Rival Heirs

by D'yavol Lucifer

Izuku Midoriya's dream was shattered by All Might but a mysterious man picked up the pieces and gave him a new purpose. Seeing potential where no one else did he gave Izuku a chance to succeed him. However there was already a candidate for the position and now the two must compete in an elaborate game to find and destroy the other before they themselves fall. Villain Izuku x harem

24. Chapter 19 - Round 2: King of the Hill

Gathering her breath, Momo took a look around the field, taking in the other thirty-six competitors who'd moved onto the second round. There was Bakugo of course, Class 1-A's explosive blond appearing to be almost feral where he stood, hunched over, fingers sparking as he silently raged, something that was no surprise considering how he'd ended up coming in seventh overall with his 23 points. Bakugo had spent the last five minutes chasing after Yoarashi in the air until the timer ran out. Neither boy had gotten anymore points, they hadn't needed to in order to move on, but that hadn't stopped others from profiting off their disinterest, a decision that was only now being reflected in the scores.

In fact, the only one within the former top three to actually get more points was Todoroki, who hadn't even left his igloo to get more points, merely freezing those who'd been attacking it. It'd added another fourteen points to his score, making the son of the #2 Hero come in second overall with 39 points, not that he seemed to care.

Momo and Itsuka had both ended up with a comfortable 26 and 27 respectively, putting Itsuka in the top three and leaving Momo as the runner up. Momo was happy with her placement and took a moment to once again enjoy the fact that she'd beaten Bakugo's score.

Fifth and sixth place had gone to two students from 1-B; a girl with vines for hair by the name of Ibara Shiozaki had gotten 25 points, while a boy with a skull-like face named Juzo Honenuki had gotten 24. As was expected, the majority of the hero course had made it through to the next round, although that wasn't to say there weren't some outliers. In fact, Momo turned her attention to two kids she'd never seen before, trying to analyze just what it was the two could do.

One, the girl was obviously from the support course, various gadgets and pieces of machinery covered her body and as if that wasn't enough, her eyes were covered by some steampunk looking goggles. The boy on the other hand was more difficult to place, although Momo would bet General Studies should she be made to guess. His messy indigo hair and disheveled, worn out appearance complete with dark circles under the eyes reminded Momo eerily of Aizawa-sensei.

The two's inclusion in the students moving on had brought the amount of heroic students not moving on up to five. Only one was from 1-A: quiet Koda, whose reliance on nearby animals had come back to bite him. The quiet boy had looked like he'd been about to cry when he'd left and Momo resolved herself to speak to him when she got a chance. It was her duty as class president to look after her fellow students and Koda was a sweet boy, whose reliance on sign language to communicate had given Momo a rare chance to apply her own lessons from back when she was a child.

1-B had taken the other losses meaning the class was down a fifth of their members. Momo had recognized two: one of the few girls in the class, the ghostly Reiko Yanagi and a boy with a speech bubble in place of a head who'd been called Manga Fukidashi according to Kendo, who'd spoken to the 1-B vice, Nirengeki Shoda, about who failed to move on. The other two, the orangette claimed, were Yosetsu Awase and Kosei Tsuburaba, names Momo recognized from the 1-B class roster if nothing else.

"The top thirty-seven students have advanced to the next round," Midnight began as the stadium quieted down so the R-Rated heroine could speak. "For those of you who didn't make it through, don't worry, we've prepared some other games for you to shine in." No one missed the dark smile or the way the woman licked her upper lip in sadistic glee. "But now that we've lowered the numbers, it's time for the real competition to begin. Make sure to give your all!" With the snap of a whip, the game spinner began to rotate once more, "For the second round, I wonder what game you'll all be playing. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be?" Midnight moaned erotically, "Does it get on your nerves not knowing? Wondering just what you'll have to do? Well fine then, the second game will be," the spinner came to a stop as Midnight pointed her whip at it, "King of the Hill."

"Don't we have too many people for that, kero?" Tsu croaked.

