My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 35: Doubtful Disrespect
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Takeo Raionhato and Fumikage Tokoyami stood across from each other on the arena as Present Mic introduced them both once again. As powerful as Tokoyami was, Takeo had deduced two weaknesses for him to use against his opponent: Dark Shadow's vulnerability to light, as was shown during the Cavalry Battle, and lacking in close quarters combat. Raionhato was thankful for Satoshi having provided him with the Ignition Glove when he did, which would give him an edge he needed against the Dark Shadow user.
"Beat him, Tokoyami!" Hagakure cheered. "We want head scratching privileges!"
"Are you really rooting against Raionhato just because you want to scratch his head?" Momo asked Hagakure.
"You heard how cute those purrs were," Hagakure countered.
"He'll probably win," Sero suggested. "I mean, we saw how easily he beat Yaoyorozu."
While Jiro used her Earphone Jacks on him for his very insensitive comment, Yaomomo was left feeling depressed about what Sero said. He wasn't wrong that Tokoyami easily beat her, managing to knock her out of bounds before she could so much as attack. It weighed heavily on her that she had lost so easily without putting up a real fight.
"READY!? CLASH!"
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami exclaimed, the shadowy bird beast emerging from Tokoyami's body. Dark Shadow attacked Raionhato, but he rolled to the side to dodge the attack. The shadowy bird attacked once more, aiming directly at the Inventory user.
"Electric Wires!" Takeo cried out as he equipped his right Wire Gauntlet. He then flailed them towards Dark Shadow and activated the electricity; though it didn't possess as much power as Kaminari's Electrification, it still succeeded in knocking Dark Shadow back and giving Raionhato some space. With the opening he created, he rushed towards Tokoyami and attempted to throw his wires at him, but was stopped by Dark Shadow blocking the attack.
With the speed and power Dark Shadow was attacking with, Raionhato was being robbed of the advantage he would possess against Tokoyami. He was being left with no opportunity to ignite Lion Saber and use fiery light against Dark Shadow, so his best chance was to get close to Tokoyami and take him down. However, that proved a difficult task with Dark Shadow moving as fast as he did.
Finally, Dark Shadow landed a hit on Raionhato, his shadowy claw impacting with his Lion Mane shield. Raionhato stumbled back a few feet as the impact of Dark Shadow's attack felt as though he were hit by a kick from Lioness during training. If this is how strong Dark Shadow is in the light, he didn't want to know how strong he was in darkness.
However, he hadn't shared the Ignition Glove with his classmates, so Tokoyami didn't know that Takeo had a source of fire in his arsenal. Unfortunately, Dark Shadow was too fast for Takeo to spread the incendiary oil on Lion Saber's blade.
"I knew Dark Shadow was strong, but not this strong," Takeo remarked.
"Oh, it looks like Raionhato's off to a rough start!" Present Mic announced. "How will he get past Tokoyami's Dark Shadow!?"
Tokoyami was being careful not to let Raionhato get close to him, so he was making sure to keep the pressure on him so he wouldn't have time to strategize and keep him at a good distance. However, Takeo was proving quite more mobile than expected and much stronger, able to tank Dark Shadow's hits and stay within the bounds of the arena.
"This isn't looking good for Raionhato," Kaminari pointed out. "Dark Shadow's being too fast for him."
"But, man, is he able to tank those hits," Sato commented.
Bakugo watched the fight closely as he'd most likely be fighting one of them in the next round, depending on who won and if he beat his next opponent. He figured he'd take care of Bird Boy easily since he believed that Dark Shadow was vulnerable against light, which his Explosions provided. As for Kitty Boy, he was proving much more mobile than expected, though he wasn't surprised by his durability considering the nature of his Quirk. But first, he had to beat…whoever he was up against next.
Momo already started to feel worse about her loss against Tokoyami. All it took was a few hits for him to knock her out of bounds, but here, Raionhato was managed to dodge Dark Shadow's attacks or tank them by using his shield.
"How could I have ever hoped to be Class Representative, least of all Vice President…if I can't win one match on my own?" she mentally questioned.
