Chapter XI: Second Event, Second Round
The teams returned to the arena, dreading the next round of the. As they slowly separated, Izuku studied Team Bakugo, pondering on what was in store for them. Bakugo, who would start with the flag, would no doubt leave his team behind again to fight. It was said teammates that worried Izuku, or rather, one member of Team Bakugo: Shinso Hitoshi. He had to come up with a plan and that meant one thing.
POOF.
"Holy All Might, why in the world did I talk to Endeavour like that?! And I can't believe I said that in K- Bakugo's face!" Whined a familiar voice.
The rest of Team Izuku halted on their march and turned towards a Zero-Tailed Midoriya. Said boy, by the looks of it, was having a panic attack.
"But you were super cool, Izuku!" Ochaco exclaimed with a grin.
"C-cool? It was suicidal! Bakugo can't be beaten conventionally!" The boy remarked. "And even if we beat him there is Shinso and the rest of Bakugo's team". He proceeded to hold his head in distress. "I messed up!"
"Huh, he has a quirkless form too?" Hatsume asked, surprised. "Bit of a whiner, isn't he?"
Ochaco, while she agreed, didn't voice her opinion. Instead, she offered a shrug.
"We are running out of time, Izuku" Iida stated. "Whether it is impossible or unachievable is irrelevant. We must give our best if we are to move onto the next Event. Is there no strategy you can come up with?"
Izuku grimaced, only to frown. In the meanwhile, Midnight seemed to be back to a discussion with someone. This time, though, she was smirking all the while, next to an irate Endeavor. They didn't have much time to plan.
"W-well… considering what we know about Shinso's ability and Bakugo's perchance to flying off on his own…" Zero-Tailed Midoriya trailed off.
He started pacing, all while stroking his chin and muttering under his breath. He sure looked immersed in his own little world. Iida and Ochaco traded confused expressions, before shrugging. Hatsume was quick to dismiss the entire situation.
"So… what's the plan?" Ochaco tentatively asked, hopeful that Midoriya might share some of his muttered thoughts.
Izuku stopped walking, and his team expectantly stared at the boy.
"We need to take down Shinso first" he proclaimed.
"Eh… what about Bakugo?" Ochaco wondered. "You heard him just now. He's kind of… you know… pissed – more than usual, I mean".
"Yes" Izuku slowly nodded "and he will come for me… but not right away" he took a deep breath "He is no idiot. He wants me to lose, that means he has to first lose the flag to Mineta or Yukimora. After that he'll try to stop us from getting it and fight Todoroki or Ashido. If we don't show up, though…"
"Am I missing something? Because that Bakugo guy really said something about going after you" Hatsume said, confused. "Is this one of those… human interactions thingies I am so bad at?"
"Hatsume, how many water pellets do you have left?" Izuku asked, ignoring what she said.
"Four" she said. "And I am almost out on fuel for my jet-boots so no flying babies", she added with a pout.
"And no grappling hook" Ochaco chuckled, showing her metallic bracers.
It was a pity they hadn't worked. Prototype babies, according to Hatsume, weren't necessary reliable – or stable. Sadly, they had been rushed to meet the deadline. It was amazing Hatsume still got that many pieces of equipment ready for the Sports Festival, all in one month, be it functional or not.
"Hatsume, could you take the cords from the gauntlets?" Izuku inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"And rip my baby's entrails?! Do I look like a monster to you?!" Hatsume harrumphed indignantly. Izuku blinked at her, concerned. Hatsume though, proceeded to grin. "Of course I can! Can have them out in a second!"
Trying to dispel Hatsume's strange and off-putting personality from his memories, Izuku hummed, stroking his chin, as he turned towards the rest of the arena.
"You have a plan, don't you?" Ochaco excitedly inquired.
"Yes I-I think I do" Izuku said, kneeling down. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course we do!" Ochaco exclaimed, kneeling next to him.
"Indeed. You have our infinite trust" Iida vehemently declared. He went on one knee.
Three pairs of eyes turned towards a certain annoyed pink-haired engineer.
"A bit. Not much, but it's more than most" Hatsume shrugged.
Izuku sweatdropped at Hatsume's admission.
"Th-then this is what you've got to do" Izuku said, leaning over the ground and drawing on the ashen ground.
"Let the second round begin!" Declared Midnight.
And without further ado, Bakugo exploded away, leaving his team to stare his departing form as he went head straight into combat.
"Why can't he just… wait?" Hitoshi's female teammate grunted with exasperation.
"What's the plan?" Nervously asked his other teammate, or who Hitoshi had called Chubby in his head.
Hitoshi placed his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath. Why? Why couldn't they just move onto the Third Event? There was no way now that the others would remain ignorant about his quirk. He turned towards his two teammates, trying to hide his own worries. As much as he wanted to feel as relaxed as he looked, Shinso knew his future was at stake.
"Right now? Hide" he muttered. He lazily pointed at large boulders behind them. "Over there".
"Aren't we going to – ehm – repeat our previous strategy?" The chubby teammate wondered.
"No" Hitoshi shook his head. "Everyone probably suspects that my quirk is brainwashing, so they will be on guard. That and there are less competitors… meaning less distractions and less people I can catch unawares".
The trio went to the boulders, concealed behind them.
"We have more than enough points" Hitoshi explained. "As long as Bakugo doesn't mess up, I don't see us losing – and if he does mess up… well… guess we'll have to save him again".
If only it was so easy. In a fight, Hitoshi knew he was at a disadvantage. Their team already was down in numbers and they weren't exactly powerful to fend off the likes of Class 1-A's flashy quirks.
"There's something wrong with that guy" Chubby stated, peeking out from a corner of the boulder. It wasn't hard to tell who he was referring to.
Hitoshi sincerely agreed with his teammate. Bakugo's entire personality was abrasive, if not outright aggressive. Of course, Bakugo could get away with it because he had a flashy quirk, and a damn unique one at that. UA probably kissed the ground Bakugo walked on if only to keep him in their school. Any other Hero School would kill to have such a student, after all.
