-56-

Katsuki Bakugou

Shiketsu High student Camie began walking down a dark alleyway, having just left the testing arena. She managed to sneak away from the other students, saying that she wasn't feeling well and was taking a cab to the station. She had learned a lot from the exam, but not about being a hero. She had learned a lot about Izuku Midoriya.

She wanted to know more. She wanted to know what made him so driven, why he was so intent at becoming a hero. She had hoped beyond hope the last time they met that he would have joined the League of Villains. Whatever All For One did to him didn't seem to have been enough to break his indomitable spirit. It was one of the things she admired about him. It reminded her of Stain.

She was broken out of her thoughts when the cell phone in her pocket began to ring. "Hello?" She said, answering it.

"It's about time you picked up," Said the voice of Mr. Compress on the other end. "Where are you right now?"

As Camie walked, her body began to morph into the grayish mass from the exam. Bits of gray flesh began to drop to the floor as the face of Camie from Shiketsu High transformed into the perversely smiling face of Himiko Toga.

"I had the most wonderful fun today!" Toga replied happily.

"Don't get so lost in your role that you slip up," Said Mr. Compress. "There's too much at stake for you to get caught."

"Oh don't worry," said Toga. "I've never been caught in my life." She lifted a small vial, admiring the tiny droplets of blood at the bottom. "And my mission was a success. I managed to get some of Izuku's yummy blood. Tomrua's going to be so happy!"

Class 1-A all gathered in the common area of the dorms, chatting happily about the results from the exam. They would be starting class as normal tomorrow, and had to be ready for what the next semester had to offer. Izuku was sitting alone at the table at the far end of the room, going over his notebook. He had been toying with a few ideas for new support equipment to handle the weight of his quirk. The more he used it, the worse it hurt his hands. Using the design of his previous explosive gauntlets as a template, he figured he could create a new pair of gauntlets that allowed him to accumulate the excess nitroglycerin-like sweat from his hands, allowing for a more powerful explosive blast when activated while reducing impact and recoil. He figured that he could also modify his explosive batarangs to carry some of that sweat so he could detonate them at will without the use of a timer or trigger.

After an hour or two, most of Class 1-A shuffled off to bed, and he decided it was time for him to do the same. He didn't realize how tired he was until he reached his dorm room, collapsing on his bed, ready for sleep to take him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Came a voice from behind him.

Izuku bolted up as if on a spring, reaching for his utility belt at his bedside to draw a batarang but it was gone. He turned to see the source of the voice from the corner of his room, staring in shock to see the Kacchan sitting in the chair in front of his computer.

"Relax, Deku" He said. "You're dreaming. Your fancy tech won't help here."

"What's going on?" Said Izuku. "What are you doing here?"

"You've got my quirk, idiot," Said Kacchan, rolling his eyes. "Believe it or not, I'm stuck with you."

"But why do you keep showing up?" Said Izuku. "You're supposed to be just an echo."

"It's because of that green bastard," Said Kacchan. "It was his idea."

"Green. . . You mean J'onn?" Asked Izuku. "This is his doing?"

"Yeah, the Martian," Said Kacchan. "Something about 'last line of defense' or whatever. I'm basically here to keep you from losing your mind again."

"So what are you, a ghost?" Asked Izuku.

"Hell if I know," Said Kacchan. "Do I look like a damn philosopher? This isn't' how I wanted to spend my afterlife, you know, acting like some kinda firewall for your brain. All I know is that part of what makes me me, now lives in you."

"So what are you doing here now?" Said Izuku.

"Right now," Said Kacchan, standing. "We're gonna fight."

"What?" Said Izuku, taken aback. Right before his eyes, his room faded away, replaced instead with a cityscape, similar to Ground Beta, where he took the entrance exam.

"We're settling this. Right here, right now," Said Kacchan, dropping into a fighting stance. "We're gonna see what makes a weakling like you so special as to attract the attention of both All Might and the Batman."

"But why?" Said Izuku. "I don't want to fight you."

