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*Sigh* Really really sorry about the long stops but… Yeah, I'm not doing too hot. Not quite happy with the chapter either but it's either this or I update in Christmas. And I don't want to keep people waiting too much. This milk might spoil if I don't get back in time after all.
A revolutionary or just a maniac? The blood on his blade is numerous, and more so on his tongue. The flow of time has been diverted, but it flows with blood all the same.
/
The kid didn't look like much in Stain's eyes, but that could just be because he kind of snuck up on him like this.
The apartment's interior looked clean and tidy with a minor exception being the desk the young villain was using. The notebook he was just using was nearly thrown off the table from Midoriya turning so quickly at the sound he made. He's also not dressed for a confrontation, only having on a simple white shirt with the word (Stain had to squint a little to read it.) "Shirt" written on it and black shorts.
He looked ridiculous but at least the kid had good instincts.
Stain could see the hand holding the gun slightly shaking, the breeze entering from the open window only making the room seem colder than it already felt.
Neither move nor speak, they just stare for a while, one scared and the other unreadable.
Slowly, very slowly, Midoriya reaches back and mutes the laptop from behind him, and lowers the shock gun.
And because the shock gun probably won't help him live if Stain wanted to kill him.
"You're pretty hard to find for a newbie." Stain starts, causing Midoriya to jump a little. "Honestly didn't expect you to be the type to go underground and keep quiet after that big spectacle you caused to take out Ingenium."
No visible confusion in the kid's eyes, but that may just be because he's trying to hide it.
The connection isn't apparent at first glance, a lot of people might not ever even see the connection between the young villain and the now-dead hero, but when it comes to killing heroes, barely anyone has Stain's experience.
There was barely any evidence left behind at the site of the murder other than the body and some slight residue of the bombs used.
But Stain has an in with the underworld of Japan, he's lived in it for a long time. He just had to ask the right questions to the right people, investigate a few leads and rumors, and a trail, no matter how small, can be followed.
Midoriya covered his tracks well, but not well enough.
After another minute of silence, Midoriya summoned the courage to say something.
Shifting from foot to foot, Midoriya shakily waves his hand towards the apartment. "So, here I am. Why were you looking for me?"
/
"You didn't answer my question, why are you here?"
Stain is not a man that can be caught off guard easily. In the villain world, if you're not careful, you're going to get killed. He's had years to prepare for every eventuality, he's had victories and defeats by the dozens and every one of those had taught him a lesson.
Move fast on your feet both in and out of combat, never go out unprepared, always know the abilities of your targets, and never let your guard down.
Those were just a few of the lessons he's learned throughout the years and he's put them to good use. He's one of the longest-running villains walking around since the appearance of All Might, and all that can be contributed to his skills.
And one of the things he's learned to do is how to gauge how dangerous someone is through looks alone.
Looking at the skull-masked villain in front of him, Stain can immediately tell that Viktor is one of the most dangerous men he's ever met.
The flippant, unserious attitude, exaggerated movements, and casual greeting all scream confidence, not misplaced confidence, but assured confidence. The kind of confidence you could have if you were certain that you could afford not to take things seriously.
He remembered seeing the news about the attack and the video of it all that was posted on the internet. One look at this guy and he knew, the heroes never stood a chance, he wasn't an idiot that only wanted to rob a bank or some random goon that was ordered to steal something valuable. He's someone built to be a heavy hitter, a hefty one at that.
Stain tries to prepare for every scenario, but right now, he's completely on the back foot.
This is why Stain's pointing his blade toward the other villain, his body tensed and ready to dodge if Viktor tries to fire a shot at him.
The skull-masked villain just moved his hand as if to wave away the tension, without the guns on them activated. "Oh come on! Why so serious? I mean, I am here for a job but it's not something so grim as to attack you or anything! I just got some things to say."
Stain looks at the villain that managed to sneak up on him and sees no sign of deceit, but that doesn't mean much. Viktor is an actor, everything he does could be a lie.
"How did you even find me?" The Hero Killer decided to ask.
Viktor shrugged. "I dunno, I just go where I'm told to go. I'm just a goon, man."
