My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 46: Painful Past, Certain Present
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Author's Note: I recently started another Fanfic based on Octopath Traveler 2. If you enjoyed the game, give it a read!
Wednesday came around and the Hero Course students were required to turn in their internship choices. It was the very first thing Eraser Head demanded of his students when class started, turning in their choices one by one on his desk as they arrived into the classroom. Some students felt satisfied with their choice of internship while others felt that they just had to settle for scraps while others were given an abundance of choices.
"So, who did you choose, Kiyama?" Takeo asked his serpentine friend.
"I chossssse a Pro Hero called Bladewing," Nagami informed. "He'sssss out in the Yamagata Provincccccce. From what I hear, he'ssssss a pretty good hero who can really help me out."
"I'm glad," Takeo replied. "Though…" He let out a quiet sigh, which Nagami caught.
"What'sssss wrong?" Takeo looked up at Nagami's yellow slit eyes and informed her of the days after the Sports Festival.
"An internship?" Lioness asked her son as they ate some pizza they had ordered. "To who?"
"Nagami Kiyama, the snake mutant in my class," Takeo answered as he ate a piece of his slice. "She's a huge fan of yours, Mom. I think she'd do well with you."
Lioness was humbled by a classmate of her son's looking up to her. Having seen her during the Sports Festival, she empathized with her status as a mutant, knowing all too well what people like them go through. She was proud to see more mutants deciding to become Pro Heroes to battle prejudice against their kind. She would gladly take Nagami Kiyama under her wing for an internship…if she were able to.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," Lioness regretfully informed. "My agency has been tasked with a very important case and I've been asked to go to Hosu City."
"You asssssked your mother to offer me an internsssssship?" Nagami excitedly hissed, though it possessed hints of disappointment. Working with the Razor Claw Hero, her role model, would've been a dream come true for the Snake Hero-In-Training. But as Takeo explained, her current case prevented that from happening for the time being, though the snake held onto hope that she could do it in the future.
"I'm sorry it didn't work out," Takeo apologized. "Since you said you admired my mother, I thought I'd give it a shot." Nagami smiled widely.
"I really apprecccccciate it, Raionhato! It meansssssss a lot to me."
"You really respect my mother, don't you?" Takeo asked.
"Of coursssssse I do!" Nagami responded with great enthusiasm. "Sssssshe'ssssss been my role model ever sssssssinccccccce I wassssssss sssssssseven!"
The Snake Hero: Medusa couldn't hide her immense respect and admiration for the mother of Takeo Raionhato. While not as prominent as other mutants like Mirko, Hawks and Gang Orca, Lioness was still an amazing hero in her own right. She refused to let fame and fortune change her nor to give into the toxic, shallow mindset of most Pro Heroes, valuing wealth and ego over innocent people. This all came from one day almost eight years ago…
A seven-year-old Nagami crashed through the door of her house, her yellow slit eyes reddened with tears and pain and her nose sniffling from the crying. Yet another terrible day at school, everyone avoiding her like the plague, glaring at her as though she were a monster. Even the teachers kept their distance from the half-human half-snake young girl.
Freak. Animal. Villain. Terror. She had been called those multiple times after she entered school and for what? Because she was a mutant? Because she wasn't…normal?
"I didn't do anything wrong…" she teared up as she slithered to the living room since her mother was getting dinner ready and her father was working in the office. She thought she could perhaps watch something to take her mind off the reality of her situation, a situation that weighed heavily on her.
No one wanted to be her friend. No one wanted to be around her. Every day, it was the same at elementary school: people kept their distance from her, looked at her with disgust and terror or they'd straight up insult and bully her. They'd call her names, throw stuff at her and mock her by hissing as she did. It was the same every day and several of the teachers did nothing to stop the mistreatment.
"This issssssn't fair!" she barked angrily, tears running down her cheeks. "I didn't do anything wrong, sssssso why doessssss everyone hate me!?" TV no longer felt satisfying for her, so she slammed the remote on the couch cushion…unintentionally turning it on by pressing the power button. She was about to turn it off, but stopped when she saw a mutant on the screen with leonine features.
"Huh?"
The TV Reporter introduced the hero in the shot as Lioness, the Razor Claw Hero and wife of Paladin, the current #18 Hero. Facing off against a villain who could turn his arms into chains and attach them to items, the lion-themed hero easily dodged his attacks with her great speed and wore him down with constant strikes from her claws and kicks. The villain, Chainlink, was unable to keep up with her and was eventually beaten by Lioness.
