His second year of middle school went by in a blur. Izuku spent the majority of his time working on his quirk, polishing it's control, it's range, it's attraction, consumption and any other aspect he could improve on.
Izuku realistically knew his quirk had plenty of experimental value. As there were many ways he could expand upon it. However, as nice as theory crafting was, Izuku needed results. The recommendation Exam was fast approaching, and he absolutely wished to take part in them.
Sensei Mizuha said he would give him a recommendation if he impressed him. However, whenever Izuku asked for an elaboration or example for what would warrant such a reaction, his sensei would simply smile and repeat the same phrase. The aspiring hero caught on quick and realized that finding something his mentor thought was impressive would fall on Izuku to decide.
Additionally, Mizuha kept his criteria equally as vague, meaning what was considered impressive in this situation would most likely be subjective. As such, Izuku concluded that not only would he need to gain a semblance of control over his flames- much like his sensei kept on insisting was a possibility, but also deliver with a flashy move, something so universally accepted as impressive, that even his mentor would have to admit it so.
Basically, a super move.
When Izuku brought it up to his friend, Kaachan couldn't really help but raise his eyebrows. Katsuki was working on a second one, already perfected Howitzer Impact. He just kind of figured Deku wasn't ever going to come around and take a stab at it.
Needless to say, he was excited.
Izuku explained what he had in mind for his move. It was simplistic in nature, just breathing a lot of fire in a concentrated beam.
His quirk allowed him to consume fire, and use that as 'fuel' in his own fire breathing. As such, there were some conclusions he was able to make regarding his quirk.
His insides were fire-proof, but his skin wasn't. This disadvantage made him strive to improve his control. He could say now, with confidence that he wouldn't have to worry about being burnt by fire.
He can open his mouth and attract sources of fire towards it. This was the first main aspect of his quirk. A subsidiary of that was the fact he could only consume so much fire before he'd max out. And a subsidiary of said subsidiary was that his eyes would glow a faint red whenever he reached his max.
This would make it apparent to others he couldn't consume anymore fire. If he tried- and Izuku had tried, he promptly found himself not only sweating profusely, but bordering on a food coma, almost like a massive sugar crash of sorts. Regardless, this too, was able to grow, and as he aged, the amount he could consume did as well. As it stood, all he could consume was mostly fire. But due to what Mizuha said all those years ago, with enough practice, experimenting and precision, he should be able to expand that to light and heat itself.
In fact, he could consume explosions easily enough. Courtesy to Kaachan's constant attempts at blowing him up, (with supervision of course). This only further solidified his belief that he could consume other sources. After all, explosions weren't completely fire. At least, not fire in a conventional sense.
His last main aspect of his quirk was fire breathing. The fire he consumed was used to produce fire of his own. He was like a walking flamethrower. With practice, he managed to breathe fire out more than he absorbed. Although he didn't have an exact ratio, he believed it was roughly around double. Whatever he ate, doubled in the form of fuel. The exception being his own flames, absorbing them never gave the multiplying effect, in fact, it was the direct opposite. It had a diminishing effect whenever Izuku decided to consume fire he produced. Izuku sulked at the denied prospect of an unlimited self-sustaining source.
But, that quickly dissipated when all sorts of battle strategies clashed for dominance in his hyper-active imagination.
In terms of fire consumption, Izuku didn't believe he could polish the aspect any further. So far, his ratio meant very little in terms of when he absorbed small quantities, but grew exponentially the larger the source. Frankly, the amount of theory crafting left to be done in this realm of thought was used up. Regardless, even if the vein of thought was exhausted, there was still the theory that he could manipulate the direction his flamethrower could go after breathing it.
So far, if he concentrated deeply, he could slightly alter the trajectory of his flamethrower.
With that in mind, Izuku's special move would be a large torrent of flames, coiling around itself, like twin dragons. Not only was it a flashy move, but Izuku believed the attack would pack more power behind it.
The only thing Izuku lamented was the fact his plans promised a lot more bruises and injuries, if Kaachan's super move was anything to go by. With a rueful smile and an exasperated shake of the head, he got to work.
