Day of the U.A. Entrance Exam...
Izuku sat on the metal shipping container, legs dangling over the side, and looked down on the villains gathered before him. There were just over 60 in total and while the number might seem like a lot none of them were big names, in fact most of them were offenders whose crimes (assault, robbery, drug dealing, etc.) were petty or didn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things by society's standards. Were they bad, yes, but not as bad when compared to monsters like All For One, Muscular, or Moonfish.
However Izuku didn't need the big names, not yet at any rate. He needed foot soldiers, thugs and grunts he could use to wear down his opponents and deal with the riff raff. The old Izuku would have cared about the men and women before him, wanted to help them, redeem them. New Izuku couldn't help but scoff at the thought, he'd known for years what cruelty people were capable of, in fact most of said cruelty had been directed at him. Old Izuku had wanted to save everyone and it had taken a hero killing his mother and a building collapsing around him for Izuku to learn, to understand, to know, that not everyone could be saved... nor should they.
Feeling a tap on his shoulder Izuku turned to look at Momo who was standing behind him on his right. She gave a pointed nod towards the entrance, her eyes locked onto the most recent arrival before turning around to keep talking on her phone. Turning his head to look forward at the entrance to the warehouse, Izuku took in who they'd been waiting for.
Just as All For One had said Izuku knew the man when he saw him. He was tall, two stories of solid muscle and that was while he was bent over! His hair was brown and spiky much like his body which appeared jagged, much like rock. His teeth were bared and pointed, with his lower canines protruding out of his mouth on either side like an anime orc. He was clad only in a pair of black shorts that hugged his lower body tightly and a grey hooded cloak that was open at the front, hood down.
From appearance alone Izuku would guess the man had a simple mutation quirk that gave him tough, rocky skin, super strength, and maybe increased senses of some kind. However this man served All For One and Izuku knew that appearances could be deceiving; the man could have an entirely different quirk or even multiple quirks hidden away within his body, you never knew.
"Good, great, goodbye." Hearing a beep, Izuku turned his attention back towards his lieutenant who was reaching into her cloak to put her phone away in a utility belt strapped around her waist.
Momo was dressed in a hooded black cloak with a kabuki mask in the shape of a kitsune over her face keeping her hidden from view. It was a necessity to make sure that any of their men who got caught would only be able to identify Izuku, who had no intention of giving up his spy so soon. Although he suspected that she was wearing very little underneath due to her quirk, the only thing he knew she was wearing with certainty was the utility belt around her waist. Her belt was rather similar to the one she'd asked for from the U.A. Support Course, magnetic, with metal tiles attached to it inscribed with the molecular structure of items or materials that could be considered useful. First aid kits, steel, swords, guns, knives, titanium, diamonds, shields, bandages, all of it was a tile away and most of them Momo didn't even need to reference having memorized their molecular structures years ago when she'd practiced and trained with her developing quirk.
Feeling Izuku's eyes upon her Momo turned around and gave her Master a thumbs up showing that they were good to go. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Izuku pushed himself to his feet so he stood above the crowd below him. A stomp of his foot on the metal shipping container caused a loud metallic thump to ring through the warehouse and immediately everyone's focus was on the greenete.
For a moment there was silent but then Izuku spoke his voice confident, commanding, echoing through the warehouse with no trace of the stutter, insecurity, and fear he'd had only months before, a testament to Momo's work to improve the green haired boy's confidence. "I won't waste time boring you all as I drone on and on about our opponents. They aren't some great evil that seeks to destroy our way of life, to slaughter your family before putting the survivors in chains. They do not desire your wives and daughters nor do they want to take what you own. They've committed crimes, done wrong, but so have all of you. So do you want to know what they've done to earn my ire? What your reward shall be for helping us in the endeavor I've gathered you all here to undertake?"
Seeing looks of interest Izuku plowed on, "Our opponents are what remains of the yakuza, a name that once sparked fear throughout Japan but with the appearance of Quirks has fallen into ruin. They are wealthy, weighed down with money, gold, and jewels obtained from banks and stores all over Japan by their forebearers. But that is not what matters, to me, to us," he said, gesturing to Momo and himself. "What matters is that these beasts, the Shie Hassaikai, killed our family. They broke into our apartment, killed my father and brother, before raping and torturing my mother and sister. Only my sister survived, the attempt on her life leaving her scarred and disfigured but our resolve has never been stronger. We seek the destruction of those who hurt our own and leave the treasures within the compound to you all for your assistance."
The lies and falsehoods slipped out smoothly, with practiced ease and Izuku could see in the faces below that they believed him. Most of the upturned faces were marred by greed for the false treasure, but some held sympathy for a family and sister that didn't exist, and from an unexpected few, rage for such actions being committed against seemingly innocent people. Holding back his grin, Izuku instead twisted his face into one of fury, as he pulled out a stack of old school wanted posters and tossed them into the crowd below. As people bent to pick them up and examine them Izuku explained.
"These are the leaders of the Shie Hassaikai as well as the members of the Eight Bullets. They are the ones who have wronged my family. However I don't seek their deaths, instead I ask you, those willing to help me get vengeance, to bring these people before me alive. I do not care what you do with the others nor do I care if you injure these targets, all I ask is that at the end of the day I get the chance to enact my revenge… personally." The last word was uttered with a dark smile and Izuku looking down on his minions saw that his impromptu speech had been taken exactly as he hoped it had.
Of course he had no intention of actually killing all the elites of the group. His research had found that most of the Eight Bullets followed Chisaki because he'd saved them in some way. Izuku figured that with some, persuasion, they would be more than willing to change their employment to someone who would be able to better utilize their skills and abilities. As for the ones who didn't, well the last time Izuku had met with All For One the man had asked for any he couldn't use. Subjects for an experiment of some kind although Izuku hadn't asked for specifics. A gut instinct told him that while he might fallen and become a villain he wasn't ready for whatever the experiment entailed, not yet at any rate. However if it helped him Izuku had no problem providing All For One with the... materials, the man required.