"Yeah, I mean they need more than one person to move on, right?" Kyoka questioned.

"Maybe if you all stopped talking, I'd get a chance to explain the rules to you all!" Midnight yelled.

'At least she turned off her mic,' Shota sweatdropped while Mic gave a nervous laugh.

"Anyway," Midnight said, brushing her hair to the side as she spoke to both the students and the crowd, "students will be divided up into teams of four. At the four corners of the field you're all standing on, U.A.'s very own Cementoss will create a hill with a flat platform at the top. The goal of each team is to claim a hill by getting to the top and remaining there continuously fortwo minutes. Time runs so long as each member of the team is on the platform, but you won't pass unless your team is the only one on the platform. Now without further ado, here are your teams:"

TEAM 1:

Hitoshi Shinso

Mei Hatsume

Mezo Shoji

Neito Monoma

TEAM 2:

Pony Tsunotori

Kinoko Komori

Kyoka Jiro

Ibara Shiozaki

TEAM 3:

Minoru Mineta

Hanta Sero

Rikido Sato

Sen Kaibara

TEAM 4:

Itsuka Kendo

Yui Kodai

Fumikage Tokoyami

Mina Ashido

TEAM 5:

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Nirengeki Shoda

Tsuyu Asui

Jurota Shishida

TEAM 6:

Katsuki Bakugo

Juzo Honenuki

Ochaco Uraraka

Ejiro Kirishima

TEAM 7:

Yuga Aoyama

Togaru Kamakiri

Shihai Kuroiro

Toru Hagakure

TEAM 8:

Setsuna Tokage

Tenya Iida

Shoto Todoroki

Momo Yaoyorozu

TEAM 9:

Denki Kaminari

Mashirao Ojiro

Kojiro Bondo

Hiryu Rin

'So the teams are automatically assigned,' Momo thought, raising a hand to cradle her chin, 'and they're organized in such a way that each team has at least one person they're unfamiliar with. In fact, it's kind of like All Might's first exercise,' the ravenette realized with a start. 'Just like I explained to Iida back then, you won't always be able to work with those you know, you'll have to adapt and do the best you can with those available, which is what we're going to do right now.'

Momo frowned, 'Layers within layers, this is just another reason why U.A.'s considered the best of the best, and another reason for me to keep my guard up at all times. If they find out the real reason I'm here, it's not just me that'll be in trouble; Izuku, Himiko, Mom and Dad, even Sensei would all be in danger. No!' Momo shook her head, 'Don't think. Don't even consider the possibility. Focus, you have a game to win.' She looked towards the screen once more, 'Wait a minute, if there's nine teams and four people to a team, that's only thirty-six people. Where's-'

"Now as I'm sure several of you have noticed there's one name not listed on the board." Midnight spoke, interrupting the discussion that had broken out as the teams began to group together. "The winner of round one, Inasa Yoarashi, is special because in this next game he'll be considered a mountain all his own. Yoarashi will be given a headband he'll have to wear the entire game. If the headband is removed, whichever team is responsible will automatically advance to the final event. On the other hand, if Yoarashi can hold onto it until the game ends, he too will move on."

As one, every head turned towards Yoarashi, Momo's included. Yet under the piercing gaze of thirty-six pairs of eyes, Yoarashi didn't look the least bit cowed or intimidated. No, if anything, the boy seemed to take delight in the challenge, smiling widely as he leaned back and laughed, laughed, as the entire stadium looked on. "How exciting!" The Class 1-B president exclaimed, turning his head left and right to look at the students surrounding him. "It's clear that I'm not the only one getting fired up, so let me make this clear right now: if you're going to challenge me, you'd better come at me with everything you've got!" Yoarashi declared, throwing his arms wide.

---

"Well it looks like there's another one confident in his abilities," Izuku said from where he leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. Hearing no response, he sighed and looked to his right where Nagant sat stiffly, her expression grim. Izuku sighed and sat back, his attention now firmly on the assassin. "Come on, you can at least talk to me, can't you?"