"Sssssshe'ssssss….a mutant," Nagami gasped as the camera closed in on her.
For the next several weeks, Nagami looked into the Pro Hero: Lioness and the more she discovered, the more she grew to admire the leonine hero. She was a mutant, just like her, so she must've gone through the same as she did: called an animal, degraded as a beast, considered lesser because of her appearance…she wanted to learn more about Lioness/ Nakano Raionhato, which she'd get the opportunity six months later.
"So, Lioness, you're in the top 30 Pro Heroes right now," a show host asked her on TV, which Nagami Kiyama was watching on the sofa.
"I am," Lioness informed. "I'm currently #28 on the scoreboard."
"How do you feel being a popular mutant Pro Hero?" the show host asked. "It's brought you quite a bit of attention, both good and bad." Lioness shook her head.
"I'm guessing that 'bad attention' is people saying 'Mutants can't be heroes' and the like. I've faced that discrimination all my life simply because I'm a mutant like so many others, but if I listened to those who hated me, I wouldn't be here right now." Lioness turned to the screen and stood up, which the snake felt as though she were the one being talked to alone.
"All you mutants, you are not freaks, you are not monsters. You are people just like everyone else and no one has the right to take that away from you. So if you wish to become a Pro Hero, then do so. Be determined, don't let the hatred stop you, and hold your head up high for all to see. One day, it may be one of you in this interview, so if becoming a Pro Hero is what you want, then go for it."
Ever since that interview, Nagami looked up to Lioness. It was her encouragement, her determination, her bravery in the face of adversity that had helped the snake push forward and become the Hero-In-Training she is now. If she hadn't watched that footage of her fight against Chainlink years ago, she didn't know where she'd be now. That one piece of footage, that one interview gave her the courage to pursue what she wanted and endure the discrimination just as Lioness did.
"Sssssso…who did you choosssssse?" Kiyama asked the son of her role model.
"Do you remember that name I told you yesterday?" Takeo asked. "Aquarius?"
"Aquarius?" Lioness gasped after Takeo informed her that he had extended him an internship.
"Yes," he confirmed. "I'm honestly surprised; he hasn't spoken to us since…since we lost Dad."
Lioness remembered Aquarius all too well from when Paladin was with them. He was one of Paladin's closest friends from their U.A. years whose Quirk allowed him to convert his body into water. In contrast to Paladin, who often focused on combat and rescue, Aquarius preferred detective work, but they had always worked closely together ever since they became Pro Heroes.
However, after Takeshi was lost to them in the aftermath of a mission almost seven years ago, Aquarius had moved away to the Okayama Prefecture and hadn't spoken to them since. Lioness had tried to reach out to him, but he'd never respond to her. Why he had suddenly cut off from their lives was a mystery to her.
"Do you…do you think I should take it?" Takeo asked his mother.
"That's your decision," Nakano replied. "It's been years since you and Aquarius spoke to each other. He'd have a reason for extending an internship to you after so long. Maybe you should consider it, but as I said, it's your choice."
"You chosssssse Aquariussssss?" Nagami questioned.
"He was a friend of my father's all the way back to when they were in U.A.," Takeo informed. "But ever since…since I lost my dad, we haven't spoken since. I'm honestly curious as to why he'd suddenly extend me an internship after so long. After some thinking…I decided to choose him." Just then, Ojiro walked into the classroom, his internship slip in his hands and placed it on Eraser Head's desk.
"So…who'd you choose, Ojiro?" Takeo asked the Tail user. "I know you were pretty uncertain yesterday about your choices."
"I chose Open Palm," Ojiro replied.
The Martial Arts Hero: Whiptail thought long and hard about what he wanted to do with his internship. He had balanced the pros and cons of both choices in front of him…and he had come to the conclusion that he wanted Open Palm's tutelage. It'd mean missing out on real world experience, but that could always be gained at later times; this week would be the perfect opportunity to learn about martial arts AND hero work from Open Palm.
"Nice," Takeo complimented his friend.
"If you've already turned in your slips, go sit down," Eraser Head demanded. The three students complied and walked to their seats.
"I'm proud to see that you decided on coming to my Agency for your internship," Endeavor told Todoroki over the phone after school was over. "Going to any other of those agencies would've dulled your skills and hindered your potential."