"He does come across as… well… a psycho" added the girl.
Maybe I should remember their names, Hitoshi thought.
He decided against it. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and it wasn't like he would hang around them after the Sports Festival or even after the Second Event. In fact, it wasn't like they liked him, right? He could guess what they already thought about him and his quirk… so why should he even bother?
"He just wants to win" Hitoshi shrugged. "Can you blame him? We all want to reach the third event".
Speaking of which, why did their female teammate had to join in with that fox's scheme? Hitoshi couldn't help but send a glare at his female teammate. She in turn glared back.
"What?" She scoffed. "Are you mad that-?"
"And Team Mineta has taken the flag!" Present Mic interrupted.
"Already? At least he wasn't captured" Hitoshi sighed, shaking his head.
Did that Bakugo really think he could take on everyone by himself? Well, with a quirk like his, Bakugo was bound to have serious ego problems, like probably all of Class 1-A. He probably needed to be rescued once again. However, Hitoshi's female teammate wasn't done talking.
"Look, I want to reach the Third Event as much as you do, Shinso… but I am not about to be a villain about it."
Hitoshi snapped his head at her, glaring at the girl, while a dark shadow fell on his face.
"What did you call me?" Hitoshi spat.
"I didn't call you anything" she hissed, only to avert her eyes, looking ashamed. "All I am saying is that- that we were awful on the first round…" she looked at her feet. "I never used my quirk on people like that…"
Shinso took a deep breath. He could relate. Prior to the Sports Festival, he had rarely, if ever, used his quirk. It wasn't like he could just practice with it like all other students from 1-A…
"I know how you feel" he grunted. "But now is not the time to be all touchy-feely. Do you want to be a hero?"
"Of course I do!" She muttered, only to falter. "I just-"
"Then nothing" Hitoshi said. "We are going to win this, we are going to the Third Event and we'll make it to the Hero Department".
"But what about our actions?" She asked, hesitant and unsure.
"What about them?" Hitoshi inquired, frowning.
Yes, he had brainwashed people and had them attack each other and, yes, he might have underestimated how effective it was. However, the last thing he needed was to second guess himself. It wasn't like he could do anything else other than brainwash people. Hitoshi could only fight with what he had. Besides, if he didn't, he would have been overwhelmed or defeated by the flashy quirks from 1-A! They wouldn't have managed to win the first round if they hadn't used the six-armed guy to liberate Bakugo and everyone else to wreak confusion in the first round.
"Come on, Shinso, you know exactly how we acted in the last round. For God's sake, you saw the injuries!" The girl exclaimed.
Hitoshi remained quiet, keeping his grim face away from his teammates.
I never meant for that, Hitoshi mentally mumbled. A very resentful part of him, though, wanted to believe he didn't care. If others were going to play heroes with their flashy quirks, they also had to accept others using their power against them.
"Look, I didn't know they could turn so aggressive or dangerous, alright? This is all new to me. I've never managed to test my quirk in full. But… what's done is done. All we can do is make sure we pull through and make it to the Third Event and… maybe…" he took a deep breath "make it to the Hero Department".
"Team Todoroki has taken the Flag! Geez, someone help poor Asui… it's painful to watch her tongue stuck to ice like that!" Present Mic announced.
The Aizawa lookalike clearly she wanted to protest, to say more, but the sound of voices made them fall quiet. Team Yukimora passed rather close by them, only to leave without a second glance in their general direction. Further away, they could hear the sounds of Bakugo fighting.
"He just had to lose the flag" Hitoshi muttered.
"Should we go to help him?" Chubby asked.
"No, we'll wait for a while longer… just in case" Hitoshi grunted.
Silence. The three awkwardly waited, unsure what to do.
We are going to lose, aren't we? Hitoshi angrily thought. If he was being truthful, he didn't want to face off the other teams… their accusing faces… Hitoshi clenched his fists and grimaced, shaking his head.
"Hey, it's the fox guy!" Chubby said. "He's alone…"
Hitoshi frowned and, slowly, peeked out from their hiding place. Chubby was right. Out there, sniffing at the air, was a child with fox ears and a long fluffy tail.
"He's adorable" Aizawa's lookalike cooed.
Chubby and Hitoshi stared at their teammate, blinking at her.
"What? He is!" She muttered.
"Shh!" Hitoshi shushed them, freezing, as he noticed the were-fox's ears perk up. For a brief moment, he worried that they had been spotted. Then, the toddler started scratching an ear. It seemed he had missed them entirely because he went back to sniffing around like some kind of dog.
I bet an entire year's worth allowance the fox guy is using him as a scout, Hitoshi swore.
Unfortunately for them, he was getting closer.
Shit… wasn't Bakugo going to go after him or something?Hitoshi wondered, only to frown. Maybe fox guy wants to take us out before Bakugo finds him… makes sense, I guess.
Their time, though, was running short. Hitoshi saw his two teammates staring at him. He was a bit disturbed by the fact he had become the de facto leader of their group but that was a problem for another time.
"We could take him" whispered Chubby. "He's alone…"
Hitoshi didn't like it. It looked way too easy. No, not easy. It reeked of a set-up, a trap. He glanced at the tall pillars of ice shooting high a hundred meters away and the ensuing explosions.
"Wow, what a move! Team Ashido got the flag!" Present Mic commented.
The fox toddler kept its ceaseless search, slowly approaching them. He must have caught their scent, because it was obvious it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. However, instead of getting closer, he paused at a rather safe distance and smiled.
"You thought you can hide from me?" The toddler said, puffing up with pride. "Come out you!"
"I need to get closer to use my quirk" Hitoshi heard his female teammate say.
He won't come here… but he isn't going to inform his other self, Hitoshi noticed. He glared at the fox toddler.
Hitoshi walked out, surprising his teammates.
"Ah-ha! So you were there after all" the toddler grinned.
