Katsuki Bakugo felt a huge surge of annoyance rise inside of him as his final class of the day began to finish up. He hated this school, it was way too easy for him, all of these extras are unworthy of his presence, it made him sick to his stomach that he even had to sit in the same classroom as so many background characters. He was the only one in here worthy of being a Hero and that much should be obvious to anyone, he's the one with the powerful Quirk, a smart head and the talent.
Which is why he's been itching to beat the shit out of Deku lately.
Deku. A name that means useless, Bakugo personally thinks that it's perfect to describe who Deku is, a Quirkless loser who can't accept reality, that a worthless piece of trash like him should just give up on his dreams and blend into the background like all the other extras. That's the reason he beats the shit out of Deku whenever he gets the chance. He needs to accept the reality that is he's simply not born to be strong, at best he's a pebble for Bakugo to stand on to boost himself up.
But lately he's been getting on Bakugo's nerves. Whenever the blonde needs to relieve some stress Deku is usually there for him, to be his living punching bag, however that Quirkless bastard has gotten really slippery lately, whenever classes finish Deku is always out the door first thing before Bakugo can even approach him. It's almost like he's trying to avoid him at all costs. That can't be it though, that's just the way of the world. Deku is constantly following and trailing behind Bakugo as he ignores and insults the nerd but he just never seems to get the message and fuck off. Bakugo is strong and Deku is weak. That's the way of the world.
Right?
Maths class finally ended with extras constantly walking right out of the door, he almost didn't notice a mess of green hair amongst the crowd. Almost.
Seeing that his favourite victim was about to leave Bakugo felt a wave of indignation at the act. Who did Deku think he was? Did he really think that he could just walk away from him?! Oh he was going to enjoy this.
He grinned maliciously as he moved to grab Deku's bag." Deku you bastard, did you really think that-"
His hand stopped and dangled in thin air as the green haired boy who he was about to bully turned around and glared at Bakugo with a massive amount of hatred that actually made the blonde lean back.
Izuku pierced his mind with those green eyes and paid no mind to the several eyes that were now on him as he coldly asked." What do you want Bakugo?"
Izuku has spent enough time with Ryoto and the other members of Paragon to know that... his relationship with Bakugo was completely toxic. He couldn't deny that even when he first heard it. At the start he made excuses for the blonde and even thought he could change but Ryoto just gave him a sympathetic look before essentially holding an intervention for him in which all of his frie- no his bully's flaws where pointed out for him.
The whole experience was eye opening and even hard for him to accept but he knew that Ryoto was right. That Bakugo was an egomaniac, a spoiled brat and just an overall asshole in general. That whoever he used to be has been gone for years and that the best thing Izuku can do is accept that Katsuki Bakugo isn't his friend and move on. The feeling of being free from his tyranny is honestly quite liberating.
Now all he has to do is tie up any loose ends in his life that have anything to do with Katsuki.
Katsuki's grin faltered and fell at the complete shift in demeanour which he was seeing in the meek fanboy who would usually be cowering under his wrath. Instead of shrinking into himself and trying to disappear it almost looked like he was challenging Bakugo and openly stating how he wasn't afraid of the of his bully, that he had zero power over him.
That thought made Bakugo grit his teeth and cause mini explosions to pop on his hands." What did you just say?!"
At his deranged shouting most of the onlookers backed away out of fear but Izuku remained unfazed by the threat and and merely stated once more." I said, what do you want, Bakugo?" He emphasises the use of his last name and the lack of that nickname he'd gotten used to calling the boy for so many years.
At the use of his last name Bakugo was visibly surprised given that the nerd had always been calling him that since he was little and he'd never really called him by his last name before.
After a few moments of silence Izuku harshly spoke with quiet but powerful words." What? Nothing to say? If you're just gonna stand there then I'm gonna go, I have better things to do than stand around here talking to an egomaniac with anger issues."
A few giggled at that but a single glare from Bakugo was enough to silence all of them. Bakugo seemed to seethe at his words as his hand smoked and the veins on his forehead bulged." What did you just say?" He spoke with gritted teeth and looked like he was about to pounce on Izuku and go wild like a rabid dog.
