My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 9: Heroes vs. Villains Pt 1
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
After the match started, the group saw Midoriya and Uraraka make their way into the building and start looking for the weapon. As for the other team, Bakugo was going off on his own while Iida kept trying to convince him of a different strategy.
For some of them who possessed a more strategical mind, such as Yaoyorozu, they could see that the villain team was already making a mistake. Iida's Quirk was much better suited for being an offensive fighter; it would've been better had he been the one to fight Midoriya and Uraraka rather than Bakugo.
All Might could hear Iida trying to convince Bakugo to pull back so they could come up with a better strategy, but Bakugo refused to listen.
Takeo saw the look on Bakugo's face: malicious, hateful, anger with no restraint, blind to reason. It disgusted him to see such a villainous face on who aspired to be a hero. How could he ever have been allowed into U.A.?
The class watched as the fight unfolded, starting with Bakugo ambushing Midoriya and Uraraka. However, Midoriya managed to dodge Bakugo's attack and throw him to the ground. The students could only see what the combatants were doing; they couldn't hear them as the screens were muted, which left them guessing what the combatants were saying to each other.
Only All Might could hear them through the earpiece he was wearing. He heard Midoriya shout to Bakugo "I told you, I won't be the same defenseless kid you used to push around! The name Deku will mean 'You can do it!'
Bakugo's expression twisted with shock and rage. In his mind, what right did Deku have to stand against him? He was the same as he had ever been: a worthless insect he could crush beneath his feet like he was nothing. Bakugo snarled angrily before screaming at the top of his lungs how much he hated Midoriya.
Witnessing Bakugo's behavior troubled several of the students present, behaving so maliciously and more like an animal rather a person. Even All Might himself harbored some uneasiness about the way the Explosion Quirk user was acting, but so far, he saw no reason to stop the match.
Midoriya and Uraraka split up, the former presumably to draw Bakugo's attention and the latter to find Iida and the weapon. As expected, Bakugo completely ignored Uraraka and angrily pursued Midoriya. When he lost sight of him, All Might heard Bakugo shout 'You were looking down on me this whole time, you damn nerd! You had a flashy Quirk all along, didn't you!? Come out and fight, you worthless shitrag!"
When Midoriya didn't respond, Bakugo's face was twisted with feral rage as he started scouring for his green-haired opponent. All Might could hear Iida try to contact Bakugo and insist they come up with a proper strategy, but Bakugo wouldn't listen and kept telling Iida to not give him orders.
All the while, Takeo's stomach churned with immense disgust at Bakugo, feeling nauseous at his overly violent behavior and uncontrolled aggression. He acted nothing like a hero…at least, not a true hero.
They continued to watch the match as Bakugo relentlessly searched for Midoriya while Uraraka made her way to the weapon. Iida had cleared out the room to rob Uraraka of any advantages she could use against him. She tried to reach the weapon, but Iida kept using his Quirk, Engine, to move it out of her reach.
Meanwhile, Bakugo had finally found Midoriya…and instead of an angry expression, a sadistic and deranged smile was on his face. The two fought again, but Bakugo caught onto what Midoriya was doing and managed to repel him. He then pointed one of his huge grenade-like gauntlets at Midoriya and prepared to pull the grenade pin.
"What is he doing?" Takeo asked, his eyes widened in shock. He then heard All Might shout "Young Bakugo, stop! Don't do it! You could kill him!"
Everyone saw Bakugo's face on the screen and even though they couldn't hear him, they knew that he wasn't listening. He pulled the grenade pin, unleashing a monstrous blast down the hallway at Midoriya. He narrowly dodged in time as the explosion blasted a massive hole in the building.
Everyone looked in shock at what Bakugo just did…and Takeo's disgust towards Bakugo turned into passion-filled hatred. Bakugo was warned that his attack could've killed Midoriya and it almost did, but he blatantly ignored All Might's warning and did it anyway. But what made it worse was the sickening look on his face.
In Takeo's eyes, that wasn't the face of a hero or a man, it was the face of a deranged, bloodthirsty beast. His nauseating smile as he emerged from the smoke only fed Takeo's hatred for the Explosion Quirk user as it told him that he was devoid of any regret for his nearly fatal action.
