Archenemy Academia

by Ellaver

Izuku Midoriya, abandoning the name after being saved by the villain All For One, aspires for a perfect society of Heroes vs Villains in eternal struggle. His childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo, believes him to be dead, but soon, they would reunite, not as friends or rivals, but as archenemies, as is proper for a villain and hero rivalry to be called.

4. Deer in the Headlights

A few weeks have passed since the U.A. school year began, and in that timespan, Tenko became more familiar with the layout of the school, no longer needing a map to find his homeroom class and being late. There's only so many times he can make up the same lie about it being a test until the class (or Tenya) gets tired of it.

In that time period, the students were finally given their Hero costumes, each specialized to their own needs and requests, and chose their Hero names as well. Sans Katsuki, whose names were rejected for being incredibly unheroic and intimidating. Alongside that, a Class Representative was chosen. To most people's surprise, it was Hitoshi Shinso who had the most votes, but he thought the duty was too big of a headache, so he simply gave it to Tenya Iida, whom he believed was a more worthy candidate for class rep, his only vote being from Shinso himself. In addition, Momo Yaoyorozu was voted as the Vice Class Representative. Both students took this job with the utmost pride.

Additionally, the classes went very smoothly, with two notable ventures being the Battle Trial by All Might himself, which tested the students' general abilities, splitting them into villain and hero teams with the assignment being the Heroes getting the Villains' weapon.

It went very well. All things considered, that is. Katsuki and Tenya managed to win against Hitoshi and Uraraka, but only because neither Uraraka or Hitoshi had much combat ability. In hindsight, it was a rather unfair match up. Other teams won and lost as well, the exercise judging teamwork and strategy of both teams, something Katsuki did not excel at quite well.

The other event in question was a trip to the U.S.J Facility, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, where the students learned about relief and rescue during disasters, be they natural or unnatural. The Space Hero Thirteen, who specialized in search and rescue, was the one to teach them that day, giving them valuable lessons on how to react during such situations.

That lesson also went well, the students doing mock up search and rescue practice, with some students playing the role of victims of the disaster needing rescue, and others assessing the situation and doing their best to calmly keep everyone safe, keeping a cool head, until backup arrives. The only one who failed the class was Katsuki, who's impatience caused him to try and simply blast the debris off the victims, making him lose points for dangerous behavior that wouldn't fly in an actual disaster and do even more harm.

All the while, the students began to mingle and get along, forming bonds and friendships amongst each other. Katsuki himself was almost always seen hanging around Kirishima, even though he acted in a way not dissimilar to a tsundere around him, typically accompanied by Mina, and even more rarely, Tenya, Ochaco and Hitoshi, the group becoming somewhat of a circle of odd friends. Not to say they weren't friendly with the rest of the class, even if the others were tolerating Katsuki, but never hating.

Tenko himself found it easier to do his job as a teacher for them, doing his best to be a guiding hand and keep a good eye on their health and situations. It took a bit, but he truly felt himself molding into the role of an educator, with the help of the other teachers, of course.

However, one student had a difficult time forming any sort of bond or being social whatsoever. Said student was the white and red short haired-boy, with a gray right eye and a turquoise left eye, with a large burn scar on said left side. Shoto Todoroki, son of Enji Todoroki, also known as Endeavor, the Number Two Hero of Japan.

Though, to him, all Endeavor was was the man who broke his mother's mental state, and tortured both of them as long as he could remember, since as long as he could walk. He forced his desires to surpass All Might onto him, breaking his body and exhausting him every day and night, so that he could usurp the throne of the Number One Hero, for his ambition, without concern for Shoto's own desires and dreams.

He couldn't think even less of Endeavor if he tried, the lowest lifeform on the planet had more value to Shoto than his father ever could, greater shared empathy. Demonstrated best when he stopped his walking to allow a simple bug to pass the sideblock and crawl into the crevices of a home nearby, courtesy he wouldn't give Endeavor, if the chance presented itself.

He simply hated him. He was physically incapable of even pretending to like him, being in the same room was enough to make Shoto sick to his stomach.

Shoto looked at a public clock, seeing it was still early, an hour in fact before classes began. He always began his days early, preferring the long walks from home to school. It was quiet, without the bustling sounds of the public and cars to distract him. It was strangely serene.

But, even stranger, this morning there was no one walking in the streets. He was the only one present. Odd, yes, but nothing to worry about. Soon, though, he realized why, as Shoto saw several people being escorted by police officers, while others were trying to get a peek. Since it was on the way to school, Shoto inevitably turned up to the corner, seeing Pro Hero Kamui Woods facing down a villain, one dressed like an old western cowboy, a bandana hiding the lower half of his face, a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, and a poncho, wielding two guns.

It was a classic mexican standoff, as each man waited for the other to make the first move, the deciding factor on how this duel ends. "You face me...Kamui Woods, on this lonesome morning, I, Ricochet Rico, accept your challenge," the villain introduced himself, holding his guns, aiming upwards.

"Don't do anything rash now. I'm more than enough to deal with you," Kamui Woods said. He was the only Pro on the scene, most likely due to how early it was, a time where villains very, very rarely revealed themselves or attempted crimes, being broad daylight and all. Night was the ideal time for most illegal activities, when society's guard was most down.

Shoto looked on, a fair distance away, standing on the side near a building and staring. There was no need to hurry to class. Shoto always took his time anyway, never really being in a hurry to go anywhere when the situation wasn't dire.

"Ah, but you see, Hero, when it is mano y mano, it is by the law of men and the sunset, that we must do battle," Ricochet Rico replied to Kamui Woods' attempt to de-escalate the situation, as he hoped to avoid an altercation at all.

"Fine, you villains never make this easy," Kamui Woods grunted, preparing to move, being careful facing this new, previously unseen villain. No data existed of him prior to this encounter, suggesting he was simply a normal man until he decided to act against the law and the system, becoming a villain. His one and only crime was walking with unlicensed firearms and aiming them at innocents without actually pulling the trigger, merely threatening them. Civilians called the police, and Kamui Woods happened to be on the scene, on an early morning patrol, confronting the man.

The two men stood still, as civilians watched on, police officers doing their best to try and disperse them so they wouldn't get harmed by the villain's firearms, two plain looking revolvers, carrying six bullets all together. It was a tense staredown between them. The first move decided it, and could mean life or death, or in Kamui's case, the injury or death of civilians.

It was quiet, only the chirping birds and muttering civilians making any sounds.

And then, the first move. Ricochet extended his arms to the sides, firing his guns once, not even trying to hit anyone. Kamui Woods immediately responded by sending a large, twisting barrage of wooden vines sprouting from his right arm, capturing Ricochet's by his upper body, sealing his arms' movements. "Don't try anything, or I'll break those arms!" Kamui Woods said. He wasn't actually going to do that, obviously, but he hoped the threat would prevent him from firing any more bullets.

"What was that about…?" He wondered to himself concerning Ricochet's earlier move, but before he could ponder this any longer, a bullet pierced his arm, cleanly cutting through it, though thankfully he regenerated it with ease "What…?!" Kamui Woods quickly looked to where the bullet came from, believing another shooter was on the scene but seeing no one, before another bullet struck his left shin from behind, forcing him on his knees. "You have allies?!" He yelled at Ricochet, demanding an answer, as the vines formerly capturing the man died off and broke apart.

"Ah, you think I am a mere gunman? No no, partner." Ricochet's voice suddenly became much more old west-like, but at the same time, also incredibly forced, straining his throat "This is my Quirk, Ricochet. I can bounce any object off any surface, regardless of what it is, or the physics behind it, and the more surfaces it ricochets off, the more kinetic energy it gathers, before, boom," he explained, revealing the secret of his guns.

Kamui Woods quickly sprouted more vines, this time from both arms, attempting to completely cage Ricochet before he could make his next move, but unfortunately his wound hampered him, and Ricochet fired the remaining ten shots from both guns. The bullets bounced off every surface they could, all at Ricochet's command. Off walls, off lamps, off metal fences, windows, doors and door knobs, and even bouncing off themselves, growing redder and redder, gathering energy, before finally striking Kamui Woods' arms, ripping apart his wood barrage, while two bullets struck both his shoulders, piercing through his flesh and shattering his bones, the impact sending shockwaves towards his entire arms, causing them to go numb from the pain.

"Shit…!" Kamui could only mutter, struggling to raise his arms, both clearly broken and needing medical attention, continuing to bleed from his wounds "I can't...allow you to harm anyone…!" However, he still forced those arms to move, striking the ground, and the wooden vines burrowed through, rising from underneath Ricochet. Unfortunately, he saw through this strategy and jumped out of the way, throwing a combat knife hidden underneath his poncho, which began ricocheting off multiple surfaces as Ricochet himself quickly reloaded his revolvers. The knife eventually glowed a bright red, striking a mailbox before shooting towards Kamui Woods, who raised the underground wood up before him into a defensive barrier.

Unfortunately, it was for naught, as the knife cleanly sliced through the barrier, with even the air pressure cutting Kamui's chest as well, and the knife didn't yield, continuing forward. In desperation, Kamui Woods raised his arms to defend himself, the knife cutting his right hand off and stabbing into his chest, the impact forcing him to fall on his back as shockwaves traveled through his body and breaking his ribs.

"Hngh…!" Kamui Woods grunted, trying to stand back up, but both his arms and one leg were rendered useless, his hand regenerating slowly thanks to his Quirk, while his ribs were shattered from the ricochet knife's impact.