After dodging another attack from Dark Shadow, Raionhato found an opening and charged towards Tokoyami. Just as expected, Dark Shadow intercepted and clashed against his shield. Tokoyami didn't catch it, but Takeo had equipped his left wire gauntlet and wrapped the wires around the shield's handle. Right after the impact, Raionhato swung his shield at Tokoyami, extending the wires so it'd reach his opponent and hit him in the beak.
With Tokoyami temporarily disoriented, Raionhato quickly equipped Lion Saber and the switched out his wire gauntlet for his Ignition Glove. He coated the top part of the blade in incendiary oil, but before he could lit it aflame, Dark Shadow attacked once more. His claw impacted on Raionhato's shield, knocking him back a bit and creating distance between him and Tokoyami.
"Why didn't he press the attack at me?" Tokoyami questioned. He had only been disoriented for a few seconds, but perhaps Takeo feared Dark Shadow would've intercepted him again before he could attack.
"Dark Shadow, knock him out of bounds!" Tokoyami commanded.
"You got it!" Dark Shadow replied as he lunged straight for Raionhato. Just as he was about to swing his claw, Dark Shadow shrieked in pain…from fire. Takeo had managed to ignite the incendiary oil on Lion Saber's blade, coating it in flames.
"A flaming sword!?" Kaminari gasped. "Where'd he get that!? I want one!"
"Oh!" Present Mic announced. "Raionhato's managed to turn the tables against Tokoyami!"
Raionhato swirled the blade around and attacked Dark Shadow every time he got close to him. Tokoyami was now at a disadvantage; as long as Takeo's sword was aflame, Dark Shadow couldn't get near without the light from the fire wounding him. He'd have to bide his time and wait until the flames went out, then attack with all his might before Raionhato could light it again.
After landing another fire-imbued sword strike on Dark Shadow, Raionhato switched out his Ignition Glove for his grappling gun and shot it at Tokoyami. The clawed rope grabbed Tokoyami's arm and forcefully pulled him towards Raionhato. He tried to call Dark Shadow to attack, but Raionhato pulled him close and then threw him overhead, landing him out of the white line boundary.
"Tokoyami is knocked out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Raionhato moves onto the next round!"
The crowd burst into cheer at Raionhato's victory over Tokoyami. After seeing how easily he beat his previous opponent, many were convinced that Tokoyami would easily beat Raionhato. To see him beaten by the son of Lioness was quite a surprise to many…but a major disappointment to the girls of Class 1-A who wanted to scratch his head and hear his purrs.
"You good, Tokoyami?" Raionhato asked his classmate and helped him to his feet.
"That was well fought, Raionhato," Tokoyami responded with a smile. "You live up to the prestige of a lion."
"Thanks," Raionhato replied. The two students then walked in separate directions, Raionhato to go back up with his classmates and Tokoyami to get his injuries checked.
So Kitty Boy would be Bakugo's opponent in the 3rd bracket. He was happy with the matchup; he didn't doubt Bird Boy's power, but going up against him would've been too easy due to Dark Shadow's vulnerability to light.
Kitty Boy had never hid his animosity and disgust towards the Explosion user, but Bakugo merely thought it was jealousy. Bakugo knew he was better than Kitty Boy in every way: academics, skills, combat prowess, even his Quirk was superior. Now he had the chance to prove once and for all that he was better than him.
"As I predicted, Raionhato was waiting for an opportunity," Chikao stated. "If Tokoyami had kept up the assault, he wouldn't have given Raionhato the chance he needed to tip the scales in his favor."
"Man, that guy's tough," Tetsutetsu remarked.
"That's because of the nature of his Quirk, Tetsutetsu," Chikao explained. "I imagine he…" He started snoring.
"Um, Chikao…" Pony addressed, poking his shoulder. Out of nowhere, he reached out and pulled her in to use her as a pillow. She let out a quick 'eep!' as Chikao pulled her in tightly. She turned very bright red at how close Chikao was holding her, his head placed on her shoulder as he kept snoring before being woken up by Shoda.