"Quit your bitchin'" Snapped Kacchan. "If you really think you're good enough to use my quirk, then you better show me what you're really made of."

Before Izuku could protest further, Kacchan used his quirk to launch himself forward at an alarming speed. Izuku lunged just in time to avoid a swift kick to his face. Izuku leapt backwards, correcting himself with a back-handspring.

"You can't dodge forever!" Shouted Kacchan, coming at him again. "Fight me!"

"Why are you doing this?" Said Izuku, continuing to dodge Kacchan's blasts.

"Look at you," Said Kacchan. "You've been trained by one of the best heroes in the world and you won't even take a swing at a ghost!"

Kacchan reared back and hit Izuku full-force with an explosive blast, sending him backwards and through one of the buildings. Shockingly, he felt no pain, and after looking himself over saw that he wasn't injured. Then he remembered that he was technically dreaming, so he wouldn't feel any pain. This also meant that he didn't have any of his tools or weapons with him. This battle would be quirk versus quirk.

"You really don't see it, do you?" Said Kacchan, jumping through the opening in the wall that Izuku had made. "You really don't see how lucky you are. I've been perfecting my quirk ever since I was young, working my ass off to one day be good enough to get into UA, to be the best, only to be killed by a damn sludge monster!" He launched another blast, causing Izuku to lunge out of the way before he was hit.

"But you, a quirkless nobody, got to go in my place," Kacchan continued. "You got to live my dreams, you were found and trained by Batman himself, and now, you're the most popular kid in your class. Don't think I haven't seen it. Everyone looks up to you. They all worship you. But it should have been me! Not you!"

Kacchan continued his barrage, and Izuku continued to dodge. Every word that Kacchan said hit Izuku like a ton of bricks. "You're right," Said Izuku. "It should have been you! I wasn't trying to become popular, I was just trying to be the best. I wanted to live up to your memory!"

"Who the hell asked you to!?" Said Kacchan. "It was your fault that I was killed in the first place, wasn't it?!"

Kacchan's words pierced Izuku's heart like a dagger. "I didn't mean for it to happen," Said Izuku. "I just wanted to talk to All Might."

"And that's another thing," Said Kacchan. "Why you?"

"What do you mean?" Said Izuku.

"Why would All Might offer his quirk to a loser like you?" Said Kacchan launching another attack. "Is it because you looked up to him more than I did? Are you more worthy than I am?"

"He didn't see me as worthy at first," Said Izuku, dodging the attack. "And I didn't want his quirk!"

"Why would you deny the one chance to gain ultimate power?!" Shouted Kacchan. "You'd think a quirkless weakling like you would be begging to inherit his power!"

Izuku's blood began to boil. His feelings of guilt now replaced with anger. "You don't know what you're saying," Izuku said.

"I know enough," Said Kacchan. "I'm a part of you now, aren't I? And I see you for who you really are, Deku, even if the others don't. You're still just the scared little boy pretending to be what you're not!"

"You're wrong," Said Izuku.

"'Worthless Deku'" Kacchan continued. "That's what I called you, remember?"

"Stop it!"

"Quirkless weakling!"

"ENOUGH!" Izuku shouted, launching an explosive blast at Kacchan, who

dodged swiftly, avoiding the blast by inches. "I'm not your punching bag anymore, Kacchan! I'm not the weak little Deku you picked on growing up. Deku is now the name of a Hero!"

"That's more like it," Said Kacchan. "Show me what you've got!"

Izuku and Kacchan continued their brawl. Izuku launched an attack at Kacchan, who ducked under it, sending another blast at Izuku, who managed to shield himself in time. Izuku rallied, bounding off a wall from the force of the blast, and countering with an attack of his own, sending Kacchan through the wall and back out of the building they were fighting in, falling down towards the street.

