I don't own My Hero Academia or Kill la Kill, please don't sue.
"Ryuko, d-do you really have to be friends with Bakugo?" Ochaco Uraraka asked.
After their rather... intense first day at UA, the two roommates were back at their shared apartment, sitting at the kitchen table in plastic folding chairs. For dinner, the pair was dining on a luxurious meal of microwavable ramen. Money wasn't that big of an issue for Ryuko, but it was easier than going out. Or heavens forbid, cooking. It didn't taste all that bad either.
While they may have been eating together, there was an air of discomfort between the two. Uraraka looked down at her noodles, picking at them with her chopsticks.
Ryuko continued slurping her cheaply made noodles, looking up at Uraraka to let her know she at least acknowledged the question. Uraraka hadn't said a word to her since she got back from hanging out with Midoriya, even actively avoiding eye contact. She was glad that her roommate finally spoke up, since she was getting a little concerned, but she didn't understand what Bakugo had to do with anything.
"Uh, yeah," Ryuko responded. "Bakugo's awesome! I mean he's kind of an asshole, but still awesome."
Uraraka cringed, shrinking back in her seat. "I just don't think he's the type of person you should be friends with," she said meekly.
What did she have against Bakugo? Ryuko had never even seen the two interact before, yet suddenly she knew all about him? "What's that supposed to mean?" Ryuko asked darkly, almost growling.
"What I mean is that you're a nice person Ryuko," Uraraka said. "And I think that someone like Bakugo is a bad influence on you, that's all."
Bad influence? That's exactly what Senketsu had told her. Ryuko groaned, she respected their opinions, but she was so damn tired of people always assuming they knew what was best for her. Besides, she wasn't just gonna let her shit all over her friend.
"Look, I'm not some good little girl. Bakugo's my friend, so just deal with it," Ryuko said hotly. "I don't care what you or anyone else thinks about him. Yeah, he's a hotheaded punk, but so am I! And we don't like it when people go around all high and mighty, thinking that they can act like assholes just because they're better than us! "
"Is that what you really believe?" Uraraka asked incredulously. "That he just hates bullies?"
"That's not exactly what I said but yeah, I guess you could put it that way," Ryuko replied. "Wait what do you mean 'believe'?"
"Ryuko, he IS a bully!" Uraraka shot back. "I was talking with Deku about it after school. He said that when they were kids Bakugo would make fun of him for not having a quirk. I haven't known you for that long, but I do know that you're not that kind of person."
"Deku?" Oh right, Midoriya. With Uraraka. A trollish grin crept onto Ryuko's face. "Hanging out with Midoriya huh? You even got a nickname for your little boyfriend?" Ryuko teased lightheartedly.
Uraraka turned bright red. "Wait what? No no no, tha-that's not it, really I swear!" She buried her face in her hands. "Don't try to change the subject!" she said, having regained her composure. "He burned Deku's notebook and told him that he was useless, that he could never be a hero! You shouldn't be friends with him!"
Ryuko was stunned. She was lying, she had to be. Uraraka reached her hand out to Ryuko as a peace offering, which she quickly slapped away. "You don't know what you're talking about," Ryuko snarled. She stormed back to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Ryuko flopped down onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. Bakugo, a bully? No, there had to an explanation. She needed to hear his side of things. Besides, so what if he teased Midoriya occasionally? That's just what kids did. Sure, she was always the one on the receiving end of said teasing. The popular girls back in middle school made fun of her all the time, usually because of her weird dad or dead mom. Ryuko gritted her teeth thinking about it, her only comfort being that most of those girls were now eating out of straws.
No, she was looking too much into it. Midoriya was just oversensitive and exaggerating, he almost cried on the first day of school after all. Bakugo probably just wanted to have a bit of fun with him and went a bit overboard sometimes. It was nothing more than that. She pushed the memory of Bakugo's hateful glare and him charging at Midoriya out of her mind.
Well, she hoped that it wasn't true.
Because then she'd have to kill him.
Ryuko hadn't spoken with Uraraka since their fight last night. Even though they still walked to school together, neither was willing to look the other in the eye. She hoped that this wasn't permanent, Uraraka was her friend. In fact, she was the first friend she made since coming to Musutafu. Plus, living with her would get awkward real fast if this continued.
"And in 2077, the Government of Japan officially disbanded, leaving the country to be run by various crime syndicates and mega-corporations who would fight for control for decades to come," Midnight droned on, scribbling the date down on the timeline she had on the whiteboard.
While UA was a hero school, it still required its students to take normal high school classes. Having pro heroes as teachers seemed like it would be fun... for about five minutes. Not even Present Mic could make English class interesting to Ryuko. She was never the honor student type before, and she doubted that trend would break anytime soon.
Ryuko leaned back in her seat, trying her hardest not to yawn too loudly. Why did school have to be so damn boring? And Japanese History, that was the worst. She envied Mako for her ability to fall asleep on command, but the best she could do was stare at the clock and wait for lunch.
"Can anyone tell me what the main contributing factor to the fall of the national government was?" Midnight asked. "Ms. Matoi, you seem awfully comfortable. That must be because you know the material so well. Why don't you answer?"
Ryuko sat straight up in shock and cursed to herself. Of course she didn't know the answer, she wasn't paying attention! "Uh, it was because of quirks, right?" she answered lamely.
"Not exactly, but for the most part, yes," Midnight said. "Can anyone give a more detailed explanation?" Midoriya raised his hand in the air.
"Well, Japan was one of the last national governments to fall, but when quirks became more powerful and commonplace, the military and police force couldn't keep up," Midoriya answered. "As the quirk riots became more and more violent with no way for the government to restore order, people's faith in their ability to lead dwindled. A lot of corporations and their private militias seized this opportunity to take whatever they could. Japan returned to a sort of feudal state, with powerful warlords competing for control."