"Let this be a message, partner, a new age of villainy is comin'. Us outlaws need ourselves a time in the spotlight," Ricochet began speaking, walking towards Kamui Woods, standing next to the wounded hero, aiming his revolver directly at his head. "I want y'all to hear and see this. This is the first step towards our New Age, the right way of this world before you heroes ruined it with your system."

Civilians looked on in horror, police officers did as well, wishing to help, but fearing that any sudden movement would cause Ricochet to kill Kamui Woods who was at his mercy. Shoto himself looked on with eyes widened, a horrible feeling shambling in his stomach, as he realized he was about to watch a man be murdered before his eyes. He wished to look away, but his body refused to move, his eyes refused to close. He was afraid of what he would see in that dark world if he did, the sight of his father's eyes berating him once more.

"You…!" Kamui Woods forced his body to move, managing to raise his upper body with one of his arms, pushing against the ground. "I won't let you have this victory over us. If I'm going to die, it won't be like this!" Kamui Woods exclaimed. His Quirk got slower due to the pain in his body affecting his ability to generate and produce wood. "I won't! Let my death be some stepping stone for your plans! Whatever they may be! We Heroes will fight you and your allies!" he loudly proclaimed, blood bursting from his wounds as his adrenaline rose. "My name is Kamui Woods! And I refuse to yield!"

"Die then, partner," Ricochet Rico apathetically replied, disinterested at Kamui's dying words, cocking the revolver hammer back, preparing to fire a shot directly at his head, a one-shot guaranteed kill.

However, he was interrupted by a powerful heavy punch to his head from behind, shaking his brain in chaos and sending him reeling and rolling against the ground, before he regained balance on the way, grinding his boots against the asphalt before standing up, now without his hat, revealing his messy hair and crosshair looking pupils. "What in tarnation?!" Despite the western tic, Ricochet's fake accent broke and he reverted back to a normal voice "Who you is, partner?! What's the big idea gettin' 'ere in my way!" He still, however, tried to keep the western theme going, forced as it was, rather overplaying it at this point.

An incredibly muscular man stood before Ricochet, clad in a heroic skin tight white suit, baggy dark blue pants, complete with thigh high white boots, and an absolutely glorious red cape that billowed in the wind like the typical image of a hero, and matching gloves. Finally, he wore a white helmet with a golden visor, without a top on the helmet, allowing his blonde hair to stand free, and 1,000,000 in a large, yellow font upon his chest.

"Lemillion" The young man puffed his chest, proudly announcing his presence. "Is here!".

"Peh, another Hero…!" Ricochet scoffed, aiming at Lemilliona and firing a bullet straight at him as the hero rushed forward. The bullet merely phased through his chest, causing no harm to his body, instead striking the brick building behind him. "What…?! Intangibility?!" Ricochet, immediately realizing he was in the worst matchup possible, fired three more shots in panic, each one phasing through the hero, but they continued to bounce off multiple surfaces and objects, gathering energy and piercing his intangible body multiple times.

At one point, a bullet pierced his helmet, but not his head, leaving a bullet hole on the visor, revealing his incredibly simple beady eyes, but Lemillion continued his assault forward, sinking into the earth, Ricochet losing sight of him. In a flash, Lemillion rose from the ground right in front of Ricochet, the distance between them now gone, the intangible Hero's fist shooting upwards like a rocket, striking him from below his jaw, sending another shock through his head, and raising his feet above the ground in a fantastic display of speed and strength. However, amidst the impact, the villain grinned, as the bullets came from the sides to strike his body, now tangible in order to hit Ricochet. Surely, they would now hit while the Hero was focused on his victory.

But it did not, as the bullets simply phased through his body, piercing the ground instead, sending shockwaves through the earth, astonishing Ricochet. Lemillion was not done, however, as he retracted his fist, striking Ricochet in the solar plexus with his other fist, with enough strength behind it to send him crashing through the nearby building's wall.

The Hero who saves millions struck a pose, proudly exclaiming "POWER!" and standing victorious before the villain.

"Mirio, he's not done!" A tall, lanky man with green hair with yellow highlights said. "Stay focused!" He exclaimed, as Lemillion, or Mirio, saw Ricochet lunge forth from within the building, knife in hand, attempting to slash him across the face, but it only phased through his face, but Ricochet expected as much. This boy's instincts and ability to sense danger and reaction was something else, even higher than his, so he had to play dirty.

Ricochet fired the rest of his bullets, sending them flying and bouncing about, ricocheting, as Mirio quickly struck Ricochet again, this time in the throat, stopping his breathing momentarily, and then grappling the villain and forcing him on the ground, disarming him in the process. "Sir Nighteye!" Mirio called out to the aforementioned tall man in a business suit. "The civilians! His Quirk is dangerous!" Mirio yelled out, as the bullets continued to travel around the neighborhood, so far not hitting anyone, but the speed and energy they gathered was getting more dangerous. They began to glow red, before it continued heating up, eventually glowing a pure, golden white.

"This is my last hoorah, partner." Ricochet said to Mirio. He knew Mirio had to restrain him until he was cuffed properly, since he was still a danger. Mirio possessed unreal strength, downright superhuman, which is even more impressive since his Quirk, Permeation, had no physical augmentations to it, yet Ricochet was still conscious and speaking, with only broken teeth as evidence he was even hit. Mirio's strength was no joke, but neither was Ricochet's endurance.

"Sunset Dawn!" Ricochet declared, as the bullets now began to aim for the civilians. "White Bullet!"

Officers panicked, beginning to use their body to try and shield the nearest civilian to them, some taking the bullet for them, the impact so powerful it ripped an officer's arm off, the heat cauterized the wound almost immediately, while the impact shattered their bones, while another's legs were completely obliterated.

The other bullets continued bouncing and ricocheting, before finally choosing a crowded target, multiple civilians huddled in a group, who realized too late they were coming towards them, in fear and panic, stumbling over each other or froze up.

The multiple gathered together, the impact so powerful it created a large shockwave and pillar of dust and debris, but the direction of it did not imply a straight hit, rather, they bounced off. As the dust cleared, a large clam, now broken and destroyed, shielded the civilians, another hero, one with indigo hair and eyes, wearing a hooded costume and cape, revealed behind it.

"Mirio! Are you okay?" The hero, Tamaki Amajiki, also known as Suneater, called out to his friend.

"Tamaki! Good job!" Mirio smiled widely, relieved to see his friend arrive "Quick, the injured officers need our help! Sir definitely called for an ambulance to tend to the injured!" He said, giving Tamaki instructions, as he nodded and went to check on the wounded.

"Excellent work, Mirio." Sir Nighteye said, now standing next to the young hero "You've outdone yourself again, but try to be quicker and more careful next time. This could have turned out extremely catastrophic had Tamaki not joined us on this early morning patrol."

"Understood, Sir!" Mirio said, saluting his teacher with a goofy smile on his face.

Shoto looked on, in awe upon what he witnessed, at how this young man who looked eighteen was able to dispatch a villain not even a Pro Hero like Kamui Woods could. The feeling soon wore off, as he realized he stood and was staring for too long. His only regret was that he couldn't help, due to the laws preventing the use of Quirks in public unless for the sake of self-defense and other exceptions. Thus, he turned around, beginning to walk away from the scene, on his way to U.A.

"Kid, look out!" However, Shoto froze up when he heard Mirio yell at him, turning to see a bullet that went unnoticed heading right towards him, a white bullet ready to annihilate him where he stood. He quickly erected a wall of ice before him, almost on instinct, but it was useless, the bullet simply tearing through it like butter and continuing on the warpath.

Shoto closed his eyes, ready for impact, but instead he felt something else, a person pushing him away. When he opened his eyes, Shoto was face to face with a messy, dark green haired boy with freckles, tears in his eyes, but a frightened smile on his face, content in his action.

The bullet impacted him, piercing directly through his abdomen and burrowing its way into the ground, causing the boy to begin bleeding profusely, yelling out in pain, a horrible shrieking that seemed like it was about to tear his vocal cords apart. Shoto simply stood there appalled, staring at the boy, seeing visions of his mother in tears, his siblings always a distance away from him, before meeting his father's eyes again, snapping him back to reality. "Don't move!" Shoto said, uncharacteristically reacting, well, in general, and quite a lot to boot "I'll cauterize that wound!" Despite saying that, and already placing his left hand on the boy's wound, Shoto couldn't bring himself to summon any flames, too shaken up, and images of Endeavor flashing in his eyes everytime he thought of it.

The blood began to drench his left hand, a deep crimson deeper than his hair, his breathing becoming erratic and unstable. Why couldn't he do this? A boy leaped in to save him from a villain's attack, and he couldn't even summon a flame to stop the bleeding. He wanted to, he had to, because a Hero's job and duty is to save others. Before Shoto realized it, he was now pressing against the open wound, trying to stop the bleeding with both hands, with tears getting worked up in his eyes.

He snapped out of it once he noticed the boy's hand holding his. "It's okay." The boy looked at Shoto, the boy's eyes still full of even more tears and his smile still looking fearful "You don't...have to force yourself…" The words pierced through Shoto, as he summoned ice from his right, encasing the wound in ice instead, freezing blood within it as well, managing to halt the bleeding.