Shoto half-expected this ever since he used his flames during his match against Midoriya. Instead of being critical and harsh, his old man was now being smug and 'proud' of his son for embracing his duty. He almost wanted not to go to Endeavor's agency for the internship, but only he could teach him how to properly use his flames, an ability he had neglected for so long out of spite against his father.
"Cut the crap, old man," Shoto groaned. "I told you before, I'm not doing this for your ego. I'm doing this to become the hero I want to be. Don't expect me to walk up to you with a big smile on my face."
"Is that a fact?" Endeavor questioned, smirking. "But that doesn't change the fact you need me to learn to use your fire." Shoto tightened his fist angrily, hating that his old bastard of a father was right. He needed to learn to use his fire and only Endeavor could teach him how, though it made Shoto sick to his stomach to know his decision was appeasing his father's ego. He couldn't wait until the conversation was over and then hung up, letting out a breath of relief.
The Half-Cold Half-Hot user was about to go to his locker and collect his belongings, but stopped when he looked outside and saw Razor Shell making his way to the teacher's office. As he looked at the Alligator Snapping Turtle Hero, his mind went back to the Sports Festival.
"She didn't break down because she was weak, she broke down because you kept pushing her more and more until she couldn't take it anymore. Then to make it worse, you blame her breakdown on Toya's death. You put your family through hell and neglected your children all because you're jealous of All Might, because you know you'll never be stronger than him. That's why you tormented Shoto; you basically want him to succeed where you failed with no regard for his happiness or welfare. You better count your blessings that All Might doesn't know the truth because if he did, he'd tear you apart…that is if you didn't run from him like the coward you are."
Did Razor Shell know of Endeavor's cruelty towards Shoto and his family? How much did he know? Razor Shell knew some of the Todoroki family's dark secrets, that was for sure…including his deceased brother, Toya.
Shoto never got to know his oldest brother, Toya; when he became Endeavor's 'masterpiece', his father made sure he had no contact with any of his siblings, Toya included. All he knew about Toya was that Endeavor considered him a failure, just like Fuyumi and Natsuo, and that he tragically died during a fire he caused on Sekoto Peak. This would tragically play into his mother's degrading mental health and hospitalization. It wasn't until years later that Shoto found out that Endeavor covered Rei's hospitalization by blaming it on Toya's death, claiming the death of their son broke her.
How much did Razor Shell know? That had nagged at his mind ever since he overheard his conversation with Endeavor. So instead of going to his locker to gather his belongings, he instead made his way after Razor Shell, following him to the teacher's office. He wanted to know what Razor Shell knew about his father, about his family. By the time he approached the office, Razor Shell was just about to enter, but stopped when he saw the son of Endeavor.
"Todoroki," he addressed. "How can I help you?"
"I was looking for you," Todoroki answered. "I wanted to speak with you."
"About what?" Razor Shell asked. "Your grades are doing well and your performance in combat training is satisfactory."
"No, not about school," Shoto responded. "I…I overheard you and my father talking at the Sports Festival after my match with Midoriya."
Razor Shell's eyes widened in shock at this news. Had he known Shoto was listening, he would've ended the conversation as quickly as possible. He suspected Todoroki had questions about what he heard and wished to know more.
"If you wish to talk, then come on in," Razor Shell gestured, allowing the Half-Cold Half-Hot user to walk into the office and he closed the door behind them.
"So what exactly do you want to know?"
"Anything you know about my family," Todoroki answered. "You know secrets my father guards very carefully, so it makes me wonder how you know them at all."
Even amongst his closest allies, Shoto knew his father was very careful about protecting the privacy of his home life. Despite Endeavor's massive wealth and ability to quickly shut down any scandal within a short time, if the truth of Endeavor's mistreatment and cruelty were known to the world, his hero career would be over. No one would ever support the Flame Hero if they knew the truth of how terribly he had mistreated his family.
"Well…I met your father back when we went to U.A.," Razor Shell started. "He, Sunstorm and I became good friends, though Endeavor didn't always like to admit it. He certainly wasn't as grumpy back then as he is now." Razor Shell chuckled quietly, though he received no response from Todoroki.
