Everyone was outside the room that Fuka had been taken into. Setsuna and Pony were sitting together, trying to calm themselves down from their crying fit over their injured friend. Izuku stared at the entries he had written over Katsuki, wishing he had insisted Fuka to take them. Tenya kept pacing around, like a concerned mother waiting for news. Kyoka had sat with her knees to her chest, fiddling with her earlobes. All Might, Momo, and Ochako were busy staring concernedly at Hiroshi, who was standing next to the door.
The look of anger had not left his face since leaving the field.
"Hiroshi, are you sure that you're-" Ochako began to ask.
"I'm fine."
"Please, don't lie. You've always been honest with us before-"
"I'm. Fine."
"Young Hiroshi, it is alright to tell us that-"
"I SAID I'M FINE!" Hiroshi snapped, shocking everyone that he just yelled at the Number One Hero. All Might wasn't shocked or angry at the outburst, but lowered himself to Hiroshi's level, and hugged him.
"But you aren't, my boy."
Hiroshi gritted his teeth, struggling to fight the tears back. But he couldn't. He buried his face into the Symbol of Peace's neck, and wept.
"It's alright, Hiroshi. Miss Fuka is strong, she'll pull through this. And we'll pay back Bakugo in full for what he's done," Hero assured him, as he finished crying. Soon, everyone heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They turned and saw their Hero Course classmates, excluding Katsuki, Togaru, and Shoto, jogging towards them.
"There you guys are!" Mina said, as they all stopped and took a moment to catch their breath. "We- We've been looking for you guys to check on Fuka!"
"We're all here for her! Except for Kamakiri, Todoroki, and that asshole," Sen said, pointing out the missing three. "I don't think Kamakiri's feeling the situation, that Todoroki's uncomfortable with dealing with burns, since he's got that scar, and of course that asshole's still talking to the teachers about the fucking stunt he pulled."
"Are you alright, Hiroshi?" Mezo asked, lowering himself to look at his classmate. Hiroshi shifted his gaze away, his fist tightened.
"Are you alright?" Itsuka repeated, walking to him and putting a reassuring hand on Hiroshi's shoulder. He lightly pushed her arm away, and backed away. They all looked at each other, each one concerned about the change in personality. They've never seen Hiroshi act like this before. Setsuna wiped away her tears, being the only one who realized that he had fallen back into his old habits before Hero came and entering UA. She got up, and hugged him, which he reluctantly returned, struggling to hold back the tears again, though they still fell.
"We... haven't gotten any news from Recovery Girl," Momo finally said. "From what it sounded like earlier, the worst of Fuka's burns are gone, but there are still some, and that luckily no shrapnel got into her back."
"That's... reassuring," Itsuka said, giving a small smile. Kyoka finally turned her head to look at everyone, and noticed Minoru, Kosei, and Denki amongst them all.
"Hey you three, you better not be thinking of-" she said.
"- Peeping on her while she's getting treated? No way!" Denki said, aghast.
"There's a time and place for everything! We're genuinely concerned about her!" Kosei said.
"Even I wouldn't stoop so low!" Minoru said, his hand over his chest and his eyes wide.
"Hey, Hiroshi," Eijiro said, tapping Hiroshi on the shoulder, after the teen had finished crying again and had let Setsuna go. "Are... are you really alright?"
"... I... No, I'm going to need to miss watching everyone else's matches to calm down completely," Hiroshi admitted, his eyes to the ground.
"... Hiroshi, what if I drop-" Momo began to say, before Hiroshi put his hand up to stop her.
"No. That won't be fair to you. You deserve to give it your best, and I'd feel worse if you dropped out so that I'm guaranteed to fight Bakugo," Hiroshi said, taking in several deep breaths. "I promise you that by the time it's our match, I'll be better. But for now... I think... I think I just need to go to a waiting room by myself and Hero for now. You're all welcomed to check up on me, but right now... I just... I just need some space..."
Before he could leave, however, Recovery Girl opened the door, slightly surprised at the crowd of students. She should've figured that they'd all be concerned. "Your sister's doing fine now, young man," she said, as the students started to cheer. "But she's asleep! And she needs her rest! So pipe down!"
The cheering immediately stopped. Recovery Girl coughed into her hand. "That design she came up with for her compressed air backpack saved her life. Girl had some great foresight for something like this. We did an X-ray on her and multiple tests to make sure that no shrapnel went through her body. She's a little banged up from landing onto the ground, though she was close enough to the ground and the dirt and grass were soft enough that nothing broke. I managed to heal the worst of the burns, and the remaining ones shouldn't leave any scars after treatment, save for some redness that might appear time to time. But she'll need to sleep on her stomach for a while to avoid agitating her skin, and I went ahead and wrapped some gauze and bandages around her torso to play it safe. You're welcomed to check on her."
"I... I will. Thank you," Hiroshi said, as Recovery Girl let him through. She closed the door behind her, as Hiroshi looked at his unconscious sister. Her head was to the side, her eyes closed as she softly snored like she always does in her sleep. Her burnt gym uniform and sports bra were off to the side, with only the gauze and bandages giving her any resemblance of modesty, since the medical gown underneath her was loose. Her lower torso was covered with blankets.
He moved his hand to pat her head reassuringly, but he stopped, dropping his hand to his side. His fists tightened, as he forced himself to take deep breaths to calm down.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop Bakugo in time, Fuka," he whispered. "If I had been on top of things more, this wouldn't have happened, would it? I promise you though -" he gritted his teeth, raising his fist to his face, "- I'm going to make him pay for what he did, in my own way."
Recovery Girl gazed onto the boy, hoping that Hound Dog's lessons were working for him.
Meanwhile, in a different waiting room on the opposite side of the stadium...
"Bakugo, what you just did would be grounds to expel you from UA," Aizawa said bluntly. Katsuki flinched at the words. "You've demonstrated this type of behavior since the first day, and you've been repeatedly given warnings about this. Today you have crossed the line. Though I guess it would've been crossed during your Heroes vs. Villains exercise."