Shoto took deep breaths, his entire body shaking, before being jumped by a hand patting him on the shoulder. "Excellent work!" Sir Nighteye said to Shoto. "Using ice isn't usually recommended, but this is an emergency. His bleeding stopped and the doctors should be here soon!" He explained, noticing the U.A. Student was shivering, not from the cold, but fear, being rather shaken up. Nighteye knew this sort of thing, and how traumatizing it could be. He feared this student would give up his future goal of heroism from this sole event, as many have during their first exposure to violence.

Two hours passed, and within that timespan doctors arrived, taking any wounded man or woman into a van, with the boy in particular being taken, hurriedly being bandaged to stop the bleeding and close the wound. Shoto looked on, blood drenching his hands and uniform, his expression returning vacant as it usually is. Nighteye was rather impressed by the boy seemingly returning to normal.

"May I…" He was even more impressed by his request. "...accompany him?" Shoto asked.

"No." Sir Nighteye immediately shot him down, without mercy. "You have school to attend to, and you need to get cleaned and looked at before that."

"Sir, isn't that a bit cruel?" Mirio said, walking up to Shoto after Ricochet was fully cuffed and restrained, a smile on his face as usual. "I don't think he'll be able to focus on class after such an unfortunate event. Surely, you can give him a letter to excuse his absence" He explained, patting Shoto on the shoulder, showing support "You want to give your proper thanks to this hero who saved you, right?".

"...It would be impolite not to," Shoto blankly replied, seemingly back to his old self, pushing back the last two hours to the back of his mind, as he often did with any horrible event and memory.

Sir Nighteye sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I will only allow it this once, because Mirio requested as such," he yielded, as he couldn't say no to Mirio when he showed this enthusiasm, not to the man who would succeed All Might and inherit his Quirk, One for All, for the sake of his friend, who was dejected and still insisted on Tenko Shimura being the successor.

More time passed, and eventually Shoto arrived into the hospital, taken alongside Mirio and Nighteye, as well as the other wounded from the scene. He waited outside with Mirio, who remained in his Hero Costume still, though the bullet hole going through his visor was a rather gruesome image. In the meantime, Sir Nighteye was speaking with doctors, surely dealing with some adult stuff and papers that are important. Shoto didn't really put too much thought into it. Rather he focused on the waiting room door, appropriately, waiting for a doctor or nurse to arrive.

Eventually, one did, a nurse, addressing the two boys "He's in stable condition. Though typically ill-advised, your ice Quirk helped stop the bleeding. Without it, he may have bled to death." She said, addressing Shoto specifically, giving him a sudden sense of relief he wasn't aware he needed. "Would you like to see him?" She asked.

"I…" Shoto struggled to speak, though he knew the answer.

Fortunately, Mirio was next to him. "Of course! He has to thank his Hero!" he answered for Shoto. His optimism was contagious.

The nurse guided them towards the patient room, where the freckled boy was resting, bandaged and hooked to an IV stand to feed his system the necessary blood he lost. He was conscious, looking outside the window at the birds who were flying about and chirping, a smile of satisfaction on his face. He noticed Mirio and Shoto enter the room, with Sir Nighteye right behind him.

"Ah, you're okay! I'm so glad," the boy said, his smile getting wider and brighter, if such a thing was possible.

Shoto stood silent, not knowing what to say, despite technically his goal for coming to say what he wanted to. "Young man." Sir Nighteye interjected instead, before Shoto could open his mouth. "That was incredibly reckless. You could have easily been killed by that villain's bullet. The fact you jumped in without a plan was one thing, but had it not been for Todoroki's Quirk, you wouldn't have made it." He harshly criticized the boy, not mincing words "However," There was almost a faint smile in Nighteye's face, but it was so brief and quick no one could confirm if it was really there, as his expression returned to its typical harsh glare. "That was incredibly brave of you."

"That's kind of you, but…" The boy awkwardly scratched his cheek, being rather flattered but also taken off guard by the sudden compliment by a Pro Hero. "my body...just moved on its own, really. I saw someone in danger, and my body made the choice before my mind did."

The words were familiar to Sir Nighteye, being the words most Heroes used to express their first act of heroism, that the choice was made for them not by emotion, but by instinct, the primal instinct to save others. Humanity had it within themselves to show this righteous nature without a reason, simply because they could, not even thinking of the consequences or rewards they would receive, just "I have to save this person".

"What's your name, young man?" Sir Nighteye asked the boy.

"Mikumo Akatani." Tomura lied.

"That was really cool of you, Akatani!" Mirio suddenly bursted loudly, his hands clenched into fists, rapidly moving his arms up and down in excitement. "To jump right into that bullet's path! It's a miracle you survived, but the fact you did it with tears in your eyes was truly heroic!" Mirio piled on the compliments, much less reserved than Nighteye "You'll make a fine Hero someday!"

"Ah." The mood suddenly died down, with Tomura's expression becoming rather weakened, though he still smiled, it was obviously just for show, as he felt a heavy weight pull him down "I'm...unfortunately not seeking a Hero career. I'm…" He hesitated, but with a gulp, spoke. "Quirkless, you see.".

Mirio's smile became a frown for the first time today since the villain's attack, as the three looked at Tomura, Mikumo Akatani as he called himself, realizing the harsh reality he had to suffer. A rarity in this world, what once was considered the normal is now abnormal, and they could see it in his eyes, this boy suffered.

Which was only half-truths.

Tomura was no longer Quirkless, he was simply born Quirkless. He knew how to use that truth for his gain.

"I'm sorry," Sir Nighteye said, breaking the awkward silence. "But giving up on Heroism was the right idea. It's dangerous even with a Quirk, that's why academies like U.A. have such a strict entrance exam, some even harsher. But for someone Quirkless to seek such a path…"

"I understand that," Tomura replied "I've been told that before, and they were right. Heroism just isn't for someone Quirkless like me…"

"Excuse me," Shoto intervened, albeit politely, stepping forward. "I only came to thank you for saving me." He said to Tomura, bowing his head down, his posture stiff but clearly one of someone well-mannered and used to doing it "So I thank you, Mikumo Akatani.".

Tomura's face flushed red, rather surprised at Shoto thanking him, almost trying to hide his embarrassed expression from the three men with his arms. "I didn't even think when I moved. It's not worth your thanks!" He tried deflecting Shoto's gratitude, showing a clear inability to accept compliments towards his person.

"I can't allow that, you saved me. The least I can do is offer you something in return." Shoto said, rising back to a standing position from his bow. "Let me repay you, Akatani."

"Mikumo!" Before Tomura could give an answer, a man with short, mop-like white hair, with black eyes entered the room in a panic, dressed like a typical salaryman, and calling out to Tomura by the Mikumo Akatani alias "I'm so glad you're okay, son!" The man said, pushing his way through the three men to hug his supposed son, embracing him tightly.

"Dad, I'm okay!" Tomura said, keeping up the ruse, hugging his "father" back "I can't breath Dad…" he said, causing the man to release him and back away.

"You're the boy's father?" Sir Nighteye asked, the man turning to meet him face to face proper.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away. When I received news my son was in a villain incident, I had to abandon work as soon as I could to see if he's alright…" One could spot tears building up in his eyes, before he wiped them, not even allowing them to run down his cheeks "My name is Shiro Akatani. I am this boy's parent. I am a single parent, in fact, which is why I was so scared, finding out he was in the hospital, with a bullet wound from a villain." His tone was shivering, clearly shaken by the entire ordeal "What would I do, if I lost my only son?"

"Fear not, the doctors said he will live. If anything, you should thank this young man right here." Sir Nighteye directed Shiro's attention to Shoto "Without his quick thinking, your son may have bled out long before the ambulance arrived."

"Is that so?" Shiro placed his hands on Shoto's shoulders, sternly looking into his eyes "Thank you, son, you saved my boy. I can't thank you enough."

"No, he saved me. He pushed me out of the way and took the bullet for me. I should be the one thanking him."

"He what?!" Shiro quickly turned to face Tomura. "Are you insane?! What if there wasn't anyone around to take care of your wounds, Mikumo?!".

"Please, there's no need to worry. You may give him any punishment you deem fit once he's out of the hospital. For now, let him rest." Sir Nighteye said, trying to calm the distressed Shiro down, clearly not digesting the entire situation well.

"I suppose you're right.. .may I have a moment with my son? I just need…"

"Understood." Sir Nighteye said, as he began to guide the two young men out of the patient's room.

"Wait." Shiro called out. "Young man, what's your name?" He asked, referring to Shoto.

"Shoto Todoroki, sir." Shoto replied.

"I see...thank you, Shoto-kun," Shiro said, waving to him as all three men left and Nighteye closing the door behind them.

The room went quiet, as Shiro's expression changed from a worried father on the brink of tears, to a completely blank and neutral face, not a hint of emotion in those eyes. He looked at the flowers on a small table near Tomura's bed, touching it and seeing it was a fake. "How did the operation go?" He asked, his entire character changing with this shift in tone and mannerism.

"Ricochet was caught. Lemillion appearing wasn't expected," Tomura replied, his expression not changing from his smile he had just prior. He looked at the needle piercing into his veins, feeding him the necessary nutrients. "Kamui Woods was incapacitated, however. He's in urgent care right now, alongside other wounded police officers." He explained further, as Shiro turned around to meet him face to face, black smoke exiting from underneath his skin "I would say it went well. I didn't expect Todoroki-san to be the students walking down that road, but that just works better. The son of the Number Two Hero.".