On the outside, Hitoshi looked detached and uncaring. Deep down, he swore. He had been played to reveal himself. His teammates walked out to join him on each side. When the toddler spotted the girl, he jumped back, probably apprehensive of her quirk.
"Alright, it is me against you!" The kid said with a childish smirk. "Bring it on!"
To Hitoshi's surprise, the kid started waving his fists in the most childish of manner.
"Might as well get this over with" Hitoshi groaned. The toddler was no muscular sugar-enhanced guy or tall six-armed fight, but it was better than nothing. Might as well brainwash him. "Where's the rest of your team?"
The toddler, to Hitoshi's annoyance, blew a raspberry.
"Really?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. Deep down, he was fuming.
Instead of answering, the toddler turned around and… well… proceeded to cheekily wiggle his butt at them while making silly faces.
"You little…" muttered Hitoshi. He paused, only to smirk "Has anyone ever told you how much you resemble a squirrel?"
That got an immediate rise from the toddler.
"A squirrel!? How dare-!"
Gotcha, Hitoshi thought with a smirk. Like grasping at a light, Hitoshi felt his quirk take over the rude toddler's mind.
POOF.
"What the-?" Hitoshi wondered, baffled.
Three pairs of eyes blinked at the fading white cloud of smoke. Was that supposed to happen? They didn't accidentally kill a part of fox boy, did they? For a moment, they stood there, trading confused faces. It was, after all, the first time seeing someone vanish like that.
"Shinso!" Chubby exclaimed, pointing at a side.
Hitoshi snapped his head in that direction, and swore under his breath. Coming at full speed was Ingenium's brother. On his back, was none other than the round faced girl. For some reason, she wasn't wearing her P.E. shirt, having a black sweatshirt instead. A trail of ash rose behind him, where Shinso swore he saw something move.
"We've got this!" Said Aizawa's lookalike, stepping forward. Her chubby teammate reluctantly nodded.
"Don't let the round faced girl touch you" Hitoshi warned them.
Iida made his approach, squinting at Aizawa's lookalike. For a moment, Hitoshi thought he understood Iida's plan: have the fast guy get at close as possible so that round-face could then take on Hitoshi's female teammate and thus free him from her quirk. Hitoshi stepped back, ready to assist if needed. The opponents were fast approaching. Chubby was running forward, sweating nervously as he headed to meet their foe, ready to transform into that ridiculous yarn ball. Once Iida was close enough, Female Aizawa focused her gaze on their opponents and the white of her eyes started to darken…
SPLASH. "ARGH!"
Hitoshi had no idea what had happened. One moment his teammate was about to use her quirk. The next second, some kind of pellet hit her on one eye. Chubby guy turned around, shocked and worried. That was a mistake. Iida and round-face passed by him and her fingers grazed Chubby. The fat kid could only cry in a panic as he started helplessly floating upwards. Hitoshi's female teammate recovered – only for round-face to throw her blue gym shirt on her face. Aizawa's lookalike barely had any time to remove the shirt before Round Face was onto her, jumping off Ingenium's brother. Iida, in turn, carried on running straight at Hitoshi.
Shit, shit, shit, Hitoshi thought, wide-eyed. Come on, Hitoshi, think!
"H-Hey, I give up!" Hitoshi exclaimed, rising his hands. Whilst pathetic on his part, he couldn't hope to beat Ingenium's brother one-on-one.
Come on, fall for it! Hitoshi mentally pleaded.
Iida skidded to a halt, dumbfounded. He looked ready to deliver some kind of righteous spiel, when he held his tongue and glared at him. Hitoshi counted his lucky stars for that. For a moment he thought the guy would slam Hitoshi with those heavy-looking legs of his… something that was bound to break a few bones, at least. However, Hitoshi wasn't counting for a very familiar green fox to jump over Iida.
Hitoshi's eyes widened, face ridden with dawning realization. There was a loud POOF and a voluptuous four-tailed fox woman – with her stomach bare and her bosom promising to reap her shirt from its seams - appeared right in front of him. He had no time to react as she sultrily winked at him and blew a kiss, one that shot a strangely cartoonish heart straight to his face.
Where the hell was Deku? His absence was starting to grate on Bakugo. After all, hadn't that nerd talked back to him? It was thanks to that bastard that he had to go through fifteen minutes of the stupid Second Event. The real question was, if Deku wasn't trying to get the flag, where was he?
Annoyed, Bakugo looked around. Fifty meters away he could see Half-Ice trying to ward off the team of rejects, the one with the losers from different departments. The teams of Ball-Head and Pink-Bitch were also over there. One team was missing: Deku's.
He stood on a tall boulder, surrounded by a couple of scorched trees and a mass of man-sized rocks further away. A black pit spouted fire ever so often not far from him. Everything else was covering in ash. Soft to land on and a definite pain to wash off. Other than that, Bakugo was frustrated by how many hiding places there were… and all for the sake of environment.
"B-Bakugo!"
The explosive teen snapped his heads towards the rocks. There, panting and with a black eye, came the creep extra, the one with the brainwashing quirk.
"The fox guy…" he wheezed, breathing hard.
Bakugo's eyes widened and jumped down the boulder, right next to the creepy extra.
"Where's Deku?" He asked, impatient.
"He attacked us over there – near where we started the second round" he stated, pointing in the direction he had come from. "They tied the others to a tree..."
Shit, makes sense, Bakugo thought. It was thanks to this creepy motherfucker we made it this far… of-fucking-course Deku would try to get to him first…
As Bakugo was about to turn around, he suddenly noticed something. The weird vibes the creepy extra used to give were gone. That and there was one thing Bakugo noticed right away.
Wasn't he taller? Bakugo thought, momentarily confused.
Not that he cared much about the extras that happened to be his teammates, but he was sure the weirdo had looked down at him. He could remember that because it had really pissed him off.
"That bastard…" Shinso muttered. "He turned into this… this…" he frowned, his hands moving to his chest as if holding a pair of large round things.
