Teacher's Lounge - Lunchtime
"He knows what?" All Might exclaimed, spitting out his tea. He gasped and did a full on double take at the revelation. All Might took one look at the twins and already saw the guilty expressions forming in their faces. Ami was the first to blame herself.
"It's my fault, All Might. Kacchan confronted me on the bus when we got to the USJ. I didn't tell him much, just that what Izzy said was true, but he figured out the rest from watching us during the villain attack." Ami quickly explained, ashamed at herself. Izuku quickly put a hand on her arm and shook his head in denial.
"No, Ami, It's my fault. If I didn't tell Kacchan the truth, then he wouldn't have known about my quirk." Izuku said, shifting the blame onto him. Ami looked at Izuku with sad eyes and shook her head. All Might couldn't decide who looked more guilty.
"No, It's my fault, Izzy. If I didn't tell Kacchan that stupid cover story about your quirk then he never would've believed you in the first place." Ami said, shifting the blame onto her. Izuku frowned and immediately shook his head in denial. The twins then started arguing between each other over who's fault it was. All Might recovered from choking on his tea and glanced back-and-forth between the arguing twins and sighed. He put his tea back on the table and did some arm stretches, listening to them blame themselves. He stood up out of the couch and tensed his body up.
"Hey." All Might called out, but to no avail. Realizing they weren't listening to him, All Might switched into his muscle form and leaned over the table. He stretched his arms out and put the above the twin's heads. Before the twins could notice All Might in his muscle form, he grabbed both of them by the back of their necks and lifted them up slightly above the ground.
Ami and Izuku stopped their arguing and felt the massive hand grip onto the back collars of their school uniforms and immediately cringed at the uncomfortable grip. They were caught by surprise at the sudden lifting and were still in their seating positions in the air. They glanced at each other and then looked at All Might at the same time. The face he made let them know that he wasn't amused at their arguing.
"You, two, done?" He asked, calmly raising his eyebrow.
"Mhmm." The twins said in unison, nodding their heads up and down at a rapid pace.
"Good. I'm letting you two down now." All Might said, gently lowering the twins back to the couch. Izuku and Ami gripped onto the tea in their hands and instantly placed them on the table upon landing. The two shared nervous expressions, awaiting whatever type of response All Might was going to give them. All Might leaned back over to his side and dropped his muscle form, returning back to his skeleton form upon landing on the couch.
"Ahhhh," All Might sighed, "You two are something else." All Might said, staring up at the ceiling. He took the chance to catch his breath as he reclined into the couch, unable to think about what the twins had just told him.
"We're sorry, All Might." The twins said in a sad low voice. All Might stopped relaxing and raised his head back up off the couch. He made eye contact with the remorseful twins and shook his head in denial, softly narrowing his eyes at them.
"There's no need to apologize, you two." All Might said, solemnly. He stared back down at the twins and noticed the tears starting to fall off their eyes. Seeing them in this state let All Might know they were truly sorry about this.
"But- we failed you. We couldn't keep a secret and now Kacchan knows." The twins frowned, looking up at All Might with a confused face. They were expecting him to be a lot angrier, but even a calm look had its own implications. Yet looking at All Might's eyes let them know that he wasn't disappointed in them. All Might sighed and picked up his cup of tea from the table. There was still some left inside after spitting some of it out.
"Listen here, you two. None of this is either of your faults." All Might assured them, receiving looks of complete disbelief by the twins. The faces they had was enough to tell him they didn't believe him. All Might nodded and continued his reply.
"If it's anyone's fault, then it's mine. I knew something like this could happen when I gave you One For All." All Might admitted, causing Izuku to raise his eyes.
"What? You did?" Izuku asked, looking up at All Might in confusion. All Might smiled and nodded at Izuku, confirming his thoughts as true.
"Of course. It's always a possibility. Especially depending on the circumstances." All Might pointed out, raising the twins' interest.
"What do you mean?" Ami asked, feeling a little confused. Izuku glanced at Ami and nodded with her, agreeing with the question.
"Well, It's kinda simple, but think about it? When I gave you One For All, all I knew about you was what you told me on the roof, remember?"
"Oh, that's right." Izuku replied, thinking of the words he said to him.
"I'm a normal kid without any powers. Could I ever hope to be someone like you?" Izuku asked, His past words echoing through his mind. Izuku thought about that conversation he had on the roof that day. He remembered every detail about that day. He even remembered the exact words that were exchanged. All Might nodded his head at Izuku and continued going.
"You were born without a quirk. You had a sister. And your classmates made fun of you. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to assume you had no friends." All Might summarized, causing Izuku to frown.
"Oh, thanks." Izuku said, slightly bothered by the words. Ami saw the downtrodden look on her brother's face and put her hand on Izuku's shoulder, comforting him.
"That said, despite knowing very little about you, I gave you One For All anyway. For all I knew, you could have had lots of close friends that would have made hiding One For All a lot harder. Despite keeping One For All a closely guarded secret, I took a risk with you. Thankfully, it turned out well." All Might smiled. Hearing the reply caused Izuku to think out loud.
"So, if my life had turned out differently, like If I was an only child, or rich, or maybe had a quirk or something, would you have given me One For All?" Izuku asked, thinking about how life would've turned out for him had he been born under a different situation. Would he have even been the same person?
"In all likelihood, yes. Remember what I said to you that day?" All Might answered, honestly. Izuku's eyes widened, remembering the words All Might had told him and Ami.
"I came here to thank you. If you hadn't told me about your life. If you hadn't run into that fight, I would've been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So, thanks."
"You told me you didn't have a power. So when I saw this timid, quirkless boy try to save a life, it inspired me to act, too."
"There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own. And today, that's what I saw from you. Both of you." All Might said, repeating inside Izuku's mind. Izuku flashed back to the present and stared at All Might's eyes.
"Whether you were quirkless or not. Sibling or no sibling. Friends or no friends. You acted to save a life while I hid in the crowd. Because of that, your actions reminded me what it meant to be a hero. That is why I said that you, too, could be a hero. The second you ran forward, I knew that you would be the one to inherit my power." All Might explained, causing Izuku to shakily smile.
"Thank you, All Might." Izuku thanked him, crying his eyes out in appreciation. All Might saw the coming barrage and instinctively covered his face and his tea from Izuku's onslaught of tears. Ami did the same and covered Izuku's tea as well, feeling as emotional as him.
"Alright, alright, settle down, you'll get the couch wet, young Midoriya." All Might asked, getting Izuku to stop crying a short time later. After a short break refilling his tea, All Might took a drink and moaned.
"Now. Let's discuss this situation with young Bakugo. What does he know?" All Might asked, wanting to get every possible piece of information available to him. Izuku had just taken a drink of his tea and was about to speak but Ami said the words for him.
"Not much. We kept a lot of things a secret from. All he knows is that Izuku has your quirk, but he doesn't know what it is or that it's called One For All" Ami said, explaining to All Might everything they knew about how Bakugo figured it out. All Might listened to Ami's explanation and noticed there was still a little bit of guilt in her voice as she explained what she had said to him shortly before entering the USJ. Despite all the info Bakugo had acquired, All Might sighed in relief, hearing how little Bakugo truly knew about One For All. Nevertheless, the fact he knew so much meant there was no way they could cover it all up.