"Talk to you? Talk to you?!" Nagant yelled, turning to finally look at the greenete, her voice thankfully drowned out by the roar of the crowd. "You expect me, a hero, to talk to you, a villain, when you're holding not just me but all those around us hostage," the dual-haired heroine let loose, thrusting her finger in Izuku's face.

Izuku merely gave her a flat look in response, "We've already been over this. Nothing will happen so long as you behave. Toga and I are merely here to enjoy the festival, nothing else. Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Yesss," Nagant hissed, her teeth grinding together. "Criminals tend to try and stay out of the public spotlight. They don't try to draw attention to themselves, and they certainly don't attend the U.A. Sports Festival."

Izuku shrugged, "Well we are, now at least tell me what you think about this Yoarashi before you go back to giving me the cold shoulder."

"Fine," Nagant tossed her hands in the air, "you want to know what I think? I think he's confident, in both his Quirk and his ability to use it. Right now U.A.'s simulating the hero rankings, there's a person above the others. A person in the position they all want to be in, and everyone as a result wants to take him down. Normally one would feel threatened to be in such a position. To have such a massive target on their back, any normal first year would be cowering where they stand. The fact that Yoarashi isn't means he is either capable of backing up his words or he isn't, and I would go with the former based on his display in the first round."

"See, that was so hard," Izuku said as Nagant finished her little tirade. The heroine merely glared in response, causing Izuku to chuckle, "Fine, I'll leave you alone. Besides, the round's finally starting."

---

The second round began with Yoarashi standing alone in the center of the field, the nine other teams surrounding him at regular intervals while the corners of the field each rose up to form a large cement hill with a flat platform at the top large enough for two teams to stand comfortably. "On your mark!" Midnight shouted out from her place on the raised stage, her whip held high. "Get set!" The students tensed, Yoarashi cast one last look around, his wide smile still affixed to his face. "GO!" The whip fell, the starting horn blared, and several students were forced to plant their feet to avoid being blown off them as Yoarashi took to the air, sending dust and rocks flying beneath him.

"AND JUST LIKE ROUND ONE, YOARASHI TAKES TO THE SKIES!" Mic yelled.

"It's a smart move," Aizawa added, "he knew he was a target and amongst the other students, there are only a few capable of reaching him in the air. Remember, Yoarashi's goal isn't to take a hill, it's to survive until the end of the round, an objective uniquely suited for him so long as he is able to stay airborne until time expires."

"That doesn't sound very entertaining," Present Mic complained, switching his mic off so what he said wouldn't be heard by the entire stadium.

"It's a rational decision. If you want entertainment, switch your profession."

"Well either way, the other students are making their moves! It appears that unlike round one no one is willing to challenge Yoarashi in the air, leaving our hopeful competitors to fight it out on the ground."

The teams had indeed broken up, each heading for the nearest hill in a desperate bid to reach the top. Sprinting, Momo's arm glowed as a shield emerged from the limb, the straps already wrapped around her forearm while the shield itself was quickly put to the test as several green scales slammed into it with a metallic thump sticking fast. "Shit, that's Rin," Setsuna Tokage, the sole member of 1-B on Momo's team cursed as her floating head turned to look at a scowling boy whose black hair was tied in a ponytail.

Setsuna Tokage

Quirk: Lizard Tail Splitter

She can split her body into pieces and control them.

"Language!" Iida exclaimed.

"Not now, thunder thighs," Tokage retorted, "we've got bigger problems on our hands."

"What do you know about Rin?" Momo asked, trying to stop the argument before it could begin while keeping her team focused.

"He's from China and he's got a feud with Yoarashi. He originally applied to U.A. through recommendation, but Yoarashi got the position instead. Rin had to get in by taking the normal entrance exam. He sees Yoarashi as his rival since he thinks the boy took his spot."

"And his Quirk?"