"Reckless," Shiro said, bluntly and now standing close to Tomura, looking down on the bedridden boy. "What if the bullet hit a vital spot? The plan was to simply gain the favor of a U.A. student by saving them, not getting injured with a bullet." There was clearly displeasure in Shiro's tone, even if his expression remained unchanged, his tall and adult figure casting a shadow over Tomura.

"A bullet can't kill me, Kurogiri," Tomura replied to Kurogiri, disguised as a concerned father for his injured son, under the guise of Shiro. "I knew what I was doing. Every move is purposeful. I made sure it would hit an area that wouldn't guarantee dying. If Todoroki-san wasn't able to help me, I would have taken care of it, but I saw it in his eyes, Kurogiri. He's afraid of something, something in his left hand."

"Enough." Kurogiri said, quieting down Tomura before he would go on another tangent of mumbling. "I will ask the doctors to release you."

"No." Tomura rejected Kurogiri's plan. "This is a good position I'm in. I can use this."

"What do you plan to do with Shoto Todoroki? He will not join us, and his Quirk may be useful, but to what extent?"

"I don't want his Quirk, Kurogiri," Tomura chuckled, like a boy who heard an amusing joke. "I can get information on U.A. through him, use this wounded gazelle act to get his favors."

"A waste of time. Your debut will take longer," Kurogiri shot back, a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"Your job is not to make those decisions, only watch over me like a guardian," Tomura said, his smile becoming a frown. "Tell Sensei it will be ready in due time. I trust you to deal with Giran and any new recruits without me, but don't forget to visit. What kind of father doesn't visit his wounded son, after all? Hospitalized, and potentially in need of surgery?"

"Hmph," Kurogiri grunted. "That fake skin won't hide your scars if they choose to conduct surgery."

"Which is why they won't, because they need yours and my approval for it to go forward." Tomura replied, shooting down Kurogiri's concerns with ease. He had thought this through, every second of the way. Every possibility he could come up with, feasible or not, was already in the process in his mind. Granted, his planning ahead may be overkill, and excessively extensive, which makes it worse than had he simply thought of a single path with some divergence here and there for contingency plans on top of it, but Tomura was not one to go for the simple route.

"Leave, Kurogiri. The bar needs tending," Tomura said - nay - ordered Kurogiri, his smile returning. "I need to rest. Doctor's orders." There was just the smallest tinge of arrogance and snark in Tomura's final words to Kurogiri, as the black smoke subsided from the so-called Shiro, as he headed towards the door.

"Tomura, I am your guardian, such is my purpose, my one reason for existing, but remember, there are powers even above that purpose. The Doctor and Sensei have patience, and though Sensei has his trust in you to succeed him, he cannot allow failure," Kurogiri said to Tomura, aware of the danger he is facing by overstepping his boundaries "Do not be arrogant, Tomura Shigaraki. Arrogance is what collapses empires and destroys kingdoms. Be conscious."

"Are you a teacher now, Kurogiri?" Tomura sarcastically asked Kurogiri "It's almost as if you were meant to be one instead of a dingy barman with an illegal license."

"Listen to my words, Tomura Shigaraki."

"Then listen to mine as well." He gave a soft expression, his smile widening, his cheeks pressing against his eyes from below, making it look as if he was squinting, as he relayed a message to Kurogiri "You're just a tool. Don't try to be more than that."

Kurogiri did not respond, he simply returned on his path, exiting the room and closing the door behind him, heading back to said dingy bar, ready to go through the same monotonous motions again, wiping clean glass cups from alcoholic drinks, the scent of sweat and spit everywhere around him. He lacked a nose, a mouth and ears, biologically, but his sense of smell and hearing didn't go away. In fact, one would argue they were sharper than the average human's, which only made all these smells stand out more.

He did not know what to think of it anymore. It was simply something he was designed to do, to keep up the ruse.

"Shinji!" In another room of the hospital, Kamui Woods, real name Shinji Nishiya, was finally released from urgent care. His bleeding was stopped thanks to his Quirk forcing the wounds shut, but his broken bones and internal bleeding required extensive work, bandaging and care, thus, he was bedridden, with the doctors suggesting a few months at the very least. "I was so worried when I heard the news!"

And in his room, Mount Lady, real name Yu Takeyama, his ex-girlfriend (though that was only between them and a few choice friends, wishing to keep the media off their tails about that tidbit) visited him.

"I appreciate you visiting me, Yu, but…" Kamui Woods said, without his Hero Costume, heavily bandaged, including his face which was obscured like a mummy's by all them "Is all this...really necessary…?" Shinji asked, referring to all the flower bouquets and fruit baskets Mount Lady brought with her, and in costume no less.

"I felt so bad! You went on that early morning patrol, and I was lazily sleeping on my fat, round ass! If I was there, you wouldn't have been hurt so bad!" Mount Lady said, a torrent of tears washing over Shinji, who was at the mercy of her waterfalls as he was advised to move his body as little as possible due to the myriad of broken bones in his upper body, not to mention one broken leg.

"It's alright, Yu, really," Shinji said, trying to cease Mount Lady's crying. "I underestimated the villain. If I wasn't so arrogant I might have avoided all these injuries, and those officers...not to mention a kid…"

"No! Don't start beating yourself up over this!" Mount Lady gave Shinji a light chop on the head, quieting him. "If I was there I could have just stepped on him and stopped the bastard!"

"I don't think it would have been that easy, Yu." Shinji said "That villain… he has a powerful Quirk, and he used it with scary efficiency. Not just in terms of his physical skill, but his intellect. He thought ahead of me, who was just focused on catching him but didn't take it seriously enough, while he took me completely seriously."

"Shinji…"

"That's why, when I'm out of the hospital, Yu, would you like t-..."

"SHINJI!" Death Arms, another Pro Hero, suddenly burst into the room, carrying large swathes of flower bouquets and fruit baskets in his gargantuan, muscular arms. "I heard you were injured, man! You don't contact me for weeks and suddenly you're dying?!" Death Arms stopped his yelling when he noticed Shinji and Mount Lady staring at him in bewilderment. "...Did I ruin a moment?".

"No, Death Arms, it's fine." Shinji said. "Please… put the baskets and flowers with the rest. I might need to donate these to other patients…" He muttered to himself near the end, as Death Arms did as told.

"So do you have any idea what that villain wanted?! Was he just causing trouble like some loony?! Why would a villain even attack this early in the morning, it makes no sense!" Mount Lady began questioning Shinji, wanting answers and reasons behind these events.

"I wouldn't know… but he talked to me about some New Age for villains, about villains returning to the spotlight… the so-called "right way" this world should be, before Heroes ruined it." Shinji explained, trying to recall Ricochet's ramblings best he could "God… to think people almost died because I couldn't defeat him."

Mount Lady placed her arm on Shinji's shoulder as a sign of comfort, the man clearly feeling guilt and shaken by his failures and what could have happened had Mirio and Tamaki not arrived on the scene. "Don't let every failure get to you. It's in the past and could have been worse, focus on the future for now."

"That was surprisingly thoughtful of you, Yu," Shinji said, noting how uncharacteristically caring and clever Mount Lady was, causing her to look away bashful, almost as if winking towards a camera.

"Well you know, being a heroine and all, I need to keep an image." She gave a sly smile while her face was turned away.

"Regardless though…" Death Arms interjected "It's not something we should drop. This Ricochet guy could have allies, or further plans. This whole situation is too suspicious to just be a coincidence, or a one-time thing."

"You may have a point." Shinji said, pondering to himself for a moment "He wanted to make an example out of me, and examples aren't for nothing. I think it's worth reporting this, I fear there might be something terrible on the way…"

"What do you mean, Shinji?" Mount Lady asked

"Well...I always had suspicion we couldn't have this peace forever, and somehow, I've been feeling like everything has been hanging on a tightrope these days," Shinji explained himself, opening up on his feelings. "That at any moment, we could trip, or the rope could tear, and below us, an abyss is waiting to pull us in. I can't really explain it any other way, but… I can't help but think, we've had it too good."

"Don't say that." Death Arms said "You losing hope already man? One failure's all it takes? Think of the other Heroes who failed to save many more people, even Police Officers and Firemen, but kept going." He chided Shinji for his grim and depressing mindset. "We're Heroes, our job is to protect, no matter the failures and obstacles in our ways, right?".

"You're right…" Shinji shook his head, disappointed in himself. "Sorry."

"Don't be, we got your back." Mount Lady reassured Shinji. "Even if we're not dating anymore, we still got each other's back!"

"Wait, you two dated?" Death Arms asked, as Mount Lady let it slip of her and Shinji's past relations, causing the two to desperately try and cover up their past relationship, Shinji accidentally causing himself more pain with his sudden movement as he panicked.

Luckily, Death Arms was understanding and promised to keep it secret.

Later, Shoto finally arrived at Class 1-A, rather late by a few hours due to this morning's events "Sorry I'm late, Shimura-sensei." Shoto said, bowing to Tenko, who was staring agape and in shock at Shoto, as did the other students. Shoto looked on, confused, before looking down and realizing his uniform was still covered in blood. He didn't notice, and due to it being time for class, there was no one in the school halls to point it out to him

"Shoto-kun! What happened?!" Tenko was the first to ask the obvious questions "What's all that blood?! Why are you late? Nevermind that! Did you get hurt?!" He immediately walked up to the boy, beginning to inspect him for any wounds, as he stood with his vacant stare, not even resisting Tenko's search.