"I'm here for my appointment with Atsunori Mizuha," Izuku said to the receptionist.
He absently noticed she was different than the first one he met years ago. The woman, who had some sort of horn quirk turned from her computer screen and nodded towards the greenet. She punched a few numbers into the office phone and forwarded Izuku's message.
The receptionist waited a few seconds, as if listening to instructions before hanging up.
"He'll meet you in his office, down this hall," She instructed, pointing to the her right, where a lone door stood at the end of the hall.
Izuku nodded and followed said instructions. As he walked, he fished into his pant pocket and grabbed a lighter. He started it, and hastily sucked in some fire before snapping it shut and pocketing the item. Although the amount of fire he gathered from the lighter was minimal at best, it still helped him with alleviating his nerves. Calmed him down in a sense. And besides, some fire was better than no fire at all, he reasoned.
Izuku only barely opened the door before his former mentor started speaking, "Izuku! It seems you adhered to what I said, about the appointment and recommendation."
"Yes sensei, I hope I can impress you," Izuku replied, bowing respectfully.
"Haha, Well in that case, let's not waste any time and head to the facility," His mentor said, standing from his desk and walking out of the office.
The two walked by the receptionist, who instantly greeted the retired hero. They continued down the hall, opposite side of Mizuha's office, opened the door and walked down a few flights of stairs. Izuku has walked down this path before, many times with his mentor years ago, and recently with Kaachan in tow.
The thought made his lips thin. Kaachan hadn't spoken to him in nearly a week. Not since discovering that Izuku was trying for the recommendation Exam. Kaachan took it as a slight against him, as if he was being used. He was always super critical about other's and their motives. This time was no different. Izuku admittedly thought Kaachan was perhaps jealous. But, the more he thought about it, the more likely it was that Kaachan was simply offended to be kept in the dark for so long. It didn't help that before the recommendation reveal, the two were arguing about their hero ideals again.
The two loved All Might, adored him, worshipped him even. None would deny that the other was an incredibly devote fan. They both had garnered a lot- if not all of their inspiration from him. That being said, the two focused on complete opposite aspects about the hero and what he represented.
Izuku saw All Might as a symbol of hope, with a smile that would put anyone at ease, he'd rescue everyone he could. Which was true.
Kaachan saw All Might as a symbol of victory, capable of saving the day with ease, he'd defeat every villain he could. Which was also true.
None were wrong, they were simply too devoted to their own ideology to even consider the other.
In the heat of the moment, Izuku blurted about the recommendation exam, and before he could properly explain, Kaachan left with an enraged yet equally disgusted look.
Izuku sighed heavily at the thought. He'd really have to apologize. Pettiness was no way for a hero to act.
"Something troubling you Izuku?" his sensei asked, slowing down so that the two were walking side by side.
"Huh? N-no, nothing like that, I was just thinking is all," Izuku responded, deciding not to pester his mentor with what was essentially friendship drama.
"If you insist, you need to have a clear head during the recommendation exam if you want to pass, and as such I'll have you adhere to the same conditions here," Mizuha explained.
Izuku's eyes hardened and he nodded. His problem with Kaachan would have to wait. The two walked into the large gymnasium and stood a few feet from each other. A deathly silence washed over them, neither opting to make a sound. Izuku was vaguely aware of the sound of his beating heart, but he quickly brushed the feeling away.
"Your test is a simple one. All you have to do is tag me," Mizuha finally said, his voice projecting across the whole room.
Izuku nearly face faulted at the declaration. Tag him? That's it? The greenet shook his head. No, even if the premise was simply, his sensei was a former pro, he may be old too, but his physique still looked well in shape.
"You have 10 minutes. Anything is fair game. The metrics for your failure involves you not tagging me in your allocated time, or being incapacitated and unable to continue. We will start when the bell rings? Any questions?"
Izuku shook his head no and fell into a combative stance.
"Good, begin," his mentor said just as the bell rang.
Izuku dashed forward his hand in front of him in hopes of catching his teacher off guard. The man sidestepped at the last moment, tossing Izuku over his foot.
The teen crashed to the ground but quickly rolled out of the impact and was already running towards his sensei again. And again, he was evaded at the last second and sent falling to the ground.
