Chapter thirty-one - Aah, have his eyes been opened yet?
Waking up from a restless slumber of conflict and contemplation, Izuku sits up and stares at the blank wall before him. The wall was so plain, so simple. It cleared his mind and caused him to envy the strange blank wall, for it needn't experience the provoking ways of human emotion. He remembered the unusual way he was behaving a few hours ago and cringed in confusion and disappointment.
"I..I helped 1-A. I sat and gazed with Mina..I reprimanded them like an ordinary teacher would." Izuku thought.
Why had he done it? If it was just jail time, why put the extra effort into it? Izuku knew that putting the extra effort into the whole 'teacher' act would only benefit the students, not him. Wouldn't that be a waste of his time? But..perhaps that was exactly the reason he helped 1-A; perhaps he wanted his actions to benefit...others. Just the thought of such a sweet gesture sent a sour chill down his spine and a disgusted feeling in his stomach. It was such a strange feeling, to feel sickness when in health, to do good when bad, to comply to the enemy. To even have your number one tormentor obey you, though in reluctance! The world's flipping upside-down, and a bit too quickly for Izuku's liking.
It wasn't like he liked being bullied by Bakugou, quite the opposite actually, that was why Izuku lusted for the feeling of beating him up in return for what happened to him. But..the change in Bakugou was too sharp, too surreal. Why had he changed? Couldn't Bakugou just stay aggressive and prideful as usual? Did he really have to change like that?
Ah. It wasn't Bakugou who had changed, it was Izuku.
At the thought, Izuku clutched at his chest so hard that he wagered it would simply burst into white flames. He punched the calm, faultless wall hard and angrily with his teeth clenched, like a snake would bare its fangs. His heart thumped loudly in his ears and his body welled up in frustration and anger.
"Make it stop, make it stop..!" he thought. "I didn't change..i-it's..it's Kacchan who changed...that's right! It's Kacchan.."
Izuku tried and tried and tried and tried again to convince himself of this self-deprecating lie that Bakugou was to blame, Bakugou was the one who had changed, not him. But the more he tried to act upon this facade of emotion, the more he lost hope in himself. The once fast and furious punches that were pounded into the wall were now sluggish and soft and quite truly filled with misery while his face was painted to look like a man who had lost it all; the eyes of a man who had seen himself for who he really was. Like when Dorothy moves the curtain to see the Wizard of Oz for who he truly is; a broken, scared coward.
Izuku then chuckled darkly with his hand covering his face in shame.
"So I can't even rid myself of emotion for you, Mom and Dad?" whispered Izuku to the wall, as if they were his parents. "The one thing that you gave me, the one thing I didn't deserve...ahh, it's all coming back to me. I'm so sorry."
The white noise that filled the room was calm and collected, the atmosphere was quiet and lonely but frankly enlightened. Izuku felt forlorn, like he'd 'seen it all'. What was this..?
Izuku attempted to force himself to go back to sleep and escape to the land of dreams where the shackles of society were no longer bound to him. A place where one could fly, run, jump, sing, dance as free as a dove. A utopia just meant for him and maybe someone else.
"Someone else.." he thought, with a dazed stare at the deep cut on his hand. Almost as if to reply to him, his thoughts gathered images of Mina sitting on the emerald glass with him, looking content and sincerely happy to be at peace for even a few minutes. Izuku had never seen anyone look that liberated and so free before. It was such a fresh, rejuvenating feeling that Izuku could almost feel gravity losing its toll on him. But he then remembered his parents. Was it really fair that Izuku was thinking of a glorious utopia over yonder when he was the cause of his parent's death? It was like all the brief but benevolent moments of his life were cut short because of his parents. Like they were the invisible shackles holding izuku down back to earth, not even allowing his mind to wander free. Izuku didn't know that though, he just treated his situation as punishment. He harshly bit his lip, causing it to bleed.
"I can't even lie down like this, not like this. I need to get out.." he thought in laze. He got up and scratched his hair, craving something bitter to reflect his emotions. As it was very early in the morning, he knew nobody would be awake so he walked to the kitchen for coffee as quiet as a slender cat. But he was quite wrong, for somebody was lurking in the shadows.