"Well. There's no way to cover this one." All Might thought, knowing there was little that could be done now.
"What are we going to do, All Might?" Izuku asked, hoping All Might would know what to do.
"Well, young Midoriya, we'll just have to let him in on the truth. If what you said is true, then Bakugo won't go telling everyone he sees about One For All, so we should be safe. After all, you said you two grew up together, didn't you?" All Might asked, receiving a nod from the twins.
"So, ignoring his aggressiveness and pride. Can he be trusted to keep this a secret?" All Might asked, solemnly. Ami and Izuku hesitated for a moment, thinking of what to say. They glanced back at each other and almost appeared to have a telepathic conversation. The twins nodded and looked back at All Might with looks that showed they were absolutely sure.
"Yes, we're absolutely sure." The twins said in unison.
"Good. But how about anyone else? Are you absolutely sure no one else has grown suspicious of Izuku's powerful quirk?" All Might asked, getting instant confirmation. The twins rapidly shook their heads at him.
"Yes, sir. Kacchan's the only one who knows." Ami answered, absolutely sure of herself.
"No one's figured it out but him. We haven't told anyone else. Not even our mom." Izuku answered, truthfully.
"Okay, then. If it's just Bakugo, then telling him won't cause any problems. And if he can keep a secret then we won't have to worry about others finding out through him. Alright, then. It's decided. Now that that's settled there's something we need to go over." All Might said, drinking his tea.
"There is?" Ami asked, curiously.
"What is it, All Might?" Izuku asked, hoping it wasn't anything sad. All Might stared at the twins and stood up off the couch. He turned his head towards a window and silently approached it, getting a view of the school grounds below. He squinted his eyes and adjusted to the daylight and stared into the sky.
"To be frank, I don't have much time left as the world's Symbol Of Peace. Soon, I'll have to put that title to bed."
"Oh…" Ami frowned, lowering her head a little.
"No way…" Izuku frowned, tightening his grip on his tea. All Might heard the sad tone in the twins voices and felt himself frown on the inside, nevertheless, he continued talking.
"And some villains out there are starting to notice that. Someone has to step up and keep the people safe." All Might said, narrowing his eyes. Izuku and Ami heard All Mights words and stopped frowning. The sad expressions on their faces were replaced with surprise as they stared at each other. One look between them was all they needed before the realization had set in. The twins twisted their heads and looked up at All Might, standing up in the process.
Ami didn't have to guess what Izuku was thinking at that moment. She could already tell it in his face. The two of them knew what was going to happen. All Might was about to say something important. All Might stopped staring out the window and turned towards the twins, narrowing his eyes at them.
"I gave you my power for one reason. Cause you will be the hero who takes my place. Do you still feel the same way you did when we met? Do you still wanna be a hero?" All Might stated, raising his hand out and clenching it into a fist. Izuku quickly nodded and formed a serious face. Ami felt a smile form on her face staring at All Might and Izuku. She already knew the answer to All Might's question.
"Yes." Izuku answered, honestly. All Might stared at Izuku and returned his hand to its normal position and nodded. A proud smile formed inside his head as he stared at the green haired boy.
"Excellent. The time has come for you to prove it. This Sports Festival. It's something that the pros- No, the entire country will be watching very closely." All Might said, raising some concern in Izuku's face. He knew exactly where All Might was going with this speech, yet he felt the nervousness climb up as he continued speaking.
"I want you to think of this Sports Festival as your debut. You are the fledgling Symbol Of Peace. The next All Might! Izuku Midoriya. I want you to introduce yourself to the world and proudly say, "I am here!" All Might proclaimed, raising his hands up high. The twins gasped at All Might's demand. Knowing what he was going to say wasn't enough to prepare the twins for actually hearing it.
"Woah." Ami said, feeling the same pressure that Izuku felt. She glanced back at Izuku and saw the nervous expression on his face. Ami quickly turned back to All Might and spoke for him.
"But, All Might, that's your catchphrase." Ami pointed out, shocked to hear All Might's proclamation.
"Mhm. It was, but as my successor, it's young Midoriya's turn to show himself to the world." All Might answered.
"My turn...to show myself? But, what can I do?" Izuku asked, staring back at the ground. The thought of him standing centerstage at the Sports Festival and yelling out at the crowd All Might's catchphrase went through his mind. It was a huge deal for him.
"You know how the Sports Festival is set up, right?" All Might asked, slowly approaching his side of the couch.
"Oh, yeah. Of course." Izuku replied, his nervousness vanishing instantly.
"Students are separated by class year, and then the support, business, general studies, and hero courses all fight against each other in a bunch of preliminary trials. Whoever makes it through the initial games face off in the finals. It's basically a big round-robin tournament." Izuku explained.
"Right. So you'll have plenty of opportunities to sell yourself!" All Might said, receiving a nod from Ami.
"He's right. If Izzy makes a big enough impression at the Sports Festival, he'll practically be world famous." Ami thought, feeling a smile form on her face.
"I guess." Izuku said, unenthusiastically. All Might heard the less than stellar agreement and fell back into the couch. Ami simply facepalmed in amusement at Izuku's response.
"I'm sorry. I mean, what you're saying is absolutely correct, All Might." Izuku said before muttering out loud.
"But honestly, it's kinda hard to get excited about this after what happened at the USJ. Plus I already got the world's greatest hero teaching me, so the festival probably isn't my only hope of getting scouted by an agency. And besides, I don't know that I can stand out right now considering I did so horribly on the fitness tests and I can't control One For All very well-"
"Uh, Izzy," Ami said, grabbing hold of Izuku's shoulder, "You're muttering too much again." Ami smiled, awkwardly.
"Oops." Izuku said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He turned his head back towards All Might and noticed the couch had fallen back on the floor with All Might still sitting on it.
"Oh, hey, are you okay?" Izuku asked, staring ahead at the flipped over couch with All Might still seated uncomfortably.
"Man, nobody is better at spouting word vomit than you, kid. Some heroes always aim for the top while others happily settle. The difference between those two mindsets has a big impact on how far you go in the real world." All Might stated.
"I understand how you feel. And I may even be projecting a bit of myself onto you. However, I hope you haven't forgotten the emotions you felt at the beach during our training." All Might said, reminding Izuku of the intense workouts he and Ami went through.
"Yeah, Izzy. Everyone's gonna give it their all at this Festival, including me. This isn't something we can afford to mess up in!" Ami exclaimed, hyping herself up in the process.
"I know that, but….what if I break something again? Then I'll be out of the festival before the finals even begin." Izuku feared, slightly frowning.
"Who says you'll need to use One For All for anything but the finals? Izzy, you cleaned up all the trash on an entire beach. And you didn't even have One For All then. If anyone's gonna get by without using their quirk, it's you." Ami said, assuredly. Hearing those words made Izuku crack a smile, remembering all the work he did moving the trash off the beach.