"Even back then, Endeavor desired to become the #1 Hero and surpass All Might; whereas everyone else saw him as an immortal who cannot be surpassed, your father saw him as a rival, someone who pushed him to become stronger. I agreed with your father about him surpassing All Might because one day, he wouldn't be here and someone would have to carry on in his place. However…that was easier said than done."
"He felt he could never surpass All Might," Shoto stated.
"Not just that," Razor Shell clarified. "During those years, there was already someone who everyone believed could surpass All Might: the Reflection Hero: Rebound."
Endeavor almost never spoke about Rebound, focusing solely on All Might, so Shoto didn't know much about the Reflection Hero growing up. However, recently he had decided to do some digging into the former Pro Hero. From what he saw, if he were still in the Pro Hero business today, he would've undoubtedly surpassed All Might. But he didn't know that his father's 'rivalry' with him went back all the way to his U.A. years.
"Rebound was loved by everyone while Endeavor…well, he lacked charisma," Razor Shell continued. "It didn't sit well with Endeavor that someone other than him was proclaimed to be the one to surpass All Might, so he saw two rivals ahead of him: All Might and Rebound."
From there, Shoto knew almost everything: his father had risen to the rank of #2 by the time he had turned twenty. However, despite his efforts, he could never surpass All Might, so he decided on the idea of training someone who could. This led him to bribe his grandparents in exchange for allowing him to marry Rei, believing that the combination of her ice powers and his fire would create the perfect heir.
"So he decided to turn to a Quirk Marriage," Shoto brought up.
"When Sunstorm and I heard of it, we had concerns," Razor Shell admitted. "However, when Toya was born, Endeavor made an effort to be a good father and a good husband. We decided that everything would be fine…" He stopped, his head lowered in shame.
"How wrong we were." So much tragedy in the Todoroki family. So much senseless cruelty, all of stemmed from Endeavor's obsessive desire to surpass All Might. Toya, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Shoto and Rei were all scarred in one way or another by the Flame Hero's cruel abuse and neglect.
"What happened with Toya?" Shoto asked. "The bastard would never say anything to me about why he had died."
"When Toya's Quirk manifested, it allowed him to create flames even hotter and more powerful than your father's," Razor Shell explained. "Even though Toya didn't have the Quirk Endeavor wanted, he still trained him to become a Pro Hero, but…there was a problem. Toya inherited your father's Quirk, but also your mother's physical constitution."
Shoto's eyes widened in surprise at this news. Though Toya had inherited a stronger version of Endeavor's Quirk, he had Rei's physical constitution, meaning his body was meant to resist cold, not heat. That could only mean that Toya couldn't use his Quirk at maximum without the risk of harming his body.
"When Endeavor learned of that, he stopped training Toya," Razor Shell went on. "He decided to keep having more children, but as time went on…"
It pained Razor Shell to see his once good friend so blinded by jealousy and pride. What once started as an earnest means to push himself to become better had turned into dark, obsessive envy and hunger for power. As Fuyumi and Natsuo were born, Endeavor's heart and mind had been hardened by anger at his inability to surpass All Might and his frustration at having children who were 'failures'.
"When I was born, he had everything he wanted," Shoto solemnly recalled. "His 'masterpiece'."
"It got worse," Razor Shell added. "Around the time you were born, Rebound had taken your father's place as the #2 Hero, bumping him down to #3."
Shoto knew that wouldn't have sit well with Endeavor, to work so hard to gain such prestige and suddenly be outshone by a rival. What would've made it worse was that this rival was the one people claimed would surpass the Symbol of Peace rather than the Flame Hero.
"Your father…something dark snapped inside of him when that happened," Razor Shell explained.
"I know," Shoto responded. "As soon as my Quirk manifested, he spared no effort in training me how to use it. But…how do you know about everything that happened?"
"We saw Endeavor's behavior starting to worsen over time, especially after Rebound became the #2 Hero," Razor Shell answered. "It wasn't long before we learned about the abuse he was inflicting on you and your family." He paused for a moment.
"Sunstorm and I tried to talk him out of it…"
"Endeavor, this needs to stop!" Razor Shell barked after learning of the way the Flame Hero had been treating his family. When the Alligator Snapping Turtle and Sun Heroes had learned of what Endeavor was doing to Rei and their children, they were clearly appalled by such behavior. They knew things weren't perfect, but the truth…it horrified them.
"If Shoto is ever to surpass All Might-"
"Is that all you can think about!?" Sunstorm furiously interrupted. "Is surpassing All Might the only thing you care about!?"
