Sweat continues to trickle down the sides of Todoroki Enji's face as he sends another blast of Hell Flame toward the monstrosity that was before him. By this point the number one hero was becoming more and more familiar as to what he would expect when fighting the creatures deemed "Kaiju" by most news stations by this point.
These constant battles against the beasts were a game of catch-up that the heroes found themselves losing. In a matter of months, there had been a clear developing arc of progress when it came to the Kaiju's strengths and how they could best be deployed to reign terror down on Japan. The men and women tasked with fighting them off had found little to no clues about what the creatures really were and what the point of their terrorism was. The situation was quickly becoming an ugly mark on hero culture as a whole.
The beast before him stood roughly eight feet tall and was covered in a greenish grey skin and some sort of purple mask. Enji wasn't entirely sure as to what the purpose of the mask was since it left the top of the head exposed, which seemed to have been cut open since the hero could see the creature's brain quite clearly.
Do they have larger brains? Is that how they can hold multiple quirks at once and why the organ is typically exposed?
Endeavor looked to see that the creature was unfazed by the fire and charged at him again. While the Kaiju did not have any direct emitter-based quirks, the multiple arms that seemed to have grown out of the subject's back contained chainsaws which could do serious damage.
Endeavor would have laughed at the creature for looking like some monster out of a B-movie horror film if it hadn't already killed six people before he had gotten there. The bodies were still on the sidewalk that was adjacent to where he was fighting with the Chainsaw Kaiju. He had made sure to keep the fight away from the bodies.
He didn't want the dead to be desecrated any more than they already had.
The flame hero sidestepped a spinning strike from the monster and pushed it back in an attempt to study it more. Its eyes were so completely covered he pondered how it could even fight him.
Is it a sense of smell? Echolocation? Some sort of thermal vision from under the mask?
The creature let out a loud screech before charging the hero again with chainsaws flailing like the angry snakes that were perched atop Medusa's head. Enji took a small step back and looked beyond the Kaiju to see that a crowd had grown around the blockade that had been put up to contain the area. He cursed under his breath at the citizens that made it impossible to use his full flame and proceeded to dodge one of the arms before grabbing a second in both hands. In under a second, he willed his fire to hit his upper threshold and watched as the flames finally breached the skin of the monster and sliced through the appendage as if it was warm butter. Endeavor held the severed arm in his hands for a moment before tossing it to the side and looking back to his opponent.
The creature let out of a wail before charging again and at this moment Enji felt that he had learned enough to put the creature down for good. In one hand he manifested a flaming spear and ducked under the spinning arms before grabbing the creature by the neck and driving the spear through the exposed brain on the top of its head. An inky black fluid quickly oozes from the brain, seeping into his own costume while the creature let out a cry of pain that was soon brought to a whimper. The kaiju slowly fell to its knees and with the spear still piercing through its skull.
"Be put to rest." The flame hero hissed at the chainsaw covered creation. An almost sobbing-like noise is emitted by the being, which brings a sickening feeling to the flame hero's stomach.
After the kaiju finally slumped on to the street, Enji took a step back and willed the spear to disperse in the air. The area was quiet for a moment before the crowd began screaming again, the hero watched a few citizens jump over the barricade and rush toward the bodies that were still crumpled on the sidewalk.
He watched one man that he estimated to be the same age as himself drop to his knees near an elderly woman and place both hands on her wounds to try to stop the bleeding.
He must not have noticed that the woman hadn't been breathing since well before Endeavor even got to the scene.
His sobs, which easily conveyed the overwhelming pain he felt, was strong enough for Enji to slowly walk over to the man and offer his own condolences for the loss.
However, as he was within a few meters of the man, the stranger looked up with an almost rabid expression and raised a shaky finger at the number one hero.
