Chapter 8
This wasn't bad luck; no, it was impossible for anyone to have luck so awful. Bakugo knew for an absolute fact that he was being set-up by the school, and it was seriously getting on his very last nerve. The day of his first-year final was here and of course those bastards would pair him up with that useless Deku; fuck any reasons they might have come up with for doing it, he'd rather be assigned that Grape idiot. After all that time spent studying and training, the school actually thought he was going to let his final grade be determined by such a handicap.
Just watching Deku running up to the entrance of the exam was enough to tick him off. All he could do was scowl; the only thing that damn Nerd was going to do was slow him down. This was his time to fight All-Might, the greatest hero there had ever been, and to win. He needed every ounce of his concentration to pull that off because there was no universe wherein All-Might could be easily defeated. The last thing he needed was to have Deku trying to mutter at him about teamwork in the middle of that kind of fight!
Unfortunately, as he walked down the main street of the fake city that was being used for this test, the presence of footsteps was practically a guarantee that the Nerd wouldn't be leaving him alone.
"So, Kacchan, I've been thinking. Only one of us has to reach the escape gate to win this fight, so if we both just avoid All-Might, that's our best chance of winning."
"You spineless coward! Stop following me! I'll face All-Might myself and defeat him while you get lost, Nerd!" The escape gate was not the only way; if he managed to handcuff the hero, that would be enough to win.
"Kacchan, you can't beat All-Might by yourself! Both of us together don't stand a chance in a fight. Even you should know that!"
Without a second thought, Bakugo roughly grabbed the front of Deku's hero costume. "Listen here, Deku! I don't need your help, not now, not ever. Just don't get in my way while you're hiding and pissing yourself!"
"Kacchan... if you'd stop yelling, I know we could figure out the best way to win this. As a team!"
Bakugo threw him backwards several feet, the mere idea of doing anything as a team with such a useless Deku getting under his skin. He turned around, facing forward, before glancing back.
"Not another word!"
Suddenly, a rumbling tremor pulled his attention forward, and his eyes widened at the sight of the road erupting in a wave of splintering boulders and pavement that were bearing rapidly down on them. Bakugo jumped out of the way of the approaching shockwave, eyes focused on the end of the street where he saw a hulking figure walking towards him. His entire body tensed ; it was All-Might, the greatest hero to ever live, and right now, that hero was his adversary. That proud stride and confident smile were more menacing than he had ever imagined they could be.
"I hope you two don't think you'll have all the time in the world to plan your next move. This is NOT just another test; you had best take this exam seriously, or you WILL be sorry! Today, I am a villain, and you wannabe heroes will fail at my hands!"
Bakugo gulped. Could any amount of training prepare someone to face such a legendary beatdown machine? All-Might hadn't seemed this serious at any point during his time at UA, so why the hell did he decide today was going to be the day he went all-out?
"Kacchan, follow me!"
Bakugo snapped his head toward Deku, who had began running away. That damn coward! What kind of hero would run away from a fight.
"Hell no!" Facing his opponent once more, Bakugo readied himself for combat. If he was truly going to be better than All-Might had ever been, then what better way could there be than getting first-hand experience against the real deal? Besides, he knew the general strengths of his opponent and had a few tricks up his own sleeve. Additionally, he'd gotten a lot of combat experience fighting Hokage's clones so he wasn't some utter novice. All-Might had better heed his own advice and take this exam seriously. Or else the soon-to-be former greatest hero was in for a surprise.
All-Might was rushing straight toward him. "A bad move to separate, heroes!"
Bakugo smiled when All-Might got within range. He thrust his hands forward, palms split wide.
"Don't underestimate me! Stun Grenade!" A blazing light exploded from his palms, casting its reach outward to ensure his opponent would be blinded by it. Grinning fiercely, he leapt towards All-Might with arms extended. The effects wouldn't last long so he needed to be quick, and there was no way a long-range blast would have enough impact to actually damage All-Might. However, if he managed to get close with the element of surprise, then anything could happen.