"You're right. And, hey, you helped clean the beach up, too." Izuku said, looking at Ami with a smile.
"Yeah, but nothing compared to you." Ami grinned, playfully hitting Izuku's shoulder. Ami stared blankly at the tea in her hand and took a deep breath.
"Izzy, I know firsthand how scary things have gotten. But this festival is the best chance we have to prove ourselves to the world. For me, and you, It's the best chance we have to show the world what the Midoriya's can do. And besides, won't it be cool if our old classmates saw us on TV?" Ami said, smiling wide with optimism. Izuku stared at his sister's wide smile and felt himself forming a big smile as well.
"Hmph," All Might grinned, "Thank you, Ami." he thought, seeing the excitement finally show itself in Izuku's face. He relaxed once more into the couch and grinned.
Lunch Rush's Eatery - Cafeteria
Bakugo sat in the Cafeteria chair in silence, eating away at the lunch on his plate. At the present moment his anger was gone as he ate his lunch. However, that angerless mood would change whenever he heard the voices of his annoying classmates sitting next to him. He glanced at the group of students next to him on the table and grew more annoyed at their conversation. Sitting near him once again were the same students from two days ago. Shitty hair, Sparky, and the boring one with the tape quirk. While Bakugo was eating, he looked around the Cafeteria and paid attention to every student he recognized inside. He scanned the tables for any sign of Deku and couldn't find him anywhere. He did see Four-Eyes and the other one, sitting together at a table, but no Deku. He silently growled in frustration, keeping it quiet so the losers next to him didn't hear. He took a bite of his sandwich and sat there wondering where that green-haired idiot could be. After taking the bite, he made a quick glance towards his left and scowled at the empty seat beside him. Seeing the vacant seat was enough to make him madder than usual. She wasn't here yet.
"Grrr. Where the hell are you, Habanero?" Bakugo thought, eating his sandwich angrily. He remembered their short conversation in class earlier and grew more annoyed.
"Thanks for letting us go the other day, Kacchan. I didn't realize how cold it was." Habanero thanked him, showing him an appreciative smile. Or as best as she could make under the intense glare that immediately appeared on his face.
"Uh huh." Bakugo said, keeping an indifferent look on his face. Bakugo groaned on the inside. He could tell the reply he gave would cause her to get confused.
"Is there anything else you wanted to say to me?" Habanero asked, nervously. Bakugo heard the question and returned his glare towards her.
"No shit I have something to say to you." Bakugo thought, annoyed by the dumb question. Despite being angry on the inside, he kept his cool and instead turned his glare away from her. He flared his nostrils and shrugged, narrowing his eyes towards the front of the class.
"Not here." He answered, solemnly. Bakugo could tell that had gotten the point across judging by the shyness in her reply.
"Oh...R-Right." Ami replied, feeling slightly nervous. Bakugo watched her turn away from his peripheral vision. He took the time to clench his fist and shake his head slowly while she wasn't looking. Bakugo slipped out of the memory and scoffed, rolling his eyes. He did another quick scan of the Cafeteria hoping he'd catch a sight of Habanero anywhere. Not seeing the twins anywhere, he grumbled to himself.
"If I knew those idiots weren't gonna be here then I wouldn't have let them go so easily." Bakugo thought, starting to regret immediately walking out of the classroom after left.
"I want some damn answers already." Bakugo thought, aggressively eating.
"I swear if those two got out of school early then I'm gonna be-"
"YOOOO, what's up students? Can we get a Katsuki Bakugo reporting to the teacher's lounge, please! YEAAAAAAHHHHH!" The intercom said at an ear piercing volume. Every student in the Cafeteria room collectively cringed at the volume. The loud voice was enough to cause the speakers to echo his voice, creating an even more painful screeching sound. When the sound finally ended, the students slowly recovered. Some stared at the intercom with annoyed looks and angry expressions.
"Uhh...Sorry, kids." Present Mic apologized, shutting off the intercom. Bakugo heard the ear shattering announcement and clenched his fists.
"What the hell do they want?" Bakugo mumbled to himself, getting out of his chair. Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari, all recovered from the announcement around the same time and stared at Bakugo with curiosity.
"Hey, Bakugo, what are they calling you to the teacher's lounge for?" Kirishima asked.
"Hell if I know." Bakugo replied, turning towards the exit.
"What'd you do? Don't tell me you blew something up on our first day back to school?" Kaminari asked, causing Bakugo to grunt in annoyance.
"Shut it, Extra!" Bakugo shouted.
"Extra?" Kaminari repeated, feeling insulted. Sitting on the opposite side of the Cafeteria, Iida and Ochaco watched Bakugo walking away with puzzled looks of their own.
"Now, Bakugo? What's going on?" Ochaco thought, watching Bakugo leave with his lunch tray in hand. As he reached the exit, Bakugo entered the hallway with an angry scowl. He kept his usual glare on his face, hiding his true thoughts. He knew why they were calling for him, and from who. It had to be the twins.
"Deku. Habanero. Bout time you bastards came clean." Bakugo thought, reaching the door to the teacher's lounge. Bakugo stared at the door in silence. He could hear voices on the other side talking about something. He narrowed his eyes and leaned into the door, attempting to listen to the conversation. The voices were muffled, but he could hear the familiar voices of the twins. But, to his confusion, there was another voice in the room he didn't recognize. At least, he thought he didn't recognize the voice.
Leaning away from the door, he stared at it hesitantly. He didn't feel nervous, but part of him felt some unusual weight cling onto his shoulders. He shrugged and raised his hand towards the door, a determined look forming on his face. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he loudly knocked on the door and listened to the voices go silent. After a few seconds of silence, Bakugo heard a sound through the door that sounded like something was growing. He didn't know what it was and decided to ignore it.
"Who is it?" Izuku asked, through the door.
"It's just me, you idiot." Bakugo answered, shaking his head. He crossed his arms and waited by the door, listening to the voices inside.
"It's Kacchan." Izuku whispered.
"I know." Ami whispered back. Bakugo heard their conversation through the door and rolled his eyes. He stood there waiting impatiently until he heard the door finally unlock and then slightly open up. Bakugo stared at the door as it slowly opened, revealing the inside of the teachers lounge. He looked inside the lounge and immediately made eye contact with Habanero, who had a strange nervous smile on her face. He could also see Deku was sitting next to her, slightly hiding behind her.
"Hey, Kacchan...Good to see ya.." Ami greeted, anxiously waving. Bakugo didn't bother replying and looked at their faces. He could tell they were both extremely nervous. He scoffed and folded his arms together, walking into the lounge and scanning the room for any teacher.
"So, are you idiots finally gonna tell me everything?" Bakugo asked, receiving a nod in confirmation from Habanero.
"Izzy, scoot over." Ami whispered, getting Izuku to make a little room on the couch.
"You're gonna want to sit down for this, Kacchan." Ami recommended, placing her hand on the open space. Bakugo glared at her with a suspicious look which only made Habanero more nervous, causing her to gulp. She felt her hand shake as she lightly rubbed the couch, motioning for him to sit down. Bakugo stared at the couch and considered standing. Eventually, he grunted and gave in to her demand, walking up to the couch.