"S- S- She's dead. She's dead! SHE'S DEAD! T-This is your fault, Endeavor! Why didn't you save her, huh? My mom was the greatest person in the world and you j-just let her DIE?! YOU'RE THE NUMBER ONE HERO, ENDEAVOR! SO WHY ARE THERE PEOPLE DEAD HERE? WHY IS MY MOM DEAD?! WHY COULDN'T YOU SAVE HER WHEN SHE NEEDED YOU MOST!? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL MY K-K-KIDS? MY SIBLINGS? WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? WHY-"
The man broke into more sobs as he grabbed his mother's hand with both of his and held it to his chest. All three hands were covered in crimson. Endeavor looked down at his own hands and saw that they were covered in the inky black blood of the kaiju he had just fought.
The hero then bowed at the man and fallen mother and said, "I am truly sorry for your loss."
Enji slowly walked away from the scene when he was intercepted by one of his newer sidekicks grabbing his arm.
"I hope all of these people know you weren't even in charge of this area." Kamiji Moe murmured to her boss as he stared blankly at the crowd who was either cheering him or cursing him.
Endeavor shrugged, "It doesn't matter. There could be an attack in Nagasaki and people will point the finger at me for not doing enough."
Burnin grit her teeth, "But that's not your fucking fault! This country treats you like garbage and even when you save the day, they are still chanting about how they wish All Might were still alive and you were the one buried six feet deep."
Endeavor looked back down at his ink-colored hands, "I could have been faster. I figured the next drop point would be somewhere in Anjo but I got the specific spot wrong. People are dead and they have a right to voice their frustrations with me. As number one, I have to shoulder their anger rather than push it away."
"But with you not responding it makes you look guilty! At least say something! How about mentioning Slugger who was getting a photo op after clubbing a purse snatcher when he should have been on this very street! This is his fucking fault! If he did-"
"Burnin." Endeavor cut off the younger woman and she glanced up to see some of the crowd watching her and her outburst curiously. She glanced back to her boss who let out a long sigh and looked up to the sky.
It was supposed to have been a pretty day.
The hero looked back to where he had left the arm of the monster had fought only moments ago and found that all that was left was a puddle of more inky blood.
He murmured, "So deterioration still applies if a limb has been ripped from the body."
Burnin looked at the puddle, "Will that help at all?"
Endeavor looked back to his sidekick, "The more we know about these things the faster it will take to find the bastard making them. Especially with the HPSC locking me out of the case, I've got to learn as much as I can."
"Why the fuck are they locking out the number one again?"
Enji closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "They want me focusing on more day-to-day crime. They also believe they have more resources than my agency for the case and analyzing the blood."
Burnin rolled her eyes, "And it has nothing to do with having their own guys get the credit when they nab the bastard?"
"Your words not mine."
"Tch. So, you get the blame for not stopping this shit and they'll get the glory when they figure it out?"
Todoroki shrugged again, "As long as it stopped, I don't really care who gets the credit. Too many people are dying in these attacks, and it seems like they are getting stronger."
"Did I see chainsaws coming out of its back this time?"
Enji nodded and looked to see the agency car parking near the outskirts of the area. He slowly turned to face the car and made a check to see that his other sidekicks had the area secure. With confidence that no more damage could be done at this point, the flame hero made his way to the vehicle and slowly opened the door.
"I'm heading back to Nagoya; do you want a ride?"
His sidekick looked back with wide eyes as she had never had the opportunity to ride in the company car to this point. She usually had to ride with Kido, who in her opinion was kind of a shit driver.
"Yes sir!"
Endeavor nodded once and then slowly descended into the car. His sidekick quickly scurried to the other side of the vehicle and plopped down before anyone could change their mind about carpooling.
For the first few minutes of the ride, both were quiet. Enji looked out the window at some of the new billboards that were being placed downtown. He saw one with a tall blonde woman bending forward while pointing at the camera, a few of the top buttons undone on her white collared shirt revealing a hint of her cleavage.
