My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 39: Inner Frustrations
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
After the Sports Festival had concluded, all the students were released for the day since there were no classes afterwards. Most of them left incredibly disappointed, few left with the need to reflect on their choices, even fewer left feeling a sense of accomplishment. Raionhato was one of those who needed to reflect on his choices since he had failed in the semifinals of the match as he met up with Satoshi.
"How're you feeling?" Satoshi asked his best friend.
"Considering after we talked, I got an earful from my mom and my classmates looked at me with disappointment, I'm not feeling all that good," Takeo answered. "I'd just like to go home."
"You and me both," Satoshi agreed. "But I still can't believe a Quirkless won the Sports Festival. I never would've guessed it nor believed it."
"But he did," Takeo pointed out. "Iida, Kirishima, Todoroki, Explosion Boy…he beat them all. There's no way the Board can keep him out of the Hero Course now, not after showing that kind of skill."
While Takeo wouldn't say it, he was happy that Furaya had beaten Bakugo twice. Explosion Boy had constantly waved off the idea of a Quirkless ever beating him, sharing the same sentiment amongst a lot of people that Quirkless couldn't be heroes. But it wasn't for more practical reasons like Satoshi and Yaoyorozu, but because Bakugo viewed people like Furaya as worthless. There was no telling how Bakugo would feel after this loss.
"Takeo, I don't think letting Furaya into the Hero Course is a good idea," Satoshi admitted.
"What?" Takeo gasped. "But he won the Sports Festival. He beat Explosion Boy twice!"
"I know that," Satoshi acknowledged. "I don't mean to discredit anyone when I say this: this was a controlled setting with safeguards in place in case things got out of control, like they did with Midoriya and Todoroki. Furaya was up against students; how would he truly fare against villains with an intent to kill?"
Satoshi felt he was being logical when he was speaking this. This was a controlled environment where Midnight and Cementoss could intervene if the fight got out of hand like it did with the fight between Midoriya and Todoroki. If any of Furaya's opponents got out of hand, like Bakugo did after his 1st loss, there were safeguards in place to prevent fatalities. But if any of those opponents were villains with the intent to kill Furaya, Satoshi believed that the Quirkless swordsman wouldn't survive.
"You're selling him short, Satoshi," Takeo spoke up. "If the people in my class could handle villains during the USJ Attack, so can he."
"Takeo, I like to think I'm not being discriminatory when I say this, but being Quirkless automatically puts you at a disadvantage against villains with Quirks," Satoshi stated. "There's being moral-"
"And there's being pessimistic," Furaya interrupted, his gaze fixed on Satoshi. The two friends didn't know how much Furaya had heard, but judging by how fiercly he was looking at the Technopath, he had heard enough.
"Do you believe that just because you're not calling people like me names or saying we're worthless, you're not being discriminatory?" Furaya questioned. Satoshi sighed.
"All I'm saying-"
"I heard enough," Furaya interrupted. "I know what you were saying. If you continue to doubt me, that's your issue, not mine. I refuse to waste my time on narrow-minded people like you." The Quirkless swordsman then walked off, leaving Satoshi and Takeo by themselves, but in the direction of the school rather than the exit.
"Let's just go home," Takeo suggested. The two friends made their way to the exit of the U.A. grounds and started to make their way home. Suddenly, the two stopped when they spotted a familiar face in the crowd, who looked right back at them with disdain.
"Excellent job making a fool of yourself, Raionhato," Kaze spoke with scorn. "Why not save yourself the embarrassment and leave U.A. now? You never belonged here."
"Shut your mouth," Takeo snarled. "You don't get to criticize me; you didn't even make it to the Tournament."
"No, I didn't, but I would've beat you since you fought Bakugo like a violent animal," Yonaka mocked before a small smile stretched across his face. "It was so satisfying to see you beaten down and humiliated; what Pro will want you after such a defeat?" Takeo's eyes glared at Kaze and his fist tightened, tempted to smack that smirk after the Shadow Flash user's face. He knew he messed up, but Kaze was taking the opportunity to twist the knife. Just as Takeo was about to talk back, someone said 'Knock it off, you two."