Izuku followed after him, only for Kacchan to have corrected himself in mid-flight, launching him towards Izuku. The two collided, grappling in mid-air before falling and hitting the ground hard. Izuku bounded upwards and immediately began pressing his attack, grabbing Kacchan by the shirt and landing several punches to his face. Kacchan grabbed Izuku's fist and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him backwards.

"Just like when we were kids," Said Kacchan. "I could never get rid of you. No matter how many times I beat you up, you still would keep coming back. Is it because you always looked down on me? Did you think you were better than me?"

"Is that what you think? I've looked up to you my entire life!" Shouted Izuku. "When we were growing up, you never knew how I really felt! I had nothing, and you had everything! I hated how much you bullied me, but I could still see how amazing you were. You had so much that I didn't have. And though All Might was my hero, you were the one in my life. You were the closest thing to All Might that I could get!"

Izuku and Kacchan launched towards each other, locking their hands as they struggled and grappled against each other. Izuku pulled backwards suddenly, throwing Kacchan over his shoulder hard to the ground. Kacchan wasted no time, bounding upwards and kicking Izuku square in the jaw. Izuku corrected himself with a back hand-spring and shot another explosive blast at Kacchan, who was sent flying backwards before hitting the ground hard.

"Are you all right?!" Said Izuku, running over to Kacchan, extending his hand to help his friend up. Kacchan simply raised his hand and blasted Izuku away from him, causing him to hit the wall of the building hard behind him.

"Don't look down on me!" Shouted Kacchan. "I'm not weak like you, Deku! Don't you dare look down on me!"

"I'm not weak, Kacchan!" Shouted Izuku, getting to his feet. "Not anymore! And if this is what it's going to take to make you see that, then let's finish this!" Kacchan and Izuku launched themselves toward each other at breakneck speed. As they approached each other at a rapid speed, the two of them threw their hands forward, calling out the name of their signature move simultaneously.

"HOWITZER IMPACT!"

The resulting explosion destroyed the buildings around them, cracking and rocking the very foundations of the city, leaving the surrounding area around them a smoking crater. Soon, the dust settled, revealing a triumphant Kacchan standing over a defeated Izuku, pinning him to the ground with his foot on his chest.

"I win," said Kacchan.

"Yeah," said Izuku bitterly. "You win. Just like you always did. Go ahead and gloat. Go ahead and tell me I'm -."

"Shut up," Said Kacchan, interrupting him. Surprisingly, he held out his hand and helped Izuku to his feet. "Do you really think I didn't expect this to happen?"

Izuku was at a loss for words. "What are you talking about?" He said.

"I live in your head, Deku," Said Kacchan, explaining it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've seen all your training, what happened with the League of Villains, getting my quirk, fighting the Joker, all of it. I knew you would lose this fight."

"Then why did you want to fight me, if you knew you would win?" Asked Izuku.

"I warned you that you better not lose," Said Kacchan. "And I'm here to make sure you don't. If you're going to have my quirk, then you better learn how to use it properly. Any time I don't feel like you're measuring up, I'll be here to chew your ass out, you got it?"

Izuku couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" Said Kacchan, irritably. "What's so damn funny, nerd?"

"You're still the exact way I remember you," Said Izuku. "Before. . ." he paused, suddenly solemn. "Kacchan, I'm sorry. It was my fault you got killed. I shouldn't-"

"Shut up!" Said Kacchan, rolling his eyes again. "You really think that matters now, after all this?"

"It does to me!" Said Izuku indignantly. "I've been carrying this with me since you died."

"Well, of course you should feel bad!" Said Kacchan. "What kind of psychopath would you be if you didn't? But at least you got the bastard back for it!"

"You know about that?"

"I've seen your memories, dumbass, of course I know!"

"Oh, right," Said Izuku. He paused for a minute, silence stretching between them. "So that's what this was about, then? Goading me into this fight? This was to teach me about letting go?

