I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
Mineta carefully moved through the thick smoke, keeping his senses open. And while he learned how to properly sneak during the Internships, actually doing it was quite difficult. He needed to rely on his five physical senses and the hidden sixth sense. What did his surroundings tell him? What details can he see? What can he hear and smell? And most importantly, does he feel his foe's intent?
That last question was by far the hardest lesson he had to undergo. To detect someone's intent while hiding your own was the key to being an effective predator Hero. And if Mineta was going to become one, he needed to practice it. So far, he's only been able to respond to attacks coming from behind. And while great, it wouldn't help him against All Might's guard breaking strength.
This is why Mineta made a special something to slip through that titanic defense.
"Damn it…"
The shorter boy stopped moving and crouched down. He scanned around with his ears since the smoke still blocked most of his eyes. Although once he found where those words came from, he was able to spot a large silhouette holding a smaller silhouette by the neck. Mineta was to the left of All Might and Bakugou. He took a silent deep breath, doing his best to keep a minimum presence while he moved towards the Number One Hero's back. He then began to take out his special item.
Using his cape, he had tied a knot through the loops of one of the handcuffs. This made a weighted parachute, a decoy used to drag along smoke.
Mineta continued to creep along as he reached an appropriate distance behind All Might. His left arm was raised, meaning that one was occupied by Bakugou. Perfect. The shorter boy then removed a hairball from his head and carefully tossed it to the left of All Might. His heart was completely in his ears, pounding away as he waited for the Symbol of Peace's reaction. Did he notice anything out of the ordinary?
"You've fought well Young Hero, harder than any student I've seen. But this is your limit. Had you not sent your little friend away, maybe you wouldn't be in this situation." All Might said menacingly, his attention still on Bakugou. Good, he hasn't noticed anything. But Mineta couldn't relax yet; he needed to find the right moment to strike.
Prey is at their most vulnerable when they think they're safe after all...
"Don't fucking give me that All Might… That little rat bitch is only good for running… He isn't ready for you… He isn't even ready to be a Hero…" Bakugou said with a cough. Mineta frowned and wondered if he should just turn back; leave the explosive blonde to his fate. But a part of him wanted to see what All Might's response to that was.
"Okay, I'm going to break character and be your teacher again. You cannot decide on your own if someone's Hero material or not. It's up to us teachers to examine and expand that potential. Even Aizawa, who seems like a wet blanket, really cares a lot about you kids. It's why he let someone as innocuous as Young Mineta take part in our rigorous curriculum." All Might explained, using his other hand to make gestures.
"But that doesn't mean he could strut around like he's hot shit! He can't deal with all the problems a Hero faces. The fucker can only hide himself and scurry around in the dark. What good is a Hero that could only do that?" He spat out.
"You say that like that's not a valid strategy. Personally it's not my style of fighting, but it has its merits."
"And that's why I don't like it; it's not how YOU would do things. Sneaking around, taking people down without looking at them dead in the eyes… It's just wrong!"
"So you don't like Aizawa either? Because he pretty much fits your rather negative description."
"I don't like how ANY of them fight. Always relying on stupid tricks… It's fucking pathetic…" Bakugou said with a tried growl.
Mineta could feel sweat rolling down the back of his head as All Might silently stared at Bakugou. But this did give the shorter boy insight into his nemesis' mind. The human grenade hated people who beat around the bush. He wanted the same bluntness he gave others. Whether it's with words or with fists, Bakugou always kept his eyes on the person in front of him. And only those who looked back got his respect like Uraraka or Kirishima. It's also why he's upset with Todoroki, who looked away at the last minute. But wait…
"Then what's his problem with me and Midoriya? We've done nothing but that for a long time." Mineta thought. Was there an extra factor at play? What was it about this triangular relationship that made things so difficult?
"Which is why, until Mineta Minoru shows me his worth… He'll never be more than a pest to me… Trash can't be treasure…" Bakugou finished. He then immediately raised his hands, both glowing bright. All Might didn't throw the explosive blonde away. Instead, he raised his guard with his right arm. An explosion erupted, but its intensity was pitiful. It just made the smoke a little denser.