"His slut-form" Bakugo scoffed. He harrumphed, turning towards where Shinso pointed out.
"Y-yeah? Whatever you call it" he grunted. "Shot me with this thing – a stupid heart? I don't know what's supposed to do. Whatever it was... it didn't do anything".
Maybe the fact he brainwashes people makes him immune to other people's control, Bakugo hummed. Whatever. I'll deal with Deku no matter the form.
With a destination in mind he turned around. As he did, however, his eyes caught the sight of Shinso's footwear. He leaned forward, something rubbing him the wrong way. Something about those red shoes were so familiar... It was just as he was about to jump that it hit him. Those were Deku's shoes!
The explosive blond turned his body, a palm burning and ready to explode… only for his mind to go numb. To his credit, he managed to turn around halfway through before none other than a Four-Tailed Deku - covered in the white smoke of Deku's transformations - landed one of her obnoxious attacks. But it was too late.
Bakugo had no idea what was going on with his body. His legs buckled down, his arms loosened and his blood boiled in his veins, and not in the rather familiar rage. His eyes, though, were the worst part, staring straight at the Slut's face. A trail of drool streamed down his a side of his mouth. He had, much to his mounting horror, become a spectator within his own body.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Bakugo thought. Come on, stupid body, move!
"What gave me away? It was the shoes, wasn't it?" She hummed with a smirk. "Oh, who am I kidding? My Shinso imitation was as passable as that girl from 1-B. The reason you didn't notice, dear, is because of how quickly you dismiss people…"
I will crush you, Deku! Once I break free I'll-! Bakugo screamed.
Bakugo heard people approaching from behind. He wanted to flee – no, not flee! He didn't flee! No, he wanted to stand up and break their stupid noses! But his body remained unresponsive, blood boiling as he ogled at Deku like a moron… just like the filthy disgusting midget. He fucking hated perverts and it infuriated to no end that he had been reduced to that: a weak, pathetic pervert ogling at a woman.
"I can't believe that worked!" Round-Face squealed with delight.
"Let us not tarry and secure him!" Four-Eyes shouted.
No! I will not be captured again! Bakugo mentally growled. And as his rage coursed through his veins, he felt the tiniest bit of control returning to his hands. I can't be held down, you rejects!
"It won't be that easy, love…" Deku said, a smug smile stretching across her lips.
She delicately placed a hand over his shoulder, her claws slowly traveling across its length. To Bakugo's frustration, his body immediately reacted to her touch. Whatever modicum of control he had regained ebbed away, leaving Bakugo with only his thoughts in the deepest corners of his head. Everything else was just numb, utterly unresponsive.
I am not like you, extras! Bakugo mentally roared, fighting against the numbness that had befallen him. His fingertips twitched again. He needed more anger.
"My, my, aren't you a fighter?" Deku tauntingly cooed.
I'll show you, Deku! You can't hold me down! Bakugo thought, all while a line of drool dripped onto the ground. His hands quivered, and a faint gurgling grunt escaped his throat. Deku's eyes widened.
That's right, you fucker! I'll break free! Bakugo laughed at Deku. Any moment now he would regain control and kick their butts.
He felt some type of cord be wrapped around him. Bakugo's trail of thought vanished, turned into desperation. Whatever little control he had managed to regain slipped his grasp as panic settled.
No! No! Come on, stupid body, move! Bakugo urged.
"There!" Round face exclaimed, finished tying down Bakugo. "Wow, that was a close one".
He had been tied down with his palms against his side, all while winding the metal cords around his arms, pressed against his body. Just where had they gotten the ropes?
"Huh… a pity I don't have a camera" Round-Face said with amusement.
"That would truly be unbefitting of us, Ochaco!" Four-Eyes exclaimed.
You bastards! Release me and fight me! Bakugo thought. He really wanted to feel anger, but such emotions eluded him. Dread seemed to be abundant, however.
"I expected mayor complications…" Four-Eyes admitted.
"The legs, Iida-kun" hummed Deku.
"R-r-right" a flustered Four-Eyes stammered.
Bakugo could feel the warm sweaty hands of the blushing Four-Eyes as he wrapped metal coils around his legs. Meanwhile Deku crouched right in front of him, her tails wagging with satisfaction. Stupid Deku sure looked smug.
"Oh hon, what a way to disappoint me…" Deku purred. "This was so easy… what was that about crushing us, love?"
"Now, now, there is no need to taunt him further" Iida remarked.
"You are no fun, Iida-kun" pouted Deku, earning a spluttering incoherent series of sounds from the flustered bespectacled boy.
Go to hell, Deku! You think this piece of metal can hold me down?! I will kill you, motherfuckers! Bakugo mentally screamed.
"Lovely work, Iida-kun, Cute face" Deku said. She looked down on Bakugo, emerald eyes sparkling with taunting amusement. "I would love to stay around, love, but we've got places to be. So cheers, love" she said blowing a harmless kiss on Bakugo's direction before turning around and leaving.
Fuck you, Deku! Just you wait! Any moment now I'll fucking break free of this and I'll crush you! Bakugo wanted to scream, but his body wouldn't comply.
Round-Face and Four-Eyes followed after Deku. A few seconds later, Weird-Eyes went past Bakugo carrying some kind of sniper rifle. Bakugo helplessly stared, sprawled on the ground, eyes unable to leave Deku's swaying butt. He tried to move his hands, but they insisted on remaining unresponsive. Team Deku trotted away, towards the sounds of fighting… and then vanished. And still, Bakugo could not muster the power to reclaim his body.
What's wrong with me? Why can't I fight this- this stupid thing? Bakugo mentally whispered.
Alone, with his thoughts, Bakugo could only hear the sound of fighting. He had to do something. He had to show those extras who was boss. Unfortunately, Bakugo found himself in a rather delicate situation… again.
Second time I've got captured like a noob… fuck, Bakugo thought.
