My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 20: Preparation
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Raionhato got on the bus that would take him to U.A. now that the week-long closure was over. He looked forward to seeing the new friends he had made, especially Ojiro so he could apologize to him for that day at Weapons For All. He was angry, true, but it didn't justify him walking out on his friend like that.
He hoped Ojiro wouldn't be angry enough to end their friendship, but Raionhato wouldn't know until he got on the bus. He didn't have Ojiro's number nor knew where he lived, so he couldn't contact him to apologize. All he could do was wait until the Tail Quirk user arrived on the bus as he often did.
As he waited, the bus made constant stops to pick up people waiting. Raionhato would go over his journal to memorize the names of his classmates since he hadn't spent much time with them yet. By now, the names of Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Sato and Kiyama were becoming easy to remember, but the name, Bakugo, was one Takeo wanted to forget.
Even though he was relieved that the Explosion Quirk user had recovered from his injuries, Raionhato still harbored great enmity towards him, something he had made clear to his teacher and classmates. He remembered that day during the Combat Training, when Bakugo unleashed a monster blast which almost resulted in a fatality.
Bakugo's face as he pulled that grenade pin…it was if all the world's evil was packed into it. No remorse, no guilt, just sadistic, violent satisfaction. Raionhato acknowledged that both Bakugo and Midoriya messed up during the training and could've killed each other, but he strongly believed that Bakugo was the one who deserved the most scorn as he actively escalated the situation. All Might warned Bakugo to stop his attack, but the violent, short-tempered, arrogant beast wouldn't listen.
Several of his friends insisted that Raionhato was being too harsh towards Bakugo, but he couldn't see how. Even after the incident, Bakugo continued to act like a rabid beast and putting everyone down while expecting them to respect him. To make it worse, instead of taking a shred of responsibility, Bakugo accused Midoriya of turning the class against him, prompting Raionhato to stand up to him and call him a beast to his face.
"I hope he gets expelled," Takeo whispered. "That beast doesn't belong at U.A."
He was broken out of his negative thoughts when he saw Ojiro walk onto the bus. Since Raionhato had a spare seat next to him, he gestured for his friend to sit, which Ojiro did.
"Hey, Raionhato," Ojiro greeted.
"Hey, Ojiro," Raionhato replied. "I want to say I'm sorry for what I did that day at Weapons For All. I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. I had…I had heard a news report about the Blade of Terror, Fukushu, and…"
"You hate him?" Ojiro asked Raionhato.
"…Very much," he replied, doing a poor job hiding the hatred he held for the vigilante. As soon as Ojiro placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Raionhato recollected himself and took a deep breath.
"As I said, I'm sorry for what I did that day," he apologized in a sincere manner.
"I understand," Ojiro replied. "And I accept your apology."
"Thanks," Raionhato replied gratefully.
As Ojiro suspected, Raionhato left because he was filled with anger after watching the Fukushu News Report on TV. Ojiro could imagine anyone hating that vigilante, so what was Raionhato's reason? Whatever the cause, it was very obvious that he harbored great hatred for the Blade of Terror. Until Ojiro knew more or Raionhato told him why, he felt it'd be safe not to push the issue.
"Where's Gijutsu?" Ojiro asked, noticing that the Technopath wasn't on the bus.
"Sometimes, his parents will take him to school," Raionhato informed. "He's really looking forward to the Sports Festival. It'll be a major time for him to show off his inventions and potentially attract support item companies."
Raionhato knew how much this meant to Satoshi since his parents had been struggling to make ends meet for a long while. If he could gain the attention of support item companies with his inventions and gadgets, then he could help his parents find buyers and potentially business partners. If Raionhato could help his best friend, he would, but as his mother had told him, it was also his own chance to shine and prove himself to various Pro Hero Agencies.
Soon after, Nagami Kiyama and Rikido Sato arrived on the bus and sat with Raionhato and Ojiro. Sato, in a gesture of kindness, had baked sweets for his friends, which looked like fruit-filled pastries. As soon as the four of them got off the bus, Sato gave one to each of his classmates present.
"Thanks, Sato," Raionhato spoke. "I didn't know you were a chef."