Underneath the picture were the words: JOIN ME, FUTURE PRO HERO 'MOUNT LADY' AT HPSC ACADEMY! I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU ALL SOON!
Endeavor let out a groan at the advertisement and lightly banged his head against the window. He then slowly turned to his sidekick who was also looking out of the window.
"Burnin."
The flame haired girl turned to look at the hero, "What is it boss?"
Endeavor turned again to look out the window and saw another advertisement for an upcoming movie. It depicted a suave looking hero with jet black hair fighting some villain that had a rat mutation.
"Would all of this be happening if All Might were around?"
The sidekick glanced at the movie poster he had been staring at, "Do you mean with the kaiju, or something else?"
Enji continued to look out of the window, "I mean everything. Would this country still be the exact same right now if All Might were around?"
The sidekick swallowed and looked down at her feet.
Sensing that she wasn't going to respond immediately, the flame hero continued, "You see it right, Kamiji? How everything is shifting? This world has changed more in the past two years since his death than the last fifteen that he was alive. The media, the commission, the tournaments, even the heroes, it's all different now. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I'm breath this new air." The man looked down to his hands that were still coated in black ink, "Had he been holding up this avalanche of change, or was it always going to happen, whether he was here or not?"
Burnin took a moment to collect her thoughts, "I have noticed the change, Endeavor. But instead of thinking how much has changed due to All Might leaving, how about thinking how much you have been able to slow down this change as number one? It's obvious that people are ready for someone else to take the mantle as the top hero. That you remind them too much of All Might and an older era. They are waiting for you to slip so they can have the shiny new golden boy take the spot and then everyone can see that the hero that was raised by the commission is the new number one. I don't think the commission is the biggest problem in Japan right now, but could you imagine the shit storm that would happen if their baby bird was seen as the top hero in Japan? I'm sure they also want Miruko right there with him since her connections with the group run deep as well but you are the one that's in the way of all of that. You pushing back is why others like Jeanist and Edgeshot follow you and push as well. You keep thinking about how much has changed since you've become number one, when you should be thinking how much would change if you weren't number one." Burnin reached out a hand and placed it gently on the hero's shoulder, "Everyone is aware of how good of a job you are doing in trying to follow up All Might. Some just aren't as happy about that fact as others."
Endeavor nodded slowly and glanced at the sidekick. He had been impressed with the girl since she showed up one day three years ago demanding a work study opportunity. She had anchored herself to one of the couches in the lobby and refused to leave the premises until she had the chance to meet her so-called 'Idol Hero'. When Enji finally made it down to the lobby after a day of her living in their building and asked what she wanted she simply replied that she wanted to work with the best in Japan. He remembers grabbing his phone to ask Kido to bring down an application for internship when he casually asked why she wouldn't work with All Might if she wanted the best.
"All Might is too much of a pussy to handle me."
He quickly deleted the text to Kido and asked for him to bring down an application for full time future employment after that.
Burnin went on to graduate at the top of her class at Ketsubutsu and has been loyal to the flame hero ever since. He smiled looking back at her journey and the hero she has become.
Seems like I didn't screw her up at least.
"This is my stop." The sidekick blurts out after a few minutes of silence and the car slows down to a halt in front of some newer looking apartment buildings. She reaches for the door and slowly pulls herself out of the car.
"Burnin." Enji mutters while still looking out of the window. The sidekick quickly turns to look at the man who had finally extinguished all the flames on his body. She thought it was always strange to see the fire hero with no fire, the man looked especially haggard now while he gazed out the window.
What is he looking at? Or what is he looking for?
"Good job today." The sidekick nodded and grabbed the door to shut it before the hero finally turned to face her. The weary look in his eyes made her stomach hurt.
"And thank you. For what you said."
Kamiji smiled warmly at her idol and raised a thumbs up to the man.
"I've always been good at pep talks! Just know that I'm always around if you want to chat about stuff!"