"He can grow scales on his body and fire 'em. They double as weak armor too and- Incoming!" The team braced themselves for inbound scales, but a rumble was the only forewarning they and the teams around them had as a wall of ice rose up, cutting Rin and his team off from Momo and the others. "Thanks, Frosty!" Tokgae smiled at the last member of their team whose response was a frosty glare.

"Focus," Todoroki glared, mist leaking from his mouth as he exhaled.

"What's his problem?" Tokage complained as they charged up the hill.

"It's just how he is," Momo sighed. Casting a look back, she saw three teams coming up the hill behind them. Kaminari and Ojiro had finally made their way around Todoroki's ice wall along with Rin and another student from 1-B. Aoyama was with two students from 1-B and Hagakure if the floating uniform was anything to go by, but Momo's attention was more focused on the final group at the base of the hill looking up at them. "Bakugo's coming," she warned.

"It won't matter," Todoroki said solemnly as they reached the top of the hill, where it leveled out into a small platform, "we have the hill." As the heterochromic boy finished speaking ice erupted from his foot, spreading down until it had enveloped the entire hill, save the platform where they stood.

"I wouldn't be so confident," Tokage warned.

"Why?"

"Because that explosive blond of yours has Honenuki on his team. He was another recommended student forced to take the regular entrance exam by Inasa."

"What can he do?" Momo inquired.

"He can soften things," Tokage said as she looked down the hill and groaned, "like ice." Stepping up Momo stood next to the greenete girl and looking down she could indeed see the skull-faced boy she assumed was Honenuki leading his team up the hill, the ice around him having softened into slush.

"They can try to soften the ice but all we have to do is hold the platform," Todorki said as he stepped forward. "That means all I need to do is hold them off until the two minutes is up." So saying another wave of ice erupted from the boy's feet rushing down the hill towards the students trying to climb up like an avalanche. Before it could hit, Bakugo held his hands up and a massive explosion erupted from the blond shrouding the hill around them in mist.

"I can't see them," Tokage reported, her head floating higher in an attempt to see through the thick mist.

"It doesn't matter," Todoroki said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "they won't make it through my ice in time.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Icy-Hot!" The shout was all the warning Todoroki had as Bakugo erupted from the mist, heading straight towards the son of the #2 Hero, his right hand outstretched palm already sparking.

"Sorry, Iida," Uraraka apologized as she leapt at the speedster who, like his teammates, had turned towards Bakugo, "but I want to advance, and you won't be able to do a whole lot in the air."

Before Uraraka could touch Iida, she found her path blocked by Momo's shield. "Iida," the ravenette instructed, "knock Bakugo away, we need Todoroki if we want to hold the hill."

"Right," Iida nodded as his thrusters ignited, pushing him forward. Todoroki had managed to get an ice barrier in between him and Bakugo before the explosion hit but it was destroyed in the explosion, and Bakugo's other hand was already swinging around.

"Sorry, but I won't let you get involved," Kirishima said, skidding in between Bakugo and the charging Iida, his body hard. "This is a fight between men and you can't interrupt."

Before Iida could respond, Momo shouted once more, "Iida, close your eyes!"

The blue haired boy obeyed just as a small cylinder was thrown in between him and the red haired Kirishima. Kirishima's eyes focused on the object, his peripheral vision picking up Momo's outstretched hand in the background. "Huh?" He asked dumbly just as the cylinder erupted in a burst of light with a loud bang. Kirishima cried out as he fell to the ground, his eyes squeezed shut, ears ringing.

Iida had recognized the flashbang and as soon as it exploded, he opened his eyes and charged forward. Todorki was on the backfoot; he honestly hadn't expected anyone to make it up the hill until time expired, and Bakugo was attacking faster than he could create his ice. "Not so cocky now, are ya?!" Bakugo yelled as he launched another explosion, Todoroki could only grit his teeth as he braced himself, his skin already singed. As Bakugo drew his hand back once more, Iida slammed into him, his raised knee striking the blond directly in the stomach. Bakugo spat as he was sent flying off the platform, rolling down the icy slopes of the hill.

"...Thanks." Todoroki said gruffly.