"Technically, I'm a baker," Sato informed. "My parents own a bakery several miles from here. Growing up, they taught me how to bake a lot of things: pastries, cupcakes, cakes. They want me to take over the bakery one day and I might, but I want to be a Pro Hero as well."
"Do they agree with your decissssssion to be a Pro Hero?" Kiyama asked as she took a bite.
"They were rather conflicted about it, but they didn't outright object," Sato answered. "Though after the USJ Attack, they tried to convince me to go to another school, but I wanted to stay here."
"I think a lot of our parents were unnerved by what happened last week," Ojiro brought up. "An attack like that has never happened before."
"Unfortunately, some reporters like Hiretsuna Shita-"
"Hiretssssuna Ssssshita?" Kiyama interrupted. "You've ssssseen her interview?"
Raionhato nodded and guessed Kiyama had also seen it. Along with Razor Shell and Ashido, Kiyama hadn't been spared from Shita's bigotry, claiming that she had probably hidden away out of fear. It was true that Kiyama didn't fight much during the USJ Attack, but she didn't run away and hide like Shita claimed she did.
"Don't listen to that bitch," Takeo told his snake friend as he put his arm around her. "She'll do anything to discredit mutants."
"Thanksssss, Raionhato," Kiyama replied, hugging him back. "It meansssss a lot to hear you say that."
The group continued eating the pastries Sato had baked for them, which were very delicious and flavorful. None of them had eaten such delicious treats before, so they savored every bite and quietly hoped Sato would bake these again.
It made sense that Sato knew how to bake such sweets, considering the nature of his Quirk. By consuming sugar, he'd increase his physical strength and durability depending on how much he ate. However, as he had pointed out much earlier, consuming too much sugar would cause him to crash and leave him tired and sluggish. Perhaps using sweets was a safer way of activating his Quirk without the risk of being left tired.
"So, did you make some for the entire class?" Raionhato asked Sato…just before he bumped into someone. "Sorry, about that. I wasn't-"
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" Bakugo barked angrily. Raionhato's apologetic manner quickly changed to antagonistic upon realizing who he bumped into, none other than the feral animal himself.
"I said I was sorry!" Raionhato responded sharply.
"Oh, no," Sato whispered, suspecting what was about to happen.
"Well, at least it's good to see you recovered," Raionhato pointed out, bringing up Bakugo's injuries from the USJ. "You were pretty banged up from the USJ Attack."
"Are you pitying me?" Bakugo accused. "That villain just got lucky, that's all! Don't you look down on me!"
"I'm NOT looking down on you," Raionhato snapped at him. "Don't you dare twist my words, you beast! Besides, you're the one looking down on us, you bloody hypocrite!"
"Well, it's not my fault the rest of you are nothing to me," Bakugo rebuked, much to Raionhato's anger.
"Says the guy who got his ass beat at the USJ," Takeo countered. "Great, not only are you condescending and violent for the most petty of reasons, but you're also a hypocrite. You must really love living in your fantasy world where everything revolves-"
"Alright, knock it off, you two," Ojiro insisted, stepping between them. "If you two are going to be angry towards each other, save it for Combat Class. You heard what Mr. Aizawa said: no using our Quirks outside of Combat Sessions. Fight now and you'll probably end up expelled or busted to General Studies."
Bakugo glared at Raionhato, who returned the antagonistic gesture. The Explosion Quirk user viewed Raionhato's words of his recovery as pity, something he disdained above all else. He didn't understand why, but the swordsman had already expressed great disdain towards him and openly thought of him as a feral, mindless beast. But what did Bakugo care? All that mattered to him was surpassing everyone in Class 1-A and then surpassing All Might.
But then again, Raionhato could prove a threat to his goal. He was 2nd Place in the Entrance Exam, meaning he had surpassed everyone else and clearly had a good grasp on his Quirk. Along with several others, Bakugo was determined to defeat him to prove himself as #1 in their class.
"Fine," Bakugo relented before walking off. "And don't tell me what to do, tail."
"Piss off, you beast," Raionhato spoke angrily as Bakugo left.