"People say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, Izuku," His sensei lectured.
Izuku gritted his teeth, he wisely chose against blindly charging. It was a one-time chance anyways. And since it was fruitless, he supposed he should spend a bit of time strategizing.
Who was he kidding. What kind of strategy would help him with tagging his teacher. This test did not have a single way of involving his quirk! What other option did he have but to mindlessly charge his teacher?! It's not like he could simply ask one of the workers to bring up a bonfire for him.
Wait,
'Anything is fair game.'
Izuku swallowed nervously, he glanced between his teacher to the few people present behind the large window panes. They were there, they were at the computer. He could ask them, couldn't he? But if he was wrong, what was stopping his sensei from failing him on the spot?
He stared back at his teacher, the man remained standing with his arms crossed. He only went so far as to sidestep and toss, then he'd always go back to his starting spot. He wasn't on the offensive. He also had access to his quirk, although the room was indoors, and in what was a rather cold April morning, there was still moisture in the air.
Essentially ,it meant his sensei wasn't even trying, he didn't need to use his quirk. Izuku couldn't picture himself even managing to force his sensei into using Water Soaker. And on the off chance he did, he surely wouldn't stand a chance at tagging him.
The final nail in the coffin was the fact that the whole premise behind this test was to impress his sensei on the improvements of his quirk usage. How would he manage that if he didn't even have a medium to use it?
On that note, Izuku turned from his teacher and faced the attendants, waving his hand to gather their attention, "Hey! I'd like you to activate the bonfire please!"
The attendants shared a look before grinning and obliging, much to Izuku relief. The ground hissed open, and a roaring flame soon emerged.
"You always were an attentive student," Mizuha commented, dropping his arms to his side.
"Thank-you!" Izuku shouted, both to the attendants and his teacher.
He opened his mouth wide and sucked in a breath, the fire spiraled like a noodle as it entered.
Izuku stopped after a few seconds and dashed towards his sensei again, his eyes glowing a faint red. Mizuha grinned at the boy and started focusing his own quirk, water started accumulating at his palms.
"You are at a disadvantage here Izuku, show me what you can do," The man said.
Mizuha tossed a sphere of water at the advancing greenet. Izuku rolled under the attack and used his forward momentum to lunge forward, mouth opening wide and fire roaring.
He unleashed a torrent of flames point blank, only for it to be met by an audible hiss and blinding steam.
Izuku anticipated his teacher would bring up a barrier of some kind, and the resulting steam that would come from it. He landed nimbly, and took a step back from out of the heated vapor.
Unable to see his teacher, he decided to shot a few pot shots into the steam, the flames ripped through the cover, pushing it aside until it eventually dissipated. To Izuku's surprise, his teacher was no where in sight.
Which frankly, only meant one thing. Izuku leaped into the air and did a complete 180, much to his expected surprise, his teacher was standing there, forming what looked like an needlessly large sphere of water.
It was still growing as Izuku fired another flamethrower at his teacher. Izuku watched in awe as the massive water ball slowly shifted between the flamethrower and Mizuka, producing even more steam as a result. The flames licked harmlessly against the gigantic ball before dying out.
Izuku backtracked to the bonfire and proceeded to devour the rest of the flames, recharging to max capacity. He turned to face his teacher again only to have his eyes freeze on the ball.
It was huge! Enormous! Massive! Holy crap what was he supposed to do?
Nothing would be able to penetrate that!
Izuku fired a shot, trying to use his control over it to bend it around the watery dome. The slow-moving sphere did manage to intercept the attack, much to the aspiring hero's disappointment. However, he did notice that the water sphere was in fact, far too cumbersome.
Izuku started to smile, a plan forming. His sensei wanted to be impressed, so impressive he shall be.
The ball of water was massive, most likely took a lot of concentration and most importantly was slow moving. On that note, Izuku dashed towards his sensei again. The man in response, tilted his head confusingly.
It seemed Izuku was just going to use another point blank flamethrower again, maybe try to use the cover of the steam to get behind his guard as well as the sphere's in a last ditch attempt to tag him. In that case, Mizuha would simply let the ball crash to the ground and flood the gym, there was only a minute left on the time anyways.