Takeo and Kaze recognized the voice immediately, knowing it was Rebound. The two looked at him and their angered expressions faded, Takeo's changing to remorse and Kaze's to shame. He immediately turned his head away from Rebound, not bothering to say a word before teleporting away.
"Uncle Nobu," Takeo spoke.
"I saw your match against Bakugo," Nobu brought up. "You still have those anger issues you try to hide." He took a sip of his beer bottle, which was now half-empty.
"I heard you and Bakugo's argument. I told you, Takeo, I'm not the man I was. I'm not worth defending."
"You ARE worth defending!" Takeo responded. "Bakugo doesn't know you. He doesn't know-" Satoshi held up his hand to Takeo, not wanting him to give away that Rebound was here. Nobu then drank the rest of his bottle and dropped it on the ground.
"Was that Kaze Yonaka?" he asked, his speech more slurred than before.
"It was him," Takeo answered with hints of contempt.
"Don't you miss it?" Nobu asked. "The days when the four of you were such close friends. And now..."
The four of them. Takeo Raionhato, Satoshi Gijutsu, Kaze Yonaka and Anzu Yamashita, childhood friends who were inseparable in their youth. They played together, trained together, fought together, did everything together. The memories of those old days nearly brought a smile to Takeo, Satoshi and Nobu's faces...that was until the reality of where they were now set back in. Those days were gone; Anzu was dead and Takeo's friendship with Kaze was destroyed.
"You wasted your time, Takeo," Nobu stated, his smile fading away. "The man you admired and respected is gone."
"Just let my mom help you," Takeo insisted. "If you'd just let her-"
"I said just leave me be!" Nobu then strolled down the sidewalk, leaning against what he could to keep his balance and not fall.
After catching a bus to take them to their neighborhood, the ride was quiet for Takeo and Satoshi, their minds filled with the events of what happened today. Satoshi losing his chance to participate in the Tournament, running into Uncle Nobu, Takeo's loss at Bakugo's hands and Furaya being the first ever Quirkless to win the Sports Festival. Takeo's mind was filled with regret and shame while Satoshi's was filled with disbelief and frustration.
When the bus dropped them off, Takeo and Satoshi said goodbye and went their separate ways. Satoshi remained quiet the entire time he walked home, unsure of how he'd approach his parents after he was forced to drop out of the Tournament. This was his chance to show off his inventions, his gadgetry and ideas, but without his contacts, he was unable to participate, and Hitoshi Shinso took his place.
The Technopath kicked a rock down the sidewalk in a moment of frustration. He had waited so long for the opportunity to show what he was capable of during the Sports Festival; he did so during the Obstacle Course and Cavalry Battle, but it was the Tournament that was the highlight. That was his biggest shot to show off his skills…but because of his blindness without his contacts, that chance was ripped from him.
"Mommy, Daddy!" a 3-year-old Satoshi cried out as his vision started to blur and blacken. "I can't see! I CAN'T SEE!"
His parents rushed him to the hospital to find out what was wrong with him that day. By the time they found out Satoshi had glaucoma, it was too late; he had gone blind. If he had been Quirkless, if he hadn't developed the Quirk that allowed him to interact and control technology, he wouldn't be in U.A. right now. He didn't know where he'd be, but he certainly wouldn't be in U.A.'s Support Course.
"Dammit!" he barked. "I was this close! THIS CLOSE! If my contacts hadn't been fried…"
All he could do was hope that at least one Support Company took interest in him and would reach out to him soon. With how badly his family's financial situation was, Satoshi needed a Support Company to reach out to him if his parents couldn't get into one themselves. But at this point, Satoshi's optimism was slowly going down the drain.
When he got home, Satoshi entered the front door and walked inside, greeted by the sounds of mechanical tinkering in his parents' workshop. He didn't know if they had watched the Sports Festival or not, which he wouldn't have blamed them considering their need to sell Support Items. He took a heavy sigh and walked into the workshop, where his parents, Toshiro and Chinami, were currently working on gadgets. Chinami was the first to take notice of her son entering their workshop and immediately stopped.
"Hey, sweetie," she greeted, walking up to Satoshi and embracing him.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," he replied, his voice empty and depressed.
"What's wrong?" Chinami asked with concern.
"Did something happen in the Sports Festival?" Toshiro asked, stopping his work on the gadget he was working on. Satoshi sighed and his head lowered in defeat.
