A Goal to Achieve
"DEEEEEEKKKKUUUUUUUU!" Hagakure screamed out as her voice was heard by the entire class.
Garou was rather baffled by what the girl did, as the sounds of footsteps rushed towards their location. The other students that heard her call, as Garou looked, sprinted towards them in a way that wasn't normal by any means. As none of them took the straight path (willingly at least) to see what's the commotion is all about, rather, as Garou sense where some of them were going, the teens were forming a perimeter from the area he stood.
'Was this planned?' The hunter questioned himself as this same scenario is as familiar as his time with those A-class heroes that wanted to hunt him down. Surrounding him and making sure he has no way out… well, at least that was the plan.
Before Hagakure could get away as Garou was pre-occupied discerning where her colleagues positioned themselves, she felt a cold-hardy grip hold on her shoulder as her being instantly lost strength to even move.
'What happened? Why can't I…' Hagakure's mind panicked as the realization settled in… Midoriya… or "Garou" held her in place with a vice grip. Having no intention to let her go nor even give her the chance to protect herself, Garou took her in closer to his figure as he switches his grip towards the back of her neck, then ever so slightly, raised her whole body up in front of him like a body shield.
Garou himself didn't really need to do that part with the invisible girl, but seeing how from far away, another girl, the same one that gave weapons and equipment to the other students earlier on, had planned to shoot him with some kind of specialized bullet (his sight enabling him to see such a minute detail). It was better her than him…
Even though he could just simply deflect it, Garou simply decided not to, as this was also a good way for him to see just what kind of quote en quote heroes are these brats in the making of?
For are they even worthy of such a title? The title of a Hero… Do they even have the will to commit fully to this ideal… this commitment of what it truly means to be a Hero? As this world these brats only know of is filled with a system made to distinguish what a hero should be… disregarding what it's actually meant to be… as disregarding the quirkless… the weak.
Now, by the hands of Garou himself, these brats are now being thought a lesson unknown to them, a first-hand lesson on what it means to be a hero in the field. Or to be exact, what it means to be a 'hero' in Garou's eyes.
Would any of them even try and come at him now? Since he has a 'hostage' would they even dare? Would that girl shoot? Does she even have the will and gall to try? How about the others that had already taken their spots around the hunter?
None of them seems to dare as nothing came for a good silent minute… until.
"You're all hopeless!" A voice said out loud as the whistling of air begun to fill the silent ambient.
"Are you all just gonna stand there and do nothing?!" With his teeth gritting tightly together with fury in his eyes burning like a flame, from up above his voice came loud and clear.
"If the lot of you planned to capture Deku at all cost… Then why are you all just standing there and not doing anything?!" The teen up above yelled once more, as he was now in a course directly going towards the hunter.
"She's done for! And you all know it! So how about not wasting her sacrifice and do something about it!" The teen, now clear to the hunter's eyes. The same blonde he sarcastically belittled earlier on that was trying to look cool with his moves and landings… that loudmouth that he thought was all bark.
Garou grinned as finally. At least, out of all the students present in the vicinity right before him, this kid… this spiky-haired blonde that's on a collision course straight towards him. Garou saw it in his eyes, the difference between him and other brats.
The Blonde named as Bakugo Katsuki, out of all the other students with him. He was the only one that's different, as his eyes showed the will and determination to put Garou down for good.
How could Garou even know of this by just a simple look, one has to wonder? Though, the answer to that is quite simple as it is. For unlike the rest that had fear in their eyes, doubt, and even uncertainty on what one must do. This brat that's about to strike Garou with all that he got, has the same eyes as the one's the hunter is familiar of.
The scornful eyes that made it clear to him on what he was meant to be. The eyes that only saw of him as a monster, a threat in which must be eliminated at all cost… for a hero that can't muster up the courage and will to do so, (at least in Garou's original world) "The hardest choices, requires the strongest of wills" a quote in which perfectly fits the blonde brat's scenario currently.
As the world this brat has live in all his life, just to compare it to the hunter's own. No matter how much you look at it. The world where Garou used to live in, a cursed place if one truly thinks about it…
There, it only needs one small mistake, one lapse of judgment that decides the lives of many. Especially in scenarios involving Monsters, as unlike with the world of these brats acting like heroes, a true Hero's job in Garou's old world, was to deal with monsters, eliminating them as swiftly as possible.
For to be at war against beings capable of decimating country-sized cities in a matter of seconds, is a whole different ballpark compared to capturing and arresting villains.
