My Hokuto Academia
I DO NOT own Hokuto no Ken or My Hero Academia, they belong to their respective creators, Tetsuo Hara, Buronson, and Kohei Horikoshi. Support the official releases, especially of Souten no Ken. Oh, but the Viz Media version of Fist of the North Star is releasing this year.
The following songs belong to the music labels: Sumerian, Arista Records, and Virgin Records.
Italics = Flashback
"Italics" = Speaking in a Different Language
'Italics' = Inner Thoughts
Italics = Flashback
"BOLD" = All-Might's tone or Present Mic [excited]
Chapter 54: Heaven or Hell, Let's Rock!
Kasumi Residence
Midoriya was just finishing up a training session with Kasumi, Rouga, and Carmilla. However, Kensei pulled him aside for a moment.
"Kensei-Sensei?"
"How are things at school?"
With a heavy breath, Izuku answered. "It's fine, but….things are a bit tense."
This piqued Kensei's curiosity as there were some concerns about his young apprentice's social life as well.
"How so?"
"Well, I'm treated like a ticking time bomb. As if everyone is afraid that I'll hurt them. But… I did manage to make a few new friends in the process." Izuku said with a small smile.
Kensei smiled at this already filled in two of the slots in his mind. "Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and…?"
"Believe it or not, Jirou and Kirishima joined in."
"Please tell me they don't know-"
"No, they don't." Izuku quickly reassured his sensei. "They don't know about Hokuto Shinken. But Jirou knows about Shichisei."
Kensei spluttered a bit, wondering if the girl could really be trusted with a secret as important as that. He needed to know if she could be trusted, especially with something quite dangerous.
"On top of that, there's something I need to ask you…" Izuku hesitated. "Is it… Would it be possible for a few friends and me to participate in the underground fights?"
"...What?" Kensei asked. He wondered if his hearing was deceiving him. 'Was it my imagination, or did he really just ask me to take part in underground matches?'
He promptly asked his protégé to repeat what he'd asked.
This time, Izuku didn't even stutter once.
"Let's consult with Rouga about this," Kensei responded solemnly. As they walked towards the sparring room when the house phone rang.
BRING! BRING!
"Go on ahead, it'll take just a minute," to which Izuku nodded. As his apprentice walked towards the room, he picked up the phone, and to his shock, it was a number he never thought he'd see again.
"Kasumi?"
"It's been a while, Narumi, or do you still prefer Det. Narumi?" Kensei responded.
"Either work." Narumi quickly replied.
"How's the private eye life going for you?"
"A few small cases here and there, then a major case that I let a Pro Hero take credit for. You know how it goes." Came the detective's reply.
"I never got the chance to properly thank you for your info on the three toughest cases we tackled, The Terrors, Shíjiān Wō Xuán, and the Hachiryugumi."
"Well, you wanted to cut down the first group's rampage. I remember you telling me they were hard to track."
"Glad you took down two of them: the knife-happy pop star and that Ju-On reject. The rest of them fell into place." Kensei said, his face briefly taking on a nostalgic expression as he remembered.
"There's another reason why I called. I'm afraid It's bad news." Narumi said, his voice taking on a slightly apologetic tone.
"Who is it?"
"Bloodgash."
Kensei was stunned into silence for at least half a minute. "What?! Are you sure?!"
"Yes, I confirmed it with my sources."
"Damn it! I knew I should've checked if he had a pulse at the time! Fuck! Fuck!"
"Regardless, he's with a group called the League of Villains." Narumi continued.
"Can you be sure of it?" Kensei asked quietly.
"I got all the details from a key witness and a survivor of Bloodgash's abuse. It seems he's looking for the best of the best."
"Anything less will be tossed out like garbage," Kensei said with a sigh. "Yeah, it definitely sounds like his M.O. to a tee."
"Be on guard. If anything, he's likely improved his skills for a re-match with you."
"That goes without saying. However, that means another thing..."
"You're thinking his former employers could still be around," Narumi said astutely, correctly guessing what Kensei had hinted at.
"Exactly. Be on your guard as well, Narumi."
"Same to you, Ken."
CLICK!
'Damn it! Of all the times for this massive bombshell to be dropped on me!' Kensei sighed loudly as he processed what he just learned, 'Talk about a ghost from my past, and he's itching for some payback.' Kensei thought back about his apprentice's request and questioned if it was a good idea to even let him take part in it.
As the teacher thought about it, there were a clear set of pros and cons. The pros included improving Izuku's close combat skills by putting him in more realistic situations. The fights were also great sources of information, and the boy would get plenty of exposure to various combat styles.
The con, however, was that there's always the chance that they'd be recognized either by the Villains or the Heroes. Since the promotion rules had been changed, the bouts resulted in a lot more injury than what would normally occur.
He thought deeply about this, weighing each option carefully and taking the consideration of his student's situation, then nodded resolutely. 'The risks are worth it. I'll let Rouga handle the intros.'
As Kensei was stewing in his thoughts, Izuku came out of the sparring room, followed by Rouga.
"So, I hear Izuku wants to enter the matches. Looks like arranging matches is out of the picture," Rouga responded. He turned to Izuku, "I'll see what I can do about entering you. I'll get your answer within a week."
"Alright, I'll hold you to it."
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Who could that be?" asked Kensei. As he walked toward the door, he asked who it was, and a voice confirmed it.
"Oh, it's me, Kensei!". The voice belonged to Mina. As soon as the door was opened, Izuku was surprised by the person accompanying Mina.
"Jiro?"
It clicked for Kensei, the purple-haired girl was one of the few that was let in on the big secret, but the master himself needed to be sure if she was trustworthy. Before he asked any questions, Mina interrupted the moment.
"Kensei, she's trustworthy. After all, she's training to be a Pro Hero."
Kensei didn't say a thing but Jirou said the most surprising thing. "Truth be told, there were some things I managed to work out for myself..." Jirou said, albeit with some nervousness.
"What do you mean?"
"Mina, Yaomomo, and I had a triple date, and well... the guy I dated... is a Nanto Seiken user."
Silence permeated the entire room, causing Rouga and Kensei to flinch the hardest. Izuku nodded in confirmation, prompting Kensei to ask, "W-Which branch?!"
"Nanto Ho-Oh Ken. But... he's a bit of a pain... in the ass..." Izuku said while gritting teeth on the last parts. Shocking his master to see his own apprentice with such a tense look on his face.
"Midoriya..." Jirou deadpanned. "He's not that bad of a guy."
Midoriya pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering: "I know... I know... but why-"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" interjected Mina. "Kyoka invited both of us to see a band! It was called San Southern Star, am I right?" as turned towards Jirou. She nodded in return.
"Alright, I have nothing else planned today. Where is it?" Izuku could only sigh until he stiffed a bit, feeling two giant soft marshmallow feelings on his back that he could only guess what they were. Izuku blushed with his thoughts running wild while telling himself not to be a pervert, but still loved the feeling of it.
"I'll lead the way, Midoriya. The place they're performing at is ten minutes by train. Let's get going." Mina ordered happily after hugging him from behind unaware of Midoriya's reaction
The green-haired boy could only nod rapidly as he was dragged by Mina outside with Jirou following behind. As the door closed, Kensei looked at Rouga, almost as if he had seen a ghost.
