Chapter 5

"Where is All Might?" Tomura asks, white hair a contrast against his own black clothes. Kurogiri appears next to him along with a lifeless, puppet Nomu. Izuku steps beside Tomura, dressed in black turtleneck and black slacks. "Our intel said All Might would be here with Thirteen. Looks like there was a… misinterpretation." Izuku replies, raising an eyebrow. "Tch, if the child can't even manage to be a mole-" Tomura speaks halfway when he realizes Izuku's eyes straining to a boy in the middle of the class.

"Oh… Is that…" Tomura smirks. Bakugo's eyes widened as he eyes the green haired boy he once knew. His face did not change except for the jagged scar near his forehead and his body seemed to be buffed, larger and… trailed with scars. "Thirteen!" Aizawa shouts, getting ready in a combat stance. The Pro-hero is ready to rush face-first into a fight, but a trail of smoke explodes in the air and Bakugo is already within inches of the Villains. "No, wait!" Aizawa shouts, fear in his voice when he reaches out desperately with his binding cloth to catch Bakugo but the boy is already in the air, eyes filled with dangerous rage.

"DEKU!" The voice startles everyone, even the villains. His fist is in the air, a mixture of dust and soot as he swings in towards the green haired boy – the only person unfazed by the sudden attack and Bakugo swings his fist, letting the explosion collide with Izuku's…. bare fist?

"God is quite unfair for you to get stronger every time we meet, Kacchan." Izuku says, a chill in his voice as his bare hands catch Bakugo's exploding fist with ease. Bakugo's eyes widened, shock at how he managed to catch his full-blown attack and how the only possible explanation was…

Deku had a quirk.

It doesn't take long for Bakugo to notice the black smoke emitting from Deku's palms. Bakugo immediately distances himself from the league, careful to not get caught in their trap when he realizes… this is the real deal. No matter how much Bakugo wanted to believe Deku was still the same person, that maybe he really had nothing to do with this name of Villain Deku, that maybe… it was all just a game – Bakugo knew it was just wishful thinking. Especially not when the boy standing in front of him, had a quirk which easily went against his own.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima yells, rushing to his side. The rest of the class is already on their toes, struggling to form into a defensive circle with Aizawa and Thirteen already trying to defeat the minor villains. There was no time, not enough of them to even think of how they could safely defend the students without having them engage in combat. As fifteen-year-old kids they should not have been allowed to fight, but with their lives on the line – they will have to fight if they want to live. "Gather around everyone! Stay calm and get into positions. I hereby give everyone permission to use their quirks!" Aizawa shouts from a distance while taking down three villains simultaneously.

The class shivers and trembles, still unsure and scared at how they were facing off against real villains when they had only been enrolled in U.A for a month. Bakugo scowled deeply and felt the tenseness in the muscles of his fists. He had to think, had to focus – not just Deku… but whoever the villains he was with meant that they were here to execute a plan.

"What the hell…." Sero whispers, trying to defend himself as he eyes the approaching villains. "What do we do?" Mina asks, sweat running down her pink hair. "Everyone, stay calm. We have to find a way out of this situation." Yaomomo replies, calm despite the shaking of her legs.

"All Might isn't here… do we still execute our plan?" Kurogiri asks. "The Symbol of Hope will come for these children. What use is the symbol of heroes if he cannot protect the children at the establishment he is teaching?" Deku replies, a gloved hand in his chin. "The goal is to defeat All Might; these kids are bait. Oh, he will come to make an entrance…." Tomura looks up at the boy, a smirk slowly appearing on his face. "Just make sure the screams of this kids are loud enough to echo for him to hear." Izuku says, a smirk on his pale face.

The words send a chill down Bakugo's spine. Deku was serious, he was seriously considering… violence. Bakugo could not believe the same boy who stood up for the weak, against him who was a genius, was going to… kill. Something snapped in Bakugo when he heard those words, suddenly the memories of the chilly night he last met Deku five years ago comes back to him. It feels like his stuck in time, as if his mind is replaying the words he said to Deku about how he should have jumped off that bridge. Bakugo was angry, furious – so furious he could not think straight. So furious at Deku but mostly, himself; for allowing Deku to turn into this monster.