Thankfully, he regained control of his body soon after, almost like someone had switched it back on. As much as Bakugo wanted to believe otherwise, odds were that Deku had changed forms and thus released him from the Four-Tails control. Regardless, this was the chance to escape, to fight… and yet Bakugo didn't move. He didn't scream. All he could do was stare blankly at the fighting going on further back.
"Stupid Deku…" he muttered. He moved a bit, only to discover that he wouldn't squeeze out any day soon.
That's it? I was taken down? I couldn't break free from Slut-Deku's ability? Bakugo wondered, unable to comprehend what had gone wrong. It just… seemed so wrong. I am better than this damn it! I can't get captured like some extra!
But deep down, something told him otherwise. As much as he wanted to lash out, the helplessness of the situation settled in his gut.
The extras are all going to love this, aren't they? Bakugo realized. Oh, I can already imaging their pathetic squealing: oh, look, Bakugo got captured once! Big fucking deal!
However, this wasn't the first time he had been captured, was it? Nor was it the first time he had been tricked by Deku. That reality, buried deep in his being, was threatening to rear its ugly head. All Bakugo could do was feel something crack within, something that had started to fall apart since he had started attending UA.
"Enough wallowing in self-pity, darn it!" Bakugo shouted back at himself. "They are fucking extras! It was a fluke!"
With his body working as it should, he used his quirk to produce heat. Being pressed against his body meant he was only burning himself… not that he was vulnerable to heat or fire. However, Bakugo knew he could use that to his advantage. With little space to release the pent up heat, Bakugo's palm would keep rising the temperature, like a furnace. If he heated the metal cords enough, they could weaken enough for him to break free. Of course, that also meant burning his clothes.
"Come on! Come on!" Bakugo muttered.
There was, however, one drawback to the plan. Given how he needed to maintain a constant stream of heat building up, he was probably going to burn through a lot of sweat... and that could mean pushing past his quirk's limits. It could backfire in the end. After all, what would be the idea of escaping his bindings only to endure dehydration?
"I am not backing down!" Bakugo hissed.
Sadly, with a plan ongoing, all he could do was think… and boy was there nothing good to think about. His mind taunted him by casting images of what the world would think, the comments up in the stands. The dismissive scoffs of Pro-Heroes, the laughter of the audience, the look of disappointment of his family… He expected fury to return to him, to drive him further, but instead, he found his entire being breaking piece by piece.
"Team Midoriya has taken the flag! Now that was an amazing move!"
"Deku…" Bakugo growled, glaring murderously at the boulder before his eyes. "I am not done, you hear me?!"
There was a loud sizzling as his bindings started glowing red. His nostrils were struck by the smell of smoke as his clothes caught on fire. Bakugo didn't stop. He couldn't. If he was going to be the number one Hero, he couldn't allow such embarrassing defeat to go unpunished.
"Come on, Bakugo, you can do it!" Someone cried out.
"Damn, that fox guy is devious!" A spectator remarked with disapproval.
"That's it? That was underhanded for someone who wants to be a hero!" A Pro-Hero decried with righteous indignation.
"I can't wait for Bakugo to make his come-back!" Another person confidently stated.
The Usagiyamas really wanted to beat the audience. How could they be so blind? How could enjoy the antics of such a jerk? Why couldn't they let the Usagiyamas enjoy the moment? Still, no matter what the others would comment, there was reason to celebrate.
"Hell yeah, Fox Boy!" Laughed Rumi, waving a fist in the air. "Show that bastard who is boss!"
"Buh-yah!" Haku and Hana replied, waving fists of their own.
The surrounding audience, whilst already accustomed to the three weird rabbit-people, couldn't help but stare at them.
"Oy, whatcha looking at?" Rumi growled, snapping at the annoying onlookers. "Got something to say?!"
Everyone looked away from them, acting as if they weren't silently judging her. Satisfied, Rumi stood up.
"Alright you brats, nature is calling so you better stay put, you hear me?!" Rumi ordered, pointing at the two.
"You don't think we can sit still while you go to the bathroom?" Haku mockingly gasped, exchanging baffled looks with Hana.
"But we always behave ourselves!" Hana insisted with a grin.
Rumi felt an eyebrow twitch. Her two siblings, in turn, gave their most innocent faces. Oh, she was not fooled, not at all. She knew them all too well. Unfortunately, she had more pressing matters to tend to.
"Just stay put" Rumi muttered. However, she knew that was asking for too much. With any luck she wouldn't take that long.
The empty corridors of the stadium were far from inviting. The resounding echoes gave her the creeps and the poor lighting immersed everything in a scary penumbra. Already in a hurry, Rumi ran to the nearest bathroom only to find the male and female bathrooms shut with signs hanging on their doors.
What do they mean they are cleaning them now?! Rumi thought, outraged.
She glanced around. To her right, metal curtains had been lowered to block the path. That meant she could only ran to her left. Thus, rabbit girl didn't waste time and went at full speed, cursing that last free drink from the ramen stand. Thankfully, she came across another bathroom that was available and jumped in.
Less than a minute out she was running out, hastily shaking her hands to dry them. Hopping back the way she came, she hoped she hadn't missed anything important. That was when a loud CLANK startled her. Rumi's body went into full alert and her bunny ears perked up. She stood still, staring towards a side corridor.
Had something been dropped there? It had sounded metallic. She squinted at the corridor, only to spot something on the floor faraway. To her surprise, it seemed someone had dropped a rather big hammer. Scoffing at the absurdity of finding a hammer on the ground of a massive stadium, Rumi turned to leave. She halted, however, as she was reminded of something. The rabbit girl glanced at her feet, then at the hammer, and then gritted her teeth.
Could it be…? Rumi wondered. She glanced back towards the way she came from. She was going to miss the Second Event at that rate… well, Bakugo was captured and I'm sure Fox Boy can manage.