It seemed Izuku would need to take the standard exam after all, he wasn't ready. He showed decent control over his fire, but against a wall he couldn't break, it was Izuku who crumbled first. With a sigh, Mizuha watched as Izuku continued his beeline straight towards his teacher. He really was going to try to punch through the massive water sphere before him.
Moonsoon, that was the name of his attack back in his heroing days. He simply drew a large amount of the moisture in the air and created a sphere, he'd normally trap his enemies and him inside them, using his supportive gear to breathe in the water, it was essentially his patented super move.
He wasn't lying when he said he wanted to be impressed, and only perfection would truly achieve that. Izuku had talent, that wasn't something Mizuha would deny. But, UA was the toughest hero high school to get into, their recommendation exam, eclipsed their standard entrance exam in difficulty. Mizuha could only recommend one more student too. He personally knew the headmaster, and as such was given the offer to recommend a pupil years ago.
He was preserving it for the ideal candidate, a pupil who would become a true icon for heroes and civilians alike to be attracted to. Perhaps he was being overly idealistic, or far too critically selective. But, it was something he would stubbornly stand by. That was why Mizuha decided on making this test difficult for Izuku.
He knew the boy had potential, he needed to push him to the next step. At least, that was the plan. Mizuha disappointingly brought the sphere of water in between the torrent of flames his pupil fired at him.
Steam exploded from the impact and spread out to quickly consume Mizuha and his vision. He couldn't see Izuku, but he could hear the hasten footsteps clap against the ground.
He was about to drop his sphere when the sound of running stopped, Mizuha tilted his head, trying to pick up on his pupil's whereabouts.
"Istanbul Inferno!" He heard his pupil shout.
Mizuha snapped to the direction of the voice. He already felt the heat licking at his skin before he dove into his own sphere for protection. He snapped his eyes shut, not wanting to agitate them as he entered his watery dome.
The force behind whatever it was Izuku threw at him, ruptured through the sphere, causing it to pop like a water balloon. Mizuha and the crumbling waterfall crashed to the floor and he was swept away by the waves. He tumbled through the water until it finally exited via some of the gym's drains. Mizuha was unceremoniously left on the ground, sprawled on his back.
He groaned as his back severely protested the sudden thrashing. He blearily blinked his eyes open and made out a silhouette outstretching a hand for him to take. A massive grin formed on his face as focus came back to his eyes. He took the hand with little resistance.
4 seconds left too.
Katsuki sat at his desk, a bored expression on his face. He held his head in his palm as he watched his 3rd year teacher take a stack of papers to the front of the classroom. More than likely future career forms, not that he cared too much about it.
It was already clear where he was planning on going, UA would be his only option, anything else wouldn't be good enough. He ignored what the teacher had to say but was rather amused when the teacher tossed the papers up into the air like confetti.
"Yes you all have wonderful quirks, but remember not to use them in class, it's against the rules," The teacher quickly lectured as his entire class quickly fell into immense chaos.
Quirks of all shapes, forms and kinds were being used. Emitter quirks, transformation quirks, a wide array of powers, from inflamed hands, to rocky hair, to swelling up and even telekinesis.
Trash. Every single one of them. None even held a candle to him. Well, none but one.
Katsuki leaned back in his chair, resting his legs on his desk. He titled his head to the side and gazed at Deku's spot. Katsuki had to bite back his growing frustration at seeing the desk vacant.
That's right. Today was the recommendation Exam for UA. Something Katsuki didn't even know was a goddamn thing until the idiot Deku decided to use it as some stupid way of one-upping him in an argument.
Speaking of argument, that even pissed him off more. Nothing dumber than hearing someone speak so stupidly about heroism. It made his blood boil just thinking about it. And yet, it was him, it was Deku who got the recommendation and not him.
He was supposed to be number one! He'd come to terms that Deku would always be close behind, nipping at his heels, scavenging for scraps, but now? The tables turned. Deku might have a chance of entering UA before him. The last Aldera High graduate to enter UA has been so damn long ago, Katsuki was confident he'd be the superior of the two.