As in Garou's eyes… the heroes here are green, though not in a way to belittle them, but in a way that compared to what he is used to seeing, especially in his world. None of these pro heroes or even these brats would make it in a week or so in the brutality that casually happens to his universe.
Millions dead in a blink of an eye, multiple whole country-sized cities getting wiped off from the face of the earth with a single swipe, the daily occurrence of monsters massacring en masses, freaks of nature claiming to be kings, even f**king aliens invading their world. All of those are more or less, just mundane things that people like Garou were forced to deal with, and so the heroes as well as the majority of the populace in his world accepted that kind of normalcy. As one day they would all die, and the chances are, it would be by a monster.
So again, the heroes, heck, even the ordinary civilians that Garou knew from his world needed a strong enough will to survive on such a planet, and an even stronger conviction to stay alive and fight for another day, no matter how much it has taken away from them.
Just to see those eyes of complete acceptance on what must be done, the eyes of which that consider Garou not as a human, but as a monster… just like those of his own world. To see them in that hot-headed brat, Garou could only chuckle.
"Well, I guess not all of you are green." Garou said as he hastily put the invisible girl down to his side, covering her from what's to come. The Hunter raised his left arm towards the brat in excitement, while his right lowered towards the side of his abdomen, forming a stance while his legs readied for impact. Garou was left with anticipation and excitement, as the brat came nearer by the moment.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!" Bakugo yelled as his body begun to move in a circular motion, forming a tornado in the process which then funnels up the oxygen around him as fuel to his attack.
This move was one of Bakugo's strongest attacks which if it hits its target, the force it would generate is comparable to an actual missile going at supersonic speeds… And yet, the Hunter right before him was just chuckling in slight amusement on his figure.
Aiming his right hand towards Garou and without a moment of hesitation, an explosion big enough to engulf an area of a hundred meters squared, burned to ashes. Bakugo, Garou, and Hagakure were at the epicenter of such destruction... which made the other students shocked and terrified of what their fellow classmate had done.
"Is he insane?!" Iida yelled out as the thought reciprocated with the rest of the class… for it truly had shocked them all that Bakugo was willing to go to such lengths in taking Midoriya down, even if it causes his and other peoples' lives.
They flinch at the thought of what may come after such an assault. For the black smog and smoke covered the area where the three were located… Hagakure… did she even survive such a blast? For she isn't one of the most durable types of quirk users in their class… How about Bakugo? It engulfed him as well… But most important of all, the main target of such a gruesome attack. Midoriya.
"This wasn't the plan…" Iida said with disbelief, the same goes with the rest.
Yes, they knew it would take a lot to subdue Midoriya, especially with the villain that they think is controlling the said teen. They were all prepared to get bruised and even beaten to a pulp 'if one of them is unlucky' just so that they can prevent any more further damage that villain could do with the body of Midoriya…
But not like this, they didn't mean to have a sacrifice just to stop him. For that's exactly the reason why they planned this in the first place! For no one to get killed in the end… Midoriya… because of the person they think that's controlling him, one of the top brass in the hero society in Japan, Sir Nighteye, has seen a vision that would cause unspeakable terror if Midoriya was not put to a stop… was not put down permanently. An ultimatum that even on the sidelines, unknown to most of the public eye, All Might plead for such a drastic measure to be stopped but never again said Nighteye that he would let such fate to happen, not anymore like with what happened to his own mentor, his own hero, All Might himself…
It took about a minute of pure silence that echoed all throughout for the blacken smog and smoke to dissipate, but the image that came out of it was both a blessing and a curse.
There Garou stood as he held the broken arm of Bakugo… Bones fractured and even penetrated out of the skin, reminiscent of the first A-Class hero Garou had fodderize when he proclaimed the start of his hero hunt, but unlike that brute, Bakugo's body couldn't even handle such amount of force going back at him and so, this happened.
Exhausted, bleeding, and even almost near death's door. Bakugo was experiencing a different kind of pain, for the moment he reached his goal, his enemy… Garou met it with his own.
At that moment of time, Garou launched his right fist straight towards Bakugo's blow… the problem was when it landed, the hunter was only left with disappointment as even with all the build-up the hot-headed brat made to strengthen his attack. It was completely negated with little to no effort by the force of Garou's punch.
When his fist hit the palm of the blonde teen, the explosion was redirected in a way that it went outside its main target, hence why it engulfed Bakugo as well, but not just that. When Garou's fist made its mark, to his dismay, it's made clear to him the truth of this world.