"Correct," Midnight said. "Since quirk use was prohibited in Japan, the world's militaries were ineffective against the warlords whose soldiers had no such restrictions. It wasn't until 2234 that Independent Japan as we know it was formed, though most of the territory it consisted of was united by 2135 by an unknown individual. The rise of professional heroes, specifically All Might, played a huge part in this shift. Who can tell me why?"
Iida stood straight up, giving his answer without even waiting to be called on. Seeing that she was now comfortably off the hook, Ryuko slunk back into her seat, trying to get a small nap in before lunch. Unfortunately, Iida's impassioned speech made that an impossibility.
After what felt like an eternity, Midnight finally dismissed their class for lunch. UA wasn't kidding around when they said all their staff were pro heroes, as the food was prepared by a... cooking hero? Ryuko wasn't exactly sure what a cooking hero was or did and she was pretty weirded out by Lunch Rush's mechanical appearance, but he seemed nice and the food he made was delicious! And cheap.
Ryuko brought her lunch tray, stacked high with croquettes, and sat down at a table with Kirishima and Mina. Kirishima was putting his sharp teeth to work, digging into a massive steak while Mina opted for a salad.
"Talk about a boring day, right?" Mina asked, being the only one capable of speech while Ryuko and Kirishima stuffed their faces.
Ryuko swallowed the croquettes in her mouth. They were delicious, but still not as good as the ones Mako's mom made. "Yeah, English felt like it took forever. And Japanese History? Ugh."
"I thought we'd get to do more hero training," Kirishima added, having finished his meal. "But it's still important that we learn other stuff."
"Yeah I know," Mina admitted. "That doesn't mean I have to like it though. Wait, what's that?" she said, pointing at a lemon on Ryuko's tray.
Ryuko was confused. What was she pointing at? The lemon? What was so strange about that?
"What? You mean this? It's a lemon." Ryuko said, holding up the fruit.
"Yeah I know that, but why do you have it?"
"Um, to eat?" Ryuko took a bite out of the lemon to demonstrate. Mina and Kirishima's jaws dropped, their eyes practically bulged from their sockets.
"Oh my god, what was that?" Mina asked. "That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen in my life! You even ate the peel!"
Ryuko didn't understand why that was such a big deal. She ate lemons like that all the time.
"I don't get what's the big deal, I just eat it like that," Ryuko took another bite, causing Mina to cringe. "Want some?" she offered. Mina shrunk away, but Kirshima grabbed the fruit from her hand.
"Alright, I'll accept your challenge! Time to show you how a real man does it!" Kirishima boasted.
"So I guess we're just 'fake men'?" Ryuko muttered to herself. A challenge? Really? It was a lemon! She was just trying to be nice.
"Hey!" Mina interrupted just as Kirishima was about to bite into the fruit. "No hardening!" Sure enough, Kirishima had activated his hardening on his mouth, making him look like some kind of rock monster.
Kirishima grumbled, but reluctantly unhardened his mouth. He took out a huge chunk of the lemon with his teeth, clearly doing his best to outdo Ryuko. He chewed, trying to put on his best confident smile, but within a few seconds his lips puckered up and it almost looked like he was about to cry. Ryuko and Mina burst out laughing, causing Kirishima to give up and spit the lemon out.
"Alright, I give up," Kirishima said. "Matoi, you're officially the manliest person I know."
Ryuko glared at him.
"I-I meant like as in tough! Or cool!" He explained. Ryuko continued glaring for a second, but it quickly changed into a grin.
"Relax, I was just messing with you," she said. Kirishima and Mina laughed nervously.
"Ok, but seriously, that was disgusting. Are you sure you're human?" Mina jokingly asked. "Or are you some kind of alien?"
"Nope, just one hundred percent human," Ryuko chuckled. The three of them laughed and continued to eat their meals.
After lunch was over, Ryuko and her classmates went back to their homeroom for their afternoon classes. There was an air of excitement as they filed into the classroom and took their seats, students telling each other rumors about what they would do. It wouldn't be any of that boring crap like math or history though. Finally, it was time for hero training.
"I AM HERE!" a loud, boisterous voice shouted that could have only belonged to one man. The man who took control from the ruthless warlords and tyrants who ruled Japan and gave it back to the people. The man who singlehandedly reduced crime across the nation. The man who could stand up to the world's most powerful military. And win. Ryuko was no hero nerd, but even she was amazed by Independent Japan's last line of defense against Satsuki Kiryuin. The Symbol of Peace.
All Might.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" All Might shouted while leaning into the classroom, grabbing the doorframe to keep him from falling on his face. In other words, not normal. He was wearing a red body suit with a blue cape, which Ryuko recognized as his Silver Age costume. The entire class gasped in awe, they were really going to be trained by the number one hero himself! Ryuko found herself smiling along with them.
"I didn't realize you were into heroes," Senketsu remarked.
"Well not really, but come on! It's All Might!" Ryuko replied. She actually found Independent Japan's worship of heroes to be kind of annoying at times, but All Might was one of the few who actually deserved it.
"WELCOME TO THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASS AT UA HIGH! THINK OF IT AS HEROING 101! HERE YOU WILL LEARN THE BASICS OF BEING A PRO! AND WHAT IT MEANS TO FIGHT IN THE NAME OF GOOD!" All Might exclaimed while posing, flexing his massive muscles. "LET'S GET INTO IT! TODAY'S LESSON WILL PULL NO PUNCHES!" He pulled out a card with the word "battle" written on it in block letters.
"Fight training!" Ryuko and Bakugo exclaimed in excitement, both of them sporting wild grins. She looked back at Bakugo and grinned at him. This was gonna be awesome!