"Does she remind you of-"
"Yeah," Rouga bluntly said with a nod. "Carmilla. When I first met her."
"Do you think Mina would be interested to learn from her?"
"Could be. What was her Quirk again?"
"Acid, if I remember correctly," Kensei answered.
Rouga's eyes widened as he imagined what Mina would be like with Camilla's teachings. "Combine her Quirk with Carmilla's branch of Nanto Seiken….she'll be a force to be reckoned with."
"But Jirou mentioned a triple date… Wait, you think Ashido and that other girl made up?"
"Very likely. When they're back from the concert, let's ask."
"Izuku looked a bit happy when Ashido hugged him though, right?" smirked Kensei in a teasing tone.
"Knowing you, he's never gonna live it down. By the way, have you had "the talk" with him yet?" Rouga asked Kensei, making him realize that Izuku never had a father figure, and probably only had his mother to talk to him about it.
"Damn it, this is gonna be so awkward. But so rewarding in the long run." Kensei could only laugh out loud at the faces Midoriya might make when he talks to him about it.
Xing Huisheng Lounge
The lounge had a small venue, perfect for any up-and-coming acts before becoming famous with some dining experience for social gatherings of all kinds. As the party of three made their way to the small entrance, two of them were at the ticket booth, purchasing two tickets for admission.
"We're so lucky! These might've been the last two tickets for all we know!" Ashido exclaimed. As she dragged Midoriya through the double-wide doors still remembering the two soft firm ones that he felt with Jirou following behind.
Everyone gasped at the interior with red-plastered walls decorated with Chinese-style lanterns in vertical rows. The floor was littered with comfortable-looking chairs and tables with a decent size stage in the center.
The stage had a few speakers at the sides, all plugged in and set for the performers about to act.
"Wait a minute…is that Todoroki?" as Izuku spotted a familiar two-toned-haired boy sitting by himself.
"Huh? Midoriya? I'm surprised you'd be here of all places." said Todoroki as the group approached him.
"I could say the same for you", greeted Midoriya with his group walking up to him.
"Ryuki-Sensei says I should go out more….," responded Todoroki. "...And he found out about the triple date."
"What?! How?!"
"I accidentally spilled some details about it. The only saving grace is that his new nickname for me, Peppermint, is pretty mild compared to Icy-Hot."
"So where's Yaoyoro-"
"Training sessions with Edgeshot, that's what she told me in a text message," Todoroki said, revealing the text message from her as proof. "However, I think she's using her loss against Carmilla as another motivator."
"Is she really-"
"No, I don't think it's bitterness. I honestly believe that Yaoyorozu's loss exposed her to a new world. Edgeshot's just showing her the ropes."
"That's one way of viewing it. Oh, Looks like someone else here."
Shoto looked over to see who else would be joining them. He spotted someone talking with a red-haired boy that appeared to be a bit nervous.
"T-Thanks f-for coming t-to the show, Tsuyu." responded the boy nervously, shaking as he talked to a girl.
"Call me Tsu. And it's not a problem."
"H-Hope y-you en-joy the show then!" sputtered the nervous boy in response.
Midoriya wondered who exactly that was until Shoto pulled his attention away, mumbling. "Great… it's him."
"Wait, who-" Midoriya said before getting a clearer look: brown hair, lean yet built figure, and that leather jacket that's all too familiar.
"Him... " He spat through gritted teeth.
"Yeah… him."
As the both of them were staring, Izuku felt a nudge at his side, making him turn around and it turns out to be Mina.
"Hey, Midori. You alright?"
"Yea, I just didn't know he would be here," Midoriya said, a bit miffed at the guy's presence.
"You should give Gakuto some slack, he did get you out of that slump. On top of that, Kyoka doesn't mind him." Mina said, pointing out the obvious.
Izuku couldn't come up with a counterpoint to that. As he stewed things over, Mina dragged him over to a few available seats making him stiff once again when his elbow pressed up against the side of her breast. Shoto simply followed along with his hands in his pocket.
Jiro was backstage with Gakuto as he prepared the last-minute sound checks with the staff before his performance.
"I'm glad you can make it, Jiro. I noticed you brought a couple of friends."
"Huh? Oh Yeah, Ashido and Midoriya."
"Any requests I can make?" asked Gakuto.
"Oh…um..." Jiro said, trying to think of one. "Something heavy… I think?"
He smiled in response knowing her taste in music, "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, but I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Nanto Ho-Oh Ken. What is it exactly?" Jiro asked, emphasizing worryingly on the last part. The boy paused as he was unprepared for her to ask him that, and took a few seconds to respond.
"I knew this would come up. Just didn't think it would be this soon. We can talk after the show's over, is that alright?"
"Yeah I don't mind, but I want you to be honest with me."
"Yo, Gakuto. We're on in five minutes!" yelled a fairly deep voice.
"Got it, Ren!" Gakuto walked towards the stage but gave a wink towards Jiro.
"I will, I promise," Gakuto said as he grabbed his instrument to join his fellow bandmates.
A trio of people took up the stage as the crowd cheered on. The first one has dressed nicely: a black leisure suit with a yellow undershirt. The second one had a simple purple dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The last one wore a leather jacket with a condor silhouette on the back.
He grabbed the mic as it gave small feedback "Hello Xing Huisheng Lounge! We are San Southern Star! Thank you for coming to see us play!"
The crowd screamed in response.
As soon as the music started…
You've got to believe! (believe)
You've got to believe! (believe)
The whole crowd was surprised by the intensity of the opening lyrics!
"I can see why Jirou likes him. They certainly have the same taste," muttered Shoto despite the loudness.
"I'm not so sure about that, Todoroki..."
We can make a different team
Just close your eyes and this hand my dear
Just hold your breath and let me dry your tears
All you've got to do is believe
Jirou had a different view. The lyrics sounded uplifting despite the heavy-sounding instrumentals.
'It's like if everything's stacked against you, you can still overcome it. I like the message behind it.'
As the song was reaching its second part, the chorus became louder. As the crowd was still cheering, Izuku still wondered if this was the genuine Gakuto. The same Gakuto that defended Jiro. The same one that was a pain in his ass.
You don't have to cry another tear for me
I'll bleed until I take rejoice, hand in hand
Will you believe in me? Will you believe in me? Will you believe?
As the song came to a close…
The whole crowd cheered loudly.
"Sure sounded edgy to me," Shoto said to himself when he felt a tap behind his shoulder, making him turn around to see Jiro playing with one of her earlobe jacks.
"I requested a heavy song… and the song's not that edgy, the lyrics are pretty uplifting."
Jiro explained with a small blush on her face enjoying Gakuto's song.
"Wait, you requested that?" Izuku questioned.
Jiro nodded in response.
"The next one will be a lighter beat!"
The song opened up with a synth beat which caught Jiro off-guard.
It isn't enough
To start a riot
Distort the light beam
Until I like me
"That son of a bitch heard me," Shoto said, gritting teeth.
Feeling like
If this is life
I'm choosing fiction
"He's not bad… at least..." muttered Izuku, admitting one positive thing about Gakuto. Jiro rolled her eyes at both of them.
The chorus came at them with full force.
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can do anything
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can go anywhere
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can be anyone
So don't wake me up, don't wake me up
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can do anything
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can go anywhere
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can be anyone
So don't wake me up, don't wakе me up
'Catchy beat...'