As Izuku stepped into the kitchen he froze and hardened his expression in caution. He heightened his senses.
"An increasing heart rate, breathing rather quickly...I can feel this person's eyes corroding into my…" he thought hard. "...my neck and quite furiously at that." Izuku then smirked maliciously. "Maybe to kill me. This person must have quite the nerve to aim for my neck while knowing of my roaring potential. It must be…"
Izuku then nonchalant poured his coffee with a bored expression on his features, like the person wasn't even a threat.
"Bakugou, come out."
Bakugou flinched at being found out when Izuku hadn't even turned his back to face him, how insulting!
"What?" he uttered in slight embarrassment. "What do you want, Deku?"
"Bakugou, it's too early for breakfast or whatever you came here for." said Izuku staring at the black, still coffee in absence. "Go back to be-"
"Don't give me that shit!" shouted Bakugou in suddenness that made even Izuku's eyes widen in surprise. "Stop acting like your my damned teacher! I have had enough of this crap. Follow me outside." and with that Bakugou walked the opposite direction to go outside. Izuku followed him, not even touching his coffee, as he didn't have anything better to do. He yawned and put his hands in his pockets as he walked behind Bakugou.
"This reminds me of when we were younger. I was constantly walking behind him, trying so desperately to run and catch even the shadow of him even if I couldn't catch up to his actual body. Now look at us." thought Izuku. Before he realised it, they were outside. The sky was a dark pearl that was as clear and honest as dew. The moon gave a chalky light to the city as it glowed in hypnotism and wonder. The trees hissed and shivered at being groped coldly by the wind while the grass looked upset and arched in the caliginosity of the setting. It was in complete contrary to the scenery that he had seen with Mina.
"Why'd you bring me out here, Bakugou?" asked Izuku after prolonged periods of silence.
"What happened after you went missing?" asked Bakugou calmly, though his emotions were still seething through. "The real reason."
There was this odd feeling of genuinity in Bakugou's voice that Izuku had never heard before, it was intriguing him by the second.
"I'll tell him." he thought. As much as he didn't like Bakugou, he was the one person who needed to know.
"Well, I'll tell you just that. I'll tell the real truth to you." said Izuku, clenching his fists to surpress his frustration. "My parents died and I burned my home down. I packed a few clothes and something special from my dad and left to sleep in the alleys, perhaps on the day you were attacked by the Sludge Villain." siad Izuku with no emotion. "I woke up happy with a clear goal set in mind, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to reunite with my parents, Bakugou. I wanted to kill myself, so I tried to. The League saved me from doing that. I did this and that and was caught by the heroes. Done."
Bakugou's pupils were now dilated and insanely huge. His heart pounded in his chest, and surfaced to his throat in guilt. Wasn't this his fault? Woah, wait..suicide, his parents dying, saved? Sudden strength? What on earth was happening to Bakugou and what on earth had happened to Izuku? Bakugou's breathing patterns become choppy and he stumbled back a bit, still in shock.
"Buillshit. I call bullshit. Killed him- nah. My ears must be fucked up.." thought Bakugou.
"You..you went through all that? It's no wonder you're this strong now.." he whispered under his breath.
"So, what did you bring me out here for?" casually asked Izuku.
"I need to confirm his strength now..then I will know for sure whether or not I'm weak...if I'm being looked down on..." thought Bakugou.
"I came to fight you, you bastard, Now," growled Bakugou.
"Come at me..!"
"You asked for this.." mumbled Izuku. Izuku dashed at an inhuman speed towards Bakugou and punched him square in the jaw, causing Bakugou to stumble backwards before regaining his composure and trying to roundhouse kick Izuku. That failed and Izuku took advantage of the new opening to knee Bakugou in the groin and kicking him in the chest, knocking the wind out of Bakugou. He fell backwards, but his pride helped him back up again. Bakugou then almost kicked Izuku in the face, but failed by a few centimeters.
"He's improved." Izuku smirked. "Good."