He was fully expecting the green-haired idiot to take the entrance exam and pass it. However, he was also fully expecting to crush said green haired idiot in the practical exam. So much for that, it wasn't even going to be a possibility because Deku decided to pull a fast one. The fucking coward.
So there he sat, festering in his own rage for the rest of the school day. Katsuki would have remained sitting in his desk for who knows how many more hours if it wasn't for his teacher who kindly asked him to leave.
Snapping from his heated fervor, Katsuki scanned his empty room, seemed his fellow peers left a long time ago already. Clicking his tongue, Katsuki went to his locker, gathered his things and stomped out of the school.
Izuku's recommendation exam was really driving Katsuki up the wall. They haven't spoken since their argument, not that he was particularly worried about that. It bothered him to be lied to. Cowards lie, weaklings lie. Izuku wasn't weak, he couldn't be if he was labeled as Katsuki's equal after all. So the fact he lied insulted the explosive teen greatly.
Katsuki paused, the sound of something wet and slimy slowly growing louder and louder. His eyes flickered downwards, and he saw the shadow of something growing bigger, ominously behind him.
"Your body will do…" He heard it hiss, it's voice sounded obscured, as if it had mucus stuck in the back of it's throat.
Katsuki sneered, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "As will yours, how'd you know I needed a fucking punching bag right now?"
Before the question could be pondered, the villain was quickly blinded by a bag being tossed at his face. Being a liquid, dodging the lazy attack was made almost unbearably easy, the villain ducked under the bag and watched it fall to the ground harmlessly.
"Hey, hey, did you actually think that's going to work?" The villain asked, turning to face the blond teen.
It's eyes widen in utter shock as it watched the blond's hands zero in on it's face.
"DIE!" Katuski shouted, erupting his hands, the blow back sent him a few feet into the tunnel, he landed with a skid before standing upright again.
The villain on the other hand was quite literally scattered, on the walls, on the ground, ceiling, outside of the tunnel, on the vegetation, and sign. It looked like someone stuck dynamite inside Jell-O and blew it up.
Shit, did I actually kill him? Katsuki thought, wincing at the damage of his attack.
His worries were placated as he saw the green sludge slowly start to form again. Katsuki grinned madly, he was all for another round, he'd even go all out knowing it could take it. He took a step forward only to freeze as the manhole a few feet in front of him flew up. A large bulky man came flying out of the sewer and landed, with what looked like groceries in one hand.
"I got you now wretched vil-" The man stopped mid-sentence, staring at the small sludge slowly reconstructing itself.
There was a single eye on the sludge, and it went wide at the sight of the massive man. Katsuki did too now that he had a better look at the man. It was All Might, the greatest super hero in the entire world. His track record was flawless, he was the sole reason why crime dropped!
Katsuki wouldn't deny that Izuku knew more about All Might than him, but that wasn't to say he was a slouch in his All Might trivia himself. The blond teen walked around the manhole and zeroed in on the hero.
Said hero was emptying the contents of one of his pop bottle and quickly plopped the slime villain inside. After that was taken care of, the hero spun on his heels and turned to the advancing teen with a booming smile on his face.
"Hello civilian! I take it you were the one who apprehended this villain?" All Might asked.
Katsuki was drawn back by the sheer volume and presence the hero seemed to demand, but decided to nod his head in response, "He attacked me, quirk usage under the terms of self-defense against villainy is allowed so long I take responsibility for collateral damages," Katsuki droned out, reciting some of the information that would prove prudent for the entrance exam.
"Correct you are! I'm glad to see you are well and safe."
Katsuki shrugged at that remark. Despite meeting his idol, Katsuki wouldn't go so far as to grovel or show his admiration. It would have been pathetic and looking pathetic in front of All Might was the last thing he wanted to do.
All Might sensing a lull and also being aware of his time limit dwindling, decided to clear his throat and draw the blond teen's attention back to him, "Well young man, I should deliver this guy to the authorities, please remain safe on your way home!"
Katsuki nodded but otherwise remained quiet. He was going to head home when his mind wandered back to Deku, and everything else that came with it. Most importantly however, was the argument. The stupid argument. Katsuki bit down on his tongue, his anger spiking at the mention of it.