He doesn't believe that for a second. Still, he isn't being attacked so he might as well see what Viktor is here for.
"Alright, then say your words and leave me be."
/
"Curiosity you might say." Stain answered Midoriya's question. "I think it's perfectly normal to be curious about you," He slightly glared. "Especially since you stole one of my targets."
Midoriya paled, how was he supposed to know that Stain had dibs on the hero? He just chose Ingenium because it caused damage to UA's reputation. He didn't think that Stain would be the kind to be upset about that, not knowing that might just cost him his life here.
"O-Oh… Uh, I-I'm sorry? I-I didn't know, if I did I-I would never have-"
"It's not just that you know," He interrupted the stuttering villain. "You killed him."
"Huh?"
"You killed him." He repeated and pushed off the wall next to the window and started to pace around the room, his red eyes never leaving Midoriya's green ones.
"I… yeah?"
"Why?"
"S-Sorry?"
"Tell me the reason why you killed him."
Stain had heard a lot of things about the kid. He could see the gears turning in the kid's head, confused, scared, and wary, all warring inside his head, slowing his thought process to a snail's pace.
But Stain remained patient and waited for the answer.
The answer would decide if his sword might taste a villain's blood before the end of the day.
"You… want a reason?" Midoriya asked, forgetting his fear for a moment.
It was an odd question to Midoriya, he wasn't aware that it was the motive that Stain might've had a problem with. He knew almost nothing about the Hero Killer, what his thinking was like, his tactics, personality, and motives. He hates being caught out like this, this feeling.
Unprepared.
Helpless.
Useless.
An eye briefly twitched.
He shrugged, fear being replaced with something else. "I didn't choose to kill a hero, it was my initiation for… a certain new group. Sorry, but I can't tell you more than that."
"So they recruit children?"
"More like I went to them."
"And so they tell you to kill a hero, and you do it without reason."
Stain sneered, his dislike of that fact being very clear. But he stays his hand, that's not what he's here for.
"You think he deserved death?"
"What? You mean Ingenium?" Midoriya didn't need to see the killer nod to know who he was talking about.
He stops to think about it.
Did Ingenium deserve to die?
He'd answer with no, not really, he was just a target to prove himself to the league. He didn't know Ingenium personally, what he was like, his beliefs, personality, or interests. By all accounts, the now dead member of the Ida family was a stranger to Midoriya.
Does he feel guilt over it? No. Did he enjoy killing him? Not directly.
Sure, he may not have deserved to die, but Midoriya had gone well past feeling guilty for killing. His first kill had been the only time when he'd felt some regret, he was still new to crime, just stealing from pockets and discretely selling some information about heroes or villains' capabilities and Quirks.
A drunk man in the streets, an easy target, a broken bottle swung towards him, and the instinct to defend himself sprung forth.
It was over very quickly, a single stab to the chest, the pained and bloodied gasp, the warm blood slipping down his fingers, and his wide eyes staring into the drunk man's dying ones.
He could remember that dark slimy feeling in his chest as it sunk into him what he'd done, pulling the knife out and just running away to his hideout.
There was no sickness in his stomach that would've caused him to retch and no nightmares that haunted his dreams when he slept. There was only that heavy feeling in his chest that progressively got lighter as time went on.
'He would've killed me.'
That was his first excuse, then it turned into, 'He deserved it.', and at some point, it just turned into, 'No one saved him, and that's the heroes' failure, not mine.'
But that excuse doesn't work on the hero students he put to death and it certainly doesn't work on Ingenium either.
So did Ingenium deserve to die? No.
So why? Why did he kill him?
Why is he doing all this in the first place?
A minute passed and Midoriya finally answered. "I think I deserved to kill him."
He doesn't see Stain's reaction because he's looking down, but he continues anyway. "You could say that everyone has the right to live, but they also have the right to cross anyone so badly that the person they were against would want them dead. But does that mean that they deserve to die? Who decides that? The one with greater power?"
"People called him a hero, but he was just a man to me. A man with a title that means nothing to our society, a lie that provides false hope to the blind masses that mindlessly stumble through their mediocre lives. I killed him, not out of anger at him or any vendetta, but because I had a goal, a goal that would make the world see the lies beneath the thin veil of safety."