"I made it to one of the four winning teams in the 2nd event, but…my contacts were damaged during the Cavalry Battle. I was forced to drop out from the Tournament; I couldn't repair my contacts in time."
"Son, I'm sorry to hear that," Toshiro spoke, stepping away from his worktable and coming over to hug his son. "I know how much making it to the Tournament meant to you."
Satoshi was hiding it, but he was on the verge of letting tears run down his cheeks in the dozens. He or his parents needed to garner attention from Support Companies or else they'd have to sell the house and move in with family, most likely Satoshi's Uncle in the Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island. That would mean he'd have to leave U.A. since they wouldn't have the money for him to stay somewhere else.
They could potentially ask Takeo and Lioness if he could stay with them, but that'd mean having to move quite a lot of equipment into their house. Not only that, but Lioness would also need to pay for any materials Satoshi needed for his gadgets, which could become rather expensive despite Lioness currently being the #25 Hero. No doubt they'd offer their home to Satoshi, but would they have the money to afford components he'd need? Most of what he had used to create his gadgets had been supplied by the school, items and components that were only available to Japan's most prestigious Hero School.
"Has there been any offers from Support Companies?" Satoshi asked, doing his best to calm himself so he wouldn't burst into tears.
"Sadly, none," Chinami informed solemnly. "We haven't heard back from any of the agencies or Support Companies we reached out to."
"So…how long do we have before we…we have to consider having to move?" Satoshi reluctantly questioned.
Toshiro and Chinami didn't have a definitive answer. They were still holding onto hope that at least one of the Support Companies or hero agencies they applied to would reply and consider hiring them. But even with the Support Items they were selling now, they weren't making a lot of money. Unless someone reached out to them and hired them, they wouldn't have long before needing to move.
"Probably three months at most," Toshiro answered. "If we don't hear back from anyone, we'll have to sell the house and move either to an apartment or to my brother's in Kumamoto."
"I thought you reached out to Lioness too," Satoshi brought up.
"We did, but she already has Support Item providers," Toshiro answered. "Hiring us would mean having to fire some people in her agency and we can't ask that of her."
"But she would be willing to let you stay with her if we have to move so you can keep going to U.A.," Chinami informed.
"That's kind of her," Satoshi responded. "I just wish we didn't have to consider that. If I had made it to the Tournament…" By now, Satoshi's eyes were starting to water.
"Satoshi-"
"Why the hell didn't you pick up on my glaucoma sooner!?" Satoshi barked in frustration. "If you had known about it sooner, I wouldn't have gone blind! I wouldn't need these damn contacts!"
Satoshi couldn't hold in his frustration and sadness anymore. If he didn't need his contacts, he wouldn't have been forced to drop out of the Tournament. If his parents had picked up on his glaucoma when he was very young, then he wouldn't have gone blind and needed the contacts he wore now.
"Watch your tone, Satoshi," Toshiro scolded. "We understand you're frustrated about what happened, but don't take your anger out on us. We didn't know that you had glaucoma-"
"You would've had you looked up the symptoms and taken me to a doctor!" Satoshi interrupted. "I was three years old! Three years old when I lost my sight! If you had…" The Technopath shook his head before walking out of the workshop and slamming the door behind him, walking to the backyard through the kitchen.
Satoshi just stood on the back porch, letting the tears run down his cheeks. His chance to prove himself to Support Companies was gone because of his blindness and his parents hadn't had any luck getting employers. Neither of them had made any progress that would benefit their financial situation and if it didn't change, which it seemed it wouldn't, they'd have to move and Satoshi would most likely have to leave U.A.
"Might as well start saying my goodbyes soon," Satoshi spoke to himself.
It didn't take long for Takeo to get home, to which he was greeted by a vacant house, his mom nowhere to be seen. Only Peter was here, and he rushed over to jump onto Takeo's legs and start panting, to which Takeo immediately gently pushed the dog down before putting his backpack down and sitting on the couch so he could pet Peter. The dog laid down next to Takeo and snuggled his head up to his owner, letting out a loud, content sigh as Takeo petted him.
His mind was overflowing with the events of today: succeeding in the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle, Satoshi being forced to forfeit, beating Ashido and Tokoyami, losing to Bakugo, and then the scolding he endured from his best friend, his mother, and the girl he admired.