"I will not be lectured on how to live my life by you two!" Endeavor rebuked. "Shoto has a duty and I will see it done! Now get off my property!"
Clearly, Endeavor didn't listen to the two Pro Heroes and continued his abominable mistreatment of his family. Abusing Rei and Shoto, neglecting his other children, ignoring Toya's desperate pleas to be acknowledged, Endeavor's jealousy towards All Might and Rebound drove him mad with rage, mad with the obsessive desire to surpass them regardless of any cost.
"My old man never was good at listening," Shoto mocked.
"Sunstorm would often check on them more than I would," Razor Shell continued. "He'd find Toya alone, crying and asking why Endeavor was ignoring him…all Toya wanted was to make Endeavor proud, but because of the drawbacks of his Quirk…Endeavor threw him away like trash."
Todoroki found it sad that he wasn't shocked by what Endeavor did to Toya; all he cared about now was his 'masterpiece' surpassing the Symbol of Peace. As long as he got what he wanted, he couldn't care less about the methods he used to get it. He proved as much throughout his whole life.
Shoto knew nothing of a happy childhood after his mother was admitted to a mental hospital. Every day was the same for him; he went to school, he came home from school and Endeavor would spend hours brutally training him. He didn't care if Shoto ached, if he vomited, if he cried or if he begged for it to stop, nothing moved his father's hardened heart of stone.
"Sunstorm…started approaching your mother," Razor Shell went on. "He tried to convince her to leave Endeavor and take the children with her. We planned on gathering evidence and exposing what your father was doing."
Now that Razor Shell mentioned it, before his mother was committed to a mental hospital, Shoto remembered seeing a man matching Sunstorm's description several times. He would sometimes eavesdrop on their conversations, hearing him plead with her to leave Endeavor and testify to his cruel abuse. Sadly, she was hesitant to leave him out of fear of what he'd do, knowing that as the current #3 Hero, he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it thanks to his immense resources.
Then that day came, one that Shoto remembered fervently as though it were yesterday.
"You cheating whore!" Shot overheard Endeavor in the next room. He expected to hear the sound of his mother crying out, but instead, he heard two loud booms and shattering noises. He looked out of his bedroom to see his father pinned against the wall by something that appeared like a massive mass of sun energy.
"You evil bastard!" the sunlit hero roared as he blasted Endeavor again, this time on the ground. "You will not lay another finger on her!"
"You traitorous bastard!" Endeavor roared as he flew against his enemy and the two traded blasts with one another high in the sky as to not set the house on fire.
Shoto ran out of his room to look up at the two small dots of fire and light in the sky. He couldn't tell who was who, but it was clear that the fighting up there was intense, the two constantly trading blows and blasts with one another. He couldn't hear the savage insults traded by the two, though from what he had heard before they flew off, it was clear that this would be a very intense fight.
One of them started to slow down, allowing the other to gain momentum and land more attacks on them. Shoto quietly hoped that it was his father losing the fight, hoping that his cruel abuse of the family would finally end. No more having to see his mother hurt and crying. No more having to be subjected to cruel training without any regard for his wellbeing.
The two fighters started falling to the ground, both of them closely together as they plummeted and landed, creating a large dirt cloud. Shoto looked on with fear, anxiety and anticipation to see the result of the fight, hoping that his tyrannical and evil father had been defeated. But sadly, as the dust cleared, Endeavor was revealed to be pinning his opponent to the ground, having triumphed against him.
"Sunstorm fought Endeavor," Shoto remembered. "And he lost."
"Your father thought Sunstorm was having an affair with Rei," Razor Shell stated. "After that fight, Sunstorm and I decided that we couldn't wait any longer and we went to the police with this matter. Barely a week into the investigation…"
"You dare interfere in my familial life!?" Endeavor roared at the two Pros after he had used his resources to shut down the investigation. "First, you have an affair with my wife-"
"I was trying to protect her and her children from YOU!" Sunstorm roared, activating his Sun Power Quirk. "You have been treating them with such cruelty and abuse that it's disgusting! That's not training, Endeavor, it's inhumane cruelty! Plain and simple and you have no right-"
"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT!" Endeavor roared, his flames burning wildly and angrily as his temper. "I have not worked all these years to be shown up by a brainless buffoon or some meek fool! Shoto will fulfill my desire and become better than either of them!"