That's right…
The reason for all of this…
Midoriya's fists clenched almost hard enough to cause his hand to bleed. "He had to die to further my own goals, perhaps I take pride in what I did but what's wrong with that? People called him a hero which is why his death seemed to garner more attention than any other kind of person. But was he a hero? I've met these so-called 'heroes',"
The best of them left him to wallow in his misery.
"I don't think you can be a hero."
"And I've seen the kind of people they inspire."
The children grow up to be bullies obsessed with the title, not the meaning.
"Go take a swan dive off the roof!"
If the Number One Hero was nothing but a liar, then what does that say about everyone else?
"There is nothing heroic about them, it's all just a farce. I plan to show everyone what I've learned, to open their eyes to see past the fog of valiance and witness the true people behind the masks. The greedy, self-entitled fakes that are only in it for their selfish reasons."
He stares straight into Stain's eyes, full of nothing but determination and honest fury.
"I'm going to expose this fake hero society and kill as many as I need to make it happen."
If he is going to die here, he will do it with dignity, not wallowing in fear like he's done all his life.
But apparently, he didn't have to worry.
Stain's expression couldn't be more different than it was from before.
Eyes gleefully wide and an ear-to-ear grin on his face. There was a sense of sick satisfaction on his face, a look of commendation that only a killer could pull off.
A low rough chuckle sounds out from Stain. "Well, it looks like there's something special about you after all."
'Special?'
The Hero Killer's perception of the kid changed drastically in just those few moments.
'Finally,' He thought. 'Someone else understands.'
"So you've seen it, haven't you? The corruption that plagues our society, you've been let down by the heroes."
"...yes."
"You've got conviction kid, and that dream of yours is exactly what this world needs. There are plenty of bad apples with the heroes, sometimes you have to take out some good ones too to find the rotten ones."
Midoriya stares wide-eyed at Stain, amazed that, first, Stain apparently likes him now, and second, they seem to have the same beliefs about society.
'Is… Is he like me?'
"There are no real heroes in this world, except for All Might." Stain continued.
…
…
…
'What?'
The words sunk into his ears like a dull knife being slowly pressed into his eardrums.
The memories weaved their way forward like an unstoppable tidal wave about to drown hundreds of other memories.
The hatred spilled forth like blood on a slit throat.
"What the fuck did you just say?"
/
Viktor yelled. "I said that we'd been watching your exploits!"
The Hero Killer just looked at him confused, before the true meaning behind Stain's words sunk in. "Oh! You meant that as a reaffirmation, I thought you just didn't hear me."
"Ok, so to reiterate, we'd been following your crusade for a while and I gotta say, you fucking rock man." He absentmindedly waved his hand to the side. "I'm just saying though, sometimes the wrong attention can get grabbed, and that ends well for nobody."
"Are you threatening me?" Stain growled.
This is beginning to sound like a sales pitch to him, an attempt to get him to join their little posse.
And Stain isn't the type of man to be convinced so easily. Sure their goal may seem aligned at first glance if you looked at their actions, but all that's surface information.
They sent Viktor for him, a well-known and powerful villain, a new face to be sure, but with his debut featuring him easily dispatching over a dozen heroes with a single attack, it becomes instantly clear that this is someone not to be trifled with. Someone like that doesn't get sent out for someone unless it's to send a message or to force someone's hand.
If that is the case, then Stain would just have to show them what happens when you try to forcefully recruit a killer.
Viktor wildly shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. "No! Nononononono, nothing like that! Jeez calm down, I already said I ain't here to fight. Look, we know you're not exactly a follower kind of guy, and that's just fine. You don't have to follow the boss or anything, you can just take his words as suggestions."
He then looked from side to side in the alleyway, almost as if he was trying to make sure no one was listening in. He leans forward and partially covers his mouth as if he's about to pass on a secret message.
"But we can still do some things that are better done with a group." He 'whispers' even though he can still clearly be heard. "I am a big fan, after all, I'd love to see what it looks like for someone to take down heroes up close with a blade, we mostly just use our guns."