Nearing his target, he noticed All-Might's arm twitch slightly. Bakugo instantly rotated one of his palms outward, using a small explosion to move himself to the side, just seconds before All-Might's arm shot out in an attempt to grab him. Breathing heavy after the close call, he aimed an explosion directly at All-Might's chest. Still a few feet away, he hoped this was close enough.
"DIE!" The ground in front of him ripped apart, concrete blasted into the air by the attack, and in the aftermath of the blinding explosion, he squinted through the smoke in an attempt to see his target. Less than a split-second later, All-Might was beside him, a devilish grin splitting his face. Bakugo turned a hand and hastily released an explosion at point blank range, but it was too small to have any effect.
"I expected better!" All-Might's booming voice was the last thing Bakugo heard before a vicious punch in his side knocked all his breath out and possibly re-arranged a kidney. He fell to his knees, mouth wide and gasping, trying to pull air into his straining lungs. His mind barely registered his adversary leaving.
Was that the power of the greatest hero? Not even such a powerful explosion had any impact. He was clearly wrong before; this was nothing like fighting a Hokage clone. One of those damned clones would have evaporated from that move, there's no way one of them could take a hit like that. And there was definitely no way they could dish out a hit even close to that level! How was he supposed to be able to beat All-Might at his current level considering how hard he'd just gotten his ass kicked?
"Damn it..." his voice was low, barely above a whisper, as he tried to recover from the hit. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth in frustration at his ineffectiveness even after everything he had put into being ready for something like this. The last time a fight had gotten off to this bad of a start was when he had first started training under Hokage and got knocked out. But, when he'd got a rematch, he damn sure made certain that he didn't lose again. If All-Might thought this fight was over after one quick spar then he had best be ready to die right here on this battlefield.
The adrenaline coursing through his veins quickly numbed his pain as he staggered back to his feet. Hearing some commotion, he blasted off in that direction, knowing it'd be easier to find his target with a bird's eye view. He narrowed his eyes when he finally saw the red, white, and blue hero standing still. He had assumed that All-Might would have been chasing that whimpering Deku, so where the hell was that Nerd? Maybe he had already given up; that would be characteristic of such a spineless little twerp.
A nanosecond after that thought, green filled Bakugo's vision. There was no time to react as Deku jumped straight into him, knocking him out of the air. When he realized what happened, the only thing running through his mind was anger.
"DEKU! I told you not to get in my way!" He quickly scrambled to his feet, scanning the area and seeing All-Might in the distance. For the moment, he'd stay on the ground. Once the fighting started, he'd use his aerial maneuverability to get close and unleash one of his bracelets point-blank. That should at least do some damage, and from there, he'd just have to try and read his opponent for openings. He walked toward the greatest hero, carefully watching for movement.
"Kacchan, don't you get it!" Deku said, as Bakugo walked past. "We can't try to fight him; that's All-Might! The best we can do is escape. That's the only way to win!"
Bakugo's head whipped toward Deku, the cowardice enraging him. "That is a villain! Keep running so that your place in history will be as the Cowardly Hero, Deku!" He really didn't know why he bothered responding to Deku at all; the words came out before he even thought of them. Just a side-effect of how pissed being anywhere near that Nerd made him. Looking back toward All-Might, he was surprised to find the area empty. Where the hell...
"Do not take your eyes off an enemy, fake heroes!"
Bakugo's eyes flew upward, just in time to see All-Might flying through the air with a fence post. A fence post! What the hell! Moments later, Bakugo stared wide-eyed as All-Might pinned Deku to the ground with the piece of fence. Blasting himself backward, he only narrowly avoided a quick uppercut from the hero.
They stood, facing each other, with Deku immobilized on the ground.
"The sky is the limit for both of you. Perhaps if you worked together as a team you'd actually manage to be a threat!"