"Real combat?" Midoriya mumbled, apparently not as enthusiastic.
"BUT ONE OF THE KEYS OF BEING A HERO IS LOOKING GOOD!" All Might gestured to the wall of the classroom, where shelves containing suitcases marked with a number extended from the wall. "THESE WERE DESIGNED FOR YOU BASED ON YOUR QUIRK REGISTRATION FORM AND THE REQUEST YOU SENT IN BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED!"
Several of Ryuko's classmates, most notably Mina, literally squealed in delight at the prospect of wearing their own costumes. Of course, she wouldn't be joining her classmates in the changing rooms since she was already wearing Senketsu. All she had to do was take off her UA jacket.
"GET YOURSELVES SUITED UP! AND THEN MEET ME AT TRAINING GROUND BETA!"
"Yes sir!" Class 1-A said in unison.
Since she didn't have to waste any time changing, Ryuko was the first one to enter the training ground, which left her alone with All Might. Unfortunately she didn't realize how awkward that would be.
"So, um... nice day isn't it?" Ryuko said, trying to initiate a conversation. All Might practically cringed, a large bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. Great. Her first words to the number one hero and she'd already made a fool of herself.
"Really? Weather?" Senketsu asked. "Isn't that what people talk about when they don't have anything interesting to say?"
"Just shut up," Ryuko grumbled. It was lame, she knew that, but making conversation was never her specialty.
"THAT'S A VERY INTERSTING COSTUME YOU HAVE THERE YOUNG MATOI!" All Might said, breaking the awkward tension.
"Oh yeah!" Ryuko exclaimed, thankful for the opening to talk. "This is Senketsu, he's alive, but only I can talk to him and when I feed him blood he can transform!"
"AH. I SEE," The two looked at each other for a few seconds, waiting for the other to say something. Then they gave up and looked away out of embarrassment.
All Might sighed to himself. He had only talked to a single student of his and he'd already managed to embarrass her into not talking. If he couldn't even make small talk with one student, how was he supposed to teach a class?
He'd assumed that teaching would be just like what he did with young Midoriya when they were training for the entrance exam, but not every student was going to be like that. Maybe this teaching thing would be harder than he thought.
After a very uncomfortable five minutes of standing in silence next to young Matoi, All Might was both relieved and a little scared to see the rest of his class come through the entrance to the training ground, dressed in their costumes. He put on his signature smile to address the class.
"THEY SAY THAT CLOTHES MAKE THE PROS YOUNG LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! AND BEHOLD, YOU ARE THE PROOF! TAKE THIS TO HEART, FROM NOW ON YOU ARE ALL HEROES IN TRAINING!" All Might looked at his students, marveling at their costumes.
Many of them were just a classic bodysuit with some minor aesthetic additions, but a few were quite intricate and even had their own support gear. Back when he was a student, before heroes became as prominent as they were today, they had to make their own costumes out of whatever they could find at home. He smiled thinking of how much things have changed for the better since then.
"THIS IS GETTING ME ALL REVVED UP! YOU LOOK SO COOL!" All Might practically gushed over how awesome his students looked. They almost looked like pros already!
"NOW, SHALL WE GET STARTED, YOU BUNCH OF ZYGOTES?" All Might declared, echoing what his own teacher had told him when they began training with One for All.
Speaking of One for All, where was young Midoriya? He looked towards the back of the pack of students and spotted someone wearing a costume that was clearly homemade. At first glance, it just looked like a green bunny costume, but All Might noticed the tufts of hair... and that toothy smile...
Yeah, that was Midoriya all right.
"YOU'RE SO OBVIOUS!" All Might muttered to himself, putting his hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. Ok, that was enough goofing around, time to get serious. "NOW THAT YOU'RE READY, IT'S TIME TO BEING COMBAT TRAINING!"
"Sir!" young Iida said, wearing a suit of armor reminiscent of Ingenium's. Oh right, they were brothers. "This is the fake city from the entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
"NOT QUITE!" All Might responded, flashing a peace sign. "WE'RE MOVING TWO STEPS AHEAD! MOST OF THE VILLAIN FIGHTS YOU SEE ON THE NEWS TAKE PLACE OUTSIDE. HOWEVER, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, RUN INS WITH THE MOST DASTARDLY EVILDOES TAKE PLACE INDOORS! THINK ABOUT IT! BACKROOM DEALS, HOME INVASIONS, SECRET UNDERGROUND LAIRS! TRULY INTELLIGENT CRIMINALS STAY HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS!"
If he was being honest, All Might couldn't recall the last time he encountered any of those. And Satsuki Kiryuin did anything but lurk in the shadows. However, that only pertained to him and his battles. His students were still newbies. It would be quite a while before they saw their first combat situation with a villain at all, let alone one capable of widespread destruction.
"FOR THIS TRAINING EXERCISE, YOU'LL BE SPLIT INTO TEAMS OF GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS AND FIGHT TWO-ON-TWO INDOOR BATTLES!"
"Isn't this a little advanced?" Asui asked. Yes! An easy question!
"THE BEST TRAINING IS WHAT YOU GET ON THE BATTLEFIELD! BUT REMEMBER, YOU CAN'T JUST PUNCH A ROBOT THIS TIME, YOU'RE DEALING WITH ACTUAL PEOPLE NOW!" All Might finished, satisfied with his answer. That was a relief, maybe teaching wouldn't be that hard after all.
"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?"
"How much can we hurt the other team?"
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?"
"Isn't this cape fabulous?"
Well, it was nice while it lasted.
