Chapter 39: It's About Drive, It's About Power
Katsuki was only slightly freaking out.
His mind was already full to the brim with so many thoughts and things that he refused to think about because he knew that as soon as he did, everything would change again, and he wasn't ready for that yet. So, even though he had a million thoughts and feelings that he had to mentally beat back with a stick, he just kept on going and going. Because if he kept going, he wouldn't have time to stop. And if he didn't stop, then he couldn't think.
And on top of that, exams were coming up.
Mr. Aizawa had told the class about the upcoming exams and how important they were. He stressed that anyone who didn't pass would have to face the consequences and left the class frozen in confused fear as they all speculated what he meant by that.
Some worried that it meant that they weren't going to be able to go to the summer training camp, some thought that maybe he was going to threaten to expel them again, but Katsuki was too caught up in his head to listen. It wasn't that he was worried about not passing, he was just weary of what their teacher had up his sleeve.
The written portion would be easy enough, but it was the physical aspect that was really stressing him out.
Others in his class were dead set on it just being those stupid robots again, but Katsuki didn't think so. As much as the school loved flaunting it's money and seemingly endless amount of dispensable robots, their homeroom teacher loved surprising them even more.
Fighting robots would be too easy with how hard they had all been working. So, the question now was what was that hobo planning?
The teachers…
They were going to fight the freaking teachers. Literal pro heroes…
"You've got to be kidding me-" His words were drowned out by the sound of rushing wind and a loud boom as the dust settled and revealed a smiling All Might. "Oh, son of a-"
This was going to end horribly. Like, it could go fine, but most likely it was going to be a disaster. Old him would've scoffed at the challenge and refused to admit that any of the pros were stronger than him, but him now-the more sensible Katsuki-knew better and had a better sense of self preservation.
That same self-preservation that went out the window when it was announced that he would be trying to defeat All Might.
He was going to be partnered up with Go Oba, the kid with the senses quirk. It was actually a pretty good matchup if he really thought about it. Katsuki was one of the most advanced when it came to combat both physical and quirk-based and Oba had some fight training due to his dad's job.
The only other student who could maybe even stand a chance against the number one hero was Todoroki, but he was paired with the creation girl, Yaoyorozu, against Mr. Aizawa, which was almost worse.
Oba and he would be going last, so they had plenty of time to strategize and get their nerves under control.
The kid's quirk let him strengthen his senses and weaken someone else's senses. A very useful advantage if you knew how to utilize it properly. Add that to his fighting style and Katsuki, and the two might've actually had a chance at passing.
The first step to beating the number one hero was to stop thinking of him as such. If they let their biases about him cloud their judgement, then they were screwed. They just had to think of him as just some villain that they were going to fight and ignore the fact that he was the strongest hero probably ever.
Next step was to realize that he wasn't unbeatable. The teachers were going to be wearing weighted cuffs on their wrists and ankles to slow them down, so that was one advantage. Another was that this was an exam after all, and they were first year students. They wouldn't just give their all in this, they would have to allow the students some chance to pass otherwise they wouldn't be doing their jobs. It was supposed to be a test to bring out their skills, and no test was unbeatable.
Step number three was to strategize and come up with different plans of attack and ways that they could exploit All Might's weaknesses. If he had any.
It took them a while, but they finally came up with a solid plan that they were both happy with. And by the time they were done strategizing, it was time to hop on the bus to their test site.
After about ten minutes, the bus stopped and the three of them stepped out into a fake city. All Might bid them farewell and good luck as he retreated into the city to make his own plan and prepare for the two of them coming after him.
A robotic voice above explained the rules of the exam: they had thirty minutes to pass. They could pass either by restraining the villain or escaping and if they did neither by the end of the time then they failed.
Simple enough.
The buzzer initiating the start of their exam sounded and the two boys looked at each other and nodded.
"Let's do this."
"Damn straight."
Oba's bright silver hair disappeared behind some buildings and Katsuki trusted that he was setting up the first stage of their plan.
His attention was drawn to something loud and big coming straight for him. He sidestepped and saw that it was one of those wind attacks that All Might sometimes used just by throwing a punch. If he wasn't in the middle of an exam, he might have geeked out a bit, but he knew that then wasn't the time to channel his inner Izuku.
Although maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.
What would Izuku do in this situation?