"This was an accident-" Katsuki started to say.
"An accident!? You directly went in using an explosion on a container full of compressed air! You consider that an accident!? Haven't your parents taught you to not bring pressurized air near any heat sources!?" Vlad King barked.
"W-we never used stuff like aerosol sprays or anything like that, we used plug-in air fresheners and spray bottle cleaners..."
"I see. And you never thought that there would be a reason for that?" Midnight said, crossing her arms.
"It was... it was just what we did... I never thought..."
"Dear me, it seems like I missed quite a bit," Principal Nezu said, coming in to the room. "I came from the Third Year's Sports Festival as soon as I could. I left Mr. Spin Helix as the MC so I could be a part of this. Everyone was very understanding of why I went. Social media and news comes by fast."
"Mr. Bakugo, I hope that today has opened up your eyes to how destructive your Quirk can be if you're not fully aware of what effects it can have on objects you don't take in account for. This was a bad matchup based on lots, so it's not like you or anyone could've predicted this, and it's perfectly reasonable that everyone just didn't realize that your Explosions could pose a danger to Miss Furinji's compressed air backpack."
"However, it does not excuse the fact that you did indeed harm her with your Quirk in a way not only dangerous to yourself, but to her and others around her, since the shrapnel from her backpack could've landed and hit people nearby. Luckily with her designs, no shrapnel went through her body, and you were both far away enough from the stadium that no one got hit, and it's a miracle that Miss Midnight and Mr. Cementoss weren't struck by it, either. So you will need to be reprimanded for this."
Katsuki shrunk back for the first time in his life. He was used to getting disciplined by his mom, he could take it. But from the school? That was... that was a first for him in a long, long time.
"Firstly, we've contacted your parents for an impromptu meeting during this unplanned break. They were very understanding, since they saw what you did during the live broadcast," Principal Nezu said. "We'll be discussing with them and the Furinjis' parents about what will be a suitable punishment for you. Though at the very least, you will still be able to participate in the tournament, on Mr. Hiroshi's insistence. But take this time to reflect on your actions, because this may be the last time you have the chance to do so."
"And I'll be there, after I check up on Hiroshi and his sister!" Hound Dog said, growling as he fought back the urge to get angry for the boy and his sister. "You have a lot to answer for, Bakugo!"
Katsuki sat in his chair, his fists tightened in his lap. This shouldn't be his fault. She was the one who wore that backpack with compressed air. And he had to do his best to be the best so that he wouldn't disappoint anyone. So why was he feeling guilty?
Hiroshi sat in his waiting room, not quite alone.
"You shouldn't beat yourself up, Hiroshi. It was bad luck that the two got matched up."
"I should've been more aware. I should've realized what could've happened."
"Fuka probably realized it first, but she still went ahead."
"I should've stopped her. I should've traded opponents with her. We could've handled Bakugo."
"What's happened has happened. Fuka is already on the road to recovery."
"Setsuna is up against him next-" Hiroshi's fists tightened harder than ever before.
"And Miss Midnight and Mr. Cementoss will be there, more vigilant to make sure that Bakugo doesn't make another reckless mistake."
"I-"
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Hound Dog walked in, his usually grumpy expression replaced with a softer, more concerned one as he walked towards Hiroshi, and put himself down to his level. He wrapped his large hand around Hiroshi's.
"Are you alright, Hiroshi?"
"... I'm not sure," Hiroshi admitted. "I think I'm... calmer now? But I'm... I'm still mad."
"That's understandable, considering what happened."
"I still want to participate in the tournament, though."
"Are you sure you'll be able to hold back?"
"I am. I know that my fight with Yaoyoruzu has nothing to do with what happened, so I think I can keep a level head. But Setsuna... I think I'm scared for her more than anything."
"She's facing Bakugo, isn't she?"
"Yea... God, I'm just scared that he... that he's going to seriously hurt another important person to me. And that if he does, that I'm... I'm just going to snap and break... Which is why Hero is going to be taking over for our fight if that happens..."
"We can still postpone or cancel the tournament for another time."
"I can't let that happen to everyone else. This is the only chance where I can... where Hero and I can fight him in a setting where there's a judge. I know that what happened was a freak accident, that no one realized what dangers Bakugo's Quirk posed to Fuka's compressed air backpack. But still, I should've realized-"
"It's on us teachers for not realizing it sooner, not on you or your sister. We should've been more thorough in looking through what you students could do."
Hiroshi's hands tightened. He didn't blame the teachers for anything.
"... I need to watch the other matches. I... I can't miss any of them. But I can't leave this room yet..."
"We'll bring in a TV monitor for you to watch before the break is over."
"Thanks," Hiroshi said, as he took in some deep breaths. "Thank you so much, Hound Dog."
The combined Hero Course classes and All Might loitered around the door to Fuka's room, anxiously waiting for Recovery Girl to give them permission to visit her. So far she's denied them, saying that she's sleeping and that she'll only do it when she's awake.
"This wait is murdering me!" Denki said, as he paced around with Tenya.
"I know, but we have to remain vigilant! Fuka needs our support as soon as she awakes!" Tenya replied.
"That asshole really messed up this time," Mina said, the usually upbeat girl scowling, with Pony joining her, and Toru too, at least in spirit.
"I should've been stricter..." All Might muttered. "I should've sat him down with his parents and talked about his behavior with Principal Nezu, Hound Dog, and Aizawa at the beginning after the Heroes vs. Villains exercise..."
"It's not your fault, All Might," Kyoka said. "I think... I think we all just thought that he had standards that he wouldn't break. I guess we were all wrong."
"I hope this doesn't scare her away from the Hero Course," Momo said, biting her lip. "She... she would be a wonderful hero, and thinking that she might choose to abandon it, well-"
"She won't, I know it," Setsuna said firmly. "It's gonna take a lot more than this to drive her away."