The crowd looked excited, joyous at the chance not only for riches but to fight freely with the use of their quirks. The fact that the villains would be the 'good guys' for once seemed to rile them up all the more as Izuku knew from research that several of the villains in the room had been ex-hero school applicants who'd been rejected for one reason or another, either through some fault of their own or, more likely, they had simply been unable to make the cut.
As the crowd yelled their support, clenched fist raised towards the sky, Izuku spread his arms wide and the noise began to gradually die down. "I thank you, my friends, for your support. Never, not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that so many of you would be willing to offer me aid in my quest, to do what heroes," he spat the word with disgust, "never could. Now go" he said gesturing towards the front of the warehouse, "transportation outside awaits to carry us to our destination."
As the crowd began to funnel outside Izuku turned towards Momo who stood behind him like a silent guardian. "Is our surprise ready?" he asked, voice low. The surprise had been a last minute idea by Momo and was one Izuku had agreed to. Not only would it delay the heroes' response to the raid but it would split them up and distract them at the same time. Police, civilians, rescue workers, all attention would be focused elsewhere leaving the raid to hopefully be passed over in the confusion. Momo's nod caused Izuku to let out a small grin as he made his way towards the entrance of the warehouse.
Just before he reached it however a giant hand came down, cutting off his path forward. Turning Izuku found himself looking upwards at the giant of the man sent to assist him by his mentor. For a moment the two stared each other down, a modern David and Goliath but eventually the living mountain spoke. "You are… confusing."
The giant's voice was rough, grating but Izuku's face remained blank. "You inspire others, like Master. But you give hope, like him." The giant growled the last word in a manner eerily similar to All For One and behind him, Izuku sensed Momo tense up slowly trying to move to a position the ravenette bodyguard could use to her advantage if she needed to battle the giant. The only problem is there was none; not from flat concrete to a monster rising two and a half dozen feet above her.
"And?" Izuku asked, his voice calm with a polite curiosity that any politician would find enviable.
"You are not worthy of succeeding Master." the large man growled. "You are weak, you do not inspire fear in enemies. You are nothing compared to him." For a minute Izuku was silent, his head tilted downwards as shadows covered his eyes. The giant looked at the greenete before turning away with a sigh of disappointment. "I will help. Master commanded me to. However, I will not help afterwards. Not when you are unworthy."
"Gigantomachia," Izuku said. His voice was low but it was enough to make the giant walking away from him pause in mid-step. "That's your name isn't it? All For One told me about you; how you used to be his bodyguard, about your abilities. He spoke highly of you, but the thing he praised most was your loyalty, how steadfast you were in your support of him. Tell me are you questioning his decision?"
Izuku had barely gotten the word out before the now named giant had turned around, his fist raised to deliver a crushing blow. Momo began to react but she was slow, unable to keep up with Gigantomachia who moved faster than any man his size had the right to do. Izuku didn't react as the fist came down towards him and merely closed his eyes, blocking the dust and small pebbles that were thrown into the air when Gigantomachia buried his fist into the ground just in front of the greenete. "Do not question my loyalty," the giant growled, his eyes locked onto Izuku who calmly opened his own emerald orbs to meet the man's gaze.
"Noted," Izuku said, raising a hand to brush a small piece of concrete off his shoulder. "However, I will tell you now," Izuku raised his head and the giant froze for a split second at the look on the boy's face. It was a look of death, of pure one minded focus that was eerily familiar to the man. "Do not call me weak, because my experiences have made me a million times stronger than you will ever know." The tension between the two was staggering and to Momo, the sole person looking on it appeared as if lightning itself crackled and burned between the two.
Gigantomachia was the first to turn away, "We shall see," he said as he strode off, slamming the steel door closed behind him as he exited.
Izuku stood tall for another moment before collapsing backwards. "Wow," he said, as sweat ran down his forehead, "he's even more intimidating than I thought he would be." Izuku turned towards Momo only to be greeted with a slap to the face. The force of the blow sent Izuku tumbling head over heels and for a moment he felt as if his soul was leaving his body heading upwards towards a bright light but it returned to his body when Momo began shaking him.
"What were you thinking?" The ravenette cried, as tears streamed down her face, her kabuki mask lying forgotten on the ground. "I thought he was going to, I couldn't-" sobs racked Momo's body as she buried her head into Izuku's chest.
For a moment Izuku lay there uncertain of what to do but after a moment he raised his hand and began to rub circles into Momo's back. In the brief moment he'd looked into the girl's eyes Izuku had seen fear, not for herself but for him. The fear that if he died she would once again be alone with no one her own age who understood her like he did. "There, there," he said, his voice soft, "I'm right here, everything is going to be alright." For a minute the two lay there, just finding comfort in the other one's presence.
Eventually Momo's sobs began to die out, and she raised her head looking at Izuku with red, puffy eyes. "Promise me," she said, her voice soft and low, trembling with emotion. "Promise me that you'll never challenge someone like that again. That you'll never do anything that risky. Please let me know-"
"I can't." Izuku's voice was firm as he cut her off. Looking at his friend's shocked expression his eyes were soft pools of jade as he explained himself. "I can't promise you that I'll stay safe; that I'll never do something like that again. I want to so badly it hurts," he said the slightest tremble in his voice allowing the ravenette to hear his sincerity, "but I can't. I'm a criminal, a villain and in the underworld strength means everything. I have to be strong even when, especially when, I'm not and right now I'm not strong.
I'm quirkless, literally everyone is stronger than me, better than me. I only have two things going for me: my brain and All For One's support. If I lose either I am finished plain and simple and you can't just walk away from villainy without sacrificing something. Right now the only thing I have that I care about is you and I refuse," Izuku's voice hardened, and a dark look covered the greenete's face in shadows, "to sacrifice the first friend I've had since I was four. I was fucking four the last time I had a friend! When I had anyone I could rely on that wasn't my parent from birth and even one of them walked out when he found out I was worthless, a fucking Deku! Tell me," Izuku yelled at Momo as tears appeared in the corner of his eyes, "tell me what the world has ever done for me, why I should give a crap what happens to it! Why I shouldn't tear it down with my bare hands! "Why," Izuku began to sob looking at Momo as tears streamed down his face, his voice lowering from a shout to a whisper, "why it took away the last thing I cared about."