As for a potential rematch with Bakugo, Takeo was conflicted. He acknowledged Nagami's advice about how doing it should be for his own improvement and growth and not necessarily for Bakugo's ego and pride. Not to mention his mother telling him that he needed to accept a rematch to make up for how poorly he had handled his fight against Bakugo. But on the other hand, after having witnessed Bakugo try to attack Furaya after losing the first time, all that did was tell Takeo of how Bakugo reacted with loss. What would stop him from doing the same to every person who beat him?
But then again, he did have some satisfaction knowing that Bakugo had suffered a loss that his ego would never recover from. Every time Furaya was brought up, the Explosion user would say how a 'Quirkless reject' like him had no chance of becoming a Pro Hero, despite earning 3rd Place in the Entrance. Now that Takeo thought about it, Furaya would've been 2nd Place had it not been for the Rescue Points.
Bakugo had been beaten by Furaya twice, the same person he had constantly degraded ever since that day the mob of students gathered outside the Class 1-A Homeroom. His hated classmate had been left humiliated and beaten, since not only did he lose after arrogantly claiming he would win, but also losing twice in the finals.
"So you're fine with disrespecting everyone you and I fought?"
"Holy crap, Bakugo, you are such a hypocrite," Takeo groaned. "Does he truly lack a conscience of any kind? Is he so delusional that he thinks it's fine when he disrespects others, but it's horrible when others disrespect him?"
Just then, the door opened, and Lioness walked inside, wearing her Hero Costume. Her face was blank to Takeo, leaving it hard for him to understand what she was thinking or feeling as she went to her bedroom to change into normal clothes, tired from her day at work. She was in her room for quite a while, leaving Takeo unsure of what she was doing or thinking. Was she still angry about his loss at Bakugo's hands? Had she calmed down and was thinking back on her outburst earlier?
"Takeo," Nakano addressed as she opened the door and walked into the living room.
"Hey, Mom," Takeo replied. Nakano sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch and let out a deep breath. She leaned over and put her hands together before looking at her son with a remorseful expression.
"I need to apologize," she started. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that nor should I have hung up before letting you respond."
"Mom…" Takeo spoke.
"I know you've told me dislike Bakugo, and I can understand why; I'd be angry too if someone badmouthed the people I love," Nakano continued. "But do you understand why I was upset earlier?"
"Because I let my anger get the better of me."
"You cannot act like that when you aim to become a Pro Hero," Nakano stated. "You cannot let your anger dictate your actions like that. Whether you like it or not, you'll have to work with people you don't like because out there, your personal feuds could cost innocent people their lives. Even if you despise them with all your might, you need to be willing to work with them or acknowledge their skills. Once the job is done, then you can hate them all you want."
Nakano herself struggled with this concerning her relationship with the Flame Hero: Endeavor. Having worked with him from time to time, while she did acknowledge his skills as a fighter and a hero, she found him intolerable as a person. Cold, arrogant, rude, no regard for anyone but himself, but what really angered her about him came from the past.
Lioness and Rebound had just apprehended three villains and save fourteen hostages. The crowd of people watching cheered for the two Pro Heroes, especially for Rebound, who was currently the #2 Hero. The majority chanted 'Rebound! Rebound!' while some of them shouted Lioness's name, especially mutants.
After the criminals were arrested and the hostages in need of medical attention sent to the hospital, Lioness and Rebound continued on their patrol to meet up with the former's husband, Paladin. However, they were intercepted by none other than the current #3 Hero, Endeavor.
"Endeavor," Rebound addressed. As expected, Endeavor glared at Rebound with a hostile gaze. Lioness frowned at Endeavor's response to Rebound while the Reflection Hero remained calm and unintimidated.
"I trust you're doing well?" Rebound asked the Flame Hero.
"I don't need sympathy or pity from you, Rebound," Endeavor responded harshly. "Or perhaps you expect me to be impressed with your meager rescue earlier?"
"All he's doing is saying hi," Lioness scolded. "Would it kill you just to simply respond with a thank you for being so considerate, despite the utter asshole you are?" Endeavor glared at right at Lioness, who reciprocated the gesture. Only when Rebound stepped between them did their eyes break away from each other.