"Later," Iida said as he turned his head back towards the other students. "We need to get rid of the others now." Todoroki didn't say anything, instead letting his ice flow to incase the still kneeling Kirishima. Momo, seeing the approaching wave, pushed her shield into Uraraka before leaping backwards. The brunette only had a moment to cry out before she and her teammate were swept over the slopes.

"Wait, where's Tokage?" Momo asked, looking around. She was answered by the ground at their feet turning soft causing her and the others to begin sinking.

"I already took care of her," Honenuki said as he rose from the muck, having apparently hidden himself in the softened ground. Raising a hand, he pointed a finger over his shoulder, "She's trapped down there. Now that you all are incapacitated, I just need to wait for the others to make their way back up here and we can claim the hill."

"AND WE HAVE OUR FIRST TEAM TO ADVANCE TO THE FINALS! TEAM 1 CONSISTING OF SHINSO, HATSUME, SHOJI, AND MONOMA! AND WHAT A SHOCKING PERFORMANCE IT WAS! SOMEHOW THEY MANAGED TO MAKE THEIR ATTACKERS FIGHT FOR THEM!" Mic announced to the roar of the crowd.

"Huh?" Honenuki grunted as he turned his attention to a hill across the stadium that had begun to sink into the ground.

"TIME'S TICKING AND THERE'S ONLY THREE HILLS LEFT!" Mic cheered, "SO FIGHT ON YOU LITTLE GLADIATORS!"

"Please don't call the students gladiators," the tired voice of Aizawa cut in.

"Guys, I won't be able to move after this." Iida spoke, his head bent forward, eyes shadowed.

"Iida?" Momo asked turning to look at the boy as Todoroki did the same.

"Momo. Todoroki. I'll leave everything up to you two. It's all in your hands now." Fire erupted from Iida's thrusters turning blue as the speedster was propelled forward towards Honenuki. The boy was turning around as Iida swung his leg, sending the thruster propelled limb crashing into the boy's face. Honenuki was sent tumbling off the platform.

"WOW, AND WITH A DRAMATIC FINISH BY IIDA TENYA! TEAM 8 MOVES ON!"

As the hill beneath them began to sink Momo turned to look at a blank faced Todoroki, although she could feel the boy's confusion. "What?" He asked simply as he met her gaze.

"Nothing," the ravenette replied, turning away. Momo was confused, she could understand that by knocking Honenuki off the platform they'd been the only team on it, but the skull-faced boy had said he'd trapped Hokage back on the slope. Midnight had said a team needed to have all their members on the platform for it to count, yet Tokage had been absent.

"Hey, nice job fending off Blasty and the others." An arm slung around her shoulder was all the warning Momo had as the girl occupying her mind appeared next to her. "Sorry I couldn't help, but with you all fighting each other, I figured someone needed to deal with Honenuki." The girl laughed, "Unfortunately, he just sank into the ground when I got close. While I was flying low looking for him, he jumped me and pushed me down before I could do anything."

"Then how did we advance," Momo asked the burning question in her mind. "Midnight said every person on the team had to be present."

"But I was there," Tokage grinned, flashing Momo a pearly white grin full of sharp teeth, "or at least part of me was. Ya see, I left a little present behind before I went flying off. Wasn't sure if me flying would count as being on the platform or not, but apparently a lone foot counts as me being on the platform." Sashaying away, Tokage tossed a wave over her shoulder, "I hope we see each other in the finals, something tells me you'd be fun to fight."

The reminder that she was now in the finals made Momo focus; the ravenette had little doubt that Bakugo would find a way to move on. The finals of the Sports Festival were always one-on-one fights, and with how strong Bakugo was, Momo had little doubt that only Todoroki, Kendo, and maybe Yoarashi could face him head on and hope to win. Momo only wished that Bakugo would last long enough to face her, and if not, that whoever beat him made him hurt for it.