Eyes closed Izuku and felt rather than saw Momo pull him to her chest, the warmth of her body and soft, low thump of her heart doing more to calm the boy than any words ever could. "I can't lose you," he whispered, whimpered, softly, "I can't, not after everything. I don't care what happens to me but if I lose you I'll have nothing, no one at all and I can't go through that again."
Momo ruffled Izuku's signature curly hair, "Don't worry I'll always be here for you," she said, her voice soft and caring.
"H-how can you know that?" Izuku asked, pulling his head away from her chest, his eyes now puffy and red as he sniffled. "How can you promise that?"
"Because it's true," taking a deep breath Momo pulled away from Izuku who fell backwards onto his knees. As Izuku watched Momo created a knife and took a deep breath before with a single smooth motion she cut the palm of her left hand. As blood flowed from the wound Momo tossed her knife to the side and brought the pointer finger of her right hand to the injury, dipping it in the blood. Then she looked towards Izuku and promptly stuck her finger in his mouth. Shocked, Izuku fell backwards onto his back coughing and sputtering as he tried to spit it out but some of the crimson liquid still found it's way down the greenete's throat.
"By my blood," Izuku turned his attention back to Momo when the ravenette spoke and found her looking at him. Though her voice was flat, emotionless the young woman's eyes screamed fondness, loyalty, compassion, and the barest hint of something he didn't want to name, an emotion that if he were more confident he might label love. "I swear my loyalty to the one who holds my blood within them, the one I claim as my Master. A servant bonded in life and in death, to act as his sword and shield, companion and friend, soldier, healer, and whenever else is needed of me. To follow my Master's orders obediently from now until the end of time. Let no doubt, no question, remain within me and may he never doubt my sincere vow. By my blood I swear this unbreakable oath."
For a moment the two were silent, Izuku's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water while Momo looked onwards, calm on the outside but nervous on the inside as to how her now confirmed Master would take her vow. "Well, now we'll always be together," she said as she gave him a strained smile.
Said smile seemed to snap Izuku out of his shock, "Did you," he asked voice trembling, "did you really just-"
"Swear my oath to you instead of All For One, yep." Momo said cheekily. In their months together training Momo had explained her family's history to Izuku including the fact of how each member had sworn their loyalty to All For One when they'd come of age. How they were raised from literal birth to serve him and only told when they were trusted not to betray the legendary figure. Momo was the first in literal generations to break the tradition swearing her loyalty instead to the greenete before her that she'd known for less than a year.
"Bu-bu-but," smiling with fondness Momo grabbed Izuku's arm and pulled him to his feet before reaching down once more to grab her kabuki mask from the ground. "Come on Master," she said as she fixed it upon her face, "we'll talk later, right now we have yakuza to raid.
Four tour buses made their way through the city of Jaku, cutting through the mid-morning traffic with a purpose before eventually being forced to stop due to a red light. Beside them nestled in between several office buildings was a traditional Japanese residence which, while strangel was nothing to peculiar to take note of.
However it was just as the light turned green and the buses prepared to pull away everything went bottoms up. Loud bangs rang out and smoke began to rise up into the clear blue sky as massive explosions went off all across the city. Cars crashed and people ran in panic and fear, uncertain of what was happening.
While this occurred a giant figure in a grey cloak who'd been walking down the sidewalk stopped and let said cloak fall to the ground in a heap. As the doors of the tour buses opened and the villains Izuku had gathered began to pour out, the former bodyguard of All For One pulled back his fist and slammed it into the front gate of the compound, sending the wooden doors flying inwards. As Gigantomachia charged in followed by the various villains shouting their battle cries, Izuku stepped off the bus with Momo right behind him. The few civilians still on the street turned and ran shouting to nonexistant heroes for help.
Looking around at the chaos surrounding them Izuku turned towards Momo, giving her an approving nod. The masked girl didn't react and simply dropped the remote detonator in her hand onto the ground where she promptly crushed it underfoot. The explosions had been Momo's last minute surprise, meant to serve as a way to distract emergency services, police, and heroes while the raid occurred. The two young villains had no doubt that the forces would eventually arrive but they would be severely hampered by the chaos occurring throughout the city.
The explosions had been bought using All For One's resources from the black market. Hooked to a remote detonator Momo created with her Quirk, the explosions had been set at predetermined points all throughout the city. From the tour bus agency where the buses had been stolen from to an electrical plant that provided power to the Shie Hassaikia base to sewers and several abandoned buildings or construction sites the explosions were meant to provide secondary assistance to the raid and cover Izuku's forces tracks while sowing chaos with minimal casualties.
As Izuku and Momo walked through the front gates of the compound Izuku couldn't help but wonder how the U.A. entrance exam that day was going and if a certain blond pomeranian firecracker bully was in attendance.
At the same time...
Katsuki Bakugo let out a growl as he stalked forward into U.A. his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he made his way past other student hopefuls enraptured by the sight of the number one school in the country. "Damn extras," the blond growled uncaring of the girl he knocked onto the ground with shoulder length brown hair cut in a bob style.
He was here, the next big milestone in his road to becoming the next number one yet it felt off as if something was missing. "Hey isn't that Bakugo? You know, from the 'Sludge Incident'?" he heard an extra whisper to his friend. Casting a glare at the fucker who'd spoken Katsuki let out a feral growl as he forced himself to keep his hands in his pockets instead of exploding the dumbass for making him look weak.
That was the other thing bothering him, ten months ago he'd been attacked by a villain and save by All Might the #1 Pro Hero himself, his lifelong idol and yet he'd been unable to remember it. He remembered waking up in a park covered in burns and ash as if he'd been hit by a powered up version of his own explosions but he had no memory of how he'd gotten there nor of anything that happened after the last school period of the day had ended.