"Now calm down, both of you-"
"Don't give me orders," Endeavor rebuked, smacking Rebound's hand away. "You may be the #2 Hero, but that doesn't mean you lord over me. And you…" He looked over at Lioness with the usual angry, hateful glare he always gave off. "You better watch how you speak to me." The Flame Hero then stomped off, leaving the two heroes by themselves.
"I hate that man so much," Lioness snarled before looking at her friend. "He's always been jealous of you, Rebound. He thinks no one else is worthy of being #1 other than him. Arrogant prick."
"Don't waste your time on him, Nakano," Nobu insisted with a gentle smile. "Let's keep going on our patrol."
Lioness had never liked Endeavor because of how hostile he was towards her oldest friend, Nobu Yamashita. The Flame Hero was always jealous of Rebound for exceeding him in strength, power and rank, holding the #2 position for years while he was forced to accept the #3 position. Endeavor always antagonized them, viewed them with contempt and disdain, all because he was jealous of how Rebound always seemed better than him.
"Trust me, Takeo, I know what it's like to hate someone with a passion," she spoke. "But out there, we must keep our emotions in check and stay focused on the mission at hand. Do you understand what I'm saying? You don't have to like Bakugo, you don't have to be his friend, but you must not let your anger cloud your judgment like that." Nakano then reached over and put her hand on her son's.
"Takeo, after watching the Sports Festival, I can understand why you dislike Bakugo. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have issues with how he behaved. But no matter how you feel about him, you cannot act like that again. You need to accept a rematch with him, not because for him, but for you. Do you understand?" Takeo let out a deep breath before replying.
"Yes, I do."
"Good," Nakano responded with a smile. "And really, I am sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."
After she hung up on him earlier, Nakano remained angry for a short while. When she had calmed down after her outburst, she realized what she had done and regretted having behaved so furiously towards her son. Just as Takeo needed to keep his anger under control, so did she; she felt it was hypocritical of her for scolding Takeo for letting his anger cloud his judgment when she lashed out at him and didn't give him a chance to respond.
"I guess we both need to work on our anger," Takeo replied, earning a small smile from his mother.
"Congratulations, Furaya," Nezu addressed the Quirkless swordsman who had just won the Sports Festival. The two of them were currently in his office, which he had instructed Furaya to come after the Award Ceremony was concluded.
"I must be honest; I did have my doubts about whether you'd win 1st Place, but after seeing what I saw…" He got down from his seat and walked to the side of his desk before bowing down to the General Studies student.
"I apologize for my doubts," he apologized. "After today, you have laid any doubts I had to rest."
"Thank you," Hayata responded. "So why did you ask me to come here?"
"Well, first of all," Nezu started, approaching the young swordsman. "Your victory in the Sports Festival leaves the U.A. Board with no grounds to deny you entry into the Hero Course any longer. However, the soonest I can get you into the Hero Course is after the Final Exams, during which Hero Course teachers will often switch out students with others if they perform too poorly."
"So I'll be taking the place of the lowest ranking student," Furaya replied. "Very well, as long as it's done."
Nezu would make sure it would be done. As he stated earlier, he didn't expect Furaya to win 1st Place in the Sports Festival; to see him achieve victory was a shock. The Quirkless swordsman had upheld his promise, so it was now Nezu's responsibility to uphold his. He'd make sure Furaya got into the Hero Course as soon as possible, a position he was wrongly denied.
"Another thing is that you'll be required to take a series of tests," Nezu continued. "Normally, Hero Course students would take Quirk Assessment Tests to determine where they need to improve and demonstrate their skills. However, since you don't have a Quirk, we'll need to come up with different tests suited for you. Will you be incorporating any Support Items into your arsenal besides your katana and boots?"
"That depends on how inspired Mei is," Hayata answered. "But yes, my Support Items consist mostly of Falcon's Talon and my boots. I'll inform you if Mei has come up with any others."
"Very well," Nezu responded. "If needed, we'll ask for help from Hero Course students should we feel the need for it. Unless you have anything you wish to say or have questions, you're free to leave."
"No, sir," Furaya answered. "Farewell." He bowed slightly and then left the office.