Other than being a direct confirmation that he did work with Lady Nagant, the offer was clear, it was between every line. A little cooperation, that's all, no need to join a team, working together to further some goals.
The idea has some merit, the obvious hidden agenda aside (because there is clearly one even if Stain can't see it.), there would be no downsides for Stain if he accepts it. But still, there was something here, something more, why look for Stain specifically now? Did their plan hinge on his actions or was this truly just him making a flimsy alliance? Could this lead to betrayal?
Is it paranoid to think like that? Perhaps.
But better to be over-prepared than dead.
"So you need my help then?" Stain asked, but he still refused to lower his sword completely.
"Well, I wouldn't say help, we don't need that. This is more like a 'you scratch our back and we scratch yours.' Listen, I'm sure someone of your caliber can tell that there's something deeply wrong with our world."
"And what would you know about that?" Stain interrupts. "The world is rotten, everyone not blind to corruption can see it."
Viktor snaps his fingers. "Exactly! I don't like how the world is right now just as much as the next guy, and killing heroes is a good step one to getting attention, but what we do with that attention is step two. People at the top maintain a status quo that was never going to work, but they try anyway. Ugh, it just makes you want to cringe."
"The public doesn't see the world the same way we do, they have to be shown the truth, we can't just keep cleaning up the mess like a bunch of maids. What we're doing? This is short-term. Nay, we gotta knock down the whole house and let something better get built. Luckily, that's already on its way. We already have the plans, we got hammers, and we have a fuckton of work ethic."
"All we need now is to continue on our little path, just row forward on our boat of a better tomorrow!"
Then his voice suddenly changed, it became lower, serious. His eyes which were filled with mischief changed into something sharper, focused. "And if we have to row through a river of blood? Well, it's not our fault shit got this bad, is it?"
Like a dime, Viktor switched back. "So! Whaddya say?"
Stain stares at the black skull villain for a while, not saying or doing anything.
This might just be the strangest man Stain's ever met. Any thoughts behind that helmet of his are a complete mystery. His mannerisms are unreadable, Stain can't tell when Viktor is saying something as a joke or a statement of fact. His power is unmistakable but his motivations are muddy, when he got serious, few things make Stain's hair stand on end than that moment.
But…
Viktor sees through the transparent peace and knows that sacrifices are needed to reform anything.
And so, staring at the villain across him, a small grin works upon his face.
'If nothing else, this gives me the best chance of taking him out if he's a liar.'
/
Midoriya can't even remember who it was that yelled first (it was him), and he just doesn't care.
Since he heard that accursed name again, all trepidation and anxiousness went away. The table behind him that he was using flipped over in the middle of their now heated discussion. The laptop playing the Sports Festival is overturned on the floor, still playing and completely silent.
The notebooks filled with information about Quirks were scattered everywhere, and pencils and shavings flew all over the place, dirtying the once clean floors, but he paid no attention to all that.
No, he's only focused on the now furious Hero Killer.
His throat feels hoarse from screaming, his face red in anger, his hands balled into fists, shaking and resisting the urge to try and hit Stain in the jaw since that leads to certain death.
"HE'S A FUCKING LIAR!"
"HE IS THE ONLY TRUE HERO THAT EXISTS!"
Stain himself isn't any calmer.
Knives drawn and pointed towards the young villain, snarl imprinted on his face, a glare aimed at him that would've sent Midoriya cowering from before.
He couldn't believe the gall of this kid, saying that All Might of all people, the man that brought peace after so many years and continued to do so for two decades.
The pinnacle of selflessness, the Symbol of Peace.
And this boy.
This child.
Has the audacity to call All Might a fake?!
And for what?!
Because his feelings were hurt?!
"Don't you fucking say that!" Midoriya sneered, teeth bared like a wild animal. "If he was even half the hero we thought he was then you didn't need to exist. I didn't need to exist!"
"And what? Did you expect a god out of him? And when he didn't deliver, it pissed you off?" Stain snapped back.
"Oh don't speak to me like I'm a fucking kid. You don't know him as I do, I've seen the fucking truth about him!"