Momo'd had a month to study her classmates, their Quirks, their abilities, how they fought and she had a plan to face all of them. But the one she'd trained to fight the most, the one she wanted to fight the most was Bakugo. The boy who'd tormented her best friend for years. As a child, Momo had heard her mother mention that she always knew in her bones when a fight was coming and now Momo could feel her blood pounding, her heart racing, and the ravenette knew that confrontation between her and Bakugo was fast approaching.

---

Bakugo screamed wordlessly as he let his explosions loose, sending the extras that had taken the hill flying backwards. Dodging around a laser he recognized as Sparkles, Bakugo sent an explosive at the French blond before turning to attack the uniform that indicated where See Through was at. Ducking beneath a blade, Bakugo sent an explosion upwards at Mantis-Face's face. Recoiling, Mantis grew a blade from his leg as he lashed out, but Bakugo simply propelled himself over it and, while spinning, launched another explosion into Mantis's chest.

Falling backwards, Mantis sent one last long blade out that was easy to dodge. What wasn't as simple was the black figure that erupted from the blade's shadow. Even though he might be mad, Bakugo was still capable of thinking rationally, and with a classmate like Birdbrain, it was all too easy for him to deduce Blackie's weakness. Bright blinding light erupted from his hands, and as Black recoiled with a scream, Bakugo grabbed his head, slamming it into the ground before tossing him off the platform.

"WOW, AND JUST LIKE THAT KATSUKI BAKUGO OVERCOMES TEAM 7 ALL ON HIS OWN, SECURING THE HILL FOR HIS TEAM! WHAT A DISPLAY OF STRENGTH!"

"Impressive," Skull-Face said as he walked up to join Bakugo on top of the platform, "I honestly thought you were being overconfident when you said you'd take care of them and I'll admit that the fact you were practically frothing at the mouth did nothing to help my confidence."

"Nah, that's just how Baku-bro is," Shitty Hair said, smiling with his hands behind his head.

"I thought it was pretty scary," Round Face added her two cents timidly, but a glare from Bakugo had her leaping back with an 'eep' like she honestly thought he might attack her.

"I'm not scary," Bakugo growled, clenching and unclenching his hands. This festival was not going the way he thought it would. He thought he'd just walk in and be able to show the world how good he was, but the moment the first round began, everything had gone belly up. Crew Cut had dominated the round and when Bakugo had faced him, the boy had simply ran away, Bakugo had chased him instead of trying to get more points and he'd gotten seventh as a result. Seventh! He hadn't even made the top three!

Yet the second round had proven to be even worse somehow. Crewcut had flown away, and while Bakugo had wanted to chase him, he'd managed to control himself; he needed to move on and the first round had proven that in a chase between them, Crewcut's control of the air would let him evade Bakugo longer than the blond wanted. So Bakugo had settled for claiming a hill and charged at Icy-Hot and his team, but just when he'd had Half-n-Half on the ropes, their battle had been interrupted by Four-Eyes, who'd not only interrupted their battle, but knocked Bakugo away. Bakugo's fury had erupted then, but before he could make it back up the hill, it'd been claimed, forcing them to seek another hill.

Big Hands and her team had claimed the third hill before they could even reach it, and Bakugo was practically rabid at how he was now delegated to fourth. He had barely told the extras on his team that he would handle it before he was off charging forth propelled through the air by his explosions.

"Sure you aren't," Shitty Hair agreed, patting Bakugo on the back which earned him a dark growl that merely caused the red head to laugh.

"Is that really getting to you?" Skull-Face asked, his head cocked to the side.

Bakugo's growl only seemed to excite Shitty Hair who laughed again, "It does, you really want people to like you."

"No I don't," Bakugo snarled, standing up.

"Does saying no when you mean yes make you a tsundere?" Round Cheeks asked, and despite how innocent her question sounded, Bakugo knew she was making fun of him by the glint in her eyes and how her smile became just a little bit bigger.

"I'M NOT A TSUNDERE!" Bakugo roared.