"Hey, Kacchan." Izuku stuttered, tapping his foot anxiously.
"Deku." Bakugo replied, acknowledging his existence. Ami sat between the two of them and silently took a drink of her tea.
"Well, at least he isn't shouting at us." Ami thought, cracking a nervous smirk. Bakugo watched her drink the tea and noticed her grip on the cup was shaking slightly. The twins were visibly nervous and they couldn't even hide it.
"So. Who do I have to talk to to finally get some answers here?" Bakugo asked, impatiently.
"Me." All Might answered, getting Bakugo's attention. Bakugo turned his head back to where he came from and raised his eyes, seeing All Might reveal himself behind the door he just walked in from.
"Because I am here! Hiding behind the door." All Might announced, quickly closing the door to the lounge.
"All Might." Bakugo said, surprised to see him appear out of nowhere. All Might nodded and approached the blonde and the twins on the couch and took a seat on the couch across from them. All Might sat on the couch and caused it to make a bending sound as it withstood all of All Might's weight, making the couch look small compared to him.
"Greetings, young Bakugo." All Might greeted, flashing his signature smile, "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here?" He asked, getting a blank glare from the blonde.
"I'm not." Bakugo answered, matter-of-factly.
"Of course. Well, I'm also sure you have a lot of questions for me and young Midoriya." All Might inferred, not knowing where to start with the conversation.
"Just cut to the chase already, All Might. What the hell is Deku's quirk? How the hell does he have yours?" Bakugo questioned, getting surprised glances from the twins.
"Kacchan…" Ami whined, surprised to hear him acting this way with All Might.
"Let All Might explain." Izuku said, causing Bakugo to roll his eyes.
"Don't worry, Bakugo. We'll get there." All Might said, dropping his smile. All Might's face changed to a more serious look, revealing his piercing blue eyes to the three students. Ami and Izuku stared at All Might's serious expression and felt intimidated, making them more nervous. Bakugo stared into All Might's eyes and raised his eyes at the intimidating look. He quickly narrowed his eyes and returned to his default glare, matching All Might's.
"Katsuki Bakugo. What I'm about to show you doesn't leave this room. Got that?" All Might said, solemnly.
"Yeah, I got that." Bakugo replied, glancing back at Habanero and Deku. Finally some answers to the questions he's been thinking of this whole week.
"Wait. What does he mean by show?" Bakugo thought, raising his eye at All Might. All Might nodded at Bakugo and dropped his hands onto the couch. He closed his eyes and dropped out of his muscle form, disappearing in a small puff of smoke. Bakugo was caught off guard by the smoke and squinted his eyes, adjusting his vision. When the small puff of smoke disappeared, however, Bakugo couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock. Sitting on the couch across from him wasn't All Might anymore. Or, at least, it wasn't the All Might he knew anymore.
All Might coughed out blood as he dropped his muscle form, surprising Bakugo even more. Ami and Izuku also showed concern on their faces as All Might coughed.
"What the- How? Why the hell do you look like that?" Bakugo asked, surprised to see the number one hero look so fragile and weak.
"This is who I really am. When I'm not in my muscle form I take on this appearance behind closed doors. When I'm not being the Symbol Of Peace." All Might explained. Bakugo stared at All Might's deflated face and realized that was the voice he heard in the lounge before he knocked.
"Are you serious?" Bakugo asked, staring at the scrawny looking skeleton that was his idol with slight denial. Ami stared at Bakugo and frowned, looking at the denial he had in his face. She could understand the feeling of denial when she had first seen All Might's true form.
"I am." All Might nodded, lowering his eyes and grabbing a hold of his suit, "Just a heads up, what you're about to see isn't pretty." He said, lifting up his suit. Bakugo stared down at All Might's chest and cringed at the sight of the horrific wound, his eyes twisted and bulged as the shock set in. Ami and Izuku cringed upon seeing the injury on All Might's chest. They were never going to get used to how bad it looked.
"Wha- No way…" Bakugo said, shocked beyond belief at the gruesome wound on All Might's body. He clenched his hands and gripped the couch. Ami looked at Bakugo with concern in her eyes. She wasn't expecting a reaction like this. Not from Kacchan. Seeing him look so shocked and devastated, it made her feel worse. He always kept his glare and frustrated look with him everywhere, yet right now, he didn't have his glare anymore. The only time she ever saw him looked so shocked was when she saw his face after the training exercise. Just before she had slapped him.
Ami didn't know whether it was right to put a hand on his shoulder, just to let him know that they were there too. She knew full well what All Might was to Kacchan growing up. She could relate to his shocked reaction. As she considered the idea, All Might continued to explain things.
"It's a nasty wound, I know. About five years ago, I got this injury from a fight with a villain. My respiratory system was destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. This was the best I could do after all the surgeries. I used to go three hours a day in my muscle form, but after the fight with that Nomu villain, I can only go on for 50 minutes." All Might explained, causing the twins to frown. Izuku lowered his eyes after hearing his words, clenching his fists in regret. Bakugo lowered his head and stared down at the floor, the weight he felt on his body was starting to increase.
He listened to the explanation and didn't know what to think. Eitherway, things were starting to make sense in his head. No wonder the twins were so concerned for All Might at the USJ. All Might's been hiding his injury this whole time. For five years? Bakugo sat there in silence, processing what he just heard.
"You've been kicking ass this whole time for five years...with that on your body?" Kacchan said, raising his head up a little. Hearing the question from Bakugo, All Might nodded slowly.
"If I had known about that injury on your body. Would I have done what Deku did, too?" Bakugo thought, remembering when Deku had tossed his sister onto him just to rush towards All Might's rescue.
"Damnit." Bakugo thought, clenching his fist. He couldn't believe he was seeing this. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Bakugo scrambled his eyes at the floor, keeping his head down. He grit his teeth and grinded them as he struggled to accept the truth. As he sat there taking it all in, he had suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Bakugo's eyes widened once more as soon as he felt the hand.
"What the?" Bakugo thought, feeling the hand on his shoulder. He raised his head a little and slightly twisted his head to the left. His eye twitched as he followed the hand to its owner. Habanero.
"How dare you?" Bakugo thought. As he stared at the nervous girl in front of him giving him a comforting hand, his eyes shifted into a glare. He realized what she was trying to do, causing him to realize the state he was in. He was feeling bad again. But this feeling washing over him was ten times worse than with Habanero. Ami noticed the glare and didn't know how to respond to it. She didn't even realize what she was doing until she did it. Even now, she didn't know why her hand was still there.
"A-Habanero, who told you you could touch me?" Bakugo asked, glaring at her as best as he could. Ami stared back at Bakugo and saw the stress in his eyes. She was seeing red in those eyes for the first time in her life. Hearing him speak like normal, despite the emotions he had right now, took her for surprise. He was holding it together his own way. Even now, he was still the same Kacchan.