"And this 'truth' invalidates all the good he's done?"
"Good?" Midoriya gives a sarcastic laugh. "What good? The fact that crime still exists? Didn't the villains he wants to put away become smarter, stronger, and more meticulous because of his existence? That he doesn't think two shits about the people he saves?"
"He brought peace boy. He's a pillar that holds up our crumbling society. What right do you have to smear his legacy? To think that he's no better than some greedy glory seeker? You know nothing about him boy!"
'I know that I was his biggest fan. I know that I looked up to him more than anyone else did. And I know that-'
"He left me." Midoriya sneered, briefly quieting the Hero Killer. "He saved my life only to tear it to pieces after. Then he just left. He was defeated, hopeless, nothing at all like the hero I hoped he was. You don't know him as I do, you haven't seen his biggest secret. That he crushed everything I had left, my sole reason for being alive, and didn't even fucking look back."
Midoriya couldn't explain to Stain why he hates All Might, how could he understand?
He was born lucky.
He could've been a hero but chose otherwise.
He never had to look high and low for his place in a world that seemed content with leaving him behind.
He had a Quirk.
He belonged.
Midoriya had nothing except empty words of comfort, and even those were taken away.
Stain would never understand.
Midoriya slumps, sitting back down on his chair and faces away from Stain. "If you're going to kill me then go ahead. Not like I can do anything, I'm just Deku anyway."
He doesn't hear anything for a while. Whether or not this was because Stain was just sneaking up behind him or just standing still, he didn't turn around to find out, he didn't care enough.
Then, softly, Stain spoke again. "You truly believe that don't you?"
Behind Midoriya, Stain turned around and started to walk towards the open window. "If you truly think All Might doesn't deserve his title, then try to prove me wrong. We'll meet again."
And without another word, Stain left.
Midoriya stares blankly at the wall, emotionally burned out.
His eyes wander towards his discarded phone, on the floor just like everything else on the table when he flipped it over.
He walks towards the phone and picks it up, dialing a familiar number that he's memorized extensively. A few rings later, the call was picked up.
"Hey, boss? Yeah, I know you're busy watching the Sports Festival, trust me I was too, but something came up… Well, do you remember when you told me to investigate the Hero Killer?"
If nothing else, then at least that stressful meeting provided him with info on how the Killer thinks.
/
+/+
If anger were to have a physical form, it would be Bakugo right this instant.
His eyes were wide and feral, blood vessels visible on his forehead, hunched over, and his body shaking with barely restrained bloodlust.
4th place.
4th fucking place.
No matter how many times he thinks it, it doesn't make sense.
He's supposed to be the best, the strongest, the Number One, he has the best Quirk and the best skills.
But somehow, he was only good enough for number four, he lost, everyone else might say differently, but he still lost in his eyes.
Not only did he lose to icy-hot, and not only did he lose to some pink-haired nerd from some random class.
But, the biggest insult of all, is that he lost to fucking Deku.
Deku!
A Quirkless loser that needed some fucking toys with him because he's too weak on his own. No matter how he looked at it though, the truth still stares him in the face as he looked at the scoreboard. Deku beat him, and he did it without a Quirk.
His eyes glare at the still celebrating duo of Deku and the pink-haired bitch that always hung off Deku's arm.
All smiles and laughter with red on both of their cheeks, the sight is sickening to Bakugo's eyes.
It looked wrong.
What does it say about Bakugo that he couldn't remember the last time he saw Deku like that?
Happy.
Without worries.
"The contestants are pouring in one after the other! Let's hear some applause for our competitors as we prepare the results!" Present Mic's voice excitedly addresses the crowd as they cheer for the winners.
As they cheer for them.
It all rings hollow in his ears, empty because he didn't win where it counted.
He barely pays attention as more and more students pass the finish line, most of them being from the Hero Course like him. As they all pass the finish line one by one, they all lean on their knees and breathe heavily, tired from having run the whole course.
"Hey! Bakugo!" A familiar voice tiredly calls out to him.
'Great, shitty hair again.'
As a student with spiky red hair and sharp teeth approach Bakugo, he can't help but wonder why Kirishima wouldn't take the bloody hint.
