Bakugo groaned, uncurling himself from the sheets of his bed. His back ached like hell and he twisted his spine, cracking it. He sighed in satisfaction, grunting as he pulled himself off the bed. He felt like a middle-aged dad trying to get up for work. Bakugo ran a hand through his hair, standing up and walking to his closet, throwing on a loose black tank top, long dark green pants, and an orange belt. He looked blankly at himself in the mirror. Normally, he would have felt satisfied with his daunting appearance, but now he just felt plain empty. His mind didn't feel fully awake. His eyes twitched to focus on something right behind him. The pen and paper pad he'd used to write the note to Inko Midoriya.
Memories from yesterday came crashing through his brain like a stream of traffic on the interstate. Bakugo gripped his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear in the back of his skull, nagging at him to do something, to tell someone. But who? His mother would think that he was insane. His father would only try to find a 'logical explanation' for it. He briefly thought about telling Inko, but Kacchan quickly brushed the thought away. No. Definitely not. He couldn't handle it. He'd freeze up, showing his vulnerable side. He tried to tell himself that he didn't have a weak side to show, but his subconscious wouldn't accept it. Muttering under his breath, he traipsed down the stairs, letting his feet make a resonating thump at each step. His mother yelled from below, "KATSUKI BAKUGO! QUIT YOUR THUMPING!" He bit his tongue, thumping even louder just to spite her. He heard a furious slam of a pan on the stove and heard Mitsuki rushing to the bottom of the stairs to meet him.
"Katsuki Bakugo! What a noise you're making!" Her eyes flicked over his outfit choice. "This outfit? Really? It looks absolutely terrible! You're planning on skipping around the world's most well-known school looking like that?" Katsuki sighed. His mother was only like this when she was really pissed off at him. Usually, she didn't think twice about what he decided to wear or do. The blonde kid let out a huff of exasperation.
"Well, what do you want me to wear? One of your church dresses?" He scoffed. "I don't think so." Bakugo marched past her to the kitchen, grabbing his usual box of cereal and pouring it, adding the milk second. He snatched a spoon off the counter and shoved it into the bowl, plopping down at the table. Mitsuki's eyes were smoldering as she stomped back into the room, glaring at him.
"Listen to me, young man! You won't disrespect me like that! It's arrogant and unlikeable!" She stirred what she was making a couple of times before she turned back to her son. "Explain to me why you act so unbearable all the time?!" Bakugo snorted.
"It's not like you're any different," he quipped, already taking his last bite of breakfast. Mitsuki's rage was emanating off of her like the heat coming from the stovetop. She took a deep breath, pausing her mixing arm.
"I shouldn't even let you sign up for this school. You have such a bad attitude about everything! I'm sick of it. You're rude to your friends, rude to your family, rude to random people on the street! And not to mention how violent you are! I've gotten calls from the school saying that you've been spotted blasting yourself down the street and up the stairs! I'm surprised that you haven't killed someone yet." Bakugo had been leaning down to pull on his shoes but froze as his mother finished her words. He felt pure anger bubbling over the surface of his head. He ignored her and swung open the door and slammed it as hard as humanly possible behind him. It hit the doorframe with a loud bang, sounding like a gunshot.
Bakugo dashed down the street, waiting until he was out of sight of the house before he began to coordinately blast himself forward. He'd done this a million times. He timed each blast just right, powering himself faster than some of the cars whipping by on the road beside him. As usual, people jumped out of the way, yelled threatening words, and tried to stop him. And as usual, he ignored them and continued to fly down the sidewalk. As he neared UA where the entrance exam would take place, he slowed the well-timed explosions until he was at a standstill. Katsuki allowed himself to drop, his rubber soles tapping lightly against the hard concrete. Landing was the one and only thing that he did remotely gracefully. Even now he had a fierce position, guarded eyes, and tensed muscles. Bakugo strode pridefully forward, entering the gates of the hero academy. He smirked at the large doors at the entrance of the school as he walked under the overhang, earning a couple of wary glances in his direction, just as planned. Bakugo made himself look intimidating, which gave him an immediate advantage. Those extras would be sure to stay away from him, or there'd be trouble.
He walked confidently down the hall, giving a sideways glance to the school map as he passed by. The auditorium was where the rules of the exam would be explained. In other words, a boring lecture room that would waste time that he could use to blow up some unworthy little bastards.