As the Hero Course students ruminated in the hallway, they heard footsteps coming towards them. They turned to look, and saw a gorgeous tall woman with short blue hair wearing a flattering green dress, white gloves, and a simple string necklace with a blue gem in the center walking towards them with a shorter-than-average man whose neatly combed gray hair and trimmed facial hair dressed in a sharp tuxedo by her side.
"Hu-" Denki sputtered.
"Hu-" Kosei repeated.
"HUGE!" Minoru finished. The three boys eyes nearly popped out at the sight of the tall woman, whose natural curves were out of this world.
Setsuna promptly slapped them all on the back of their heads with her detached right hand.
"No ogling! That's Auntie Tomi and Uncle Fumi! Show some respect!"
"Oh, no worries, Setsuna," Hiroshi's and Fuka's mother said. She struck a pose in front of the three, leaning over slightly and blowing them a kiss. "After all, if I'm winning the hearts of teens, that means I've still got it!"
"Auntie Tomi!" Setsuna said, blushing, as the three boys' eyes turned into saucer plates.
"You've certainly still won my heart!" the Furinji's father said, laughing. "And I see... I see that our dear Fuka and Hiroshi have great friends to wait for her to wake up. Thank you."
"Don't... don't mention it," Mina said, unsure of what to make of these two.
"So wait, you're the co-owners of Furin-Kazan Corporation?" Izuku asked.
"That's correct. Our dear friend Takehiko couldn't make it here today, unfortunately. He had to go to a meeting, but we were able to come here and watch our children give it their all. Even saw that Hatsume girl's fight with you, which, by the way, was fantastic job on both your parts," Mrs. Furinji said, sighing with a smile. Everyone looked at her, and realized that the two had witnessed their daughter get horrifically burned in front of millions in person. Tenya on the other hand, turned horribly red at remembering what had happened.
"... How could you be so... so cheerful saying that?" Kyoka asked, baffled by their upbeat attitude. Even the usually upbeat Toru and Pony were surprised at how they didn't seem worried.
"It's not that we're not worried, far from it," Mr. Furinji said, his smile shrinking a bit. "Of course we're concerned about Fuka's state, and how Hiroshi's handling it. It's just... we've long since accepted that with the pro hero life, that it's going to have a lot of risks, a lot of pain. It's why we make sure that our products are the best of the best. To protect everyone who uses them. We've already experienced that with their older siblings Hayate and Kana."
"There was a time where Hayate had gotten stabbed in the back by a villain who could manipulate glass. He had used a broken beer bottle from a dumpster and made it go through him, but he was captured by Kana before he could escape. Hayate stayed in the hospital for a few weeks under observation, since the glass went deep into him and broke some more. But he bounced back right after his medical break was over, and eased his way in back to hero work," Mrs. Furinji recalled. "We were panicking so much during that time, and we asked him to retire early and that there was no shame in doing so, but he refused. 'I can't let this stop me. There are people who'll need me in a flash of wind!' he said. And that's far from the only time those two got hurt. But that determination runs deep in our family, doesn't it, Fumi-dear?"
"Yes, Honey-tomi, it does," Mr. Furinji said. "So we doubt that Fuka would give up now. Not to mention she had enough foresight to design that compressed air backpack of hers to prevent its shrapnel from hitting her if it exploded like it did. And from what we were told over the phone before we got here, her burns shouldn't leave any permanent marks save for some redness here and there."
"Speaking of whom-" Recovery Girl opened the door. "Your daughter's awake."
"Really!?" Toru said, as the Hero Course students snapped their attention towards her.
"Calm down! Let her parents come in first!" the old woman snapped, as the Hero Course students stepped back in embarrassment.
"No no, let them come in. I bet she'll love to see how so many of her friends were concerned for her," Mrs. Furinji said, motioning them all to follow her in, with All Might tailing behind them all. Recovery Girl sighed as she took a seat on her chair. Fuka was still on her stomach, though with the medical gown now slightly tied to cover the sides of her body.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised that her parents were in front of her right now.
"We were with the other support company representatives here," Mrs. Furinji said, giving a small smile.
"Oh."
"We want you to know, that while we're scared and worried for you, that we'll support whatever decision you'll make," Mr. Furinji said softly, going down onto his knees to hold her hand.
"I know." Fuka looked to the side and blinked as she watched everyone pouring in after her mother. She spotted Kosei, Denki, and Minoru in the crowd. "Oh god, not you three. Please don't-"
"Fuka, please. We might like ogling at girls, but this isn't the time for it. We're here to support a friend," Denki said, stopping her.
"Yea, even we wouldn't sink that low!" Minoru said, still slightly offended about being accused of such despicable behavior.
"How're you feeling, Fuka?" Setsuna asked, going next to her bedside.
"Like crap. But it'll go away eventually. At worst, I'm probably just going to be super sensitive to loud noises thanks to that Explosion. Might need to add earmuffs to my costume," she sighed. She scanned the room, realizing that her brother wasn't there. "Where's... Where's Hiroshi?"
"He's in a waiting room by himself, trying to calm down," Ochako said. "Hound Dog passed by us and we told him where he went."
"Recovery Girl let him in earlier to check up on you, and when he left... he was... he was really intense," Itsuka said. "I've never seen him act like that before."
"Right. You guys haven't known him before he became Hero's host. For a long time, he was snappy and angry since a lot of people tried to pick on him," Fuka said, recalling the last time her brother had been like that. "It was a self-defense mechanism for him. The only times he ever gets that way besides bullying is when people he cares about get hurt, like I did."
"Does that mean that if Setsuna gets hurt-"
"That he'll go ballistic on Bakugo? Probably," Setsuna finished. "But he has Hero now, and Hero's, well, a mediating presence for him. Ever since those two got together, Hiroshi's been acting more like his old self before. Hopefully it won't come to be, but still..."