"You've got to stop doing that, Chikao," Shoda scolded as Pony broke away. "What if you put your head on Tsunotori's breasts? It'd be very inappropriate."
"I wouldn't have," Chikao whined. "I just wanted a shoulder to use as a pillow. I wouldn't unintentionally make a woman uncomfortable by touching her inappropriately."
"Yeah, I'm going to end up laughing when a woman ends up slapping you because you touched her inappropriately," Onkyo mocked. Onkyo cried out in pain when Kendo pulled on his ear, then dragged him out of the bleachers away from their classmates. She took him to a secluded area before letting him go and crossing her arms.
"What is your issue with Chikao?" she questioned sternly. "Why do you have such an issue with him? And who are you criticize him for mistreating women when you treat them like playthings?"
"Because he's being called a prodigy when he's NOT," Onkyo responded with contempt, a contrast to his usual easygoing self. "I mean, look at him. All he does is drink coffee and sleep; you call that prodigious behavior, especially since he got in on recommendation?"
"Chikao's eccentric, but he's not terrible," Kendo replied. "Yes, he's a bit of a minimalist, but that doesn't mean-"
"It means he thinks he can just coast by while the rest of us have to work hard," Onkyo interrupted. "Look at me; I'M a prodigy. I'm a prodigy and not him because I worked for what I have. I didn't get in just because I had some rich Pro Hero parents like that emotionless freak over there."
Kendo was conflicted on Onkyo's statement. On the one hand, it was true that Chikao being regarded as a prodigy was rather debatable due to his minimalism and tendency to fall asleep at random times. He could be quite a handful at times, that wasn't argued at all in Kendo's case. On the other hand, Chikao truly was brilliant; he had the highest grades in the class and in combat, his Quirk almost always gave him the upper hand. In spite of his minimalism, it couldn't be argued that Chikao was indeed a great student.
"Are you jealous?" Kendo questioned directly.
"What?" Onkyo asked as if offended.
"Onkyo, you love being the center of attention," Kendo brought up. "You love being popular and…sometimes, Chikao can be a little more popular than you."
"Of course not!" Onkyo rebuked. "I already told you why. That guy's not a prodigy, I am. I actually work for what I have while he just coasts on by! Prodigy, my ass!" Kendo raised an eyebrow.
"I can't tell whether you're actually criticizing him or just trying to tear him down so you can push yourself up. You're not perfect, Onkyo, and you honestly have no right to criticize Chikao for being disrespectful towards women when you treat us like we're playthings for your ego. Now stop being such a jerk towards Chikao." Kendo then walked back to join her classmates, leaving Onkyo by himself.
"Oh my gosh, what an amazing Quirk!"
"I'm so jealous of you, Onkyo!"
"You could probably be in the Top 10 Heroes!"
Onkyo saw no reason to listen to Kendo. He stood by what he said; why should Chikao be considered a prodigy when he could just coast on by and do the minimum? The only reason he was in U.A. was because the U.A. Board wanted to please Chikao's Pro Hero parents, the prestigious Kato detectives. If not for them, Chikao would never have been allowed into U.A. in the first place.
So what if Onkyo was a womanizer? He never forced any girl to go on a date with him; if they went on a date with him, that was their choice. He enjoyed being around women and women enjoyed being around him.
SLAP.
"You jerk!" a girl from General Studies shouted. "How dare you stand me up on our date last night!"
After the break, Tsukiba Okami and Katsuki Bakugo were standing across from each other on the arena. As usual, Present Mic introduced them both, both times earning a cheer from the crowd gathered in the stadium. Thanks to Okami's wolf hearing, he could hear Monoma urging him to teach Bakugo humility before being knocked unconscious by Kendo.
"If you're trying to be popular, Bakugo, you did the exact opposite," Okami pointed out. "A lot of people hate your class now because of you."
"I don't care what they think." Bakugo rebuked. "As long as I prove I'm the best, that's all that matters. Do me a favor and be a good steppingstone for me."
"Pretty arrogant for someone who didn't win first place in either of the previous events," Tsukiba taunted, much to Bakugo's ire.