Bakugou witnessed Izuku's smirk and interpreted it as an underestimation. That made him even more angry. Bakugou got his explosions ready once again but fueled by his emotions, he used his Howitzer Impact technique on Izuku, which he had to take head on. But that didn't do much damage to the blanket of scars on Izuku's body. Izuku had been through a lot. He'd been through so much and fought such great opponents in his life that Bakugou's Howitzer Impact was nothing more than a love touch.
Bakugou then became rather dizzy and was losing a little balance, but that would not knock him down so easily. Izuku then ran around in circles around Bakugou very quickly, like Izuku had done to Sonowataga in Hades, making Bakugou totter and gasp in greedily for air.
"Bastard's got, what, ten afterimages? How..how did this happen? He shouldn't have gotten..this strong. It's pissing me off.." thought Bakugou.
"Bakugou? Hey, you look pretty weak right now. What's up with that?" Izuku's head cocked to the side. "Come on, you were the one who proposed this fight, so fight me properly. Or are you too feeble and tired? Ha." the afterimages suddenly began to grin in an annoying way, that further grew Bakugou's irritation. After Izuku stopped circulating around Bakugou, he got emotional and began to throw sloppy, reckless attacks at Izuku, who easily dodges them, deepening Bakugou's anger and sadness. It was like Izuku was invincible. Untouchable. Izuku caught onto this and stood still, stopping the fight.
"You got stronger, Bakugou." said Izuku calmly, as he twirled his hair around his finger. "But your attacks are all over the place."
Bakugou clenched his fists like anything, with tears daring to come out of his eyes. He felt like he was being shunned even though it was supposedly just him and Izuku standing on that dark night.
"Don't get all big headed because you're strong now, you bastard. I get now okay?" Bakugou croaked, though tears didn't yet slide down his cheeks. "This is my karma for beating you up all those years back then, isn't it? Well, now I get it. I'm..I'm weak and you're strong. I knew that you were looking down on me. You disappeared, came back and now you're stronger than ever. You don't have to fucking shove it in my face. Bastard..."
Bakugou looked to the ground in shame with his balled, white fists shaking like the leaves on the oak trees surrounding them. His teeth were clenched and his posture remained lowly and pitiable. Izuku seeing Bakugou in such a state was..quite the sight. He had murdered people, seen his parents die, joined the League, Been to Hades, met All for One, faced Tragedy and attempted suicide twice but seeing Bakugou so vulnerable and raw and emotional was indescribable. It reminded Izuku that Bakugou was human as well.
"You know.." said Izuku. He didn't lie and couldn't lie. He just never lied. "You are strong. I mean it. You are undoubtedly potent but," Izuku grinned like a kid. "I'm stronger than you."
"Haaah?!" growled Bakugou with his puffy red eyes. He still had drops of guilt lingering in his body but the nervousness that he previously birthed had quickly vanished. "Are you trying to pick a fight? Let's go-"
Then, suddenly an image emerged from a tree.
"I think there's been enough of that, Bakugou." said a slender blonde man, chuckling.
"All Might? When did you get here?" questioned Bakugou. Izuku just leaned on a tree with his hands in his pockets.
"It's about time. I was wondering when he would stop hiding behind that poor tree." thought Izuku.
"Well, I heard people going outside so I followed to see what was happening and then I saw the two of you fighting, and might I say..it was...something." said All Might rubbing his neck and awkwardly laughing. Then his face darkened.
"Bakugou, how many times do I have to tell you that you are strong? How many, huh? You are strong, you are strong, you are strong, you are strong! You are one of the strongest pupils in 1-A and the entirety of the first years in general, so you shouldn't be so self-critical. You won't get any better as a hero if you can't compliment yourself once in a while, even if you don't believe it..it will happen! I, and the rest of the teachers, know of the horrific torments you put Midoriya through during your Middle School years,and we are utterly disgusted with what you did to him, though now I know that it was due to your minor inferiority complex." explained All Might. "Midoriya here has been through some mentally destructive training and gone through many things that many pros would flinch at the thought of, so he will of course be stronger and more experienced than you. But that's okay! You have so much more room to grow, Bakugou..!" said All Might encouragingly.