The screen showed Iida and Uraraka immensely startled by the powerful attack. It showed the Engine Quirk user trying to contact Bakugo, but still, his teammate wouldn't listen to him. Uraraka yet again tried to take advantage and secure the weapon, but Iida quickly caught on and stopped her.
"Bakugo!" All Might addressed louder. "I told you to stop that attack! You deliberately disobeyed me!"
"He's alive, isn't he?" Bakugo retorted.
"Do that again and I'm stopping the match and your team will lose," All Might stated firmly.
"What was that?" Takeo growled in anger. "Is he trying to kill Midoriya?"
No one had the means to argue against Takeo's claim after seeing Bakugo nearly kill Midoriya with a monster Explosion when he was warned by All Might. To see him show no remorse whatsoever for what he did only worsened everyone's opinion of him.
From that, Bakugo became outright ruthless towards Midoriya, giving him a severe beatdown. Though only All Might could hear him, Bakugo was shouting about how Midoriya would always be beneath him. His deranged smile had now been replaced by animalistic rage as he ruthlessly beat down Midoriya.
Despite all that, Midoriya wouldn't go down and it'd appear that they were preparing for one final clash. His right arm started to glow up, indicating that he was about to use his Quirk. Finally, All Might was about to stop the match, but Midoriya unleashed a powerful blast of wind that tore through all the floors and the roof of the building, leaving everyone in shock at such an attack.
Uraraka took advantage of the confusion to grab a pillar and hit several floating rocks at Iida. With the distraction she needed successful, she finally floated over and secured the weapon, ensuring victory for the Heroes.
Because Midoriya had crippled his arm with the attack, he was sent to the infirmary to be healed by Recovery Girl and her assistant/ apprentice, Sunhealer. Bakugo, Iida and Uraraka returned to the monitor room to be told of their results.
As soon as Bakugo walked into the room, Raionhato looked at him with disgust and contempt. He hoped Bakugo would be expelled after this, especially after what everyone just saw. He had nearly killed Midoriya when he was warned against an attack that could've proven fatal.
"Disgusting beast," Takeo whispered under his breath.
His mother told him that he needed to give it his all against his opponents. He had made a conscious effort to get rid of that mindset, to accept that he would sometimes injure his classmates. But what he just saw…Bakugo outright tried to kill Midoriya and he didn't care.
"Now, can anyone tell me who was the MVP and why?" All Might asked. Yaoyorozu raised her hand and answered.
"It was Iida, sir," she replied, much to Iida's joy. "Bakugo allowed a petty grudge against Midoriya to cloud his judgment and narrow-mindedly pursued him instead of communicating with his teammate to form a proper strategy. His narrow-minded attitude led him to unleash a colossal blast inside the building, which could've caused a potential fatality."
Raionhato looked over to see if Bakugo reacted to being reminded of how his attack could've caused a fatality. No reaction, no guilt, only a face filled with shock and uncertainty, which he had ever since he came in.
"But Midoriya was also reckless. His attack at the end was very close to hitting both Uraraka and Iida. Both Midoriya and Bakugo using long-ranged attacks like that indoors is reckless and posed a severe hazard. And Uraraka made the mistake of letting her guard down too early and that last attack was very reckless. If this had been a real scenario, Uraraka's attack could've caused the weapon to explode."
"Wow, blunt," a boy named Kumo Shiruku commented. He was about Kaminari's height with jet black hair, brown eyes and a semi-muscular build like Bakugo. His hero costume was plain black clothing and boots with light brown fur on the arms, legs and torso.
"You're not only easy on the eyes, but you're smart too," Shiruku flirted, much to Yaoyorozu and Raionhato's annoyance.
"Please, Shiruku, now is not the time for flirting," she replied. "Iida is the MVP because he was the only one who took the scenario seriously the whole time. He ensured advantages for himself, remained in contact with his teammate, despite his unruliness and aggression-"
"Shut up!" Bakugo barked. Raionhato was about to shout back at Bakugo, but Yaoyorozu spoke first with a very stern tone.
"Bakugo, I will have you know that your behavior so far is unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd highly suggest you reconsider how you speak, because I will not address you when you speak with such unnecessary rudeness."