Ever since the USJ, Kirishima had glued himself to Bakugo, following him around and being all buddy-buddy every chance he gets. Speaking as if they were friends and throwing his arm around him with no fear, it's pissing Bakugo off. Some part of him sees all this as familiar, but a bigger part of him just wants Kirishima to fuck off.
"Hoo man!" Kirishima stopped right next to him and panted. "Congrats Bakugo! You got here pretty fast!"
"Not fast enough," Bakugo growled.
"Don't sweat it, you still made it top five! And there was like a hundred of us back there."
"I still lost."
Kirishima was obviously trying to make Bakugo feel better, or at least less angry. But it's working as well as it did the other times he's tried, not at all.
"Come on Bakugo, there are still some events left, if you're so upset then you can just get first place in the next games."
He's perfectly aware of that, but it doesn't wash away the taste of defeat in his mouth. Deku was checking out the big robot that the pink-haired nerd brought with her. They were inspecting its joints and opening up some parts of it to check its innards. As he glares at Deku's happy form, the green-haired boy then turns his head and meets his eyes.
Deku doesn't blink, and for a brief moment, Bakugo saw something he couldn't quite explain. It wasn't that annoying optimism that Deku had when they were little, it wasn't the defiance when he was defending some weak little kid from him, nor was it the fear that's been missing for pretty much a year now.
For just a moment, he caught this look he didn't recognize, a look that belonged to someone far older. He couldn't tell if it was loathing, amusement, a mixture of the two, or something else entirely.
Then quickly, it disappeared, replaced with a smile, there was nothing malicious about the smile but Bakugo still felt mocked. Deku then gave a small wave and turns around, ignoring him again.
It felt like mockery, and so, ignoring Kirishima's still running mouth, Bakugo glares at Deku's back.
'You won't beat me again Deku, I'm gonna put you where you belong.'
MEANWHILE
Mei won!
Somehow.
She didn't expect to, but she did anyway.
So, Yay!
"I'll be honest, didn't expect you to win even with ASIA's help," Izuku says after turning back from someone. Her stomach is still doing flips despite not being spun around anymore, and there's a part of her that wishes he'll pick her up again so she can keep feeling those strong arms…
"Mei? Mei!"
His voice brings her back to reality as she was midway to daydreaming. He looks at her with a raised eyebrow and a small sideways smile, just a hint of smugness in his expression, though she doesn't see that.
ASIA's body that was created from the junk in Takoba Municipal Beach walked up next to the two Support students. "Apologies for kicking your ass in the first event father, but you did tell me to side with Mei."
Izuku merely laughed at the burn. "Hahaha! Yeah right! I was just going easy on you two, wouldn't want to hurt my daughter or my beautiful assistant now, would I?"
Mei pouts at him while trying to ignore that her cheeks were turning red. "Assistant? I still won you know? And I probably know more about how ASIA's body works than you do, considering I made most of it myself. So that means you are my assistant." She emphasizes her point by poking him in the chest. "And you better not have forgotten our bet!"
"All right, all right. Fine, you won this round and I did tell you only needed to win once, so yeah, I'll honor our agreement."
Mei squeed. "So you'll-?"
"Yep, I'll make you your own AI baby."
A high-pitched squeal emanated from the excited support student. It was so high that it could barely be heard through the crowd and it caused a hero student with earphone jacks attached to her earlobes to flinch in pain, she looked around to find out what the cause of the noise was. "What the hell was that?"
Izuku, having already known what her reaction would be, had the forethought to cover his ears immediately after he said that and waited for Mei to calm back down.
Mei grabs him by the shoulders and starts to excitedly jump in place. "Really?! You'll do it?! You'll really really really really do it?!"
Not bothering to hide his amused smile, Izuku simply said, "Yes."
She squeals again, though thankfully much quieter this time, she glomps him in full view of everyone watching, but of course, she doesn't care about that.
"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"
Chuckling, Izuku just hugs her back and pats her on the back.
Looking around, he sees multiple eyes watching their little moment, some with smiles, some with blushes, and some confused.