"Sor- Sorry." Ami apologized, weakly. Putting her hand off of his shoulder. She put her hand on her lap and continued staring at Bakugo. She gripped her skirt anxiously and kept her concerned look for him. She knew telling her not to touch him was his way of telling her he was fine. Even so, he looked like he needed a friend.
"Five damn years ago? Don't tell me...That Toxic Chainsaw villain kicked your ass?" Bakugo asked. All Might was a little surprised to hear the question and shook his head. He made a tiny smile for a split second, before returning to his serious expression, tucking his suit back in.
"No. I got this injury from another villain. Most of the world doesn't know about it. I did everything I could to keep it a secret." All Might explained, getting Ami and Izuku's attention. They had heard the explanation before, but they still had no clue as to who the villain was that injured him so badly.
"Who? Who was it that did that to you?" Bakugo asked, regaining his glare. All Might's eyes slightly widened, taken aback at the question. The sound in the room suddenly went quiet again. Ami glanced at Bakugo and saw the glare on his face. Izuku heard the question and wondered why he never thought about asking about it before.
"...That's not something I want to say for now." All Might answered, truthfully.
"Why not?" Ami asked, innocently.
"It's...personal. It's not something I want to go into detail about." All Might frowned, the sad expression on his face was noticed by the three. The students looked at All Might's frown and wanted to ask him more questions about the subject, but decided to stay quiet. The silence between the three students and All Might was tense. Bakugo processed everything he heard and gained most of his senses back to him. The usual glare on his face was back as he assumed control of his feelings. When he did get his emotions in check, his rationale had also returned.
"I see how it is now. When I realized Deku's quirk was your quirk, I wondered why. But now I know the reason. Your injury made you weaker and you knew you couldn't keep going so you duplicated your quirk or something in a lab and looked for candidates. Then you gave it to Deku." Kacchan said, glaring at Deku. Deku squirmed under the intense glare and felt sweat drip off his forehead.
"Uh...sort of. You're actually not that far off." Izuku stated, waving his hands around.
"Which makes me wonder: what the hell is your quirk to begin with?" Bakugo asked, looking at All Might's eyes.
"I guess it's time that I explain to you the truth about my quirk. To be clear though, my quirk wasn't duplicated or created in a lab. I willingly handed it over to young Midoriya with his consent." All Might clarified, causing Bakugo to raise an eye in confusion.
"Going off from that, I must repeat my earlier demand. What you're about to hear doesn't leave this room. You will tell no one what I'm about to tell you. That goes for all of you once more. Do you understand?" All Might ordered, making his tone clear.
"Mhm." Bakugo nodded.
"Uh- Yes, Sir." Izuku stuttered.
"Of course." Ami nodded.
"Alright…" All Might nodded, staring solemnly at the students, "The name of my quirk is One For All. It is the reason for my super strength. It has been a carefully guarded secret passed down from generation to generation. One person improves the power, then hands it off to another person. It continues to grow as it's passed along. And with every new user, the quirk gets stronger and stronger. This quirk was given to me from my predecessor to carry on this cultivated power. and now, just like you said, the time has come for me to pass it on to someone else."
"So then, what you're saying is-"
"Yes. Izuku Midoriya is now the holder of One For All. He is my chosen successor to hold the title of Symbol Of Peace. I transferred the quirk to him willingly by having him ingest my hair. And now you know the truth of Izuku's quirk." All Might finished explaining. He looked at Bakugo and analyzed the quiet expression on his face. He couldn't tell what was going on inside Bakugo's head. Ami and Izuku were also trying to get a read on Bakugo's face. Izuku leaned forward and examined the blank expression on Bakugo's face. He'd never seen this look before, either.
"Kacchan, what are you thinking right now?"
Bakugo stared down at the floor in deep thought, his face covered by the shadow of his own hair. He finally learned the truth about Deku's quirk. As his face was obscured by shadow, Bakugo's eyes widened as realization set in.
"Deku. You had All Might's quirk for this long? Did you have it during the entrance exam, too?" Bakugo thought, glancing at Deku.
"How long? How long has he had your quirk?" Bakugo asked, facing All Might. All Might stared back at him and answered the question.
"Since the entrance exam. But in order to prepare him for using One For All I've been training him since the Sludge Villain Incident." All Might answered, truthfully. Bakugo heard the answer and lowered his head down in deep thought. Things were starting to make sense now. Deku, the quirkless loser, was chosen by All Might as the next Symbol Of Peace.
"That's how he got into U.A. It was because of All Might and that quirk of his. One For All." Bakugo thought. As he sat there thinking about Deku's power, memories came flashing through his head.
"Kacchan. Someone I looked up to told me… That I can become a hero. That's why I applied. Like it or not, you can't stop me!" Izuku's voice said in his mind. Bakugo grit his teeth as the realization of what Deku said had hit him.
"You can call me, Deku. But I'm not the same helpless, defenseless kid, anymore. You hear me, I've changed! From now on Deku is the name of a hero!" Izuku shouted in his mind. Bakugo remembered those words during the training exercise. He then remembered what had happened to him after the exercise.
"I wasn't… Going to use it. Because I can't control it. My body just can't handle the backlash of my power yet. Mr. Aizawa said I'd be useless. But this was all that I could think of. This is the only way I had any chance of winning." Izuku's weak voice uttered out. Bakugo winced at the thought, remembering the damage to the building One For All caused. Keeping his head down, he glanced at Habanero sitting beside him. She noticed his head turn but couldn't see the expression on his face.
"Damnit, Bakugo, I thought he was gonna kill you. Think about it. If he had hit you with that punch, what do you think would've happened?" Ami's voice cried out. Bakugo shrugged at the memory, pointing his face away from Habanero again. The shadow on his face had lightened as he stared down at his hands, clenching them in mild frustration.
"Habanero was right. If he did hit me, would I have even survived?" Bakugo theorized, thinking back to his near breakdown at the school entrance.
"Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Enjoy that win, Deku. You won't get another! I'm just getting started. Got that?! I'm gonna end up the number one hero, no matter what!" Bakugo shouted in his head.
"Habanero wasn't lying when she said Deku couldn't handle his own quirk." Bakugo thought, shrugging at the memory, pointing his face away from Habanero again. The shadow on his face had lightened as he stared down at his hands, clenching them in mild frustration.
Seeing his face again, Ami took the chance and peeked a glance at Bakugo, wanting to know the current state he was in. She noticed the angry glare in his eyes followed by the quiet groaning sounds in his throat. Being at this close proximity, she could hear his anger rise up. She wondered just what Bakugo was thinking at that moment. All Might and Izuku could see the growing anger in his face as well. Bakugo continued thinking back to past events and remembered the USJ. He remembered exactly what Deku told him at the shipwreck zone. He wouldn't say it out loud, but it was a smart idea. Creating a whirlpool and trapping the villains using the balls on that perverts head. Yet, he still broke a finger.
"He had the power of All Might this whole time and yet he can't even use it properly. Deku, you idiot."
"One For All. A quirk that gets stronger every time it gets passed down," Bakugo thought, "Stronger as it's passed down…" he repeated, letting out a small grunt and raising his eyes a little. Listening to himself understand everything has caused him to realize something about All Might's quirk. He needed to know if what he was thinking was true. Closing his eyes, he swallowed his own spit and reopened his eyes. He straightened his head and stared directly at All Might, giving his standard glare at the hero.