The group of friends had a mixed reaction to Raionhato's immense disdain for Bakugo. Sato agreed with Raionhato's hate for the Explosion Quirk user. He had quickly shown himself to be proud, arrogant, selfish, extremely short-tempered and generally unpleasant to be around. There was no question of his strength and intelligence, at least to most of the class, but it had clearly gone all the way up to his head.
Kiyama and Ojiro, on the other hand, while they understood Raionhato's hate for Bakugo and they themselves didn't approve of him, they felt fault was on both sides. Bakugo was difficult and volatile, but Raionhato almost immediately resorted to insulting and demeaning their classmate due to his temper and arrogance. Despite his actions during the Combat Training, if Bakugo truly was nothing but a violent and monstrous person, U.A. was sure to have never allowed him into their school.
Not only that, Kiyama and Ojiro were personally offended by their friend calling Bakugo a 'beast'. Being mutants, the two of them knew that sometimes those kinds of insults would be slung their way where they'd be demeaned as animals. Despite Raionhato not showing any prejudice against mutants, even being firmly against it since his own mother was a mutant, they couldn't help but feel uneasy about him using the word 'beast' to describe Bakugo.
All of Class 1-A had gathered in their homeroom, but Eraser Head was nowhere to be seen. The student were left worried for the welfare of their teacher, who they hadn't heard about since the USJ Attack. As far as they knew, Razor Shell got away with minimal injuries; it was Eraser Head and Thirteen who really got beat up during the attack.
"So, what do we do now?" Shiruku asked from Seat 22. "Mr. Aizawa didn't give us any assignments before the USJ Attack."
"We could go outside and do some Quirk training," Raionhato suggested. "I don't think Mr. Aizawa would object to the idea. Speaking of, did anyone stop by the infirmary on their way here? I didn't."
"I stopped by yesterday after my session with Hound Dog," Iida replied. "He's still in the infirmary, so he's still recovering. I do doubt Mr. Aizawa would want us to just sit around, so perhaps it'd be wise-" The door suddenly opened to reveal their teacher, who was wrapped in white bandages from head to foot.
"Morning," he greeted through his wrapped up face.
"MR. AIZAWA!?" the class gasped in shock as their teacher limped to the front desk. He clearly hadn't fully recovered from his injuries judging by his limp and his slow movement.
"What are you doing outside of the infirmary, sir?" Raionhato asked with concern. "With all due respect, you don't look like you've completely healed. Are you sure you're okay to teach today?"
"I agree," Yaoyorozu spoke up. "I feel you should return to the infirmary until you've healed up."
"My health doesn't matter," Aizawa replied. "I appreciate the concern, but I have a job to do." As soon as he approached the front podium, he stopped and turned around to address the students through his bandaged face.
Some of the students couldn't help but feel uneasy about Aizawa returning before his injuries had healed up. He had sustained a severe beating from Talos during the USJ Attack, so much so that if Midoriya hadn't rescued him, Talos would've beaten Aizawa to death. Some of the other students respected Aizawa returning to his duties so soon despite the clear pain he was in, admiring his determination to teach his students in spite of not having fully recovered.
"I know this isn't exactly the way you wanted to start off the year, but what happened has happened," Aizawa started. "As you've probably already been informed, the Sports Festival will still take place around two weeks. I'm hoping you all know what that is."
Everyone knew what the Sports Festival was. It was an annual event that was hosted by the school where students from all grades and courses could show off their abilities to the world. For the Hero Course students, they'd be showing off to Pro Hero Agencies who could grant them internships, work studies and even employment after graduation. However, it could also cause them to be dropped to General Studies if the Hero Course teachers felt their performances were poor and make room for students from the same department.
Raionhato hoped his role model, the Barrier Hero: Guardian, would be watching and scout him out. If he could get an offer from him, he'd take it in an instant, regardless if he got an internship offer from someone like Endeavor or Best Jeanist.
"You've only got two weeks to train," Aizawa stated to his students. "This isn't just a competition for glory and fame; this could impact your future. Pros from all over the country will be watching this, so I better not have to repeat myself when I say that once you're out there, you do your absolute best. You cannot leave any room for doubt, even if you'll get two more chances during your time here at U.A."