But other than Bakugo's glare, there was another pair of eyes that were looking in their direction, or more accurately, at Mei's back.
Todoroki stands apart from everyone else, his hands on his waist, panting like everyone else. But his eyes are glued to Mei's back alone, anger inside them. But Izuku knows that anger, the reason for it, and why it's aimed at Mei.
Well, that's not entirely accurate, because the hatred isn't aimed at Mei even though the glare is. That hatred is reserved for someone else, someone bigger.
Izuku then sees Uraraka jog towards them, panting like the rest.
"Midoriya! Hatsume!" She stops in front of them and leans on her knees, sweat falling off her face.
They separate from their impromptu hug and Izuku greets her. "Uraraka! You made it too! Congrats! Knew you'd make it."
*Pant* *Pant* "T-Thanks, though I should be congratulating you two! Mei got 1st place and you got 3rd, I'm so jealous!"
Mei puts her hands on her waist and gives a loud boisterous laugh. "Hahaha! Of course, we did! I did tell you that our babies are more than enough to make up for our lack of training and sufficient Quirks!"
*Pant* "A-Are you sure those are the only reasons? Because, *Pant* you don't look out of breath at all."
Izuku answers back. "Well, I know I'm not that tired because I know my stamina and my suit picked up most of my slack, Mei on the other hand, even without ASIA over here," He points towards the robot. "Can you even envision Mei getting tired?"
Uraraka takes precisely 3 seconds to think about it and immediately thinks no, she can't imagine such a thing. Mei is just a whirlwind of energy and insanity, never resting, never tiring, and never out of ideas. Just the thought of her "taking it easy" is so out of place that neither Izuku nor Uraraka can imagine it.
The hero student finally stood up straight and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "Fair enough, though didn't expect you guys to be so competitive."
"That one's on me," Izuku replied. "Made a little bet with Mei, which she won, and besides, we're here to impress some people too."
Most Support Students normally don't aim too high at the Sports Festival, they usually just show off their inventions in the first round in an attempt to impress the Support Items Company Executives that are looking to intern students. Not unlike what the Pro Heroes are doing, they focus on seeing the talent and potential (and Quirks) of the hero course students so they can decide if they would want to mentor someone.
All the other classmates of Izuku and Mei weren't trying to win, just showing off their items in the first round and leisurely making their way to the finish line.
But Izuku and Mei plan on getting further than that, all the way to the end. They'll move further than any other support course student in history, they're aiming for the top.
Not because they want to move up into the hero course like most General Studies students, but to show off just how high Support Items can reach.
"You guys might have this round, but don't get cocky! I'm training to be a hero, so I'll make sure to give it everything I got, even if it's against you guys!" Uraraka declared, her eyes awakening a competitive edge.
"Oh yeah?" Izuku smirked, looking at both girls, each of their gazes unwavering. "Well then, why don't we see how things go then?"
"Let's hope we all have fun."
A FEW MINUTES LATER
"Congratulations to the 42 students that made it through the first round!" Midnight announced from the podium, her voice again being picked up by a mic somewhere on her person. "But don't be too let down if you didn't make the cut, we prepared other opportunities for you to shine." She says with a seductive smile, even going so far as to lick her lips.
This woman should really be on a list…
Sure enough, exactly 42 students stood in the middle of the stadium, almost all of them being hero course students with only three exceptions. The despondent general education students who lost the first event now sit in the stands, disappointed at their failure. It was an expected outcome, they didn't have training or flashy Quirks, but they hoped, just hoped that they'd impress.
Reality is unfair, however.
"Now the real fun is about to begin. The chance to fully move yourselves to the limelight! Give it your best!"
Whipping her flogger-style whip into the air, the hologram behind her starts to cycle through events again, moving so quickly that the image looked like a blur of rapidly changing colors. Eyes are locked onto the screen with determination in their eyes, the first event to weed out most of the competitors is over now, this is where the real games start.
The slot machine goes round and round.
"Let's see what we have in store for you next! Will your wildest fantasies come to life~?"
'Does she have to say it like that?' Multiple people thought.
"Or will it be nothing but torture? Behold!"