Smart, beautiful and unwilling to take Bakugo's nonsense…Raionhato couldn't stop coming up with reasons to like her.
After the critique was done, Teams C, comprised of Takeo Raionhato and Momo Yaoyorozu, and L, Shin Zankoku and Yukine, were chosen next. Takeo and Momo were chosen to be the villains and Shin and Yukine as the heroes. Because of the extensive damage done to the previous building, All Might had them carry out the Battle Trial in another building.
"Alright," Takeo addressed Momo in the weapon room on the 2nd Floor. "How do you want to do this? It'd probably be better that I go and be the offense while you be the defense."
"I agree," she answered. "What do you have in your Inventory?" Raionhato showed the various objects he had so she knew what he had at his disposal. Coming up with a plan, Yaoyorozu pulled out her large encyclopedia and looked up what she wanted. Once she was done, she put the book back on her belt and then created several small devices that looked like heaters.
"Please put these near the vents around the building," Yaoyorozu instructed. "If I remember correctly, Yukine's Quirk allows her to convert moisture into snow she can control. This won't cover the whole building, so you'll need to be strategic where you place them. It'll help weaken Yukine, but Zankoku will be trickier."
"I know that his Quirk allows him absorb and reproduce poison in his body," Takeo informed as he took the devices and stored them away. As he did, he grunted in pain as if his body was aching.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a concerned tone.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Takeo assured. "I guess I went over 40 lbs. I'll be fine once I get these items placed where they're needed. I'll be off."
"Keep in touch," Yaoyorozu responded, gesturing to the earpieces they were wearing. After Raionhato left the room, Yaoyorozu started preparing the defenses.
Outside, Yukine and Zankoku waited for the signal to go as they discussed their strategy. They already guessed that if one of them went on the offensive, it'd be Raionhato since Yaoyorozu would be at a major disadvantage against both of them in close combat.
"Okay, you saw him during the Entrance Exam," Zankoku brought up. "What's he like as a fighter?"
"I didn't see him much, but considering he was 2nd Place, he's probably a strong fighter," Yukine responded.
"His Quirk seemed pretty basic from what I saw yesterday," Zankoku replied. "But he must be putting to good use if he scored 2nd Place in the Entrance Exam."
So as far as they knew, Raionhato was going on the offensive while Yaoyorozu was going defensive. They didn't know what Raionhato had other than what he had used yesterday and they didn't know how Yaoyorozu would defend the weapon. So for the most part, they'd have to improvise.
"Once we get inside, let me build up a lot of snow," Yukine insisted. "Once I have enough, I'll unleash a blast of snow and hopefully, take them by surprise. If it works, then it'll give us more time to find the weapon and the thick snow will make it hard for them to see us."
"True, but it'd work both ways," Zankoku brought up. "It'll be hard for us to see them either. That may not be the best approach."
"I'll be able to clear our path, so don't you worry," Yukine assured.
While Shin didn't doubt how powerful her abilities were, he did think she didn't look like someone who'd do well in close combat. She had clearly trained well with her Quirk, but had she trained with her own physical body? Would she be able to hold her own if they found a way to counter her Quirk?
Zankoku felt he'd have to carry this on his own if Yukine was neutralized.
"Okay," Takeo informed Yaoyorozu over the commlink after setting up the last heater. "The heaters are set. How much time do we have left?"
"If I'm correct, then we have about three minutes," Yaoyorozu answered. "Hurry back please. I'm working on something to create some misdirection." Raionhato got off the comm and hurried back to the weapon room to meet up with Yaoyorozu. Once he got there, she had already prepared the room's defenses.
The weapon was surrounded by nylon netting, held by large darts on the ceiling and weights on the bottom. Several small mines had been scattered throughout the floor, presumably strong enough to knock someone out without severely harming them. On each side of the weapon was a small turret with a bucket-like object attached to the top, presumably to provide ammo. In case they all failed, Yaoyorozu had created a shield and bo staff to fight herself.
"Whoa, I'm glad you're on my side," Takeo gasped, showing his admiration for his teammate.