Confused and in pain he'd made his way home and walked in the door only to be immediately set upon by his witch of a mother. She'd asked if he was okay and when he'd asked what she'd meant she flat out told him they were going to the doctor's. He'd growled and protested but the old hag hadn't budged and it was in the waiting room to see the doctor that he actually found out what happened to him from a TV resting on a corner of the wall displaying the day's news.
As he watched himself being held hostage before being rescued by the number one hero Bakguo's head had started to throb and he'd actually groaned in pain. It'd felt like a nail was being pounded into his head but thankfully as the pressure worsened the doctor had arrived to see him. The man had carefully examined him, remarking that the burns on his body were likely self-inflicted since they shared all the markers of his quirk since explosions were apparently different from one another. Combined with his pounding headache, apparent amnesia, and psychological profile the doctor had theorized that after his rescue Bakugo had, in a fit of rage at appearing weak, attempted to use his quirk either for practice to improve it or on himself resulting in his burns.
Such an occurrence combined with possible PTSD from being held hostage and suffocated likely caused his brain to simply repress the memories, locking them away until he could handle them. That sounded like bullcrap to Katsuki but his mom had lapped it up and after thanking the doctor, took him home where she'd actually had the nerve to make him go to bed saying he would miss school the rest of the week. He'd protested he couldn't appear weak to the others especially not fucking Deku, but his mom had been firm. At least his Dad had been cool about the incident which was unexpected, merely asking if Katsuki was okay before leaving him to his mother's overbearing care.
The next morning when he'd come downstairs having slept in since he didn't need to worry about school he'd been shocked to find his mother and dad sitting together at the kitchen table instead of at their respective jobs. His mom cradling her face in her hands as she cried while his dad rubbed her back supportively. "What's wrong you old hag?"
"Shut up Katsuki!"
For once Bakugo had been speechless, no matter what it was his mom had always been the one wearing the pants in his parents relationship and it was the first time he could EVER remember his old man raising his voice at him.
"N-n-no, he needs to know." His mother had sniffled, raising her head to look at him with red eyes. "L-last night a villain attacked the Horikoshi Apartment Complex." For a moment Bakugo felt a twinge of worry; he recognized that name, it was where Deku lived, but he brushed it off. He didn't care about the quirkless hero wannabe and it was just an attack, one of the many that happened every day so why was the hag so upset?
"The villain got into a fight with a Pro Hero and one of the apartments ended up collapsing before everyone could evacuate." Now Bakugo was worried, where was she going with this? "I just got the call, they need me to go identify I-I-Inko's body!" As she forced out the name his Mom collapsed into his Dad's embrace as her sobs renewed.
"And Deku?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt numb, like he was in a dream. This couldn't be happening not only was he shown to be weak on national news but his former friend, quirkless, useless Deku was-
"They don't know." His Dad's voice was soft but firm layered with a steel Katsuki had never seen nor heard from the man before. "They haven't found a body but they have found blood, a lot of blood in the lobby they determined to be his. It was on a piece of wood in the lobby and it had the remnants of..."
"Of what?" Katsuki asked, his voice a whispered croak.
"...of organs on it."
Organs, as in plural? Katsuki could feel himself paling as he pictured Izuku lying on the ground a wooden stake protruding through his chest. It was unnaturally easy to do.
"They haven't found a body," body? "But based on the evidence they've listed him as missing, presumed dead." Katsuki was numb, he didn't feel himself walking forward to collapse heavily onto a chair. He vaguely remembered food being set before him and eating it robotically. Deku was dead. Deku was dead. Deku was dead. Wasdeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddead.
Katsuki remembered everything he'd done to the greenete who'd once been his friend, the torture, the beatings, forcing Izuku to hand over money to avoid being beaten up only to beat him up anyway once Katsuki got tired of extorting the freak only to take the money anyway.
When was the last time he'd been nice to the green haired boy, done anything for useless, wea- for Deku? As his mind drew a blank Katsuki's brain went back further and further searching, looking, hoping that there was at least once incident where he hadn't bullied, abused, or taken advantage of the greenete. Finally it found the time the four of them Izuku, fat wings, finger knot, and himself had been strolling through the woods. It was just after their quirks had come in before Izuku had been officially diagnosed and Bakugo was in the lead like always. The quartet had come to a stream and Bakugo had made to cross it over a log much to the others shouts of approval. However the log had been wet from last night's rain and Katsuki had slipped, falling into the creek below. Only Izuku had come down to see if he was okay. Only Izuku had held out his hand with genuine worry in his eyes to help him up. Only Izuku had seen him weak but Katsuki had been the one to slap his friend's hand away.
Lying in bed that night as the memory played itself over and over in his mind Katsuki couldn't help but feel a pit forming in his stomach at the realization that that last time he'd been anything other than a bully to Izuku had been when the two of them were four. FUCKING FOUR! The thought only made the pit inside of him deepen but Katsuki refused to acknowledge it, instead he pulled out his phone and looked up video of the sludge incident. Opening a video taken there on someone's phone Katsuki watched himself in the shaky amateur footage be held hostage, his explosions holding the pros back while setting his surroundings aflame. Katsuki watched and waited for All Might to appear, to save the day, but found him sitting up in shock when he saw someone else rush forward to help him. A person the blond was rather familiar with, "Deku?" he whispered unbelievingly.
Katsuki watched silently, mouth agape as the greenete threw his school bag at the villain, managing to hit him in the eye with luck rather than skill before clawing futilely at the slime. When the slime villain recovered Bakugo felt himself freeze in horror as the villain drew back Katsuki's arm, the blond's palm cackling in preparation to launch what would assuredly be a massive explosion. Bakugo wanted to turn away, look anywhere but at the screen but he forced himself to continue. Then at the very last minute All Might appeared protectively in front of Izuku before sending the villain flying with a single punch.
As the villain was blasted away Katsuki's headache returned with a vengeance. If yesterday the pounding had been reminiscent of a nail then now it was a hot iron being thrust into his skull. Yet through the pain details began to emerge. The choking feeling of being suffocated, the taste of the slime down his throat. This time Bakugo was watching the scene play out once again this time from a first person perspective as his memory returned to him in a flash.