His dream was now coming true. After having won the Sports Festival as he promised, his path to the Hero Course was all but assured. The U.A. Board couldn't deny him entry, not when he had won at a public event; refusal to do so would result in potential public backlash and give U.A. detractors room to demonize them even further. Now there was nothing stopping him from getting into the course he had chosen.
But first, he'd have to pass a series of tests in place of the mandatory Quirk Assessments since he didn't have one. Just one more obstacle he'd have to overcome on his journey to become the first ever Quirkless Pro Hero. Today, he had made a statement to the world, one it would never forget and he would keep going forward, no matter who supported him and who opposed him.
Suddenly, Furaya's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the name 'Mom' on the screen.
"Hello, Mom," he greeted.
"Okay, Hayata, you won," Takara acknowledged. "Now will you please stop with this Pro Hero business?"
"I will not," Hayata refused. "I move into the Hero Course as soon as possible."
"What!?" she gasped. "You're going into the Hero Course, even after painting a target on your back? What possessed you to make such a speech on live television?"
"The world needed the truth, Mom. I am proof that Quirkless people can become Pro Heroes. I will not back down from this." Takara was heard letting out a quiet groan.
"Hayata, don't you understand the negative attention you'll bring to yourself? Not everyone will support your victory. And after what happened to your uncle-"
"Mom, stop. He may've trained me, but I am not my uncle. You cannot keep treating me like a little boy in need of protection."
"You are my child!" Takara barked. "And as your mother, I forbid you from going into the Hero Course! Let someone else be a champion of change!"
Hayata let out a quiet sigh. He had hoped that this victory would change his mother's mind and start supporting him on his quest to become a Pro Hero. But instead, she kept insisting that he couldn't join and should give up. She was so afraid that what happened to her brother would happen to her son and she would be damned before letting it happen again.
"I'm not a little boy anymore, Mom," Hayata responded, his patience starting to wear. "I've proven I have what it takes. Why can't you support me?"
"I will not support letting my brother turn MY son into a martyr for his cause! The brother who went behind my back and trained you without my or your father's permission! Now please come home!"
"I will come home, Mom. You know that. I'll see you later." He then hung up.
The Quirkless swordsman wished his mother would support his dream to become a Pro Hero. Whether he aimed to become one or not, he was always going to deal with discrimination due to his Quirklessness.
"You, a Pro Hero? You don't even have a Quirk!"
"What hope could trash like you have of becoming a Pro!"
"People like you don't become heroes, they become stones for people to step on!"
Furaya knew that there would always be those who'd vehemently reject the idea of Quirkless becoming Pros. Even before he started training to become one under his Uncle Genkei, he suffered from the same Quirkless discrimination every person like him were forced to endure. Someone had to rise up and tell them enough was enough, tell the world that Quirkless can become heroes and deserve respect.
This made Furaya remember one of the students from the Hero Course: Izuku Midoriya, the formerly Quirkless who 'miraculously' developed a Quirk at the late age of 15. Furaya wasn't convinced of Midoriya's 'miracle'; no Quirk had ever manifested past the age of 5. A Quirk manifesting during a person's teen years was simply impossible.
If Midoriya truly understood the discrimination and suffering Quirkless people went through, he would never have made such a bold claim and use their pain for his own desires. Bakugo may've been an arrogant jerk, but he was able to back up his ego with skills that truly put Furaya to the test. The Quirkless swordsman would've lost the fight had Bakugo not passed out first, which showcased how truly strong the Explosion user was.
Midoriya…Midoriya was a fraud in the eyes of Hayata Furaya. What other explanation could there be for his 'miracle'? The only possible explanation was that Midoriya had lied about being Quirkless and hid his Quirk in order to make himself appear sympathetic. By doing this, he manipulated Quirkless discrimination for his own benefit, something Hayata simply could not forgive.
"FURAYA!"
As soon as Hayata stepped out of the school and towards the exit, he heard someone scream for his name. He turned around and saw Bakugo running towards him, wearing his school uniform rather than his gym. He was breathing heavily as though he had been running for miles, grasping the 2nd Place Silver medal he had been given tightly in his right hand.
"Bakugo," Furaya responded stoically.