"Raionhato, I appreciate the compliment, but we don't have much time," Yaoyorozu replied. She handed to him what appeared to be two small radios. At first, Takeo wasn't sure what they were for until he saw a microphone next to her.
"So that's what you mean by misdirection," Takeo deduced as he put the radios in Inventory. He then hurried off to find suitable rooms to place the radios to misdirect Zankoku and Yukine. He most likely had less than two minutes to set up the radios and then prepare to face his opponents, so he had no time to waste.
"It's almost time," Zankoku addressed Yukine. "So, we agreed on the plan?"
"Yeah," Yukine responded. "I'll build up enough snow and then blast as much ground as possible. It'll slow down Raionhato while we find Yaoyorozu. She won't be able to take down both of us."
In the monitor room, All Might was listening in on their conversations as he did with the previous match. He honestly felt the odds were more in favor of Raionhato and Yaoyorozu.
It was very true that Yaoyorozu was at a major disadvantage against Yukine and Zankoku in close combat, but Raionhato was no slouch in combat. As one who had watched Raionhato during the Entrance Exam, he knew how strong and skilled he was. If they thought he'd be an easy opponent, then they were underestimating him.
He wasn't worried about Zankoku underestimating his opponents, but Yukine…he couldn't help but feel that she was being overconfident. Her Quirk was powerful, yes, but what she wasn't taking into accountability was its potential limited use in enclosed areas. It was a wide-reaching Quirk, one best suited for open areas, not enclosed and narrow spaces. He only hoped that she wouldn't let her overconfidence bring her down.
Zankoku appeared more practical-minded. Though he didn't know how Raionhato and Yaoyorozu's Quirks worked, he was being much more cautious. He did get in on recommendation, though All Might was sure Zankoku had the intelligence to know how the match could proceed.
After the preparation time went off, All Might announced "BEGIN!"
Yukine grabbed Shin and then used her Quirk to create a snowy whirlwind, allowing them to glide to the top floor of the building. As expected, when they entered the window, no one was there. They suspected Raionhato expected them to enter on the 1st floor as Midoriya and Uraraka did during the previous match, but by starting at the top, they potentially threw him out.
"Keep me covered while I start creating snow," Yukine requested. As instructed, Zankoku watched the entry ways as Yukine started converting moisture into snow until she had enough to blast enough throughout the building.
"Yaoyorozu," Raionhato contacted over the commlink. "They didn't come in through the 1st floor. They floated to the top."
"Get close to one of the heaters and stay there," Yaoyorozu instructed. "Dealing with Yukine will be easier in the vicinity of one of the heaters. As for Zankoku, stay cautious around him."
As she instructed, Raionhato got close to a heater he placed on the 2nd level and laid out his wires on the ground and near the stairs, easily hiding them from sight if one was coming down. He had his right wire gauntlet on his right hand and Lion Mane on his left in case Zankoku got past his wires and attacked.
After several moments, Yukine had built up the snow she needed for Snowblind and launched it down the stairs, blasting it throughout the building.
For Raionhato and Yaoyorozu, it was almost a complete whiteout if it weren't for the heaters the former had placed throughout the building. The snowy winds lasted for several moments; it wasn't too bad for Raionhato due to the gambeson he was wearing and being near a heater, but Yaoyorozu wasn't as fortunate due to her exposed hero costume.
"Think that's enough?" Yukine asked after having used Snowblind for a good short while.
"I think we should be good," Zankoku replied, so Yukine stopped. As expected, it left the entire ground covered in snow and cold. Even if it didn't hinder the movements of their opponents, the noise of walking on the snow would give them away. The two of them descended down the stairwell as Yukine cleared the snow from their path to create snowy winds, which would blind their opponents.
"See?" she replied. "We'll win this in no time."
"Don't get cocky," Zankoku warned. "We don't know how their Quirks work. They may have a way to counter your Snowstorm Quirk."
"Well, luckily, we have you," Yukine responded.
Zankoku shook his head in annoyance. He hated this kind of overconfidence as he had seen multiple times in his life what it can do to people. In his eyes, overconfidence led to a lack of caution and a lack of caution led to potential recklessness, just like what happened with Bakugo previously.
"Don't be reckless, Yukine," Zankoku stated.