'I have to admit…those are some catchy lyrics.' Izuku thought while Shoto had the same line of thought.
The synth beats helped with the flow of Gakuto's voice. Especially when finishing the last part of the song.
The vocal distortion was the last thing she didn't expect. It made the song stand out more.
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can do anything
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can go anywhere
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can be anyone
So don't wake me up, don't wake me up
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can do anything
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can go anywhere
When I'm dreaming tonight
I can be anyone
So don't wake me up, don't wakе me up
And when I'm dreaming…
I can do anything
So here I go...
As the music came to a close, a silence grew over the crowd before it erupting into loud cheering.
San Southern Star was basking in it, but the red-haired boy was shaking a bit. Gakuto nudged for him to bow, saying: "Hey, time to bow."
"R-right," the red-haired teen quickly bowed. "So t-this is h-how i-it feels t-to play f-for a b-bigger crowd."
Izuku and Shoto were in a bit of disbelief, but the former had to admit: Gakuto was a talented singer, and musician making him question his first impression about him.
"I told you Gakuto wasn't that bad," Jiro said, rolling her eyes.
"Okay… I'll admit it. I was wrong… about him," Izuku responded, trying hard to swallow his own pride.
"He's still a pain in the ass," Shoto interjected.
JAB!
"Ow!"
Jiro wasn't in the mood for the bi-haired boy's smart-assed remark. Izuku said nothing out of fear of getting jabbed knowing just how scary Jiro can be sometimes.
"Seriously, Todoroki. Let it go," responded Jiro. "Wait, where's Mina?"
"I'll go look for her," Izuku walked off.
Izuku was going through the crowd but saw a familiar green-haired girl and next to her was Mina talking to her.
"... and that's how I know one of them, Mina. He's still shy, though."
"Huh, to think you would meet a band member, and it would be Kabuto from Gakuto's band of all things!" the pink girl said in a bit of disbelief.
"Originally, I wanted to bring Kirishima along, but he told me that Kendo invited him for a few sparring sessions. Sounded pretty intense cause he was breathing kind of hard, and there was this weird sound in the background."
Mina snickered a bit, her dating senses going off at what the two were really doing. Then Izuku came into view, him saying "Mina! Found you!"
"Hey, Midoriya! Band's not bad, right?"
"I don't have anything to say to that," Izuku responded. "Oh, hey Asui."
"Midoriya, It seems you know the band personally."
"Just one of them. I met him during a triple date. He was Jiro's date that evening."
Tsuyu was a bit surprised by this, but Mina nodded in confirmation. In addition to that, the girl mentioned the Chinese restaurant they went to, and highly recommended it.
"Midoriya… I'm sorry."
The two words caught both Midoriya and Ashido off-guard, "Why?"
"I'm sorry for thinking that you were a ticking time bomb… but that fight-"
"It's alright, that fight with Monoma did scare a lot of my classmates. However, you're the only one who apologized. Thank you...Thank you for not labeling me a monster."
Tsuyu nodded and hugged Midoriya making him stutter a bit unaware that the frog girl was quite well stacked as well, but not as much as Ashido.
"Uhh… A-Asui, that's not-"
"Just let it happen, Midori," said a smiling Ashido.
"I want you to call me Tsu. I only let my friends call me that, and I want you to call me that too", said Tsuyu happily.
"Thank you." Izuku sighed as the frog girl happily ribbit as she continued to hug him only to stiffen once again with Mina joining in making him blush brightly at being so close to two girls.
"Alright, that was a good crowd, what do you think?" Gakuto asked, getting Ren's attention.
"Agreed," Ren replied. "The big question is, do you think this might lead to a big break?"
Gakuto was going to say something but paused. He had to consider the possibility that there might have been some music producers in the crowd.
"H-Hey, d-don't y-you t-think it's a b-bit t-too soon for t-that?"
"I understand why you think that, Kabuto," Ren said as he cracked his neck. "However, you have to admit this is a step up for us."
"I-It is. O-Oh, I-I f-forgot to m-mention. The girl I-I talked a-about, s-she was in the c-crowd, it was Tsu."
"Wait… that girl with the long green hair and the frog quirk?"
Kabuto nodded.
"That same girl you ran into at the record store?"
Kabuto nodded again.
"The one with the really long tongue?" Ren asked in a teasing tone making Kabuto blush brightly as he nodded fast with thoughts running through his head.
"Yes, Ren."
Gakuto was shocked to actually hear Kabuto answer without a stutter, although his high-pitched answer didn't help him a bit. Renato's eyes widened a bit too but were laughing a bit at his reaction.
"Well, shit," Ren exclaimed in surprise. "You actually found a girl who didn't make fun of you, and looks like she likes you too."
"Shit, you're right. Kabu, I think I know a way to get closer to that girl you like."
"And judging by those cheers I hear, I think I know what you're planning. Let's get our boy a girlfriend!"
Kabuto's response was a small blush, followed by stammering.
"W-Wait, y-you c-can't j-j-jump to c-conclusions l-like t-t-that! I'm n-not s-sure if s-she-"
"You'll never know, Kabu. Let's get up there for an encore and I'll let you choose the song," Gakuto said with a smile.
The red-haired boy took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then said "I think I have a song in mind."
The crowd was begging for an encore and there appeared the red-haired boy on stage. However, one green-haired girl recognized him right away, saying to herself.
"Kabuto?"
Before she could ask any further, the music starts with a laid-back beat from the keyboard, and then the bass hit.
If I had a mind to, I wouldn't wanna think like you
And if I had time to, I wouldn't wanna talk to you, oh-oh-ho
I don't care what you do, I wouldn't wanna be like you, yeah, eh
"It seems that guy is letting out some stress..." Izuku muttered to himself. Tsu ignored it and was surprised by Kabuto's voice as this was the first time she heard him sing.
Then the guitar solo hit for a good minute.
Back on the bottom line diggin' for a lousy dime, yeah, eh
If I hit a motherlode, I'd cover up anything I showed, oh-ooh-oh
I don't care what you do, I wouldn't wanna be like you, oh-ooh-oh
I don't care what you do, I wouldn't wanna I wouldn't want to be like you, no-oh-oh-oh
I wouldn't want to be like you No, no Yeah, ooh
As soon as Kabuto said the last words, the music slowed to a stop in a few seconds. As Kabuto bowed, loud cheers erupted surprising the red-haired boy, but he regained his composure as he waved a bit to the crowd.
"Thank you for coming tonight, we are very grateful for it," Kabuto responded without stuttering, and bowed.
As the cheers died down, some of the crowd started leaving, and within a period of a few minutes: the whole area was nearly empty. Except for a few select people.
The small group consisting of Tsuyu, Izuku, Shoto, and Jiro, were backstage with the three members of San Southern Star.
"D-Did y-you en-enjoy the s-show, Tsu?" clumsily asked Kabuto. The frog-like girl nodded yes which caused the red-haired boy to sigh in relief.
"Well, seeing how you're the only ones to stay. Time for some Q&A," Gakuto said.
Jiro was the first to ask.
"When did the band originally form?"
"About… three years ago, more or less, right?" Gakuto responded, looking to Ren for verification until he nodded confirming his guess. The purple-haired girl guessed they started around middle school before going into practice.
