me that again makes my blood rise!", He yelled at him. "I always wondered why Izuku acts the way he does, but now I know.", He confirmed his own suspicions.
"Know what?", Bakugou blabbered out in a vain attempt to defend himself.
Har only narrows his eyes at first before saying in a much calmer tone, "You were right about another thing Katskui.", He then leans down to the younger teens paralyzed figure and whispers into his ear, "I do know, and I know a lot."
Bakugou said nothing except to give the teen a frightened and confused expression.
Gar saw this while straightening himself back up, and with an irritated growl he stated, "Still unsure? How about a reminder: If you want a quirk so badly, then take a swan dive off the roof then maybe you'll get one in your next life."
Bakugou was frozen in those words. Those very exact words that he had long since pushed from his mind. His mind rattled as hard as his body shook with anxiety. He almost couldn't breath as they echoed inside his brain, just as clear as the day he said them.
Backing away from the ever looming older teen, Bakugou just managed to spout out, "How? How did you-?"
"Psychic types, duh.", Gar cut him off in a sarcastic tone.
Bakugou was starstruck for a moment before he asked in irritated disbelief, "You read my mind!?"
Gar rolled his eyes at his question, and replied back with irritated sarcasm, "Oh please Katskui, I didn't read your mind specifically. I'm not obsessed with you. I read everyone's mind.", Bakugou didn't reply, but only let his mouth drop open in surprise. "With Bayo on the loose, I had to take certain precautions despite my better judgment. Bayo could easily have a spy or mind control slave to relay info. He's not above that. I only wanted the baseline stuff, but even Psychic types get curious."
Gar then narrowed his eyes again as he craned his neck to look over on Bakugou, and said disgusted venom, "And I'm disgusted by what I found.", Bakugou gulped dryly as Gar continued to look down on him. "You honestly believe you can be a hero or any decent member of society after all you've done and still act?", He asked rhetorically.
"You make me sick!", Gar told him with venom in his voice while spitting on the ground. This caused Bakugou to shrink down even more under his gaze.
After Gar wiped his face, he loomed over Bakugou and told him, "You are not a hero. You will never be a hero. You are nothing! And that's all you'll ever be.", Gar then immediately charged past Bakugou in an infuriated power walk. To the entrance of the arena.
Just before leaving the dumbstruck teen, he stopped and looked over his shoulder and said to the younger teen, "I'll be honest Katskui, I look forward to the day when your colors, your true colors, finally show for all people to see the thing you really are. In fact, I hope to see the day when the school wises up and finally expels and black balls your muddy Mudbray from this or any other hero school in Japan. So reality can finally give you the long awaited kick in the teeth you deserve.", Bakugou didn't respond. He just stood there with his hand covering his raw face as sweat dripped down his neck while tears dared to fill his eyes. But Gar just left it off with one final statement that made Bakugou break down. "You're not the hero or the main character of this story, Katskui. You're the antagonist.", And with that he walked away with the only sound coming from the click of his shoes against the floor.
The moment that the clicking faded from ear shot, Bakugou bolted down the opposite end of the hallway in a mad dash! He didn't stop running until he found one of the waiting room doors. He burst in, thankful no one was inside, then slammed the door behind him while locking it shut! Bakugou then let his back hit the door and slid down where he cradled himself into his knees.
He sat there for only a moment until his emotions couldn't take it any longer, and the damn broke letting out everything he had been trying to hold back with Gar! He didn't care at the moment, so he cried and cried and cried until his sobs could almost be mistaken for howling! He clutched his legs, smashed his head against his knees and tried to silence his nose by biting down on his lip, but to no better outcome. His sobs and flowing emotions just kept pouring out into animalistic whimpers. Mixing with his anxiety and fear it only made it worse.
He wasn't angry anymore, no, now he was scared. More than just scared/terrified! A feeling he only felt once before. When the slime villain attacked him, that was the only other time. And just the thought of that made his throat clog up with the memories, bringing it all back in perfect clarity.
It's like he was being choked out by that thing again, and he couldn't breath. Even as his body gasped for more air to cry. It hurt. It twisted a knot so deep in his chest that he stopped breathing altogether and fainted on the floor.
When he finally awoke, he was laying to his right side on the floor. He wondered why he was here until he remembered everything prior with Gar. Fear set into him fast, and so he curled himself up in the fetal position and tried to staunch the urge to weep, but it came nonetheless.
Now a different fear set into him, the fear of the unknown. Gar knew about him, everything about him! What he's done….what he's said….all of it. Especially the last thing he said to Deku last year. If anyone knew about his past, especially the last thing, that's it. That's the end, no more being a hero or anything else. It would be over, permanently. And he didn't know Gar, which frightened him too. What would he even do with this knowledge she now had? Would he tell everyone to ruin him? Would he stay silent and let the suspense eat him away? He didn't like him, that much was a parent, but he wouldn't do that….right?