He remembered kicking the bottle, the villain coming out of it, being captured and used as a living weapon, Izuku attempting to save him only for All Might to actually do it. Hell he remembered being complimented by the heroes afterwards, some of them even asking for him to come work at their agency once he graduated but he brushed all of them aside. They weren't worth his time or attention, not why they hadn't done anything to help him. Besides he intended to become the next number one hero not some lame ass sidekick to a third string hero wannabe.
After regaining his memories Katsuki threw himself headlong into training for the U.A. Entrance Exam. Never again would he be helpless. Never again would he be weak, and never, ever, EVER would Katsuki have to be saved by a quirkless, useless, Deku. However even as he thought it the hole that had formed in Katsuki's stomach upon hearing of his childhood friend's death grew just a tiny bit more but the blond boy locked the feeling away when it arose. It was of no use to him in his quest to achieve his goal of being the strongest, to be the next #1 hero so he chained it down deep inside, determined never to let those feelings see the light of day, a mentality that only grew when he actually thought he'd seen the greenete when the hag had sent him to put some flowers on Auntie Inko's grave. The boy had gotten into a limo and Katsuki had shaken his head driving the thought from his mind and rechaining the hole in his stomach that had loosed upon seeing the green haired boy. Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya was dead and Katsuki knew that he was never coming back so the blond boy instead turned his attention to his training.
In his haste to grow stronger Katsuki failed to notice that there were still holes in his memory he couldn't remeber. The few minutes immediately after school had let out the day of the 'Sludge Incident', what happened to him after he'd been released by the heroes, how he'd ended up burned and beaten by his own quirk all of it was still missing. It was as if some of his memories were still hidden away in his mind, waiting to be unlocked the moment they were needed.
As she turned in her written test Itsuka Kendo let a soft sigh escape her mouth as she massaged her aching temples with her hands. Ever since she'd met All Might all those months ago her life had become for lack of a better word, hectic. Or maybe controlled chaos would be a better way to describe it.
Learning that the #1 hero's quirk was able to be passed down was a shock; learning he wanted to give it to her even more of one. Sure she dreamed of being a pro hero and helping others but that was her goal, to help. She didn't care if she became the next number one as long as she was able to make a difference in the lives of others. It might sound stupid to some but that was fine, it was her goal and she intended to pursue it at all costs. Now here she was entrusted with becoming the next symbol of peace, with a new quirk she'd inherited from a hair she'd swallowed just hours ago, preparing to take the U.A. practical exam.
Was she nervous, yes but at the same time Itsuka had never felt more comfortable in her life. She'd trained in martial arts for years at her family's dojo and spent just as much time developing her quirk. She'd always had a decent build but All Might had taken it a step forward designing a workout plan that accommodated for school, martial arts, working out, and everything in between. Hell the man had even specified what she should eat and in what amounts. Slightly creepy and overbearing, yes but it was the intention that counted.
As a result of her training Itsuka's body was now rather reminiscent of the Rabbit Hero: Miruko in physique with an athletic build and muscular arms and legs although hers weren't as well defined as the #6 Pro Hero which was to be expected all things considered. After only eight months of All Might's original ten month plan the blond hero had declared that Itsuka's body was strong enough to be able to handle One for All but it was a shock to both the blond hero and herself when she declined.
Seeing the disappointment growing in the #1 Hero's eyes she had been quick to try and reassure the man that she still wanted to be his successor it was just, "I want to take the test using Big Fists," the orangette had said looking at the ground shyly unable to meet her mentor's gaze for fear of what she might see. "I've known I wanted to be a hero for years and, well," she let out a frustrated sigh as she cast her gaze upwards to the few white clouds floating in the mostly clear sky above; why was it so difficult to put emotions and intentions into words, "I just want to know if I would have been strong enough to get in with just my Quirk."
"Young Kendo... THAT'S A GREAT REASON!" All Might had shouted growing into his hero form before promptly turning back in a cloud of smoke, blood leaking through his smile and down his chin where it dripped to the sands below. "Wanting to test yourself, to see if you would have been strong enough. That is the mindset of someone who wants to be stronger; never be satisfied with what you have always go the extra step, run the extra mile all so that when it's needed you can go above and beyond to save one more person. There's a reason U.A.'s slogan is Plus Ultra, in Latin it means 'further beyond' because that is what hero's do, they go beyond their limits all for the sake of others."
So the last two months All Might had given her more free time, although he'd made sure she hadn't slacked in her workout routines, so the orangette could practice her Quirk. Itsuka had no idea whether it would be effective or not but she felt that she had slightly more control over her Quirk than she'd had before. Whether her hands were larger or her attacks slightly stronger if nothing else she knew that she had prepared the best she could. And if needed, if there was no other option she had a back up plan, that morning she had finally accepted All Might's offer eating one of the blond's hairs, albeit reluctantly and with much protest, so as to gain the man's Quirk. She didn't feel any different but she trusted Yagi-sensei. If he said she would feel it she knew she would.
Returning to the present Kendo took her seat and looked down at the stage as a Pro Hero she recognized as Present Mic walked to the podium. "WELCOME TO TODAY'S LIVE PERFORMANCE, EVERYBODY SAY 'HEYYY!'" The hero yelled. Cupping an ear towards the crowd the pro looked like he was waiting for a response but the room was silent save for a faint cricket noise. "WELL THAT'S COOL, MY EXAMINEE LISTENERS! I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE GUIDELINES OF YOUR PRACTICAL! ARE YOU READY?!" Though he didn't cup his hand to his ear, instead spreading them wide Present Mic received only silence once again, this time not even the crickets chirped leaving the room as silent as a tomb.
Looking slightly downfallen the hero pressed on, "THIS IS HOW THE TEST WILL GO, MY LISTENERS! YOU'LL BE EXPERIENCING TEN-MINUTE LONG 'MOCK CITYSCAPE MANEUVERS!' BRING ALONG WHATEVER YOU WANT! AFTER THIS PRESENTATION YOU'LL EACH HEAD TO YOUR ASSIGNED TESTING LOCATION!" Looking down, Itsuka found that her testing ticket displayed Site: D on it.