"I'm alright, Shimura-sensei. There was a villain attack this morning, and a boy saved me. This is his blood, not mine." The sheer simplicity and casual manner that he relayed this information to Tenko was incredibly upsetting and concerning.

"You what?! Is that boy okay? Shoto, why did you come to school? You should be at the hospital getting checked! You should be at home resting!" Tenko said, clearly in more distress than Shoto.

"He's okay, sensei." Shoto replied "As am I. I can still attend class."

Suddenly, Tenko pulled Shoto closer in, in a worried embrace, surprising the boy, his eyes widening at the act of hospitality towards him, before Tenko let him go. "Go home, Shoto. I will contact your parents. You can catch up to whatever you missed in class with someone else's help later, I'll supply extra lessons if need be."

"No!" Shoto yelled, the first time the class heard him raise his voice "You mustn't… trouble yourself over me." He clarified himself, trying to return to his more reserved self "My mother isn't home anyway, and neither is father. I'll go by myself." Shoto said, turning around.

"Don't go alone, Shoto." Tenko said to his student "At least let a teacher give you a ride home, so you would be safe."

Shoto merely nodded, leaving the classroom, the mood now becoming rather awkward for everyone, but concern also began to plague their minds. Tenko was almost tempted to end the class prematurely and take Shoto home himself, but knew that boy was responsible enough to take care of it, plus he mustn't leave the other students high and dry near the end of the school day.

He returned to his deck, before continuing what he said before Shoto's arrival. "Anyway, as I said, the U.A. Sports Festival is not that far away, but we still have time to train and go over our lessons." Tenko said, trying to get the class' attention and focus back into order. "Remember, this event is about attracting as much interest from Pro Heroes for future internships as it is about winning, so give it your all, everyone. I trust you'll catch the eyes of fine Heroes."

"Shimura-sensei!" Tenya raised his arm, requesting to speak, which Tenko granted "Does that mean getting last place isn't necessarily a terrible thing in this instance?" He asked.

"That's correct, Tenya-kun." He answered with a smile "Just like I already said, the real goal is attracting the interest of Heroes, really. You should see winning as just as important, however, giving it your all and showing everyone what you're capable of." Though he basically repeated himself, he tried to give his students the right guidance.

"Heroes who see an interest in you will give you a recommendation, and offer you to join their Agency when the one-week internships begin, you'll be free to choose the one you think fits you best. Additionally, you may even request to join an Agency that didn't send you an offer, but the chance of being chosen is much slimmer if you don't have much interest prior, so be mindful, everyone, internships are an important part of the school year. I hope you become stronger from this." At that moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson, and time for lunch. "Dismissed. Go have lunch, and get back your energy.".

The students left class, chatting amongst themselves as they did, Tenko leaving after them and closing the homeroom class door behind him. "Hm?" In the bin next to it, however, he noticed a tossed school uniform shirt, one with blood, the same one Shoto himself wore

"That Todoroki kid is angry," Katsuki said, catching Tenko's attention.

"Katsuki-kun, shouldn't you be off to lunch?" Tenko asked Katsuki, as he began to neatly fold the shirt.

"Sensei, when I won the Battle Trial, do you think I looked like a villain?" Katsuki asked, catching Tenko by surprise. During the Battle Trial, he was partnered with Tenya Iida, and faced Hitoshi Shinso and Ochaco Uraraka. His team was the Villains, while the opposition were the Heroes. During it, Katsuki didn't bother listening to Tenya's suggestions for a plan, opting to go ahead and face the two Heroes one vs two, while Tenya remained on guard to the weapon they were meant to protect. He became arrogant, since he was aware of his opponent's limited combat ability, more so knowing how Hitoshi's Quirk worked, he didn't have to worry about falling for it, even with Hitoshi's Support item that allowed him to mimic the voices of others. Katsuki simply did as he always did, and ignored everyone what everyone else said, but at the same time, uncharacteristically, didn't say a word to avoid triggering Brainwashing. It was the quietest his class has ever seen him.

He won the shortest fight in the Battle Trial next to Todoroki's, but after winning, he couldn't help but feel something was off, especially with how Hitoshi and Ochaco looked at him alongside the other students.

"You did not." Tenko answered, walking over to Katsuki "Though, you are a bit too hot headed." Katsuki made a sneering expression at Tenko's response. "Gang Orca looks more like a villain than you, but he's one of the kindest and most beloved Heroes in the country. Looks and actions are different. I mean look at me, in any other world, I would have been an instant dead ringer for a bad guy, or even some villain group's boss." He tried to give the best answer for Katsuki. This boy was talented, but only in the world he left behind. In U.A., he was among talented kids like him, causing him to have some self-reflection on where he truly stood in the world.

Tenko also knew, from speaking temporarily with Katsuki's mother, Mitsuki, and hearing it from Eijiro during a chance conversation, that he had lost a childhood friend in the past, one he bullied for his Quirklessness, and the boy's death stuck through all these years, even if Katsuki wasn't fully aware of it, or was and simply refused to remember.

"Next class is Foundational Hero Studies. You'll need the energy to deal with All Might's lessons," Tenko suggested once more for Katsuki to hurry to the cafeteria

"Do you know?" Katsuki asked Tenko, not allowing the man to leave

"Know what? I don't have a mind reading Quirk, Katsuki-kun."

"Do you know about All Might's injury, you bastard?!" Katsuki suddenly shouted, the sound reverberating throughout the halls, the loudest in Tenko's ears, as his expression became that of fear and shock, a deep pit forming in his stomach, before he quickly composed himself and made a shushing gesture to Katsuki, who got his answer from that alone. "So you do!"

"What part of this gesture don't you understand?!" Tenko said in frustration to Katsuki. "Who told you?! No, rather, why would you think that?! Nevermind! We shouldn't talk about it here, come with me! I'll write a letter to All Might to justify you being late!"

Tenko took the boy with him to the roof, closing and locking the rooftop door behind him. It was the best place to talk about such a secretive topic, suspicious as it looked. All the while, Tenko was scratching his neck and face much more incessantly, his allergies acting up alongside his emotional state.

"Are you gonna answer me already, pale man?" Katsuki asked Tenko again, this time calmer.

"Yes, I know!" Tenko answered, "How did you even find out? This is a secret only a few know!"

"I saw him transform. It was by chance," Katsuki explained. "He told me it was an injury by a villain."

"And how do you know I know?"

"You two are friends," Katsuki answered.

Tenko waited to hear more, before realizing that was it. "Wait, that's all you based this off?!"

"What else is there, you fucker of a teacher?! All Might doesn't hang out with a lot of people! Probably because of his condition making that buff form harder and harder to maintain each passing day! So he'd rather use it to save people than hang out!" Katsuki angrily replied, shaking his fist at Tenko. "The only other person I see him chat up with so much is Nezu. Does that rat principal know too?!" Tenko was in tatters at how Katsuki's simple thinking was right on the money twice in a row

"Yes, he does! And so does Recovery Girl! She was the main doctor taking care of his surgeries!" Tenko said, his scratching getting worse, his eyes widening. "You didn't tell anyone, did you, Katsuki-kun?" It was frightening how Tenko Shimura looked at Katsuki as he asked that, causing the explosive boy to be taken aback, as much as he refused to show it, simply looking away to avoid eye contact with his teacher's frightening glare.

"No, you dumbass!" Katsuki angrily replied, almost insulted Tenko would suggest he would "All Might told me to keep it a secret! So a secret it will be!" He stomped on the rooftop floor furiously, as Tenko was surprised at Katsuki's answer. "He's growing weaker…" One could sense a touch of melancholy in his voice.

"I see…" Tenko returned to a proper, straight posture, stopping his scratching "To think...So Toshinori told you about his condition… One for All… No wonder you always looked on and put in all that gusto and extra drive into his classes or when he was watching."

"Huh? Fuck's a One for All?" Katsuki asked, as Tenko realized he let slip another of All Might's secrets, turning his head away from Katsuki, putting on his hoodie all the while.

"Nothing," Katsuki didn't buy Tenko's response and was furiously glaring at him. Tenko was sweating bullets, feeling Katsuki's glare getting more and more intense, piercing through like two flamberge swords.

"Alright, alright!" For a Pro Hero, Tenko wasn't very hard to intimidate, Katsuki began to realize. "One for All is All Might's Quirk, something he kept secret."

"Huh? That's it…?" Katuski sounded disappointed. All it was was just the name of All Might's Quirk.

"This isn't a normal Quirk, Katsuki Bakugo," Tenko's tone became noticeably more serious "One for All is a Quirk that can be passed on, stockpiling strength with every generation. It would seem useless at first, but after being passed on several times, it has become an incredibly powerful Quirk. You saw All Might's power. Every movement he makes, every fist he throws, and every boast, is thanks to his own talent and skills, but also One for All." Tenko explained the true nature of All Might's power to Katsuki. He immediately felt a pit in his stomach, regret for letting out his friend's secret, but he also felt comfort, for some reason trusting Katsuki with his information.

"Successors," Katsuki said "He's going to choose a successor because his power is declining, isn't he?" He managed to deduce the reality of the situation, as it all came crashing down on top of him. All Might, the Number One Hero, Katsuki's idol, the one he and that shitty Deku looked up to, who convinced them to be a Hero...

His age was coming to an end.