"Listen, you…you…"
What insult could Bakugo give to the Quirkless swordsman? Furaya had beaten him fair and square in the Sports Festival, achieving a true victory by Bakugo's own standards. He couldn't find any words to throw at Furaya, so his teeth simply grinded against each other and he looked down.
"Dammit!" he cried out. "DAMMIT!"
"Did you chase me down just to curse at me?" Furaya asked.
"SHUT THE HELL UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugo barked. "You may've won today, but don't you dare get comfortable, you hear me!? I will get stronger and one day beat you! I…"
Bakugo paused as the reality of today truly settled in for him. His ego and his pride could never recover from such a defeat, not at the hands of a person he had constantly degraded. He may've lost against Deku before, but even then, he had used a Quirk to win at the last moment. Here, Furaya had no Quirk, had no powers, only his katana and his boots.
"I look forward to that day," Hayata responded. "You are the strongest opponent I've ever fought."
"And we will fight again," Bakugo stated. "Especially since you're the reason I was humiliated today."
"We both made bets for this event, only I won mine," Furaya stated. In his anger and frustration, Bakugo held onto the ribbon connected to the medal even tighter, sorely tempted to use his Explosions to blast it apart. He wanted to do so as the medal reminded him of his failure to keep his promise and win to prove himself the best.
But that was the act of a coward in his eyes. As much as it hurt, Bakugo felt he had to keep the medal as a reminder, a very brutal reminder that he still wasn't the legend he believed himself to be. How could he call himself #1 when he couldn't beat a Quirkless nor convince a detractor of his to do a rematch? How could he call himself better than All Might when he couldn't keep a promise to win?
"I've accepted that I wasn't the best that I thought I was," Bakugo stated. "But make no mistake, Furaya: I will grow stronger and I WILL beat you one day. I will be #1!"
"As I said, I look forward to that day," Hayata smirked, breaking his usual stoic expression. "I will grow stronger as well and we'll see who's improved the most." After that, Furaya turned around and started on his way home, leaving Bakugo by himself.
Tomura and Seika Shigaraki sat at the bar in their hideout, looking over the photos of the Hero Course students they had watched participate in the Sports Festival. To Tomura, one student truly stood out from the rest: Katsuki Bakugo, the 2nd Place winner.
"Bakugo would fit well into the League of Villains," Tomura spoke.
"Someone as arrogant, violent and volatile as he is?" Seika questioned. "That boy would be nothing more than a loose cannon we'd have to constantly keep under control."
Despite Bakugo's immense prowess and clearly villainous personality, Seika viewed him with contempt. He wasn't a team player unless he was the one giving orders and she was certainly not going to let him lead the League of Villains. He was rebellious, volatile, impatient, hot-tempered…he would be insubordinate and more of a nuisance than an aide to the League.
"Who do you have in mind?" Tomura questioned. Seika pointed to a picture of the Sports Festival winner, Hayata Furaya.
"He was victimized by this hypocritical society," she started. "He's Quirkless…and I know the pain people like us go through."
"Pft," Bloodmoon scoffed at Black Queen's statement as he ate on some raw meat. "How can you pretend you're Quirkless when you have a Quirk, she-wolf?"
"Do not pretend to know what I've been through," Black Queen rebuked before returning to her examination of the students.
She was certain Hayata Furaya would join them if she extended the offer. Despite his victory, Seika was certain that anti-Quirkless sentiment would rise from this. People would refuse to acknowledge Hayata's victory and insist that he couldn't become a hero; some may even go as extreme as physical violence.
Black Queen remembered a post she had read online about a Quirkless teenage girl who aspired to become a Pro Hero. No doubt she faced the constant discrimination and hatred all Quirkless faced simply for being what they were. She tried applying for a Hero School, Ketsubutsu, and it was eventually announced to her classmates; her bullies and detractors wouldn't accept this, so they attacked her and killed her. Her parents pressed charges, but since their daughter's death was deemed an accident, her killers were let off scot-free. Whether or not her death was an accident or intentional remains uncertain to this day.
Furaya would be no different. Black Queen was confident that sooner or later, Hayata would realize that society would never accept the idea of Quirkless heroes, that they would crush anyone who dared to say otherwise. There was only one way that people like them would be acknowledged: to tear down this society built on hypocrisy, lies and deceit and force them to accept that change was needed.