Bakugou glanced at Izuku, who was looking at his feet, then turned to leave the premises.
"Tch. Whatever. I'm tired, night." said Bakugou more calmly as he walked away with a softer expression than usual, though no less aggressive. That just left Izuku and All Might.
"You did the right thing, Midoriya. You truly are becoming better, like a teacher." All Might smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you came to U.A."
Izuku's eyes spontaneously looked up and his mouth was slightly agape at All Might's tone of voice. His words were so drenched in compassion and genuine warmth that Izuku had to turn around to the other direction just so All Might wouldn't see his small smile.
"It's still early, I'm.. going to go now." and with that, Izuku left the way he came. That left just All Might, the stars and the moon.
"You truly are a hero, Midoriya." All Might whispered to himself.
From dusk to dawn, class 1-A buzzed around the classrooms in excitement for their next lesson. Maybe they were excited because of their energy? Perhaps it was the sleep? Could be the food too… A-Anyway! Some pupils were dotted around the room talking to their friends while some, such as Todoroki, Tokoyami and Shoji, were trying to get those extra few minutes of sleep to prepare for whatever lessons they were taking.
"I heard we are doing our hero lessons today guys! I'm pumped!" exclaimed Mina as she stretched. She was especially excited to once again see Izuku teaching them new techniques to fight the villains. Two birds with one stone.
"Yup, and I got plenty of rest so that today I won't feel tired and under the weather, as should you all have!" said Yaoyorozu in a motherly way.
"Ah, YaoMomo, I didn't sleep or prepare for today at all.." said Hagakure. "Now I feel bad about it, aghh." Yaoyorozu pouted and scolded her playfully. Iida and Uraraka were discussing what they would learn with Izuku that day.
"Mr. Midoriya is sooo strong, right? Like he can defeat anybody in this class and he's so cool and aloof. I'm so jealous..!" said Uraraka punching the air.
"Indeed, Mr. Mirdoriya is strong. But he is also kind, and very selfless. He's so selfless that he has put himself in peril danger twice. Remember? People tend to overlook the good he does and just label him a villain when he truly is a kind person at heart. But I do want to work on my close combat skills." Iida then stood up dramatically and did a chopping motion in the air. "I can't keep running forever, Uraraka..!"
"Yes, yes, you're right, now sit down..please haha.." mumbled Uraraka as she tried to muffle her laughter. After minutes of idle chatter, the godforsaken bell rang, which alerted the class that the lessons were going to begin so they all went to their seats.
Out of the door appeared Aizawa and Izuku walking in and they both looked very bored and uninterested.
"Morning, class. Today you guys are going to learn about close-ranged combat on the battlefield and during fights in general. Villains nowadays are becoming smarter and more skilled on one-to-one fighting so that's what I'm teaching you. Questions? No? Okay, get changed and let's go." and with that Izuku waited by the door, Aizawa tailing him.
Kaminari snickered, though.
"Oi, oii! Kirishima, doesn't Mr. Midoriya look like a mini version of Mr. Aizawa? I mean Mr. Midoriya has longer hair and Mr. Aizawa is taller but still! It's so ridiculous that it's funny, dude." whispered Kaminari.
"You're right, now that you mention it, they do look awfully similar. And they act similar too, haha."
Once everyone had finished changing, they went downstairs to the gym and everyone noticed that the equipment had been moved to the far corners of the room, leaving a vast space of room.
"What's he planning to do..?" thought Todoroki.
"Now, as I explained upstairs, we are doing close-ranged combat. With things like martial arts, actions are the only way to properly explain what to do, but I'll still try my best to verbally help people. To demonstrate any martial arts or close-combat, I'd like the best martial artist in your class." said Izuku blandly. Aizawa eyed Izuku before stepping aside, for he knew what would happen.
Instantly, everyone in the room looked towards Ojiro to go up. Ojiro light blushed at being stared at by so many people at once. It was quite alien!
"W-What..?"