"DEKU!" The yell is sharp and clear as the explosion hits Deku's face; catching him off guard. Kurogiri warps and sends everyone into different directions, mostly trying to scatter everyone – friend or foe. However, Deku and Bakugo still remain on the same terrain, as they both have a long score to settle. Deku stands from the ground, his left cheek bruised but he smirks. "Five years we haven't met and you're still the same bully, huh; Kacchan? Does it bring back memories of how you hit me when I was quirkless?" Deku asks.

The two are secluded on the far side of the terrain, the ideal location for a fight that was guaranteed to get nasty. Bakugo was glad that none of his classmates was around to see him, he did not need distractions if he was going to go full-force. "Don't shit me, Deku. As if you were that weak and fragile. Don't use what I did as an excuse for what you're doing now." Bakugo's words hit like glass. Deku's eyes widened before he laughs, a chilling giggle echoed from his throat. "Kacchan… you're so smart. As expected of you… you are my best friend after all, even though you never wanted to admit it." Bakugo growls, explosions ringing in his palms.

Words will not get through him. Deku is no longer the same boy who could understand him. If Bakugo was going to do things his way, he was going to hit some sense into him until he was satisfied. "DEKU!" Bakugo hits first, the explosion amplifying in power and sending a large shockwave heading straight for Deku – but as before, Deku is predicting his movements and catches his fist with ease. Bakugo goes in for a kick, letting the sole of his boots hit Deku's ribcage. Deku coughs but Bakugo feels a weird sense in his palms.

His quirk is weakening.

The blasts from before should have been harder, larger but now… it's reduced by a good twenty percent. The difference is not too obvious but still, Bakugo who has trained and honed his quirk since the age of four is one who knows his own quirk like the extension of his body. "That quirk of yours… how did you get it?" Bakugo growls. Deku smirks, red orbs reflecting Bakugo's rage-filled face. "Surprised? You're the one who told me to jump off the bridge and wished to be reborn with a quirk in my next life after all." Bakugo flinches, hearing the words deep in his heart for the first time. He knows it's part of his fault, he is to blame – Bakugo was a bully and he had a hand in whatever Deku has become.

"Did you want a quirk so badly that you had to become a Villain to have one?!" Bakugo yells, furious. A fist towards the face, Deku catches his fist expertly, then a right hook and Deku's eyes follow his every move, predicting his movements with ease. Deku had been watching Bakugo fight all these years and if anyone knew the blonde boy's fighting patterns, it would be none other than the quirkless boy who took on the brunt of his power. "That's right, I wanted power. Power that I was cruelly denied by god." Deku says. Bakugo goes in for another left hook, hitting Deku's chin. "Was that what you meant that day? About borrowing my power?!" Bakugo yells, an explosion emitting from his palms – it's not as strong as usual and he knows it, so he does the next best move.

Deku reads his movements and moves to catch his fist with the black smoke emitting from his own gloved hands but then a kick from beneath sends him swinging towards the ground. "You have a bad habit of overanalyzing things, Deku." Bakugo growls, knowing that he used a feint to attack Deku. Bakugo grabs Deku's arm with an iron grip and sends him towards the ground, restraining his movements.

"Tell me the truth! Stop lying to me, you shitty nerd!" Bakugo growls, eyes filled with rage. "You want power?! You wanted a quirk so badly you're willing to turn into a villain?" Deku stares at Bakugo's red orbs with a scowl. "What happened to that boy who admired All Might like a hopeless fanboy?! What happened to the boy who wanted justice as to stand up to me even if he is quirkless?!" The words sting Deku as he realizes the weight of those words. There was once a time when Deku had only wanted to be All Might, who desperately wanted to be a hero. Oh how long did that felt like…. How far did that dream go?