The ends of Enji's mouth twitched up for a moment, the man then nodding to her once more as she closed the door and made her way to her own apartment. Endeavor turned his gaze back out the window and stared at the sky again. The grey and dark clouds that hung overhead seemed to stare right back at him.
It was supposed to have been a pretty day.
~Revelations~
The ice makes a clinking noise as Enji slowly raises the glass to his lips. He sat in his living room in a chair he had specially made for his larger body size. The piece was wrapped in leather and had a leg rest that extended from the bottom. The whiskey runs down his throat and adds needed warmth to his stomach.
He wore a loose black shirt and sweatpants, having finally washed the blood of the monster that he had slayed earlier from his hands. When he had asked a representative from the HPSC if they were able to use anything that had been collected from the fight, they gave non-committal 'probably' and promptly changed the subject.
They then asked about him potentially having a photoshoot with Miruko and their new rising star when he promptly hung up on them and went to get a drink.
The house had been quiet with Natsuo at school and Fuyumi at her own place, but he knew there was still one person left with him. He heard the boy slowly making his way downstairs with an empty glass probably with the intention of getting a refill of water.
"Shoto." The boy stopped in the kitchen and slowly walked to the door that separated the living room. The room itself was dark but the fifteen-year-old could make out the shadow of his father sitting in his dumb chair with a glass in his hand.
"How is your hand?"
The boy looked down to his right hand that still had a few bandages wrapped around the fingers and flexed it a few times.
"Fine." He replies coolly.
"When will you be getting bandages off?"
The boy shrugs and looks at his feet, "Probably tomorrow or the day after that."
Enji nods slowly and takes another sip of his drink, "Have you thought anymore about what I said after the fight?"
The boy's brow furrows, "I am aware of the decisions that I am making."
The father sighs, "What is your plan if you face someone like the Shimura girl in real life, Shoto? She's been beating you for a year now since she can cancel out your ice attacks by flying over them. She does the same thing every time by baiting you to use your ice and then striking when you start to slow down from the hypothermia setting in. You almost lost your hand last weekend from being so stubborn about this."
Shoto clenches his left fist, "I don't need your fire to be the best."
Enji grips the glass he's holding tightly, "Did you see my fight today?"
The boy doesn't reply but slowly nods.
"Six people were killed. Six people that had absolutely no right dying on this day are dead because I wasn't fast enough to be there when they needed me. I wasn't good enough at my strongest. I watched a man hold his dead mother in his arms and curse me out for letting her die. That her blood was on my hands. And I accept that. I know that I won't be able to save everyone. That's one thing that has been abundantly clear to me since they named me the number one hero in Japan."
His father paused for a moment and looked to the glass in his hand, "I don't sleep well anymore. When I close my eyes, I see the face of those that I've seen take their last breath, fear apparent in their eyes. They're scared to die, and I just watch them as they question why I couldn't save them. Do you know how terrible that feels? Knowing that you've done everything that you can to save someone or save something and still fail?"
He looks to the boy who has brought his head back up and is staring at his father intently.
When Shoto had begun noticing the bags under his father's eyes and the press dragging him about the Kaiju attacks, he laughed. The man that destroyed his own family in order to be the strongest was now being written about as the weakest number one hero that Japan had ever seen. Shoto knew that this was just trashy news to stir discussion, with his father's numbers, as the number one hero being more or less the same as All Might's from the years before his death.
But his father wasn't All Might. Everyone in Japan knew this. He knew his father knew this. And that this was the only fact that people really cared about.
He found that he wasn't laughing much anymore at his father. He recognized that while he wasn't a good man, he was a damn good hero and the way that he had been getting treated by the press and other influential people since the death of All Might wasn't entirely fair. Hearing him actually speak on his troubles made the boy think even more about the situation.
Think more about being a hero. Think more about what strength really is.