So now All-Might was trying to change him too? Of course that made sense with how close he seemed to be to Deku. Bakugo could feel his anger building up. All-Might was the only hero in the world he looked up to, and now that same hero was trying to say what exactly? That being friendly and working together with that damn Nerd was going to somehow make him better? Fuck that! He'd rather lose!
The thought hit him like a Detroit Smash. He'd rather lose than work alongside Deku? That shouldn't matter, should it? He didn't need Deku; he didn't want his help. All his life, no matter what he did, that damn Nerd always acted superior. Like that time when he fell in a creek, and there Deku was, offering him a hand with a stupid smile on his face. Or when that wimpy nerd would try to defend kids on the playground. Yet, the idea of being okay with losing left a bitter taste in his mouth.
'You were operating with a keen sense of how to use your abilities to achieve victory."
To win, no matter what, against all odds. That is what he fought for. Victory is all that matters! Fuck that damn useless Deku for somehow making even a single thought otherwise cross his mind. Losing to a villain was unforgivable, something the greatest hero ever should never do. It was like Hokage said: he used his abilities with the sole purpose of winning. And when he did that, that's when he was at his best. It didn't matter how good Deku got, or whatever the hell was up with that quirk. Nobody, not even All-Might or Deku, would ever stop him from reaching the top.
"Hey bastard," he said, as that silly smile of All-Might's faded, "I'm going to be better than you in your prime. You know what that means?" He put his hands behind him, lowering his body into a stance that was ready to charge. A sadistic grin rose to Bakugo's face.
"FUCK THE SKY! I HAVE NO LIMIT!"
A huge blast sent him careening toward All-Might, bringing him beside the hero nearly instantly. All-Might's elbow was descending toward him, but a one-handed blast directly into his side moved Bakugo out of the way. That attack having no effect, he immediately used another explosion to get behind All-Might. But reaching for the pin on his right gauntlet, he was forced to dodge a spinning right-hook that came his way. If he was going to hit with the gauntlet, he'd need to do it at close range. Even a ten-percent Hokage clone could dodge it otherwise.
All-Might jumped towards him. Chest heaving, Bakugo used an explosion to propel himself further backward but was immediately pursued. Using multiple small-scale explosions, he only narrowly avoided several punches. He smiled as a right jab made its way for his head; Bakugo raised his left hand quickly and fired off a small explosion that deflected the arm ever-so slightly to the right. This was his chance. All-Might was completely exposed! Bakugo again reached for the pin.
At least, that's what he thought in the brief moment before All-Might spun around, elbow slamming Bakugo in the shoulder and sending him flying through the air. Tumbling and scowling through the pain, he used several explosions to right himself in the air before landing on the ground, panting as he looked toward his opponent. Even with his best efforts, he hadn't managed an impactful hit on the greatest hero of all-time. Yet. He kept his eyes on his opponent, ignoring the probable dislocation of his shoulder.
"So, you can take a hit. Looks like that training with Hokage is doing some good after all."
All-Might walked slowly toward him, giving Bakugo at least a second to figure something out. There was no better plan than the one he was already working with, so his only option was to do even better. Once again, facing the most intense fight of his life, Bakugo smiled.
"Just hope you're ready to lose!"
Bakugo charged toward All-Might, the hero simply continuing to walk. Suddenly thrusting his hands forward, Bakugo could see the questioning look on All-Might's face.
"TAKE THIS!" He unleashed a massive explosion in All-Might's direction, the sweat from fighting ensuring he had plenty of fuel. Arms straining, he pushed forward with his impromptu plan. Stabilizing himself against the recoil, with dust and debris still filling the air, he rushed forward running at full-speed. In seconds, he was upon the hero who was looking upwards with the expectation that he would be using explosions to move, as he had done throughout the fight. It created an opening for only a fraction of a second but it was the most he could expect.
He grabbed the pin, but at the same time, All-Might stomped on the ground and the shockwaves sent Bakugo careening into the air. Momentarily surprised, his aim was thrown off enough to thwart his plan of attack. There was no possible way he could react in time to dodge the uppercut coming his way.