Bakugou fought to such exhaustion that he can no longer detonate properly. Mineta swallowed his lump and hoped his sudden appearance would enflame his spirit. He couldn't completely do this on his own after all…
"Well, that's a darn shame… Even a lowly rat can bring civilization to its knees. You can't dismiss someone for their current worth, since it can change. So rest well Young Bakugou. And do reflect on your mistakes in your dreams." All Might said, raising his right fist. Mineta's eyes focused, the events before him playing in slow motion. He entered his pitching stance, the decoy in his left hand. He followed through the forms more fluidly than ever before and hurled it to All Might's right.
The moment the decoy left his hand, however, made the shorter boy dart towards the hairball. He sensed All Might reacting towards the decoy and jumped. His feet landed and, with the right angle, Mineta sprung towards the Hero. With his baton drawn, he thrust with all his being towards his intended target. The lone crack in the Symbol of Peace, the scar on his left flank.
"A Deco–!?" All Might shouted before Mineta's baton landed a direct hit. The Number One Hero let out a heavy groan of pain. It was supplemented by the gurgling of blood and an audible trembling. Honestly, that sound was going to stick with Mineta for a long while.
All Might released Bakugou and reflexively swung towards Mineta, who blocked the swing. And though it sent him flying back, the shorter boy managed to tumble back onto his feet with only some damage. However, the smoke cover was blown away, completely revealing his presence.
"Young Mineta!? I thought you were going for the exit!?" All Might asked with a surprised cough. He had backed off to recover from that painful attack, allowing Bakugou a moment of respite as well.
"The fuck you doing here Rat Bitch!? I didn't need help!" Bakugou screamed. Mineta then pointed at him, fully intent on facing him for all his worth. It was terrifying, but it wasn't any different from their other clashes. Only this time, the shorter boy was going to give it to Bakugou straight.
"Shut your face! I'm not here for you, I'm here for me! I'm sick and tired of hearing you complain about what I can or can't do. I know I'm not like you or Midoriya or any of our friends. You're all much stronger and cooler than me." Mineta said somberly. He did, however, refocused his eyes on All Might, who was starting to recover from the shorter boy's surprise attack. Mineta entered his all too familiar fighting stance, ready to face the Symbol of Peace head on.
"But I'll show you that this Rat Bitch can be a Hero too."
"Well said, Young Mineta. But that will be the last time you strike me. So let's see how you handle yourself now." All Might said, readying his own stance. Mineta could only nod an apology as the tense standoff began. Though 'standoff' was the wrong word as the Symbol of Peace charged forward. But due to his bout with Bakugou and having his weak point poked by Mineta, All Might's speed had gone down dramatically.
Which still made him about as fast as Stain or Fenghuang.
All Might leapt forward before smashing the ground in front of him. Mineta felt his footing crumble with the earth beneath him. And as All Might leapt straight for him, the shorter boy decided to dive forward. Once his feet left the ground though, Mineta scattered several hairballs where he originally was. The Symbol of Peace soared over his head and headed straight for the sticky landing. But as Mineta scrambled back onto his feet, he saw All Might land without getting stuck.
The Number One Hero, however, was in an awkward three point Hero landing.
But with his back to him, the shorter boy sprinted at full speed. He then threw one of his hairballs down and jumped onto it. He quickly sprung forward as All Might corrected his footing and stood back up. And as the Number One Hero turned to intercept, Mineta had already stuck himself to the man's left shoulder. Putting away his baton, Mineta quickly moved to All Might's back as All Might tried to swat him.
Both of them narrowly avoided hitting something from the other. For Mineta, it was the Symbol of Peace's gargantuan mitts. For All Might, it was the shorter boy's sticky hairballs. Mineta readied himself to move, focusing on all of the Symbol of Peace's minute movements. He needed to try and get to the scar again since nowhere else was an effective target. Mineta felt All Might reaching with his right hand, so he moved left. His left began to move, so he moved back right.
All Might then began to jitter around like a mad man with an itch. His arms were practically flailing all around his back. Mineta, however, was just barely able to stay out of the Hero's grasp. He did keep putting more hairballs down as he moved around, keeping his options open. It was also in hope that All Might would accidentally grab one of the balls, seeing how frantic he was.
"I'm beginning to see why you're often compared to a pest! You're a pain to get rid of!" All Might said, still reaching for Mineta while avoiding his hairballs.
"Thank you sir! I do my best to be as annoying as possible!" Mineta replied as he dodged another hand. At this rate, he'll never be able to reach the scar. But All Might was exhausting himself with every motion he made. So really, it was only a matter of time before he was too tired to do anything.