"Is that all you care about!?" Razor Shell barked. "Your petty one-sided rivalry with those two!? You're willing to put your family through hell just so you can appease your ego!? You are a monster, Endeavor!"
"I am the Flame Hero!" Endeavor rebuked. "I will see to it that my son becomes the greatest hero ever! And should you ever get press charges against me again, I shall destroy both of your careers! Now get out of my sight and stay away from my home!"
"What?" Todoroki gasped. "My old man…?"
"He threatened to come after our careers if we ever interfered again," Razor Shell stated before looking down solemnly.
"It honestly makes me sick to my stomach to see what he's become. He's nothing like the young man I met when I was in U.A. He let his earnest desire to become strong turn into an extreme one-sided rivalry. He's become so blinded by pride and jealousy that all he can think about is surpassing All Might in one way or another. If Sunstorm and I had kept a closer eye on him…"
The Alligator Snapping Turtle Hero was filled with immense shame and guilt. He suspected that he and Sunstorm should've acted after Endeavor chose the unethical method of using a Quirk Marriage, but since he was being a good father and husband at the start, they felt their presence wasn't needed.
But that had backfired. Endeavor's heart hardened and his pride and jealousy overruled his mind as he became more and more obsessed with surpassing All Might and Rebound. No one had tried to steer him away from this dark path, one that had left Toya Todoroki dead by suicide, Rei in a mental hospital and his youngest son traumatized and denied a proper childhood.
"I'm…I'm sorry…"
"For what?" Shoto asked in a confused tone.
"That we couldn't stop him. That we…"
"You don't need to apologize," Shoto responded. "My father acted out of his own free will when he abused my family. No one's to blame but him."
As much as Razor Shell appreciated Shoto not holding him nor Sunstorm responsible for his father's cruelty, it didn't wipe away how he felt and the damage Endeavor had caused. The worst part about it was that Endeavor had gotten away with all of it. He had gotten away with his cruelty, his part in both Toya's death and Rei's mental breakdown, his abuse of his family, all of it; he had gotten away with everything and would most likely never face the consequences of his actions.
"Thank you for telling me," Shoto replied before he got up and left.
"…Just like that?" Razor Shell asked with a raised eyebrow. "I tell him that I know of his family's history and he…?"
"Alright, Ice Queen, what's your answer?" Bakugo asked as the day for the students to leave for their internships was tomorrow. The Explosion user, true to his word, had waited until this day to pull Yukine aside and requested her answer as to why he should aid her by being her fake boyfriend.
Yukine had thought long and hard about what to tell Bakugo to ensure he remain her fake boyfriend to spite her parents and make her look undesirable to the Safaia Family. Sadly, she was running short on her list of reasons.
Bakugo wasn't the type to be bribed nor could she afford it as she had to save what money she had for paying for her motel room. None of the female students had shown any romantic interest in the Explosion user, rendering her earlier reasoning of 'keeping unwanted admirers away' moot. They were already training together at school, so offering to train with him even more would probably be a shallow offer.
There was only one way she could convince him to play along: find a way for their relationship to serve his goal to becoming the #1 Hero. But whatever reasoning she came up with ultimately fell short and had no grounds to support itself. She was really kicking herself in the rear for her impulsive decision when the crowd mobbed her about her engagement. She had to come up with an answer quickly as Bakugo's expression made it clear that he was getting impatient…then it dawned on her.
"That violent, arrogant hothead from the Sports Festival?"
"And the guy who was attacked by the Slime Villain!? He looked so ridiculous!"
"I think the two of us being together could gain you positive attention," Yukine answered. "People could start viewing you in a better light."
"I don't care what people think about me," Bakugo rebuked. "My only concern is becoming the #1 Hero."
"And how is that working out for you?" Yukine deadpanned.
"What the hell does that mean?" Bakugo questioned.
"You really think people will view you as a hero after what happened in the Sports Festival?" she questioned directly. "In case you haven't noticed, Bakugo, you're not exactly popular and you won't be the #1 Hero if you don't give people assurance. You'll never truly be the best if you make everything about your oversized ego." Bakugo shook his head in annoyance.
"Ice Queen, what do you know about being the best-"
"I know that if you base everything around your ego, you'll be despised by everyone and you'd never be #1!" Yukine sharply interrupted. "My parents made everything about their egos and look what they've become!"