Leave no room for doubt. Bring their absolute best. Be mindful of the Pro Heroes watching the Festival. The students had to keep all these things in mind as they started to prepare for the Sports Festival.
"Hello, everyone," Razor Shell greeted Class 1-A after they entered Gym Class, or also known as Combat Class. After having changed into their gym clothes, Class 1-A's students entered Gym Gamma where the Alligator Snapping Turtle Hero greeted them.
"For those of you who don't remember me, I'm Razor Shell, or Mr. Kompira," he introduced. "I am U.A.'s Gym Teacher. Today will be purely combat training.I don't know if Eraser Head told you, but in the Sports Festival, you won't be allowed to use any support items or your Hero Costumes. If you do require a support item, you'll need to submit an application, which can be rejected if the support item is deemed unnecessary. So, I've arranged matches for you all today and whatever matches we don't finish today, we'll finish tomorrow."
Except for the Combat Training with All Might, none of the students had had a chance to fight each other, especially in a 1v1. Some of the students were nervous due to the nature of their Quirks, either not being good for combat or not having good control over them, which could lead to injuring themselves or their opponents. Those most worried were Hagakure, Koda, Ashido and Kaminari; the rest didn't share these concerns.
"Now, before we begin, I need to go over the rules of Gym Gamma," Razor Shell explained. "First, all damage is to be kept to a minimum. It costs us every time Gym Gamma needs extensive repairs, so be mindful. Second, I expect you to give it your all when fighting, but do not intentionally cripple your opponents. Third, if at any time, you are about to use an attack your teachers fear may lead to a fatality and we tell you to stand down, you stand down. Refusal to do so will result in disciplinary action. Fourth, using Gym Gamma is a privilege, not a right; you are allowed to use it at any time, but I expect you all to use it responsibly. Do something I deem unacceptable and I will ban you from using the Gym. I can either ban you for a certain amount of time or permanently, so if you want to use the Gym, use it responsibly. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the class responded, excluding Bakugo. As the class walked further into the large, spacious gym, Razor Shell pulled Bakugo and Midoriya aside where the other students wouldn't hear them.
"I heard about what happened in the Combat Training with All Might," Razor Shell addressed the two students. "I'm going to be clear: if either of you do that again, you will be expelled. So if you want to stay here in U.A., you won't repeat what you did and if I tell either of you to stop an attack, you will stop. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Midoriya answered rather nervously.
"Whatever," Bakugo responded as the two boys were allowed to walk away.
Midoriya was worried about when his match would come. As of right now, he only knew how to use his Quirk in powerful and devastating attacks that would cripple himself. He had yet to ask All Might about how to improve his use of One For All, but with the recent villain attack and his three hours of hero work now reduced to one, Midoriya hadn't had an opportunity to do so. But he'd have to learn before the Sports Festival or else he might be considered unfavorable by Pro Heroes since he doubted a Pro Hero would want someone who cannot control their Quirk.
"The first match will be Shiruku vs. Yaoyorozu," Razor Shell announced. "Combatants, prepare to fight." Shiruku went on one side of the gym while Yaoyorozu went over to the other. They both mentally prepared themselves for the fight, but while Shiruku seemed calm, Yaoyorozu looked as though she was overthinking.
"Okay, I know his Quirk allows him to secrete web from his hands," Yaoyorozu thought. "If I can contain his hands quickly, then I can beat him. Perhaps a net would work…hold on, he might be able to-"
"Hey, Yaoyorozu!" Shiruku spoke. "If I win, will you go on a date with me?" The class groaned at Shiruku…and Raionhato felt jealous if Yaoyorozu said yes.
"Begin!" Razor Shell announced the start of the match.
Almost immediately, Shiruku shot a long string of web at Yaoyorozu, hitting her bottom torso. With all his strength, he pulled her to him and prepared to knock her out. However, this worked in favor of Yaoyorozu instead, who quickly created a net and threw it at Shiruku. The Web Quirk user shot a bullet of web at the net, preventing it from catching him, but Yaoyorozu had created a bo-staff while he was distracted. When he had pulled her close enough, she hit him in the stomach and freed herself from Shiruku's Web.
"Man, sssssshe'sssss looking good, issssssn't sssssshe?" Kiyama teased Raionhato, gesturing to Yaoyorozu's excellent strategy.