Katsuki mentally flinched at the mention of the boy's name. As always, he was the center of the million thoughts that plagued him constantly. He had convinced himself that he was crazy and just seeing things, but then he had accidentally walked into the wrong hallway during the festival and…
Let's just say that it took a lot for him to keep up his act as if everything was fine.
Right after the festival, he tore through everything that he possibly could about Izuku and his family, but the only thing he found was stuff that he already knew.
Well, there was one interesting thing he found, but didn't really deem important. He saw that Izuku's dad had been in town for a second but had left just as mysteriously as he had arrived. Did Izuku know that he was here? Did he see him? Did Uncle Hisashi know that Izuku was even alive?
Like he said, way too many thoughts and feelings all at once.
Ugh, focus Katsuki! You're in the middle of an exam right now!
He shook his head in an attempt to shake the thoughts away (it didn't work) and instead focused on strategizing and channeling his inner Izuku.
What would Izuku do…?
He'd come up with a plan and list off everything that he knew about All Might and figure out how to take him down from that.
Now, Katsuki wasn't nearly as smart or attentive as Izuku was, but he did pick up a skill or two from the boy. Something he was very thankful for at the moment.
It wasn't long before All Might himself followed his attack and Katsuki braced for the hero. This fight wasn't going to be pleasant; he knew that. If he expected to win this without a few scratches, then he would be an idiot. You don't just go against the number one hero and leave unscathed. That being said, Katsuki was used to pain and injuries, so, "Game on, old man."
The pro flew at him and before he could get too close, Katsuki let off an explosion in his face that doubled to shoot him away from his target in case he decided to get handsy.
All Might recovered from the attack like it hadn't even tickled, "Is that all you've got young hero? I have to say, I expected more."
"Not even close." Katsuki crouched down and smirked as he saw movement in his peripheral.
It seemed that their plan was already panning out. All Might would try to take out Katsuki first since his quirk was the most destructive, but in doing so, he would neglect Oba and his quirk's usefulness.
The pale boy landed on the pro's back and placed both hands on the sides of his head and braced himself. "Please don't throw me off, please don't throw me off-"
All Might grunted and reached back to yank Oba off his back and fling him a few yards away, but not before his quirk took effect. The hero looked around frantically and began to stumble on his feet.
"How do you like being blind number one? Not so scary now, huh?"
"Is that what you boys think? That a little obstacle such as this is enough to deter me? They don't call me number one for nothing!" The hero swatted one hand to the side where Oba had recovered and tried to sneak attack again but managed to jump away out of his reach and used his other hand to land a hit on Katsuki.
He smiled brightly as he heard Katsuki's grunt, but it seemed that it was him who had underestimated them. The pro fought the two of them off incredibly well for being blind, but luckily, they weren't nearly finished yet.
Katsuki charged the pro and lit off double explosions in his face to throw him off balance and All Might stumbled right back into Oba who was ready with his quirk once again. He cupped his hands around the pro's ears and quickly scrambled back as the hero began to swing blindly.
Hard to be number one without hearing or sight. He could probably hold his own if he had some time to adjust, but the boys were smart enough to not give him that time.
The two of them began to overwhelm All Might with attacks as the hero did all he could to defend himself blindly. It was almost too easy at this point.
He did manage to get a few hits in however and boy did they hurt. Katsuki was going to have to visit Recovery Girl once this was all over and he wasn't looking forward to it. Although maybe she'd give him a break since his injuries would be All Might's fault. He sure hoped so, he really didn't want another scolding from the old lady.
All Might still managed to hold more than his own against the two boys while being impaired and overwhelmed. Enough that it kinda pissed Katsuki off but also gave him a swell of pride at the man who truly did deserve to be at the top.
Time was running out. Both the boys knew this and that's why when they looked at each other and nodded, Oba danced away from the still swinging pro and sprinted in the city to look for the exit. Katsuki would stay and keep All Might busy, hopefully he'd be enough against the pro's weakened state.
Katsuki knew that in order to even think about keeping up, he would have to bring out the big guns and that meant his gauntlets. The support course had done really well with all of the modifications on the weapons in order to make them safe for a hero in training, but even though they were a lot weaker than he had intended, they still packed one hell of a punch.
He scrambled away as All Might tried to punch him in the gut and positioned himself with his arm raised. "Please work, please work-" He braced himself and pulled the pin on his right gauntlet.