Bakugo remembered very well how Yukine described her parents: cruel, selfish, egomaniacal control freaks who only cared about remaining in power, no matter who they had to trample over. He expressed disgust towards them, but it was more so about the fact that they wanted respect simply because they were rich rather than through their own merits and actions. He could see the effect of their terrible character through Yukine, who had never said one nice thing about her parents.
"The big difference between heroes and villains isn't as simple as simply being strong and winning. Sometimes, heroes win, but other times, villains have won. I would know; I was a Pro Hero for years. If strength is all that matters, there's ultimately no difference between heroes and villains."
That quote from Open Palm suddenly came to Bakugo's head, maybe because of it applied to Yukine's parents. They were the governors of Hokkaido, people with great political power…but how had they used that power? They had used it to mistreat their daughter, to most likely do other horrendous things to keep themselves in power. In short, they were villains…which proved Open Palm's point.
"I'm sorry," Yukine apologized for her outburst. "I-"
"I'll do it," Bakugo groaned.
"Huh?" Yukine asked, shocked by Bakugo suddenly agreeing to it.
"What your parents are doing to you is messed up, full of crap," Bakugo explained. "They think they can do whatever they want simply because they're rich and political and all that shit. As I said, names don't mean a damn thing, only actions and your own merits matter. I'd love to give those kinds of people the finger." He sighed.
"I'll be your fake boyfriend, but DO NOT take advantage of this. You do something I don't like and we're done. Got it?" Yukine smiled.
"Got it…Kacchan~" She then kissed his cheek, making his eyes widen in shock and his face blush red…but his blush quickly turned into fury.
"Uh…Kacchan?" Yukine asked before Bakugo ran off screaming 'DEKU!'
Class 1-A were gathered at the train station wearing their student uniforms and carrying the cases with their hero costumes in them, though to everyone's confusion, Ojiro was absent. They didn't know that Whiptail had chosen to use his internship week to train with Open Palm and hone his martial arts skills, though Takeo, Nagami and Sato knew, sharing smiles with one another for their friend.
"Alright, listen up everyone," Aizawa started as he stood in front of the class. "These internships are nothing like what you've been doing in school. These aren't classrooms, you're working alongside Pros and you will be expected to do everything they say."
"Got it~!" Ashido replied in a singy-song voice.
"Don't use that tone of voice," Aizawa deadpanned. "Say 'Yes, sir' or 'Yes, ma'am'."
"Yes, sir," Ashido groaned for Aizawa ruining her joy.
"None of you have licenses yet, so if you go on any missions, you'll most likely only be support," Aizawa stated. "Unless the Pros you're with specifically allow it, you cannot use your Quirks to fight villains. If the Pros you're with are unsatisfied with your behavior or performance, they can send you back to U.A. early before the week's end. This will reflect poorly on you later down the road, so I suggest you all behave. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Mr. Aizawa!" Class 1-A responded in unison.
"Good," Aizawa replied. "Don't go overstepping your boundaries, even if you think you're in the right. These are trained and veteran Pros you're walking alongside with; they have more knowledge than you right now and a day out there is worth a month in the classroom. Now get on your assigned trains and head to your internships…and I'll have a whole week to just nap."
After concluding what he needed to say, Aizawa left the students alone, leaving them to find the trains that would take them to their internships. Takeo walked with Sato and Nagami as he looked for the Okayama Express, which would take him to the Okayama Prefecture and then head on foot to Aquarius's agency.
"So this Aquarius guy was a friend of your dad's?" Sato asked as they looked around.
"They went to U.A. together," Takeo replied. "He does detective work more than combat, really?"
"Sssssso what made you choossssssse him?" Nagami hissed as she looked for her own train.
"I…I haven't heard from him in years," Takeo answered. "I…I do have questions for him."
"First train to Okayama Prefecture at Stop 11. Departure will commence in thirty minutes."
"That's my train," Takeo spoke as he walked off. "You guys do good at your internships!"
"See you later, pal!" Sato waved as Takeo hurried off to get onboard to the Okayama Express.
It had been years since Takeo had seen his father's friend, the Water Body Hero: Aquarius. Why would he suddenly reach out now? What was his reasoning for extending an internship? Why had he not been in contact for the past six years? Takeo was determined to find out these answers.
But so quick he was to get to the train that he didn't see the most recent news article…that Fukushu had been sighted near the Okayama Prefecture…