"I just want to say…I'm going to win."
"I will win this," Bakugo thought to himself. "I WILL prove I'm the best here!"
"Ready!? CLASH!"
Okami and Bakugo rushed at each other with great speed, the wolf setting up to kick his opponent, but Bakugo used an Explosion to dodge the attack and jump over Okami. Bakugo threw his right hand forward to hit Tsukiba with an explosion, but the wolf dodged the attack, though the booming noise of Bakugo's attack slightly disoriented Okami.
"Crap," Okami thought to himself. "Those explosions of his are horrible on my ears. I need to keep him on the defensive."
Following through his strategy, Tsukiba used his ferocious speed to keep Bakugo on the defensive. The Explosion user kept trying to blast Okami, but he was far too quick for him to land an attack on, though he himself kept dodging Okami's retaliations.
"It's not looking good for Okami," Chikao stated from his seat. "I'm predicting a 67% chance he will lose."
"What do you mean?" Hironaka asked. "Bakugo hasn't hit him at all."
"Hironaka, wolves have very sensitive hearing," Chikao explained. "Do you not see the disruption in Okami's movements every time Bakugo uses his Quirk?"
Some of the smarter students in Class 1-B noticed Chikao's observation and caught Okami's disrupted movements every time Bakugo created an explosion. Considering how loud Bakugo's Quirk could be, they suspected it would be terrible on Okami due to his sensitive wolf-like hearing. It kept throwing off the wolf's attacks, something that Bakugo himself was starting to pick up on.
After dodging one of Okami's attacks, Bakugo landed on the ground and attacked with two large, upswept explosions, creating both a lot of debris and noise that overwhelmed the wolf. The loud booms temporarily disoriented Okami, leaving him vulnerable to an attack by Bakugo, who launched forward and then hit Okami in the chest with another explosion. The attack made Tsukiba stumble back, but it didn't knock him out of the fight, so he was quick to retaliate. Before he could attack, Bakugo held his hands together, created several small sparks and then cried out 'Stun Grenade!'
The whole arena was enveloped in a blinding light, obscuring everyone's line of sight, especially Okami's. No one could tell what was going, but they were certain it wasn't good for Tsukiba Okami. After several moments, the light finally subsided and everyone saw Okami held to the ground by Bakugo, who had a sadistic grin on his face.
"This was a pretty bad match-up, wolf boy," the Explosion user taunted. "You were trying to keep me on the defensive because of your hearing, right? Well, now it's over."
Tsukiba struggled to get up, but his ears were ringing loudly and had actually been hit with two more explosions while he was disoriented during Bakugo's Stun Grenade attack. With him pinned down and Bakugo having another explosion ready to hurl at the wolf, Okami could either try his chances and attack or surrender the fight.
"Dammit," he growled in frustration. "I surrender."
"Okami gives up!" Midnight announced. "Bakugo goes onto the next round!"
Okami shook the dirt off his gym clothes and wolf tail as he got up when Bakugo backed off. Okami was frustrated that his strategy had failed and Bakugo exploited his sensitive hearing by using an attack that overwhelmed his senses, then left him open to attack. Had he been quicker and landed more attacks, he would've won.
Two matches, two more to go. Bakugo was close to victory, only two more opponents standing in his way. He'd be up against Kitty Boy in the 3rd Bracket, the same classmate who degraded him and viewed him as though he were an embarrassment. Everyone knew that Kitty Boy never hid his disdain and contempt for Bakugo, which was starting to get on his nerves. He was used to some people disliking him, either out of jealousy or they thought they were better than him, but Kitty Boy…it was just straight up hatred.
What else could it be other than jealousy? Bakugo had accepted that he wasn't the legend he believed he was, but he still viewed himself as someone to be envied. Kitty Boy didn't have a flashy Quirk, his grades weren't as high as Bakugo's and in every physical or combat-oriented test, Bakugo almost always scored higher than Kitty Boy. In every way, Bakugo saw himself as superior to Kitty Boy…and planned to prove it once and for all when they fought.