"The quirkless Deku I knew was so much cooler than the Villain Deku I see in front of me." Bakugo shouts with a ferocity he never thought he could muster. It shocks Izuku, the hear the words spoken. Izuku has lost touch with the emotions he felt when he abandoned them to be a villain a long, long time ago. He remembers there was once peaceful days of him in a park, on adventures, playing games… with Kacchan and all he wanted was to be a hero. How simple were those days…

…. Days he cannot go back to anymore.

"Don't talk as if what you did to me was justice, Kacchan." The words flinch Bakugo from his moment, realizing that Deku's eyes were no longer the usual black but now a vicious and tormenting red. Before he can react any further, a hand comes loose from his grip and tightens around Bakugo's neck. Bakugo's back hits the ground, Deku's body towering over him as the gloved hand grips Bakugo's neck. Bakugo lets out a strained cry as he feels the pain in his throat and the weakening of his body. "Don't talk as if you are so high and mighty, Kacchan. It pisses me off." Bakugo kicks and turns, struggling to get away from the grip which cut off his oxygen supply. His eyes water and he can only seem to stare into rage filled, angry red eyes belonging to an innocent face he once thought he knew.

"It pisses me off. You were such a nasty person with a superiority complex and yet… everyone around you loved you. You were blessed with a powerful quirk, born talented and smart, great looks and great memory… yet… yet… you were only a disgusting person who bullied those without power." Deku yells. "You were given a quirk and yet you abused the power given to you to hurt others without it, like me!" Bakugo's eyes closed as he feels only pain and his vision whitens. "With the quirk you were given you should have been a wonderful hero, Kacchan – but you decided to use it to be a villain instead."

No, that's not true. I'm not a villain, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not –

"You call me a villain, but you're the one who made me one, Kacchan." The whisper is so agonizing that Bakugo's kicks stop, he allows the pain to overwhelm him. He allows the lack of oxygen to hit his body, to feel his heart thumping in his chest so loud, feel the blankness of his mind, the numbness in his palms. Bakugo Katsuki entered U.A. thinking that he would become Pro-hero, he would change things, he could redeem himself for what he has done. Now, he knows very well no amount of redemption can ever make up for what he's done now. Slowly, he allows his hands to drop to the ground and for a moment thinks that maybe he should embrace death.

A death he deserves for all that he has done.

As his eyes close shut and his body stops trembling, his mind is left with blank with only Deku's painful clutching of his throat. Bakugo thinks back to an innocent time when they were five-year-old kids, best friends with an admiration for heroes that could rival any other five-year-old. There was a time when they were two peas in a pod, friends together for dreams that they could achieve. Bakugo for once wishes that maybe his quirk never manifested; that why he might have been able to stay as friends with Deku forever and nothing like this would happen. A tear slips down Bakugo's right eye and Deku's hands freeze, his fingers slipping from the iron grip he had on his childhood friend.

Bakugo slips down to the floor, coughing and gasping profusely for air. Before the two can even react, a strong gust of wind flows in between the two and when Deku blinks, he sees a head of blonde hair in front of his face. The next blink, there is a fist meeting his stomach, the impact so strong and fast that it sends Deku flying towards the end of the terrain, coughing. There is no chance for him to even use his quirk, the attack so fast and precise that it could have come from….

"All Might!" The shout of joy and hope is clear, ringing in everyone's ears – heroes or villains. Bakugo blinks, eyes blurry with exhaustion and desperation. He doesn't register that there is someone in front of him immediately, toned and strong and the forever symbol of hope. Bakugo blinks and lets the tear stream down from his right eye as he stares at the figure, a back he had watched since a young child, only hoping to be like him.

"All might…." The whisper is as if a cry for help, a vulnerability; something that Bakugo doesn't show. The fifteen-year-old boy has borne the weight of facing his childhood friend as an enemy and somewhere along the line, he has a part in why Deku is who he is today. Bakugo remembers that he is only human when he is relieved at the idol he has looked up to has came to save the day.