"I don't know," Shitty Hair joined in, "that does sound like something a tsundere would say." Bakugo screamed wordlessly as he launched himself at his teammates. Mic's sheepish announcement that they passed came a minute later, not that the team had any trouble. Despite their issues, they were more than capable of holding off the extras, whose groaning bodies now littered the slopes below them.

---

"I see what you mean about his attitude." The statement was blunt and delivered cooly, yet Izuku couldn't hold back his smile as he focused his attention on Nagant once more. "His instincts and combat skills are impressive and a little ruthlessness is expected in heroes focusing on combat, but going that far to win an event in a school festival is…concerning."

"Hmm, he was angrier than normal wasn't he," Izuku noted impassively, looking down at the field where the final cement hill was sinking into the ground.

"You don't sound that surprised."

"I told you about our relationship," Izuku smiled bitterly, "Kacchan's used to being the top student, the best. Everyone's told him he's the greatest for so long that he actually believes it himself. Yet here he is at U.A., his dream school, and how has he done so far? Seventh in the first round, fourth in the second? It's no wonder he's getting worked up, and when Kaachan's mad, he tends to turn his anger onto others."

"That's not behavior becoming of a hero," Nagant frowned.

Izuku just smiled, "It shouldn't be," he agreed, "but don't pretend to be naïve, you and I both know that it's perfectly acceptable. Every day through TVs and phones all over the country, millions of people are exposed to the latest hero news. Stories and videos of heroes time and time again beating down the villain." The greenette chuckled, "I still remember playing Heroes and Villains with Kacchan when I was younger. He was always the hero using his Quirk on the villainous Deku to remind him of his place. Our culture worships heroes and almost every child wants to be one when they grow up. Sure some might want to focus on rescue work or evacuations, but the vast majority want to be battle heroes, fighting the good fight to take down the evil villains. It's how you get heroes like Mirko, whose only seeming reason to be a hero is because it allows her to legally beat people to a pulp."

"That's not true," Nagant protested, "Mirko-"

"Participated in numerous illegal underground fight clubs throughout her middle school and high school career." Izuku interrupted, "It actually resulted in her being expelled." Seeing Nagant's suspicious look, Izuku shrugged, running a hand through his hair bashfully, "I was a bit of a hero otaku," he admitted with a faint blush.

"That doesn't mean Mirko doesn't help people," Nagant defended.

"And I'm not saying she doesn't," Izuku agreed, "what I am saying is that more and more people are becoming heroes for all the wrong reasons, reasons society is encouraging. Wealth, fame, power, sure some just want to help people, but others," Izuku's face darkened, "others are in it for their own gain."

He turned towards her, "But then again, heroes acting in their own self interest isn't new, is it?" Nagant only responded with stony silence.

The corner of Izuku's mouth curved into a small smile, "You understand." He answered for her. "Heroes are human: they have faults, make mistakes, yet rarely do we ever hear about them. It makes sense that the authorities wouldn't want such news getting out, to keep the public believing in their idols. I know first hand about their coverups."

Nagant's frosty expression broke for a moment, "Your mother?"

"The Musutafu Apartment Collapse," Izuku confirmed. "I came home from the worst day of school in my life, when my former best friend turned lead tormentor, Katsuki Bakugo," he gestured towards the arena below them, "the student now representing the heroics department of the #1 school in the country, in their most televised event, told me that if I wanted a Quirk, I should just pray I get one in my next life and take a swan dive off the roof.

I though that was as bad as it could get," Izuku said mournfully, "but then I came home that evening and walked in on a hero raping the broken body of my mother." Izuku's fingers dug into the armrests of his chair like claws, yet his voice, while full of dark rage, remained smooth "Somehow, I managed to overpower him and push him away." Izuku turned to Nagant, letting the heroine look into his jade eyes, even now, filled with pain, "I held her as she died. I cried begging the only woman who'd ever loved me to hold on as she slipped away. And then, the hero responsible for her death returned, Slugger." Izuku practically growled the name, and Nagant too found herself being drawn into his story, disliking the hero she'd never even met.

