"Hey, Bakugo."
"Good morning, rep!"
"Hiiiii!"
"..."
"Hey, man."
"Yo, Bakugo."
"Good morning."
"How are your injuries?"
"What did you want from us?"
"Is it really okay for you to be here?"
"Will you be able to join the Sports Festival, rep?"
"Good morning, kero."
The flood of responses to his simple "Yo" made Bakugo freeze for a moment. 'You guys are way too hyped...' Ignoring the questions, he got straight to the point, raising his voice to cut through the chatter. "I'll keep it brief so I don't disrupt your training. Since day one, I've been observing how each of you uses your Quirks."
Bakugo's serious tone made everyone exchange looks and shift into a more serious expression.
"Here." He held up the folder. "These are the notes I've compiled based on my analysis of your Quirks and how you can improve both them and yourselves. They're just my hypotheses, so I could be wrong on some things, but I might be right on others too."
Some eyes widened while others gaped in shock. 'He's been analyzing us this whole time?!'
"Anyone who wants can take the notes or ask for my help with training. I can't fight yet, but I can guide you," Bakugo concluded, opening the folder and waiting to see who would come forward. But after a few seconds of no movement, he lifted his head and saw everyone staring at him with stunned expressions. "What?!"
"Dude..." Kaminari scratched the back of his neck, hesitant, breaking the silence. "You realize most of us are still trying to wrap our heads around how big the gap is between us and you, right? And now you're saying that, besides being crazy strong, you've also been thinking about how to help us improve?"
'I'm not in the mood for this,' Bakugo frowned. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Now, who wants my help?!"
***
"Alright, Bakugo, where do we start?!" Kaminari asked enthusiastically. "How about a lightning sword? Or, I don't know, a super lightning blast that blows everything up?"
Bakugo raised his hand, cutting him off. "First of all, Generic Pikachu—"
'Generic Pikachu?' Kaminari pulled a face at the nickname.
"—Let's get one thing straight. Your control is trash."
An imaginary arrow pierced Kaminari's chest, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"So we're going to work on that," Bakugo continued, unmoved.
Kaminari lifted his head, a spark of hope in his eyes. "Alright! What's the super training we're doing? Like, something epic—"
"Focus and control."
"...huh?"
"Quirks like ours need precision and control. Two things you definitely don't have."
Another imaginary arrow struck Kaminari, who seemed to wither more with every word.
"So before trying something like... a 'lightning sword', we're going to work on your control." Bakugo pointed at Kaminari's pocket. "Get your phone."
"Okay..." Kaminari pulled out his device.
"You're going to charge and discharge the battery. Repeat that until it's as natural as breathing."
Kaminari opened his mouth, clearly wanting to protest, but Bakugo's piercing glare made him swallow the words. "I mean, I kinda already know how to charge it... but okay, I'll do it."
"Good." The corner of Bakugo's mouth curled into a half-smile. "This'll be just the first of many control and focus exercises. After that... we'll try to find a way to make that sword."
***
"Exercises… for focus and reasoning?" Sato asked, scratching his head as he read through Bakugo's notes. "Like, studying?"
"It's not studying, idiot," Bakugo shot back, crossing his arms. "We're going to train that head of yours to mitigate the cognitive loss caused by your quirk."
***
"Integrating noise-canceling headphones into the costume? Amplifier Jack? Piercing solid areas with the Earphone Jacks to strengthen them and increase the sound quality?" Kyoka read Bakugo's notes, her eyes shining. "Bakugo, this is genius!"
"It's nothing special," he grumbled, looking away. "Need help, or do you already know what to do?"
Jiro smiled confidently. "I already know where to start."
***
"Bakugo… this is hard!" Sero exclaimed, panting as he produced continuous tape from his elbows, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Is it really?" Bakugo commented with fake concern. "Keep going until you feel like you're going to die."
***
"Make the Dark Shadow wrap around my body?" Tokoyami asked, holding the sheet with the notes. "I'm not sure I have that much control…"
"You're here for that, aren't you? To improve your control over your quirk," Bakugo said.
"Indeed."
"…"
"…"
"So, are you going to try?"
"I will."
"…"
***
"Train more of my frog characteristics?" Tsuyu read the sheet Bakugo had handed her, tilting her head.
"Yeah, like strengthening your tongue, practicing poison production, managing to camouflage yourself, those... frog things"
"Ohh, I see, kero."
***
"Thank you very much for the notes, representative!" Iida exclaimed, bowing rigidly. "I'll memorize them and put them into practice. However, I already have a plan in action to improve my Quirk."
"Yeah, yeah, do what you think is best," Bakugo muttered, thinking carefully about his next words before continuing. "Iida, I'm doing some research... representative stuff."
Iida straightened, adjusting his glasses. "Yes? I'm at your service, representative! What's the subject?"
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
"Of course!"
"Alright," Bakugo shifted his gaze to the sky. "In a hypothetical situation. If someone knew you would be seriously injured, to the point you couldn't be a hero anymore. Would you prefer that person to save you—"
Iida opened his mouth immediately, but Bakugo continued.
"—even if it might lead to you dying later, while working as a hero?"
A heavy silence fell between them. The wind blew softly across the training field, carrying the distant sounds of other students training.
Iida blinked a few times, caught off guard by the depth of the question. He adjusted his glasses again, more out of habit, and took a deep breath before answering. "I... I believe being a hero is the noblest calling a person can follow," Iida began, his voice steady.
"It's more than just saving lives. It's carrying the responsibility of inspiring hope, of protecting those who can't protect themselves, even if that means putting your own life at risk. If I were saved from a serious injury, but it led to me dying later as a hero... I would consider it an honor. Dying fulfilling my duty would be the greatest privilege."
"I see…" Bakugo turned his eyes back to Iida, staring at him deeply. "And what if it were your brother?"
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.