Then, as if the epiphany of life shone on him, the blond turned back to face All Might, the man was in the process of warming up, doing some quick squats, almost as if he was getting ready to lift off.
Deciding not to squander the opportunity, and ultimately find out which of the two was right, he walked up to the prolific hero.
"Hey All Might, before you leave, I got a question," Katsuki started, pocketing his hands in a gesture to appear uninterested.
It couldn't be the furthest of the truth.
"Hmm? Very well, I have time for a single question. What troubles you my boy?"
Katsuki was caught off guard by how easily All Might agreed to his demands, but brushed it aside to push through with his question. He wasn't sure how he wanted to word it, so instead decided to simply go with his gut.
"Listen, my…. Uh, my friend," Bakugo paused, as if testing how the word sounded from his mouth before continuing, "my friend and I had a disagreement about you a month ago."
This caught the hero's attention as his thick eyebrows rose up in piqued interest and confusion.
"He sees you as a hero who rescues others, one who put's civilians first, one who's reactive, one who is fine with losing!" Katsuki said, his agitation bleeding through in tone.
Unbeknownst to him, All Might was fully attentive now, subconsciously agreeing with some of the things said.
"I… I on the other hand refuse to believe that. You've never lost against anyone. Your track record is impeccable. It's insulting to think you could give up, could be defeated. You don't put civilians first because it's unnecessary. You defeat all threats before they can amount to anything. You don't need to save people if there isn't anything to save them from."
"I see the two of you put some thought into this,"All Might remarked uneasily.
Just what kinds of conversations are the younger generation having about me? All Might screamed internally.
Katuski continued, hardly heeding the hero's comment, "With that said, you are the ideal hero, others should emulate you. Dek- my friend and I have been having this argument for some time now, so answer me: Who's right? What makes a hero?"
"Haha… uh, that's quite the question you have there," All Might stalled in between a cough.
He absently whipped his mouth with his balled fist and was shocked when he saw blood smeared against the back of his hand.
Shit! I spent too much time listening to his question! All Might realized.
"Listen…" All Might faltered, he didn't even know the kid's name!
"Bakugo Kastsuki," The blond supplied in a drawl.
"Right, young Bakugo, I see you've put some thought into this question, and I'd love to answer it, truthfully, I do. But, time is everything in the hero world, and I unfortunately spent too much time here. Your question is remarkably well thought, but there should be some hero forums that dabbled with hero philosophy before. I'm sure you would receive a better response from them than me, YES, that's it, haha! Well, stay safe and good bye!" The hero rambled.
Katsuki was caught flatfooted by the word vomit. It reminded him of Deku, which ultimately snapped him from his stunned silence, shaking his head. Katsuki lunged forward just as the hero launched into the air.
"The hell do you think you're doing! I asked you the question because I wanted your answer, not some stinkin' extra's blog!" Katsuki shouted over the ripping winds.
His words may have carried more weight behind them if his eyes weren't watering from the speed and his gums weren't flapping against the wind. It didn't help that he was holding onto the hero's neck like it was a lifeline.
"Please release me, such enthusiasm is a bit much!"
"Not until you answer me! Also stop flailing! You'll drop the villain… or me," Katsuki responded heatedly, and then murmured the rest as an afterthought.
"Fair enough," The hero conceded.
He chose a rooftop and landed there with little fanfare. The sudden inertia sent Katsuki sailing off of All Might. The blond quickly aligned himself in the air and blasted an explosion to counteract the momentum. He landed deftly onto the ground and was seething as he marched towards the steaming hero.
Inspiration or not, it didn't matter to him. He was going to be the best, and as such he deserved the best! Why in the hell would All Might listen to his question if he was only going to leave! This answer meant a lot to Katsuki, his whole entire school of thought was on the line here damn it!
"Alright, All Might, just wha- huh?" Katsuki paused, his face losing all emotion as the steam dissipated and a frail looking noodle of a human was standing where the greatest hero of all time was just a second ago.
"What the fuck? Who the hell are you?" Katsuki asked confusingly.