"GRK, I WASN'T FINISHED TALKING!" All Might sighed in frustration. Thankfully, he had his notebook for situations like this. "LISTEN UP! THE SITUATION IS THIS: THE VILLAINS HAVE HIDDEN A NUCLEAR MISSILE SOMEWHERE IN THEIR HIDEOUT! THE HEROES MUST TRY TO FOIL THEIR PLANS! TO DO THAT, THE GOOD GUYS HAVE TO EITHER CAPTURE THE EVILDOERS OR RECOVER THE WEAPON! LIKEWISE, THE BAD GUYS SUCCEED IF THEY PROTECT THEIR PAYLOAD OR CAPTURE THE HEROES! TIME'S LIMITED, AND WE'LL CHOOSE TEAMS BASED ON DRAWING LOTS!" All Might said, holding up a box labelled "lots" to show his students.
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked. Thankfully, young Midoriya took this one for him.
"Think about it, pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot. So maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here!" he answered.
"Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events. Excuse my rudeness!" Iida apologized and then bowed.
"I still don't like it, but when do I ever get what I want?" Matoi grumbled. All Might laughed and slapped Matoi on the shoulder, which to his surprise didn't even cause her to flinch.
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT! HEROES ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING, EVEN WHEN THE ODDS ARE AGAINST THEM! IT IS THE MEASURE OF A TRUE HERO TO RISE ABOVE THAT UNFAIRNESS SO THAT JUSTICE CAN BE SERVED! NOW, LET'S DRAW!"
Team A: Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka
Team B: Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji
Team C: Minoru Mineta and Momo Yaoyorozu
Team D: Katsuki Bakugo and Tenya Iida
Team E: Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido
Team F: Rikido Sato and Koji Koda
Team G: Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro
Team H: Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui
Team I: Ryuko Matoi and Mashirao Ojiro
Team J: Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero
"I DECLARE THAT THE FIRST TEAMS TO FIGHT WILL BE..." after digging around in the boxes, All Might pulled a ball out from each one. "THESE GUYS! TEAM A WILL BE THE HEROES! TEAM D WILL BE THE VILLAINS! EVERYONE ELSE CAN HEAD TO THE MONITORING ROOM TO WATCH!"
Young Midoriya glanced at his opponent, who glared murderously back. Midoriya initially shrunk away meekly, but his successor held his ground and met Bakugo's gaze with his own determined look. All Might was starting to wonder if this particular matchup was such a good idea, but Midoriya needed this.
He needed to realize that he could win.
As Ryuko walked to the monitoring room with the rest of her classmates, she put her hand on Bakugo's shoulder, who was making his way to his fake hideout.
"Hey, good luck. And try not to go too rough on the little guy," she said jokingly. Regardless of what he felt about Midoriya, she didn't think he'd actually try to seriously injure him.
"I'm gonna kill that damn nerd," Bakugo snarled, as if he hadn't even noticed her.
"Alright, I guess I'll leave you to it then," Ryuko said, more than a little disturbed by his statement. She shook off her concerns, it was probably nothing, just like him saying "die" at the ball toss. He said stuff like "die" and "kill" so much it was part of his regular vocabulary. But there was something different this time. He wasn't screaming or raging like he was during the quirk apprehension test, he was eerily calm. Still furious, but a colder, more tranquil kind.
Ryuko snapped herself out of her train of thought. She was overthinking things again, the worst that could happen would be Midoriya getting a little roughed up.
Izuku Midoriya looked over at the building's floorplan. Why did it have to be so huge? Pretty much every floor was a labyrinth of hallways and corridors. There was no way they'd be able to memorize the whole thing.
After his initial shock, he noticed that there was a window on the second floor that was accessible through the building's fire escape. They could use that to avoid a potential ambush right at the building's main entrance. It was unlikely that one of the villains would attack them right off the bat, but knowing Kacchan, it wasn't an impossibility.
Kacchan. He was going to have to fight Kacchan. Just thinking about it made him nervous. And what did that scary girl, Matoi, tell him? Don't go too rough on him? What was he going to do?
"Do you think they expect us to memorize this building's floorplan? It's so big!" Uraraka asked, echoing his own thoughts. "You know, All Might's just as cool in person as he is on television! I'm glad he's not threatening us with some kind of punishment like Mr. Aizawa. We can relax... Ah! You're sweating through your costume!"
Oh right, his partner! He was hoping to make a good impression and he'd already looked like a terrified weakling in front of her. He tried to compose himself, but it was pointless. How could he focus when he had to fight someone so powerful?
"Well, it's just... because we're up against Kacchan," he explained. "Plus there's Iida too, we should be on our guard, who knows what they'll pull."
"Oh right, Bakugo. He's the one who's always making fun of you."
"And he's amazing," Izuku lamented. "He can be a real pain sure, but his strength and confidence and his ambition, not to mention his quirk. They're all so much greater than mine."
No, this was no time to fell sorry for himself, he had to do his best, no matter what! "But that just means I have to do better. I refuse to lose today!" he finished, having gained his resolve. Uraraka smiled.
"So it's a fated battle between rivals?"
"Oh! Not that I'm trying to get you wrapped up in my fight or anything!" Izuku exclaimed, realizing how much he was talking about himself. Uraraka didn't seem to mind though.
"Are you kidding? We're a team right? Let's win this!" she exclaimed. "Besides, I wouldn't worry about what Ryuko said. She's a bit rough around the edges, but she's a big sweetie. You know what? You two should meet each other! I'll introduce you after school!"
Izuku wasn't sure if anyone who was friends with Kacchan could be considered a "big sweetie", but he agreed for Uraraka's sake.
"ALRIGHT, LET'S BEGIN THE INDOOR COMBAT TRAINING!" All Might's voice declared from the speakers. "TEAM A AND TEAM D, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!"