"Dummy!" said Hagakure. "You are the best martial artist in the class, you can go up for us and fight Mr. Midoriya..!"
"Ehh..? Ah, why does it have to be me..ah.." mumbled Ojiro, feeling sorry for himself. He didn't know what to expect from his striking villain teacher when it came down to martial arts, he was definitely nervous. But, he immediately stood up straight in a respectable manner.
"No...The class chose me to represent them, they trust me. I can't betray that..I'm going to win this for them." thought Ojiro.
Ojiro stepped forward to Izuku and bowed.
"Thanks for the fight, Teacher!"** and with that, the fight commenced. Ojiro began by swinging his tail under Izuku's feet to try and trip him up, which was to no avail as Izuku jumped in the air in perfect timing and kicked Ojiro in the face.
"He is actually very strong..Not to be underestimated." thought Ojiro. Then he hit Izuku with an uppercut elbow strike that Izuku couldn't predict in time, so he took the hit and felt only a dot of pain. Izuku immediately recognised the type of martial arts Ojiro was doing.
"Muay Thai, huh..good, good." thought Izuku. In respect for knowing how to truly fight, Izuku also fought using Muay Thai. He gave a front elbow thrust to Ojiro's pancreas then thrust his foot in Ojiro's jawline, causing him to temporarily tumble over. Ojiro regained his balance to give a reverse roundhouse kick to Izuku, who jumped up high in the air and delivered the final blow: an axe kick. Ojiro was left aching on the floor before Izuku helped him up again.
"Ojiro, you are very talented in the field of martial arts, continue to grow and perhaps you'll become even stronger." said Izuku deadpanned.
"Thanks, Mr. Mirodiya.." said Ojiro, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I would have felt better if you said it with more enthusiasm, though.." he thought and went to stand with his classmates.
"I'm sure you now understand what you have to do today, now that you have seen Ojiro fighting. Ojiro and I fought using a martial art field called Muay Thai. Research it when you leave. Now, everyone will fight me the same as Ojiro did."
Everyone was silent for a few seconds when Izuku said that, for they couldn't understand what he said. Aizawa just shook his head and sat down. Then, like belated clockwork, the class finally understood what Izuku meant. Todoroki's expression was no longer one of muddle, but now of comprehension.
"He wants all of us at once? Is he crazy? We won't learn anything.." thought Todoroki. Just when he thought he could understand Izuku, Todoroki found himself encaged in bewilderment! The class looked at Izuku, they understood what he was saying, but they couldn't visualise themselves fighting Izuku using martial arts, or fighting Izuku at all.
"All at once, please." said Izuku dryly.
"Guys, we might be able to do this if we do it together, we are at an advantage. He's quickless but skilled but he's against a class of powerful quirks! It's practically set in stone..!" said Kirishima trying to encourage his class.
"Set in stone, huh." thought Izuku blankly. "Maybe I'll gain something from this."
"Yes, Kirishima's right. Let's have faith in each other." said Iida getting in a fighting stance. Then, a wave of confidence and hope came over 1-A as they, too, got in fighting stances. Bakugou and Izuku's eyes met and he looked Izuku straight in the eyes, like it was some kind of competition that rivals would play together in. Bakugou's eyes were so filled with a red, ever-burning rage but was now also a healthy, red fighting spirit; he now saw Izuku as a rival. But in return, Izuku's gaze was taunting one. One that was almost childish and daring. A gaze that screamed 'you look like an expectant puppy, Katsuki. Play with your friends and see if you can beat me.'
"That bastard!" he roared as he charged towards Izuku first. Bakugou put his hands together to concentrate his explosion and aimed for Izuku's torso. Izuku jumped into the air and the explosion landed on Kirishima, who was hardened already. Kirishima smashed his knuckles together before punching Izuku in the face and trying to sweep his leg under him. Izuku took the punch head on and again jumped into the air but this time he kicked Uraraka in the stomach, as he did for Yaoyorozu, Jirou and Hagakure. He wasn't in lethal attack mode, but he wouldn't go easy on his students either. Mineta tried to get Izuku to step on one of his purple balls, which would have worked if Todoroki hadn't created an ice kingdom at that exact moment.