"He tells me that I'm being dramatic and that, because I attacked him, I'm now considered a villain by law which means as a hero he is now free to take me down. He was going to blame me for her death. Her murder. Her rape! Then take credit for arresting me. And do you want to know why he did all that? Why he went so far? It was because I tried to play hero.

All Might had been chasing a villain that day, but he'd escaped through the sewers. He caught Bakugo and took him hostage. I watched as the heroes charged with saving him stood around and did nothing, all because they didn't have the right Quirk for the job. I caught sight of Bakugo's eyes so full of fear and then, it was like my feet moved on their own, I rushed forward past the heroes merely looking on and tried to help." He laughed bitterly, "Nothing happened of course, All Might arrived and saved the day with a single punch. I got scolded for my recklessness while the heroes praised Bakugo for his bravery and Quirk, but Slugger, he was there, and seeing me, a mere Quirkless trying to make a difference was enough for him to hunt down where I lived so he could show me my proper place."

"What happened?" Nagant couldn't help but ask.

I tried to fight him," Izuku replied simply with a shrug. "He won of course, and I was left gravely injured. It was only the fact that Slugger stumbled across another villain that I was spared. Still, I likely would have died if it wasn't for my patron, my sensei."

"Your sensei?" Nagant asked hesitantly. She wanted more information, but worried that any attempt to pry would find the line of inquiry cut off.

Izuku smiled at the woman indulgently, making it clear he knew what she was doing, but he answered nonetheless. "Yes, my sensei. He saved my life. Took me in when I was at my lowest, alone in a world that hated me for being unique, yet celebrated the uniqueness of everyone around me. I had nothing and yet, for some reason, Sensei took me in. He didn't have to, yet he gave me a chance to become more than I ever thought possible." Izuku's tone was respectful, bordering on reverent, like a cultist speaking of their faith.

"Everything was covered up of course," Izuku continued, returning to his story, "Slugger was simply checking on a poor victim caught up in a villain attack earlier that day. He was a hero who tragically lost his life in the line of duty. But then again, you would know all about those kinds of cover ups, wouldn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nagant replied, her voice cold as ice devoid of all emotions.

"Really?" Izuku questioned, cocking his head to the side. "It's not any different from what you do, is it? Killing heroes I mean."

Author's Note:

*Sighs. Sips hot chocolate.* Happy April Fools. I'm pretty bad when it comes to jokes so here's this month's chapter; hope you all are doing well. So yeah second event of the sports festival, King of the Hill. Bakugo lost again, and some more Izuku/Nagant interactions. Nagant of course is pretty upset considering the situation but she'll probably come around eventually. As for what will come from that who knows but needless to say it'll be entertaining. Next chapters pretty relaxed just checking up on some characters during the lunch break then we're back with the finals. What comes after the finals? Well I've been building up to it for two arcs now so probably something that'll end up being disappointing but who knows. *Takes a drink* Special thanks as always to my editor DutchHorizon for looking over the chaos that is my drafts and conjuring up the many, many commas I fail to put where needed.

This month's fanfic suggestion is a Five Nights at Freddy's fanfic Expect the Unexpected by Arctic Vulpix. It's a long read but I like it and I almost always end up laughing. Some seriously heavy topics come up later in the story but for the most part at its core it's a light hearted read about a female teenage nightguard who enjoys pranking some killer animatronic robots. Check it out it's in my favorites list and should be near the top. Now's an especially good time to pick the story up since they're just starting the FnaF Sister Location Arc.

Whelp until next time follow, favorite, and leave a review since I read them and they keep me writing. This is the devil who's ready for summer to come so he can get out of classes for a while and enjoy looking at the crumbling remnants of Greecian architecture 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!

Stats For Nerds:

April 1, 2023

Reviews - 436

Followers - 2,149

Favorites - 1,761

Communities - 4

Views - 259,995

Favorites Page - 7

Follows Page - 6

[Please note that the last two are when search conditions are set to:

Anime/Manga: My Hero Academia

Rating: All]