"Kacchan!" A green blur appeared out of nowhere, punching All-Might's arm at the elbow and misdirecting the hero's attack. Bakugo looked at Deku, who was looking back at him with a very nervous smirk on his face, before Deku used the momentum of the first punch to deliver a spinning hook to All-Might's face. "Do it!"
Deku was in his way, but the crazed look in those green eyes told him that it didn't matter. There was no time for hesitation.
"DIE!" Without a second thought, he pulled the pin. Time slowed as Deku kicked off of All-Might, jumping out of the way just as the explosion unleashed from the gauntlet. In that brief second of time, he saw a wide smile on All-Might's face. The resulting boom was deafening; the explosion blinding. The force from the gauntlet had him straining both his arms and his legs to even stay standing. He could hear his muscles and bones creaking, clearly pushed to their limit by his high-powered explosions.
"We have to move now, Kacchan!"
Bakugo stood still, panting from the exertion. Just when it seemed like Deku might have finally evolved into a vertebrate, he suggested running away again.
"Thought I told you, Deku..."
"We're not running away!" Deku snapped, surprising him. "Look, we can't defeat him in a fight. We can only win by reaching the escape gate, but we'll never make it if we don't fight him at all. We were both wrong, Kacchan."
"What the hell got into you?"
Deku looked toward the ground, fists clenched. "When I saw you fighting against an overwhelming opponent like All-Might, with a smile on your face, I realized just how scared I really was. I don't think you understand how incredible it is that you'd even try to fight someone like All-Might. To me, All-Might is everything I ever wanted to be, but you've barely hesitated fighting him no matter how scared you are. And that's because you want to be even better than All-Might. I realize there are other people like that too, heroes and villains, who want to be even stronger than he is. That's why I can never be afraid to go past my own limit if I want to always be able to save people with a smile!"
Bakugo didn't bother addressing Deku's impromptu speech. There was an uneasy silence as they moved toward the victory gate. With the brief respite, he took stock of his condition. Despite all the pain he was experiencing, Bakugo knew he wouldn't win without fighting the greatest hero one final time. Planning for it was not going to do him any good; any little tricks he might have had in mind, he had already tried and they had failed. And there was no way they'd be more effective on All-Might the second time around. His only real hope was to exploit a momentary opportunity that presented itself.
"Look Kacchan, there's the gate!" Deku called out, the ridiculous victory condition standing out in the distance. It had been way too long since he'd seen All-Might; there was no way that last attack would have sidelined him that long. "I don't like this; he's faster than us, and he knows where we're going. He could ambush us from any direction."
Leave it to Deku to state the obvious.
"He'll show up soon; a hero like him would never lose so pathetically."
Deku nodded in agreement. "You're right. I'm still near full-strength, and you must be tired with all the explosions you've done so far. When he gets here, I'll fight him, and you look for an opening to escape."
Bakugo saw the Nerd's fists clench and there was a slight wavering to his voice. The nerves were painfully obvious but, if nothing else, Deku never was one to give up easily. If the loser actually had his mind set to take on All-Might, then Bakugo could be sure that Deku would try. Not that it would accomplish much. Those two had similar quirks, but one of them had decades of experience. When had Deku even actually first used his quirk? Damn Nerd hadn't even bothered breaking it out against that sludge bastard.
But why? He could still remember that desperate look in Deku's eyes. Even if he didn't need rescuing, Deku clearly thought he did, so why didn't that damn Nerd bust out that quirk when making an attempt? Did that loser really believe himself to be so far above him?
The memories of that day flashed by quickly in his mind. Were those pathetic, tear-filled, desperate eyes really the eyes of someone confident in their superiority? Would Deku really have held back that day if he had been capable of doing more? The same Deku that had always gone on-and-on about being a great hero?
"That last attack was better, false heroes!" The booming voice got Bakugo's mind back on-track. "I dare say you even worked together!" All-Might appeared above them, jumping out of an unpresuming alleyway.