"What languages do you speak?" asked Tsuyu.
"Chinese, Japanese, and recently... Thai," spoke Kabuto. All without a stutter again.
"Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese being my mother maiden tongue," Ren responded. "I'm originally from Brazil."
"His full name's Renato Kanki," interjected Gakuto.
"I was getting to that," Ren answered dejectedly.
"And you…?" Tsuyu, following up.
"Japanese, Chinese, and English. Next question?"
Izuku spoke up, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Do all of you know how to fight?"
The three members stayed silent as the four stared each other down as if measuring each other's resolve.
"Uh...Midoriya, why-"
Gakuto held his hand up, signaling that he'll tell him the truth. "Yes, all of us do. I'll let Kabuto start."
The red-haired boy was a bit nervous being put on the spot like that but he managed to muster some courage.
"K-K-Kenka K-Kenpo. It's like B-Boxing, but it h-has some elements of mixed m-martial arts thrown into it," Kabuto paused. "My granddad taught me when I was little..."
This tidbit has Midoriya curious now, Shoto too.
"What's his win-loss record?"
Kabuto took a minute to think about it. "Oh, it was 90-1 and that's just his MMA record."
Tsuyu's mouth dropped a bit, followed by Jiro, but Shoto and Izuku had the opposite reaction with their eyes widening at just hearing his record.
"What the hell is he made of…?" muttered Izuku.
"V-Very stern stuff."
"Who caused his first loss?"
Ren answered. "I heard it was a street fighter from Nagoya, Wild Jaguar of Nagoya was his epithet. Although calling him a street fighter would be inaccurate."
"Let's not stray too far, Ren."
"Alright. I might as well talk about my style." Ren took a deep breath. "I only hope this doesn't come back and bite me. It's called Nanto Koshu Ken."
Izuku and Shoto held their breath upon hearing the word Nanto.
"My style's straight-forward: stabbing strikes with flying kicks here and there. My master taught me it but… he got saddled with an unfortunate epithet: the Death Eagle's Shadow," Ren explained.
"Wait, why that name?" Shoto asked.
"He kind of...sliced through each opponent's tendons….as a finisher. However, he's getting better I swear! He really doesn't mean to do it on purpose!"
"How so?"
"He holds back and aims for KOs only now. He told himself that the only time he'll use Koshu Ken is when an opponent falls under the category: clear and present danger to everyone."
As Ren finished, the implications sunk in. A similar thought going through both Shoto and Izuku's minds.
'The Death Eagle's Shadow doesn't sound as bloodthirsty as the epithet implies. It sounds like he regrets what he previously was. '
"It's funny to a degree. He was willing to give me a chance, A former rich kid like me."
"Former?" Jiro asked.
"It's a long story. But the gist of it is that my father got involved with some very bad people as he became a millionaire. For my safety, he sent me to live with my grandparents in Shura-Kokka… all at the age of seven," Ren explained, though there was some bitterness detected.
"Ren… you don't need to reveal everything," Gakuto said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's better that I do so. Shura-Kokka was a very different place, but my grandparents were kind enough to raise me….after some choice words for my father and a couple of lumps on the head, but that's a different story. Regardless, I'm glad he sent me. I would have likely ended up as some naive dumbass or dead on the streets."
"Dead?"
"Parts of Brazil aren't exactly….eh safe. Even the high-class cities like Rio de Janeiro had their dark underbelly, but again that's a different story. I'm glad I was sent to Shura-Kokka, I wouldn't be the person I am today without my master and these two."
Ren gave off a small sigh of relief after his explanation, "Man, I feel so much lighter after all that. Maybe there is something to therapy after all, if they weren't so damn expensive by the hour. Lousy dumbass highway robbers."
"Any other questions?" Gakuto asked, trying to steer the conversation back.
The four did not have any more questions and were on their way towards the exit. Gakuto decided to follow through on his promise to Jiro and pulled her aside.
"Guys I'll catch up in a minute. I need to talk to Jiro about something."
Ren and Kabuto got the message, leaving both of them alone as they left the room.
"Nanto Ho-Oh Ken has a bloody history. I just want you to know, going forward."
Jiro was silent as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to hear, and nodded her head.
"My style follows the principle of one successor..." Gakuto paused, taking a deep breath. "But there's a catch to it: the predecessor must be eliminated."
"W-Wait! You don't mean-"
"Yes, it does," Gakuto replied, somber. "A tragic rite that created one of my most infamous predecessors, Souther..." with some venom emphasized on the name.
"You mean...this rite continued…even after all this time?" Jiro asked covering her mouth to show her shock
"I'll get to that, but I need to tell the story about Souther first. He was a tyrant, but unlike others, he had actual power to back it up."
"Nanto Ho-Oh Ken, right?"
"Yes, and two other Nanto Seiken masters under his employ as generals. Successors to the Nanto Kujaku Ken and Nanto Kinho Ken. The center of his empire was in southern China, specifically Guangxi."
"What… what did he do?"
"He enslaved orphans, put elderly people to death, and ransacked villages. All for the sake of building his empire," Gakuto replied, disgust showing. This was the second time he told anyone this story, the first being his bandmates.
Jiro was shocked to hear this. She knew there was a lot of history of wars in the past before the emergence of quirks, but to think that someone could be so brutal and bloodthirsty even back then was quite disturbing. Especially since this is the same style that the boy she liked had studied in.
"If you're thinking that there's a happy ending to this story, there is. It attracted the attention of Hokuto Shinken's successor at the time."
"Who was it?"
"Kenshiro. Kenshiro Kasumi II. Someone that the Pro Hero industry would have loved AND hated at the same time."
"Wait, what did he look like?"
Gakuto took a few seconds before saying the following: "Hmm….I guess you can say he was tall, built like a bodybuilder, brown hair, and piercing blue eyes."
Jiro's eyes widened, as the person she was describing sounded a lot like Midoriya's teacher. That's when she started realizing that there was a good chance that the reason Midoriya hated Gakuto was that he probably knew about his style already.
"It's all starting to make sense now", Jiro muttered to herself. "The USJ incident where he fought that brain freak…."
"Hey, you alright?" Gakuto asked out of concern.
"Hmm? Oh Yeah, yeah...I just need a minute to sit down...and think about this" Jirou said, a bit weary. Gakuto, being the gentleman that he was, quickly found a chair for her and pulled it up for her to sit down while she processed everything she was learning.
"Thanks… this… all of this..." as she gestured with her hands. "It's just… so much to take in."
"I know, I know. I'm almost done," Gakuto answered. Jiro nodded for him to continue. "Kenshiro's path towards Souther was a bloody one. He beat both generals, but the prick himself was stronger than he appeared."
"He defeated him the first time…..didn't he?"
"Yeah. Kenshiro was left a bloody mess and was going to be publicly executed. Whether it was by luck or fate, a few bold villagers freed him and healed him up."
"Then came their rematch right?"
"The difference this time though, was that he figured out Souther's dark secrets: his organs were on the reverse side which was considered a rare birth defect even by today's standards with quirks. He also found out the reason why he became such a cruel tyrant."
"What turned him into one?"
"He killed his father. All for the sake of the student surpassing the master," Gakuto replied. "In that one senseless killing, he came to one conclusion causing him to toss away love and compassion from his life forever. All for the fucking sake of becoming an emperor in his own right..." with disgust. "If only that bloody rite was changed in some way. Souther's master was in disguise when he attacked him."