The monitoring room was dark, with the only light coming from the massive monitor that gave the room its name. Still, it was so big and bright that Ryuko had no trouble seeing.
"PAY ATTENTION KIDS, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD DO," All Might addressed his class.
What would she do? If she was being honest, Ryuko didn't really have a clue about what she would do in a situation like this, hero or villain. She never had any objectives other than taking out her opponent before, and those were all outside battles. Inside, the villains could set up any number of traps, like that jackass with the mohawk did. Thinking about the bomb, her teammate, or really anything other than fighting made her brain hurt. She'd think of something on the fly like she always did.
On the screen, Midoriya and Uraraka climbed in through a window on the second floor. She supposed that was a smart idea, since it let them bypass any potential traps or guards on the first floor. They walked down the labyrinth of hallways cautiously, always making sure the path was clear before moving. It seemed like a solid plan, but no plan survived first contact with the enemy. Which was why Ryuko didn't bother making any.
Right as Midoriya and Uraraka were about to turn a corner, Bakugo leapt out of hiding and blasted the pair with a right hook. To his credit, Midoriya reacted quickly and tackled Uraraka to the ground, letting them both dodge most of the blast. However, the move had cost him his mask.
"A sneak attack Bakugo? What kind of man pulls cheap crap like that?" Kirishima asked rhetorically.
"Hey, it's a viable strategy!" Ryuko interjected. "In a real fight your opponent will be doing everything they can to defeat you, so you should too. I don't think honor is more important than my life."
It was something Ryuko believed in wholeheartedly, doing everything you could to win. Losing with honor was still losing after all. If she was concerned with fighting honorably, she probably wouldn't even be alive.
"YOUNG MATOI IS RIGHT!" All Might agreed with her. "BESIDES, HE'S PLAYING THE PART, ACTING LIKE A VILLAIN!"
"Come on Bakugo! Kick his ass!" Ryuko cheered her friend on, earning her several weird looks from her classmates and a disappointed sigh from Senketsu.
Ok, she might have went a bit overboard, but he was her friend! It wasn't like she had anything against Uraraka and Midoriya. They seemed like nice people, but she and Bakugo just understood each other. They were kindred spirits.
Bakugo rushed at Midoriya and readied his arm back for another right hook. Midoriya wouldn't back down though and ran straight towards Bakugo. He grabbed his right arm before he could follow through with his attack as if he'd seen it a hundred times. Pivoting, he lifted Bakugo over his shoulder and slammed his back onto the ground. While she had been rooting against him just a second ago, Ryuko couldn't deny it.
Izuku Midoriya was a fucking badass.
He was terrified, so scared that he was shaking in his boots. And who wouldn't be, given who he was fighting? But despite all that, he still had the nerve to stand up and fight back anyway. That's what made him cool.
"THAT'S WHY I HATE YOU!" Katsuki Bakugo roared.
That little nerd actually thought he could fight? That he could win? No, he was just an insect to be crushed beneath his boot. A weakling who couldn't do anything.
Deku.
But here he was anyway, acting like they were rivals fighting each other on equal ground. Damnit! Just thinking about how Deku of all people considered him someone he could fight against, his equal, made Bakugo's blood boil. He was the strong one! Deku was the weakling! What changed? Why did he have to compete against someone who shouldn't have been in this school in the first place?
It must have been that flashy quirk of his. What bullshit was he saying again? That it just took a long time to manifest? Yeah right, if Deku had a quirk, he'd have got it when they were kids. Getting a quirk at seven or eight was uncommon, but not unheard of. Fifteen? Now that was suspicious. Was Deku just lying to him the whole time, hiding his quirk because he wasn't worthy of seeing it? It was a possibility, and one that made Bakugo furious, but the more he thought about it the less likely it seemed.
Deku had never been this confident before, even on the rare occasions when he managed to grow the balls to stand up to him. Ever since the sludge villain incident, he'd been acting different. He stopped scribbling those dumb notes and actually starting training his pathetic body. He looked at attending UA like it was a possibility instead of a dream. He had hope. Something or someone had given it to him, and Bakugo was going to find out what did it.
"Bakugo, come in! Give me a status report! Where are you?" Four-Eyes interrupted his thoughts with that earpiece. Why did he have to wear that stupid thing? It's not like he needed a partner in the first place.
"Just shut up and defend the weapon!" he snarled. "I've got more important things to worry about!"
He shut off his radio and glared at Deku and Round-Face. He was going to put Deku in his place, beat him so badly that he'd drop out of UA and go back to being a worthless piece of trash!
"Hey, who was Bakugo talking to?" Kirishima asked. "I'm not hearing anything, can we get some sound with this video?"
"HE'S GOT A RADIO IN HIS EAR SO HE CAN TALK TO HIS PARTNER!" All Might explained. "I GAVE IT TO HIM BEFORE THE MATCH STARTED ALONG WITH A MAP OF THE BUILDING. ALSO THIS!" he said, pulling out a roll of tape. "A ROLL OF CAPTURE TAPE! WRAPPING THIS AROUND YOUR OPPONENT MEANS YOU'VE APPREHENDED THEM AND THEY'RE OUT FOR THE REST OF THE GAME!"
"So there's a fifteen minute time limit and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear weapon is hidden on right?" Mina asked.
"CORRECT!"
"Then the heroes are clearly at a disadvantage! A big one!" Mina exclaimed.
"REAL PROS HAVE TO OUTWIT VILLAINS ON A DAILY BASIS! IT'S LIKE WHAT YOUNG MATOI SAID EARLIER: WE RARELY GET WHAT WE WANT, THAT'S JUST LIFE! BUT EVEN WHEN THE ODDS AREN'T IN OUR FAVOR, WE FIGHT!"