In essence, Katsuki always knew it would have to end, like all things, but this really brought to light that it was now an inevitability that was drawing near faster and faster. The injury was weakening him every day, he couldn't maintain his form as much as he could when he encountered Katsuki for the first time, and with a Quirk that can be transferred, it made sense he would seek a successor to carry on his torch, but a successor means the original Hero would retire. Sooner or later, the Symbol of Peace will be gone.

Katsuki's breathing became unstable, as he clutched his chest "He can't just be gone like that… he said he would live!" Katsuki said, recalling the words All Might spoke to him in his U.A. acceptance letter

"I'm sorry you had to find this out from me, Katsuki-kun, but please, don't let All Might know." Tenko sincerely apologized to Katsuki, noticing the boy's faith shattering. "All Might may soon be gone, but...Toshinori Yagi, the man who became All Might, will live. He's not dy-..."

"That's not it!" Katsuki exclaimed "You fucking dumbass! I'm the idiot who's going to surpass All Might! Not Toshinori Yagi! The Number One Hero! Not a retired Number One!" His feelings finally reached their boiling points, as he began unloading his frustrations onto Tenko "I already told him, declared that! You heard me too, when you saved me! You fucking bastard!"

"Katsuki, calm do-...!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Katsuki silenced his teacher

"That's enough!" Tenko shot back, growing furious himself

"No! I have to…!" Katsuki clenched his hands into fists, his furious expression changing to a determined look "This isn't a promise to you, you pale man, it's for someone else. A Hero keeps his promises."

"You have a real desire to be a Hero, don't you?" Tenko asked him, his fury subsiding alongside Katsuki's

"I'm here, aren't I?" Katsuki snarked at Tenko's rather pointless question "You think I'm here to kiss people's ass and one up everyone? I'm only doing the latter on occasion! I still want to be a Hero at the end of all this!" he proudly declared, puffing his chest. "You told me All Might's secret, so I'll tell you mine to be even." He showed a surprising level of respect towards Tenko, though it was most likely a direct link to All Might. At the same time, his expression became rather serious, as he looked on at his teacher.

"You don't have to. All Might is the one who deserves to know." Tenko felt it was unfair for him to know any secrets, when it's All Might's that was being exposed here

"No. I'm not ready to speak to him about this, it has to be you," Katsuki said, the manner at which he spoke and carried himself this time was the most serious Tenko has seen the boy be, this clearly meant alot to him. He couldn't say no.

"When I was around 5 or 6, and even earlier, I had a friend named Izuku Midoriya," Katsuki said, beginning to spill as much as he was willing to Tenko. In his childhood, he had a good friend, Izuku Midoriya, a dark green, fluffy haired boy with big eyes and bigger dreams. They were good friends, always close, but when Katsuki's Quirk manifested, he began to be showered with praise, causing him to grow arrogant, and a gap grew between him and Izuku the longer it took for Izuku to awaken his Quirk.

Except it never did. A doctor's report revealed he was Quirkless, crushing the boy, and yet, he still chased after Katsuki, dreaming of being a Hero, saying he'll save people and stand up to villains. Katsuki saw that as nothing but an idiot with a big head and bigger dream, and when Izuku extended a helping hand to young Katsuki, he saw it as pity, looking down on him, the gap between them becoming an infinite abyss, the two becoming like strangers.

At least, that's how Katsuki saw it. Izuku still considered Katsuki a friend, and tried to reconnect and stay close to him, despite his bullying, and repeatedly telling him to go away, seeing him as a Quirkless loser who was looking down on Katsuki's talent. He kept insisting he will be a Hero, promising Katsuki he will be the best even, like All Might.

"Well, I'll be better than All Might then!" The young Katsuki said to Izuku, but instead of being intimidated, Izuku smiled, a determined look in his eyes, finally getting something from his friend, but what he said in return was something that pushed young Katsuki's patience to the limit.

"I know Kacchan can be a great Hero! Even the best! But I won't give up! I'll be a greater Hero then. That's our promise, right, Kacchan?!" That day, Katsuki and his friends beat Izuku severely, the teachers turning a blind eye to the Quirkless boy. His mother, Inko, picked up Izuku crying with bruises all over his body, and Katsuki received a harsh scolding from his mother he never forgot.

Izuku Midoriya's spirit was dwindling. Everyone denied him his dream, the adults who were supposed to educate him in schools, other students, his best friend, and even his mother, who didn't know the words he wanted, and needed, to hear in order to save his dying dream, simply apologizing, as if she was to blame for all that happened.

That same night, when Izuku and Katsuki were almost 7, Inko's car crashed, Izuku in it with her. The report didn't specify the cause, but rumors circulated that it was a drunk driver. Katsuki at the time was too young to really grasp the situation. His mother hugged him, crying the most tears he's seen her shed, telling him he won't be seeing Izuku anymore, and so it was. Days passed, which became weeks, and then months, and eventually years, and since that day, Katsuki has not seen Izuku, slowly realizing what happened over the years. A grave was erected for the two, despite only Inko's body being found, which the Bakugo family visited on occasion with Katsuki dragged along as well.

Katsuki almost forgot about Izuku Midoriya, despite never really having a friend like him since, someone who would stick with him for he was, rather than what. Before applying to U.A., however, the sludge bastard's attack and the desperation he felt at death's door reminded Katsuki of Izuku. The chance meeting with All Might further forced him to be brought center stage into his mind. He never shed tears for Izuku but the conversation he had with All Might may as well have been the first time Katsuki cried for his childhood friend's death.

"I'm going to become a Hero," Katsuki said "Not just to be the best, but because there's a shitty, Quirkless loser who challenged me to be the best, saying he'll be better than me. I'm going to prove him wrong, by becoming even better than All Might.".

"Katsuki-kun…" Tenko couldn't quite find the words to say to Katsuki after hearing his story. It was surely difficult for such a young child to understand why his friend was suddenly gone, and even more difficult to come into terms with his own cruel behavior. In hindsight, it made sense. While Katsuki was boastful and aggressive in his attitude, he was never violent. It was all empty threats. "Better than All Might, you say…"

"That's right," Katsuki stood by his word to Tenko Shimura. "You wanted to become a Hero too, right, Shimura-sensei?" It was the first time Tenko could recall Katsuki addressing him as sensei, much less by name.

"I did yes, but my father stood in the way of that dream." Tenko replied, trying not to divulge too much.

"But you kept on and achieved that dream."

"I did," he answered. "Unfortunately, as a Pro Hero I am a failure, which is why I am a teacher here in U.A., to revitalize my spirit, and hopefully, keep the spirits of the next generation alive."

The two stood facing each other, only the ringing bell of the school reminding them where they stood, before Katsuki broke the ice first, sighing rather loudly "You better do a good job than, pale man!" He returned almost immediately to his usual aggressive self. "If I'm gonna surpass All Might, I need a good teacher to guide me!" Yet, he was paradoxically supportive and respectful at the same time. "So teach me, Shimura-sensei!"

"You're talking as if that wasn't my plan already." Tenko replied, simply smiling at his student "But why did you tell me all that? You owe me nothing."

Katsuki didn't reply, simply walking towards the rooftop's door, ready to exit it, as Tenko looked back at him. "I had to tell someone, but I didn't have anyone I could trust. If All Might trusts you, then it means I can too," he replied, opening the rooftop doors, and exiting in a cool and timely manner.

Or it would be, had the doors not been locked prior by Tenko, leading to a rather awkward situation, with Katsuki turning around back to his teacher, trying to hide his embarrassed blush. "Can you open the door, pale man…?"

Later, Katsuki arrived at class, only five minutes late. Had he been allowed to use his Quirk, he would have simply jet boosted himself with his explosions right into the scene. It was the Gym Gamma, also known as Training Kitchen Land, or TDL for short. It was a spacious area, and everyone wore their gym uniforms, All Might standing in front of them, with the Urban Jungle Hero, Cementoss, alongside him.

"Young Bakugo! You're late!" All Might noted, his typical smile making this seem like a no big deal.

"I was caught up by that bastard pale man!" Katsuki said, handing All Might a letter from Tenko. When he read it, All Might understood what it meant, though Cementoss wasn't allowed to see it. "Well, since young Tenko needed your help with gardening, I see no reason to deduct points. Plus it was only five minutes!"

"Huh, no wonder you were absent during lunch, Bakugo." Eijiro noted

"Uwa! Gardening, Bakugo?! I never knew you had such a delicate hand!" Mina said jokingly, knowing it would rile up Katsuki, which it did, but not in the way she thought.

"You bet these hands are delicate, like a woman's touch!" Katsuki arrogantly and aggressively replied. "I gardened the shit out of those flowers!" Katsuki didn't know what Tenko wrote in that letter, but he was smart enough to play along.

"Alright, kids, settle down. Today is an important lesson!" All Might's bellowing voice got the students attention immediately "With help from Cementoss here, we're going to use Gym Gamma for some light Quirk training and sparring!" All Might began explaining. Typically, the Gym Gamma would be reserved for training for the Provisional Hero Exams, but with time running shorter for him each day, his patience did as well, but his judgement had to remain strong. Thus he decided to use Gym Gamma earlier than planned to gauge everyone's abilities fully and much better than he did during the Battle Trial and previous lessons

"All Might-sensei! What are we going to do besides spar?! Surely, you have a specific exercise plan for us!" Tenya asked All Might

"Nah, you kids figure it out." The casual and nonchalant manner in which All Might replied astonished the students, Tenya most of all. In reality, he wanted the students to feel free to use their Quirks however they wished. With this freedom, they may discover something about themselves. It was too early for Quirk development training and Super Move training, so he had to take small steps for now. "You just do your best! Make sure not to hurt yourselves too bad though. Recovery Girl only has so much candy to spare! Hahahah!" His great and contagious laughter helped ease the students' minds.