Working together with Deku? The thought alone made him want to puke. All-Might clearly had the wrong idea. This fight was his to win, and if he had to use his surrounding circumstances to pull it off then so be it. That's all it was.
"Kacchan! Win this for us!"
The green-haired brat jumped into the air straight for All-Might. Bakugo watched as Deku collided with All-Might, who immediately sent the Nerd into the dirt. Rather than rush for the victory gate, Bakugo himself waited for an opening to strike. It was clear that All-Might was keeping an eye on him even as Deku staggered back to his feet; if he had tried to make a break for it, there's no way he would make it. Not that he would have really considered it.
The next round of close-quarters combat did not go any better for Deku, who eventually was launched backward in Bakugo's direction with seemingly little effort by the more experienced fighter. Bakugo grit his teeth, thinking that he would never get an opening at this rate. Especially if Deku continued to hold back.
"Deku, if that's the best you got, sit back and watch."
Deku grimaced, although the pipsqueak didn't take a step toward the gate. Bakugo turned his attention back to All-Might, who was standing still and being incredibly intimidating. It was as if the hero was saying 'I am here... and there's nothing you can do about it.' It pissed Bakugo off immensely.
"I just need an opening."
Bakugo almost laughed at Deku's words. "I was waiting for an opening and you didn't do a damn thing to make one." Taking a step forward, he eyed his teacher carefully. There was such confidence in the man's eyes, such assurance that he had them right where he wanted them. Out the side of his eye, Bakugo saw Deku looking pathetically at him, undoubtedly realizing his failure. If that Nerd actually needed an opening, then he would just have to pay attention. There would definitely be one. Speaking between his teeth, he ground out, "Don't hold back."
"Look at the two of you, working together at last. "
Bakugo clenched his jaw at the blatant lie, rage filling him completely.
"Still," All-Might said, "you wannabe heroes are clearly no match for me. It's like swatting at flies."
And that pissed him off even more.
"All your best attacks have done nothing! Admit your defeat, and maybe I'll go easier on you!"
"DIE!" Bakugo threw his hands behind him, launching himself forward with as much intensity as he could muster. He was pissed, and he knew it. More importantly, All-Might knew it too. His teacher undoubtedly expected him to do a reckless frontal charge after goading him on, and thinking that he could be predictable would be the man's downfall. Aiming a hand forward, he let loose a small explosion, barely enough to slow him down. And yet, he saw a momentary look of surprise in All-Might's eyes. It would have to be enough hesitation to work.
He was upon his opponent in another second, throwing his hand up and exploding himself onto the ground, narrowly dodging a powerful punch. Suspecting an elbow, he held a hand outward to his left and blasted to the right. After the short burst, he blew himself upward slightly which allowed him to dodge All-Might attempting to stomp the ground to disrupt his movement. A small blast allowed him to face his opponent as he was rising to just above eye level, a smile on his face.
Hands forward, Bakugo let out a yell as he launched a huge explosion at close-range directly toward All-Might's face. The blast was dodged by a quick move forward by All-Might, as Bakugo himself was forced through the air by the recoil. All-Might looked upward, as a cloud of dust arose behind him.
"You must do better than that!"
Orienting himself in the air after creating some distance, Bakugo launched downward as he began spinning rapidly. He vaguely saw the look of recognition on All-Might's face, though was personally more distracted by the green energy emerging from the dust cloud directly behind him. Deku burst through the dust with intense speed as Bakugo himself barreled downward. If that Nerd had needed an opening, here it was. And that opening was going to create an opening for himself to finally win this fight. Deku's raised voice carried toward his ears as he prepared to land his attack, with All-Might raising a hand in either direction in defense.
"Detroit..."
"... Impact!"
Deku's attack hit first, by a narrow margin, being cleanly blocked by All-Might. Despite this, the strength of the attack created a massive burst of air that expanded in every direction. This air integrated into the build-up for Bakugo's attack, adding more fuel to the immediate area and magnifying the power of the attack. A final surge of strength coursed through him as clarity struck: this was his final chance at winning.
