[LEAGUE OF VILLAINS HIDEOUT - NOON]
The television mounted on the cracked wall played the press conference on loop. Tomura Shigaraki sat on the chair, face buried in a newspaper while Kurogiri watched the news report for the third time.
"—the unidentified individual known as 'White Fang' is being investigated as an unlicensed combatant—"
Eventually, he switched it off.
"Tomura? .."
Shigaraki didn't respond, eyes fixed on the page.
'... He's all they're talking about.' The news report from last night's attack .... All that destruction, six Nomu, For this?
He hadn't expected much, but he had at least expected the League Of Villains to be in the spotlight. Instead it was a brat who hadn't even grown out his pubic hair that they were clamouring over?
"What about my Nomu?" He rasped, voice thick with irritation.
This time, it was Kurogiri's turn to be silent.
"I can't believe it. All of that work and we didn't even make the front page! Look at this! "'Hosu's Student Heroes.' 'Mysterious White Fang.' 'Endeavor's Narrow Escape.' Where's the League of Villains?"
He threw the newspaper aside.
"It is not a total loss Tomura. Endeavors image has taken a hit, as has the image of heroes in general. We demonstrated our reach and forced the hero system to ..."
"We LOST," Tomura interrupted, turning to face him. "Don't sugarcoat it. We lost. Again. We had one job. Kill Endeavor. Shake the public's faith. Show them heroes can fall. And instead, we made two new heroes famous."
His gaze turned to the blank TV screen.
'No one makes a fool out of me ..'
"Kurogiri, find him," Tomura uttered. "I don't care how long it takes. I don't care what resources it requires. Find out who White Fang is. Find out where he lives. Find out everything."
"Of course," Kurogiri replied. "And the student? Akutami Yuta?"
"Him too." Tomura's hands returned to his neck, scratching with renewed vigor. "I want to know everything about both of them. Schedules. Weaknesses. Loved ones. Everything."
His eyes gleamed with barely restrained madness.
'.... Nobody makes a fool of Tomura Shigaraki.'
__
[Yamanashi Prefecture ...]
BANG!
Izuku's back slammed against the wall. "Ugh .." he groaned, sliding slowly before make a Thud.
"And your time's up." Gran Torino uttered with his hands on a stopwatch
"Dammit! Already?"
"Don't beat yourself kid. You did good work. It's your first time using one for all this way after all. Managing to attack me while my guard was down, you must spend a lot of time thinking about strategizing and how to fight."
"Oh .."
Midoriya moved his hand away from his hair and fell into thought. 'It seems ... I'm heading in the right direction. I...'
"Well enough about that. We still have a lot of training ahead of us, so we best get ready."
"Huh? .. oh, of course. Please, what's next sir?" Midoriya stood to his feet.
"Something very important. You still haven't had breakfast yet."
".."
Midoriya was stunned. "I .. guess you're right."
Gran Torino smiled. "Wonderful. Now, why don't you go heat up those pastries that you got this morn ..." The old man froze at the sight of the table.
They had knocked it over in their spar, and along with it, the fish shaped pastries he so loved to enjoy.
"THEY'RE ALL RUINED!"
"Don't worry! I'll go buy some more!"
A loud roar emerged from Gran Torino's residence. Following which, the door burst open as Midoriya ran outside.
'Phew. That was close ..' He praised his quick wit.
'Had I been a second slower, I might have gotten another beating.' a smile made its way up his face.
'It's good though. I still have a long road ahead, but I can see where I'm going now. One For All, Full Cowling. That's the next step to making this quirk my own.'
He thought as he ran down the streets turning few heads in the process before he slowed down as it got more crowded. 'Oh .. I made a wrong turn.'
He stopped and walked back. 'The pastry shop should be right at this corner ... Huh?'
Midoriya paused at the sight of people gathering at the sidewalk. Their eyes fixed on the billboard while discussing something he couldn't hear.
'What the ..' His eyes turned to the billboard showing images of six Nomu and a broadcaster. His eyes widened. 'Those are ... Oh no. Did something ...'
The screen changed. Twenty seconds later, Midoriya's eyes widened.
'Is that? ...'
__
[Genius Office, Tokyo, Japan]
"To be a good pro, your presence must calm those in danger and give them peace of mind."
"You must be capable of course, but there are other things to consider. Your physical appearance, speech, actions must all be ... Elegant. You must give off the aura of a hero .." Best Jeanist gave the final finishing touch before removing his comb, quite satisfied with his achievement.
"... Do you understand?"
"GET THIS CRAP OFF ME!"
Bakugo Katsuki stood in front of a mirror, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated loathing for the man behind him with a pair of hair straighteners.
He was swaddled in high-collared denim that restricted his neck movement, making him look more like a high-fashion mannequin than the human hand grenade he was.
"That is a bad call."
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugo's hands shot to his hair, trying to rip out the product, but Best Jeanist's fiber manipulation was already at work. Thin threads of denim wrapped around his wrists like invisible handcuffs, gently but firmly pulling his arms back down.