Meanwhile, the heater Takeo was around had already melted the snow within a ten feet radius. It created dry, hot air in the vicinity, which as Yaoyorozu said, would weaken Yukine due to the lack of moisture in the air.
Takeo waited patiently for Yukine and Zankoku to arrive down the stairwell. He suspected that they'd be too smart to investigate every single room on every floor, especially with the time limit. If they didn't secure the weapon or defeat him and Yaoyorozu before time ran out, the villains would win. All Takeo had to do was wait out and prepare for their arrival.
Even if they got past him, there's no way they'd get past Yaoyorozu's defenses. She had thought of almost everything: how to counter Yukine's Quirk, how to create some potential misdirection, and she had the weapon secured tightly. The only factor she was unable to come up with was a counter to Zankoku, whose abilities she didn't have a clear grasp of. The only thing she knew was his Quirk and Takeo was better suited to take care of him.
About five minutes passed before he started feeling the cold winds of Yukine's Quirk again. He noticed that the air was starting to turn white with snow, most likely as a means to obstruct his vision. However, with the wires secured in place, he'd know where his opponents were and be able to trap them.
"Time to make you proud, Forge," Takeo whispered as he waited for his moment.
"Raionhato hasn't tried to attack us," Yukine brought up. "What do you think, Zankoku?"
"I think he's playing it smart and waiting somewhere," Zankoku brought up. He then lowered Yukine's arm, causing the snowy winds to stop.
"That's becoming a dead giveaway for our location," he brought up.
As Yukine pointed out, Raionhato hadn't tried to attack, meaning he was most likely lying in wait for them. But how would he proceed? Zankoku didn't know what Raionhato had in his Quirk or what Yaoyorozu was capable of, so thety couldn't afford to underestimate.
As they walked down the stairs after Yukine stopped using her Quirk, Zankoku looked down. At first, he saw nothing, but upon closer inspection-
"Yukine, move!" Zankoku warned. Before he could push Yukine out of the way, Takeo's wires whipped up and wrapped themselves around Yukine's torso and lifted her off the ground. She attempted to fight back, but before she could catch on, the wires pulled her down the hallway and towards Takeo, where he quickly used the capture tape to subdue her.
Zankoku, on the other hand, quickly dodged the wires and avoided being trapped by them. He then speeded down the hallway, protracted his arm stingers and dipped one of them in a vial of poison and as soon as he was close to Takeo, he slashed at him. The Inventory Quirk user barely reacted in time to block the stinger with Lion Mane.
As he looked up, he saw Zankoku's scorpion tail aim for his shoulder. He recalled his wire gauntlet that he used to trap Yukine and moved to dodge Shin's tail. Hoping to create distance, Takeo grabbed Zankoku's tail and threw him down the hallway, away from the room where the weapon was.
To his surprise, Zankoku landed on his feet and quickly rushed back to fight Raionhato, who just summoned Lion Saber. Zankoku's strikes were swift, precise and relentless, barely giving Raionhato an opening to attack and keeping him on the defensive. The Inventory Quirk user couldn't afford to be reckless; one wrong move and Zankoku could poison him.
After a full minute of being unable to penetrate Raionhato's defense, Zankoku jumped on his opponent's shoulders and rushed off to find the weapon. Takeo recalled Lion Mane to summon his grappling gun, but Zankoku was already out of sight.
"Dammit!" Raionhato growled before rushing to find him. "Yaoyorozu!"
"Yes?" she replied over the commlink.
"Zankoku is very fast and agile and he's gotten past me," Raionhato warned her. "Be careful with him. This guy's no joke."
Zankoku smirked as he speedily ran down the hallways of the building, looking for the weapon. However, he knew he couldn't get cocky; Yukine had already been subdued and he hadn't managed to inject Raionhato with his paralysis poison. He was certain he'd have a much better chance against Yaoyorozu due to her exposed skin,
"Raionhato!" Yaoyorozu called. "Hurry! I need you back here!"
Zankoku was confused by that. She didn't need to shout for him; all she had to do was contact him over the commlink. So why would she shout? Whatever it was, it could lead him to finding the weapon, but he had to be cautious.