"Wait, is the tournament still ongoing? Why-"
"Hiroshi asked it to. He wants to fight Bakugo in the semifinals," Momo explained. "He was insistent."
"But you're fighting up against him, Yaoyoruzu! In the mental state he's in-"
"Your brother's calmed down significantly, Fuka."
They all turned around, and saw Hound Dog standing near All Might. "I just finished checking up on him. He's still upset and angry, but it's better than what I saw on the field. He's been conversing with Hero and sorting out his feelings so that his match with Yaoyoruzu won't be marred by his desire to fight Bakugo."
"But Setsuna, you're the one next against-"
"Hey, he hurt you! If you think that I don't want a little payback against him myself, think again," Setsuna said, crossing her arms. "I'm going to be careful, but I'm not going to go down without a fight, either!"
"I... I guess that's fine... I just... can someone bring a TV monitor here? I have to watch all the fights, and as you can see, I'm in no state to be sitting upright for a while."
"Of course, dear, I'll have some robots bring it in a jiffy," Recovery Girl said, walking over to two robots. "You heard her, go get a TV monitor and set it up for her."
"Yea yea," one of the robots said, as they rolled away, the crowd of teens parting to let them through.
"I'm sorry that I let this happen, guys. I probably messed up the whole mood of the Sports Festival, didn't I?" Fuka said, sighing.
"Don't be sorry! It's all Bakugo's fault!" Mina said, puffing her cheeks out in anger.
"No. It should be me who's sorry."
Everyone turned to All Might. "Young Hiroshi had came to me the instant he realized what could happen, and I wasn't smart enough to realize in time that Bakugo's Quirk posed such a great threat to Miss Fuka's backpack. I should've been faster, and-"
"No, it isn't your fault, All Might. I'm more culpable than anyone here," Fuka replied. "I should've asked for a mulligan or a swap for a different opponent, but I kinda got caught up in thinking of giving Bakugo some payback for what he did to Hiroshi during the Heroes vs. Villains exercise, and just because of his bad attitude in general. I should've been more thoughtful."
"So, are you still-" Izuku began to say.
"Going to be a hero? Please, it's going to take more than just that to take me out of the hero game," Fuka said. "And honestly, I did fully expect something like this to happen at some point, which is why I designed my compressed air backpack to prevent shrapnel from getting into me. Just didn't expect it to be this soon."
"That's good..." Izuku said, his smile small. Fuka looked at him, and sighed.
"So... you still have that respect for Bakugo?"
"What-!? Um, uh..."
"Midoriya, we've been friends for weeks now, and you've talked about how you admire his strength and ability before," Fuka said, as everyone stared at him. "I know that this is rattling you a lot, but I can still tell that deep down, your respect for him is still there."
"I... I..."
"Are you serious, Midoriya!?" Setsuna said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"That maniac almost killed Hiroshi and Fuka! At this point he'd be lucky to just be expelled and not in jail!" Denki pointed out.
"He's been unstable since the beginning. He needs-" Momo started to say.
"- To be in UA still," Fuka said, closing her eyes as they all looked at her, shocked. "Trust me, I don't like him anymore than you guys right now, but he is strong and at times smart. And I'd rather UA keep a handle on him, instead of him running around like a villain after being denied his 'chance'. But Midoriya-"
She looked directly at Izuku, who felt smaller in her gaze. "- I think you really need to evaluate your feelings and admiration towards Bakugo. Maybe talk to Hound Dog. He's been doing great work with Hiroshi."
"It's true, Hound Dog's one of the best counselors we have, and a therapist as well," All Might said. "And honestly, it's high time that you and Young Bakugo see someone capable of helping you like Young Hiroshi."
"I'll be glad to help another kid!" Hound Dog snarled, before coughing in his hand. "Sorry, got a little heated there. But speaking of Bakugo-"
"Oh right! We should get going soon, Fuka," Mr. Furinji said, patting her head. "We're going to a meeting with him and his parents now with Principal Nezu about what happened."
"Alright, see you soon, mom, dad," Fuka sighed, as her parents patted her head.
"See you soon, Fuka," Mrs. Furinji said, as the two followed Hound Dog out of the room. Recovery Girl got up from her chair, and started to usher out everyone.
"Out, out! She'll need more rest-"
"No, I need some company. At least let my friend circle stay," Fuka insisted. Recovery Girl sighed, as she let Izuku, Tenya, Ochako, Momo, Kyoka, and Pony back in. "Thank you."
"It's no problem, dear. I'm sure that when Principal Nezu's done with that meeting, that the tournament will resume soon, so just be ready for that then," she said, closing the door. As soon as it clicked shut, everyone looked at Izuku.
"S-so I guess you're all upset with me-"
"Not necessarily," Fuka said. "I admit that there's some admirable things for Bakugo, but you need to understand that those things fail in comparison to his complete and utterly shit personality. He's way worse than Todoroki."
"Agreed, Midoriya! I know you two are childhood, um, 'friends' and classmates, but you need to understand, that whatever he went through, that it's no excuse for him to be like this!" Tenya said.
"I've... I've tolerated Bakugo simply because I believed he would be smart enough to realize the dangers his Quirk poses to his surroundings and others," Momo said. "Clearly I've overestimated him in that regard."
"I know that you like him because of his strength, but he's crossed a line this time," Ochako said, sadly. "I mean, he really crossed it the first time with what he did at the Heroes vs. Villains exercise. It was just lucky timing that Hiroshi and Hero changed before it could've been ugly."
"He's lucky that this is a one-on-one tournament, because I'm sure we'd all have teamed up to kick his ass," Pony grumbled.
"Midoriya, Bakugo's completely unhinged," Kyoka bluntly stated. "I don't know what kind of terrible parents would lead him to how he is, but-"
"Actually, his parents, are, um-"
"YOU FUCKING IMBECILE!" Katsuki's mother smacked him upside the head. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID!?"