With the outcome of the hard-fought battle at stake, a smile was on the faces of all three combatants.
All-Might was hit directly with the brunt of the attack, a deafening boom filling the air as the force and recoil sent Bakugo flying backwards, every ounce of his energy spent and every muscle screaming in agony. Any attempt to control his body was denied as he powerlessly fell and crashed into the ground with a painful thud. His smile vanished completely and he grimaced through the searing pain, a sense of weariness hitting him unlike anything he had ever felt. He really had pushed himself further than ever before.
After several seconds of summoning his remaining strength, he barely managed to turn his head back toward the fight scene. Dust and dirt rained down, and he could see what was obviously a massive crater though not anything inside of it from his spot on the ground. The back of a small figure was silhouetted through the dust further out, slowly walking, and he knew it must be Deku heading for the Victory Gate. Nerd must have been pushed backward from the force of the combined air pressure and not gotten hit by the actual explosion.
"Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo Katsuki: Pass!"
As his vision faded to black, he saw All-Might walking toward him out of the crater. Of course someone like All-Might wouldn't go down that easily.
The two heroes-in-training lay in hospital beds, both unconscious as Recovery Girl tended to them. All-Might stood in the room as well, his emaciated and withered form looking over his two students.
"Young Bakugo, young Midoriya, you both pushed yourselves so far. Even though neither of you may realize it, you made great strides today. I've never been more proud to be your teacher."
"Hmph, these kids' conditions are nothing to be proud of. They'll be unconscious for hours from the exhaustion and pain." Recovery Girl sighed, glancing between the two. "Regardless, there's nothing more to do for now. These kids simply need their rest. And, frankly, so do you." She left the room, leaving the Number One Hero alone with them.
"Rest... a fine idea. I only wish there were time for it." A minute later and the door behind him closed once more, and All-Might knew that it wasn't Recovery Girl returning. "So, you've come to check on your student as well? I hope you enjoyed the show."
He did not get an immediate response, simply watching as the newly-entered hero stood near Bakugo's bedside. For a few long moments, there was silence and All-Might saw the hero's fists clench.
"Pushing them this much was necessary. I know that. But it shouldn't have to be."
"I agree. It pains me as well. However, we must not back down while it is necessary."
There was a momentary silence until Hokage spoke once more. "Aren't you concerned that I've seen you in this state?"
"That fight took a lot out of me; I might look even more pathetic if you saw me in my hero form. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion one of your predecessors already knew."
Hokage nodded. "I knew a little about your injury, and I was informed that your shift in hero-work and taking up a teaching position likely meant you were nearing retirement."
"All the prior Hokage have been incredibly strong. I only hope that seeing me like this will help you to prepare for the coming storm. Of course, if you already knew, I have to wonder why you would take on a student at a time like this. Especially one with a quirk so different from your own."
Hokage turned his attention back to his student. "When it comes to planning, I'm not so much like the other Hokage. I do my best work when I trust my instincts and plan on-the-fly."
"And this year, young Bakugo caught your eye enough to offer him an internship. But why him? I doubt it's as simple as the fact that he won."
"I could say it was his strength, or his potential. But really, it's not that alone. His clear resolve to prove himself as the best, his passion, and the fact he demanded his opponent's best reminded me of someone."
"These young heroes are quite spectacular indeed. Neither one will rest until they achieve their goal, and yet I know neither would compromise themselves to do it. No matter the risk."
Hokage was quiet for a moment, before speaking in a low voice. "For those with that level of aspiration and determination, there are only two outcomes: triumph, or tragedy."
beta read by: the road I know
A/N: It's been a long time. I hope all my returning readers have been well, given the wild events since my last update, and I hope all my new readers have enjoyed the story. This chapter was difficult to write, given the attempted balancing of canon happenings and original content. It also went through a lot of re-writing and reimagining before I truly enjoyed the final product. As things move forward, the plot will be more original with less canon guidance.
As always, thank you all for reading. Please feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review.