"What about him?" Talos asked, pointing to the 4th Place winner of the Sports Festival. "This Takeo Raionhato, after having acted the way he did against Bakugo?"
In that match, Takeo had forfeit whatever strategy and prowess he had and acted solely out of rage and hate for his opponent. This unfortunately cost him the match, but Tomura and Seika saw potential in him. If only his anger could be turned towards the Pro Heroes who spoiled and abused society, then he'd be a great asset to the League.
"That pup?" Bloodmoon laughed while licking his fangs. "I don't know if he'd be a good member of the League, but he would make a nice meal."
"And this is why we're not getting new recruits," Talos bluntly brought up. "Letting you join the League was a mistake."
"Enough," the voice of Seika and Tomura's master spoke on a fuzzy screen in the corner.
"Master!" Seika quickly addressed. "How much did you hear?"
"I heard enough," he answered. "Bloodmoon is just as much a valued asset to the League as you are, Talos. To bicker among yourselves will only detract us, not unite us. If we're too busy fighting amongst ourselves, we cannot divert our full attention to gaining more allies."
Talos and Bloodmoon glared at each other; they harbored great disdain for each other, but the leader was right. If the League of Villains was to succeed, they'd have to work together and stop pointing fingers at each other for the failure of the USJ Attack.
"You are wise, Master," Seika complimented. "Hopefully, Giran will be able to find recruits for us and some of these Hero Course students will join us."
"Then it would be wise for us to hold council and decide on a course of action," Kurogiri spoke. "We must prove to other villains why we're a worthwhile group, to convince them to want to join us."
"That is a splendid idea," Master agreed. "I trust you two, Tomura and Seika, to behave as the leaders you need to be." Seika bowed her head while Tomura turned away from the screen before it turned off. As their master and Kurogiri agreed, everyone decided to speak on what to do next.
Black Queen and Talos believed that they should focus on gathering allies through Giran since their number remained at 5, despite the prowess each of them possessed. As powerful as they were, they'd potentially go up against Pro Heroes like All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, Best Jeanist and many more. Without additional numbers and proven allies, they could become easy pickings for the Pros and their goals would be dead before they could even start them.
Tomura and Bloodmoon, on the other hand, insisted that they take immediate action. If they could do something to remedy their failure at the USJ and prove themselves a powerful organization, it could convince other villains to flock to their group like moths attracted to a flame. Only through action could they prove themselves a worthwhile organization and make others want to join them.
"How can we convince others to join us when we're sitting here paused?" Tomura questioned. "We should be out there leveling up and taking on some bosses-"
"You tried that at the USJ and you failed," Seika interrupted. "Going out there and destroying things for the sake of destroying things will make us look like a bunch of petulant children. We cannot just go out there and start destroying stuff; we need a plan."
"And while you're sitting here 'planning', we've been turned into a laughingstock," Tomura shot back. "By sitting here and just waiting for help, we make ourselves look like first-level losers. We've been paused ever since the USJ; we need to act. We could ask Master for more Nomu-"
"Those Nomu don't grow on trees-"
"Stop interrupting me!" Tomura barked, rising from his seat. "Stop acting like you're the only person here with a brain!"
Tomura and Seika glared at each other as they couldn't agree on a course of action, despite their master having recently stated the importance of working together. It didn't help that as Tomura stated, Seika was constantly interrupting him and not allowing him to put out his thoughts. However, Seika believed that at this point, Tomura needed to let her call the shots or else they could suffer another catastrophe as they did with the USJ Attack.
No action could be agreed upon that day, leaving the League even more frustrated than ever. After the meeting was over, Kurogiri contacted the master.
"I'm afraid to tell you that the meeting didn't end well. Mistress Seika and Master Tomura couldn't agree on a course of action. Perhaps it'd be wise for you to take action-"
"Nonsense. Seika and Tomura cannot grow if I'm constantly coddling them. Tomura is passionate and strong-willed, but he only focuses on the immediate goal rather than long-term; he seeks to destroy for the sake of destroying. Seika is intelligent and loyal, but she believes she's the only one who knows what's best for the League. She must accept that she alone cannot lead. If they make mistakes, let them; I'm certain it'd be an amazing learning experience for them."