"Aahh!" Mineta shouted. "Todoroki why'd you do that?"
"Sorry, but I want to fight him myself right now. I can't have him losing to anyone yet." replied Todoroki bluntly.
"Is he suggesting that I was about to lose? I can't have that." thought Izuku.
Izuku darted to Todoroki at the speed of sound and kneed him in the back, making him lose his balance before getting up again. Todoroki used his fire to try and burn Izuku into submission but that would not work at all, Izuku had been burned with hotter flames. Though the fire consumed his body, he fought continuously and unfazed. Todoroki was completely stunned at how Izuku could do such a thing, he was indeed a very strong person. The rest of the class had been beaten and could only stand and watch the fight between Todoroki and Izuku. It was so enchanting and Izuku looked like an elemental god of hell as the flames burned on his skin.
"Why's he fighting the Half-and-Half bastard properly? I'm the one that gets to beat Deku, not him for fuck's sake."
Just when Bakugou was about to pounce on the two of them, someone grabbed his shoulder.
"W-"
"Bakubro, don't," said Kirisima seriously and his eyes gleaming. "This is their fight."
Todoroki and Izuku exchanged blows for another 15 minutes until Todoroki ran out of stamina and became tired. He fell on one knee on the floor with an eye closed.
"You… you were strong. You are quite the opponent, to have me on my knees like this." said Todoroki with a satisfied smile.
"Well, you were acting like you had already won when you hadn't even fought me, I couldn't leave it at that. You weren't bad at all, Todoroki but when you fight a real villain, do not underestimate them. It will only be your downfall, not theirs." said Izuku. "Class is dismissed, go back to the dorms."
Everyone had left feeling a little stronger, even though Izuku wasn't harmed by their attacks. It was like the dulled lightbulbs in their heads had been fully charged with an energetic one. So refreshing. Aizawa walked up to Izuku from where he was standing.
"You held back and didn't hit any pressure points," said Aizawa. "Why?"
Izuku just scoffed.
"Had I fought them seriously, they would all be dead. Why would I kill children? It seems hardly necessary to me, Aizawa. They can grow, and I can help them do that." said Izuku completely unaware of how touching that sounded. Aizawa gave a short smile.
"Well, they are seeing you as a true teacher now anyway. You know, Midoriya, you are changing. That's a good thing for both you and everyone else."
"I don't know how to respond to that but I'm leaving now." said Izuku and with that, he walked away and lifted his hand up as a goodbye. Aizawa sighed before leaving too.
Back in the dorms, everyone was watching TV in an orderly way so that nobody stepped on that catastrophic remote again. The TV was loud and the students made it louder so when Izuku went to his rom, nobody noticed him. Thankfully. Even when the building was vibrating with noise, Izuku's room seemed to be the only one that was quiet, the only one that muffled the sound and the only one that had a thoughtful wall.
But Izuku punched the wall, so it was no longer calming to look at and that bothered him. He didn't even have to speak with anyone when the wall was there because of how silent and forgiving it was, but now it was tainted and the peace was not there.
Izuku rubbed his face with his hands before losing himself in the abyss of dreams.
(Izuku's dream)
Izuku opened his eyes and immediately knew this was a dream. He looked at what he was wearing and his surroundings. He was in his villain attire but back in the gym. Was this a dream or not? Izuku squinted round and saw the students, Aizawa and…
"Who the hell are they?" he thought. There were three people wearing U.A uniform and looked a bit older than 1-A. One had blue hair, one had black hair and one had blonde. Izuku analysed the situation a bit further until something jaw dropping happened.
"Why.." thought Izuku. "Why on earth is the blonde guy naked..Is this sexual harassment? No, Aizawa would do something about it..Lord.."
Then the blonde guy outstretched his hand to Izuku, smiling.
This is paradise, look!
** I'm Japanese and Ojiro originally said 'yoroshiku onegaishimasu, sensei' and I didn't know how to properly translate it. That was the best english translation I could give you guys.