His father continued with Shoto still in thought, "I have to deal with the guilt of this blood on my hands Shoto because I'm number one. So, my question for you is, how will you deal with the guilt and the blood on your hands from those you couldn't save when you know damn well you are only using half of your fucking quirk? How will you look into the eyes of a child that just lost her mother or a mother who had just lost her child and apologize to them when you know you could have done more? How will you sleep at night when you close your eyes and see those faces questioning why you couldn't save them?"
Shoto makes an attempt to speak but realizes his mouth has dried up. He wished he had filled his glass with water before the conversation.
His father looked at him for a moment before looking out the window that was to the left of the chair, "I always thought that anything can be accomplished through strength. That I could mold you into the perfect hero through my own strength. That you would become the number one hero through your own strength that I would have helped you cultivate. I see now that I was looking at the world through a distorted lens. Nothing is as simple as I thought it would be. There are some situations where strength isn't enough, where I am not enough."
The hero takes a long sip from his glass as he continues to look out the window. He can't see any stars.
"Is this really the future that I worked so hard for? One son dead, two others that despise me, a daughter who deserves more than she will ever be given, and a wife who is stuck in a hospital and is too terrified to see me. Is this really what my strength brought me?"
Shoto leans against the door frame and listens to his father's words with a blank face. He can't fully comprehend what Enji is saying.
"I was wrong about a lot of things in my life, Shoto. But one thing I am not wrong about is you having to use your flames. If you continue to refuse to practice with them then I would recommend dropping heroics all together."
Shoto grits his teeth at the man for that last comment, "Is this some kind of joke? Ten years of you beating me into the perfect mold and now you're just giving up entirely? You can't just say the things you are saying now and expect things to change. You can't force me to become a hero all this time and now suddenly start acting like some concerned parent. This isn't you, so stop putting on this façade."
Enji sighs and takes another drink, "Do you want me to go back to how I was then? With physical training every day? The limited breaks? The demanding schedule?"
Shoto takes a step into the room, "I want you to be you. It's not fair after all of the shit that you have done to mom and Touya and the rest of us to just turn a new leaf and expect me to listen to you. Expect me to trust you. Do you know how much I've lost because of you? How many relationships I lost or never had the chance to make in the first place because of how you treated me? How you made me act? Tch, I'm not sure if this is an apology or what but if you are expecting any sympathy from me, you are out of luck."
Endeavor looked back at his glass again. There is little whiskey left.
"I know that I can't be forgiven for what I have done in the past so I'm not going to pretend that I can make things better with an apology. Whether you like it or not I cant be the person that I was before anymore. I'm not going to train you anymore Shoto. If you want to practice, feel free to stop by the agency and we can work together but I'm not making weekly schedules anymore. If you want to pretend that nothing has changed and continue the work on your own then go ahead but just know that I am done enforcing things for you. Figure out what you want. But if it's to be a hero, someone that is responsible for saving the lives of others, you better be giving everything that you have which includes your flames. I don't want you to have to see the faces I have, Shoto. The faces of those that you have failed."
Shoto looked at the man for a while with his hand wrapped tightly around the glass he was holding.
"So, what about you wanting me to become the next number one hero?"
Enji finishes his glass and slowly gets out of his chair.
"One is just a number, Shoto, nothing else." The hero sighs and runs a hand through his red hair, "I would do anything to tell a younger version of myself that truth."
The current number one hero then walked out of the room and up to his bed to have another night of restless slumber. His son stayed leaning on the door frame with a blank expression.
He had much to think about.
~Revelations~
Two Months After the Chainsaw Kaiju Attack
A boy with dark green hair sits in the sun as he turns the page of the book that he is reading. It was January, a stray day of warmth, allowing him to venture to the rooftop for lunch instead of having to scuttle to different classrooms in order to find the peace and privacy he sought after for his free period. He had been reading a lot lately and trying to do that in a crowded cafeteria with kids screaming with quirks going off from time to time was not something that he enjoyed much.