"Shut up!" Katsuki shouted, only to get another smack on the head. "I was just giving it my all like that Quirkless bastard and his alien said!"
"You should've clearly understood that he didn't mean injure anyone, especially his own sister!"
"N-now, calm down, you two, it was an unfortunate accident-" his father said, only to get yelled by both of them.
"SHUT UP!"
Aizawa took a deep breath, and sighed. So this is why Katsuki has an attitude problem. Principal Nezu coughed into his paws, getting their attention.
"Mr. Hiroshi's and Miss Fuka's parents will be here soon, so we'll be able to discuss what they feel like is a suitable punishment," he said composed, as Mrs. Bakugo slapped Katsuki's head again.
"Whatever they say, we'll agree to it," she said, giving Principal Nezu a bow, forcing Katsuki to do the same. "And as for your punishment from US, you're going to be grounded for two months!"
"Two months!?"
"Be lucky that it isn't two YEARS!"
Before they could escalate the argument, there was a knock on the door. "That must be them and Hound Dog. Come in."
Hound Dog opened the door, and Mr. and Mrs. Furinji came inside. He stood next to the door, waiting in silence.
"Mitsuki? Masaru?" Mrs. Furinji said, raising an eyebrow.
"Tomi!?" the two adults said. Katsuki stared at her confused, not being familiar with who she was.
"So that really was your son out there, huh?" Mrs. Furinji said, sighing. "I was really hoping that it was just a coincidence with the last name."
"YOU BURNED THE BACK OF ONE OF MY OLD COLLEAGUES' KIDS!?" Mrs. Bakugo said, smacking Katsuki in the head.
"You worked with her!?"
"She was the star model of one of the companies we had worked for," Mr. Bakugo said. "When did you get married?"
"Oh, I was always married when we worked together, I just used my maiden name for my modeling career. Been married for over 25 years and counting," Mrs. Furinji said, smiling. "But we can catch up later. We are here to talk about what happened earlier, after all."
"Forget two months, you're grounded for four!" Mrs. Bakugo said. "I can't believe you hurt her kid!"
"It was a tournament! She should've expected something like that!"
"Which is exactly the problem! She did expect it! What do you think would've happened if she didn't!? I am so sorry! We should've been better!"
"It's alright, we understand that it was an accident," Mr. Furinji said, adjusting his tie. "However, it seems like your son hadn't known about the dangers of strong heat sources near compressed air."
"W-We never bought aerosol cans or anything like that after we found out about Katsuki's Quirk. For air fresheners, we used plug-ins, and for cleaning products we only ever use mist spray bottles," Mrs. Bakugo explained. "It just became the way we lived, so we... we never explained it to him."
"I see," Mrs. Furinji said, sighing. "I guess that couldn't be helped, since it's just how you lived."
"So... with that in mind, Hitomi and I had talked about what we'd like to see happen. We won't press any charges, but he does need to understand the consequences, especially since this is the second time he's done something to our children," Mr. Furinji added, as Katsuki grimaced.
Mitsuki raised an eyebrow. "Second time? YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOU IDIOT!?"
"So I used a big explosion on that guy and his alien! He survived!"
"He told us that if he had been a second later with transforming into Hero, that he could've been injured protecting his teammates, since the blast broke through the wall during a Heroes vs. Villains exercise."
"You never told us about that! WHY DIDN'T YOU!?" Mitsuki said, smacking Katsuki's head again.
"There was no point in telling you about how I lost!" That earned him another smack.
Mr. Furinji coughed into his hand. "Firstly, I think he should start having regular sessions with Mr. Hound Dog to work out his issues."
"I don't have any issues-"
"Katsuki, for once, please listen," his father asked firmly. Katsuki bit his lips. His father rarely talked like that to him. This must be very serious.
"Second, I think that after this, that your son should be barred from any combat training for a few weeks."
"What!? Are you nuts!? Heroes have to fight-" Katsuki said.
"- But they also have to save as well," Mrs. Furinji said sternly, having become very serious at the drop of a hat. "We understand that many heroes need to know how to fight, but the degree of unrestrained brutality you showed is very concerning. We're not asking that you be barred from combat training permanently. Or even be prevented from exercising to stay fit. Instead, you'll be using that time visiting Mr. Hound Dog. We'll let Principal Nezu decide how long you'll be barred."
"Third, is that you take remedial lessons for rescue training in addition to the ones you take during school hours. To hammer into your head that rescue work is just as important as fighting, and to respect and work with others," Mr. Furinji said.
"And finally, is that we want a full apology letter that the UA faculty has seen and approved of," Mrs. Furinji added. "Hopefully you'll learn some humility by writing one."
"Hm... that's doable enough," Principal Nezu said, nodding. "From this point forward, Mr. Bakugo, you will be barred from combat training for two months, use that class time to meet with Hound Dog while going to regularly scheduled appointments. In addition, you'll be taking remedial lessons on rescue training to fully understand all the aspects of heroism. And you will need to write an apology letter to the Furinjis, which we will go through to make sure that you genuinely learned your lesson. Failure to follow through any of this, however, and we'll be forced to expel you from UA. And I'm certain that other hero schools wouldn't take you on after this."
"This is-"
"This is very reasonable," Mitsuki said, bowing her head, forcing Katsuki to do the same. "We've... we've really failed as parents. Katsuki was always told that he would be a great hero with his Quirk, that he'd be unstoppable, and we didn't stop that praise from getting into his head. Seeing what he did to your daughter, Tomi, was the wakeup call we needed. I'm truly, honestly sorry that our poor parenting skills led to your daughter's injury."
"It's alright, Mitsuki," Mrs. Furinji said, smiling a bit. "I don't think you failed as a parent. You've definitely considered his safety, since you chose to never buy aerosol products to avoid situations like this at your home. We're just lucky that she was treated quickly enough that there won't be any scars."