"Looks like you're not as stupid as you look," Said Kacchan. If you keep holding on to what happened to me, you're letting weakness into your heart. It's gonna make you sloppy, and it's gonna get you killed. And as much as it pains me to admit it," he pulled a face as if it really did cause him discomfort. "You're not as weak as you used to be. Your training with Batman obviously squashed the wuss out of you. But that doesn't mean you can't improve. Just. . . stop holding yourself back. And you better not lose again."

Izuku saw Kacchan and the world around them drift away as he regained consciousness, waking up in his bed. He was drenched in sweat, but was otherwise fine. He reached over on the nightstand next to him and checked his phone: 6:30 AM. The fight with Kacchan had lasted the entire night. He sat up in his bed for an hour longer, contemplating what had transpired. It was as vivid to him as if he had just witnessed it on a projected screen, and didn't seem to fade with time. It had given him a lot to think about, but he would have to do that later. Second semester assembly would start soon, so he had to get ready to get there on time.

If he was to remain true to his promise to Kacchan, he still had a lot to do to get stronger.

"Hi there!" Said Principal Nezu cheerfully to the assembled classes. "I'm so happy to see such bright and happy faces here today, even in light of such recent struggles our school and society has seen."

All the teachers all stood in a row in front of the podium where he was addressing the students, consisting of first, second and third years from the Hero courses. This was the first assembly that they had since the students moved into the dorm rooms, and they had a lot to address.

"You'll notice that the fur that I am so proud of has deteriorated as of late," Said Nezu. "I haven't been taking care of it. The same can happen to you students as well. Even if you eat a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals, you won't get a mane of luscious locks unless you're getting lots of sleep. That's the secret!" He giggled to himself as if he told himself a funny joke as the students around him exchanged baffled glances at such an odd start to his speech.

"My own sleep patterns have been upset by the incidents that took place over summer vacation," Said Nezu, shooting All Might a sad glance. "We lost a Pillar of Hope. The ramifications of which have appeared faster than I could have ever imagined. And there will likely be even more chaos in our world in the near future. This will be most apparent to you Hero Students. You must approach extracurricular activities, including your work study opportunities, with greater caution in light of such recent events."

"Work study?" Said Ashido, curiously.

"Maybe they're the next level, like the internships we did," Suggested Asui.

As Nezu continued his speech, All Might's mind began to drift to his conversation with the Principal before he had been hired at UA High, over a year ago. It was before he had met Young Midoriya, and the events that transpired after that. He was beginning to feel the full weight of his injuries, and how it was affecting his quirk, and decided it was time to begin looking for a successor in earnest.

"If you're looking for a successor," the Principal had said to him. "There's no place overflowing with more raw talent than UA High. Consider coming to teach for us. Given your current state, I would recommend cutting back on the hero work, anyway. I have no doubt that someone worthy of your power walks the halls of our fine schools."

He hadn't given it much thought since he had returned from Gotham, but he supposed that now would be a good time to continue his search for another successor. A part of him was still hesitant, as he was secretly still holding out hope that Young Midoriya would accept it. At first, it was obvious that his denial was initially out of spite for the way All Might had treated him when they first met. Now, he had hoped that since Midoriya had inherited a quirk of his own, and that their relationship had taken a turn for the better, perhaps he would be more open to becoming the next successor to One For All. He knew it was unlikely, and that sooner or later he may have to begin his search anew, but something was holding him back from passing it on to anyone but Midoriya. A gut feeling that he couldn't fully identify. He just hoped that he wasn't just putting off the inevitable.

The Principal had dismissed the assembly, and the students began to make their way back to their home classrooms. Izuku's mind was buzzing, his interest piqued at the Principal's mention of work studies for Hero students. Aizawa hadn't said anything about it, so he was thinking perhaps it was more for second or third years, but he couldn't abate his curiosity as to what they pertained.

He was shaken abruptly out of his thoughts as he had the strange suspicion he was being watched. Looking up from his notebook he could tell that his hunch was correct, as everyone around him seemed to be staring at him as he walked by. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised, considering all that had happened over the summer. Izuku was no longer known as the first quirkless student to be accepted to UA High. His new claim to fame (if he could even call it that) was that he was the first known quirkless student to have obtained a quirk from someone else. Not only did he survive a villain attack, he was also patient zero for quirk appropriation, something that no one thought possible.