The students began training amongst themselves, some in pairs, others on their lonesome, and yet others in a group, with the two teachers stood on the sidelines watching. Cementoss used his Quirk to create some obstacle courses and training dummies for them, repairing anything destroyed as easily as the students destroyed them. "Is this really a good idea, All Might?" Cementoss asked All Might. "Usually you ease them up before using Gym Gamma. Haven't things been going well in their other classes?"

"You're correct, Cementoss," All Might replied, still in a heroic pose with a big grin on his face ."But I received concerning news this morning. A villain attacked Kamui Woods, and would've won had it not been for the help of Sir Nighteye and the Hero interning in his agency." He explained, though it was obvious on his face that speaking about Sir Nighteye was still rather awkward for him. It was only this morning, but the news reached All Might soon as the whole fiasco came to an end, Naomasa being the one to do so, feeling he should be alerted and be in the know. "Villains are on the move, and I grow wary, Cementoss. For now, this will do."

Cementoss, real name Ken Ishiyama, didn't pry any further. He could tell All Might was uneasy, he cared for these students above all else. Their futures, hope and dreams were his priority, so the potential for villains to rise again and in droves was concerning indeed. He did not know about One for All or All Might's injury, he simply saw a Hero concerned for the future generation, and he could empathize.

"Hey," Katsuki called out to Shoto, nonchalantly practicing his Explosion Quirk's bursts against some cement dummies, though clearly not putting effort into it, simply doing it to fill a quota, while Shoto was doing the same, encasing dummies in ice. "Why are you here? You should be at home after what happened." He asked Shoto. While Katsuki wasn't a fan of Shoto Todoroki, even disliking him in part for being related to the Number Two Hero, he understood better than most in his class what a villain encounter can be like. How frightening it can be to be face to face with a person willing to kill.

"It was late as is, no point in going home. I didn't want to miss this class," Shoto answered, honestly and without beating around the bush about it.

It became quiet again, much to Katsuki's frustration, since he was hoping for more out of him. "Where did that blood come from?" Katsuki continued, prying further.

"Why do you care?" Shoto clearly wasn't interested in this chatter, pressing his right foot further on the ground and creating a thin ice wall between him and Katsuki.

However, Katsuki simply superheated the palms of his hands, igniting the sweat on his hands without letting out the explosions, looking rather miffed as the ice melted, allowing the two to meet face to face again "You half and half bastard! You expect me to ignore that shit, huh?!"

"Oh boy…" Sweat ran down All Might's brow as he heard Katsuki getting louder, which was never a good sign when it was directed at a single individual, most of all Shoto.

"Are you trying to show empathy now?" Shoto was never approached by any of the students in class. At least, that's how he saw it. In reality, he always had an unwelcoming aura about him. He didn't emote much, during class he was the quietest one, and he never raised his hand to answer the teacher's question. Plus, he was the son of Endeavor, the Number Two Hero, which made approaching him even more difficult, as if there was a large canyon separating him from everyone else in class. In their eyes, he existed in a different world all together.

"I know what facing a villain is like. It's nothing like what the news reports and videos make it look," Katsuki said, and Shoto could tell he was speaking from a hands on experience. He heard about Katsuki Bakugo's encounter with a sludge villain months before the U.A. Entrance Exam, and the injuries he sustained. For a while, it was headline news for a whole week, before the next big event took its place as the primary talking point.

"You're trying to sympathize with my situation the same as your villain encounter, but I promise you, yours was worse," Shoto said, beginning to turn and walk away from the conversation

"Are you really the son of Endeavor, Todoroki?!" He called out, getting the attention of the other students, though as they were used to Katsuki's yelling, they still tried to ignore it, uncomfortable as they were. Shoto himself stopped, and turned only his face towards Katsuki, clearly not taking Katsuki's taunt well. "So much for the Number Two Hero's son, you won't even use that fire side of yours."

"Don't talk to me about him." Though Shoto's expression remained his typical blank one, the look in his eyes was clearly showing growing rage.

"Huuuuh? Did I hit a nerve? Dumbass."

"Hey, Bakugo, knock it off," Eijiro stood in front of Katsuki, trying to stop him physically and verbally. "Now's not the time to start arguing, we're all excited and stressed over the Sports Festival."

"Like I give a shit, Kirishima! Why does that guy get to be all lonesome cool guy, acting like he shouldn't even try?! Is half your Quirk enough to be better than us?!" Katsuki continued yelling at Shoto, pointing at him as Eijiro kept trying to keep them from getting into an altercation.

"Cease this at once, Bakugo!" Tenya intervened as well. "All Might-sensei! Please, stop Bakugo before he devolves this whole lesson into utter chaos!" Tenya called out to his teacher, who simply looked on, sighing.

"Young Bakugo, is that any way to talk to young Todoroki?" All Might called out to Katsuki "Why insult one another when you're in the same class? I can see you have your reservations about each other, yes? Why not speak them out clearly?" He wagged his finger, giving a playful look "And try not to be rude!"

"Hmm," Katsuki looked at Shoto, trying to find the right words, rubbing his chin, deep in thought, as the other students looked on in curiosity

"Is it really that hard for you to be polite, dude?" Eijiro was dumbfounded at how long it took Katsuki to spit it out, once the rule of "don't be rude" came up, usually he would be bursting in flames, metaphorically, saying everything on his mind. It was most likely only because All Might requested it, that he was willing to abide by it. Eijiro spent enough time with Katsuki to know how much he respects All Might, probably the only adult he does.

"Half and half bastard!" Not that it helped at all, since Katsuki broke the rule the moment he opened his mouth. "I wanna kick your fucking ass!"

And it went downhill from there. "I don't know what your deal is, but you introduced your Quirk in class and can't even show it to us! Where's that fire, Todoroki?! You wanna be a Hero or are you here just because your old man forced you in, huh?!" Katsuki continued, being as sensitive as firecrackers going off in a library.

"Well, I suppose that could've gone worse…" All Might muttered to himself, taken aback by Katsuki's bluntness, though he should have expected as much. He turned to face Shoto, addressing him this time "Now, Todoroki! Speak your feelings! Let us connect, a circle of friends, a family!"

"No thanks." Shoto immediately shot down his offer. "I think I'm going to head out early today, All Might-sensei." Instead he opted to simply leave, avoiding the whole conversation behind

"Hey! Don't you fucking ignore me, asshat!" Katsuki continued marching forward, Eijiro failing to stop him. "I'll kick your fucking ass in the Sports Festival! Your old man's gonna be there, so he better watch closely when I trounce everyone including his son!"

At that moment, Shoto turned around, having quite the terrifying look in his eyes, stomping the floor with his right foot, shooting out a glacial onslaught towards Katsuki, who's hand glew a brilliant red, swiping his arm as one would when swatting a fly, unleashing an explosion powerful enough to destroy the ice before it could encase him, before a cement wall was erected between them by Cementoss.

"That's enough of both of you. Any more and I will involve your parents." Cementoss said, though his calm face and demeanor remained the same, his words were serious, the classic trump card of any teacher, the students fear of their parents being given a single phone call

"Ugh…!" Katsuki had no choice but to yield, not wishing to get a bad mark on his record, or his mother involved in anything school related. She was hounding him to do good at school more and more as is, so he couldn't risk her getting stricter, if such a thing was possible.

"Todoroki!" All Might called out to the young Todoroki before he left class "We are always here to talk, if you wish." He didn't respond, simply leaving class, the air becoming quite awkward for the other students.

"Bakugo! That was completely uncalled for!" Tenya shouted. "You must apologize to Todoroki-san tomorrow!"

"What?! I'm not apologizing for shit, fuck you, thunder calves!" Katsuki immediately objected to what Tenya suggested.

"I thought you were cool, man, but you're just...not!" Kaminari said, awkwardly trying to make a point.

"Shut up, thunder head!"

"Your nicknames are really not good man…" Eijiro sarcastically said, as some other students berated Katsuki for his uncalled behavior towards Shoto, though he responded in his typical Bakugo-style way, insulting them back and shouting louder. Eijiro could only despair at the whole thing, he could at least understand why Katsuki was so upset, being almost killed by the sludge villain, and seeing a fellow student come face to face with a villain and come back with blood on them definitely shook him, though he wouldn't admit it was concern, despite how obvious it was.

"Arrogant bastard…" Hitoshi muttered to himself, catching Eijiro's ear, though it was obviously intentional on his part, as the two met eye to eye

"Which one do you mean, Shinso?" Eijiro asked

"Guess." Hitoshi Shinso always saw the other students as arrogant due to their more impressive Quirks, thinking they always saw themselves as the default and better for it. However, spending enough time with the students of 1-A, he got to know them, seeing they were humble, for the most part, if not a tad haughty. It's not that he really likes them though, all his behavior was solely to gel with them and get along because it was the logical thing to do, it didn't mandate a mutual liking. "Well… maybe they'll get a wake up call in the Sports Festival. They'll finally have to face off against people with as much talent if not more than them."

"Guess one of us is gonna have to knock some sense into them, eh?" Eijiro grinned, realizing the opportunity presented to him and the other students "We're gonna kick their asses, right, Shinso?" He put his hand on Hitoshi's shoulder, who simply stared blankly.