"They can dish out such amount of force… but they can't even take it." Garou scorned as the brat's arm got mangled to bits when it met the hunter's fist. And so, that led to that very moment where the students were left with mixed emotions of horror and relief.
Horrified of what had happened to Bakugo, but relieved that the three didn't end up dead by such an attack.
"Heh…" Garou sighed as he let go of Bakugo's broken arm, said teen fell like a ragdoll as his own attack was reflected back to him, his body trembled in pain and suffering. His right arm may never be what it used to be after all this, while definitely, his entire body is covered with first to second-degree burns as well as internal bleeding from the impact.
Bakugo could only thank for once in his life, that the support team of UA High made due to his requirements on his hero costume, to be capable to block most of his own self-inflicted damage, but still… there was a limit to this and that limit was met when he exchanged blows with the monster in front of him.
"D…dam..n yo…u." Bakugo tried to speak out his anger, but Garou only looked at him with pity, making the hot-headed teen yell internally, as that look didn't just make him even angrier, but it also pained him with the realization of his own failure, his own weakness to even compare to his once upon a time friend…
He should have already guessed this would have happened, the same with the rest, but they were simply blinded by the insanity of it all. They just simply couldn't believe it at that time, as well as they made excuses right after… excuses that they shouldn't have, especially with all the red flags that it had given them.
For what candle can they even hold against the sun that is All Might? And in that, because All Might had already fought with this monster in front of him, what more can he and the rest do? It was truly pitiful; in what kind of scenario did they even think they could win this at all? Bakugo was the only one that had this thought close in mind, and it was him that confirmed it firsthand.
They were all fools, and he knew it, they were all clinging in a false hope even from the start… and Bakugo, he knew it once more. Maybe it was because of pride that he didn't wake the other to this truth, or maybe it was guilt? He doesn't really know anymore, for it's clear as day now. He should have told his mind way back when the class half-assed thought of saving Midoriya… for there was no longer that kid he once knew.
Only a monster remained, and now, because of his own failure as well. The rest of the class will realize this soon enough.
"You're all weak." Garou said as he took Bakugo by the collar and the same goes with Hagakure and then thrown the two towards their classmates, the latter catching them in bafflement.
"If all of you here are training to become heroes. Don't." Garou told out loud for the whole class to hear.
"None of you will make it, no matter how much I look at it. So better quit while you brats are all ahead! Or suffer the same fate as your friend over there." Garou pointed at Bakugo as he turned his back from the rest of the class, making the students even more baffled and confused with the hunter's action.
But before Garou could have left, another voice yelled out. "Just what the hell are you planning?!" the brat with full armored support armor was the source of this as Garou looked. It was Iida, the rather stupid-looking one in the hunter's eyes.
"Midoriya… I don't know who the hell you are, but just what are you planning to do to Midoriya's body?! Villain…" Iida sneered at Garou with contempt.
Garou though, just simply walked away as it irritated the armor-clad teen even more, while the rest, on the other hand, were about to do something stupid.
Tokoyami, Sero, Sato, Ojiro, and Kirishima were about to rush the hunter while his back was turned, but to the teens' dismay, their entire bodies shook to its core as they were stopped dead center from their tracks. It's as if their bodies refused to move an inch as an ever menacing aura choked their being.
How could such a thing happen? They can't really tell, but the answer to it, maybe it's what the hunter had told just before the rush could reach him.
"Absolute Evil…" Garou answered Iida's question, as the other students that were in the middle of rushing him were put to a stop.
The hunter's answer stopped any form of retaliation from the rest of the class.
"That's my answer." Garou confirmed, but his tone was of uncertainty. Was that really what he wanted? His current being doesn't know fully, but in another time, another world where he became a true monster… That was his answer to a certain caped baldy, so for this Garou, it kinda felt right? Does it?
The hunter's mind was then filled with another question to one's self, a question he may need to meditate once more if he's given the time, but for now. With one last look at the pitiful excuse of heroes in training right before him, he took a breath.
'They're almost here.' Garou thought as just at the backs of the frozen brats, a pro hero came in rushing… Tiger was the pro hero's name, but before he could reach Garou by the neck. The hunter in a fluid movement, raised his arms as he breathed out…
He then smashed the ground with a tremendous amount of force, reminiscent of the time he fought against the three S Class heroes, just before his death by his own master.
The ground shook and then suddenly, as if a miniature volcano was created, the soil and bedrock beneath, crumbled and rushed towards the surface, making an explosion of earth and dust as it's thrown as high as the mountains peaks.