"EACH SITE IS FILLED WITH THREE KINDS OF FAUX VILLAINS! POINTS ARE AWARDED FOR DEFEATING EACH ACCORDING TO THEIR RESPECTIVE LEVEL! USE YOUR QUIRKS TO DISABLE THESE FAUX VILLAINS AND EARN ENOUGH POINTS TO PASS! THAT'S YOUR GOAL LITTLE LISTENERS! OF COURSE PLAYING THE ANTIHERO AND ATTACKING OTHER EXAMINEES IS PROHIBITED!"
"May I ask a question?" A voice cut Present Mic off before he could continue. Turning with the rest of the crowd, Itsuka found herself looking at a stiff looking examinee with short blue hair and square glasses. "In the pamphlet provided for us it says that there are four faux villains. Is this an intentional mistake because if so it is quite unbecoming of a school whose heroics program we are all trying to enter."
"THANK YOU FOR NOTICING EXAMINEE 7-1-1-1 I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GET TO THAT! IN ADDITION TO THE THREE OTHER TYPES OF FAUX VILLAINS THERE IS A FOURTH VARIETY THAT YOU'LL GET NO POINTS FOR BEATING! PICTURE IT AS A HIDDEN BOSS IN A VIDEO GAME, YOU DON'T NEED TO BATTLE IT BUT YOU CAN IF YOU WANT TO! HOWEVER BY DOING SO YOU'LL BE WASTING TIME YOU COULD BE SPENDING GETTING MORE POINTS! DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION 7111?"
"Yes, thank you," the stiff looking boy said with a bow before retaking his seat.
"GREAT NOW BEFORE YOU SKEDADDLE LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH THESE WORDS, HEROES ARE NOT FORGED FROM NOTHING! ALL OF THEM POSSESS THE SPARK THAT DRIVES THEM, PUSHES THEM TO GO THE EXTRA MILE, TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND, AND PUSH THROUGH THEIR LIMITS! TO GO, PLUS ULTRA! THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!"
After changing into comfortable clothing, a simple teal t-shirt and black shorts, Itsuka made her way to the fake city U.A. had prepared as her test site. Looking around Itsuka took in her fellow competitors but only a few stood out, an explosive blond rolling his neck and cracking his finger one by one, a tall boy in a mask with six arms connected by folds of skin like a bat, a girl with vines for hair, another boy with a bird head who seemed to be talking to his own shadow, and a boy with weird marking around his eyes who appeared to be eating bits of metal. Some of the applicants were talking amongst themselves while others stretched, warming up their bodies or quirks.
"AND BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice rang out over the speaker as the gates opened up. Most of the applicants stood there looking around in confusion, but two launched themselves forward into the mock city. Itsuka had learned from her spars at her father's dojo that there was no countdown in real life. Apparently only one other applicant had realized that this was likely another test, casting a quick glance to her side Itsuka found herself looking into the red eyes of the blond she'd noticed earlier. The boy's hands were pointed behind him and he seemed to be creating explosions from the palms of his hands that he was using to propel himself forward. Producing explosions was a useful quirk, one practically built for fighting or in this case the practical test itself
Separating from the boy, Itsuka focused back on her task, launching herself at the nearest robot standing in the middle of the street. Balanced precariously on a single wheel the two armed robot had a large red one spray painted on its forearms. Swinging one of said arms towards the orange haired girl Kendo jumped over the obvious attack and using the arm as a makeshift springboard launched herself over the robot. Enlarging one of her hands as she went, Itsuka grabbed the robot's head as she hopped over the droid's shoulder to pull the machine off balance so it fell backwards with her, the head still in her hand. As she landed, Itsuka slammed the robot's head into the ground, the metal collapsing like tinfoil as she did so, giving the orange haired girl her first point.
Itsuka didn't pause to celebrate however, instead turning her attention to her next opponent. The two pointer was a triped with a large scorpion-like tail coming out of the back of its body and red twos spray painted on it's legs. As the faux villain drew back it's tail to strike Itsuka leapt forward and kicked the side of the tail as it descended, redirecting it to impact another one pointer standing nearby. Landing on the robot's back Itsuka pressed her advantage, punching at the armor underneath her feet. In a few short moments she'd breached the metal giving the orangette access to the wiring inside which she ripped out uncaringly. The robot immediately collapsed to the ground as it's leg gave out, six red eyes on what would be it's head fading to black at it's defeat.
However she wasn't done yet, "Target locked, commencing Destroy Protocol. Initiating." Turning around Itsuka found herself facing a three-pointer, with treads for all-terrain movement, heavy armor, and the ability to fire multiple missiles from the two model MLRS on it's back; there was a reason the three pointer was worth so many points. Cursing her luck Itsuka dodged the missiles as they were fired, her training and instincts automatically kicking in to help her as she slowly but steadily made her way closer to the machine. As explosions rang out behind her the orange haired girl rolled to avoid a particularly low flying rocket, picking up a decent sized chunk of concrete on her way back up Itsuka launched the rubble at the rocket system managing to nick one of the rockets as it emerged from it's tube. The piece of concrete barely nicked the missile but it was just enough to knock the rocket off course causing it to hit another missile setting off a chain reaction destroying the robot.
As Present Mic's voice rang out announcing one minute had passed Itsuka let herself grin. Seven points in one minute was pretty good but she wanted to do better. Enlarging her hands she launched herself at the other robots as the other examinees began to finally catch up.
In a control tower located an equal distance from all four mock cities, a group of shadowy figures looked at screens showing multiple views of the test from hidden cameras implanted in either the robots or hidden within the city itself. "Looks like we have a decent crop this year," one said.
"We don't tell them how many villains there are or where they're located," another added, looking at a screen showing a blue haired boy with exhaust pipes coming out of the back of his legs axe-kicking a one pointer in half. "Such a wide battlefield and limited time drives them forward, motivating them to give it their best and go Plus Ultra."