Ryuko smiled at the hero's declaration. The universe might have been determined to kick her ass, but she was still here fighting. Her classmates evidently thought the same way, as they were smiling as well. Except for the ice guy, Todoroki. What was his deal?
"ALL TOGETHER!" All Might raised his fist in the air and his students followed him.
"LET'S HEAR A PLUS ULTRA!" they all said in unison.
Ryuko laughed out loud to herself. Sure, All Might's catchphrase was corny as hell, but saying it loud with everyone was pretty fun.
"You seem awfully happy," Senketsu noted.
"Yeah, I guess it's just that I'm in a normal class with my friends," Ryuko replied.
It was only her second day, but Ryuko was starting to like it at UA. She'd already made more friends than she ever had in her life and even the classes weren't as boring as regular school. The lack of insane club presidents trying to kill her or steal Senketsu wasn't too bad either. Maybe she could stay at UA after all.
No.
She had to find out who killed her dad, that was her priority. UA was just a setback, an obstacle on her quest for vengeance. Whenever Honnouji decided to let her come back, she would. And that would mean leaving UA for good.
Turning her attention back to the monitor, she saw that Uraraka had taken off, leaving Midoriya to fight off Bakugo. Come to think of it, Bakugo had never directly attacked Uraraka before, he seemed to be completely focused on Midoriya. So Midoriya was taking advantage of that and sent Uraraka to secure the weapon while he dealt with Bakugo. Even if he didn't win, he'd be wasting Bakugo's time on something far less important. Pretty clever.
Bakugo jumped into the air and launched a kick at Midoriya, but he dodged the attack and took the opportunity to wrap the capture tape around Bakugo's ankle. The way he used the capture tape, Ryuko had seen it before. Wait, she had seen it before! It was the same move Aizawa used to restrain Bakugo during the apprehension test! Was he really able to copy a move he'd just seen? However, it seemed the attempt was futile as Bakugo fired off another blast, forcing Midoriya to let go and dodge.
As the dust from the last attack settled, Bakugo put both of his arms behind him. Ryuko guessed that he was going to charge Midoriya, using his blasts to propel himself like he did on the speed test. He never go the chance though, since Midoriya took off in the other direction and ran. Bakugo pursued him, but quickly got lost in all the hallways.
"That guy has some real anger issues," Kaminari said. "It's kinda scary."
Ryuko wasn't one to criticize people for managing their temper, after all she had a pretty short fuse herself. But she had to agree with Kaminari, this was just ridiculous. What was he even mad about? He was winning the match! Other than his first counterattack, Midoriya hadn't even touched him and now he was running away. Yet Bakugo was acting like Midoriya had just kicked him in the nuts and spit in his face.
Meanwhile, Iida was still guarding the weapon by himself. Uraraka had tried sneaking up on him, but she evidently gave herself away because she was laughing too hard. What was so funny that she just had to laugh out loud? Wait, was Iida monologuing? Ryuko couldn't hear anything that was going on, but if Iida's exaggerated arm movements and laughter were anything to go by, he might have been taking the villain thing too seriously. She really had misjudged him, he actually seemed like a nice guy, though he took school a bit too seriously.
Things weren't looking so good for Midoriya though, as Bakugo had finally caught up with him. Bakugo placed his finger in the pin on his gauntlet, like he was about to set off a giant, tacky grenade. At least she had the excuse of not being able to choose Senketsu's appearance, but Bakugo actually requested those massive gauntlets as part of his costume. How did he even walk with them on? With a bloodthirsty smile on his face, Bakugo raised the gauntlet, aiming it at Midoriya.
"YOUNG BAKUGO!" All Might shouted into his microphone. "DON'T DO IT! YOU'LL KILL HIM!"
Kill him? She didn't think Bakugo would actually try something like that. Besides, most of his explosions seemed pretty small, nothing Midoriya couldn't walk away from. Bakugo's response, which was loud enough for Ryuko to hear through All Might's earpiece, dashed those naive hopes.
"HE'LL BE FINE AS LONG AS HE DODGES!"
An enormous cone of flames erupted from the gauntlet, tearing up the building and smashing a hole through its side. The ground quaked and Ryuko could even feel it all the way in the monitoring room.
What. The. Fuck?
That...that bastard! He just tried to kill Midoriya! Ryuko's fist balled up in anger, her teeth clenched. Goddamnit how could she have been such an idiot! Of course Bakugo was an asshole! He was always glaring at Midoriya with such fury and hatred, talking about killing him and why? Because he was a fucking egomaniac, that's why!
The way he boasted at the entrance exam and threw a tantrum when he didn't come in first, the kid must have thought that he was better than everyone else. The fact that she tried excusing his behavior, even considered him a friend, made her blood boil.
How could she have thought they were friends? He was nothing like her! If anything, that haughty jackass who thought he was better than everyone and liked throwing his weight around was more like her. Satsuki Kiryuin.
"Have a bit of fun with him" her ass! Uraraka was right, he was just a bully. Oh crap, Uraraka! She'd have to apologize to her later. Ryuko stopped watching the fight, she didn't care who won anymore.
Because when it was over, Katsuki Bakugo was dead.
Izuku Midoriya groaned in pain. While he thought he managed to dodge Kacchan's blast, it was bigger than he expected and knocked him to the ground. Kacchan was so powerful, was an attack like that even allowed? Unfortunately, he wouldn't have time to pull out a rulebook. The smoke started to settle as Kacchan walked toward him, laughing maniacally.
"These things are awesome!" he said with childish glee. "The more nitro sweat that's stored in these gauntlets, the stronger the explosion is! Go ahead, use your stupid quirk on me Deku!" Kacchan emerged from the dust, his face contorted with a mixture of rage and sadistic pleasure. "Even if you give me everything you got, you'll never beat me!"