"Either way, with this meeting done with, I think it would be safe if we resume the First Years' Sports Festival soon, right? And I should go back to the Third Years' Sports Festival myself," Principal Nezu said, as he and everyone else got up from their chairs. "Hound Dog, when do you think that the first session should be?"
"Tomorrow. Come to my office first thing after your last class period. No ifs or buts," Hound Dog growled. Katsuki nodded, as he gazed off to the side. This day sucked.
"Wait, so his parents are actually really decent people?" Fuka repeated.
"Yea... Aunt Tsuki and Uncle Masaru were always very nice people, and they're friends with my mother still. They still call each other time to time," Izuku admitted. "Aunt Tsuki does have a temper, but it's not as bad as Kacchan's..."
"So the reason why Bakugo's a giant asshole isn't because of his parents, but just because?" Kyoka said in disbelief.
"W-well he's got a lot of expectations on him! His Quirk was always praised by everyone around us, and he was told that he'd be a great hero and stuff like that-"
"Oh no, that's exactly the type of person Hiroshi hates," Fuka moaned. "He's a guy who let his constant praise get to his head and made him a complete narcissist and asshole. Burdened by expectations or not, it's not really an excuse."
"That is exactly like Takagi, no wonder he reminds me so much of him," Setsuna muttered, crossing her arms.
"Who's Takagi?" Ochako asked.
"Just a bully who let it get to his head that his muscle growth Quirk was incredible. Unlike Bakugo, he completely failed all of his chances to get into a school with a Hero Course 'cuz of his terrible written grades, so he and his cronies ended up chasing Hiroshi and Fuka into Seto High before, well, everything."
"God, that's right. He must've seen the press conference about Hiroshi and Hero," Fuka said, remembering Kenji for the first time in a long time. "I swear to god, I really, really hope that none of the other schools were watching the live broadcast and saw this crap."
"Considering that Hiroshi and Hero are in the Sports Festival, they probably are-" Setsuna said, her eyes widening.
"Shit."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH THAT IS CLASSIC!" Kenji laughed riotously, as his classmates watched in horror as Fuka landed on the ground with her back burned from that Explodey Guy's dumb Explosion Quirk. Only his friends were joining in. "That dumb gradeskipper fucking deserved that! Oh it would've been better if it were me taking her down a peg!"
"Yea, she ain't hot shit at all!" Kin'ichi replied, wiping his tears away with his hair. "Or at least, now she is!"
"It'd be great if that spikey haired guy took down Tokage next! Oh that will be great!" Kumataro added.
"Guys, isn't that a bit... too much?" Ryunosuke asked, being the only one who seemed uncomfortable with what he just saw. "I mean, sure, she's a hardass, but that was kinda harsh-"
"Are you kidding, Ryunosuke? This is perfect! Grade A comedy! Imagine this scaring the shit out of her enough that she quits-"
"Takagi, Kaminoke, Ussuri! Enough!" their teacher said, snapping them out of their laughing fit. "That is highly inappropriate, and if you continue on, you'll be held in detention for a week!"
"Aw, come on, teach! We're only joking!" Kenji said, crossing his arms.
"You really need to chill out, Takagi!" a girl with fin-like ears and webbed fingers said.
"Yea, if you don't, we'll call Furinji and tell him about you-"
"Oh come on, what's he gonna do? Run away and let his big bad alien take care of me? As if!"
"You're just jealous that the cool Quirkless guy you've been bullying for years can actually fight back now!"
"You take that back, you fucking fish-faced-"
"That's it! Detention for two weeks! Stay after class!"
"What!? That's bullshit!"
"THREE WEEKS!"
"Does that include-"
"Yes, it includes you two, Kaminoke and Ussuri! And before you ask, no, Watatsu, you're exempt!"
"Well, hopefully your old teacher's finally putting his foot down with those four," Setsuna said, crossing her arms. "Oh god, do you think Tsubasa saw-"
"If Takagi and his crew possibly saw, she might've, too. That's not good, she's super sensitive..."
Tsubasa covered her mouth, watching Fuka fall onto the ground, crying in pain from the burns on her back. She struggled to hold her breath in, though tears fell from her face.
"Tensou, are you alright?" a snake-headed girl asked, noticing her tears.
"Th-that girl..." she said, sobbing as Hero landed onto the ground and changed back to Hiroshi, who had to be held back by All Might. "S-she and h-her brother... they're my friends..."
"Oh my god," a beady eyed boy with large hands said, coming over to comfort her. "A-are you sure you want to keep watching?"
"Yes, we've seen enough, I think," a periwinkle-haired girl with glasses said, getting up to pat the winged girl comfortingly. "Fujimi turn the TV off-"
"NO! We need to watch this to study their every move, to take that explosive guy down-" a bluish gray haired boy with a slouch said, before getting smacked in the head by a girl with royal blue hair and lizard scales on her arms.
"Be sensitive, you idiot!"
"N-no, it's fine, Toyoda, I... I need to watch..." Tsubasa answered, watching Hiroshi challenging the explosive boy who injured his sister, with Setsuna nearby. "Because I'm... I'm not the one who was hurt."
Hiroshi sat in his waiting room, taking deep breaths as he watched the TV, as Midnight announced that the break was over and that the first match will be within 15 minutes. He wish he could tell Izuku good luck, but he wasn't sure if he could. He knew that he had a deep admiration for Katsuki's strength, and he wasn't wrong for doing so, since he was incredibly strong. But that didn't give him the excuse to be an asshole. He's dealt with people like that way too much.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Izuku opened the door, and stared guiltily at Hiroshi.
"Are you... are you doing alright, Hiroshi?"
"... Better, yea."
"I'm... sorry about what happened."
"There wasn't anything you could do."
"But still, maybe if I had given Fuka those notes I had on Kacchan-"
"What's done is done. What we need to do is focus on the now and future. You're still going to help Todoroki, right?"
"You're still concerned about him?"