"Don't touch me."

"Sorry." He then took his hand off Hitoshi.

Shoto changed back to his regular clothes, but due to throwing away his school uniform top, he was left with only the white tank top he wore under it, carrying his bag with him. It was still the late afternoon, and he was in no rush to head home. He decided to take a taxi, heading over to the hospital where Tomura, known to him as Mikumo Akatani, was resting.

He arrived in a timely manner, asking the nurse at the reception about Tomura, granting him permission to visit, soon enough entering the patient's room, carrying a small food packaging with him "Hello, Akatani-san." Shoto said, greeting Tomura, who was in the middle of reading a book, his bed now moved near the window. He broke out of his reading to see Shoto, his expression being that of pleasant surprise. "I'm sorry for visiting on the same day twice, but I couldn't allow myself to not return the favor for saving my life this morning."

"Todoroki-san, it's alright." Tomura replied. "It's nice to have a visitor who isn't a doctor, haha…" His expression became an awkward smile, giving the impression he wasn't very good at socializing.

"Did your father not stay?" Shoto asked, noticing Shiro Akatani was not in the room

"Dad is busy, sadly. Supporting a single child alone is a tough job, after all." Tomura replied, becoming solemn in his tone and face. "He said he'd visit soon but…" He wasn't very hopeful

"I'm sorry."

"What for? Having you here just improved my mood!" Tomura said, surprising Shoto "Is that for me?" He asked, referring to the packaging Shoto carried with him.

"Ah, yes." Shoto placed his school backpack on the floor, walking closer to Tomura and sitting down on the chair next to the bed, opening the package, revealing it to be Shoto's favorite, Zaru Soba. "I apologize, I couldn't think of anything else to get. I simply got something I would have liked." Tomura could only think about how needlessly serious and awkward Shoto was at trying to be hospitable in return.

"You really didn't have to, Todoroki-san! Really!" Tomura said, feeling rather awkward.

"Ah, how insensitive of me, I forgot to ask if you're even allowed to eat this, you are injured after all." Shoto said, clearly beating himself over not thinking things through, looking serious once more about it, like he failed an important assignment or mission. "Forgive me, I'm not very good at this, Akatani-san…"

"Mikumo." Tomura said "You can just call me Mikumo, Todoroki-san. Calling me Akatani-san is just going to make me think of my father." He awkwardly chuckled, keeping up the ruse of this Mikumo Akatani identity.

"If you wish, Mikumo." Shoto replied.

"Really, it's just pleasant to have someone here. It gets lonely pretty fast. The TV doesn't help much," Tomura said, grunting as he tried to adjust his position on the bed "Oh, they say I might be interviewed for a TV spot in the news! Isn't that exciting?"

"Is it?" Shoto asked, genuinely curious. "I always hear people having their criticisms of the media…" He didn't want to mention it was mostly his father who did that around him.

"I'm just a small time fad, it won't be an issue I think."

"Fad?" Shoto seemed puzzled.

"Well, I'm sure they'll only talk about it for about a week before they move onto the next big thing." Tomura chuckled "I'm just some kid, there's not much to me."

"No, that wouldn't be right, I think." Shoto said. He felt odd talking to Tomura so much, but he couldn't stop himself. "You saved me, the country should know what a Hero you were."

"Todoroki-san," Tomura somberly called him "I can never be a Hero, this Quirkless body is too weak." The words he spoke were genuine. Tomura couldn't hide his resentment for being born Quirkless, being born Izuku Midoriya, the boy who had big dreams, but fate itself dealt him a cruel hand, forcing him to choose the path of villainy when everything else around his life collapsed and fell apart into nothingness. It was all unbeknownst to Shoto Todoroki, who simply saw a despairing young boy, the same age as him, who gave up on his dream.

Shoto didn't know what to say. He was terrible at socializing, awkward and distant. He doesn't even believe he conversed with his classmates once. In fact, his last bout with Katsuki may have been the longest conversation he has had with any of his classmates, not including any ones he had with Tenko out of obligations to his teacher. He tried to think carefully of his words, visibly struggling, as to not overstep any boundaries, and potentially make things worse

"I am… sorry, Mikum,." That was all Shoto could muster, feeling ashamed of himself "I can't help you. If I could...I would give you half this Quirk."

"Why?" Tomura asked "You have an interesting Quirk, don't you?"

"It is nothing like that," Shoto avoided eye contact as he said that, clenching his left hand into a fist

"Your left side is fire, isn't it?" Tomura already deduced what Shoto's Quirk was. Not that it was difficult, with Shoto shouting he will cauterize the wound he suffered from Ricochet, while pressing his left hand on him, but instead, employed ice, specifically from his right hand, only after placing said hand on him. "If my guess is right, the right is ice, the left is fire."

Shoto didn't reply, he didn't even look Tomura in the eyes again. To even acknowledge his left side was unacceptable, even if for a stranger who saved his life, but he couldn't deny that he, indeed, could have probably minimized the blood loss and detrimental effects it had to Tomura had he acted on it as fast as he intended to. He was frozen by the idea of it, and for the first time in years, Shoto had tears in his eyes. The aloof and cold boy, who was trapped in a prison created by his father's domineering and abusive teaching and training, was too broken to even save a life when someone was bleeding on his hands.

"You must be cold, Todoroki-san." Tomura's words brought Shoto back into reality. "I have a spare coat in my bag, you can wear it if you'd like." He said, pointing at his bag that was at the corner of the room. Shoto put the Zaru Soba on a nearby table, simply walking to the bag, opening it, and pulling out a simple black blazer from it. "Luckily, I didn't get any blood on it," He awkwardly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but failing, as it only made Shoto think of this morning more.

"I couldn't possibly…" Despite already taking the jacket out of the bag, Shoto couldn't bring himself to do it, feeling that Tomura's kindness was unworthy of someone like him

"You're going to catch a cold." Tomura insisted, however. "I don't know why you won't use your fire, but I guess it's not for me to pry… but at the very least, you can accept warmth from others, right?"

Shoto wasn't used to someone being concerned for him. Though it made sense, his father's teachings always told him that he was in a different world from others, even his own siblings, and he was too broken to try and connect with others. Even now, he was unsure why he came to visit Tomura, simply thinking it would be wrong not to at least give him something to show his gratitude.

Shoto put on the blazer, immediately feeling himself getting warmer, the chilly wind no longer touching his skin. He took a deep breath, almost as if relieved, turning to Tomura. "Thank you, Mikumo."

"You thank me too much, I can't accept all these!" Tomura awkwardly waved his arms in embarrassment, for some reason looking away red faced when Shoto thanked him again. "I hope you come visit more, Todoroki-san."

"You… want me to?" Shoto was genuinely surprised to hear someone wanting him around. His father alienated him from his own family, his sister Fuyumi was the closest of his siblings, but only because she acted like the house's mother after Rei was hospitalized for her frail mental state. He always felt disconnected, and unable to be wanted. If his father only saw him as a tool for the sake of his dream, an "it" to be used for his own ego and ambition, why would anyone else see him any different?

"You're my Hero, Todoroki-san." Tomura replied. "Though, I guess, we both saved each other, so we can just settle on us being each other's Hero to make us even."

"...I will get you something better next time." Shoto said, buttoning up the jacket Tomura's gave him, and closing the lid of the zaru soba packaging "For now, I suppose I can keep you from feeling lonely."

The two boys didn't do much together. Tomura simply showed him the book he was reading, an interesting encyclopedia detailing recorded history of Quirks and Superhumans as far as the records could go. Shoto was impressed by the knowledge Tomura had on the topic, despite being a Quirkless boy, his interest in Heroes never waned, not one bit. He could only wonder what kind of Hero Tomura - or Mikumo Akatani - would be, had he been born like everyone else. Not even "gifted", as it was almost the norm to have a Quirk, but just born not any different than the other kids

It became clearer to him that they weren't so different. Though they may have had different hardships, one more intense and cruel than the other, it didn't matter, they faced difficulties all the same. While they weren't ready to divulge that with one another yet, they could at least acknowledge each one was carrying their own emotional baggage.

For the first time in years, Shoto Todoroki could feel himself look forward to waking up in the morning, because it meant it would be a new day to visit Mikumo Akatani, the boy who saved him, the successor of All for One, who was stringing him into this cruel ruse, but to what extent were Tomura's words simple lies? Even Tomura couldn't be sure, he simply said everything he could without revealing his identity.

After all, he was indeed born Quirkless, he was indeed missing a mother, and indeed, Tomura Shigaraki gave up on being a Hero.

The time for his villain debut was still too soon, but in his mind, Tomura promised Shoto he would become a great villain, to honor what an equally great Hero Shoto would become.

Though they could be considered friends after Shoto continued to visit Tomura in the hospital, with Shoto even asking Tomura to refer to him by his given name later on, it could not be perfect, because sooner or later, Tomura would reveal the truth

The ideal relationship of a Hero and a Villain is Archenemies, but such a thing can only be born by a special, personal bond the Hero and Villain share. Something the Hero and Villain lacked against any other opponent, a lasting effect that made it truly something special, in Tomura's eyes. Even before his debut, Tomura has already managed to procure a potential archenemy, the mere thought of it finally coming to fruition being too exciting to contain.

The U.A. Sports Festival was soon.

A perfect chance for a debut.