Izuku had a feeling that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to escape the spotlight. It would always find him, whether he wanted it or not.

"Hey, there he is! Do you see him? Do you? Do you?"

A bubbly, excited third year student with light blue hair was patting another student in front of her on the back as Midoriya walked past them. He had a simple-looking face with a shock of perfectly coiffed blond hair, with a strong, muscular frame that stood well over most of his peers. He watched in silence as Midoriya continued on his way. He had heard the others talking about him, how he was the quirkless student who had taken down the Hero Killer, as well as the one taken by the League of Villains and tried to get him to join them. He had seen the news reports on how the leader villain had tried to use him as leverage against All Might, and had forcibly given him a quirk to use against him, but was able to escape with the help of All Might, Batman and the other pro heroes. It was the greatest story that he had ever heard. This first year had already seen more combat and faced more villains and adversity than any other hero student at this school, and he wasn't even in his second semester.

He had to meet this Izuku Midoriya.

Twice of the League of Villains continued his patrol across the city. The League was currently scattered across various locations in an effort to cover their tracks and recruit new comrades since the incident at Kamino Ward. Without leadership from All For One, their mysterious benefactor, Tomura Shigaraki stepped in to assume full control of the League's operations. His goal was to make the organization bigger than it has ever been.

Before he was found by the League of Villains and adopting the moniker of Twice, Jin Bubaigawara was one of those guys that liked to cause trouble. His quirk is able to make a clone of himself or someone else, and then make clones from that clone, and so on and so forth. He used to clone himself and make his clones do everything for him, ruling as a king a kingdom of copies. But soon the other clones began to wonder why they were taking orders, and had attacked him. It wasn't long before the clones began to turn on each other, eventually destroying themselves in an effort to find the "real" Bubaigawara. This had left a psychological scar on him, and since then he was never quite sure if he was the original, or one of the clones.

He knew there was no place in the world for his madness. Heroes only care about saving good citizens. But the league accepted him as he was, and welcomed him into their family with open arms. He liked to think that he was able to accept himself as well, so long as he was with them.

Twice stopped in his tracks as he heard a loud explosion from two blocks away. He ran towards the source of the explosion as fast as he could. Because of All Might's retirement after Kamino Ward, small-time thugs were beginning to band together in an attempt to form their own villain groups to fill the void of power left behind by the Symbol of Peace. Most of them were simply posers and pretenders, but the League was there to find anyone who had the resolve and drive to join their ranks. Perhaps whoever caused this explosion would be the special kind of wackos they were looking for.

Twice peered into the alleyway as several civilians ran for their lives away from the explosion. There was an overturned truck that was roaring with bright orange flames that threatened to consume it, but that wasn't the most shocking aspect of the scene before him. What was left of what appeared to be several small-time thugs were strewn about the area around them. Mainly, they were discarded body parts, but upon the truck Twice noticed that a few of the men seemed to be, for lack of a better word, melded with the burning truck, their body parts seemingly attached to the chassis as if some sort of macabre ornaments. Three men stood and watched the truck as it continued to burn.

"Three grown adults get together and their first thought is to rob a convenience store ATM?" Said the man in the middle, who appeared to be the leader of the three men. He wore a green coat with a purple wool lining that stuck out at the neck of the coat. He wore simple white gloves on his hands, and his face was obscured by a beak-like mask. His cohorts wore different variations of the same beak-like mask.

"A group this big, they should have aimed for a loftier goal," He continued, tapping the tip of his mask absently.

"We should skedaddle before the authorities get here, Overhaul," Said one of the other masked villains. But the middle villain "Overhaul" didn't appear to be listening, continuing to mumble to himself.

"They're all sick," He said. "Every last one of them. What they need is a cure."

Twice considered the odd scene before him. It looks as if he had found his wackos.