'What an unruly child.' Best Jeanist thought.
"Now, now. Destruction of one's appearance is hardly befitting a professional hero. We have a public appearance scheduled for this afternoon—"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID APPEARANCE!" Bakugo roared, small explosions popping from his palms despite the restraints.
"Let me go, you denim-wearing .."
"Language," Best Jeanist cut in. "A hero's vocabulary reflects their ..."
He was interrupted as one of his many, many sidekicks, a young man in denim-themed gear, hurried into the room holding a tablet.
"Sir! An incident occured in Hosu last night. The city's Police Chief's just dropped an official statement. It's all over the wire."
"Oh?" Best Jeanist paused. "Put it on the screen."
The sidekick did.
The video of a press conference with a dog man in a professional suit came into view.
".... Thanks to the swift action of professional heroes, emergency services, and ... other participants, the attack was repelled with zero civilian fatalities. All threats were neutralized due to the combined efforts of our City's pro heroes, Endeavor, and Underground Pro Hero Eraserhead and U.A. High School intern Akutami Yuta ..."
Bakugo's feral struggles froze.
"Hmm?" Best Jeanist raised an eyebrow. "U.A? Akutami? Isn't that the young man with the excellent performance at the U.A sports festival?"
"It's the same one sir."
'What the?' Bakugo growled.
"HEY YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
The sidekick swiped. A different video emerged.
The footage wasn't a professional camera crew's work; it was raw, shaky cell phone video. It showed a dark, tactical-clad figure in the sky with a chain wrapped around the neck of a winged monstrosity.
"The hero student identified as Yuta Akutami has reportedly neutralized four high-level threats," the reporter's voice cut through the office. "Eyewitnesses describe a 'Magnitude 2 earthquake' caused by a single strike..."
Bakugo's eyes shrank to pinpricks. The coif Jeanist had worked so hard on began to fray as the sheer heat radiating from Bakugo's scalp started to melt the hair product.
'Hosu? Akutami was in Hosu?'
He watched a second video of the "Manhole Cover" strike. This one from the NHK professional news crew.
"That damn... extra..." Bakugo's voice was a low, vibrating growl.
'So that's what he was holding out on me.'
"I see. So this is your rival who you prevailed over in the sports festival." Best Jeanist's voice fell into his ears, causing him to grind his teeth.
"Hmm. Remarkable. His silhouette lacks tailoring," Jeanist remarked. "But his impact is... undeniable. It seems your classmate has surpassed the expectations of a mere student,"
Best Jeanist observed Bakugo's expression carefully. His clenched jaw, tightening fists ... And realized.
"Ah, I see this is a... sensitive topic."
"Shut up," Bakugo ground out.
"Jealousy is unbecoming, Bakugo. Though I suppose it's natural to feel overshadowed when—"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
Bakugo's hair snapped back into its jagged, explosive state in an instant.
"I'M GONNA BEAT HIS FACE IN THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIM!"
He remembered Yuta's words at the staircase: 'You know you're just gonna lose, right?'
Explosions shot out of his palms as he escaped the denim grip.
"JEANS MAN! WE'RE DONE WITH THE COMBING! TAKE ME TO THE DAMN TRAINING ROOM ALREADY!"
"Hmm." Best Jeanist only hummed, adjusting his collar. "I can see your ... Enthusiasm, but I don't really think that's what you need right now."
The feral blond blanked.
"WHAT!? YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU DENIM FREAK!" Bakugo pointed at Best Jeanist with barely contained rage.
"I CAME HERE TO LEARN HOW TO BE THE BEST. THAT'S MY ONLY GOAL. TO BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO AND SURPASS ALL MIGHT. YOU KEEP THIS UP MUCH LONGER AND I'M GONNA SMASH YOUR FACE IN BEFORE HIGHTAILING OUT OF HERE!"
"And what makes you think raw power alone is enough to make you the best?"
"... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ..."
"This is precisely what we need to work on." Best Jeanist turned off the television with a wave of his hand. "Your talent is undeniable, Bakugo. Your raw power is exceptional. But power without refinement is simply... destruction."
He ignored the boy's darkening expression and continued.
"Your friend made quite an impact during the sports festival."
"HE'S NOT MY FRIEND!"
"And now .." Best Jeanist ignored him. "He's made another major appearance in front of the media. His image will probably skyrocket after this to an all time high. Meanwhile, they remember you as the boy who had to be chained to a podium because he refused to accept his victory."
Bakugo's face went red.
"That's not—I didn't—"
"Perception is reality in the hero business," Best Jeanist continued calmly. "If you were the one to do the same thing he did in your crass and violent manners, public perception would be against you instead of for you. If you think someone with an unlikeable image can become the number one hero, all you have to do ... Is look at Endeavor. Who in my view, is a hero the public can rely on to win, but not one they can trust to protect them properly."
"I don't care what the public thinks," Bakugo spat.
"Then you will never be Number One."
__
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