Izuku allowed himself to smirk lightly at that." I said that your an egomaniac with-"
Katsuki felt something inside him snap at those words as his smoking palm reached forward to put the nerd in his place for even daring to speak out against him. To send him to the ground crying and beg-
Katsuki's wrist was taken with surprising force and Izuku used a move that miss Hasaki taught him to slam Katsuki into the ground and place his knee on his back with an uncomfortable amount of force.
Many students were shocked to see the strongest student in their class be taken down by the 'Quirkless nerd' in the class so fluidly. Something about him seemed different and they weren't sure whether they liked it or hated it.
Katsuki squirmed and writhed underneath Izuku's hold and was surprised to find himself pinned firmly on the ground. His world was just flipped on it's head. Deku has never defended himself whenever the blonde had attacked him before, he'd either just sat there, cried or begged for him to stop. Yet this Quirkless loser had just taken him down so effortlessly that it was unbelievable to him. And humiliating.
He barked and glared up with bloodshot eyes." Let me go you useless De-"
"My name is Izuku Midoriya." The green haired boy cut off the blonde with a firm tone.
Bakugo was once again shocked into silence under the eye of Izuku Midoriya who continued to talk down to his bully." You've called me useless for years Bakugo. You've beaten, mocked and hurt me in more ways than I can count. You even told me to go kill myself once. Can you really say that you could be a Hero after doing that?"
Bakugo once again felt a surge of anger in his chest at his former victim's words, that he'd ever doubt that he could be a Hero." I'm going to be the number one-"
"You'll never be a Hero Bakugo. Even if some backwards Hero school does accept you, even if you do get a Hero licence, and even if the entire world deems you the best of the best, you are nothing but a bully who does his best to inflate his own ego. A loser who can't accept the idea of someone being better than him at anything, so much so that he lashes out at everyone around him."
Katsuki once again grits his teeth in anger at the insults." WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOU-"
"I know more than enough. You aren't a Hero your just a bully."
At those words Bakugo feels his entire world go from red to nothing as his rage seems to vanish and be replaced by a deep sense of disbelief at the words of someone who he's hurt. Deku has always said that he would be an amazing Hero, even when he beat and bullied the nerd he always defended him, saying that he could be heroic. To hear the person who used to believe in you the most say that he couldn't be a Hero was... well. He didn't really have a word to say what he was feeling.
Izuku let go of Katsuki and when he rose to his feet he looked around at the other students and sneered at the ones who ignored and sometimes even joined in his bullying." Yeah move along, the shows over."
He started to walk away with Katsuki just seeming to lie there in complete disbelief at what he just experienced. However Izuku seemed to halt his advance as be smiled bitterly and yelled back." Oh yeah. Congratulations by the way Bakugo, I finally gave up! I don't want to be a Hero anymore! Maybe that's not such a bad thing! If they're gonna let someone like you be a Hero then it must not be such a great job afterall!"
After a moment to let his words sink in Izuku turned around and continued his walk out of the school and felt a massive sense of relief at finally confronting his past and closing that chapter of his life.
However Bakugo just seemed to lie on the ground for a while whilst he allowed the words of his former friend turned victim to sink in. He didn't want to be a Hero?
Izuku Midoriya didn't want to be a Hero.
Izuku found himself feeling both happy and sad at the same time. He was sad that Katsuki Bakugo was truly no longer a part of his life. However, he was also happy that he'd moved on. That he didn't need to cling onto someone so... terrible and toxic. He's happy that he can finally move on and find actual friends who care about him, he has found people who care about him and he's found meaning in himself, in his life.
He was going to transfer schools now that the semester is over. He's always been far ahead of his class academically so he managed to get relocated to a boarding school a few hours away from his home. He'd miss his mother but he didn't exactly plan on spending all that much time in his new home anyway, as a member of Paragon he'd have a clone of him take his place in daily life for a large chunk of the time and he'd be training and improving his powers. Whilst this all felt a little sketchy he wasn't going to let a little discomfort stop him from doing what's right.