"What the fuck?! So he was tricked into killing him?!" Jirou near-shouted.
"Yeah. Though he was a tyrant, I like to think that he regretted all his acts. Almost like he had some kind death wish for someone to put him down permanently."
"What makes you say that?"
"Souther proclaimed himself as the Holy Emperor. Intending to discard all his emotions, but his actions said otherwise. It was almost like he did all this as a cry for help for someone stronger than him to put him down because it was the only way he knew how."
"Do you honestly believe that?"
"Yes, he built this pyramid-like tomb for his old master. He claims it was to bury all of his emotions which doesn't make sense. If he intended to bury all his emotions, why did he do all that just for the one person who taught him everything he cared about? It was almost like his way of feeling remorse, which is why I think he chose that place for their re-match. He wanted to be close to his master before meeting his end."
"Kenshiro won, right?"
"Yeah, but it came at a great cost. Souther's empire went into disarray, especially with disgruntled ex-soldiers going off to form their own little militia groups. There was one thing Souther asked Kenshiro before he passed away."
"Which was?"
"As I quote, Love and compassion only lead to sadness. Why do you insist on bearing sadness? Why? "
"What was Kenshiro's response?"
"If I remember correctly, it was: It's not just sadness. I'm sure you remember the warmth too. "
"I see...he really was just a child crying out for help in the only way he knew how..." Jirou said, feeling some pity for the tyrant.
"Yeah, now you see why I said that. Sadly, Nanto Ho-Oh Ken didn't die with him though. The cycle would continue..." Gakuto replied with a sad, heavy tone in his voice.
"No…Don't tell me you...," Jirou said in disbelief. "I know we just started dating, but I know for a fact you're not a killer! You didn't…. didn't ..."
"You're right, I didn't. I couldn't do it in the end," Gakuto said, shaking a bit. "Teach was a father to me! He took me in after my parents died in a car accident! Why would I want to kill my...my..." he near-yelled. "The same man who raised me like his own! Why would I want to off him?! All because of some fucked-up succession rite?!"
The purple-haired girl realized that this topic caused him a lot of stress. She saw that Gakuto was shaking a bit, prompting her to hug him as he held onto her jacket as he cried out of frustration and anger that had been building up inside him. She gently patted his head until she felt him calm down, and softened his grip on her jacket as he wiped away some tears. He was unable to face her for his emotional outburst.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm glad you told me all this. I know it must've been difficult carrying all that around while trying to live your life. I can't imagine what you must've gone through." Jirou said, giving him a comforting smile as he blushed a bit thinking how cute she looked.
"Thanks….for listening to my martial arts history, for my story, for just….everything. I'm sorry you had to see that side of me."
"It's alright, Gakuto. You needed to let that out," responded Jirou. She used her ear-jacks to see if Gakuto was truly alright. She could hear his heartbeat was fast, although the reason why was mostly because she was close to him making him blush.
' Whatever this rite is, it disturbed him. More than I thought. I think his heartbeat is increasing too. '
'Crap! She's so close!'
"Hey, hey," Jirou said, gently grabbing his face. "Look at me."
Gakuto had a deep blush as he stared into her eyes while his cheeks were being squished between her hands.
"What can you tell me about this guy, Teach?"
"Eh? Teach, right…." Gakuto said, regaining his focus. "Teach is like a dad to me… he's currently teaching kids at a martial arts dojo in Rokko Island."
"What's his name?"
"Hakuho. Yoryo."
Outside Xing Huisheng Lounge
Renato was looking at his watch, wondering what's taking Gakuto.
"Y-You d-don't think he's.."
"I swear if he is, I'm going to kick his ass," Renato growled feeling slightly jealous. He did not have time to deal with him flirting. As he was planning to give him a piece of his mind, he saw two people come out of the doors.
Gakuto walked out with Jirou with a saddened expression on his face, but somehow relieved. Jirou was by his side giving an encouraging smile as she gently nudged him to shake him out of his stupor.
"Hey Jirou, everything alright?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, it's just….private Ashido," Jirou said with a small smile making the pink-skinned girl groan in response, but decided to leave it be. Gakuto and Jirou walked back to where their group of friends was waiting for the pair to return.
"G-Gakuto, y-you alright?" asked Kabuto.
"Yea, I'm alright. Sorry for taking so long." Gakuto said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's alright, let's just...go home," Renato said, feeling exhausted after the day they had.
"It is getting late…" muttered Shoto. Midoriya and Ashido both agreed. However, Tsu walked up to Kabuto, prompting the shy boy to say…
"H-Hey, Tsu. I'll see-"
"Thanks for the invite, ribbit ."
"N-No problem, Tsu. I'll happily invite you to the next one."
As the groups said their goodbyes to each other, the two groups walked off in different directions. It was pretty quiet, Renato reminded them to keep their guard up in case.
"Thieves, right?" asked Gakuto.
"More like a group of random thugs picking a fight with us," Renato replied.
"W-Why t-target u-us?"
"We seem like easy prey," Renato said. "Something's wrong. I've been detecting three people following us for the past five minutes."
Gakuto and Kabuto quickly looked back to see what Ren was talking about. The red-haired boy clearly saw it: three rough-looking thugs. The one on the left resembled a biker because of the leather jacket he got on; the one on the right was built and bald; the middle one had wavy yet spiked-up blonde hair.
"Guess we don't have a choice, do we?" whispered Gakuto. The band stopped and turned around, facing the thuggish trio.
"You Gakuto Soraho?" asked the middle one.
"Who wants to know?"
"Shindo sends his regards" The first thug chuckled as he took a stance.
"Shindo? That vibration-using prick?" Ren said in disbelief. "The one from the Heroes Course? That Shindo?"
"Ugh, not this again. Look, I already apologized for hitting on his girlfriend. I didn't know they were dating", said an exasperated Gakuto.
"W-Wait, w-what?!" Kabuto sputtered, shocked at what he just heard.
"Idiot." Ren groaned facepalming at his friend's antics.
"I-It's not what you think! This was waaay before I met Jirou! I swear!" Gakuto said feeling flustered as he remembered their hug in the theater.
The group of thugs didn't really care much about their explanation as they slowly approached the group with the band trio taking up their respective stances.
Ren's right arm had a palm outwards while the left arm had a bent elbow with the hand down.
Kabuto took a Boxing stance: the right arm is close to the chest area while the left arm is close to the waist area known as the Hitman stance.
"I guess it's only common courtesy that we give you our names in case you die. The name's Toji," barked the blonde thug as he got his hands up, ready to fight. Gakuto noticed another detail, he had a small mask on.
"These guys are Okaton and Kinsho. As for how we know Shindo...Let's just say we went to the same middle school together."
Gakuto took a good look at the other two thugs behind Toji. The bald guy was likely Okaton, as he was definitely taller than him by about 40cm, but he seemed like the guy that relied on brute force exclusively. The biker-looking guy on the other hand looked like he was around Kabuto's height, and most likely a streetfighter based on his rough build.
"Okay, just so we're clear here. Shindo knows I apologized, right?"
"This guy must really have it out for you, huh?" questioned Ren, ready to fight.