"All Might." Bakugo asked, getting a confused look from the hero.
"Yes?"
"You said your quirk gets stronger the more it's passed down from person-to-person. So then, does that mean...Deku, will be stronger than you?" Bakugo asked, looking back down at the floor with an intense glare. Ami and Izuku heard the question and looked at Bakugo with wide eyes. At first, the two of them denied it in their heads, but after two seconds of thinking it through, they reached the same conclusion. Of course! It was so obvious yet they didn't even realize it.
"Stronger than All Might?" Izuku thought, looking at All Might, who was caught off guard by the question. Izuku couldn't believe he never thought about it. It seemed so obvious now, yet the question never once appeared in his head. All Might heard his question and composed himself, thinking up an answer quickly in his head.
" Well...if you're asking about now, then I'd say no. However, after he has accomplished more of his training, then yes. Someday, young Midoriya, will be far stronger than I ever was." All Might answered, truthfully. Bakugo heard the answer and closed his eyes, clenching his fists once more. Being so close, Ami was the first to notice the anger building up once more inside Bakugo. She watched as he opened his eyes again, only this time, there was fire in his eyes.
"Stronger than All Might? Deku will be stronger than All Might?" Bakugo thought, gritting his teeth.
His eye twitched a tiny bit as he fully comprehended the sentence. He glanced at Deku with an incredibly intense glare. One that caused Izuku to instantly shiver. Ami saw the glare and started to get scared. She wondered if she should preemptively prepare by activating her quirk, in case he attempts to blow up Izuku. As Bakugo stared at Izuku with anger, another memory flashed before his eyes.
"You've always been stronger, Kacchan. I know that you're better than me. Can't you see? That's why I want to beat you! Because you're amazing!" Izuku shouted, echoing through Bakugo's head. Hearing that shout pissed Bakugo off then. Even now, it still did. But something about it was different now. Now that he knew about One For All, he started to see his statement in a different light.
"Even with One For All you struggled to fight me. You're going to be stronger than All Might someday, yet you barely won at the combat exercise. Even then, you never used One For All on me. You were scared of your own strength. That's why you're pathetic." Bakugo thought.
"If you can't even fight me, then you'll never make it by yourself against villains like the ones that attacked the USJ. I guess you're right about one thing, Deku. I am better than you. And I won't lose to you." Bakugo thought, wiping the glare off his face to a more neutral expression. Bakugo turned away from Izuku and scoffed, getting a surprised look from the twins.
"No." Bakugo said, firmly.
"Huh?" Izuku stuttered in confusion. Bakugo ignored him and stood up, clenching his fists even tighter than before.
"You're not gonna beat me, Deku. Even with All Might helping you, I'll never lose to you. I told you I'll be the number one hero no matter what." Bakugo stated, angrily.
"What?" Izuku asked, completely dumbfounded. Ami listened to Bakugo and shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. That denial fueled her to speak up against him.
"But, Kacchan, you heard what All Might said. Izzy's gonna be stronger than-" Ami pointed out, before getting interrupted by Bakugo's loud voice.
"I don't care what All Might said!" Bakugo exclaimed, interrupting her.
"Even if Deku has the quirk of the number one hero, nothing will stop me from being number one. Not him, Not you, Not One For All!" Bakugo shouted, pointing at the twins.
"Hey, keep it down!" All Might warned keeping his voice at a whisper volume.
"I don't give a damn how strong that bastard will get. When I say, I'll be number one, I mean it. I'll become a pro and I'll get stronger than you'll ever be. So get your borrowed quirk in control, Deku. And when we fight in the Sports Festival, I'll be the one who wins! Got that?" Bakugo shouted, turning his head towards Deku with his thumb pointed at himself. Izuku stared at Bakugo's face and examined it. The emotions he saw in his face were alien to him. He never imagined seeing Bakugo look so...sad. But still, he kept his cool despite being overwhelmed by the truth. Seeing Bakugo stare at him with his usual glare brought a smile to his face.
"Kacchan. I'll do my best." Izuku said, giving him a determined smile. He wasn't going to disappoint. Bakugo stared at his determined look and grew annoyed, rolling his eyes.
"You better...Because I won't hold back." Bakugo grunted, exiting the lounge. The silence in the room was everything they needed to know. They were all equally surprised how Bakugo had handled learning about One For All. Ami stared at the door completely dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what she heard.
"Kacchan knows how strong All Might is. After everything he did to defeat the Nomu, he thinks he can go against that? Even after All Might told him to his face that Izzy'll be stronger than he ever was, yet he's still fighting? Why?" Ami thought, thinking about her memories with Bakugo.
"Whatever, Deku, no matter what power you end up with you'll never be able to beat me." Bakugo's words repeated through her mind. Hearing that memory caused her to frown.
"Kacchan, you've always been like that since we were kids. Full of yourself, always thinking you were the best. It was your worst quality, but to us, it was also your biggest strength." Ami thought, thinking about Bakugo more. Her mind then flashed to the shouting she heard when she was hiding from him and Izuku.
"Enjoy that win, Deku. You won't get another! I'm just getting started. Got that?! I'm gonna end up the number one hero, no matter what!" Bakugo shouted. Upon hearing that memory, Ami caught on to the words. What he said then was exactly the same as what he said now.
Ami scoffed a little bit and picked up her cup of tea from the table. Thinking about him some more, she had remembered the events of that day. She recalled the exact words she had said to him moments before the Sludge Villain had appeared.
"He's an inspiration, Kacchan. And a hero always inspires others. So, guess what, Kacchan?" Ami thought, reliving what she told him back then, "Izuku's already a better hero than you'll ever be!"
"A hero always inspires others." Ami repeated. She took a sip of her tea and continued thinking. She remembered saying that to him clear as day. She thought about the fear she felt seeing a villain looking down at her for the first time in her life. The Sludge Villain was terrifying. He looked like the stuff made of nightmares. When she learned about the villains past through news reports she couldn't believe Izuku had survived for so long under that bridge. Of course, she didn't know that then. But neither did Bakugo. Even though she yelled at him and told him off seconds earlier, he still saved her. Thinking about it more, Ami felt a smile form on her lips.
"It's because of you, Kacchan, that I wasn't the one trapped inside that Sludge Villain. I know I'm not as strong as you. Especially then. If I was the one that got captured by him, I don't think I would've survived." Ami thought, reflecting on what could have happened. The more she remembered of the incident the more her mind took her into the past. She remembered all the times she stood in the back watching him and Izuku. She remembered watching with awe at the explosions created by his quirk. Seeing him use his quirk so openly was amazing. Especially after what happened when her quirk manifested.
"Because of you I started using my lighter more to practice Flame Catcher. Me and Izzy thought you were so cool. Even though you treated us badly. But despite all your showing off, you always said you'd be the number one hero. Even when people thought of you as a jerk." Ami thought.