With her mind decided, she went towards that hammer, cautiously making sure there wasn't anyone about to just jump on her. Call her paranoid, but Rumi was not about to drop her guard any day soon. The corridors, though, were abandoned. Thus, she picked the hammer and studied it. She recognized it immediately.
Huh? It's the same stupid hammer that broke my foot a month ago! Rumi thought, shocked.
Truly, it felt like ages when the hammer had abruptly fallen out of a locker and straight on her foot. She had never put that much thought about the weirdness of it all. After all, who kept a hammer in his or her locker? Rumi had, however, promised herself to beat the crap out of whoever owned the hammer, if she came to learn that person's identity that is.
Or I might just be overthinking things… Rumi conceded. It was way too much of a coincidence if, indeed, this was the same hammer that had broken her foot.
A door suddenly closed just around the corner, not far from her, and Rumi perked up. The place clearly was not as abandoned as she had first suspected. Maybe it was the owner of the hammer.
That means I could figure out if she or he was behind that stupid hammer a month ago, Rumi realized.
The rabbit girl bit her lower lip, glancing back the way she came from. Was it worth it? Well, since she was there she might as well check it out, right? After she left the hammer on the floor, Rumi tiptoed over to the closed door, ears perked up for anything suspicious. As she approached the door in question, she heard voices talking. Rumi was floored by the voice currently speaking.
"-anything useful, but I fear they might have taken something else" Principal Nezu said.
"And what, pray tell, do you suspect was taken?" A very serious and professional voice asked.
"I believe they might have gone after the schedules" Nezu responded. "There were no signs of intrusions in the servers or offices. Hound Dog only found the unrecognized scents on the teachers' lounge".
"While I understand wanting to tell us all of this... what does this have to do with Toshinori?" a gruff old voice inquired.
"I wanted to discuss something that has… caught my attention" Nezu said. "It is something that has bothered me for some time and, after this bold infiltration, I wanted to discuss this matter with haste".
Should I be eavesdropping? Definitely not… but should they have picked a better place for a meeting? Definitely yes, Rumi thought, leaning closer. She was awfully intrigued by the conversation, after all. In fact, who wouldn't be? An infiltration on U.A., something that bothered Principal Nezu... could it get any more interesting?
"A strange phenomenon has taken place, one that has been most intriguing: Accidents and villain activity has risen since All Might officially became a teacher of my school. That alone has baffled me and I have been trying to understand it ever since. The odd part is the strange patterns and frequency of said events. Whilst random at first glance, it does give me the impression there is some design to it all" Nezu said.
"Yes, Naomasa told me something similar" a third voice said. It was deep and definitely a man's voice. Whilst not old, he was definitely not young. "He believes that most incidents are erratic fans eager to draw my attention. But he did concede there was something odd about the recent rise of villain sightings…"
His attention? Rumi raised an eyebrow. He doesn't sound like any hero I know about.
"Do not beat around the bush, Principal" the stern voice bluntly stated. "You suspect villains are up to something… and it might relate to All Might".
Huh? Rumi blinked dumbly at that.
"The increase in accidents, villain activity and other Hero-related work are, at plain sight, unrelated. However, it is also illogical and abnormal. In any other place All Might made his presence known, peace followed. That's not the case here. And now an infiltration of U.A.? Three villains were caught… but as I said, suspect they were actually the diversion to gather information on class schedules. It is my hypothesis, that a villain organization is moving against you, All Might."
All Might is in there?! Rumi's eyes widened.
"Sounds like a bit of a stretch to me" gruffly muttered the man. "Toshinori's time might have shortened through the years, but he hasn't shown any signs of growing weaker".
"It makes sense, to a certain degree" the stern man added. "Your presence, Toshinori, has seen a visible decline in the last years… and now that you have become a teacher…"
"…they are smelling blood in the water" the third unrecognized man said. "I doubt they understand or know my full situation, however. Then again, since when has that ever stopped villains from trying to defeat me?"
"Now that you mention it, Principal, it does seem something is afoot" the stern voice remarked. "I'll admit it is an apt observation… one that needs to be substantiated, of course. Thus far, all I've heard is guesswork. In any case, even if what you suspect is true... what could these villains possibly hope to achieve? I am more inclined to believe the villains are far more interested in your students, Principal, than to take on the Number One Hero".
All Might's true name is Toshinori?! And he is in there? And what is this about All Might's limits? Decline? Rumi felt her heart racing like mad.
"That is a possibility" Nezu stated. "Unless, of course, we assume there are certain forces out there fully aware of All Might's current condition".
What condition?! Rumi asked aloud. She really wanted answers, damn it!
"Impossible! He is dead! I made sure of it!" The third voice exclaimed, only to break into a painful coughing fit.
Rumi winced. That coughing fit sounded terrible. That couldn't be the Toshinori guy... All Might couldn't be sick or injured. He just couldn't.
"I am not denying that, but it is foolish to assume the organization he controlled will not seek vengeance or that he had no potential successors in the shadows. He built an underground empire. True, it crumbled after his defeat... but you cannot believe no villains will at least try to take his place" Nezu remarked.
The eavesdropper gulped. Whoever that He was, it must have been someone absolutely powerful. But who? Rumi couldn't remember a fight that had been tough for the likes of All Might.
"It is possible and I have heard about strange movement of villains... groups moving around here, disappearing there... perhaps the promise of Toshinori's retirement on the horizon is encouraging once slumbering monsters" conceded the gruff voice with a tone of defeat. "We can't risk it. You know what that means, don't you Toshinori?"
"Yes…" sighed the third voice. "I need hasten my choice of a successor".
A what now? Rumi felt like she had landed into some nightmarish dream. I really shouldn't be listening in to this! But…
"I've noticed you've put little interest on the Freshmen Sports Festival" Nezu remarked. "While I understand considering them a tad too young to take your mantle, there are a few that might be worthy".