"He's just a petty prick at this point. I mean, can't he use that vibration on his dick to make his girlfriend happy or something?" as Gakuto took a Kickboxing stance. The tension grew between the two groups as they waited for one of them to make the first move.
Kinsho launched himself forward, fully intending on getting the first strike in. "Looks like it's game over wimps! I'm one of the undefeated street fighters on this part of town, and this-"
WHIFF!
"What… the?!"
Kabuto hooked his arm back as he punched Kinsho hard, staggering the large biker back. Kabuto appeared in front of him as he jabbed into Kinsho's chest several times to push him back more until he reeled back his arm again for a knockout punch. Kinsho managed to recover a bit and activated his quirk enlarging his arms in a defensive mantis position to block Kabuto's oncoming attack.
Name: Kinsho
Quirk: Muscle Enhancer - The user's limbs enlarge a bit to increase strength and durability. However, it can only be done to either arms or legs. Not both.
Kinsho smiled thinking he would be able to overcome Kabuto's punch when he noticed a midnight blue exoskeleton-like armor on his opponent's arm and was knocked back into a wall.
Out for the Count!
Kabuto called out, appearing in front of Kinsho. Kabuto unleashed a series of fast jabs that felt like a battering ram hitting Kinsho's gut until he finally stopped making him go down on all fours in pain while spitting out some saliva. The thug gritted his teeth trying desperately to think of a way to turn the fight into his favor. He lunged forward activating his quirk completely enlarging his fist as much as he could to enhance his punch waiting to make contact so he can switch his Muscle Enhancer quirk to his opposite arm and sucker punch his opponent making him smile deviously.
WHIFF!
Kabuto used a shoulder roll to deflect Kinsho's strike and followed up with a straight punch of his own into his opponent's nose and face.
CRUNCH!
GACKK!
Kinsho was stunned with a broken nose and several broken teeth as he almost lost consciousness with that one punch.
"Fuck..."
He felt his waist getting grabbed when he was suddenly lifted with great force before he could even comprehend what was happening to him.
SLAM!
Kinsho's eyes rolled back from the trauma he received, losing consciousness. The unconscious thug let out several groans as he fell to the ground again with a heavy thud shocking the other two thugs. Kabuto quickly got back into his stance ready for anything.
"K-Kinsho!" Toji couldn't believe what he was seeing that Kinsho, the strongest street fighter in their gang, was easily defeated by this stuttering speech impaired kid. Kinsho let out some more moans spitting out blood as he was able to regain consciousness if barely.
"P-Please stop. I t-think you s-should quit b-before you die."
"You little shit… this isn't over!" as the thug slowly got up, taking off after Kabuto.
BOOM!
Kabuto delivered a lethal front kick was into Kinsho's solar plex, making him gag and staggering him back a few inches. Kabuto walked forward towards Kinsho to knock him out before any more damage to his opponent when he noticed his opponent smiling.
"Piece of… shit! Got ya!" Kinsho yelled thinking he was able to finally deliver a devastating sucker punch towards Kabuto's face.
CRACK!
Ah! AHHH!
Kinsho yelled out in pain as his hand was completely broken with bones protruding out of his skin, and his fingers bending at different angles that weren't normal compared to most humans. He looked over towards his opponent wondering what he hit when he noticed a large bulking figure with an intimidating midnight blue exoskeleton, and a long stag beetle horn standing in front of him.
"B-Bug?!"
"P-Please reconsider g-going forward w-while the damage i-is still m-manageable. Y-Your life isn't w-worth over some silly f-feud."
Kabuto stuttered out, making Kinsho realize that his opponent's quirk was that of an insect.
'A bug...I'm losing to a fucking bug?!'
"No puny insect is going to stop me! I'll crush you right-"
BOOM!
Kinsho activated his quirk into his legs when he suddenly felt his head get hit with a tremendous amount of force breaking and dislocating his jawbone. The world around him was spinning as he spun in place before his eyes rolled back and fainted on the spot one final time.
'I lost...to a fucking...bug!' was Kinsho's final thought before losing consciousness.
"D-Do you think I o-over did it?" asked Kabuto wondering if his opponent was still alive.
"No way, he'll be fine. You know how hard it is to kill a mosquito." Gakuto said waving his hand in front of him to dismiss Kabuto's doubt.
"You mean a cockroach." Corrected Ren not understanding the idiom.
"There's a difference?" Gakuto curiously asked, making Ren facepalm at his question.
"You guys just got lucky! Now you'll have to deal with me!" spoke the bald thug walking up to Renato. He slammed his fist together as his skin turned grey with the sound of something clacking together revealing his quirk.
Name: Okaton
Quirk: Stoneskin - The user can turn his skin into that of stone, great for durability and being an improvised battering ram. A drawback is how it can be chipped away.
"Great….another one with this type of quirk. Why am I always the one who gets stuck with these?" Renato said unimpressed in the slightest since he has faced plenty of thugs like him in Shura-Kokka.
'Probably a huge ego to boot like all the others. I really should keep a record of these or something.'
Okaton let out a battle cry as he charged forward reeling back his arm ready to punch Renato hard. "Looks like it's lights out for you punk!"
SLAM!
Ren snap kicked at the thug's arm, making him miss the target. Okaton attempted a slapping attack, intending on taking Ren's head off while he stared at him unimpressed. He kept deflecting the rock thug's punches growing more and more annoyed at his tactics. Okaton roared in anger, throwing himself at him hoping to flatten Ren, "I'm gonna smash you!"
SWISH!
"You rock headed morons-"
SWISH!
"-seriously have-"
SHINK!
"-NO IMAGINATION!"
The large thug landed flat on his face after Ren delivered several blows to his body, and landed on top of him as if nothing. Ren tapped his foot on the rock thug's back and angrily walked off muttering to himself.
"It's always some cliche line like 'I'm gonna smash you!' or 'I'm gonna take you down!' or the ever more original 'Looks like it's lights out!' Read a book instead or something!"
"The….fuck… did you do...to me?" sputtered the thug. Renato had his back toward him not really caring about him.
"A bit of Nanto Seiken should be enough." Ren sighed out loud as the Brazilian turned around with his hands imitating an eagle's talons.
Okaton got up, and charged towards him, ready to swing. Renato stood there watching his movements carefully waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He exhaled as the thug's stone fist came close.
Fierce Eagle's Talons!
The thug's fist connected with air, making Okaton wonder where he was. Okaton turned around thinking he was behind him but wasn't there either.
CRACK!
AHH!
"FUCK! MY HAND!"
He felt his hand crack as a foot made contact, making Okaton curse in pain.
CRUNCH!
A foot connected with the back of his neck, causing him to lunge forward making him twirl down to the floor again feeling Ren walking on top of him again.
CRUNCH!
A second impact to the back of his skull made him spurt out blood as he rolled over on his back from the force of Ren's attack.
"No matter how cautious you think you are, people always tend to forget to look up. You never know just what might be lurking above you… like an unseen predator."
CRACK!
Renato drove both feet downwards, breaking the thug's nose and some of his teeth. A painful spray of blood erupted from his mouth as his eyes rolled back signaling he had lost consciousness.
"Okay, the rocha idiota gigante is out. Can we go now, or does the last moron still wanna fight?" Renato hopped off, muttering in Portuguese.