"What's the matter? You look scared!" Kacchan taunted. "You dodged the attack so you can still fight can't you? Come and get me!"
This was bad, he thought that he'd be able to capture Kacchan without using his quirk, but the results spoke for themselves. Those gauntlets let him use his power at long range, he wouldn't be safe even if he ran. At the very least, maybe distracting Kacchan had gave Uraraka an opening to steal the weapon.
"Uraraka, come in! What's the situation?" he spoke into his earpiece.
"It's not good!" came the reply.
That brief interaction with his partner cost him precious seconds. Seconds that Kacchan used to ready his other gauntlet for a second blast. He'd barely dodged the first blast and now another one was coming? Izuku doubted he was even physically capable of dodging it at this point, he'd have to use One For All in his legs, crippling them for the rest of the match. Was that it? Would he just lose?
"BAKUGO!" All Might's voice on the speakers announced. "USE THAT STORED UP POWER AGAIN AND I'LL STOP THIS FIGHT! YOUR TEAM WILL LOSE! TO EMPLOY SUCH A STRONG ATTACK INDOORS IS TO INVTE THE DESTRUCTION OF A STRONGHOLD YOU SHOULD BE PROTECTING! THAT'S A POOR STRATEGY, WHETHER YOU'RE A HERO OR A VILLAIN! THE PENALTY WILL BE A MASSIVE LOSS OF POINTS!"
That was a relief. All Might's announcement had also helped by giving him a few precious seconds to talk over a plan with Uraraka. She was having trouble securing the weapons since Iida had hid anything not bolted down, preventing her from using her quirk. The weapon was on the fifth floor, which was too far for him to reach without Kacchan following, so they'd have to stay separate. He couldn't help her, at least not directly.
Then there was the issue of Kacchan. Even if he wasn't allowed to use that massive gauntlet blast again, he was still far too powerful to defeat in combat. And if he used his quirk, he'd end up killing him. He needed a way to assist Uraraka with the weapon while simultaneously dealing with Kacchan without killing him. If his plan worked as he hoped, he could accomplish both.
"The pillar by the window, get there now!" Izuku told his partner. And just in time.
"FINE! We'll fight hand to hand!" Kacchan roared, using his blasts to propel himself towards Izuku.
Izuku readied himself for a counter, there was no chance he could dodge his attack. He punched towards Kacchan, but he used a blast midair to dodge the punch and sail over his head. He followed up with a second blast to stabilize himself while a third hit him right in the back. Izuku screamed in pain as the blast pushed him back. That attack, the precision of it, the amount of thought and practice that went into it... was so amazing, just like Kacchan.
"Here it comes nerd!" Kacchan shouted, already following up with another attack. "That famous right hook you were whining about!"
The gauntlet's hard surface collided with Izuku's right arm, it's added weight giving the punch more... well, punch. Before he could hit the floor, Kacchan grabbed him from behind and swung him around, using his blasts as propellant.
"Deku, don't you ever forget what you are!" he bellowed as he slammed Izuku onto the ground. "You're a weakling!"
Izuku gasped for air, the impact against the floor knocked the wind out of him. He didn't have time to form a strategy, he hoped he'd be able to take Kacchan down without using his quirk, but now that seemed like an impossibility. He'd need to use his quirk. It was a last resort and he'd end up breaking his arm, but he had no choice. Hopefully Uraraka was in position.
For now though, he'd have to run away. Not the most heroic act and certainly not one he was proud of, but he couldn't let himself get captured by Kacchan. At least, not here. He needed to get right under where Uraraka was.
"Why won't you use your damn quirk against me?" Kacchan seethed. "You still think you can stop me without it?"
"That's not it." Of course it wasn't, he was about to use it right now. But Kacchan didn't know that.
"You've been hiding your true power for years! What's the deal Deku?" Kacchan snarled. "Did you think you were better than me this entire time?"
That's what he thought? That Izuku was just hiding his power, thinking Kacchan of all people was beneath him? That every time Kacchan succeeded where he fell flat on his face, that it was just a lie? That he was merely pretending to be bullied, called useless and weak while his dreams were stomped on?
That idiot.
"You've always been stronger Kacchan, I know that you're better than me!" Izuku admitted. "Can't you see? That's why I want to beat you! Because you're amazing!"
"You're even more of an idiot than I realized! COME AT ME!"
The two boys rushed towards each other, sprinting at top speed. Izuku readied his arm for a punch while Kacchan did the same. He channeled One For All into his whole arm, powering himself up.
"DETROIT..."
Kacchan's hand popped with sparks, something he only did when he primed himself for his largest and most powerful blasts. He roared with fury, ready to blast Izuku with everything he had. Izuku responded in kind, taking back his One For All powered arm for a massive punch. But not at Kacchan.
"BOTH OF YOU STOP" All Might ordered, though it was too late for them to oblige.
"Uraraka, now!" Izuku called to his partner over the radio.
"Right!"
He couldn't beat Kacchan, not in a one-on-one fight. But he could win. At the last moment before he and Kacchan made contact, he directed his punch upward towards the roof of the building.
"SMASH!"
The shockwave from his punch extinguished Kacchan's blast, blowing a hole through the building. Broken glass and concrete flew everywhere as a result. Which would make perfect weapons for Uraraka. The pain of breaking his arm was a shock to Izuku, though it wasn't as bad as when he used it against the zero-pointer, probably because he was expecting it this time. Izuku slumped over. Now it was in Uraraka's hands.
"This was your big plan," Kacchan said, shaking with rage. "From the very beginning, wasn't it? You were playing me this entire time, you bastard!"