"I do not enjoy watching young ones fighting" Toshinori sighed, much to Rumi's surprise. "It's against my nature not to intervene upon such- such conflicts… and it is antithetical to everything I fought for. I went on a one-man crusade against the forces of Evil for a world where children wouldn't need to fight for their future! Instead… we glorify it".
"I do not intend to offend, Principal, but Toshinori's morals aside, I don't believe there is anyone in the freshman year that is worthy" the stern voice remarked. "They all appear unimpressive and motivated solely on winning".
"I don't know about that" the old man said. "There is that boy, the fox quirk user…"
Fox Boy? Rumi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. What the hell are they talking about in there? And what does All Might mean by successor? Rumi felt utterly lost.
Unbeknownst to her presence, the three men and the chimera kept talking. Rumi listened, in disbelief. The more she heard, the more she realized she had come across one of the biggest secrets in the world. No, it was far worse than that…
"Are you alright, Izuku?" Iida asked as he helped his teammate on his feet.
Transforming to the Nine-Tails, Izuku spat the ash that had gotten into his mouth. Not far from them, a triumphant Team Yukimora was running away at full speed.
"I'll manage" he grunted.
Ochaco and Hatsume showed up next, with the pink-haired girl panting. Although both were sweaty and visibly exhausted, it was clear Hatsume wasn't used to running.
"I… should… have kept the… running gear" she muttered, glaring at Iida's equipment.
"What do we do now?" Ochaco wondered, face red from the exercise.
"How are we doing?" Izuku asked, turning towards the holographic screen.
"Still in third place" Iida said. "The other teams are catching up, however".
"We spent too much time dealing with Bakugo and his team" Izuku realized. "Come on, guys! We need to keep up".
"DEKU!"
Team Midoriya froze as the familiar scream pierced through the arena. Then, the air quivered under the shock wave of an explosion and the ground shuddered. Up in the stands, the audience watched fascinated by the spectacle. A large cloud of burning pitch-black smoke expanded on the distance. It seemed that the old adage was true: speak of the devil, and he shall come.
"Rising from his capture, Bakugo is up and around!" Present Mic announced "and – oh boy, could someone hand Bakugo a shirt?"
Izuku broke out of his stupor and looked around. Soon enough, he had spotted a good place to hide.
"Guys, over here" Izuku said, gesturing towards a nearby boulder.
The team took its time to react, but thankfully followed the green-haired teenager around the boulder and out of sight. There, Izuku knelt down, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"He sure sounds pissed" Hatsume commented with amusement.
"He's going to kill us!" Ochaco panicked. "How did he manage to escape?"
"There is no need to be concerned. We managed to defeat him before and I am most certain-" Iida confidently said.
BOOM. Team Midoriya paused, apprehensive about the explosion. The ensuing cheering was foreboding, to say the least.
"By All Might's Golden Hair, Bakugo sure is on fire!" Present Mic called. "Someone get poor Mineta a medic – that punch was devastating!"
"DEKU!"
Izuku sighed, shaking his head. Fighting an enraged Bakugo was the last thing he needed. However, he had known Bakugo needed a lot more than some feeble cords to be beaten.
"There is no choice" Midoriya sighed. "We need to defeat him again". He glared at the ground. "We must crush him for good…"
The question, however, remained: just how were they supposed to do that?
I'll kill that nerd! Bakugo thought, seething. He acts all tough and shit – and what does he do? He pussies out like a bitch and uses a fucking trick! He ties me up! And he wants to be a fucking Hero?!
He ignored the other competitors and their terrified looks. He couldn't give a crap about the flag at the moment. All that he cared about was that Deku didn't have it… and if that continued, it looked like they might lose. Team Pinky was close to surpass them and the Team of rejects was not far behind. At the moment, though, Bakugo just wanted to beat the crap out of Deku.
Where is he? Bakugo wondered, looking around. Not far, Team Scar-Face was fending off the other teams, except for Team Deku.
Did he care that he was currently shirtless, what remained of his pants scorched black? Of course not. He really didn't mind. In fact, he liked the way the others looked at him, with fear in their eyes.
"Are you looking for me?"
"Deku…" Bakugo muttered, snapping his head at One-Tailed Deku.
The green fox sat there, on a stone, placidly enjoying the warm sunlight. He yawned, before he sprinted away.
"Come back here you coward!" Bakugo yelled. One explosion later, and he was giving chase to the fox.
Bakugo swore as a wave of dizziness threatened to overcome him. To his chagrin, he lost focus for a moment, de-accelerating ever so slightly. It didn't matter, though. The explosive teen had expected to suffer from dehydration at some point – especially after burning through those metal cords. It wasn't going to stop him. Not now. He had to push through and beat Deku!
The explosive teen flew over the green fox, only for Deku to take a turn left. Bakugo changed course and gained altitude. Once high enough, he shot down straight at the fox. The air whooshed on his ears as he prepared to smash that bastard down below. Said fox, however, burst into white-smoke – and blue flames flew off towards Bakugo. He barely had time to dodge an initial pillar of Fox Fire before he was struck, and he was enveloped by the harmless flames. While unscathed, Bakugo was unable to see where he was going and thus crashed onto the ground, the flame still in place.
The loud rumble of an engine alerted him of Four-Eyes. He exploded upwards, and the blue flames vanished. Just an instant later, Four-Eyes appeared and missed his target, before running away. That was when Bakugo noticed a shadow overhead. Reacting in an instant, the blond moved to a side just as a massive rock fell downwards, having regained its gravity.
Landing on boulders, Bakugo looked at his surroundings. To his mounting ire, there was no one around. Where were the extras? A sound made him snap behind him, just in time to see nine tails stretching upwards behind him. Bakugo exploded away as they drove downwards, smashing onto the boulder.
The explosive teen barely had any respite as his feet returned to ash ground. He heard the roaring engines of Four-Eyes and turned around just in time to be greeted by a calf to the face. He was sent rolling backwards. Four-Eyes didn't pause, though. The tall teenager accelerated forward and delivered another kick. This time, Bakugo was ready. Eyes widened in horror as the blond caught the leg and smirked.