Running his tongue over his teeth, Bakugo dashed down the stairs, giving a few of the slower-moving students a fierce look as he passed by. A few of them flinched away from him, giving him a surge of satisfaction. Those who just glared back at him set a little raging fire in his chest while at the same time he felt some admiration. These were the tougher kids, ones that would be more challenging opponents. Bakugo finally reached the auditorium doors and pushed them open. Immediately a wave of chattering passed through his ears. He bit back the urge to yell for everyone to shut up and scanned the room for his seat. His eyes rested where he was supposed to sit and he marched towards it, making a huge, dramatic scene of plopping down and letting out a heavy sigh. The crowd around him hushed for a few moments before the talking resumed. He blocked out the sound and looked around at the front of the room. A dark figure with an oddly-shaped silhouette was sitting in the corner. It appeared to be talking to someone either beside him or over a walkie-talkie. Katsuki's eyes followed the figure as it stepped onto the podium, followed by an earsplitting voice.
"WHAT'S UP, UA CANDIDATES?! THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO ME, YOUR SCHOOL DJ!"
The man, if you could call him that, was very odd-looking. He had yellowish-blonde hair that was smoothed back into one long spike and appeared to be partially held back by his headphones. He had a small mustache, pointed nose, and a large mouth. You couldn't see the man's eyes through his white-framed sunglasses. Bakugo almost wondered if he could see or not with them on the inside of the building.
"COME ON, AND LET ME HEAR YA!" He held a hand to his ear, waiting for a round of applause. Bakugo almost laughed when no one did.
"Keepin' it mellow, huh?" the man said quieter than he had before, but still pretty darn loud. The funny part was, he didn't appear to have a microphone or a headset. Maybe it was hidden somewhere in his jacket.
"That's all right, I'll skip to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay?"
Silence.
"ARE YOU READAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY?" he caterwauled without warning. He sounded like a random rock singer from the 80's.
"Yeeeeeeah!"
Bakugo groaned.
"Like your application said, today you rocking boys and girls will be out there conducting mock battles in super hip urban citiiiiiiies! My friends, after I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle center, sound goo? Bakugo heard a few kids nudging each other and giggling. He had to admit, this dude was pretty darn stupid. He was like one of those 'trendy' teachers he'd had in middle school.
More silence.
"Okay, let's check out your targets! There are three types of robo-villains in every battle center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty! So you'd better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo! But, check it, make sure you're keeping it heroic. Attacking examinees of the UA? No, no, you dig-"
"Excuse me sir, but I have a question?" Bakugo groaned again. The voice sounded formal and robotic, like a programmed voice. Probably a nerdy freak trying to impress the 'rocking' freak.
"Excuse me, on the printout, you've listed four types of villains, not three. With all due respect, if this is an error on an official UA material, it is shameful. We are exemplary students; we expect the best from Japan's notable school. A mistake such as this won't do."
Definitely a nerdy dingus.
"All right, all right, examinee number 711! Thanks for calling in with your request! The fourth villain type is worth zero points! That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there'... got a no point." He paused, flinging his hand skyward in an odd pose.
"I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones on top of the charts!"
The blue-haired nerd kid bowed. "Thank you very much. Please, continue." He ever so stiffly into his seat. It looked like he had a stick up his ass. Bakugo snorted. He could use that later.
He heard a kid muttering a few seats down from him. "Oh, I get it, so they're kind of like traps you have to get by in games."
"The whole thing's like a video game, huh?"
The two kid's exchange of words made Katsuki's mind flash back to Deku. He'd have made that same connection, knowing him.
"That's all I got for you today. I'd sign you off with a little present; a sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Mmmhm, now that's a tasty sound bite! Are you ready to go beyond?" He bent over, grinning.
"LET'S HEAR A PLUS ULTRA! GOOD LUCK! Hope you practice more than hitting just books!"
Bakugo scoffed. He didn't need luck. All that was needed here was pure skill, not superstitions.
. . .
Bakugo was standing directly in front of tall, brown gates. They towered over his head. He looked straight forward, legs tensed to take off running as soon as they opened.
Creeeeak.
A small opening appeared in the middle of the doors, and Bakugo charged inside.
Thanks so much for reading! Please make sure to review!
Not so dark this chapter, though this story will take a more... violent turn in the not-to-distant future. Eventually, this story will escalate a TON from what was written here. If anyone would like to see any certain character mentioned to be fighting in the next chapter, just let me know.