The pro hero, same as the students were only left with widened eyes as the shockwave from it, scattered them from all over the place, some even getting buried by the debris… not killing them, rather, knocking most in the vicinity out as Garou was long gone.
Time went by as the members of the Wild, Wild Pussycats tend to the students, while a hunter at the other side of the mountain was left in disappointment, as well as confliction to his goal.
"Absolute Evil… That's what I said, right?" Garou questioned to no one but himself as the sun's light nears its end while the moonlit sky will soon take its place.
This world which the hunter is in is truly different than his own. As he's not even sure if it's worth his time anymore… the heroes as far as he's concerned are weak, but it'll be both arrogant and ignorant of him to generalize as such, and yet, his senses told him otherwise.
Maybe it's because of the body of the boy he's in? Garou may not receive any of the memories of the previous owner of the body, but the body itself may recall. And maybe, basing on that, it knows the heroes from this world cannot even compare to his… Or so Garou thinks.
"What am I really planning? What's my goal? Why was I given another chance to live?" Those were the questions Garou had been thinking ever since he learned that he had died from the hand of his own master…
Questions that he had also disregarded when it pissed him off that he died before reaching his original goal… and again he gave the same answer "You're such a pain… Old man."
Calming himself once more, Garou meditated as night fully took hold of the sky above.
'Yes… I did…' Garou finally answered the first question he said to himself during that day. 'Absolute Evil…' once more he reminded himself as he stood up from his meditation.
"… I need to get back." Garou told as it was now time for him to leave this place. "To change this world, I must be more." He ended as he walked towards his makeshift abode, there, finding a large enough boulder for that kid to see, if said child ever comes back that is.
Garou wrote his farewell. "See ya kid. May you achieve your own goal against this kind of society you live in. Let's just hope you won't become like one of those heroes this world creates. Or I'll hunt you down." Garou chuckled a bit on that last part of his message, but he knows the kid won't do something as stupid. For the weeks he had been with the kid, he's certain the kid would no longer wish to be one.
"He'll be different." Garou assured to himself as he walked away during the dead of night, never to be seen in that mountainous area once more… for now, as from the shadows Neath the light of the moon, two figures finally found the hunter they've been looking for months on end.
"That kid would be of use to us. Kurogiri, send the others to take care of that. It's time to play a few of our cards with this monster." Raspily said by the man-child himself, Shigaraki. The League of Villain will soon make their move.
Morning came and the product of Class 1-A's failure is laid to be seen.
Though most of them made it out with only bits of bruises and cuts caused by the earth beneath breaking by the force of Midoriya's attack, there were still a few of the class that got it worse.
Blaming it all in their inability to act against Midoriya's might. Iida along with the rest of the class can only look down at themselves as they were all put to rest that day… but it was only them.
For a certain blonde, even against the words of the doctors that rushed towards their camp, aiding them. Bakugo was currently pushing himself not to rest and secretly moving away from the eyes of his companions, wanting only solitude to himself.
The paramedics that also came along with the doctors were shocked to learn that the teen was not in his room resting, nor anywhere in the dorm/camp they're in. They could have asked for one of the pro heroes there, Ragdoll for example… but the problem was, she along with the other pro-heroes such as Mandalay, Pixie-bob, and Eraserhead was currently away looking for any signs of where Midoriya was, for they think, the kid wouldn't get that far.
Leaving only a few heroes left, one of them is Tiger, which was injured a tad bit more because of being near the epicenter of Midoriya's shocking feat for his eyes. The other one would be Vlad, but he too was busy, making sure his class wouldn't meet the same fate, it would seem not much could be done in finding the teen with the most injured state out of the rest. They only hope as they searched the area, the teen would lay down a tree and rest, for his own good. He should know when to stop and rest, as once they find him, they will put the teen back to bed rest.
And so, that's how Bakugo was left to his own. Walking haggardly as his body was still feeling the stress and exhaustion it undertook, right after the on-the-spot first aid and surgery that was done to him yesterday that morning.
Said surgery was for his right arm as then and there, it was no longer of use. When the paramedics came and looked upon his injuries, they were only filled with dread as the teen's arm may no longer be usable for the coming years. Healing quirks from famous doctors may help, but the problem was… the damage that blonde teen's right arm took that day against Midoriya, turned out to be reminiscent of what a half and half classmate of his endured as well.