BOOM. Bakugo leaped back and Four-Eyes fell forward, on his knees, clutching his stomach. There was no time to stand around, though. He heard something behind him and Bakugo rolled to a side, dodging a cartoony heart. Smirking, he exploded to the source and delivered a satisfying uppercut to Slut Deku's chin.
Retribution was way too gratifying.
Of course, Round Face had to showed up and ruin his fun with her foot on his face. Bakugo recoiled, stepping back, still unharmed. Shaking his head, he turned towards the brunette and surprised she had the gall to face him in close quarters. Yet there she was, standing with shaking hands and a look of abject dread on her face. Even though her bravery was commendable, Round Face looked as pathetic as always. Of course, Four-Eyes had to intervene with a kick to his face, sending him rolling away. What was it with the extras and their kicks to his face?
Bakugo was able to stand up quickly, but that, apparently, backfired. His head spun. The effects of quick overuse were starting to affect him. The explosive teenager gritted his teeth and struggled to maintain his footing. It sure was a bad moment to be dizzy like that.
The blond had little time to react as tails smacked him sideways, straight to a tree. He wobbled to his feet, head spinning. Regain his focus, he growled and glared up ahead, only to find that the extras were gone from sight yet again.
"Eep!" Bakugo snapped his head to the source.
There, to his left, was Round-Face. Panicking, Round Face started running away. Bakugo didn't hesitate. He exploded straight towards her. Deku, apparently, would have to get in line. The petite girl went right past a boulder and the blond pulled his right arm back, ready to punch her. Suddenly, a rifle appeared from behind the boulder and slammed onto his face.
Bakugo, unaffected by the attack, snapped his head at the culprit. There, trembling and slack-jawed, was Weird-Eyes. Roaring, Bakugo proceeded to punch Weird-Eyes right on the face, breaking her stupid nose and sending her flying backwards onto the ground. He forgot, however, about Round-Face.
The scarlet-eyed teenager reacted to slow when he realized Round-Face was already charging towards him, hands outstretched. A palm reached towards his chest and Bakugo panicked. He exploded his hands, right on her ugly face. Round-Face fell back, face covered in scorching smoke, and Bakugo grinned in triumph. However, as Bakugo quickly discovered, she had succeeded in her mission – and thus flew backwards. Without weight, Bakugo was rising high into the air and every movement he did made matters worse. If that wasn't enough, his sense of balance was completely screwed up. It didn't help he was already light-headed.
Bakugo created explosions behind him, slowing him down, only for a shadow to cover him. Snapping his head upwards, he saw a massive calf with six exhausts pipes. It slammed on his face and drove him straight downwards. His body crumpled as he smashed onto the ground. Weightless, he bounced off, surrounded by a cloud of ash.
Shit! Bakugo thought, utterly disoriented. His head spun again and, for a moment, Bakugo worried he had pushed himself too far.
He coughed and tried to make heads and tails the world, unable to tell which way was up and which way was down. Abruptly, the cloud of ash parted and in came Nine-Tails Deku. He looked beyond pissed.
Bakugo's eyes widened as he saw that all nine tails had been wound together into a massive tail, a tail that was rearing sideways with clear intent. Red eyes met emerald, and for a brief moment, there was nothing but them in the world. There was Deku, the guy Bakugo had always known as weak and pathetic… about to give him the kick of a lifetime. It sure was ironic.
SLAM.
The entire audience winced as the shock wave of the strike cleared the ash cloud. Bakugo was sent flying across half the arena – and straight to the arena's walls. The crowd gasped, horrified, before they felt a terrible shudder beneath their feet. Like a cannonball, he was buried into concrete, bricks and plaster. People watched unable to comprehend what they had just witness. Some stood up, ready to flee, while others were desperate to know what had transpired. With abated breaths, no one dared to break the silence. Then came the shouting.
"Someone, call a medic!"
"Oh God, is he dead?"
"That was awful!"
On and on people stared, horrified. How had that fox boy dared to murder a fellow classmate? And without hesitation? However, their thoughts were broken by the sound coming from the hole below. Something moved within the dust cloud at the site of impact.
"Pathetic"
From the dust, Bakugo groggily wobbled out. Shirtless, he was dirtied with plaster and concrete, but otherwise, he was shockingly unscathed. Not only that, he lazily swatted pieces of the stadium off like they were nothing. Moreover, he stood tall, and defiant. He paused, noticing the on looking crowd. Something crossed those red eyes, but in the end he smirked and raised a fist.
Wouldn't you know it? The crowd loved that. The spectators gasped, only to smile. Many whistled with amazement while others chuckled. They all, however, ended up breaking into a deafening cheer. It was not every day they saw someone kicked into a wall and come out untouched like a badass.
However, what they didn't know was that Bakugo's head throbbed and his throat was painfully dry. He felt utterly parched and fatigued.
Shit… Bakugo mentally muttered as he tried to keep up his facade of strength.
He gave a step forward, only to halt soon after when he heard a loud horn cut through the stadium.
"And that is the end, my listeners!" Present Mic shouted. "With the most points…"
Bakugo scrunched his face, fighting the mounting headache, and turned towards the holographic screens. He gritted his teeth.
"…TEAM TODOROKI!" Present Mic announced. "Team Bakugo is second, followed by Team Ashido. On fourth place, barely scraping their way to the Third Event-"
"You've got to be shitting me" Bakugo spat.
"-Team Midoriya!"
The crowd, much to Bakugo's mounting ire, cheered. Of course the sheep would break into cheering again. They were mindless drones!
Deku… Bakugo mentally growled, clenching his shaking fists. Y-you- you are nothing, Deku! I'll be the next All Might… I'll be the next Symbol of Peace… I'll- I'll…!
Slowly, Bakugo's world spun and he felt the last remnants of his strength ebb away. His eyes rolled back and he fell on his knees only to fall forward onto the ground, unconscious.