The whole reason that people like Bakugo were allowed to exist is because society encouraged that kind of behaviour in him, his arrogance, his disgusting heart, his attitude of superiority. It all festered up over time, little by little, one by one. He suffered in this world because of how society is structured and the twisted values that were turned into the norm. He refuse to allow another person like him to be created and he also refuses to let the world continue to push people like him around.
Izuku's phone suddenly buzzed and he looked at the text. It read: are you ready to get your second Quirk?
Izuku felt a large amount of tension at that question. The thought of even having a Quirk, let alone multiple, was an idea that he never even entertained before he met Ryoto. That was mainly because it was impossible, you either have a Quirk or you don't, you're powerful or your weak. That more or less summarises how this system functions.
However, Ryoto's power's very existence is enough to destroy this way of thinking. With him alive this system where the naturally strong are put on top isn't sustainable, that's the reason that even if he wasn't a villain they would still probably hunt him down like a dog, because his very existence is enough to shatter the status quo. And that's good. This system needs to fall and be replaced but in order to do that he needs power. Because without power you can't change the world.
Izuku resolves himself and types a sentence into his phone and clicks the send button.
After doing so he mentally prepares himself for what it coming next.
He suddenly tastes a horrible vomit tasting sludge as he throws up a strange sort of grey mud which slowly envelops him and after a few moments he disappears from his room to another location.
When Izuku opens his eyes he is met with the sight of his white haired leader in front of him. The taste of vomit however is still on his tongue and Ryoto has the decency to gain a sheepish look." Sorry, 'Warping' is a useful power but... also a bit gross."
Izuku more than agrees with that statement. Saying that stuff is gross is like saying that All Might is just a bit buff.
Still though Ryoto clears his throat and says." You've clearly made a lot of progress in just three months. Your like a completely different person from when we first met."
Izuku actually agrees with him a little there. He's definitely not a stick figure anymore like he was when they met, he thanks 'Cell Activation' for that, and his stutter isn't as prominent as it was before. Still he wouldn't say he's completely changed. A decade of abuse doesn't just vanish afterall.
Ryoto then pulls out a notepad and passes it to Izuku. After taking it he sees a list of strange names on it and descriptions of- oh this is list of Quirks!
Izuku looks up at Ryoto and just speaks flatly." You're letting me pick a Quirk to have?"
The Quirk stealer nods with a smirk." Of course, I'm not just gonna make this decision for you afterall. Still lets just stick to one for now. I'm not just gonna stick five Quirks in you at once."
Izuku just nods as he goes over the list of amazing powers he was being offered.
Spatial Distortion: allows the user to distort and bend the space around them within ten meters, the range can be increased with enhancement Quirks and is useful for lethal attacks however poor in the use of non-lethal attacks. This Quirks drawbacks are that using it will put a strain on the users mind and they risk seizures if this power is overused.
Power: allows the user to multiply their bodies physical strength and enhance the power of their other Quirks by a certain capacity. The exact amount is unknown and this Quirk has no visible side effects.
Acceleration: the user can multiply their speed to the point where everything around them is going extremely slow. Even bullets are going at a speed which a person can easily dodge. However this Quirk can only be used for periods of five seconds, after that the user's brain will be too deprived of oxygen to do anything and they will have to stop using this Quirk to avoid that.
Izuku honestly didn't know which one to choose. All three of them sounded like amazing powers that any of the top ten pro heroes in a country's hero chart would possess. However he's been working on his physical strength and from an objective standpoint it only makes sense that he chooses a Quirk that will compliment that so-
He stared back off the page and into the red eyes of his leader and made his decision." I would like 'Power' please."
Ryoto looked extremely satisfied with that answer and took the notepad back as he lifted up his hand with the hole in his palm glowing red." Welcome to Paragon Izuku."
And in a flash of red Izuku's life changed forever.
If you enjoyed reading this story and want to read more then just head to my P atreon at The Magician 565 to read 10 Chapters in advance.
So yeah I figured that I'd help give Izuku a bit more spine, whilst this new him will still be a bit optimistic and heroic he won't be a big ol pushover like the original was until he went dark Deku. Also thank you to those of you who joined my P atreon that's much appreciated.