"All Might," The frail man responded, blood cascading from his mouth in doing so.
"The HELL YOU ARE!" Katsuki shouted out in protest, pointing accusingly at the man.
"You know how people hold in their gut at the pool? It's like that," the man explained.
"What the fuck…" the blond repeated, his brain shutting off and going into auto-pilot.
"A hero with an impeccable track record, right?" The man said, slowly sitting onto the ground.
"What the fuck…"
All Might lifted his shirt, and revealed a gruesome scar, his torso appeared as if it were shattered and glued together, cracks spiraled around an impact near the upper left pectoral. Katsuki hardly reacted to the reveal, his eyes widening only marginally.
"Five years ago a villain did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, my stomach too. The aftereffects of those surgeries left me with only 3 hours a day for hero work."
That on the other hand did warrant a significant reaction from the blond, his eyes widening like saucers. The greatest hero in the world, only could be one for 3 hours a day? He wanted to surpass All Might, but it sounded like the hero wouldn't even be active by the time Katsuki had the chance.
"Obviously, I need you to remain quiet about this, don't write about it on the internet, got it?" The man continued, Katsuki nodded in response.
"Look, what you said holds merit, as a symbol of peace, I can't afford to lose. However, defeating the villain isn't always going to be a win."
No. That's not what he wanted to hear, that's not what he wanted to hear at all. That sounded like he was siding with Deku. Katsuki bit down on his tongue until he tasted metal. He clenched his fists until they were ghostly white.
"Sometimes, the only way to defeat the villain is by prioritizing them the least."
No. No. No. But, if All Might was saying it, how the hell was Katsuki suppose to deny that? He's his idol, he's the pinnacle hero, he's heroism personified. And yet, he was shrivelled and broken!
"I can respect your admiration, your passion, I can respect your ideals, but do not solely focus on one aspect about me, as I am only successful because I am both. I save as many civilians as I can and defeat as many villains as I can. But, to answer your question, what I consider makes a hero? Altruism, a self-sacrificing spirit," All Might concluded.
Katsuki's school of thought was on the line. As such, his school of thought was shattered and forever destroyed.
The blond entered the diner absently. His movements felt sluggish, he was painfully aware of that fact, but lethargically continued trudging along. He certainly wasn't expecting to be wrong. That, now that caught him by surprise.
"Oh, hello Bakugo, Midoriya's already seated by the window," One of the waitresses said.
He perked at that, turning to face the red headed waitress. He was about to bark out a crude remark before recalling that the waitresses likely didn't know Deku and him weren't seeing eye-to-eye. Still, it was suspicious for Deku to roll up to the diner by himself.
The only time they ever went to the diner was to hang out or study. It was a comfortable hang out spot for the both of them, and thus doubled as a bit of a safe haven, a place where one can chill and reset. Deku didn't have a reason to do either, he took his recommendation exam today after all, he should feel on top of the world.
Begrudgingly, Bakugo made his way to the table, there, he saw Deku mindlessly poking at a straw as he stared out the window. The greenet looked far more lethargic than him, which, was just borderline ridiculous.
"Oi, Deku, what the hell are you doing here?" Bakugo called out, snapping the greenet out of his trance.
"K-Kaachan? W-what are you doing here?" Deku responded, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I asked first dumbass," the blond answered, taking a seat across from his friend.
"Oh, uh… well, you know, it's just comfortable here," Deku responded vaguely.
Katsuki did know, it's why he was here to begin with. What he didn't know was why was Deku here?
"Right… tell me, the hell you need comfort for?"
"oh, uh… well, I failed the recommendation exam," Deku responded, a nervous smile on his face.
"What the fuck?" Katsuki droned out, his brain once again going into auto pilot.
AN: First, I just want to say that I used line breaks here predominantly as minor time skips without explicitly stating as such. If it's confusing. Let me know! On a side note, yep, Katsuki finds out about All Might. As for, will he get One for All? No. he will not, my goal isn't to have Katsuki role swap with Izuku. It might look like that now and possibly in the future, but I assure you it isn't the case.
I guess that's all. For some reason, I feel especially nervous about this chapter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!