A thirty-minute break was called and some people took the time to get up, stretch their legs and move around. When the thirty minutes were up, the first match of the 3rd Bracket would commence, pitting Shoto Todoroki up against Hayata Furaya.
Almost everyone was convinced that this would be an easy victory for Todoroki. What chance would a Quirkless have against someone who could use both ice and fire? No matter how strong or skilled Furaya was, there was simply no chance of victory if Todoroki chose to utilize both his ice and flames. If Furaya lost, then any chance of him getting into the Hero Course would be gone.
"You're not at all worried?" Shinso asked Furaya as they walked to the waiting room.
"No," Furaya bluntly answered.
"Well, I just wish we could've both made it past our first fights," Shinso responded.
"Your opponents wouldn't have fallen for the same trick twice," Furaya pointed out before stepping in front of Shinso and holding out his arms.
"Punch me."
"Huh?" Shinso asked.
"I said punch me," Furaya repeated.
Shinso was reluctant, but did as Furaya instructed. He curled his hand into a fist and punched Furaya in the stomach, but to his surprise, earned no reaction from the falcon-themed swordsman.
"Again," Furaya instructed.
As instructed, Shinso punched Furaya yet again, but saw nothing from the Quirkless. Shinso punched three more times, all three proving to be fruitless against Furaya. He prepared to punch Furaya once more, but the Quirkless punched him in the stomach instead. Shinso let out a loud grunt of pain before he fell to his knees and groaned quietly as he held his stomach. After several moments, the Brainwasher was then helped to his feet by Furaya.
"It's not just your Quirk you need to rely on, it's your body," he stated. "As powerful as your Quirk can become, it's nothing without training."
Shinso thought of weak his punches were; if they caused any pain, then Furaya clearly didn't show it. He looked at his arms, which lacked the power to possess any strength behind his attacks. As he thought on Furaya's words, he realized that deep down, he hadn't planned ahead as much as he believed he did.
If he had managed to defeat Midoriya, then what would've stopped Todoroki from wising up and simply blasting him with ice without even talking? His Quirk would've failed and his body would be unable to match the physical strength of the Hero Course students. He wanted to be in the Hero Course, but without the strength to compensate for his Quirk's lack of combat capabilities, he might as well be living in a dead end.
"Man, that hurt," Shinso replied. "Did any of my punches even hurt?"
"No," Furaya answered before turning around and leaving to make his way to the Waiting Room.
His phone started to ring before he reached the Waiting Room. Furaya thought it'd be Mei to brag about her inventions again, but instead, it was someone else that he had very little interest in. He let out a quiet sigh before answering.
"Hello, Mom," he replied in his usual stoic tone.
"Okay, dear, I get it. You've gotten this far, but you need to back out now. That's Endeavor's son you're going up against. He'll beat you for sure."
"Only if I let him," Hayata responded. "I won't back down from this fight."
"Hayata, you could be seriously injured. So what if you didn't make it into the Hero Course? Why can't you just be happy in General Studies?"
"I will not give up on what I worked for."
"You don't have a chance against Shoto Todoroki! As your mother, I am telling you…no, I'm demanding that you withdraw from this fight." For a quick moment, Hayata's face soured with disgust.
"No. Now goodbye." Hayata hung up before his mother could reply.
"Ugh," Okami groaned as he laid in the infirmary cot, having just received healing from Sunhealer.
"A-are you okay?" Sunhealer asked the wolf timidly.
"I'm okay," he responded. "Only thing wounded is my pride." Just then, the door to the infirmary opened and in came Monoma, Hironaka, Tetsutetsu, Kendo and Honenuki, causing Himari to give out a quick 'eep!' in shock at their sudden arrival.
"Okami!" Tetsutetsu called out as he walked over to the cot. "You alright, bro?"
"I'm fine," Tsukiba informed. "Kataiya took care of my injuries."
"That's so sweet of you," Hironaka told Kataiya, hugging her and giving a big smile. "You're so nice, Himari!" The four boys present couldn't decide who was cuter: Himari Kataiya or Kana Hironaka. Himari with her sweet, shy and endearing personality, Kana with her big smile and heartful cheer, both of them gorgeous to look at with-
Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack.