Until it stops at-
"Cavalry battle?" A hero student with blonde hair named Kaminari Denki groaned. "I'm terrible at those."
If one were to know his Quirk then they would agree.
Midnight then explained the rules of the game (after angrily quieting some students who were putting the pieces together). Teams of two to four people: one rider and at least one horse. The contestants can keep going even if their formation is broken but the rider is not allowed to touch the ground, but it doesn't say that they can't leave it, so a little loophole to exploit there. A team also can't deliberately knock another team down, doing so will result in disqualification.
Each group will have a strip of cloth with a certain number of points with it, the points being calculated from the sum of all the member's points based on their place in the first event. The points are counted up starting from the 42nd place at 5 points, and for every consecutive place up, another 5 is added.
But 1st place doesn't follow those rules, instead, the winner of the 1st game will be worth-
"Ten Million!"
Silence.
For a few moments, only absolute silence follows the announcement.
Mei only tilts her head at what she heard, but nearly everyone stared at her after hearing that.
Ten Million points from one person alone is an instant win, so whoever holds her headband instantly gets 1st place.
She's become the target now.
Bakugo's eyes glare at her with rageful determination.
Todoroki stares with cold resolution.
Uraraka looks at her with a mix of shock and resolve.
Everyone else has greed in their gaze, not quite the malicious kind, but greed all the same.
Izuku just side-eyes her, already knowing what she's thinking.
This is supposed to show one of the problems of being at the top, the attention. Oh sure, one could get all the praise and affection one could ever want up there, but being the best comes with burdens, competition, and enemies.
But Mei?
Mei just realized that all eyes will be on her and her babies.
How do you think she reacts?
"Hehehehehehehehehe…" A low titter comes from the pink-haired student. She's practically jumping in place in excitement, there's no fear in her expression, no apprehension, only the mad glee of a mad scientist getting her mad way.
It helped surprisingly, some students backed off at the clearly insane girl, intimidated.
Still, getting Mei's headband is an easy win and a surefire way to reach the top, or so they thought anyway.
Now all that is left, is to find a team.
But this is school, and finding teams there will always be a tale of drama.
"You have 15 minutes to build your teams! So you better get started!"
With the murmurs of the students, the second game has begun.
CUT
"You should team with me!"
"No, you definitely want me by your side!"
Voices left and right blend together in Bakugo's ears as extras surround him, trying to get him to team up with them. They vaguely looked familiar to him.
He almost scoffed at that word, "team", he doesn't do teams.
If you were too weak to do anything yourself then you don't get to be a hero. But the rules say he needs a team, so he'll need a team.
'They better not slow me down.'
Then, an arm suddenly wraps around his shoulders, the feeling all too familiar at this point because of a certain red-haired someone (because who else could be that confident to just walk up to him and act like they're friends?). He doesn't notice the surprise of the other hero students in front of him. Bakugo doesn't even bother to look at who threw their arm around him and just says, "Hey, dumb hair, tell me what your Quirk is again."
The answer surprises him, not because of what the answer was, but because of where it came from.
"Hey, my name is Kirishima remember? And my hair's not that different from yours. Uh, who's your friend?"
Kirishima's voice answered from his left, he just noticed the familiar stupid hair walking towards the others surrounding him.
'Then who-?'
"Well, his 'friend' is right here, so you could've just asked him yourself." A very familiar voice comes from the person right next to him. His back straightens and his body stands rigid in shock, his eyes widen as wide as they can go, and his fists clench tight. The reaction immediately grabs everyone's attention, nervous eyes look back and forth between Bakugo and the student that's right next to him.
The voice continues talking as Bakugo's head slowly turns to face it. "Gotta say Bakugo, you're pretty famous around these parts. Then again, you've always been 'great' at making friends haven't you?"
Red eyes lock onto green ones.
Freckled cheeks scrunch up as a wide smile encompasses Deku's face. "So, wanna team up? For old time's sake."
Ah, nothing better than working together with an old friend, eh Izuku?
Sorry if this chapter seemed off in some way but I'm writing on fumes here. Not on ideas, but on life in general.
Anyway, thank you for sticking around, support if you'd like and I'll see you all next update.