Overall, life hadn't changed all that drastically for Midoriya Izuku at Aldera after it was announced by the teacher that he did in fact have a quirk. There was about five seconds of sudden interest in the boy that dissipated quickly after it was revealed that all his quirk could do was break things into smaller pieces. He knew that there was more to it but preferred to keep that information to himself. He would rather be a nobody than somebody at the school.
He had begun wearing gloves after he had accidentally broken a chair when he was getting up at home one day. It seemed while he usually had a pretty good control on the quirk and wouldn't have it go haywire often, there were still instances where it got him in trouble. A moment like when he subconsciously flexed his hand and caused the calculator that he had been holding to break apart and then quickly be put back together. At first glance it appeared that he had successfully rebuilt the calculator. After trying to press one of the buttons however, Izuku realized he had to know how to put a calculator back together in order to do it successfully with his quirk. He learned this after taking the broken calculator to a store and the employee telling him the inside pieces were in the completely wrong places. The boy then studied the mechanics of a calculator for about a week, tried again. This time it worked like a charm.
The second breakthrough for the boy was when he accidentally exploded a tomato at home when he slightly flexed his hand. To this point, he had never thought of the possibility of using the quirk on something that was alive. Immediately after this discovery, he bought every book he could find on human biology, this being the reason why he was currently reading a textbook that provided an in depth overview of the human stomach.
His own stomach rumbled, driving him to shove the sandwich that he had made for lunch into his mouth.
"Thought I'd find you up here."
The boy looks up to see angry blonde hair and red eyes glaring at him. He takes his time to slowly swallow the bite he had taken of his sandwich.
"Where are your lackeys?"
Katsuki scoffed, "They were being fucking annoying."
Izuku nods and watches the other boy drag a chair over and sit down. He then took out what looked like a protein shake and took a sip.
Izuku takes another bite of his sandwich, "What were you arguing about this time?"
"They were trying to tell me that 'Unwanted' was the best movie they had ever seen and were trying to get me to see it after school."
Izuku narrows his eyes. He's familiar with the movie since commercials for it seemed to pop up every time he would watch something online. The premise was centered around a hero with a water quirk fighting a villain that was trying to take over Japan. The trailer made sure to point out that the villain was quirkless and was taking over the country in a jealous rage of not having any true 'power'.
Izuku found a synopsis online that said in the end of the movie the quirkless kid hangs himself in shame over what he had done.
He had to turn off his computer and go for a walk after reading that.
Izuku looks down at his red shoes, "It's been getting good reviews."
Bakugou rolls his eyes, "Bullshit that movie is getting good reviews."
"Heroes Weekly gave it four stars. I think their wording was that it was 'a gripping and tragic tale' and that it serves as a reminder for us to thank the heroes we know for their work."
Katsuki let out a roar of laughter and looked to wipe a tear in his eye. "Those bastards don't even try to hide the agenda. Of course, they would like a movie like that."
Izuku nods, "I saw that a quirkless kid in Nagasaki got stabbed in school after by some kids who were accusing him of being a villain after watching the movie."
The blonde grimaced and took another sip of the protein drink.
Izuku looks at his former friend, "You see what's happening right?"
Katsuki sneers at the green haired boy, "I'm not a fucking idiot. Hell, I'm the only one here that can keep up with you when it comes to grades in this pathetic school. When we talk, you keep alluding to shit like I'm some sort of blind dumbass who just nods his head and does what he's told. I can see what you see. I'm aware of the fucking problems that have been popping up since he's been dead."
Izuku didn't need to think hard to know who the blonde was alluding too.
"I also read the shit you gave me too."
Midoriya's eyebrows raise at the last comment. He really doubted the blonde had actually been listening when he mentioned some of the books and articles that he had read recently.
"What did you think of them?" asks Izuku.
Bakugou shrugged his shoulders and looked off the roof and at the city around them, "Ibusuki Prison, something fucking weird is going on there."