He approached a room where Yaoyorozu's voice was coming from and hide behind the wall. He didn't know what lie in wait, so he slowly looked into the room…and saw nothing except a radio.
"She used a radio to misdirect me," Zankoku snarled. Just then, he heard the loud sound of wires whip towards him. He turned to see Raionhato lashing his wires out at him, but Zankoku leapt towards the ceiling to avoid the attack and then dived towards Raionhato, protracting his arm stingers again.
Raionhato recalled his wire gauntlet in time to summon Lion Saber, but Zankoku was too quick and dodged his sword attack. Zankoku aimed his tail at him and was quickly repelled by Takeo's shield. Once again, Zankoku ran off and was too quick for Raionhato to catch up with him.
Yaoyorozu had all her defenses ready and the weapon was completely sealed behind the nylon netting. She had considered making larger shields to protect herself, but she didn't have enough lipids and would have to work with the shield and bo staff she had already created.
Raionhato had warned her that Zankoku was fast and agile, so much so that he had trouble keeping up with him. She hadn't heard back from him for a short while, but she wasn't sure he had been taken yet, but she knew Yukine had been captured. However, despite this victory, Zankoku was a much bigger threat to her.
Suddenly, the turrets activated, indicating that they sensed motion. It wouldn't be Raionhato since Yaoyorozu had instructed him not to approach the weapon room unless she needed his help so he wouldn't be attacked by the defenses. It was Zankoku…and like a flash, he jumped on the doorframe and leapt onto one of the pillars.
"He's fast," Yaoyorozu spoke quietly, remarking how quickly he had jumped from the entrance to the pillar.
The turrets aimed for Zankoku and shot pounds of super glue at him, but Zankoku was moving too fast for the glue to pin him down. Yaoyorozu manually took control of one of the turrets and predicted where Shin was going to jump next. Once she had, she fired glue at the area he was leaping to.
This took Zankoku by surprise, but he quickly used his tail to pull back to another pillar and dug his arm stinger into the cement to stay aboveground. Unfortunately, the turrets were out of glue, meaning that Yaoyorozu was without ranged weaponry. But that didn't mean Zankoku was victorious.
There were plenty of mines placed on the floor and it looked as though any of them could knock him out. The netting protecting the weapon looked very tough and it'd take him several times to cut through it with his arm blade stingers. Most of the pillars were covered in glue and would immediately trap him if he landed on one of the globs.
Yaoyorozu herself couldn't do anything; she didn't have enough lipids to create more ammo for the turrets or to create a different ranged weapon. If she did, she'd risk suffering from anemia, leaving her weak and tired. The only cards left in her hand were the nylon netting protecting the weapon and the mines on the ground. If she could trick Zankoku into falling…
Zankoku then leapt off the pillar he was on and use one of his arm stingers to cut at the nylon netting. Though it didn't go through, it did cause some damage. If he cut through enough times, he could create an opening and secure the weapon.
"Yeesh, what's the matter, princess?" Zankoku mocked with a smirk. "You got in on recommendation and you might lose. A bit humiliating, don't you think?"
Yaoyorozu frowned, but took no action nor gave no reply. Zankoku thought she'd react, but guess his taunt didn't work. He leapt to cut the nylon netting again…and as he was about to land on one of the pillars, a round shield attached to wires came at him. He managed to dodge the attack, but this caused him to miss the pillar he was aiming for and land on the ground. Before he could catch on, a nearby mine exploded with enough force to knock him out.
"Villains win!" All Might announced after seeing both Yukine and Zankoku defeated. On the monitors, Takeo cheered in victory and walked over to shake Yaoyorozu's hand…not knowing that he just triggered a mine and was sent flying out of the room.
"I'm fine!" Raionhato assured. "But wow, those mines hurt!"
"Sorry!" Yaoyorozu apologized.
While Raionhato was satisfied with their victory, Yaoyorozu didn't feel the same. In her eyes, Raionhato had carried the match while she barely did anything. Her turrets couldn't get Zankoku, she was unable to create another ranged weapon to catch him and she wouldn't have been able to do anything while he cut through her nylon netting.
To her, this wasn't their victory or even hers, it was only Raionhato's.
Author's Note: Thank you for the wait! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Keep reading and writing, my fellow writers!