And that's not even going into his time limit…
But then, All Might stopped waving around and jumped backward. The speed at which he did so was so incredible, it pinned Mineta to his back. And not too long after, the shorter boy was crushed between All Might and something else. Based on the smell and how rough it was, he was pressed against a tree. Before long, Mineta was released when All Might stepped away, unfortunately not stuck to anything. However, the shorter boy soon found his body being grabbed and slammed back against the trunk.
A heavy fist was then embedded square in his face. A dark haze filled Mineta's brain, almost like he was ready to fall asleep. Part of him realized what was happening, so Mineta immediately bit his own tongue. And the shock was enough to bring his awareness back. It was then he could feel his nose leaking blood, his eyelids swelling, and some of his teeth jiggling around in his mouth.
Honestly, it felt like the front of his skull was compromised.
"… And you're awfully resilient for your size. Although I'm afraid if I'd punch any harder, there'd be nothing left of your face. So what to do I do with you…" All Might said as he took a deep breath. Mineta began clawing at the Symbol of Peace's iron grip, desperate to escape. The man was tired, so just a little more and he'll be able to put the handcuffs on him. If he could just get out…
He could prove that he is someone.
"Quit squirming. You're making it feel like I'm holding a beating heart." All Might said. He proceeded to squeeze Mineta's body, causing the shorter boy to stop. That was when Mineta began feeling his rib cage compress from all sides. And whatever damage he suffered before was getting worse; the sharpening pain inside him was proof of that.
"Not yet… I'm not done yet…" Mineta grunted, still trying to pry open the Hero's iron grip.
"Neither am I!"
Mineta snapped his head up just as All Might turned to the voice. Bakugou was there, hands glowing as he pressed them against All Might's left flank. The Symbol of Peace couldn't even twitch before he was blown away. This released Mineta, allowing him fall back to Terra Firma. He didn't have enough balance however, so he began to fall over.
That was until Bakugou grabbed him and plunked him back on his feet.
"Don't you fucking fall over… Not while you and I have a Hero to beat…" Bakugou growled, gripping his wrists. Mineta stared at him, unsure whether or not he heard that correctly. The human grenade simply glared back, as if daring to ask. To which Mineta dared.
"I thought you hated working with someone you considered useless?"
"I do… I just hate losing more. So show me you still have some fight left and I'll reconsider whatever the Hell you are." Bakugou said. He then faced All Might again, who was starting to walk towards them. Mineta looked over himself and noted how much slower the Symbol of Peace was. The blast to his scar must've weakened All Might even more.
But that still didn't mean there was any room for error.
"I'd like to move up from piss stain to toilet paper." Mineta said as he snagged the grenades from Bakugou's belt.
"As if I'd change it that much… Now, let's kill him!" Bakugou said before his hands began vomiting smoke. Mineta figured he was doing that to not only preserve his strength, but to also provide cover for Mineta. So once the smoke thickness was good enough, Bakugou darted forward. The shorter boy quickly shadowed him, pushing his legs to the very limit. And as he ran, Mineta took notice of the back of his nemesis.
It was quite unlike that of Midoriya or Fenghuang's back, which was like a clear, mid-spring sky. Instead, Bakugou was like a storm that threatened to throw down lightning and thunder. It may or may not happen, but no one would dare challenge those unbroken clouds. It was a sight to be both feared and revered, just like the Gods of ancient times.
And following Bakugou's back gave Mineta a different kind of inspiration. Instead of the calm hope he was familiar with, he was filled with great daring. A kind of daring that didn't dull his common sense, but rather enhanced it. He felt ready to take on the world by relentlessly, yet methodically, breaking things down. Was this how Bakugou saw things?
And if so… Is this the feeling that Midoriya and Kirishima talked about?
"Bakugou's a bastard to me… But it's no wonder Midoriya still chases after him." Mineta thought.
"Come at me with everything young men! This'll be your last dance!" All Might taunted with a shout. Mineta could feel a smirk spreading across his face as Bakugou gave the last laugh.
"Far from it All Might! The show's just getting started!"
And that has been Chapter 58!
I don't have anything to say this update since the important bits from this chapter will be discussed next chapter. So...
Until Next Time. T1.