Touji looked on in shock as his friends were easily taken down like nothing. He growled in anger, and decided to just go for their main target, and cut him to pieces. Touji's fingers turned into blades, deciding to ambush him instead of taking Gakuto head-on. He sent two to three jabs but Gakuto saw him coming and was able to dodge them followed by a hook punch into the thug's face.
"Fuck!"
Gakuto still kept his distance while Touji changed his plan: forming fists while spikes appear between the knuckles.
"You wanna play rough?! Then let's get real rough!"
'Gotcha now, asshole!' Touji smirked thinking Gakuto was intimidated like everyone who saw his spiked hands. The masked thug threw a hook of his own, ready to make Shindo's enemy suffer for what he did.
WHIFF!
Gakuto easily caught the oncoming fist, though he was now bleeding. He looked at him with a bored expression, shocking Touji that he didn't even bother to dodge.
CRUNCH!
"FUCCCKKKKK!" Touji cursed out loud with his fist being crushed like they were made of glass.
He used his free hand to successfully land a punch on Gakuto's face, but he remained undeterred.
SHINK!
A cross-shaped cut appeared on Touji's chest, followed by another when several more similar cuts started to appear all over his body. Touji staggered back wondering where Gakuto was hiding a blade. He twisted his wrist successfully freeing himself from Gakuto's hold.
Touji held his sore fist as he looked at Gakuto finally making a realization. The differences in their level of skills were as clear as night and day: Touji's strikes were sloppy, Gakuto's were precise. He needed to find a way to turn the fight into his favor, or he would be easily taken down like the other two without getting so much as a decent punch in.
"Okay, let's play for real then."
Touji created several spikes in his clenched fist with his plan to punch madly at him so he can be unpredictable and get in a couple of good shots at Gakuto. He managed to land two jabs and a straight punch at his face smiling victoriously thinking he cracked a couple of teeth at him. Touji's a bit stunned to see him still mostly unharmed, but he strikes back by getting a sucker punch in leaving three small wounds on Gakuto's face.
"How do you like that wanker?! Still think you're tough shit?!"
Touji stepped forward to deliver another strike when Gakuto simply back-stepped his attack making Touji stumble forward.
SMACK!
Gakuto delivered a left hook to Touji's cheek. Touji wiped his face with his sleeve when Gakuto hit him, and snarled at him.
"Well, well, you're certainly more sturdy than your friends. Looks like I can cut loose if only for a bit."
Gakuto smirked at this as Touji was now on the receiving end of a volley of strikes from Gakuto. All from Boxing or San Shou.
Touji's face was looking less human as his cheeks and forehead swelled up with each hit that landed on him. He didn't have much time to think or use his quirk to create more blades on his body as Gakuto's strikes were precise and devastating.
BOOM!
A hook punch into his nose broke it, knocking Gakuto back.
Touji felt his body being grabbed and thrown over Gakuto's shoulder with his last thoughts running across his mind before losing consciousness.
'Why did I owe a favor to Shindo?'
SLAM!
A life-sized crater was made from Gakuto's sacrificial throw alone. He slowly got up, verifying that the thug was indeed knocked-out, but very much alive.
"Teach would be proud of that Lateral Drop." Gakuto smiled in satisfaction leaving the KO'ed thug behind.
"Finally, we're done. Can we go back now? I'm tired." Ren complained as Gakuto rejoined them.
"Yeah, these guys were just a bunch of pushovers. Don't know why they said they're the toughest, I'm sure even a kindergartener could beat the ever-living shit out of them." Gakuto laughed unaware that the three thugs clenched their teeth in anger at his statement and stood up with their shadows looming over them.
"Whoa! What the heck?! Are you guys zombies or something?!" Gakuto shouted in shock.
"Idiota." Ren groaned in frustration as he facepalmed at Gakuto's comment.
"I d-don't think they're c-conscious at a-all" Kabuto commented, noticing their eyes were still blank.
The three thugs gave off an angered roar punching the ground where the three friends once stood forcing them to dodge their attack.
"No way! But they're not zombies right?"
"Idiota," Ren growled in frustration as the three charged at the thugs once more.
Kabuto was fighting the stubborn biker who bulked up his legs, mainly to deliver devastating kicks right into his sides.
Kabuto flinched a bit despite the armor.
'His attacks feel stronger than last time. Is it because he's unconscious that he has no restraint in his muscles?'
Kabuto backflipped over another oncoming kick, and instantly tackled him into a lariat position, and down to the ground.
SLAM!
Kinsho's unconscious body spat out blood as he was slammed into the ground. Deep in the recess of his subconscious, he kept telling himself that he wasn't going to lose to anyone, especially to someone with a bug quirk. He punches into Kabuto's head despite Kabuto having his quirk active to protect his head.
'He doesn't care if he's damaging his own hand! He still refuses to go down or submit! What unbelievable mental strength! But…'
Kinsho quickly slammed his hands together down on Kabuto's back after enlarging them to slam him to the ground
SLAM!
Kabuto reached up from the debris in his full armor holding him in a guillotine chokehold, hoping that the lack of oxygen will render him completely unconscious once again.
Ren dodged several blind rage attacks from the stone man as he was just blindly attacking and throwing things at him. Ren kept backing up until he got an idea and readied himself.
The stone thug charged forward like a rampaging bull ready to take down his opponent until Ren jumped at the last second, and kicked him in the back using the Okaton's forward momentum to make him continue forward crashing into a wall. Ren quickly ran towards him and lunged himself forward making Okaton's head be buried into the wall while he tried punching and pushing his way out.
"Tch! You're still moving after all that? Guess I didn't give you enough credit after all."
Ren readied himself just as Okaton freed himself with parts of his head exposed at the chipped away rock skin.
"I see, so there's a limit to what you can take. Looks like it's gonna take a precise hit just to knock you out again. I really underestimated you pal."
Okaton let out a feral growl charging forward just as Ren jumped up kicking his head again to chip away more of the skin, and quickly jumped to the side to avoid the rampaging rock user's berserk attacks. He stood next to a lamppost readying himself.
The berserk rock thug charged forward once again reeling back his fist aiming to take Ren's life. Ren jumped at the last second and quickly slammed his head against the side of Okaton's head making him hit the lamppost as he hit it with all his might. The lamppost fell on top of him pinning him down and effectively knocking him out.
"We need to leave! Now!" Ren yelled seeing Kabuto holding his opponent in a chokehold while Gakuto was dodging several blade attacks that Touji was producing from his body.
"What about Shindo?" grunted Gakuto backflipping after dodging what looked like several spears protruding from Touji's ribcage.
"He's not fucking worth it, Gakuto," Renato replied. "If it's any consolation, we have one more year to go before saying goodbye to the filho de puta ."
"Alright, fine! But don't blame me if I accidentally kill this guy!"
"Just find some way to immobilize him so he stops going berserk!"
Gakuto suddenly got an idea and aimed a hard kick at Touji's genitals making him spit out blood and spit as he stopped moving all of a sudden. Kabuto and Ren stared in disbelief and shock at what their friend just did feel sorry for the masked thug. They saw Touji suddenly trembling in pain as he fell in a fetal position with an ominous bell sound coming from somewhere.
"DUDE!"