"I've wanted to hate you for so long, but I couldn't. Every time I saw you, you were always showing off. I think that's why Izuku never hated you, either. Despite all your issues, all of your anger, and all the times you made fun of us. We never believed you wouldn't be the number one hero." Ami admitted to herself. Taking a final sip of her tea, the smile on her face was big enough that the whole world could see it.
"I was wrong about you, Kacchan. You were Izzy's biggest inspiration. And mine, too." Ami thought, feeling her mood improve again.
"That's why-That's why I'll get better. I'll train hard just like Izzy. And when the time comes for me to prove myself at the Sports Festival. I'll be the winner." Ami thought, feeling reinvigorated.
"You better not lose either, Kacchan. Because I wanna fight you, too." Ami thought, clenching her fist with determination.
After Class
"Izuku's secret was out now. Kacchan knew about One For All. When we returned to class, he kept mostly to himself. I could tell he was thinking about One For All." Ami narrated, staring at Bakugo from her desk.
"When class had finally ended, I wanted to talk to him about the Sports Festival. I wanted to tell him what I was thinking at the teacher's lounge. But before we could leave. Our class was visited by a crowd of students."
Iida, Ochaco, and the Midoriya twins stared at the entrance with genuine confusion. Standing at the door was a crowd of students that none of them recognized. The crowd looked down at the confused students with piercing gazes. Mineta approached the four students and shared an equally confused face. The twins and their classmates weren't particularly fond of getting stared at by a group of students they had never seen before. It was after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence did Ochaco decide to speak up for the class.
"U-um, why the heck are you all here?" Ochaco questioned, gripping the straps of her backpack. Iida then provided backup and raised his hand up.
"Do you students have some sort of business with our class?" Iida inquired, staring at the bizarre crowd.
"Why are you blocking out our doorway? I won't let you hold us hostage!" Mineta shouted, throwing his fist in the air.
"They're scouting out the competition, you idiots. We're the class that survived a real villain attack. They want to see us with their own eyes." Bakugo said, walking past Mineta without a care in the world. Bakugo stopped and stood at the doorway, staring out at the crowd of students. Mineta looked at Izuku with horror on his face, shakily pointing at Bakugo. Izuku smiled nervously and put his hands up in an attempt to calm down Mineta.
"Let's just hope he doesn't explode anybody." Izuku said, getting a nod from Ami. Ami kept her eyes focused on Bakugo and watched as he stared down the crowd of students with his intense glare. The intimidating glare caused the students in the front of the crowd to get nervous as Bakugo walked up to the doorway.
"At least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now move it, extras." Bakugo said. Ami brought her hand to her face and shook her head disappointedly. What else was she expecting him to say to them? Izuku and Ochaco both gasped anxiously, shaking in embarrassment. Iida's face twisted into an annoyance and went into lecture mode, chopping the air towards Bakugo.
"You can't just walk around calling people "extras" just because you don't know who they are!" Iida lectured, glaring at Bakugo.
"Hey, you called me an extra, too! Don't lump me in with these guys. We're in the same class. You know who I am!" Kaminari said, standing up from across the room.
"So this is class 1-A." A voice from the crowd said. Bakugo heard the voice and grunted, staring through the crowd for the voice. The students behind Bakugo also heard the voice and gave their attention towards the crowd.
"I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass." The voice said, lightly pushing his way through the crowd. The source of the voice came into view of the students as he approached Bakugo.
"Is everyone in the hero course delusional or is it just you?" The teen asked. Everyone behind Bakugo immediately shook their heads and waved their hands in an attempt to warn the student not to push Bakugo. Ami stared at the teen and was baffled to hear a stranger insult Bakugo upon meeting him. She stared at the student in question and took in his exhausted appearance. The teen looked just as bored as Aizawa whenever he talked in class. His hair was purple and somewhat resembled her brother's hair, albeit more wavy. Bakugo let out a growl at the insult, causing the twins to feel more nervous at the chance of a fight breaking out.
"How sad to come here and find a bunch of egomaniacs." The teen said, scratching the back of his neck in disappointment. The teen sighed on the inside. The first student he meets in class 1-A and he's already had enough of him.
"I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others here, I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life." The teen said, blankly. Ami stared at the tired-looking teen and raised an eye.
"What's his deal? He wanted to be in the hero course? I wonder what his quirk is?" Ami thought, watching the staredown continue.
"Tch." Bakugo scoffed, already having enough of the teen. The purple haired teen stared at the glaring blonde with a blank expression. He was not at all affected by Bakugo's glare. Ami and Izuku were both not sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance." The purple haired teen said, grabbing the twins attention.
"If any of us do well in the sports festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course. And they'll have to transfer people out to make room." The teen stated, causing the twins to gasp nervously.
"Transfer…" Ami repeated, gulping anxiously. The purple haired teen glanced at the students behind Bakugo, taking notice of the two green haired students listening to their conversation. He kept his tired expression on his face as he examined the two and instantly concluded they were twins.
"Scouting the competition? Maybe some of my peers are, but I'm here to let you know if you don't bring your very best, I'll steal your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war." The teen said, unnerving the entire class.
"Where did this guy even come from?" Iida, Izuku, Ochaco, and Ami, thought in unison.
"Hey, you!" An annoying voice called out to Bakugo, distracting his focus on the purple haired teen. He stared into the crowd and saw an irritated grey-haired teen look at him with anger.
"I'm from Class 1-B next door to you! We heard you fought some villains, and I came to see if that was true. But you're just a bunch of brats who think you're better than us!" The irritated teen called out, causing the twins to sigh.
"Crap, everyone hates our class now." The twins both thought.
"Talk all ya want. It'll just be more embarrassing when you're KO'd." The irritated teen said. Bakugo glanced at him for a second, before immediately getting bored. Having enough of this confrontation, he turned his back on the crowd and headed out the door. The students blocking it immediately dispersed, not wanting to mess with him or face his wrath. The irritated teen saw this action and took offense to Bakugo's decision.
"Don't you ignore me!" He shouted.
"Dude, where are you going?" Kirishima said, rushing out towards the doorway.
"You gotta say something. It's your fault they're all hating on us, Bakugo." Kirishima pointed out.
"These people don't matter." Bakugo said, looking back at Shitty Hair.
"Huh?" Kirishima said, getting confused.
"The only thing that's important is that I beat them." Bakugo said, narrowing his eyes.
"Hey! I'm comin for you!" The irritated teen said, watching him walk away.
"I hate that that was such a manly exit." Kirishima growled, clenching his fist. Ami was a little confused by the comment. Her confusion was cut short by a male voice talking behind her.
"You said it." Sato agreed, appearing behind Ami. Ami jumped at the voice behind her and immediately turned around.
"We have to beat them, he wasn't wrong." Tokoyami agreed, nodding his head. Ami saw the two students along with Kaminari and grew confused how they got behind her without her noticing.
"Huh? Hey, where'd you guys come from?" Ami asked. Her question was ignored by the students while Kaminari ranted.
"Yeah, sure, but this sucks! He made us everyone's enemies." Kaminari said, getting a few nods. His most vocal supporter being the small pervert Ami wished to avoid.