"Stop drooling, you guys," Kendo told them, the four boys present unaware that they had started drooling while admiring the two gorgeous blondes.
"What was that for?" Hironaka asked as she broke away from Kataiya, completely unaware of what the guys were doing. Kendo let out a quiet sigh at Kana, wondering how she wasn't noticing how popular she was among their male classmates…or the male U.A. students in general.
"They were drooling, Hironaka," Kendo told her classmate.
"Drooling?" Hironaka asked. "Were they hungry? If they like, I could make some lunches for us."
"You're too pure~" Monoma moaned, still feeling the pain from Kendo's whack. "Your parents must be very proud of you." Hironaka shrugged.
"I wouldn't know; I can't remember them."
At that moment, the room became dead silent at Hironaka's response. It was if Onkyo had suddenly used his Quirk to silence the room, but he wasn't anywhere near the infirmary. Honenuki, Tetsutetsu, and Monoma all got up with great shock and sympathy on their faces at what their gorgeous classmate just said.
"You…you don't remember them?" Okami asked.
"Yeah," Kana replied. "They died when I was a baby, so I was raised by my uncle, Judan Sento. You'd probably know him as the Battle Hero: Gunhead."
"Never heard of him," Tetsutetsu replied.
"Tetsutetsu, don't be so insensitive," Monoma scolded, earning an unamused scowl from Kendo, considering how insensitive he was towards Class 1-A.
"No, it's fine," Kana assured. "He's never been one for popularity, you know. His agency's not that big, but he's an amazing martial artist and a great uncle. Everything I know about martial arts, I learned from him."
"Wait, Gunhead?" Kendo asked for clarification, to which Hironaka confirmed.
Kendo hadn't met him, but she had heard of him. Despite his aversion to popularity, he was known to be a respected martial artist and highly skilled combatant combined with his fighting prowess and Quirk, Gatling. She couldn't help but feel admiration for the Battle Hero, especially since he had raised the classmate everyone in Class 1-B loved.
"I didn't know you were an admirer of my uncle," Hironaka spoke. "He may look big and intimidating, but on the inside, he's a big puppy dog. Just don't tell him I said that." She giggled at teasing her uncle, once again causing all the males to look at Hironaka with hearts in their eyes. Kendo shook her head in annoyance at how they were acting.
After Okami's injuries were healed enough, he was allowed to leave the infirmary and walk about. Instead of heading back to the bleachers, Tsukiba took his phone, which had been retrieved from the Waiting Room by Honenuki and walked down a hallway to make a call.
"Hey, Mom," he greeted.
"Hey, Tsukiba. I…I heard about your match. I'm sorry to hear that you lost."
"Bakugo was fast and strong, Mom. Maybe he can back up that giant ego of his, after all."
"Still, he shouldn't behave so rudely and arrogantly towards others. I cannot imagine anyone being interested in such a juvenile young man."
"Sadly, Mom, some people only care about entertainment and approval ratings. Since Bakugo could be seen as 'entertaining', he'd probably score a lot of internship offers."
"People shouldn't think like that. A hero's job is protect the innocent and defeat the villains threatening them, not provide entertainment. If they want entertainment, why don't they go to the amusement park?" Tsukiba chuckled.
"I agree with you all the way, Mom. That's why I'm doing this, pursuing the path I believe leads to true heroism…to be the hero Dad was-"
"Please don't," Tsukiba's mother interrupted, her voice sad and sorrowful. "I…I'll see you tonight, dear."
"Bye, Mom," Tsukiba responded before hanging up.
Takeo had beaten Ashido and Tokoyami and he'd be up against Bakugo next. It'd bring the Inventory user great satisfaction to see Bakugo's pride shattered to pieces by losing after arrogantly claiming he would win the Tournament and then proceeded to call everyone stepping stones for his victory.
"That bastard," Takeo growled. "Acting as though he's entitled to praise and glory, treating us like we're garbage, then expecting us to put him on a pedestal. Then he acts though he's some tragic victim-"
"Sounds like you hate someone," Rebound spoke, breaking Raionhato out of his thoughts.