"I wasn't... going to use it," Izuku explained. He really just didn't get it did he? "Because I can't control it. My body just can't handle the backlash of my power yet. Mr. Aizawa said I'd be useless, but this was all that I could think of. This is the only way I had any chance at winning."
Hopefully that explanation would satisfy Kacchan. It probably wouldn't. He had to admit, he felt a little bad about keeping his quirk a secret from Kacchan. Sure he was a jerk, but if anyone deserved to know, it was him.
Izuku collapsed, the strain of battle combined with using his quirk rendering him unconscious.
"THE HERO TEAM WINS!"
"YOUR INDOOR COMBAT TRAINING IS OVER!" All Might finished his announcement in the monitoring room.
Ryuko Matoi looked up at the screen, so Midoriya had managed to pull out a win after all. The thought of that scrawny little kid managing to wipe off that smug bastard's stupid smile almost made Ryuko consider letting Bakugo off with his face intact and his pants unpissed.
Almost.
"What a weird way for this to end," Kaminari said. "The losers are practically untouched, while the winners are both on the ground!"
"How does the old saying go? They may have lost the battle, but they won the war," Tokoyami replied.
All Might brought the combatants back to the monitoring room to discuss their performance, though Midoriya couldn't make it as he was being taken to the nurse's office. Apparently UA's nurse had a quirk that let her heal people, reducing what would have been months of healing to only a few seconds. Ryuko doubted that she'd need to go there, she'd never had a serious injury before in her life.
When Bakugo walked in he was still shaking from the result of the match, his normal angry expression being overwritten by one of pure disbelief. It was like his brain had stopped working. It may have been petty, but Ryuko had to admit she felt a cruel satisfaction seeing him like that. Broken. She'd see him like that again soon.
"WELL DESPITE THE RESULTS, THE MVP OF THIS EXERCISE IS YOUNG IIDA!" All Might announced.
Why Iida? It wasn't like he did anything for his team. Sure it was clever of him to hide anything Uraraka could use as a weapon, but she still found plenty of them thanks to Midoriya's plan. Speaking of Midoriya, he should have been MVP. It was his strategy that let his team win after all.
"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead since they're the winners?" Asui asked, echoing Ryuko's thoughts.
"VALID QUESTION! WHY DIDN'T I CHOOSE ONE OF THOSE TWO? WHO HAS A GUESS?" All Might asked the class.
Ryuko didn't bother raising her hand. She sure as hell didn't know. In fact, the only student who did raise their hand was Momo Yaoyorozu, the scooter girl from the apprehension test.
"Sir, I can tell you why," she said confidently. "Iida embraced this challenge, he was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I'll explain: Bakugo's judgement was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large scale attack indoors was a foolish move. It could have been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out. Considering the amount of damage he received, he rendered himself helpless. Not smart. As for Uraraka, she let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the fake weapon as though it were real, she never would have risked using such an imprecise move. Iida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival, he had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end. Technically the hero team won yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training, they didn't respect the spirit of the trial."
Geez, Ryuko could have gone back to the cafeteria for a second helping of croquettes in the time it took Yaoyorozu to give her spiel. She did have some valid points though, if the scenario was real, the villains would have easily recaptured the weapon and the heroes. Still, the elite honor student was beginning to get on her nerves.
"YES, WELL YOU OVERLOOKED A FEW THINGS," All Might said, clearly shaken by the depth of Yaoyorozu's answer. "YOUNG IIDA COULD HAVE RELAXED A LITTLE BIT IN THE EXERCISE. BUT OTHERWISE YOU NAILED IT!" All Might flashed her a thumbs up.
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only real way to become a top hero," Yaoyorozu declared.
Yeah, she was really getting on Ryuko's nerves.
"NOW THEN, TIME TO BLOW THIS JOINT!" All Might said, standing in front of the two boxes labelled "hero" and "villain". "LET'S MOVE ONTO THE NEXT MATCH! AND THAT NEXT MATCH WILL BE..." All Might dug around in the two bins before drawing the next two teams to fight.
"THESE GUYS!" All Might said as he pulled the balls out of the boxes. Hero ball B and villain ball I. "TEAM B WILL BE THE HEROES AND TEAM I WILL BE THE VILLAINS!"
Wait I? That was Ryuko's team! And she'd be fighting against team B, which was...
Her eyes scanned the class, looking for her opponent. Until she made eye contact with Todoroki, who locked eyes with her in an icy glare. So that's whose ass she was gonna kick. The mysterious loner guy huh? She got what he was going for, it was the same vibe she tried to pull off as the Kanto Vagabond or the Guitar Case Drifter. Ryuko smiled.
"Bring it on!"
A/N: Oh boy, I'm sorry that this took so long to write, but college has just been killing my passion for writing. This chapter is also longer than the first three combined so the actual writing took a lot longer than expected as well. I do like the longer chapters though and I think I'll keep writing them at this length.
I've also decided to change the name of the fic! It's just that "Kill la Hero Academia" is like the most boring name I could give a KLK/MHA crossover, so I wanted to give it a name with some actual meaning behind it. "Cut from the same cloth" is a phrase used in both shows and I think it encapsulates one of the themes I wanted to tackle in this fic: That Ryuko has quite a lot in common with a few MHA characters. Now whether those characters are heroes or villains remains to be seen.
Finally, I'm sorry to all of you who thought that Ryuko and Bakugo were going to remain friends or even have a respectful rivalry, but that's not happening. Ryuko hates Bakugo now and the feeling is going to be mutual very soon. Ryuko's not going to respect someone just because they have "ambition", she's seen enough of that with Satsuki. And while Ryuko may be strong, that doesn't mean Bakugo will respect her either. Todoroki is strong and Bakugo certainly doesn't respect him. I do plan on them becoming friends again eventually though. As for when, all I can say is: Are you caught up with the manga?