"Yeah, that's right! All of these dumb students will be gunning for us in the festival now!" Mineta exclaimed, placing his anger on Bakugo. Ami ignored the complaints of the two students and headed towards the doorway. The purple haired teen was still there in front of the door and watched her approach him. He quickly took notice of her limping and the cane in her grip and got a little curious. He kept his blank tired look and said nothing.
"Sorry about him. We're not all delusional." Ami apologized, bowing her head respectfully. She limped past the purple haired teen with her cane supporting her and stood in the middle of the hallway. She raised her head and stared down the long hall, quickly catching sight of the exiting blonde.
"Kacchan. What you said about them not mattering was rude. But, you know you're right. This competition everyone will be out for themselves. I won't have anyone on my back, except maybe Izuku, but still." Ami thought, casually rolling her eyes. As she stood in the hallway, she began thinking more about her dream.
"I want people to smile whenever they see me. I want them to know that I'll be there to make their world a little brighter whether they're young or old. But to reach that dream, I'll have to get better, do better. I'll have to climb my way to the top just like everyone else. I don't necessarily want to be the number one hero, but if I want to make my mark. Then I'll just have to act like I do." Ami thought, clenching her fist. She stared down at her hand and smirked. Raising her head back up, she stared down the hallway and caught sight of Bakugo just as he was exiting the halls. She stared at him with the most determined face she had ever made. Her goal was finally clear. She was not going to disappoint.
"Even if I go against you. I won't lose." Ami said, watching Bakugo leave. When Bakugo had disappeared from the halls, she stared down at her fist and felt reminded of another individual. She frowned a little, knowing what it meant.
"And...if I have to, Izzy. I won't lose to you, either."
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading this extremely late chapter. I'd like to apologize again for how slow things have been getting when it comes to chapter releases. March was a rather eventful month for me. And for a guy who gets easily distracted between doing one thing and doing twenty other things, it was a hard month. March had a lot of big releases in it. The Snyder Cut came out and I just had to watch it. I preordered Monster Hunter and played it a lot. Not to mention, MHA season 5 came out. Midterms were also this month so I had to get those done. And to top it all off, Godzilla vs Kong came out and I had been waiting for this film for at least 2 years. Between college and leisure time, I was doing a lot and getting distracted a lot. Spring break was last week and It was my intent to finish up the edits for the chapter but I had to wait a bit for my medication. ADHD is my gift and my curse. My problem is I multitask too much and I end up losing sight of things. So I would like to apologize for not posting anything for March. I wish there was a way for me to post updates without getting people excited thinking I posted a new chapter. If there is a way, then I haven't found it yet.
Other than all that, this chapter was especially hard to write thinking about how Bakugo would handle learning about One For All this early in the series. Bakugo isn't much of an emotional guy at least visibly. Though he has shown tears in the past, this time he really wanted to hold it in. I think giving Bakugo a hand on his shoulder helped him recover faster and also let him know the two people he didn't like the most were there for him. This chapter is important and will be even more so later. At this moment, Ami realizes Bakugo can be trusted, he can keep a secret, and despite knowing that Deku will one day be stronger than All Might, he's not going to let that stop him from becoming number one. It's that inspiration from Bakugo that will push Ami to try her hardest at the festival.
If Bakugo had learned about One For All early, I think it's very likely that his role in the series would've expanded. Whatever role he plays later on, you'll just have to wait and see. I also believe he'd yell at Izuku and tell him in his own way to work hard for the festival so that he'd beat Izuku at full power. Or at least have a fight that doesn't end in multiple bones breaking. I will probably be adding Bakugo to the tag list after this chapter is posted.
Now I've thought a lot about the sports festival and how it would change if Ami was there. I think Ami would definitely make it to the finals. But, if I'm being honest, the changes wouldn't be that significant. So, to make it more interesting, Ami won't be the only 1-A student added to the finals. To make that happen I'm gonna have to do some magic and change some things. But I plan to keep it as close to canon as possible.
Now onto the reviews. First off, thanks for reviewing chapter 1 and 2 of season 2. They were a lot of fun to write and I enjoyed writing this one as much as season 1. Referring to chapter 1 and 2 I would like to know your thoughts on the new additions, Ravage and Kazan. I put a lot of thought into them and I hope to make an entertaining chapter for both of them. I'm still working on Ravage's appearance as it is kinda hard to imagine a tiger/panther Nomu. And I might have forgotten to specify but Kazan isn't obsidian all the time. When the bus fell and freed him, he was still in his human form. His human skin is naturally tougher than the average human. That's how he managed to survive, but the prison cell helped him, too.
To answer the third review about Ami's hero name. I feel I should explain the reasoning I had for why her quirks name is Flame Catcher.
In chapter 1, Ami is introduced inhaling flames and sending them to her hands. Because of her quirk, when Ami inhales outside fires, the fire is actually being sent to her unique flame organ. Her mouth is more like a doorway as well as a weapon. So if she activated her power, inhaled, then quickly closed her mouth, the fire would fly to her hands. In a way, when she inhales fire and it flies to her hands, she's technically catching the flame. Hence why her quirk name is Flame Catcher. And catching something doesn't necessarily require hands to do it. Like when your friend throws a chip at your mouth and you try to eat it. You're essentially trying to catch the chip with your mouth. That was at least my thinking when I was coming up with her quirk name. Hopefully I explained that well enough. Still Flame Catcher doesn't have to be her hero name but I hope you can see why I thought it would work. I eagerly await more hero names. Sizzle and Flame Guard are actually pretty top tier. The pun name was funny, too.
Anyways, about Todoroki. I was actually surprised how little interaction Todoroki had with anyone in season 1. I clearly remembered differently. Yes, Ami and Todoroki will have an interaction later in season 2. I say this because Ami and Todoroki haven't actually said a thing to each other yet. I have most of the sports festival planned out in my head, so I hope not to disappoint. And to answer the last question, I do have an idea for who she will be interning with. It's going to be a lot more obvious as to who later on. As previously stated in the last chapter, I was still unable to come up with a way to realistically fit Ami into the fight with Stain, but I still have a plan for keeping her involved with what happens outside the fight. To answer a possible future question, Ami will be in Hosu city during the Nomu attack and the Stain fight. What she is doing there will be explained when it happens.
I'd love to hear what you guys think about the chapter. Please tell me about any mistakes I made. I will try my best to correct them. Be sure to provide feedback and ask me whatever question you like. Next chapter should be faster to complete but I won't promise it because I don't want to get hopes up. Just know I still plan to finish this season before the 5th season ends. I would also like to bring up that I will be writing about the first movie and it will be canon to the story so skipping the film might not be a good idea. I would like to know whether or not the film story should be posted here or in a separate story altogether. Other than that, you have my gratitude for being so patient with me. Thanks for reading and have a good day!
P.S. I have thought about it and I've decided I will be putting this story on other sites. But I'm not moving the story or anything. New chapters will be updated and posted here first. I will probably be putting up the first season of the story in Archive Of Our Own and maybe on Wattpad later.