The kickback was what really got him. The weapons worked exactly how he envisioned they would. Storing up an excess amount of his sweat to be able to light off stronger explosions than he would ever be able to do on his own and without hurting himself…it was amazing.
The explosion went off right in the pro's face and managed to blow him back a bit even. As Katsuki recovered from being blown back himself, he took notice of All Might trying to get a grip on his surroundings and took that as his chance to bolt.
It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to beat the hero one-on-one, so the only other logical option was to flee. And that's what he did.
He hoped that the last part of their plan was going to pan out soon, because he wasn't sure how much more of this fight he could take. Katsuki chanced a glace behind him as he ran, "Shi-" All Might slammed directly into him.
How he knew exactly where the boy was, Katsuki didn't know, but what he did know was that he folded like a wet paper towel in the air and landed roughly on the ground as he rolled out his momentum.
"You're not getting away from me that easily young Bakugou!"
Katsuki felt like death. He didn't want to move a muscle and risk his body hurting even more than it already did, but he knew that he had to finish this test. Oba was doing his part, and he had to do his.
He shakily got to his feet and readied himself to fly at the pro with whatever he had left in him. His feet pounded on the ground and as he got closer, he jumped into the air to strike him with a quirked punch, but right as he was winding his fist up the buzzer sounded and All Might snatched him in the air by his collar.
Katsuki's body went limp as he hung in mid-air and the hero boomed with laughter. "Well, well," His voice was much louder than it needed to be, especially with Katsuki right next to him, "It seems that I've been bested. Good work young man."
It was a miracle. If Katsuki had his past mindset, he never would've been able to accept the fact that he was not as good as he thought he was and would've failed due to his own arrogance.
When he really thought about it, Katsuki had changed a lot. But when he thought about it, he couldn't help but frown. The reason why he was different now, why he was able to see just how much as a dick he was and work to being better was because he had destroyed someone so much that they had killed themselves.
It was because of him that Katsuki was different. And it was because of Katsuki that he was dead…even if he was somehow back now, that fact didn't change. So, he had to do better, had to be better. For him.
Thanks Izuku…
"I think I'm going to pass out."
This elicited another too-loud laugh that faded along with everything else as Katsuki's body gave in to the exhaustion.
"Honestly All Might! Did you have to pummel the boy so hard? The other isn't too well off either! You have to learn how to hold back, these are children. First year students." An old lady's irritated voice faded in and out as Katsuki started to come to.
"I know, I know…I just-I wanted them to give their all-"
"Oh, they gave more than that. One is in there with broken ribs and a dozen other issues while the other had bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder! Did you have to throw him so hard?"
"He took my hearing and sight! What was I supposed to do?!"
"I can't believe you," Was the last thing he heard before he went under again. He must've been more tired than he thought.
"I'm what?!"
"We're what?"
Shouta had just told the boys the news about the training camp, and he was receiving very mixed reactions. One, he had expected. Shinso, after he took some time for the information to sink in, was overjoyed at officially being accepted into 1-A and getting to go to the camp with them. The other reaction…he had actually also expected. Izuku looked royally pissed.
Honestly, he couldn't blame him. It wasn't really a choice at this point. Shouta was going to be gone with his class and he really didn't want to leave the kid, so he got permission from Nezu to bring him along.
It would actually be a good thing if the kid ever stopped glaring at him. Izuku was more experienced in almost every aspect than any of the students in his class. He would be able to work with and help them while at camp. And, he would be safe with him, so two birds and whatnot.
Of course, the problem child didn't see it like that.
"Is this your way of forcing your teaching on me?"
"No. This is my way of keeping an eye on you, while also hoping that either your ability will rub off on my students, or some of my students' sensibility and good attitudes will rub off on you."
"Oh, I see, you don't trust me."
"Izuku," Shinso tried to calm the boy down by laying a hand on his shoulder, but he just shrugged it off.
"That's not it either. You know that I trust you, you just so happen to be a magnet for trouble, and I cannot handle another Stain incident."
"That was one time-"
"What about the league? Toga and Dabi? Or what about Conductor?"
"…I see your point."
"Come on Izuku, it'll be so fun to be at the camp together!"
The boy rolled his eyes.
"You already know like half the class, and you'll be there as more of a chaperone than a student, so you won't have to do any of the dirty work." Shinso kept on trying. "Plus, think of all of the trouble we can cause somewhere secluded in the woods…"
Izuku groaned and threw his head back before glaring at Shouta. "Fine."