Bakugo's palm or the lack of it was the first thing that caught their eyes. The bones that made up the hand's palm were completely shattered by the amount of force it had received, only leaving the fingers intact. So if one were to look at the teen's hand, it's as if having five rigid extrusions coming out of a jelly-like material as its core… or should one say, the flesh of a palm turned mush as skin was the only thing holding it in place along with the extrusion known as its fingers.
Just by looking at it during that time, it was clear the owner of the hand was feeling pure agonizing pain… and that's just the start of it. The teen's arm was next…
And at that point on, let's just say it truly looked the same with that other teen that met their fellow classmate's wrath. As the arm was left broken, shattered, and some even turned to pulverized mush, while the majority of it was bent to a pretzel as the bones connecting each part of the arm zig and zag while some of it even penetrating out of flesh and skin. Just what could they even do at that point?
Well, two options came, the first, amputation… the second, pray that the healing quirks of the doctors that came along would help with the teen's arm as they made due with surgery, doing their best to desperately save the boy's arm from an option that would leave him with 3 limbs instead of 4.
After that… here we are. Bakugo through his sheer will and hard-headedness continued to walk away from the camp. Why though? What was the point of him being this rash and risking his own health for no apparent cause? Well, the reason is quite simple for the blonde teen. "He cannot rest, not now, not ever…"
After his fight against that monster that took his once-in-a-time friend… He knew to himself that he just couldn't let that thing go, let it become stronger…
Stronger than him… For there was no mistaking it, when Bakugo saw the body of Midoriya that time, it wasn't the same with the one that he knew… It was refined, strengthened, and even more than that, tuned into a body capable of decimating through heroes and villains alike. Bakugo knew of this for some reason… as when his palm connected to the fist of the monster he fought…
A vision came. Not of his life flashing from his eyes, rather, an ominous figure atop the remains of all those that oppose it. While a familiar voice came and whispered.
"Kacchan…"
"You damn idiot!" Bakugo internally screamed as he made his way towards a path that if he took a singular turn, would lead him to the hunter's abode, while straight ahead, was a place where a kid was currently sulking when he found the message that was meant for him…
"Fight that damn freak and get back here you stupid... Deku!" Bakugo yelled internally once more as he took the straight path towards the kid. "And this brat better be worth it…" The hot-headed teen's internal dialogue now ended, as what the faint whisper that gave him the reason to keep on moving, may pay off in the end.
As right in front of him, short and teary-eyed, the kid named Kota was dumbfounded to see someone was able to find him near his boy cave.
"Kid…" Bakugo glared at the boy as rain began to pour. "We need to talk." The blonde ended as thunderstruck the earth, making the boy gulp…
To be continued
Authors Note:
It's been so long, hasn't it? I'm really sorry about that, I have not much time to work on my fics as of late, as well, you guys know... college.
But again, I don't want you guys to be bothered by that much. I'm still here so don't worry, I'm also not dead... cause covid.. ugh.
Anyhow, it's been real hard to write these fics tbh, cause of the hiatus and stuff, so I needed to keep updated on my own fic, re-reading them and all and making sure the next chapter is consistent with the rest bla bla bla. but to get straight to the point, because of these factors as well as irl problems. I lowkey almost didn't want to write anymore. I have not told this to anyone... BUT!
Because of seeing a certain someone do everything he can in his work, and knowing a bit of what kind of person he is. Well, it got me thinking. "I should really stop having thoughts like this! Like, what excuse do I even have to say such?!" That was me looking back as I was reading the works of that person I'm talking about. Just looking at them and how much he can push new chapters within a couple of weeks or a month or so is something. (With quality by the way, there are authors that just jutt out chapters day after day, but those that I know of... well, it ain't as high quality as his.)
So anyhow, because of that. I took a mental rest and just went on. I wrote other stuffs (on my own leisure time) before continuing my fics here and by doing that, I was able to revise this chapter (I made an initial draft of this and it was horrid!). That and well, add the fact that person I'm talking about that inspired me want write again, helped me with this fic actually. (No Clover-san, It's a different person lol)
So yeah, if it weren't for him. This chapter would have taken much longer to be published. So thank you once more if you're reading this. By the way, expect for my main fic "A Demonic Dragon Incarnate" to be updated in a month or two. (I think my sched in posting chapters may reach months per chapter. I just accepted that fact to be honest. I can't write that much anymore cause of other works being shoved at me. But again, I won't make that as an excuse not to write. SO don't worry guys. I WILL continue on these fics, for you guys and for the end of these stories.)
With love Digu
Edited: Garou's answer to Iida. Somehow it got removed :/