"She is," Raionhato agreed.
Shiruku tried to create some distance between him and Yaoyorozu, but she created a rope from her arm and used it to quickly catch his arm. Based on what she had seen, she deduced that Shiruku preferred to dodge his opponents and look for openings rather than fight them head-on, evidenced by his fight against Tokoyami during the Combat Training. So she quickly pulled him towards her and pinned him to the ground with her bo-staff.
"Uh…will you still go on that date with me?" Shiruku asked with a sheepish grin, much to Yaoyorozu's annoyance.
"Yaoyorozu wins!" Razor Shell announced. The Creation Quirk user retracted her staff from Shiruku and helped him up.
"Shiruku, do you know martial arts?" the Turtle Hero asked.
"Well, no," Shiruku responded. Razor Shell then turned to face the students.
"I'm aware that some of you possess Quirks that by themselves, won't help you in combat. Shiruku's Quirk could one day be very versatile and strong, but as shown, he is lacking in close quarters combat."
"Gee, thanks for bringing that up," Shiruku responded. Razor Shell heard him, but chose to ignore his statement.
"Which is why we hired Open Palm to be our martial arts instructor. For those of you untrained in unarmed combat, I highly insist you see Open Palm in your spare time. You never know when someone may be able to counter your Quirk, no matter how powerful it is, so you always want to make sure you possess enough knowledge of martial arts to help you survive." Yaoyorozu and Shiruku returned to the class, Shiruku getting close to Yukine, much to her annoyance and Yaoyorozu walking close to Raionhato.
"You did good out there, Yaoyorozu," Raionhato responded. "Who taught you how to fight?"
"Thank you, Raionhato," Yaoyorozu thanked with a smile. "My father, Industrialist, taught me how to fight, though I often prefer the bo-staff because it's easier for me to create. Weapons like swords and axes take a bit more time because they possess more materials."
"So your sword skills may not exactly be the best?" Raionhato guessed, which Yaoyorozu confirmed. "Well, if you want, I could train with you so as to improve them." Kiyama smirked at Raionhato and made sure he saw her expression, much to his annoyance. He silently told her to knock it off and gently pushed her face away.
"That sounds wonderful," Yaoyorozu replied. "It'd also be a great opportunity for us to learn more about how our Quirks could work together."
They had proven themselves quite a good team twice already, once during the Combat Training and again during the USJ Attack. Yaoyorozu felt there was quite a lot of knowledge the two could share with each other; Raionhato could help her improve her close combat skills as she viewed him as the superior combatant and she could perhaps provide strategic and intellectual advice in return.
Nearby, Zankoku silently sneered with disdain for Momo Yaoyorozu. As Shiruku admitted, he didn't know hand-to-hand combat, making him rather easy for Yaoyorozu to defeat him. He knew that if she went up against a real combatant, she'd lose, shown during the Combat Training and their fight against Bloodmoon. Against the feral werewolf, it mostly Raionhato, Jiro and Zankoku who did the fighting while Yaoyorozu stayed away from the front lines, either providing support or healing Ashido.
"Next match is Kuraokami vs. Kirishima!" Razor Shell announced.
The class wondered who Kuraokami was, considering they had never heard the name before. Who had the surname, Kuraokami? For some, it took quite a while to figure out who it was, but to others, they immediately guessed who it was, judging by the way she looked rather frustrated. The surname belonged to Yukine, which she was clearly angry about people knowing.
"Is everything alright?" Razor Shell asked the Snow Quirk user. Before Yukine could vent her frustration, Todoroki spoke up.
"Kuraokami? That's the family currently governing the Hokkaido Prefecture."
Now the secret was out. The class, thanks to Todoroki and Razor Shell, now knew Yukine's full name, something she had been trying to suppress ever since she enrolled at U.A. The class spoke among themselves in surprise at the daughter of the Hokkaido Governor being one of their classmates. Many of them were left to wonder why she had chosen to hide her surname from her class, especially one of high class.
All the while, Yukine felt immense frustration towards Razor Shell and Todoroki for unwittingly giving her identity away. She could give lenience to Razor Shell, considering that he wouldn't have known she only went by Yukine. Todoroki, on the other hand, had seen her solely go by her first name and then gave her away as the daughter of the Hokkaido Governor.