One of the articles that Izuku had mentioned to Katsuki was in regard to the privatized prison system that was beginning to grow after the death of All Might. Ibusuki Prison was owned by GreenStar which was a subsidiary company of Sonoco. The fact that one of the largest companies in Japan was dipping their toes into the private prison industry through a subsidiary shouldn't have been that strange, but some of the reports that were coming out were a bit more suspicious. Somehow even though the prison had only been running for less than two years, it had established itself as one of the top destinations for dangerous criminals after Tartarus. All prisoners sent there have been given life sentences and family is pretty much forbidden from seeing them.
Additionally, the prison doesn't appear to be as large as Tartarus on the outside which raises the question of how it can fit all of the inmates that have been assigned to stay there. Sonozaki Taichi, who was the president of GreenStar had mentioned that the prison had a substantial underground area that was still not completely full now. No one could verify the legitimacy of these claims since no member of the press had ever been allowed inside the prison and no prisoner that had been sent there had ever been seen again.
Very few sites or news companies seemed to talk about the prison and most conversations were done online in chat rooms. The article that Izuku finally found on the prison and the legitimate questions surrounding it had been taken down three days after it had been posted. The magazine company that published it said they needed to take another look at the facts before the article could be verified. That was six months ago, and the article hadn't been seen since.
Good thing Izuku had printed out a copy of it.
Izuku looked back to the blonde who was still gazing at the skyline, "The one family that was able to see an inmate since he had some sort of medical condition said he was unresponsive and wouldn't talk."
"Yeah, and then the warden made some big speech about the family telling lies in order to get the guy to a more 'welcoming' facility. The fact that no families have been allowed to visit since is fucking strange."
Izuku looked down at his book for a moment, "I looked into GreenStar and it seems like a legitimate medical device manufacturer but there just seems something off with how quickly they've grown. The business has only been around for three years, and they are already the top dog in the industry? How did they knock of the established leaders so quickly?"
Bakugou took another slow sip of his drink, "Being connected to Sonoco and Detnerat would probably help."
Izuku sighs. The more he reads the news the more tired he gets. He can't tell if there really is some larger plan going on behind everyone's back or if he's just gotten more pessimistic and paranoid in general since All Might's death.
Things seemed darker now.
"We should get going. Lunch is about to end."
Bakugou let out a 'Tch' and then downed the rest of his shake. The two walk side by side toward the door and Bakugou slowly pulls it open.
He freezes for a moment and looks back to Izuku, "If you find more shit like the stuff you've been reading then let me see it also."
Izuku narrows his eyes, "Why?"
Katsuki huffs and looks down at the door handle with his hand still on it, "The more shit I know the more shit I can fix when I become number one."
Izuku freezes with his mouth slightly open as the blonde slides through the door and down the stairs and back into the grimy free quirk usage establishment that was known as Aldera High School.
Too many thoughts are jumbled in his head regarding his classmate/acquaintance and his undying belief that he can still be the best even after All Might's death.
That he can fix problems that even All Might couldn't stop from sprouting up.
Izuku sighs again.
He had much to think about.
Key Player Log:
Todoroki Enji. Age: 41.
Todoroki Shoto. Age: 15.
Kamiji Moe. Age: 22
Midoriya Izuku. 15.
Bakugou Katsuki. Age 15.
Chapter Notes:
- In cannon, Endeavor's personal growth really seems to stem from when he became the number one hero, so with him being the number one for about two years at this point I felt that the change in his character was fair.
- I wanted to have a check in at the end with Izuku and where he is mentally, he'll be having more scenes either in the next chapter or the one after.
- Katsuki respects Izuku more after he called him out earlier and the relationship is about where it would be in season five of the TV show. I wouldn't say they are friends but they both realize they are probably the only two that have any potential at Aldera.
Thanks for reading and see you guys next time!