"Heroes always save the day!"

The words appear in both Bakugo and Deku's mind – one filled with hope and relief; while the latter is only reminded of how cruel the world is for his mother was not saved the day he needed it the most.

"Do not fear, for I am here!" The catchphrase is loud and reassuring to all those present. Even Uraraka tears up in her battered and bruised state. The kids of 1-A let out sighs of relief except for one, hidden in the back as he shakes in fear of what consequences his actions have caused now that the main character has arrived.

"Young Bakugo, are you all right?" All Might asks and Bakugo immediately stands from the ground, legs still shaking. He may have allowed his weakness to show for a short moment, but it does not mean he is allowed that luxury even further. Bakugo has to settle this one for all. "All Might, don't butt in our fight." Bakugo says in a low growl. All Might smiles brightly despite the worry in his mind of how long he can maintain the state he is in. "Young Bakugo, I admire your boldness and courage but you are merely a student who should not risk his life in a battle when you are inexperienced." Bakugo is ready for a shouting match with his idol when all of a sudden, a blast of black swirls and tendrils erupts from Deku's fists and with a blink of an eye, he appears behind All Might, aiming for his heart.

Bakugo draws out an arm to block the attack All Might did not even manage to see. Bakugo feels a bone break in his right fist, taking the force of Deku's attack. All Might reacts next, a strong and experienced punch lands on Deku's already injured stomach. The hits are continuous but Deku does not seem to be pained. He only blocks and lets a smirk creep up to his face, red eyes glowing as he eyes All Might.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima shouts, rushing to his side along with Todoroki and Uraraka. "Bakugo-kun!" Bakugo growls in low annoyance when he realizes more people have arrived to hinder his fight. "Your arm…" Kirishima whispers, concerned when Bakugo flinches in pain on the ground on one knee. "Get young Bakugo out of here! I will deal with this villain." All Might orders and Kirishima and the others exchange worried glances. "L-let's leave this to All Might, he can take care of the villains." Uraraka whispers, taking Bakugo's good arm over her own shoulder. "No!" Bakugo growls, getting up abruptly despite the pain in his arm. "Bakugo! All Might won't lose, we're just a hindrance to him if we stay!" Kirishima's words are true but Bakugo cannot stand down.

He knows they are inexperienced and scared, not being able to hold their own against villains. Still, something does not feel right. Bakugo knows something does not feel right. "Are you so confident that you can win against the League of Villains, All Might?" Deku asks, red eyes glowing as he scowled; black tendrils emitting smoke from his own hardened fists. "The cost it took you to put All for One behind bars is a price too large for you to pay." All Might flinches at the mention of the villain, his hands silently shaking.

"How do you…." All Might whispers. Bakugo flinches, realizing just how much has been planned for this surprise attack. "You're the kid he was trying to protect… aren't you? I can't believe you managed to train that dangerous quirk without breaking your body….." All Might says. Deku smiles, a warp forming behind him. "Oh, you'll be surprised at what we'll do to you too, All Might." Deku says, the next moments go by in a flash as a sword pierces through All Might's chest, red crimson blood dripping towards the ground.

Bakugo and the others flinch, too shocked to even muster words as they can only stare at the number one hero, the idol they have looked up to, the symbol of hope – falls to the ground like a lifeless body. The world's number one top hero, the epitome of justice, the symbol that deters villains, everyone's hope and dreams – reduced to a corpse.

"The world does not need a false symbol of hope." Deku says, red eyes gleaming in the dark with a smirk to match, yet all Bakugo could sense was despair from those eyes that were once justice and innocent. Even with a corpse at his feet, Bakugo wonders why those eyes stare at his own crimson orbs as if it were a cry….

"You looked like you were asking for help, Kacchan!"

….. for help.

…..

HOW DO YOU LIKE DEKU YALL GIVE ME COMMENTS?! What do you think is going to happen next chapter?! Who's the traitor? What happened to Deku?!