"Is everything alright?" Razor Shell asked her yet again.
"I'm fine," she replied in a rather firm voice. "But I still prefer to go by Yukine."
As she and Kirishima went up to prepare to fight, Bakugo looked at the Snow Quirk user. He hazarded a guess why she hid her name: unlike IcyHot and Ponytail Girl, who were open about their family names, which may lead to them getting some form of preferential treatment from others, Yukine hid her name to potentially avoid that kind of attention.
He guessed she didn't want to be known for her family name, fearing it may influence how people view her. She wanted to be known for herself as a person, for her own merits rather than for the Kuraokami name. It was the only possible explanation, considering her negative response to being outed as a Kuraokami and requesting to still go by Yukine.
"Begin!" Razor Shell announced.
Yukine immediately started building up snow around her while Kirishima activated his Hardening, turning his body into jagged rock-like armor. He was hesitant to hurt Yukine since she was a girl, so he'd focus on restraining her rather than actually hurting her. There was nothing manly about hitting a female classmate, after all.
The Snow Quirk user waited for Kirishima to attack, knowing he had no means of ranged attacks; his only strategy was to get in close and finish her. However, that also posed a threat: if Kirishima did get past her snow and got in close, he could easily finish her off. Luckily for her, that could be remedied by using her Quirk to lift herself into the air by swirling the snow beneath her feet.
As expected, Kirishima charged forward, but was moving much faster that Yukine expected. When she had built up enough snow, she unleashed a powerful white wind on her opponent and used the rest to lift herself up off the ground so she'd be out of Kirishima's reach. In order to keep him at bay, she moved the snow in a circular motion so as to trap her opponent inside.
Kirishima stood his ground against the violent force of Yukine's snowy winds, his Hardening giving him the strength to not be blown away. He kept marching forward with his arms covering his face so as to see where he was going, but as the winds kept blowing on him, his Hardening started to weaken as he got tired. As his Quirk started to wear down, he felt himself being caught up in Yukine's winds until eventually, he was blown away by its sheer force and defeated.
"Yukine wins!" Razor Shell announced. Yukine smiled cockily at her win, having easily defeated Kirishima. The redhead quickly managed to get up and shook the snow off himself, sighing in defeat.
"You alright, Kirishima?" Yukine asked her opponent.
"I'm fine," he replied with a smile. "Man, that Quirk is amazing!"
"Indeed it is," Razor Shell agreed. "But the table's could've easily turned, Kirishima. Yukine focused on keeping you at a distance and staying out of your range. What does that tell you?"
Kirishima thought for a moment what Razor Shell meant. As his teacher said, she used her Quirk to keep him at a distance and to keep herself lifted above the ground. Kirishima thought on it, but ultimately couldn't come up with an answer.
Bakugo shook his head in annoyance at Kirishima not providing the answer to Razor Shell's question. Yukine's Hero Costume wasn't one made for close ranged combat like Kirishima, Bakugo and Raionhato. She had kept her opponent at bay because he would've beaten her had he got in close. If he had made his way out of the snowy winds and found a way to her, he would've won the match.
"Think on it," Razor Shell told his student. "You can return to your seats…er, to standing with your class." Kirishima went over to Bakugo while Yukine sat closer to Koda.
"You idiot," Bakugo told Kirishima.
"Huh?" Kirishima replied.
"She was keeping you at bay because you're stronger in close quarters combat than she is," he pointed out. "If you had attacked while she was building up her snow, you could've won. You hesitate like that in a real fight and you're screwed. Stop being dumb and be smarter."
Bakugo's words were harsh, but true. Kirishima acknowledged that his hesitation and not attacking while she was building up her snow led to his defeat. Not only did his Hardening only last for so long, but he lacked ranged attacks, which worked perfectly for the Snow Quirk user.
"The Sports Festival is only two weeks away and Midoriya is still struggling on his use for One For All," Open Palm told All Might in the latter's office. "I know we've been busy ever since the attack on the USJ, but now that he's back, you need to properly teach him how to use his power. If he cannot use it in a way that doesn't break his bones, no Pro Hero is going to want him."