"Uncle Nobu," Takeo addressed. "Did you see my matches?"
"I did," Nobu responded. "They were impressive. You clearly learned how to use your Quirk well." Despite the encouraging words, Nobu's voice was still hollow and devoid of emotion. It hurt Raionhato deeply to see what his uncle had become.
"Are you still going to rehabilitation?" Takeo asked. "Mom has been setting up meetings-"
"Your mother needs to mind her own damn business," Nobu responded sourly. "I don't need her telling me how to live my life."
"She's just trying to help you, Uncle Nobu," Takeo insisted. "Why can't you see that?"
"Because it's the only way I don't feel the pain," the Reflection Hero answered. "And your mother will experience that as well when you inevitably lose your life for nothing."
Raionhato wouldn't believe that, it was just far too cynical. Heroes were called to protect the innocent from villains who endangered them; if heroes didn't stand up to protect them, who will? He refused to believe that Hero work was just a waste of time and that everyone who died simply threw their lives away. But before he could verbally reply, Uncle Nobu turned around and walked away.
"He's not going to change his mind over one talk. I'll try getting him to rehabilitation again. But don't focus on Nobu right now; you need to be ready for your next match."
Those words rung in Takeo's head, the words his mother said after he had beaten Ashido. It deeply pained Takeo to see his uncle so broken and empty, but there was barely anything he could do to help him. He knew what he had lost and all he could do was pray that Nobu would eventually find his way back.
"Who was that?" Bakugo asked rudely. Takeo turned to him and frowned.
"That was Rebound, the Reflection Hero. And a very dear friend of mine." Bakugo raised an eyebrow.
"Wasn't Rebound that hero who can reflect stuff?"
"That's him," Takeo sternly confirmed before starting to walk off.
"What a trashy extra."
Those four words made Raionhato stop as if he had been frozen by Todoroki's ice. If Bakugo knew who Rebound was, then he'd understand what a great hero he had once been…and yet, he had the nerve to call him a 'trashy extra'. Takeo slowly shook as if a volcano was erupting inside him; considering how much rage he felt at Bakugo's insult, it might as well.
"If he was believed to one day surpass All Might, then maybe-"
SLAM. Takeo ferociously grabbed Bakugo's collar and pinned him against the wall. His teeth were bared like an angry dog, his eyes narrowing with intense hatred and rage, and his grip on Bakugo's collar so tight, he could probably just rip it off with no effort.
"You heartless, selfish bastard!" he barked in pure wrath. "If you know who Rebound is, then how dare you disrespect him by calling him trashy! That man has done so much for Japan, more than you ever could, you delusional degenerate!"
"Don't be angry because I'm telling the truth!" Bakugo shouted. "Look at him! He's a loser, a failure-" Takeo pinned Bakugo harder against the wall in response to the Explosion user's insults.
"Uncle Nobu is many things, but he is NOT A LOSER OR A FAILURE! That man would've one day surpassed All Might and taken his place as #1! I wish he would so he could have an actual successor instead of some spoiled, disrespectful, entitled knob who thinks he's owed everything! You honestly think you're the pride and joy of Class 1-A!? You're an embarrassment!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Bakugo roared, pushing Takeo away and returning an angered glare at the son of Lioness.
"You honestly think I'm an embarrassment! I'm the best student in Class 1-A and I'll prove that I'm the best in all of U.A.! You're beneath me, you extra, and yet you look down on me-!"
"YOU are the one looking down on US, you selfish, vile, malicious hypocrite! YOU'RE the one whose so damn heartless that all that matters to you is your ego and vanity! You are an embodiment of everything that is wrong with hero society!"
"Of everything WRONG!?" Bakugo snapped, the shouting match getting worse between the two young men as he viciously grabbed Takeo's shirt. "I'm an embodiment of everything RIGHT about hero society! I did not train all these years to be talked down to by some lowly-"
"Well, I didn't come here to be talked down to by some arrogant, selfish, delusional cake eater who thinks the world revolves around him and thinks he's the only one who deserves respect while everyone else is too 'lowly' to deserve it! The only 'trash' I see is YOU!" Takeo grabbed Bakugo's arms and pushed him away.