"Of course. Unlike Bakugo, I think Todoroki can be saved and helped."
"But Kacchan's not-"
"I know what you're gonna say, and save it. Midoriya, I know you two knew each other for a long time, but trust me when I say that the type of person Bakugo is, is not a great one. I've dealt with people like him for years, Midoriya. You and I've dealt with them differently, so I can't say I fully understand why you still like the guy enough to call him by a nickname."
"He's... he's a lot better than you think he is-"
"Midoriya, enough. He's a strong guy, but he knows zero restraint. Heroes need restraint."
"But Hiroshi-"
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
Izuku stepped back a bit, shocked by Hiroshi snapping at him as he stood up from his chair. "Hiroshi..."
"... Sorry, Midoriya. I'm just... the guy has the guts to say that he's 'giving it his all', when I never meant 'using full power carelessly'. Heroes need restraint, Midoriya. You of all people should understand that with your Quirk. I need to show restraint with Hero. Even All Might has to show restraint. Giving it your all means understanding that you and others have limits, but that you need to do your best within them."
Hiroshi sat back down, and took a deep breath. Izuku looked to the side guiltily.
"... I'm sorry, Hiroshi... I know I'm being irrational with my admiration towards Bakugo, but it's... hard to get rid of so easily, you know? I spend so many years chasing after him to become strong because I thought he was the best, and, well..."
"I understand, Midoriya. But if you really want to admire strength... I think you should find someone else instead. Now go on, you can't be late to save Todoroki, right?" Hiroshi gave Izuku a small smile. "Give it your all, but remember to restrain yourself, alright? No broken fingers or bones, understand?"
"... Of course, Hiroshi. And I will."
Izuku walked out of the room and closed his door. Hiroshi was right. Maybe he should refocus his admiration to someone else other than Katsuki. But he had zero idea who that could be.
Katsuki grumbled as he walked towards the Hero Course viewing box. This was such garbage, having to be punished for fighting in a tournament. So the airhead got hurt? Everyone else did, so why was this treated so differently?
Pros, rookies, sidekicks, and other UA students stared at him as he walked by them, muttering. Murmuring. Mumbling. What bullshit. If they were real pros, they should understand, right? People get hurt, right? It's not his fault.
As he turned into the Hero Course viewing box, he was pushed out by one of those 1B extras, Sen, while a lot of them stood nearby. "Excuse me, get the fuck out of my-"
"You really think we'd accept your fucking ass back here?" Sen asked, crossing his arms. "Go the fuck somewhere else."
"We've let your attitude slide before, Bakugo, but we're done with that," Itsuka added, her brow furrowed. "Honestly, we shouldn't have let the Heroes Vs. Villains exercise slide at all, but we only did because Hero and Hiroshi were fast enough to change and protect not only themselves, but Yaoyoruzu and Yui as well."
"Your personality is nothing but fucking shit!" Manga followed, an image of Katsuki's face with a pile of cartoonish poop on top of his head.
"This transcends any rivalry I wanted with 1A, this is borderline villainy!" Neito said, for once not blaming 1A for anything.
"I pray that our Heavenly Father will forgive you, and I as well in the future," Ibara said, taking a deep breath. "But for now, you shouldn't be near one of us."
"Well I don't care what you 1B extras think, so get-"
"It's not just 1B, Bakugo!"
He looked behind, and saw Mina, Toru, Denki, Mashirao, Mezo, Tsuyu (who for the first time had slightly furrowed brows), Rikido, Hanta, and Fumikage standing behind the 1B students, all of whom had very angry faces.
"We've... we've tried to be friends with you, but we're done!" Mina said, stomping her foot. "You've crossed way too many lines, and we're through with that!"
"We thought that including you on conversations and just letting you take the piss out of us and vice versa was going to be enough for you to change a little, but we were so wrong! You need help, Bakugo, and until you do, you're not welcomed among us, even if you're not expelled!" Denki said.
"As of now, we're excommunicating you in spirit!" Toru stated, pointing an invisible finger at him. "Since Hiroshi had you stay in this tournament to fight him, we figured that they wouldn't expel you yet, but trust us when we say that we want nothing to do with you until you change!"
"Are you shitting me!? You can't do that!" Katsuki shouted, though none of them budged. "It was a fucking accident! She's fine, isn't she!? And this was a tournament, so-"
"Whether she's fine or not really doesn't change what you did, though," Tsuyu said bluntly.
"And even if this is a tournament, you really went overboard with your Quirk!" Rikido added.
"She shouldn't have worn that stupid backpack then-"
"She went through the process to get it approved of, since otherwise a lot of her skills would be limited!" Yosetsu said. "This might've been a bad matchup based on lots, but you should've realized that going after a container of compressed air with Explosions was a terrible idea!"
"I never knew, my family doesn't use anything like aerosol or-"
"Shouldn't you have realized that there might've been a reason they didn't if that's the case?" Hanta narrowed his eyes at him. "Even if you didn't, maybe you should've asked your parents why that was."
"I-I-I-! Hedgehog Hair!" Katsuki said, addressing Eijiro, who had sat back with everyone else. He tensed up, and slowly turned his head towards Katsuki. "You think this is ridiculous, right?!"
"I... um... I'm sorry, Bakugo, but no," Eijiro said reluctantly, his eyes pointing to the ground. Katsuki's face fell. He didn't expect the guy who's been trying to be his friend to say that. "I respect your strength a lot, but this was... this was a step too far, even if it was an accident. I... I think it's best if you took some time to yourself to think."
"But you forgave Ponytail-"
"Now that was an accident!" Mina said. "Yaoyoruzu meant to aim higher but she was slightly off! You purposefully went after Fuka's backpack to cripple her, even if it wasn't supposed to be at degree!"
"Please don't bring that up in this conversation..." Eijiro muttered, as the pain started to tingle again.
Katsuki was at a loss for words. He was never treated like this before. This was... This was...
Infuriating.