"I know," All Might acknowledged. "I don't understand. When I inherited One For All, I could use it at its fullest with no issues."
"Midoriya's body isn't the same as yours," Open Palm stated. "If need be, I'll step in to help him when I can."
"I appreciate it," All Might replied. "But…unfortunately, teaching Young Midoriya isn't the only problem I have at the moment."
"What is it?" Open Palm asked. "You already told me that your hero work time had gone down to an hour."
"That's not it." All Might proceeded to explain that after the Combat Training where Bakugo and Midoriya fought, the latter had told the former that he had been 'given his Quirk by someone'. Bakugo didn't believe him and stated that he would find the truth behind how Midoriya suddenly got his Quirk. Once he found out, he'd expose Midoriya as a fraud and get him kicked out of U.A.
"Oh, great," Open Palm groaned. "I'm blind and even I can see how much Bakugo hates Midoriya. What possessed Midoriya to tell one of the very people who hates him?"
"Young Midoriya said he and Bakugo grew up together," All Might told his friend. "But…after Young Bakugo's Quirk manifested and Young Midoriya's did not-"
"The seeds of pride were placed in Bakugo," Open Palm guessed.
Having been a Pro Hero for over twenty years, Open Palm knew how Hero Society treated those who had flashy Quirks, undoubtedly like Bakugo's. They were placed on pedestals, told they were better than everyone else, and fawned over by others. He had run into students like this before, hence the 'arrogant students' U.A. had in the past, but nothing like Bakugo. As much as Open Palm respected Bakugo's tenacity, strength and determination, he couldn't deny that the Explosion Quirk user was building up to be one of their most difficult students.
No doubt Bakugo must've looked down on Midoriya throughout their childhood and now as teenagers. In complete contrast to those born with 'amazing' Quirks, the Quirkless were looked down upon by others. They were deemed worthless, told they can never be heroes, and were condemned to a life of discrimination and prejudice. Midoriya would've undoubtedly been subjected to this his whole life and it appeared Bakugo was one of his worst aggressors.
"I know everyone has their doubts about Bakugo, but the reality is that he's a product of the environment he was raised in," Open Palm brought up. "He potentially was one of Midoriya's worst bullies, but it's not as if anyone stood up to him. Everyone fawned over him, gave him praise whether he deserved it or not, turned a blind eye to his misbehavior…" He paused for a moment.
"This is a sudden change for Bakugo. He's now being forced to face the reality that he's not the legend he was built up to be. But instead of sulking, he's resolved to prove himself as the best. He has the skills, determination and intelligence to make a fine Pro Hero one day…but like everyone else in the Hero Course, he has a ways to go. It's just that his flaws are easier to spot."
"I understand," All Might agreed. "But if Young Bakugo does find out the truth behind One For All and goes through with his threat of exposing Young Midoriya…"
"Which is why we cannot let Bakugo find out," Open Palm firmly stated. "In the meantime, we need to teach Midoriya. Perhaps we should contact our former teacher…" As soon as Open Palm mentioned their old teacher, All Might started to cower in fear and turned his head away as if to face away from something that frightened him. The blind martial artist shook his head and chuckled at All Might's nervous cowering of the mere mention of their old teacher.
"Come on, he wasn't that bad," Open Palm spoke.
"He WAS that bad," All Might corrected, still shivering with fear. Open Palm chuckled again at his old friend's blatant fear.
"On a serious note, Toshinori, we may need to contact him if Midoriya doesn't learn how to use One For All efficiently. Eraser Head won't keep him around if he keeps crippling himself."
Once again, much to the martial artist's ego, Open Palm was right. Eraser Head was a stern teacher who had no issue with expelling any student if he felt they weren't capable of being in the Hero Course. All Might had to properly train Midoriya or else all the ten months they spent together training would be for nothing.
Meanwhile, Open Palm had his own successor to choose. He had seen several candidates within the time here at U.A...but one of them stood out to him.
Author's Note: I put up a new poll on my profile, so please vote when and if you have a chance! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Edit: Sorry about the poll! I thought it was available to vote! I corrected the problem!