"Are you seriously this angry just because I said the truth about your 'uncle'!? What an immature brat! He IS trash! He IS a failure! If he wasn't-"
By now, Takeo had stopped listening as Bakugo engaged in hypocritical criticisms. This was the final straw; everyone had kept telling him to stop being so hostile towards Bakugo, but how could he not considering who he was? He was an embarrassment, a disgrace, a monster who perverted the ideals of heroism or disregarded them for his own ego. All he cared about was himself.
"Why bother being a hero when you're already a much better villain!?" After Raionhato said that, it seemed as though the shouting match would turn into physical violence. The hatred between Raionhato and Bakugo was thick, and they could no longer hold back their disdain for each other.
"Hey, hey!" Kirishima and Ojiro called out as they stepped between them. "This is real unmanly, guys! We should be supporting each other, not getting into petty fights."
"Shut up, Crap Hair!" Bakugo barked. "I need to teach this pissant a lesson!"
"The only one he needs a lesson is YOU, you trash! You are without a doubt the worst person I've ever met! You take no responsibility for your actions, act like you're better than everyone else just because-"
"Hey, calm down!" Ojiro insisted. "Your match is just about to start, so save it for when you fight." To ease the tensions, Kirishima and Ojiro led Bakugo and Raionhato in separate directions.
Bakugo stated the truth when he talked about Rebound: he was a shadow of what he once was and he no longer deserved respect. Kitty Boy called him an embarrassment, but the only embarrassment he saw was the empty and broken Rebound. If he gave up Pro Hero work and became the despondent man he is now, then why should he treat him with reverence?
By now, Takeo had reached his limit with Bakugo's disrespect, the sheer lack of empathy towards Rebound breaking the camel's back. If Bakugo did know about Rebound, then he should understand why Rebound was the way he is now. But instead of showing any sympathy, he proceeded to degrade him as though he were scum scrapped off someone's shoe.
He had enough of Bakugo's behavior, his disrespect, his ego, his condescending, his temper, his screaming at every little thing…he had enough. He had promised Momo to stop being so antagonistic against Bakugo, but he questioned how could he when Bakugo acted the way he did? He was an absolute embodiment of why so many heroes didn't act the way they should, valuing their egos, vanity and fame over others and looking down on those they deemed beneath them.
"This needs to stop, Raionhato," Ojiro insisted. "This is getting out of control."
"The only thing that needs to stop is Bakugo's utter bullcrap," Takeo responded angrily. "He doesn't get to badmouth my uncle and then call ME an immature brat for being angry at him!"
"Your uncle?"
"Rebound, the Reflection Hero. Bakugo knew who he was and had the GALL to disrespect him. That…that…" He let out a growl of frustration before walking faster than Ojiro back to his seat.
By now, Ojiro was getting tired of Takeo's feud with Bakugo. There was no argument that Bakugo was the least liked student in Class 1-A, but Raionhato was taking it too far and nearly came to physical blows with him. Something had to be done to stop this hateful feud.
"Here he comes, the Quirkless swordsman, the speedy birdman, a student of General Studies Class 1-C, Hayata Furaya!" As Furaya walked onto the stage, the booing was easily muted out by the cheers of those who supported him. He was making progress, but he wasn't done yet: he still had two more battles to fight, first Todoroki, then either Raionhato or Bakugo.
"Next, from the Hero Course Class 1-A, Shoto Todoroki!" The crowd once again burst into cheer as Todoroki looked at Furaya as though he were uninterested.
In truth, the Hero Course student was internally debating between using his fire again, but he lacked any motivation to truly do so. Not only that, he deemed it unnecessary after having seen Furaya's fights. The Quirkless won against them because he specialized in quick close-range combat; Todoroki's ice would easily counter Furaya and take away his advantage.
"Todoroki," Furaya addressed.
"Yes?" he replied.
"Do you believe a Quirkless can beat you?"
"No."
"Ready!? START!"