"It's still too early to tell," one said dryly, their shadow resembling a giant cocoon or hot dog.
"True," the smallest shadow, one resembling a rodent remarked, "but this should hopefully tell us more about the kind of applicants we have." So saying they lifted a glass case and pressed a bright red button labelled kaiju just as Present Mic yelled out.
"THREE MINUTES REMAINING!"
Stumbling a bit, Itsuka ducked under a stab from a two pointer's tail before grabbing said tail and karate chopping it with her free hand cutting it in two. Attacking before the robot could retreat she drove the tip of the tail into the robot's head destroying it. "Fifty-Three,'' she said with a grin.
Her grin fell though as the ground began to shake, all around her applicants fell down just as a large groan echoed throughout the testing site. A building collapsed and out of the rubble emerged a giant figure, a robot taller than most of the of the skyscrapers that surrounded it. As the applicants watched frozen in fear the giant swiped a clawed hand into the sides of one of the buildings. With a heavy groan the building collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust that covered the testing area and those within it.
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!"
Present Mic's voice kicked the examinees back into action, many of the applicants just straight out running in pure terror from the monstrosity behind them. Itsuka was at the back of the crowd helping up any who'd fallen down, several times during the practical she had saved someone who'd bitten off more than they could chew or been about to be ambushed from behind. Such behavior wouldn't get her anything but it was the right thing to do which was all the orangette girl cared about.
"SHIT!" Whirling around Itsuka found herself looking at the blond boy she'd seen earlier who was lying on the ground. His eyes blazed with fury but from where she was standing Itsuka could clearly see that the boy's foot was twisted at an unnatural angle, likely sprained if not broken. But the worst part was that he was directly in the path of the Zero Pointer.
"ONE MINUTE LEFT!"
Itsuka didn't have time to think, to consider what she was doing as she started sprinting towards the blond knowing that she'd never be able to reach him in time. 'Come on,' she thought angrily as she pushed her legs harder, 'reach him. That's all that matters.'
As if in response to her summons Itsuka felt something inside of her awaken and power like she'd never felt before flowed through her bottom two limbs. If the girl had looked down she would have seen orange veins crawling along the surface of her skin, as if a roaring fire had begun to burn within her. Bending her knees, Itsuka launched herself skyward directly at the massive machine's face pushing off so hard she cracked the ground underneath her forming a large crater in the process.
Drawing back her right arm Itsuka forced this foreign power she knew must be One for All into her limb as she increased the size of her hand making it as large as she could while forcing One for All into the appendage as well. As her jump reached its peak making her level with the Zero Pointer Itsuka launched her attack throwing a punch at the air in front of her.
To the shock of the blond and examinees below, as well as the teachers looking on through hidden cameras, a massive wall of air seemed to slam into the Zero Pointer's face plate causing the head to crumple like a soda can. As the monster reeled backwards collapsing on it's back multiple explosions erupted from it's body from the damage Itsuka had caused but said girl had more pressing concerns, as gravity began to regain ahold of her she began the fall to the concrete hundreds of feet below her.
'Okay primary threat taken out now what do I do?' the girl wondered suppressing her immediate panic. Itsuka tried to move her limbs but immediately let out a scream of sheer agony. Turning with tears streaming from her eyes the girl found her limbs flopping around uselessly in midair clearly broken. Only her left arm remained intact and her right hand was red but seemed to function unlike the arm it was attached to which like Itsuka's legs were purple in color, twisted at unnatural angles from visibly shattered bones.
The pain and power of her new Quirk made Itsuka rapidly regret her decision to not accept and train with One for All earlier. If she had she likely wouldn't be in this situation, hell she might even have some semblance of control over the Quirk if she hadn't thought subconsciously that All Might had to be exaggerating how powerful it was. Rapidly approaching the ground below Itsuka drew back her left arm ready to draw upon the power of what she was quickly coming to see as the biggest annoyance she would have to deal with in her in an attempt to break her fall. However her actions were unneeded as a sudden explosion below caught her attention.
The blond with the hurt foot had pushed himself to his feet and using his explosions had launched himself skywards. Reaching out towards the boy with her uninjured arm Itsuka felt relieved when she felt their fingers intertwine. The boy pulled her to him and shifted the orangette to his back, Itsuka's working arm instinctively wrapping around the boy's throat in what could barely classify as a piggy back ride.
Once she was secured the blond boy used his explosions to slow their descent, eventually settling them on the rocky ground. Kneeling down the boy let the injured girl slide off his toned back onto the rough ground below. Knowing she was safe Itsuka let herself fall into unconsciousness, her last thought before she faded out being that she never got her savior's name.
Striding home Katsuki Bakugo let out a growl of frustration as he kicked a can lying on the ground sending it bouncing away. Why had he saved the girl? It wasn't like him and as much as he wanted to say it had simply been to repay her for saving him Bakugo knew that was untrue. He'd acted on instinct just like fucking Deku although he refused to believe that instincts were the sole driving force behind his actions.
Bakugo shook his head driving down the name and image that appeared when he'd said that name: a green haired boy with a wide hopeful smile and sparkling emerald eyes in a black middle school uniform, a yellow bookbag across his back as he scribbled notes down in a worn notebook. The blond also locked down his mental defenses refusing to acknowledge the heavy feeling rising in his chest choosing instead to focus on what had happened next after he'd saved the girl.
The old hag who was apparently the school nurse had refused to release him until she'd given him a kiss. Although his wound was now gone, Bakugo was exhausted both physically and mentally. He'd done it again, appeared weak needing to be saved by someone else. Katsuki knew he'd done well on the practical, his quirk was practically built for destruction but at the very end when he'd ignored the zero pointer in favor of getting more points he'd tripped on a piece of scrap and landed wrong spraining his ankle. Talk about anticlimactic and karma catching up to him at the worst possible moment.