"What? It worked, didn't it? And he's still alive….sort of…..kind of…maybe…"
Gakuto explained dusting himself off with his good hand while looking at the damage on his cut hand.
"Idiota! Você consegue pensar antes de agir em um de seus esquemas estúpidos?! Eu juro que sua estupidez será a minha morte!"
"Wait! Wait! Slow down! I can't look up words that fast! Something about you dying or something? Kind of hard to turn pages with these cuts on my hand."
Gakuto flipped through several pages of a Portuguese pocket dictionary he carried whenever Ren started shouting at him angrily so at least he understood what he was yelling at him about.
"C-Check the r-reference s-section. I think h-he said s-something about brains."
Kabuto grunted holding his opponent tight in the chokehold praying he would pass out already so he could let go.
"Don't encourage him, Kabuto! You can let go of him also, he's already knocked out. Pretty sure you don't want to break his spine either."
Kabuto blinked at Ren's explanation, and suddenly let go of Kinsho as he slammed forward showing he was completely knocked out again
"Oh….I guess th-that's a g-good thing. L-let's j-just go home."
Kasumi Residence
"Alright," said Rouga.
"Hmm?"
"I'll do it," Rouga replied. "I'll handle Izuku and his friends' introduction to the underground matches."
"You think they'll do well?" questioned Kensei.
"I need to see the whole group first."
"We will need two more people on this too."
"Who?"
"Izuku will know."
In a few minutes, the whole group arrived. Izuku, Shoto, Tsuyu, Mina, and Kyoka. Rouga started off the meeting with the following line:
"So, how was the concert?"
"It was good."
Mina had a different reaction. "It. Was. AWESOME!" Jirou nodded in agreement. Tsuyu mentioned it was fine too.
"Anything about the Nanto Seiken heir?"
Jirou spoke up, saying: "Listen… he's not a bad guy. I got to know him a little more."
"I'm going to assume you're very familiar with Nanto Ho-Oh Ken's succession rite," Kensei replied.
Stumbling a bit, she said: "Y-Yes. However, he's trying to change it. Well, him and his father whom he calls Teach."
"Teach…? Who's..." Kensei asked. However, he put two and two together. The answer was in front of him.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me..." he muttered. "The Bloodstained Phoenix himself? Wanting to change the tradition?"
"Yes, he told me himself. He's not a threat either. Just in case you were thinking that," Jirou replied.
"He's a pain in the ass sometimes..." responded Shoto.
"Hard disagree, Todoroki," Jirou snapped back. "Okay… he was a bit at first. However, he's being genuine now, wanting to be himself. He even helped Midoriya out of his slump!"
Midoriya had to nod in agreement. The purple-haired girl continued, "He also saved me from a group of thugs the other day!"
"Wait, when did that happen?" asked a concerned Ashido.
"After the triple date. It was a bit scary, but I'm not gonna judge him for that. Oh, and he's not a shallow piece of shit like that little grape imp we know."
Kensei stood silent taking everything in, but asked one last question, "Was he the one that fixed Mina's and Yaoyorozu's bond?"
Jirou nodded in response, prompting him to sigh in response.
"Alright, fine. I'll give him a shot, but I'll be watching him like a hawk! So any funny business from him and it's over!"
"Well that's the closest thing I'll get to goodwill out of you," Jirou said in a deadpan tone making Kensei nod his head.
"It is. Now, for the second reason, we called this meeting, and it's an important one. Rouga, the floor's yours."
"Alright, kids. I'll handle the intros to the underground matches. However, we're gonna need two more people."
"Wait… who…Oh, you mean Kendo and Kirishima, right?" asked Midoriya. "I'll send a text to both of them."
"You do that, Izuku," Rouga replied. "Alright, show of hands. Who knows a combat sport or a martial art?"
Mina, Shoto, and Izuku were the only ones who raised their hands.
"Okay, that narrows things down. Who needs to be trained and who doesn't?" Rouga said.
"What does that matter?" asked Shoto.
"Finding a fighting promotion isn't hard, the hardest part is whether it's safe enough for you to compete."
"Right...you mentioned that some of these matches can go from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye."
"You're fuckin' correct."
DING!
"Oh, got a response back. They're both on their way."
Rouga nodded, then continued his explanation. "The one I suggest is the Duelists Grand Prix. One of the safer promotions in the underground. On top of that, we'll be using Ring names."
"Ring names?" asked Ashido.
"A stage name used by athletes for two purposes. To hide their real identities to the public, and mostly….because their real name sounds embarrassing."
Rouga explained making his student face fault for the second reason.
Tsuyu put her finger in her mouth as she pondered on Rouga's explanation, "So you want stage names to reduce the chance of any of us being recognized. I guess that makes sense."
"Correct… uh..."
"Asui, Tsuyu."
"Thanks again, Asui. Alright, where was I? Oh, right, the Duelists GP. The rules of the DGP states that I can only bring two fighters at a time. However, if you want to watch their matches, be my guest."
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"That must be them", Izuku said, heading towards the door letting in Kirishima and Kendo.
"Hey, Midori-bro, got your text. So what's this about?"
Ashido gave both a quick recap with Kendo nodding while Kirishima's eyes widened with excitement.
"So, are you in or not?" asked Rouga.
"Heck yeah!"
"Of course, you can count on us,'' said Kendo, smiling at Kirishima's enthusiasm. Rouga then looked at Kensei who in turn nodded with approval.
"I'll train the ones who didn't raise their hands. Tomorrow afternoon. Report here," he said with a firm tone.
"Hey, you don't mind if I train with you too, right?" Kirishima said but Kendo knew where he was going with this.
"Feel free. Also, bring Kendo with you, I'll need someone to handle sparring when I'm teaching the basics."
Kendo nodded.
"Remember, tomorrow afternoon."
The Next Day
Kendo, Kirishima, Jirou, and Asui all arrive on time but are dressed in workout gear. As soon as they knock on the door, it's opened by Kensei himself.
"Good. Rouga's waiting for you in the sparring room. Oh and good luck."
As the four entered, Jirou immediately wondered what he meant by that, but questions for later, she thought. However, Rouga came out of a modern-looking door that slid open.
"Ah, good. You're on time."
In the span of a few minutes, they wondered how things would start-
"We begin. Right now," as Rouga took a Karate stance.
The four panicked a bit but took their stances. Kendo being the most cautious while Kirishima's the most excited. Asui and Jirou being in the middle: enthusiastic but fairly intimidated.
"Come at me whichever way you like."
One of them made the first step.
BOOM!
Kirishima was flung into the wall… from a single combo alone.
The four would get a small taste of what Rouga was capable of...
Author's Notes:
Fierce Eagle's Talons - The user briefly disappears by jumping into the air. Then cracks the enemy's hand with a stomp, then follows up with two to three stomps on the enemy's skull and base of the neck. In Japanese, it would be called Moshuso.
Out for the Count - The user throws multiple jabs at an enemy in front of himself, then follows up with a powerful hook.
Idiota! Você consegue pensar antes de agir em um de seus esquemas estúpidos?! Eu juro que sua estupidez será a minha morte! = Idiot! Can you ever think before you act on one of your harebrained schemes?! I swear your stupidity will be the death of me!
The following lyrics are from Bastille, Asking Alexandria, and the Alan Parsons Project ['Distort the Light Beam', 'Believe', 'I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You'.]