"I'LL- I'LL- I'LL-"
"Wait? Blow us up like Fuka and ruin your chances to stay in UA?" Denki said, coldly. "We've said our piece. Now go and find somewhere else to sit at."
Katsuki gritted and gnashed his teeth, sparks forming from his hands when Ibara, Kosei, and Itsuka used their Quirks to create a wall to provide him from getting closer. He growled and stormed off, the stares of his classmates burning into his back, with more pros and other UA students staring at him again. This was unbearable. He didn't do anything wrong.
Didn't he?
Izuku walked down the hallway towards the field, hands in his pockets, the talk with Hiroshi still fresh on his mind. Even with what just happened, he wants to help Shoto realize the folly of only using his ice. He gulped anxiously. Hopefully the things they noticed during Shoto's fight and throughout the day were going to help him out-
"Oh?" Endeavor said, walking past Izuku in front of him.
Izuku froze and screamed a little from being startled. Especially in the sight of the Number Two Hero.
"Hm, so you're the one facing Shoto now, huh?" the fiery man said, looking down on him. Izuku decided to walk on by, trying to ignore him. "Better you now than that Ultraman Hero one. You'll make a good stepping stone. With that Quirk of yours and its power, you're similar enough to All Might test his purpose. That boy is destined to beat that man, and when you're finished, nothing will stop him. Not even that alien."
"So give this your best shot and fight until neither of you can keep going."
Izuku stopped. So this was really how he was like, huh. Maybe Hiroshi is right... Maybe Shoto does need to be saved.
"... I'm not All Might."
"Of course, what-"
"- And Todoroki... Todoroki isn't you."
Endeavor narrowed his eyes.
"I'm going to give this my all, not to test him for you, but because... because he deserves to fight someone who sees him for him."
Izuku walked off, feeling the heat of Endeavor's eyes on his back.
"I hope you folks all enjoyed that... unexpected break, but we're back at the First Years' Tournament! We're in the quarterfinals, baby! And first off, we got the Mean Green Fighting Machine, Izuku Midoriyaaaaa! He's raced against the odds to come at 1st, snagged last place to stay in, and unexpectedly fought off brainwashing! But can he fight off against ice and fire!?" Present Mic said, trying to pump up the crowd again. They responded with a cheer, though it wasn't nearly as big as before, Fuka's injuries still being fresh on their minds.
Izuku walked onto the field, taking a deep breath. Even though Hiroshi had every right to be upset at him for still admiring Katsuki, he still trusted him enough to save Shoto from himself. He still believed in him being the one to do so. He took a deep breath as he let One for All run through his body. He can't betray Hiroshi, not again.
"And coming in hot and cold, ready to freeze the competition, is Mr. Ice Hot himself Shoto Todorokiiii! He fought tooth and nail against Midoriya for first at the race, stole his 5,000,000, and showed off his iceberg-sized power! Can he beat Midoriya for a third time!?" Present Mic shouted as Shoto walked onto the field.
"I'm sorry about Furinji," Shoto said, somewhat dispassionately. "I can... I can relate to how bad burns are... But don't think that this won't stop me from winning. You're just another obstacle in the way, anyways."
"If you think I'm gonna be frozen in your ice like nothing, think again," Izuku said, as green electricity sparked around his body. "You're going to have to come at me at full power, with both your ice and your fire!"
Shoto narrowed his eyes at Izuku, scowling at the green-haired teen's declaration. The two readied themselves, each posed to end this as fast as they could.
"Are you both ready? 3! 2! 1! START!"
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- This is a very dialogue-heavy chapter, isn't it? Kinda figured it would be though since there needs to be a buffer between the first rounds and quarterfinals, right?
- It's been a while since we've gotten snappy Hiroshi, huh? Since the early chapters, right? I always figured that the more cheerful, confident, and friendly Hiroshi is the more genuine one personality, while the snappy, angrier, and hostile Hiroshi is the result of Hiroshi putting up walls to protect himself from people who've bullied or wronged him. It would figure that this Hiroshi would make a reappearance after Katsuki injured Fuka.
- I figured that since in canon, that since 1A's gone through a lot and all of the kids there are still attending the school, that it'd take a lot more to deter Fuka away from the hero path. But she'll still be feeling some effects of the fight. Won't necessarily say that it'll be like PTSD (since I don't want to run the risk of not getting it correctly since I've never experienced or met someone with it), but she'll definitely be much more sound sensitive now.
- Hey, it's Kenji and his friends again, and they got last names now, too! I honestly didn't think I'd be using them again! But it felt right to do so, to remind everyone that there's a world outside of UA. Not to mention I started to think about how interesting it'd be to show Hiroshi's and Fuka's old classmates feelings about them. I always imagined that Kenji was something like Bakugo, always praised and shit, but unlike Bakugo, he didn't really have the drive to make SURE he was great, which is why he ended up failing a lot of his Hero Course entrance exams, and he choose to take it on his favorite "punching bag" by following him into Seto High. I'll admit, took some liberties with how detention works. But this is a fanfic, sooooo...
- And it's Tsubasa, too! And with a last name as well! And there's more Isamu students, too, instead of just the four we got in the OVA. We'll be getting a whole 20 students now. I always felt it was kinda odd that only FOUR appeared in the OVA, which, to be fair, was probably so that they didn't have to make an entire class. But I'll do it in their stead. The first one we have is Machiko Toyoda, who's Quirk's Knuckle Scale, which allows her to grow scales up to her shoulder that are as tough as steel. Her name comes from the Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis, which is an extinct crocodile species from Japan. I just changed it from "machika" to "Machiko", since that's a real name, though I'm sure that there's a Machika somewhere in the world. And we'll be seeing more students later.
- So I totally forgot about Koji and Yuga. Koji mostly because he really never talks that much, so it's easier to forgot, and I totally forgot Yuga 'cuz the last time he was mentioned was in "Chase to Race" having run off to the bathroom.