Walking in the front door of his house he growled a greeting to his parents and briefly answered their questions, dealing with them as fast as he could. All he wanted to do was collapse into his bed and take a fucking nap but the old hag would never let him do that until she was satisfied. After a dozen minutes he finally managed to escape from the two and make his way to his room. Lying down on his bed Katsuki felt the bliss of unconsciousness approaching.
Before he faded away though his brain finally realized why he had wanted to save the girl. Falling, her shattered limbs blowing uselessly in the wind, the girl had been weak, defenseless, useless, just like Deku. With the realization the pit in Katsuki's grew just the tiniest bit more before he passed out entering the land of Morpheus.
Author's Note:
Ha, ha, ha, you thought this chapter would focus on the raid but you were wrong. It was a lie by me, the author, to build up the characters instead ha, ha, ha. Anyway now that the mandatory reference is out of the way I get to focus on the important things. Firstly is that the first part of the raid is up on my P-atreon page (P-atreon /dyavolucifer) for those of you who want to pay to read it early while helping me pay for college. Secondly this chapter was supposed to be the start of the raid (which it technically was) but then I realized that while I've spent a lot of time delving into Izuku, Momo, and All For One I've missed out on the good guys side of the story. As a result here you go with the U.A. Entrance Exam, some character development for Bakugo and Itsuka is a little more flushed out.
I've seen a few people question why Itsuka is the bearer of One For All so to make it simple she fits the personality of what All Might is looking for in a successor, not a lot of people have done it which allows me to explore her character while playing around with it a bit, if I gave it Mirio he would be overpowered, and her quirk (in my opinion) would keep her hands from breaking every time she uses it although as shown this doesn't extend to her limbs. She's going to primarily rely on her own quirk Big Fists but she will train with One For All, to avoid breaking her other limbs which she, as shown in this chapter, still does. Also for those of you wondering this is not a BakugoxKendo story as I prefer BakugoxKirishima personally although as the omnipotent author I maintain the ability to change the story however I want. Yay, perks.
Anyway back to Izzy our MC, Momo's sworn her loyalty to him something I hinted at back in chapter 2. This means that she is solely loyal to Izuku and will only serve him working for only his benefit although she will assist others if she thinks it will help him in some way. This is why said girl is the main love interest and best girl in the story although she obviously won't be the only one. For those of you wondering I do plan to have a flashback either in a future chapter or maybe as an interlude between arcs where we get to see some of what Momo's childhood is like and why she starts off slightly different from cannon mentally. Plus it would be cool to see what Momo growing up as a villain would be like. I've kinda covered that in a tiny, miniscule way but some of you want details so look forward to that at some distant point in the future. Also word of advice for all of you, do not swear binding vows of eternal loyalty to people you've known less than a year as while it will work out in my story it doesn't tend to go as well in real life, just trying to help.
Izuku's rant was to show that he does have a resentment inside of him for how he's been treated over the years, a darkness that will let him rise as a villain while making him mentally strong enough to be able to destroy society despite knowing the effect it would have as to rebuild what was broken you sometimes have to destroy it first, a route the MHA writer is actually doing right now in the manga with the breakout and all the heroes quitting. The rant also highlights Izuku's dependency on those close to him and how they are the only people he truly cares for especially after losing Inko. Right now that's limited to Momo, Toga, and All For One but you can expect to see that number flux in the future as people are added and lost. If Izuku only sees those close to him as friends and everyone else is either a chess piece or an enemy than he is likely to be far more willing to be manipulative, a chess master like All For One, Nezu, and a certain white bearded old man with a horrible fashion sense, a twinkle in his eyes, and an addiction to muggle candies. Who could that possibly be? *insert eye roll here* The last thing is that the rant also highlighted how Izuku still feels guilty for his mother's death. Although he rightly blames society and heroes for her murder he does acknowledge that he had a role in her death, one the greenete feels incredibly guilty of. I wonder how Izuku will react when he learns about All For One's manipulations in that event, especially if said boy has a quirk that can kill someone with a mere touch of his hand? Maybe he'll offer to heal his sensei only to do something far more graphic at the last possible moment, something like you'd see in The Boys or Invincible, who knows.
Anyway the mysterious figure All For One was referencing was, as some of you figured out, Gigantomachia another one of Izuku's future lieutenants. I love his character and quirks and my plan is for him to serve as a kind of bodyguard to Izuku since All For One is out of commission. However just like Tomura Izuku needs to prove himself to the man before that happens. Also where's Toga at? Have any of you seen her around anywhere? Whatever she'll likely show up eventually. Also I didn't really leave you with a cliff hanger ending last chapter since the girl was merely showing Izuku her quirk which has been shown multiple times in both the manga and anime. I would say I left more of a cliff hanger this chapter what with the raid starting only to switch to the U.A. exam instead and mentioning Katsuki's hidden memories
Don't worry the next two chapters are solely focused on the raid and will be jam packed with plenty of fights and action. Once again you can read the first one on my P-atreon page at /dyavolucifer or you can wait a month or two for me to get some more chapters written. Your choice. Also make sure to leave a comment, I do read them and your feedback not only helps me improve my writing, it also makes me want to keep writing in the first place. Also just to let you all know I am starting to work two jobs which will come out to about 60+ hours a week so it will take me a while to write if I have time at all. As a result, updates may be rarer so don't expect to see a whole lot until I go to college in the fall. Sorry for this but college is expensive and I need to pay for it somehow. If you want to help please donate on my P-atreon it does help and thank you to the one guy on there already, he got early access to this and the next chapter. ;)
I also started watching Records of Ragnarok on Netflix in my spare time. I've read the manga for months now and was really excited about the anime. While I was happy with the first fight I do find myself disappointed in the second one just as most of you likely are. However, here's to hoping the third one lives up to my expectations. I just hope that for all the complaints Netflix goes ahead with season 2 as seeing a certain greek hero facing history's most famous serial killer is something I desperately want to see.
As always make sure to leave a review as they're what keeps me writing and until next time this is the soon to be exhausted man smaller than Gigantomachia's pinky toe signing off,
-D'yavol Lucifer 3:)
*IMPORTANT NOTICE*
All the cover art for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw one. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!
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